And so this is Christmas...

After staying awake last night watching the third season of "The Office" with my brother and mother (bunny trail: I've tried to watch this show before and never enjoyed it. I just never got the charm. I really think that you had to have seen it from the beginning for it to be truly as wonderful as I now find it), I got up at 3 (2 o'clock Montana time) to get to O'Hare for my 6 o'clock flight. Most people loathe O'Hare. I love it. It's no Minneapolis airport, but it's the airport I grew up with so I feel pretty comfortable there. The last time I was there, it took me half an hour to check in and get through security. This time, check-in, no problem. I walked right up. They tried to make me pay for a bag but I fooled them and just carried all of my luggage on. Mwa ha ha! Security... soooooo... long. Why, why, why would they open up new security lines for people who just arrived and not for those who had been in line for 45 minutes? It's almost like they work for the same people I do... Things never make any sense. So, then I get to my gate and the flight is on time. Except for the head wind. Which made us 30 minute late. And my connection was in about 60 minutes in another terminal. I made it though since the plane needed to be heated and we didn't have a pilot. I love Christmas.
The best part of the day? Bohart Ranch was open for cross-country skiing. The worst part? I decided that I should go out for about 2 hours and I haven't been exercising lately. Blergh.

Snow Day

Well, since I didn't have to do anything today, it wasn't a true snow day. However, it is still a snow day when your plans (however tentative) to go skiing fall through, I think it counts. We've got lots of wind, lots of snow and plenty of cold. It's the second storm of this Montana winter and I am enjoying it, a LOT. My brother came down last night and chopped me some more wood. He, Allie, and I made a delicious dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and some mixed vegetables and watched "It's always sunny in Philadelphia." Strange show. I don't really like it, but I enjoy it...if that makes sense. The people are obnoxious but the writing is hilarious. Allie headed out and Josh and I just read and watched more of the show then went to sleep. Today, we woke up to a white landscape and a view that you could barely see through the swirling snow. A perfect day to sit home and enjoy some hot cocoa with a little bit of butterscotch schnapps. Or to go visit with your friends who had an impromptu brunch and then played hearts for two hours. Yay Snow Days!

Scary

So, you're walking down the street, going to get groceries. It's quiet, as only a small town can be on a snowy night. Through the headphones of your iPod, you hear something. As you get closer to the grocery story, you lift the latest episode of "The Daily Purge" to get a closer look and listen at something completely startling...

What does one do for fun in Gardiner?

On a Thursday, one goes to the Christmas stroll. It's not an unusual thing for larger towns but it's much more fun here, where you know everyone. You can find out where the best food and drinks are. You can talk to the artists about their work. It's a wonderful time. I'm quite happy to live in a small town. Even if it can often be called the "Island of Misfit Toys." At least I fit in [wry grin].

Thanksgiving -Gardiner Style

I love this time of year. The leaves (which Montana doesn't have, but I got to see in IN last weekend) turning, the smell of smoke in the air, getting to fire up my wood stove. I love it all. Soon we'll be gorging ourselves until, as Heidi would say, "our bellies are round and hard." My big plans for Thursday are to start off with brunch and the Macy's Day Parade, attend the Gardiner Turkey Trot (the town does 1-2 laps around the mile long triangle at the Roosevelt Arch), then go to rugby, and then put my pajamas on and eat appetizers and watch football for the rest of the day. Friday will be the day of feasting with somewhere between 5-12 of us. Who knows who will show up, but we have a 14 lb. turkey so I hope people are coming!

More photos from work

Elk outside the LobbyMore Elk

White tail

More home work

These rose bushes were gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. But they were a pain the ass. They were sending up little shoots everywhere. Into the backyard, under the wood pile. Everywhere. They had to go. Luckily, I have friends. I think we all had fun with this one.


And, I finally got my tub done. Yay!