St Labre

Joe works for St Labre Indian Mission. It's a Catholic school that was started 125 years ago by a group of nuns. Students at the school come from the neighboring Northern Cheyenne Indian tribe and the Crow Tribe. Over the weekend, they had a big feast and pow-wow to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the mission. 

The kids and I attended the pow-wow while Joe helped set up the fireworks (he's part of the volunteer firefighters). Some pics...

National Monuments

We live close to some really awesome places to visit. Since I haven't traveled this part of the country prior to moving here, we decided to take a 2 day road trip to see Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Devils Tower. Mount Rushmore is only 4 hours away and Crazy Horse is just 20-30 minutes from the Presidents. Even though it was raining/overcast on the day we went to South Dakota, it was still quite impressive to see these monuments. 

We stopped at Devils Tower on the way home from South Dakota. It's about 2 hours from Rapid City, SD and about 2 1/2 hours or so from our home in Montana. I must say that Devils Tower was the most impressive of the three places we saw. We also went on a weekend that was free (didn't have to pay the $10 parking fee). There a couple trails around the tower and we took the shortest, less strenuous one. Caitlynn was a bit annoyed by all the walking over the weekend. I think she rested more than Joe while walking on the trail. Miles is quite the trooper. He really is the Energizer Bunny. It takes a lot to make him tired. 

Quiet down!

Nature is really flippin' loud. 

After living in the city and dealing with those sounds, I now have to train myself to sleep with hearing pheasants and frogs. The city is noisy - vehicles, drunk college students in the alley (in Hyde Park, that is), and sirens. We also had to deal with a bright street light shining into our bedroom window every night. It felt like God was shining his flashlight down on us. I can see everything, Marcy. 

But now we sleep with the windows open at night and can hear all sorts of sounds. Pheasants. Frogs. Crickets. The frogs and crickets I can get used to. I can even get used to the numerous birds living around us, but it's the pheasants. Man alive are they loud! And it isn't a pleasant sound.

Here's a clip of what they sound like. Try listening to that every day and night. 

Green!

Finally! It's starting to look like spring around here. We had snow this week, about an inch, that lasted until the afternoon. The next day, it warmed up nicely into the 70s. 

The kids and I went on a drive in search of groceries. We drove to Sheridan, Wyoming. It's such a beautiful drive around curves and over hills. A few ranches dot the landscape but what I noticed was how green everything has become. There are signs of life here! 

I'm told that the green doesn't last long once July and August roll around and the rain pretty much stops for 2 months. For now, I'm enjoying the long drives to buy food. At least the scenery is nice too look at even if all I hear is two arguing children behind me. I just turn up the radio. What kids. I don't hear any kids. 

On another note, I'm writing for a website called The Examiner. I'm the Billings Cooking Examiner. If you get a chance, check out my articles. 

Hardin, MT

Looks like a town near us is making the news. They want the Gitmo prisoners.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090430/us_time/08599189437300

Well, that's one way to get some national attention.

Road Trip!!

We got out of our one-horse town for a night. Woo-hoo! Or shall I say, "Yee-haw!"

Couple of observations about Montana...

• Not everyone wears cowboy boots and hats, but enough people do to make you take notice.
  
• Big sky country -- no kidding! 
  
• Miles upon miles of fence line the roads here. Who put up all the fence?
  
• Dirty cars and pickup trucks are a badge of honor around here. If your car is shiny and clean, you must be a city-slicker. 
  
• Montana doesn't have an accent, per se. There is a bit of a "twang" to the speak, so I fit in nicely.
  

Last week, the kids and I took a quick road trip to Bozeman, the home of Montana State University. We drove through a snow storm to get there and it was cold. We totally missed out on the lovely scenery of the drive. There is a reason why I went to Bozeman, but I'm not telling anyone yet. You'll find out soon enough. 

I wanted to actually "see" Bozeman, so we decided to go back, this time with Joe. This time there weren't any snowstorms to cloud our view. My oh my, was it beautiful or what? I think the pictures will speak for themselves.

Bozeman sits in the mountainous part of the state (in the west) and is about 1 1/2 hours north of Yellowstone. It's a college town, that's for sure and reminds me of a larger version of Oxford, Ohio. We don't have pictures of the actual town, even though we did walk around. These pictures are of the drive along I-90 between Billings and Bozeman. 

View of the mountains that sit next to Bozeman.

It's official

After proving I am who I am by showing lots of paperwork and even giving them a vial of blood, I now have a Montana drivers license. 

Ok, so I didn't have to give a vial of blood, but I did have to hand over several pieces of paper to prove that I am who I say I am and that I do, indeed, live in the state of Montana. They even wanted to see my marriage license along with my birth certificate. 

We also have Montana plates for the car (just arrived today in the mail). I'm actually glad to get the plates. I'm tired of people looking at me funny when I go to the store or get gas -- She's from Illinois? Where's Illinois? She's not from these parts, that I can tell.

Joe and I are now officially Montana residents. 

We don't own a gun. I guess that's next. 

Scrabble by Candlelight

Along with millions of other people around the globe, we celebrated Earth Hour and turned off the TV (!), the computers (!!), and all the lights for one hour. The kids were super excited by this and were very eager to participate. 

What do you do while the lights are out? Well, you play Scrabble, of course. Joe and Caitlynn vs. Me (Marcy). Since it was Caitlynn's first game of Scrabble, we didn't keep score, but I'm sure I won. I'm sure of it. 

It was a good chance to explain to Caitlynn about conserving energy, including electricity. I don't think she's picked up on the fact that we don't turn on any lights throughout the day because the house has enough natural light. She's just used to opening the blinds in the morning to let the light in and for the cat to peer out the window.

As I write this post, March is going out like a lion with a blizzard. Joe's school even canceled for the day because roads are closed. He's bummed. 

Yeah right.

Spring time in Montana

I guess spring time here in Montana means really beautiful weather one day and a massive snowstorm the next. The roads are so bad here, that they actually closed school.

Awesome.

And we've been told that the seasons here are: snow, mud, and fire. Snow is obvious. Mud is the thaw and fire happens in August when it's hot and dry. 

Can't wait. 

Earth Hour

Unfortunately this falls of deaf ears here in our little community. 

Joe and I will be celebrating (is it celebrating?) Earth Hour on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 PM. We will be turning off all our lights, TV, and computer. 

To learn more, go to Earth Hour's website.

More websites concerning conservation:

The We Campaign

Greener Choices

Natural Resources Defense Council

I've been meaning to...

I need to take some pictures of the little town we live in. It won't take much. We have a Post Office, a bank, a little convenience store, and a hardware store. Oh and a Ranger Station for the Custer National Forest. It's a pretty basic town. Everyone has a Ranger Station in their town, right?

I was going to take photos last week but then Friday came with a bit of a snow storm. It wasn't much snow, really -- just a couple of inches. However, with the ice mixed with snow, it turned the roads into ice rinks. A total of five people from the community died while driving on Friday. Joe was behind one accident. He didn't see it happen, but he witnessed the aftermath. 

In light of the sadness around here, I didn't deem it appropriate to take some photos this week. 

This also serves as a caution to those who may come and visit us in the future. Snow won't be an issue if you come in the summer. However, just be careful on the roads for a couple of reasons. Route 212 has a lot of semi-truck traffic. Driving from South Dakota to Ashland, the road is pretty flat (and really boring). It's when you drive from Ashland to Billings that the road turns hilly and curvy. That's where most of the accidents occur and if you drive this way you will see the sides of the road littered with crosses where people perished in an accident. 

Why so many accidents? Why so many deaths? The speed limit is 70 during the day (65 at night and slower for trucks). People around here drive really fast and recklessly. Combined with a very limited hospital/emergency response team, this place is a bit dangerous for driving. 

Joe and I are very careful. We don't drive too much, since we do our grocery shopping every two weeks and we make sure to drive only during the day. 

So -- y'all be careful, too.

News

At what point do I stop reading the Chicago Tribune and officially move on from Chicago? 

It's just so hard, I tell you. We are here. No newspaper. No TV (yet) and I'm tired of reading CNN.com and MSN. For two news junkies like Joe and I, it's difficult not to go the Tribune's site to see what's happening in the world of corrupt politicians. Funny stuff...crazy, impeached governor; corrupt-so-badly-he-doesn't-know-who-he-last-paid-off mayor; oh-so innocent newly appointed Senator who claims he did lie. There's just too much not to keep up with. I even read the weather report. Why? Last I knew, Tom's Skilling forecast didn't cover eastern Montana. Maybe I was worried Chicago would be buried under 10 feet of snow and then the schools would actually close for a day. It would be just my luck. We move away and the city finally takes a snow day. 

I realize that we may not move back to Illinois (not any time soon at least). I guess I'll have to start reading the Billings Gazette and Ranch & Farm Weekly (real publication, folks), so I'm aware of any good news circulating around here. 

Recycling? Huh?

Ha. Like there's a recycling center near there. Pipe dream! 

People around here don't recycle, unfortunately. There's no place to take it. Well, not an immediate place to take it.  After a bit of research, because I cannot throw out glass bottles, tin cans, newspaper, plastic bags, and plastic cartons, I found recycling centers and drop off places in bigger towns in the state (like Billings has a lot of places to put your recycling). I just can't throw this stuff away when I know it's more beneficial if it's recycled. I just wish others here felt the same way and I've been told not to bring it up. No one will listen. 

There's always an adjustment moving to someplace completely new. We are officially adjusting to our surroundings and getting used to a slower pace of life.  

Mining

A couple weekends ago we drove from Ashland, MT to Sheridan, WY. It's a really pretty drive through the hills. However, once you get near the Wyoming border, there is a little (tiny, itty-bitty, blink and you'll miss it) town called Decker. What's so special about Decker? Other than being a home to say 5 people and a post office (everyone needs to get their mail), there is a huge (gigantic, enormous, bigger than this room) strip mine that is essentially "raping the land." Familiar with mining? Blast down inside the earth, take the coal, fill it back with slurry. That's the basic process and I'm aware of the generalization.

These are the photos I took as we drove by. Since it was a Saturday, there wasn't too much activity, but we can still see the damage. I took a few photos of what we saw before we entered this area and it shows hills with trees and life. This area used to be beautiful.

We also live near a little place by the name of Colstrip, another mining town (bigger than Decker) with a mine

and a huge power plant. I haven't see evidence of the land being raped but then again, I haven't driven around the entire area.

What makes me so, let's try and be nice about this, irritated about this situation? Hmmm... It's the 21st century and we are using 19th century technology to get the energy we need. It's time we move on from coal. The possibilities are right there waiting to be used: Hydro, Wind, Solar, Geo-thermal. It seems as though this area is stuck in a time warp. (Recycling -- or lack thereof -- is another issue that I'll be writing about next.) We also have bad drinking water (smells bad, tastes bad -- yuck), so we go to one of two sacred Native American sites where natural springs flow. If you come out here to visit, you'll see our water cooler. (I could totally start telling "water cooler jokes." Joe and I should have all of our conversations around the water cooler. So, did you see what Caitlynn was wearing today? That shirt does not match those pants. Where did she buy them? Walmart?) I'm wondering what's causing our water to taste horrible and can't help but think it has to do with some of the pollution in the area.

It would be one thing if other states weren't moving forward in this area. We drove through South Dakota to get here. As we drove along I-90 through some desolate areas, we saw windmill farms. I thought -- AWESOME!! Now, if we could utilize this energy producing method even more. And then Joe told me about ranchers that have decreased the amount of cattle they are grazing and putting up solar panels on their land to sell the energy back to the utility companies. DOUBLE AWESOME!! More positive ways to produce the energy we need. All hope is not lost.

The one area I completely disagree with President Obama is the idea of "Clean Coal Technology." Sure, they can put scrubbers on the stacks to filter out all the crud to reduce air pollution, but what about the slurry they shove back into the hills where they mined all the coal? Is that clean? And how safe is mining anyway? People need jobs. That I completely understand, but is there a way to put these miners in jobs producing cleaner energy? Just some thoughts...

What the land should look like.

2 hours from everywhere

Have you seen Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? No? Boy, are you missing out. It's one of my favorite movies, so don't watch it with me. I know every line and I'm one of those people that will say the line before it's said in the movie. Annoying, I know. 

Well --

There's a line in the movie: "This place is a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!"

That is how I feel about where we are. Joe warned me on the drive to our home in Ashland that eastern Montana and Wyoming on Route 212 before we see the little town of Broadus makes you feel like you're traveling on Mars. There isn't anything but land with a few hills and miles upon miles of fence. 

But that's a drive I don't plan on making again until we decide to go see Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower. 

We may not be 2 weeks from everywhere, but we are 2 hours from any good shopping areas. Two hours. Did I tell you the speed limit is 70 during the day (75 on I-90)? Yeah, that's two hours going 70 MPH. We shop for groceries in two different towns: Sheridan, Wyoming and Billings, Montana. Sheridan is a pretty town sitting near the mountains. Lovely place. It has a Super Walmart and that's about it (well, aside from a huge western wear store and some other novelty shops). Then there's Billings. It's the shopping mecca for folks who live out where we do. It actually has stores other than a gigantic Walmart. Walmart scares me. Perhaps it's because I've been living in Chicago for so long (only a couple Walmarts on the edge of city limits) where everyone shops at Target. Target is different -- better. Walmart feels like walking I'm walking into the Twilight Zone. So, I'm a Target snob. Got a problem with that? Good. And it's pronounced "Tar-jay." Get it right.

Oh and I did map out the nearest Ikea. Ha! We have to drive 500 miles to Draper, Utah. 

Road trip! Joe, pack up the car, we're heading to Utah!

Images from the area...

Why oh why?

Judging from the questions I've been getting from everyone, I take it Montana isn't a place people just move to for the hell of it. 

"Why Montana?" or more like: "Why would you move there?"

Montana is on the list of states people are least likely to move to. Also on this list are: Alaska, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. I don't have anything against these states. They just don't seem to be brimming with excitement. But what do I know. Idahoans (??) could be big party animals. 

Alas, we didn't move here "just for the hell of it." We came here for a job.  Simple reason. End of story. 

Montana

View from our backyard. I don't have many photos of Montana. We live on the western edge of Custer National Forest, so there will be some very pretty photos to be taken. For now, I have to concentrate on getting unpacked and settled. 

We have a yard with a view of the hills. 

A far cry from living in Chicago. 

South Dakota

There's nothing here!

Oh yeah. Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, the Black Hills...

But you have to drive through this to get to the scenic parts:

On the Road...

Finally!

2 1/2 days in a moving truck with Joe and the kids and we are finally here. We left Chicago on Friday evening and drove as far as we could before falling asleep at the wheel. Friday night we stayed in the Wisconsin Dells. 

Then on Saturday we drove and drove and drove through Minnesota and halfway through South Dakota. It was frigid (still is) all weekend and the truck wouldn't start on Sunday morning. We had to wait 2 hours or so until someone could get it started for us. We wanted to arrive in Ashland, MT during daylight but that didn't happen. We go

t here around 6:30 on Sunday. It was pretty dark by then. 

Here are some photos of the trip...

Our apartment in Chicago - bye!

My sorry attempt to capture one last photo of the skyline. 

Taken in the truck as we drove on 90/94 past downtown.

More photos posted soon...

Spending an eternity in South Dakota

The cold weather here in South Dakota has stopped us from moving forward. We stopped for the night half way through the state but when temperatures fell well below zero overnight, our big truck decided not to start this morning.

So, instead of hitting the road early and getting to Montana at a good time, we are stuck here waiting for a jump. Awesome.

It's my first time in South Dakota and all I want to do is leave the state. We'll have to come back another time to visit Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse -- when it's warm outside.

We'll get to our new home soon. Hopefully.

Almost there!

I'm nearly done packing but I'm sure over the course of the next couple of days, I'll find much more to pack and I still need a few more boxes. 

Miles didn't want to pack up his toys but I proceeded anyway while he griped. 

But I want to play with my car!

I need that book!

No, Mama! Don't pack Spiderman!

It will be worse tomorrow when we have to give back our internet modem and cable box back to Comcast. No internet after 3:00 tomorrow!! I don't know if we'll survive! I think we can still get basic cable without the box. I hope. I don't want to miss The Office or 30 Rock. 

Ok...so photos of the move will be posted next week as well as photos of our new home. 

When shredding goes wrong...

Terribly wrong.

ICE!

View from our back porch looking down (this is in Chicago). Lots and lots of icicles that Miles likes to break off.

D-Day

Moving day is Jan. 23.

View of my dining room. Scary.

 

Out with the Old

I recommend everyone get up and move. No, don't get up out of your chairs and move, I want you to continue reading. Stay put.

Rather, you should all pack and move. It's actually a liberating experience. You get to see how much junk and garbage have been cluttering your lives. We've moved quite a bit in the past couple of years and it doesn't get easier but you find ways to make it less tiresome. This time around, I've decided to purge all old documents. We have a shredder and a three-year-old. It's a great combination for getting rid of old, useless documents. 

Why do I need bank statements from 10 years ago? I don't. 

Is there a reason I need copies of tax returns older than three years old? No.

Do paystubs from jobs long ago matter in my life now? I don't think so.

Why did I save all of our bills -- phone, electric, water, credit card, whatever? I was channeling my inner squirrel, perhaps.

Take a look around your house for a minute. It's the new year and time to start fresh. Purge. Purge like there's no tomorrow. Then again, there wasn't a tomorrow, why would it matter? 

We're getting rid of the old, to make room for the new, so in ten years, I can do the same thing. 

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Packing. And Packing. And even more packing.

You guessed it, packing is underway here. We have books --many books -- thanks to Joe. I'm to blame, as well, but most of the books are his. He took quite a few with him on his drive to Montana and for that I an grateful. However, I'm still here with many more to pack. Here's a list of some of the interesting ones we have:

• The Qur'an: No, we're not Muslim. Joe took quite a few classes about Islam. Are Muslims offended if we, Christians, have a copy of their holy book? 
  
• Nick of the Woods: I'm sure you haven't heard of this book. I had to read it in college and I've been trying to get rid of it since then. It's boring and dull and it's been sitting on my book shelf for 10 years.
  
• Encyclopedia of Chicago: Joe worked at the University of Chicago Press and he used to get some books for free. This is one. Anything you want to know about Chicago? Ask me, I can tell you.
• Encyclopedia of Outdoor Survival: This might come in handy in Montana (and if the Dec. 21, 2012 thing is accurate; I'm skeptical). 
  
• Warriner's English Grammar book: A must for writers and English majors. I haven't looked at in years, though. Judging from some of grammatical errors, I should probably consult this book. 
  
• Complete book of Grimm Fairy Tales: The real stories of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, among others. Not like the washed out Disney versions. I think I'll start reading these to Caitlynn and Miles.
  

We also have Catcher in the Rye that Joe purchased with a debit card. I wonder if he's on a watch list now. He also has a few Karl Marx books. That probably gets him his own file at the FBI or NSA.

Not to be missed....

Ok. Now for what I won't miss.... I'm fully aware this list outweighs the other one.

• Traffic -- need I say more?
  
• Pollution 
  
• Taxes -- Come on, 10.25% sales tax? Geez.
  
• Parking sticker -- $75/year to have a car registered in the city of Chicago
  
• Pot holes
  
• Congestion -- not cars but people. Kind of tired of all the people around
  
• Politics -- yeah, this made both lists. Tired of a crooked Mayor that will never lose an election because no one good will run against him. Without a maximum term limit, Mayor Daly is here until he retires.
  
• Crime -- duh
  
• Bad service at any government run office (I think this is universal)
  
• Price of groceries -- although I'm not sure this will be much better in Montana
  
• Traffic (oh I already said that one)
  
• Noise -- sirens in the middle of the night

To be missed....

I'll start out with a positive note regarding Chicago. What will I miss about the Windy City? 

Joe and I moved here in 2000. We lived for about a year way out in the west surburbs but then moved to the city and have called the neighborhood of Hyde Park our home for five out of the last seven years. Hyde Park grows on you and I can see why people make it their home for 20-30 years (mostly professors at the seminaries here or University of Chicago). Out of all the neighborhoods in Chicago, I've always felt that Hyde Park has that actual "neighborhood" feel. 

Here's my list of what I will miss about Chicago:

1. Restaurants -- Pockets, Noodles, & Cedars Mediterranean
   
2. Hyde Park Produce -- my favorite place to buy fresh fruit and veggies at awesome prices
   
3. Museums -- Chicago is home to some awesome museums
   
4. Convenience -- living in Hyde Park, we don't really need a car and we've gone days without driving
   
5. Neighbors and friends -- we will miss you all
   
6. The colorful politicians -- Illinois has the best governors when it comes to making bribes