Chinook Winds: May 2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Running a 1/2 Marathon

This song by JJ Heller entitled “What Love really Means” begins with these words.
He cries in the corner where nobody sees
He’s the kid with the story no one would believe
He prays every night, “Dear God won’t you please…Could you send someone here who will
love me?”

I first became aware of Western Montana Youth Homes because our daughter works for them. I have seen her be the answer to a child’s prayer to be loved. The services that Youth Homes offer is of course about therapeutic care, teaching skills, proving a safe and secure home and finding forever families; but also it may provide the first person to love that child.
Each day Youth Homes serves over 180 children in shelters, group homes or foster care homes.
When I discovered that I could run to support this organization, I decided to try it in 2011. I need to say I’m not a runner. I wish I was and maybe someday… I did participate in the Missoula ½ Marathon last year and found training a hard mental game. These kids work SO hard to deal with their wounds, the least I could do is get out and run. How hard is that in comparison?

Tragedy

While we were shopping and getting our new little chicks our neighbors life's were being drastically changed.

Cicks

We decided to raise Buff Orpington chickens, we picked these girls up on May 14th. Our plan (we really don't know what we are doing) is to raise all but 2-4 of them to butcher. They are all pullets so they aren't goring to get real big but we are ok with that. I decide I wanted to go with a heritage breed and from what I read Buff Orpington are good for butchering and laying. I know when it comes to butchering them it will be hard, they are so cute. We found organic feed from so that is Organic and local and they can free range when they get a little bigger.Should be an adventure, stay posted.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Be the kind of women who, when your feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says oh no, she up.

Mother's Day Weekend

My Asparagus is up!

Worked up the garden, adding sheep manure. Planted the corn, beans, potatoes, carrots, and lettuce have a few more things but a start. We covered them with the row covers to help with the ground temperature.

What a difference a week makes. Easter Sunday we had time to unpack the straw from the blueberry and garlic beds. The Chickens were excited to have new digs.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Garden April 23, 2011

My garden April 23, 2011

What are Chinook Winds?

Chinook winds blow in from the Pacific in late winter and early spring. Their moisture evaporates as they pass over the Rocky Mountains. Once the winds come down from the mountains onto the high plains, the air can be quite mild and extremely dry. When a Chinook takes effect local temperatures can warm up from as low as 5 degrees below zero to 60 or 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The air is so dry that when it hits snow, it sucks up the moisture, changing the snow directly into water vapor, bypassing the liquid phase that slushy phase-- entirely. Called sublimation, this is a common way for snow to disappear quickly in arid climates.
As you may guess these changes in temperature, little snow cover, but bitter cold temps make it hard for things to make it through the winter. We hope to have a 90 day growing season and 12 inches of perspiration in a year.

Chinook Winds