Ruby Tuesday

As we were hiking on Saturday a group of twenty somethings were causing quite a ruckus just off the trail. I wondered if they were enjoying a libation, an herb substance or just a private joke. The sounds of wow I found another one and look at the size of this one aroused my curiosity. I ventured over and asked what discovery had caused such jubilation. The answer mushrooms. Spongy Mushroom an edible variety. They showed me the ones collected which were going home to dinner.

The group continued along the trail passing back and forth as we all made our way to the waterfall. The young people left the falls just before us. On the way down I spotted this gem,

I yelled!" hey mushroom people I found a mushroom".
Probably deciding to humor an old lady the hunters came back. The return was worth it. I had discovered a rare but deadly mushroom.

The mushroom expert dug up the beauty to show me the pink underside. The base was large and buried deeply. He kept the specimen for his collection.
Maybe I will start to learn about these treasures of nature.




More Ruby Tuesday here.

Hike

Since coming to Montana I find I have more energy. Maybe it is all the running up and down stairs I did this summer that has made me stronger. The comfortable cool tempertures here just drive you into the outdoors. Also winter is coming and everyone tells me to soak up the sun while I can. The obsession with the sun is strange to me. After all I am use to sun about every day of the year. So when I learned there was a waterfall a short drive out of town I knew we had to hike to the falls. It was a short hike, a little over half a mile.



The trail was not to steep. It curved and turned back on itsself as we (huffed and puffed a little) our way up the mountain.


This waterfall must have been a hundred feet high.
Spectacular! Worth the hike.







The mighty hunter sniffs out his prey.


That hike was a challenge. I need a drink. Ahhhh a refreshing mountain stream. Nectar of the gods.


Boss decided to do a little fishing in the creek.

I guess that one got away.

Moosh Missing

Where has Moosh been? Not following her dreams but making a living. In my profile I stated I wanted to stop making a living and start living. Unemployment ended and reality set in. My mortgage has not been taken over by the government bailouts. The mortgage company was but not mine personally. The utility companies still want their due and the car guzzles gas as it were a camel in the middle of the Sahara. My job was eliminated because the economy tanked, but no one offered me a golden parachute.

So what does an unemployed middle aged women do if her job is gone, her unemployment about to run out and the twenty jobs she applied for in the last year all hired someone younger? Why go on vacation of course.

A camping vacation led to a new life and new jobs. Notice the plural. The restaurant slave driver, also known as brother, needed help during the busy tourist season. I became chief lackey. A position that suits me well as I can multiple task and have a lot of restaurant skills from my college years.

Tourist season is over and things slowed a bit. I wanted to use some of my other skills. The paper had a dozen jobs for preschool teachers. I applied at the best center in town and was hired. Yeah! someone who doesn't think I should not be put out to pasture.

So now I work! I have two pay checks. I can keep the wolf away from the door. As for following my dreams, well I found time to write this post. It's a matter of balance.

Happy Birthday to Aunt Barbara











t

Nature Notes

Clouds dark and menacing
Send raindrops falling to earth
Plants nourished and clean






More Nature Notes here

Ruby Tuesday

Here in Montana there seems to be a fascination with Mexican Food. There are more Mexican restaurants than in Arizona. I counted ten in the phone book. This little mural was on the building where I had the bad breakfast. I didn't know when I went in that was their specialty. Since I work in a Mexican restaurant I really would eat something different on my day off. That is why I ordered the breakfast. Maybe I should have stuck to the Mexican food.





More Ruby Tuesday here

Sunday Outing

The man of the house had to work today. So I decided to do a little exploring on my own. I set out without a destination. Just headed down the highway to see what I could see. I stayed on a paved road, no off road adventures today. Read about my off road adventure here. Main stree became a highway and stores disappeared as wheat fields stretched out to the horizon. The mountains in the distance glowed a hazy blue. I came to a crossroads. Four directions, which would be the best? For no paticular reason I turned left. This highway was narrow and had more traffic. I figured something good must be down this road. My stomach began to growl and I decided to look for a restaurant.

A few miles later a sign This looked like an interesting place. I pulled in and took a few pictures then walked in to enjoy a gourmet meal.

I settled on the country breakfast. A few people were playing horseshoes in the yard. The patio was nice, a little breezy but I am trying to soak up as much sun as I can before the brutal winter sets in.

Starving, I was happy to see my breakfast arrive. It looked good and big. I began to chow down, ugh the hash browns were cold. Oh well, I poured on ketchup and moved on. I bit into the bacon, it was as tough as jerky. By appearance it had spent the morning under the heat lamp, which had sucked every bit of grease out of it. Good for the heart but not the taste buds. The scrambled eggs were very unusual. They looked like fettuccine, long egg strands. Which brings me to the item that had inspired my decision, the biscuit and sausage gravy. This is a childhood favorite that I only eat out; once in awhile; because it is difficult to make for one and it is not good for me. The "fluffy" biscuit could have been used for a hockey puck.

I ate what I could and set off for the rest of my adventure. A little ways down the road I ran across a yard sale. The only item I bought was bottle opener. The rest of the day was just as uneventful. But at least I got out of the restaurant and the house for a while.

School Starts

We live in a college town and the students are starting to come back. The area near the university is congested with cars. The hundreds of for rent signs have dwindled to a few. The local buzz revolves around the coming football season. Students on bikes, backpacks bulging are crowding the bike lanes and making driving a precarious endeavor.

All this activity takes me back to my first days of college. I can see myself as if were yesterday. There I was wearing stripped bell bottoms and a leotard. I was a Drama Major and leotards were standard attire. Standing in the hot Arizona, August sun I clutched my schedule book with its carefully marked chosen classes.

Today enrolling in classes is done by punching a few computer keys and plugging in daddy's credit card. In a matter of minutes your schedule is complete and paid for. Then you can hang out with friends in the student lounge or at a local pub. Back then you had to stand in line to sign up for each class. If it were a popular class they might run out of space before you got to the front. Then you had to stand in line for your second choice. Enrolling was an all day affair.

My first semester of college cost me about $100.00. You read that right, not $1000.00 but one hundred smackoroos! I had a grant from the Arizona Board of Regents. They were trying to encourage enrollment by locals. Every student that graduated from an Arizona high school in the top third of the class was given enough money to pay for tuition and extra for books. What a gonga!

Now I am living much like I did in those early college days. I work in a restaurant to make a living. My apartment is in a large complex catering to college students.
There motto is where the cats rest their paws. I am still a cat, not a Wild Cat but a Bob cat. The apartment is furnished with castoffs. Read here about furnishing my new home.

That young fresh faced girl stood in line excited about her future, pleased with her choice to be a teacher. She had no idea what twist and turns her life would take, but she was looking forward to the ride. She still is.

These are random shots taken crossing Bearthooth Pass on our way to Montana in eary June.

More Nature Notes Thursday here.