Spring fever is in the air in Montana

Is spring around the corner? Sure would be nice if it was. This has been quite a winter, although not nearly as severe as other parts of the country.

It's not that I mind the cold but Kinsey certainly isn't as keen to do stuff when it's 5 degrees. And, she's been shoveling and plowing like a mad woman.  The past few days we've had around a foot and a half of snow.  There was so much snow on the drive it was hard to push and the banks were several feet high. The car will barely fit in the slot.

Now it has suddenly turned very warm and it's raining. With all this snow to melt it's going to be a really big, sloppy, icy mess. I've already made myself popular by going out and digging in a muddy patch I found.

Kinsey has been totally consumed with her photography. I mean it's almost as if I don't exist sometimes. Not really, I do crave a lot of attention and I have had to compete. She has been working to get her website just the way she wants it in time for an ad she will have coming out in Flathead Living this month. I've pasted a copy of the ad below. Looks pretty good. I'm a little disappointed she's using a photo with Lakota in it. I must admit it's a great picture. I know I'll get my chance.

I have also heard her mumbling about going over to St. Mary's this spring. Now this I find exciting. I've never been. St. Mary's is on the Blackfeet Reservation at the East entrance to Glacier National Park. Kinsey is more interested in the reservation. The painted ponies have their foals in the spring and she loves to see and photograph them. She finds the reservation a mystical place.

So, is spring around the corner? I certainly hope so. I'm ready.

Be sure and check out Kinsey's new blog The Liberated Photographer.

©Kinsey Barnard

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS

Whilst Colorado and other western states are literally burning up, in northwest Montana we are having a particularly wet monsoon. I have already had over thirty inches here at the ranch.

Yesterday, I drove down to the Flathead to run errands. I knew it was going to rain but I had no idea how hard. By the time I arrived home the Forest Service road was washed out in several spots. I could only cross my fingers in the hopes my driveway had not washed out too. My rain gauge showed an inch and a quarter had been deposited in my absence. A huge amount in a such a short time on ground already saturated. I've spent considerable time and effort re-engineering the driveway and that work has paid off. My drive came through in perfect shape.

As I look out the window at all the lush green grass and the lush new growth on the forest trees I can't help but count my blessings that here in northwest Montana we have water in abundance. In fact we have much more than we need. Too bad there isn't some way to share it with those western states that are so very dry. It's not fair but then so little in life is.

Whitetail in Tall Grass 06-27-12

Colorado Fires Burning Out of Control

 


©Kinsey Barnard

PAINTING THE WOODSHED

The paint on the woodshed was long overdue for maintenance. Looks to me like mine is the first re-paint and that shed must be thirty years old. Amazing the thing hasn't collapsed when you think how harsh the weather is around here, -20 in the winter +100 in the summer.

Actually, the weather pattern has changed somewhat since I came here ten years ago. Summers are cooler and winters are warmer. Suits me just fine. Still, the weather is pretty severe and not for the feint of heart.

The paint on the old dear was so taxed that the color matching gizmo couldn't get a read on it so I had to choose a different color. I chose a brown that blends nicely with the surroundings. Foolishly, I purchased only a gallon and that thirsty old plywood gulped up the whole thing with only half of the shed covered. Well, drat!

Just looked out the window and saw two doe, one whitetail and one mule deer. A very unusual sight to see, the mule deer still here at this time of year. Usually, by this time, they are long gone to the high country. I have this feeling things are changing in more ways than we know.

Whitetail & Mule Deer Doe 6-22-12

©Kinsey Barnard

Wild Weather - Clementine Comes Home

Monday July 25, 2011

Between my new solar setup and my RV I'm learning a lot about batteries these days.

Last week I took Clementine,  (Clementine and Shadow Photo) , out for her first spin of the season. Usually, I've already been out for a week or two trip by this time but construction projects and weather have skunked me but good. It's was pretty much of a coast down the mountain so I didn't realize something was wrong until I pulled out onto the highway. Clementine has a Mercedes turbo charged diesel and usually goes lickety split but this time she went nowhere with metal to the metal. I stopped at a local mechanics but he didn't have a clue what to do so I ended up having to have her towed to Whitefish. Thanks goodness I have AAA. This one tow saved me way more than the annual fee.

I've always thought if a battery was bad it was dead. I also thought that the battery just started your engine. Apparently, I was wrong on both counts. Clem started but the battery was bad. Because it was bad it was not sending enough power out to operate the engines electronics so Clem just said phooey and quit powering. The battery and diagnostics cost almost $300. Ouch!

One of the nice things about having a tow car, when you are solo, you can send the RV off and then go get it without having to put someone else out hauling you to where you need to pick it up. Shadow is my little Ford Focus that I use.

I spent the morning running errands in Clem and she purred like a kitten. When I returned to the dealership they helped hook up Shadow and I was on my way. Clem was just as happy pulling Shadow as if she wasn't there. This was the first time I had ever been into Don K's in Whitefish. They only recently bought the Dodge dealership and can work of the Sprinter. I was very favorably impressed. Back in 2009, on my way to Holland Lake, I had a very unpleasant experience with the dealership Don K bot the Dodge franchise from Kari Dodge and wasn't ever going back there again.

I had thought I might spend a night in Whitefish and get Clem de-winterized at an RV park. Boy am I glad I didn't. At 8:30 am when I left for the Flathead it was dark and cloudy. By the time I returned, around 5:30 it was pretty warm and partly cloudy. It took me about an hour to unhook Shadow and get Clem buttoned up. Around 7:00 pm it started to darken with thunder rumbling in the distance. By 9:00 the skies simply unloaded. At first I just heard the thunder start building but then I could hear this continuous rumble and couldn't figure out what it was. It was kind of like the sound of a jet. I found out soon enough what it was as hail began pounding down the size of marbles. I guess because it was relatively warm, around 65 degrees, the hail started to melt immediately. As I stood out on the deck watching I noticed the water was shooting nearly a foot out of the drain spout. I've never seen anything like it.

With all the torn up ground from recent construction I feared for my driveway which is gravel. Sure enough the water had come down with such force everything was underwater and running right down the driveway.  I donned by rain gear and pelleted by hail I worked furiously to channel the water off the drive. If I hadn't been here to take immediate corrective action I cringe at the thought of what might have come home to. As it was I was ought until 10:00pm trying to keep things from total wash out. I was able to do a pretty good job and keep the wash out to a minimum. In the middle of the night the rain started up again and all I could do was cross my fingers.

I don't know what's going on with the weather but it sure seems to be extreme all over the planet.

©Kinsey Barnard

The Winter that Will Not End!

Still waiting for spring to arrive but not making much headway so far. The photo below was taken this morning and it is snowing as I write.

Sunday Apri 17, 2011

I'm still chomping at the bit to get out and get to work and my teeth and patience are wearing mighty thin. I've got a million and one projects I would like to begin and times awasting. It will be winter again before I know it.

Around here people are back in the forest after firewood because most have run out by now. I'm good because I produce my own here at the ranch and always put up more than I need. That way I never run out and if I don't use it all it's just that much less work I have to do the next year.

Even the mule deer are still hanging around. They are normally long gone by this time.

Sweet Cheeks raiding the bird feeder

Koty isn't very happy about the weather either.

Koty, all dressed up and nowhere to go.

It hasn't even been good for photography either. Dreary. Dreary. Dreary. Friday we could stand it no more and went over to the West Kootenai. There was intermittant sun but it was windy and cold. I stopped on the bridge to take a photo and nearly got blown off it. The wind was blowing so hard it was literally playing a tune in the aluminum guard rail.

Koocanusa bridge-Lake Koocanusa Montana

We headed on down the West Kootenai road and pulled in at the road that goes to the Little Northfork.

On days like this I focus (pardon the pun) on designs in nature. The forest is my MOMA and it's where my moma aka Mother Nature does some of her best work. The arrogance of humans, particularly in the art world, makes me chuckle.

Lichen growing on a boulder

Tufted heads of grass growing on a bank

Looking through the clear water of a spring creek at the sandy designs below.

I find these designs in nature endlessly fascinating and beautiful. I think sometimes I must be some kind of nut. Better to be nutz than blind?

Big Creek and the Little Northfork are running pretty full and there hasn't been much in the way of melt. It has been way too cold for melting snow of any significance. I reckon the streams and rivers are going to roar when, or should I say if, spring ever gets here and the melt gets underway.

Little Northfork Montana April 15, 2011

Big Creek Montana April 15, 2011

There have been moments when the clouds have lifted and the sun shone but they have been few and far between and lasted maybe fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. It is my great good fortune not to have to go anywhere to see beautiful vistas so when those transitory moments appear I get to warm not only my body but my heart and soul as well.

The view

The mountains you see above are the Purcells and what is called the West Kootenai which is exactly where I was when I took the other photos displayed here.

©Kinsey Barnard

No Spring in Northwest Montana

The snow just keeps on coming and according to the extended forecast there seems no end in sight. Very frustrating as I am chomping at the bit to get started working in my forest cutting up windfall and burning slash.

March 22, 2011

The Nikkei was up over 400 points following Buffett's proclamation yesterday. Always makes me wonder what comes first the chicken or the egg? Our own Dow was up triple digits. And, there was much chest thumping about being back over 12,000.

This is a pretty good little history of our empire. A Brief History of the United States. Ironically, I think success is an empire's ultimate doom. Empires grow and proper in the production phase of their life cycle but once people become "wealthy" they move into the consumption phase and it's all down hill from there. That's where the US is now. The only thing this country produces in quantity is dollars. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is becoming less than enamored with our currency and when it loses it's status as the world reserve currency, and it's well on it's way, our standard of living is going straight into the dumper. I wonder if one day people will wake up and realize that they sold their very souls for cheap trinkets from China?

Speaking of cheap trinkets form China .... they really aren't cheap. They just give the illusion. The quality is so crappy you have to keep buying the stuff over and over because it doesn't last. Oh, for the days when Americans made great, quality products. I have tools, kitchen utensils, furniture and a host of items that were American made 100 years ago and I still use them today. The junk you buy at Wal-Mart is lucky to make it a year.

I found this an interesting article. Maybe people are starting to catch on to the fact that there is no difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. It matters not the party, the politicians of both are nearly all self serving thieves. And we elect them, go figure! Tea Party will back Democrats challenging GOP big spenders in 2012. Also interesting, Montana's own Denny Rehberg is in their crosshairs.

The Week of March 7th, 2011 Japan Quake

This was one of those weeks when the weather was everything from rain to snow, cold to warm, sunny to cloudy, a real box of chocolates. I was so uninspired by the thought I never even made it into to town to pick up the mail.

Two memorable things happened this week. The biggest was an 8.9 earthquake in Japan, the strongest earthquake in their recorded history. The devastation from the quake and the ensuing tsunami is just incredible. Makes me wonder if the Mayans were on to something. On top of everything some nuclear reactors have been damaged and the world waits to see how that unfolds.

The second thing was relative to the markets. Bill Gross' Pimco is pulling out of all US debt. As far as I know no one but me thinks much about it but I think it will prove to be a watershed event.

Below are some pictures I took of my world.

This is a piece of bark that had fallen into the fresh snow. The snow was so light that the piece sank about three quarters of an inch into the snow. I thought it looked like a gingerbread man or some kind of man.

Just messing around in the house because it was raining.

I was sitting in the recliner looking at the sunset when I noticed this silhouette of a crow perched in the top of a fir tree. This is lazy man's photography

Came across this red leaf that was uncovered by the melting snow. It's hard to tell but the leaf is sitting on the snow.

The view from the kitchen window whilst I washed dishes on Friday. I love the angles and contrast.

One of the house herd nesting. The mulies seem to like to be close to the house. I took this out the kitchen window too.

I took this one Saturday. It was a beautiful day. I love the big sky.

Mule Deer, Koty Bear & Doe Eyes

Well, goody goody gum drops! We are finally starting to have a respite from the snow and a bit of a thaw. This will be my ninth winter up on this mountain and this is the harshest fall since I moved here. My father used to say that when winter started early the overall winter kinda petered out. We'll see how well that works.

Koty Bear loves winter the more snow and cold the better. He literally whines to be let out when we go subzero. Below is a photo of him dashing through the snow.

Koty Bear Loping Through The Snow

For winter sports Koty and the mule deer like to play a bluff-charge game. Koty, being true to his nature is unreliable off lead so he must always be either on a leash or in an enclosure. He has a tether that allows him to go in and out of the house, go out on the lawn to take care of business and lounge on the deck. When the mule deer return for the winter they soon take up where they left off. The deer know just how close they can get to Koty without him being able to reach them. The deer will approach to just within Koty's reach and dare him to come after them. Koty will try and fake them out by hanging back hoping to draw them into his range. It's really quite the cat and mouse game and a lot of fun to watch.

Koty Bear And Mule Deer Playmates

I have been spending a lot of time with my deer. They are a wonderful diversion. I can sit out in the snow and watch them by the hour. And, of course, I cannot resist taking a few photos. I just love the mule deer. They are so gentle and serene, not at all like the whitetail. They are a life lesson for me. They also have very cute butts.

Mule Deer Behind

You will notice the black tip on her tail. Although, everyone around here calls them mule deer or mulies they are also referred to as blacktail deer.

There is one old doe that has been coming to keep me company for several years now. I call her "Doe Eyes". This doe has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen on a mulie or any dear. For the most part mulie eyes are solid brown and although big and beautiful there is not a lot of texture to them. But, Doe Eyes is in a league of her own.

Doe Eyes

Her eyes are very large and instead of being a solid brown they are more like a horse's eyes that have variation and texture. They are just stunning.

Doe Eyes

There is something elses very unusual about her eyes. They are set quite a bit more forward than is common. I don't know if you know or not but you can tell if an animal is a predator or a prey animal by the set of the eyes. Predators like mountain lions, and wolves have eyes set up front whilst prey animals like deer and elk have eyes set on the sides given them greater peripheral vision. Also note where your own eyes are located.

I'm hoping before this winter is done that I can get a closeup up just of her eye so that you can see how truly beautiful they are.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Spring Has Come Unsprung!

For the past week we have been having periodic rain showers. It was the "Spring showers bring May flowers" kind of thing. But, this morning it was just plain cold and snowing. It's typical rocky mountain weather and typical spring weather but it still takes me by surprise. Even the whitetail looked a little startled by the whole thing.

I always feel sorry for the deer because this cold and rainy weather will most likely continue on into May and that is when they drop their fawns. It seems like a cruel trick to serve these tiny newborns up into this cold wet world straight from the warm nest they have been gestating in. I often wonder how they survive, sometimes they don't.

But, the weather is mighty fickle around these parts. And maybe it will be warm and sunny when the wee ones come. I sure hope so.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

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Mother Nature Flattens the Forest

Well, Mother Nature certainly has been on a tear. In the big picture She's got the entire world in a panic over the swine flu and in the little picture She has laid down some crazy weather here at my ranch.

The photo above is what greeted me upon my return home. I thought I had pretty much missed winter but apparently not.

And, if that were not enough, last week She really let her rip. And rip she did with one of the most violent windstorms I have ever experienced.




The wind started blowing early in the morning and just kept picking up speed. By 9:00am the power was out as trees came tumbling down on the lines. At first I didn't think anything of it as we get power outages from time to time as well as wind. But, as the day wore on with no power and no let up I began to realize this was different than anything I had ever had here.



Around noon I was looking out from my deck just in time to watch this big spruce fall in slow motion. The wind sounded like a freight train barreling across the bench upon which we sit.

When I arrived home from my winter trip I found that my freezer had ceased to operate and all the food, several hundred dollars worth, had spoiled. Not being one to take her food lightly I had already gone down to the Flathead to re-provision at Costco. By 4:30pm on the day of the storm I was envisioning losing it again. I called Lincoln Electric to see what the status was. The gal told me it could be out all night. Yikes! About then a light bulb went off as I realized the RV had a refrigerator that operates on electricity and propane. I admit I'm a little slow on the uptake. I started taking everything out of the refrigerator in the house and loading it into the motorhome. About the time I came in from the last load I noticed something seemed different. And sure enough a light was on!



I really had no idea how bad the wind had really been until the next day when I went out to asses the damage. It was pretty amazing.



There were spots where every single tree had been knocked down, nothing left standing. I think what made this wind so devastating was that the wind came from out of the east. The prevailing wind at my location is out of the west. This meant that the trees were being blown back against years of surviving westerly winds. Some simply snapped. Others just rolled over.



Regular readers know that I always look for the silver lining and here it is for this devastation. Almost every tree I lost was a spruce (I reckon I lost 40+ trees altogether). I don't even like spruce. They are shallow rooted, bushy things and the wood isn't even very good for firewood. Most would have come down eventually as part of my forest management plan sooner or later. Maybe Mother Nature doesn't like them either? Maybe I wasn't moving fast enough for her? I lost two fir and no larch.



The big thing is the big mess. I'll be cleaning this one up for a very long time. Others in my area fared far worse than I. I'm grateful no one was hurt and we will all be back to normal in no time. Just seems like Mother Nature is not in a very good mood lately.

I have a ton of photos and tales to share that I still haven't gotten around to so those will be coming up.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

PS: I am frequently told about people having trouble signing up for e-mail notification. I maintain my own notification list to be sure people who want it get notified. If you would like to be on that list please send your e-mail address to kotybear2002@msn.com