Earth Day & Ranching & Fencing, Oh My! (and a brief digression into Pride & Prejudice)

I do love Pride & Prejudice, in all its forms. Currently I'm delving into the written form. Just a few tidbits:

"The stupidity with which [Mr. Collins] was favoured by nature, must guard his courtship from any charm that could make a woman wish for its continuance."

Oh, Jane Austen, how delightfully snarky thou art!

And better yet:

"'Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains?'"

Indeed. But I digress . . .

Earth Day has come and gone, and along with it, a mobile glass pulverizer from Helena. A group of EVST students worked hard to get that darned thing over to Missoula, and we were not disappointed! Missoulians (and Montanans from farther afield) flocked to Caras Park on Earth Day (April 22), and brought about 10 tons of glass for us to pulverize into cullet. It was quite a satisfying day, all told. Here are a few pictures:

Two years' worth of glass from our Recycling Cave of Death:































Other Missoulians' glass stashes:






























The Pulverizer from Above (the big vestibule into which all the glass is being thrown is called the "hopper"):





























Me working hard! (Ooh, pretty bottle!)







































The crew:
Derek, me, Aubree, Marlee, Stacey, Bill (from Headwaters Recycling in Helena), & Robin (EVST prof)--and the pulverizer, of course!



























Let's just say that our Earth Day demonstration was wildly successful. :)


So that was two weekends ago. This past weekend I headed out to Central Montana with a group of EVSTers to do a little fencing for a rancher who had 95% of his 11,000 acres burn in an enormous wildfire last summer.



























It was one of the most lovely weekends I've had in a long while. The weather gods were smiling on us, giving us 75 degree days, cool breezes, and warm sunshine. And the lush green beauty rising out of the blackened ash of the wildfire was utterly glorious. One evening we drove up to a high ridge on the Terland's land.





























To the north were the peaks of the Crazy Mountains, misty in the setting sun; to the south were the snow-capped peaks of the Beartooth Mountains, and on the hills all around the grass was green and dotted with wildflowers--bread & butters (white six-petaled beauties that taste delicious), fire flowers, bluebells, and even some bitterroot plants (Montana's state flower), though they were not yet in bloom.







































On Friday morning as I sat out in one of the sloping meadows above the river, I realized that THIS is what human beings are meant to do: We are meant to be outside. We are meant to breathe and run and live beneath the sunshine, in the path of the wind, along the curve of the earth, drinking the air, smelling sunlight on grass and leaves, hearing the sandhill cranes cry as they drift on high currents of air. It was a moment that could not be bought by anything but my experience of it.

The Baltimorian Escapades of Rachel and Allison

I just returned to cold, cloudy Missoula from cold, sunny Baltimore. So much for spring! Baltimore went from 80-degree weather the weekend BEFORE I arrived to an average of, oh, 37 degrees for the six days of my stay. Go figure.


But we did not let the chilly air negatively influence our activities! We toured Baltimore, from the Inner Harbor to Fort McHenry to Hamden, spent a day in D.C., took walks, cooked delectable dishes (pizza. whole grain waffles with strawberries. roast beef. brussel sprouts. crepes. pumpkin stew. mmm.), drank gallons of hot tea, ate pints of mint chip ice cream, and ate out at various quirky restaurants. Among other things . . .


Rach and Kara's neighborhood (this isn't their street, but it's close by, and aren't the colors splendid?):





























Rach and I looking gorgeous, as usual:




























And . . . oh my, what's this?! Where art thou sitting, oh Rachel? And what's that on thy foot?







































But she wasn't the only one . . . what IS that on my back? Oh dear! What is this place into which we wandered?







































It appears to be some sort of peculiar art studio . . .
a body art studio . . .







































But is that a pen or a (gasp!) needle?































Oh my goodness oh me oh my oh!!


What HAVE we done to ourselves?


One may not think it possible that Rach and I could be any more gorgeous than we already are, but we now have evidence to the contrary.







































Branded beauties, we are!


Hee hee hee . . . I do so love new acquisitions.

Off to Baltimore!!

In an hour my roomie is going to take me to the airport . . . from there I shall fly to Denver, and then to Baltimore, and run into the waiting arms of three good friends. Ilhamdulillah!

I thought I might go to work for a couple of hours this morning. Ha. Ha. Ha. Updating my blog is SO much more useful.

So, a few pictures:

Long afternoon sunlight out my window:
















And . . . pics from the hot springs trip last weekend! A few fellow EVSTers and I drove out to Idaho to camp overnight near the hot springs. What a marvelous idea. I have planned, several times before this, to go to the hot springs, but each and every time the plan has fallen through. Needless to say, I was thrilled that this trip actually happened! We sat in the springs for five hours until we were completely pruny, relaxed, and content, eating olives, baguettes, and cheese, and sipping our wine and kahlua. The moon was nearly full, the sky was clear, the air was cool, and the water was oh, so warm. Mmm.

Hiking across the Lochsa River:















Camping in the snow:















The waterfall pool, which was overrun by snowmelt and thus a little too cold for basking in:















The crew on the bridge on our way out, enjoying a few more moments of fragrant pine air:
















Look for tales of Baltimore escapades (heh, heh) soon to be coming!

Sunday, Rainy Sunday . . .

I like the rain, like watching the dim curtains of mist wash across the Missoula Valley, smelling the soil as the rain soaks in, smelling the freshness, anticipating the new life. It is spring--spring!!--and the rivers are running higher, swifter; the buds are pushing out of the dark tips of branches; and the birds are weaving their canopies of song above me as I walk to work or school.

But rainy days like today are perfect for curling up on the couch, with warm yellow lamps pooling light around me, a fuzzy blanket tucked around my legs, and my laptop on my lap. Perhaps, if I feel so inclined, I will make myself a cup of tea as I sit here reading and writing this afternoon.

Spring break. Doesn't FEEL much like spring break, since all it means is that I get to work even MORE this week, with no inconvenient classes taking up my time, but already I'm feeling more relaxed. Though I suppose it's a bit of a false feeling, since I really ought to be working on my project for my environmental organizing class. Yes, indeed, I am working to bring glass recycling to Missoula, and at times this seems a nigh impossible task. Yeep. However, I encourage ya'll to check out www.recyclemt.org for some pictures of the mobile glass pulverizer in Helena (and you might just see a certain familiar face in a few of those pics, too).

Speaking of pics, I ought to post a few, eh? Though it's been three weeks since I visited my sister out in Lynden, I did promise to put up a few pictures of our trip. Enjoy!

This was the day I left: it snowed the night before, thick, soft snow, and all the streets and cars and trees were white and clean that morning. This is my view on my way to work, and is my favorite part of my two-block walk.

Here's Ishta in the blizzard we drove through--let's just say that I did not at all mind going 20 mph while driving in this stuff!


Andrea on the ferry ride from Anacortes to Orcas Island. Oh, little did we know that the ferry ride would be the best part of the day!


Sistah luv:


Discoveries in Victoria, BC:




After wandering around the city for an evening and the following morning, we made our way to the southernmost point of the city (and, therefore, of Vancouver Island). Waves, water, sky, cloud, wind, driftwood: beautiful! And, of course, we couldn't help but take some 'artistic' shots.




All in all, it was a great weekend, though it did feel as though we did a lot of driving and money spending. It was lovely to get out and away, though! Even lovelier is the latest news that Andrea accepted a teaching position at Ebenezer Christian School in Lynden, WA, and will be moving there this summer! I'm looking forward to many more excursions to the Pacific Northwest in the future.

Just a few more pics, of people I often talk about but whom most of you have not met: my good friend Lindsay Iudicello and her family. A couple of weeks ago we went hiking up to the "L" on Mt. Jumbo.


Here's Linds and Corin (who's 3) and Seth (in the jester hat):


And Corin in the late afternoon sunshine:


And here's a view from the "L" of my lovely Missoula and the mountains which embrace it:


Soon the hills will be green, as will the lawns and the trees and the bushes, and the days will be sparkling with color and light and warmth, and I'll throw all the windows in the house open, day and night, to let the spring drift in.

Ahh.

adventures in baking

BEFORE:



AFTER:



I'm a big fan of frosting.

a few picture updates

I really don't understand how so much time can slither by between posts. I'm trying to update more often, but it doesn't seem to be working. I admit, I have more pressing things to do than update my blog . . .















I have been told that pictures are good. So I will cater to those of you who require visual stimulation--you'd better be happy! (Okay, okay, I like pictures, too. I like visual stimulation as much as the next person. Plah.)

This above shot is the view out my window the other evening. We haven't gotten much snow lately, but every once in awhile we get a dusting, and of course the snow stays on the mountains longer. On this particular evening, when I walked home from work it was both snowing and sunny. Montana is a marvelous place to live.

And, back to Christmas break, here's Linds toasting me with her Mountain Dew at her dad's house up in Spirit Lake. Love ya, girl!















Here's my adorable kid sister with a typical expression during one of our riveting games of Global Pursuit. She wasn't winning, AND she was about to do her chicken impression. Beware!
















My girls came to visit me--they drove down on the morning of New Year's Eve through a blizzard, and we had a lovely couple of days together, even though Amos was sick and sniffling the entire time. But Beth and Britta and I took good care of her and made sure she had plenty of time to sleep.















Here's Sarah and I at her wedding! I was her personal attendant (and corsage/boutonniere-pinner), so I got a picture with the radiant bride AND a corsage. It was a gorgeous ceremony, for those of you who weren't there.




















And here's Sarah with her new hubby. (Note how well Josh's boutonniere is pinned! Ahem.)














And now, back to Montana! Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures from my contra dance weekend in Bozeman. Not any dancing pictures, that is. Here's the "backyard" of the place we stayed, out on the edge of town:















And here are Christa, Teresa and I, looking gorgeous, completely stylish, and not at ALL mismatched at the TropiContra dance. (The pants are to ward off the cold as we walk home. We do NOT wear them while we dance. But even if we did, no one would think twice about it!)




















And one final picture, of me (because I'm a complete narcissist) in all my contra-dancing glory. Gotta love the lei!




















Insha'allah this will make happy all of you who have been pining away for pictures. More to come next week, after I spend the weekend with my sister in Washington! We hope to take the ferry out to the San Juan Islands and maybe even up to Vancouver Island if we're feeling ambitious. I LOVE FERRIES. Actually, it's more the fact that ferries travel on water. I LOVE WATER. Mmm. And the water filling the Strait of Juan de Fuca is some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Oh, pictures will come! Pictures will most definitely come.

upcoming travels

Now that I have the nice little mapper-dealio on my blog, I feel an increasing obligation to update my blog more often since I can see how many people are actually reading it! So, this is for all of you, from Lynden to San Jose to Minneapolis to Baltimore to Baton Rouge.

Last weekend I went moonlight skiing. There was a full moon on Groundhog Day, and a small group of Missoulians decided to go up to the Lubrecht forest to cross country ski beneath the light of the moon. It was cloudy when we arrived, cloudy and full dark, though the moon's radiance still infused the clouds with luminescence, and we were able to ski without any other lights. Every once in awhile I noticed a patch of starry sky, but the moon remained hidden as we skiied through the forest. But then, as we skiied down a small hill, we came out of the trees and alongside a wide meadow. At that moment the final wisps of cloud blew away and the moon came out, its full brightness beaming down upon the snow-covered meadow, the forest, the mountain peaks surrounding us. The landscape was stark black and white--white snow, white light, black tree, black shadow. My skis squeaked against the snow, but beyond that there was no other sound. The stars shone in the sky, but their light was dimmed by the vivid glow of the moon. I wouldn't have been surprised to see fauns and dryads dancing in the meadow; and the light sparkles sprinkled on the snow must have been due in part to fairy wings . . .


It's been warm this week--too warm for February. Last Monday I had to remove my coat while walking downtown because I was too warm. I am not ready for spring yet! I need a few more weeks of winter, of cold, of snow. None of this 60-degree weather. This is Montana, not California. Plah.

Things I am looking forward to:

1. Contra dance next weekend. It HAS to be better than the one we had last week--which was the most awful dance I've been to. Of course, it didn't help that I was just coming off the high of Wintergreen; how could any regular weekly dance compare with that?

2. Visiting Andrea in Lynden in early March. !! We are hoping to take the ferry to the San Juan Islands and perhaps even to Victoria, BC. I haven't been to this part of the country in three years and it will be wonderful! And wonderful, too, to see my kid sister. Por supuesto.

3. Visiting Rach in Baltimore in early April. Woohoo! Ethiopian food . . . coffee shops . . . maybe visiting DC . . . seeing her and Kara's gorgeous apartment . . . Tricia and Benjamin possibly coming down to spend time with us, too . . . yay.

4. Hee hee. Going to Peru with Janelley in May. It's going to be such a great time--seeing Lake Titicaca, hiking the Inca Trail, prowling around Cusco, exploring Machu Picchu--I can't wait!

Yay, travel. I've not gotten out of Missoula much lately, and it will be good to see friends again, see other parts of the country, of the world--I feel the need to broaden my horizons again. I was thinking today that I've lived in Missoula for almost 2 years. This is remarkable, considering that I've moved to a new location every year for the past five. I've been feeling restless lately, wondering what it means to be committed to a place, wondering how I can do more to plug myself in here. It's not always easy, even in a community as welcoming and friendly as Missoula. Suggestions?

EUPHORIA!

That was the state I was in this weekend. I have never done drugs, but if I had, I think that I might compare the contra dancing high to a drug high, except that it's far less harmful (though, I'm finding, equally addicting). I had an indescribably wonderful time. I will try to describe it anyway, however. (Sorry, I'm a writer. I can't help trying.)

It was lovely to simply drive across Montana. We left on Friday around 1 o'clock, and headed east on I-90. I'm so used to the Missoula valley that it was surprising to see the varying shapes of the mountains we drove through, and the view from the pass past Butte was gorgeous. And then . . . a night of contra dancing! We danced from 7:30 to 11:30, limbering up for the weekend. There were about 120 people there, and we were perfectly split--60 women and 60 men. In a word, ideal. What I may love most about contra dancing is the opportunity to meet so many different people. We run the gamut of ages and experience, from high school students to octogenarians, from expert contra dancers who have been dancing for 30 years or more to those who have just begun. The community is wonderful. I also love that there is no pressure when one is contra dancing. I have never had to sit in a corner wishing someone would ask me to dance . . . or had to feel that the fact that someone is asking me to dance means that he has ulterior motives. Everyone dances with everyone else: that's the point.


That said, I definitely have my favorites. Tom from Livingston, with his gorgeous eyes; Fred from San Diego, with his wide smile and his propensity to twirl me until I'm dizzy; Wayne from Missoula, one of the courtly older men who has as much energy as anyone and is constantly jazzing up the dance; Buell from Missoula, steady, but with a twinkle; Marvin from Bozeman, who is 82 and looks exactly like a hobbit, short, with curly gray hair. I think he is Bilbo Baggins in disguise--though he is 82, he looks 70 and dances as though he's 35. The ring of power must have been in his pocket, because I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing it on a chain around his neck. Or perhaps it's the contra dancing that keeps him young . . .


And then there was the band: Contratopia. I was thrilled to find out they're from eastern Iowa (Decorah) and Minneapolis, and they'd actually (gasp) heard of Sioux Center, and Dordt College, and the Christian Reformed Church. Ah, Dutch bingo! And they were incredible. The combination of instruments, their obvious experience playing off one another, their in-tuneness with each other, and their ability to feed off the energy of the dancers pushed an already fantastic weekend into the realm of paradisaical. So, for those of you who are lucky enough to live in or near the Twin Cities, you MUST, I repeat MUST, check out the contra dances at the Tapestry Folkdance Center in Minneapolis, particularly those on the 4th Saturdays of the month. You will not regret it. I promise.


Okay, perhaps I ought to stop raving now. To sum up, I had a marvelous weekend and am now trying to figure out when I can get my next fix. Coeur d'Alene in June, perhaps?


Back at the ranch, though, I'm trying to adjust to normal (normal as in "no insanely high levels of endorphins racing through my bloodstream") life. It seems rather dull, I must say. Ilhamdulillah, there's a contra dance this weekend, for which I have volunteered to bring food. Any suggestions as to what delectable baked goods I should make?


School is in progress now, and I'm not quite yet into the swing of things. Bit by bit. I'm taking a less-than-thrilling class, one that is required for my degree: Citizen Participation in Environmental Problems. I will admit that it has potential, but it is not a class I would have chosen, had I had a choice. Of course, I AM a citizen, and there are lots of environmental problems out there, and I should probably participate, so I'm sure it will be useful. We shall see.


All right. I've blogged. I've raved. I've betrayed the depth of my latest obsession. And by gum, I hope that some of you lucky Twin Cities residents (Jen & Joe! Janelley! Maygs & Seth! Bethie! Amos! Heather & John!) will at least try contra dancing once. I would recommend February 24th.


Wishing you all much wonder and joy this week!

trying NOT to be a blog-slacker

Wow, I've been a blog-slacker. No posts since December 3! What a dreadful person I must be. Eep.

I haven't been in the mood to write lately. I have so little time to either think or write, and the world swirls around me, a constant distraction. School starts this coming week, and while I don't necessarily welcome the added busyness, I am looking forward to the social component. My world is very small when all I do is walk the block and a half to work (and back) every day.

The holidays were lovely! I made it home, almost on time and with all my luggage (miracle of miracles), and, fortunately, I wasn't flying through Denver. 11 days at home were well spent, with friends and family and more friends. But it wasn't quite enough time. I saw a lot of people, had a lot of fun, but I wish I could have spent more quality time with everyone. I had a delightful time with my nephews--they are ADORABLE, and Dillan is reading now, which is so exciting. Hanging out with him brought back to me how I felt at that age, sounding out letters one by one, stringing words together, a whole new world opening up to me. I never went in for buying Dillan hideous plastic toys, but I can see myself going overboard in the book arena.


Today I am going ice skating with my Little Sister (Jade, not Andrea). I haven't seen her since before Thanksgiving (guilt, guilt), and today there was a Big Brothers/Big Sisters activity: free ice skating. Can't pass that one up! I hope we have a good time. And then, tonight, is a contra dance! I haven't been contra dancing since December 16th--WAY too long ago--so I'm very much looking forward to this evening. Next weekend, Christa and I are heading out to Bozeman for the Wintergreen festival, which is an entire weekend of contra dancing. !!!


This week has also been exciting because I bought my plane ticket to Peru! Yes, I am finally getting to take advantage of my travel benefits at Adventure Life, and I am planning a trip to Peru in May, right after school is out. My friend Janelley is coming with me, and we are going to have a marvelous time. Especially since our trip mottos are "The best-laid plans of mice and men . . ." and "Well, at least it makes a good story!" And let me tell you, we are going to have some great stories by the time this trip is over. We are going to hike the Inca Trail for four days, through the Andes Mountains and into Machu Picchu. I am giddy with anticipation. Hee hee hee.


Well. I'm debating whether or not I should try to get a little more sleep (since I woke up hungry at 5:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, and now, at 8:30, the tiredness is hitting) or get up and start my day. Hmm. Hmmm . . . perhaps I'll just stay in bed a little longer and finish my book, and if I fall asleep in the meantime, oh, well!