PTL!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! We received Esther's official GED test scores today. She received more than a passing score in each test & has therefore earned her State of Montana High School Equivalency Diploma! We are so thankful she passed the GED tests on the first try. We are grateful for the hours of encouragement and help Sherry (& Andy) Chidwick invested in Esther so this result was more certain.

My favorite Spring hike

Last September I hiked Sweathouse Creek Canyon as far as the falls. This week some friends and I returned & found the canyon gloriously dressed in a multitude of flowering plants & trees, as well as cool with the spray from the roaring creek & falls on a warm day.

Sweathouse Creek Canyon

The Oregan Grape seemed to love the mist from the falls and boasted 4-5 blooms on each plant. The tiny Bluelips found the shade and most woody soil, as did the wild strawberry plants. The canyon's floor was littered with fallen older trees, but the youngsters were around as well. We again examined the flat needles of the fir, the multiple needles in a bundle on the soft Western Larch, and the different types of pines & their characteristics. The mixed pine & flower fragrances, the sound of the rushing creek or the thundering falls, & the glorious sites kept us wishing this hike would never end.

The Falls area

A few Trillium were still in bloom at the heights near the Falls amongst the joint grass. We also found tiny, pink Fairy Slipper (Calypso). The rush of water captures fallen logs & brush in many places along the roaring creek.

Sweathouse Creek Falls Hike

In my series of Wednesday morning hikes, Sweathouse Creek Falls was our destination this week. The Lupine was now blooming along with the Penstamen. At the lower elevations, chokecherry bushes were loaded with their elongated white flowers. We made mental notes to return in the Fall to pick the chokecherries. They cook into a delicious pancake & waffle syrup or jam.
At the higher elevations the Solomon's Seal blooms were along the trail, often mixed in with many of the other Spring wildflowers. Sweathouse Creek is smaller than Kootenai & Bass Creeks, but still reflected the Spring run-off.

Trees and mystery bloom

One of the hikers with me knows a lot about the native plants & trees in our area. Here is one flowering plant she did not know. It smells strongly like a rose, but its white bloom does not look like a rose to me. Laura also taught us about types of trees by looking at the needles. The firs had friendly flat needles, while the spruce had triangular shaped needles in cross-section. The Lodge Pole Pine has 2 needles in a bundle, the Ponderosa has 3 in a bundle & White Pine has 5 in a bundle. Does anyone know the name of the mystery flower?

More of the Kootenai Creek Hike

Snowcapped mountain peaks teased our gaze upward, while the blooming blue Climatus, Oregon Grape (which is yellow now, but turns purple later in the summer), the light purple to pink Shooting Stars, the orange & red Indian Paintbrush, the blue Larkspur, the white wild strawberries, yellow dill-looking plant blooms, Blue Lips & light pink Kinnikinnick painted the landscape all around us. God had created the most wonderful wild garden for our benefit!!

Kootenai Creek Canyon in the Spring

The temperature last Wednesday was 90 degrees plus, so Kootenai Creek was roaring down the canyon from the melting mountain-top snow run-off as I hiked with three friends. The white frothy water was a warning to not try crossing the creek. Blooming Spring wildflowers were everywhere. The single purple Trillium blooms and bunched yellow Balsamroot which we saw last week in Bass Creek Canyon were still around. Lining the trail this week were the smaller yellow Arnika flowers & white blooms of the service berry bushes. Arnika is added to massage creams in this area to soothe sore muscles.

Bass Creek Trillium, Woodpecker Tree & Spring Runoff

Wednesday was clear, warm & perfect for a spring hike with friends. We hiked the couple of miles up the trail to the small dam. The creek was white water almost the whole way with spring run-off water. We stopped frequently to snap photos of the wild flowers along the way. The trillium were everywhere...white flowered in the shade and purplish in the sun. We examined a wonderful old woodpecker tree. Isn't it great that age doesn't keep us from being useful?!

Antrum Point Revisited

After Esther had finished the last two exam portions of her GED on Friday, Sherry & Ruth shared a quick hike with me to the top of Antrum Point. Sherry took some photos that I hope she will share on her blog. There were blue shooting stars and yellow balsamroot blooming in bunches all over the conservancy land. We didn't find any Bitterroot blooming yet. They will come in June. We stopped at the "Lover's seat" before heading home.

All wrung out

Louis has two teeth that have been bothering him. I finally was able to get him to the dentist today after one of the teeth broke. The dentist spent three plus hours on two root canals & hopes to save one of the teeth. The other will have to be pulled. This is about how he looks and feels this evening. We have had more dental work done in our fifties than all our other years put together. Is this typical of midage? We floss and brush regularly and stay away from sodas most of the time... yet, here we are - always in debt to our favorite dentist.

YOM HA ATZMA'UT - Happy Birthday, ISRAEL!

How many of you remembered that May 3rd was the Israeli Independence Day? That's according to the Jewish calendar - Iyar 5, 1948. Iyar 5 fell on the Gregorian date of May 14, 1948 when the United Nations voted to support the declaration of Israel as an independent nation where Jewish people could again live on their own. Many folks see Israel's independence as a modern miracle. If you know the Scriptures, this miracle should come as no surprise. God did just as He promised! (Genesis 12:1-3...13:14-17) Isaiah 66:8 "Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children." This verse also speaks of a coming day when the remnant of Israel will all be saved in one day & spared from the anti-Christ by the coming of the King of Kings & Lord of Lords!

Did you also know that the above flag of Israel is a talit (prayer shawl) with the star of David sewn on to it? The assistant to David Ben Gurion was given only a few hours in Geneva back in 1948 to come up with a national flag. He walked all over Geneva, praying and looking at flags of other countries. During the last hour, he was struck with the thought that a talit looked much like a flag. He added the star of David with a marker, I believe. It became the accepted flag.

Three Things Thursday - Favorite Pets

Ari, Genny & Tana - our wonderful goldens!

When my heart is breaking because of my past choices or the choices of my daughter, God has given me three faithful golden retrievers to show me His love. The middle retriever, Genny, is on permanent loan to a friend in her 80's, who is legally blind and needs a companion. Except for the hair that they continually shed, I can think of no flaws in these dear pets.