Archive for ‘August, 2010’

Sunday: The Boiler Room

I live approximately 18 miles Southeast of downtown Kalispell, MT. Kalispell is hardly a big city. The downtown area of stores and restaurants spans maybe 10 blocks with 5-6 blocks of tree lined residential streets to the east and west of the north/south running Main Street.

Along one of those tree lined streets on the east side of Main is the old Kalispell Hospital. Now, it is a mixed used commercial/residential building: Eastside Brick.

And in part of the old parking lot, the owners built and run The Boiler Room.

Sara, who house and Bob-sat for me when I was on an extended rv trip – and then we became friends :)! – owns a condo in “the Brick”. We met there early yesterday morning, in a drizzly rain, for breakfast and a visit at The Boiler Room.

I arrived first, just as the Open sign was turned on…Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. and there was no one in the place but me. I obtained a mug of strong, hot, coffee and enjoyed looking around while I wasn’t bothering anyone.

A fireplace in the corner with a comfy couch and chairs allows for casual conversation and coffee.

Small tables for two line the walls, with larger tables in the center. A warm mix of wood with industrial-urban-eclectic gave the room an inviting feel that made me want to linger.

I browsed the counter that held goodies for sale which includes pottery from 2 local potters…

falling in love with those big twisty wooden spoons!

Sara arrived and we ordered…the glass case holds no end of tempting goodies – Waffles are a specialty as are pannini, burritos, bagels and more!

Despite both of us having vowed to get some work done this Sunday, we lingered and talked and laughed together. People known to Sara stopped by our table to say hello. It was a cozy morning in a wonderful place shared with a good friend.

Karl and I had a long walk in the morning drizzle and then home. Late morning and it was still only 49F…

Bob thought that a fire in the woodstove would be nice and I agreed.

Karl kept me company when I finally sat myself down and got to work.

Just after supper, the sky cleared, the sun came out – the evening walk was beautiful…and that, on top of that bit of mountain peaking through the clouds….

That is fresh snow!

Sunday: The Boiler Room.

For Sunday: St. Birgitta’s Prayer

O Lord, make haste and illumine the night.
Say to my soul
that nothing happens without Your permitting it,
and that nothing of what You permit is without comfort.
O Jesus, Son of God,
You Who were silent in the presence of Your accusers,
restrain my tongue
until I find what it should say and how to say it.
Show me the way and make me ready to follow it.
Give peace, O Lord, to my heart.

Prayer of Saint Birgitta of 14th century Sweden

Photos taken 8/28/2010 in my woods: Wild Asters. The flowers are about 1/2 inch in diameter.

Friday evening

64F, wind in the pines, burgers on the grill, Karl, Bob and I enjoying the evening.

Hard to believe that this time Thursday, it was 92F with a hot wind that felt like a blast from an oven – Karl and I did that evening’s walk at a snail’s pace…pausing in the shade nearly every 50 feet. Friday night we “trotted” around in 1/3 the time.

It will be a working weekend, making up for this week’s shortfall…some of the shortfall the Friday run for new tires. But the day was so glorious in its freedom, coolness and preparation for adventure – a working weekend is a small price to pay.

Friday evening.

Just another Friday at the office

Girls love their shoes and Wild Thing is no exception…4 new ones were the order of the day, this Friday.

Two of her six “shoes” are new from two years ago. The remaining four were due to be replaced a year ago. I have an upcoming trip which you all are welcome to come along on via From the Front Porch. I hate planning trips. Wild Thing will be departing some time after September 1 and no later than September 11. September 11 is the most likely, but you never know :)!

To the point…I was not risking another trip on the old tires.

Karl (see the black furry back end) and I parked behind the Kalispell Tire-Rama, hoisted Wild Thing on her own leveling jacks and let the techs from Tire-Rama mount, balance, shuffle and install, while we napped/worked respectively.

The cold front arrived the night before – the day was pleasant – and we were out and about with visions of an upcoming adventure in our heads. Just another Friday at the office.

Common Yarrow

We went from the possibility of a freeze to HOT – it didn’t reach 90, but it got close. One more day – today, and then a cold front is supposed to whoosh through overnight and “hang on to your hat”, as with that windy front we are due to move straight to early Fall!

Meanwhile, the only thing flowering in my woods is Common Yarrow…another medicinal.

Yarrow is a very valuable medicinal herb, with much scientific evidence of use in alternative medicine as an antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, emmenagogue, stimulant, and tonics, vasodilator and vulnerary. Yarrow is used against colds, cramps, fevers, kidney disorders, toothaches, skin irritations, and hemorrhages, and to regulate menses, stimulate the flow of bile, and purify the blood. Medicinal tea is a good remedy for severe colds and flu, for stomach ulcers, amenorrhea, abdominal cramps, abscesses, trauma and bleeding, and to reduce inflammation. The main constituents are volatile oils including linalool, camphor, sabinene, and chamazulene, sesquiterpene lctones, flavanoids, alkaloids including achilleine, polyacetylenes, triterpenes, salicylic acid, coumarins, and tannins which prove these uses in alternative medicine to be effective. Extracts of yarrow exhibit antibiotic activity and may also act as anti-neoplastic drugs. Externally for treating wounds and stopping the flow of blood. Yarrow oil has been traditionally used in hair shampoos. Some caution is advised , large or frequent doses taken over a long period may cause the skin to be more sensitive to sunlight.

Common, but pretty, especially when you look carefully up close at the wee florets: Common Yarrow.

Stocking up

No frost/no overnight freezing last night, but yesterday afternoon while out in the woods with Karl, it seemed like this guy or gal thought NOAA might be right.

This squirrel was furiously running to and from a pile of pinenuts – carrying the loot, one nut at a time from one end of the log to somewhere inside – all of the time keeping a wary eye on me and occasionnally stopping to chitter at me. He or she was determined not to let me get in the way of the stocking up process even though I got quite close.

I have mixed feelings about squirrels – They annoy Karl and I…dropping stuff on us, chittering, teasing and generally being noisy. But they are agile and I admire their speed and athleticism. Karl, not so much…see Dog and Squirrel , but he was some ways away, intent on some other thing of interest in the woods.

I finally got tired of teasing this squirrel with the camera and left it to finish stocking up.