Tourists

​I imagine this is part of what drives the people of Medora crazy… tourists just walking down the street as if cars don’t need to drive on them. Perfectly good sidewalks just to their left! I’m baffled.😱

Medora June 25th

​I date this, because I am fully intending to stop back on my return to Montana on the 30th, which is the day before President Trump will arrive. As of today, the crowds are minimal, and the shops quiet. Parking was super easy and plentiful! 

And would you just look at that blue sky! I checked the potential for rain, as I will attend the musical tonight. It shows thunderstorms will be rolling in around 10 pm, which is just perfect.  I should be safely tucked away at my Elkhorn Lodge by then. One of my favorite memories of Medora was with Taelor. We were at the musical, and off in the distance we could see massive thunderheads heading toward us. It was just beautiful, and something we rarely see living up against a mountain in Montana. They finally called the show shortly before halftime/intermission, and we just relaxed in the amphitheater watching the coming storm and the retreating people. After a time, a young attendant came up and told us, “You’re the only ones left, so I’m sorry, but you have to leave now.”😂😂😂 We proceeded to the car, which had a sunroof, drove down to our hotel, and sat in the parking lot and watched and listened to the amazing symphony going on around us. I think the inner child forever residing in me still secretly longs for a thunderstorm during my Medora musicals just to relive that special memory! 

Another favorite thunderstorm memory in Medora (I’ve been here A LOT 😂😂) … we had a Melarvie family reunion in Medora several years back. Our entire group attended the musical, which also got called half-way through due to inclement weather. We all made our way back to our beautiful and spacious AirBnb, and Dean proceeded to entertain us on the deck, while the storm accompanied him in the distance. 💕

I made my way up to the amphitheater when I first arrived in town this afternoon to see the new presidential library. There appears to be some pre-presidential prep going on…

Talking with the folks around town leaves me guessing as to the anticipation level, and I’m hoping that the cringing faces are because of the crowds of tourists they’re expecting and not the fact that it’s my favorite president in whole wide world!  Although now, at the wine bar where I am enjoying a ‘flight’,  I just spoke to the young man working here, who happens to be from El Salvador. He is the most excited of all, which is touching.🥲 

When he brought my flight of wine, it was three samples…the ‘America 250’... a Cabernet, a Zinfandel, and a red blend. I especially like the red blend, and I asked if it was a local wine. He said ‘No, but I’ll check where it’s from.’

I said, “I’ll bet it’s from Lodi. Because it’s that good!”  He laughed and went to check.

“LODI!” he laughed. Me…right again. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Motherland

​After one, final hay collection hour this morning, I finished loading up the car and set off for the Motherland…a.k.a. North Dakota. I will always consider North Dakota home, even though I was born in Minnesota, and have now lived in Montana longer than I’ve lived in North Dakota. Still, many of my happiest memories were created there, and continue to bring me much joy when reminiscing on them 😊.  There’s just something about going back to the familiar place of one’s youth, and driving down streets that in and of themselves hold a plethora of memories. 

~South Seventh has the underpass we used to walk under to go swimming at Elks Pool, where I was blessed with the opportunity to work as a lifeguard once I turned 14.  It’s still there, although it looks entirely different! It’s a waterpark now.

~ the ND State Capitol grounds, where on many summer evenings the closing crew at Mr. Steak Restaurant would go play touch football. I can remember a couple of times police officers stopped by, just to make sure we weren’t drinking or causing mischief.  They always left us with a cheerful, ‘Have fun kids, and be safe.’

~ Divide Avenue, which led to my high school, and the hours of just wanting it to be over! 😂😂😂😂 

I could go on, but I’m sure I would bore you. For now, some final pictures of hay season 2026.💕

Jax on a much deserved break 😊. 

Nothing like the sun peeking through a stack of hay bales!😂😂👏👏👏

A lovely scene I came across on my way from the pasture back to the house. There’s a babbling brook in there, but I’m not sure if you can see it.💕

My final load for the season. I felt bad, as there were still bales left in the pasture. I just had a hitch in my giddup’ for some reason, and I couldn’t kick them up higher than two levels after a time. I don’t think I gave myself enough rest between workdays. Especially for my 62-year-old muscles 😂😂!  Fortunately, Dean has a hay-picker-upper, and Aaron came out to do some driving while Chelle loaded the rest of them. There was a mad rush to get the bales all in the barn because it’s supposed to rain for the next four days, which is wonderfully exciting! The grass needs some moisture because the ponies have to eat!

That Michelle is a little powerhouse! She’s got more energy than the energizer bunny! She’s been pushing Dean pretty hard to get the hay cut, baled, and picked up, although yesterday she thought he was done in for after unloading the second batch of bales.😂😂 She finally sent him to the house and finished herself. She’s doing about 50 - 70% of it (cut, rake, bale, load, unload) herself, but still needs him at times to troubleshoot when problems arise. And this season, the problems were many, specifically with the tractor and the baler. But nevertheless, Dean got them both jerry-rigged and patched up well enough to get the hay crop taken care of for the season. 

Speaking of Plus One (I guess not anymore…🤔, since he’s given up on international travel 😂)…he is well aware that my only complaint with my little blue Honda Passport is that it lacks a CD player. Now I love to take solo trips, but I love to listen to music while I’m on my solo trips! My little Honda Pilot, which Plus One has inherited, has 15 of my most favorite CDs pre-recorded on its stereo system. I love to drive his car when I’m just running errands in town and he’s going to be staying at home. It gives me a chance to listen to some of my favorite songs that I can only hear now when I am in his car. So, much to my surprise, he loaded a flash drive with many of my absolute favorite artists from my stacks and stacks of CD’s!  I sent him a grateful text when I got to Deer Lodge (my first stop) to tell him that having that flash drive with my music was like being in a candy store blindfolded! I never knew what I was going to get, but I knew it was going to be delightful! 😆

Tomorrow I will drive to Medora. I had to rearrange my plans to spend the afternoon and evening there when President Trump decided to be present for the grand opening of the Teddy Roosevelt National Presidential Library. So instead of going on my way back to Montana, I am going on my way to Bismarck. But President Trump is worth it!😊💕 if you remember, I posted several pictures when I was traveling home last October, and Medora was a virtual ghost town! In fact, I was one of only two staying in the Badlands Hotel😂😂😂 Now I can’t help but wonder if Medora will change forever.  Time will tell, I suppose. I’ll be sure to Blog some pictures of how it looks this close to the grand opening, and President Trump’s visit on July 1 🤗.  

Sunrises

​Our house is situated up near the edge of a mountain, so I do not see the setting sun from my home. I know when the sun goes down over the hill, but I really never see anything other than the diffuse light as it fades away. But sunrises…now those are plentiful from my vantage point!🤗 And this morning’s awakening sun, as seen during hay-pick-up part II, did not disappoint!

First pass.

And second 🙏  

How I appreciate these early mornings! Whether I am picking up hay, cooling down after a walk, or simply enjoying my ‘coffee hour with Jesus’ out on the patio, these moments are by far my favorite part of summer! 

And Jax 💚.  He is 9 years on this earth as of May, and he still keeps up as well as he did last year 🥹.  We are starting to move at about the same speed now, although I never developed a habit of chasing wildlife 😂.  His presence with me is something I do not take for granted💕.  I like to think we are kindred spirits! 🤗

God Bless the USA💕

​It’s hay season on the ranch just now, and in an effort to help Michelle, I’ve volunteered to pick up my usual morning loads, the first of which (fortunately) was a small one, as the first season’s pick up tends to wear me out a bit until I get into a rhythm😂. I had preemptively laid out my ‘hay picking-up’ attire the evening before, because once my eyes opened this morning, I intended to head out to the pasture. 

For those of you who have Instagram accounts, or Facebook, I wonder if you’ve seen the incredible European visitors’ posts of their enchantment with America. Specifically, the United States of America 🇺🇸💕. Apparently they are all here for the World Cup, which, if I am to  be truthful, I have no clue what that is.😂😂 Soccer, perhaps? 🤔

Anyway, I’ve enjoyed scrolling through these lovely and heartwarming posts for the past couple of days now. I wish I could transfer some of them to the Blog so as to immortalize them somehow, but I’d have to do a Google search to figure out how to do that. And I think before I do THAT, I should do a Google search on what the World Cup is.😂😂 

When I got out to the truck this morning, pointed in the right direction and in the right pasture by my dearest ranch hand (aka ‘Plus One’😆), I immediately queued up the music…’America’s Best Patriotic’.  The sun was still slumbering, yet I had the hazy twilight of morning to shed light on the hay bales resting on the ground.  ‘God Bless the USA’ began to play, and even Jax seemed to pause for a moment. As I gazed upon the beautiful hills across the valley…still so lush and green and outlined in the soon-to-illuminate morning light, I realized anew how very blessed I am to live here. Not One. Single. Day. goes by that I don’t offer up thanks that I was born in the USA!  But to hear the same perspective from foreigners on how fortunate we (Americans) are to live here just does a heart good 💕.  

I had lunch with my son a couple of weeks ago. I think he lies somewhere in the middle as far as the left versus the right, but I told him truthfully, that unless you’ve been to another country, you really won’t ever realize how amazingly wonderful the United States of America truly is.  It is so wonderful to hear and see these sentiments coming from folks who don’t even live here. And what a refreshing and important reminder for those of us who do🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏.

Break time. 😊

Sustenance for the pasture pals this winter. 💕

Taking a well-deserved drink after a hard morning’s work.😆💕

And the photo I sent to Chelle… It’s not tidy, but it’s done!😂😂😂😂

Serendipitous Moment

W​e had visitors in church this morning, which we often do, so  I made sure to greet them as they came in the door, A bit later, Maureen, pastor’s wife, asked if I could visit with them when the service was over, because they were looking at guidance with a cognitively impaired family member. I wandered over to them once more, introduced myself, and told them where I’d be sitting so they knew where to find me.  

It turns out they are  from Virginia, and in town for just two days. I asked if I could meet with them, along with their family member at the AirBnb they were staying at, so as to discuss things in a more private setting, and  assess what level of impairment we were talking about. They wholeheartedly agreed.  

Their AirBnb was just across from the church, so close by. The meeting with their family member went very well, and much information was provided and options presented.  As I left, the gentleman who had attended church that morning walked me out. He turned to me and asked, “Are you familiar with the Road to Emmaus?”

I nodded. He then went on and said, “This was totally it. I feel like the Lord has been walking with us this day.”

He became emotional and began to weep. I gave him a side embrace and told him I understood how difficult this was for families. Especially families trying to navigate end of life from a distance.

He said, “No, it’s more than that. This whole thing was orchestrated by the Lord.”  He then went on to say, “I don’t like pie. My sister asks me to go have pie all the time. So I finally told her I’d  go eat pie with her if she’d go to church with me.” (Apparently, she was a nonbeliever, which I had no idea of when I met her just this morning!  And she even commented on how much she enjoyed the worship service!)

“There are three churches in Florence,”  he continued   “The Baptist Church starts at 9 AM. Your church starts at 10 AM. The Community Church starts at 11 AM. I knew 9 o’clock was too early for her. And 11 o’clock was too late. So we went to your church. And here we are now. “  

He gave me another hug, while he thanked me again. He then asked if he could take my picture. I stepped back and smiled while he snapped a shot. When he was done, I said, “May I take one of you and I together? I want to Blog about this serendipitous moment.”

He agreed.

I will miss these newfound friends, as they will return to Virginia on Tuesday, but I am hoping their loved ones, who live  nearby, will consider the options presented to them today, and allow me to help navigate the path along this end-of-life journey. 💕

Blast From the Past and About Songs 💕

​I came across a Facebook page the other day…one in which people were singing praise songs from the early 80’s and into the 90’s (hello Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith😆). And along with those, songs often sung in children’s church 😊 (Dare to be a Daniel, River of Life, The B.I.B.L.E. 😊).  It made my heart happy that I knew every single word of every single song that they were singing, and it was every bit as wonderful as hearing my One Hit Wonders yesterday!  Music is so incredibly powerful. Not a Sunday goes by that I am not beyond ungrateful for being able to serve on the worship team at church. We didn’t practice last Thursday because of scheduling conflicts, but the Lord met us where we were this morning, and after playing through the songs before the service even started, I felt as though I had entered the throne room of Heaven! I wish people could see what I see from my vantage point behind the drum set… children dancing upfront, arms raised in worship, and tears, laughter, and smiles, as people are led to the altar of grace.  

How grateful I am for the privilege of serving with my worship team…brothers and sisters really, and so dearly loved by me! My heart is filled to overflowing each week when I meet with these precious people.  What a great adventure…serving the Lord 💕🙏💕!