Blue Skies and Rainbows

“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true" LYMAN FRANK BAUM



“The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work.”



“Don't miss all the beautiful colors of the rainbow looking for that pot of gold.”



“If I never met you, I wouldn't like you. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't love you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't miss you. But I did, I do, and I will.”



The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Summer Salads and Memories

This past weekend our family travelled to Bozeman, MT to attend a memorial event honoring two lovely people -- Uncle Fred and Aunt Mae -- that passed away last October. Uncle Fred went peacefully in his sleep and Aunt Mae suffered a few months battle with her body tiring out.

A table was spread for the family and guests by gracious hosts and hostesses. My family was happy to see everyone and visit with relatives not seen too often due to time constraints and distance.

On the table was a salad I had not remembered loving for over 10 years. We had been gone from Montana that long and it slipped out of my mind until trying some this weekend. Here is the recipe:


JAPANESE CABBAGE NOODLE SALAD

1 med. cabbage, shredded (or buy mix)
1 green onion, sliced
2 pkgs. chicken flavor Ramen noodles, break up but DO NOT COOK
4 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted - keep separate
4 tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted - keep separate

Make dressing in a jar:
Combine:

1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 c. salad oil
4 tsp. sugar
6 tbsp. vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
Add seasonings from packets of noodles.

Assemble all ingredients when you are about to serve it. The noodles absorb the dressing and make a crunchy salad.

I like to add 2 cups cooked chicken pieces. Serves 8-10.

Then on the ride home, I was talking with my husband about the salad and forgetting it for so long when another memory popped into my head about a wonderful salad my Aunt Marie used to make for guests and even when we travelled to stop and have a picnic. Here is a version of her recipe I found online:

PIMENTO NOODLE SALAD

Ingredients:

1 package shell macaroni (cooked)
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 small can pimento, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sweet pickles, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Add 1/2 cup frozen peas -- thawed, or 1 can of whole kernel drained corn
Optional: Add 1 can of drained tuna -- flaked , or 1/2 cup of cubed chicken pieces

Directions:

Mix all ingredients. Ready to eat, but I like to let it set for a few hours or overnight for better flavor.

Beautiful Clydesdale Horses

"The Clydesdale is a breed of draft horse derived from the farm horses of Clydesdale, Scotland, and named after that region.

Thought to be over 300 years old, the breed was extensively used for pulling heavy loads in rural, industrial and urban settings, their common use extending into the 1960s when they were still a familiar sight pulling the carts of milk and vegetable vendors.

They have been exported in the Commonwealth and United States where they are famous for their use as the mascot of various beer brands, including Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser brand, Carlton & United Beverages and several others.



Clydesdales are now most numerous in the United States where recently over 600 foals are reportedly born each year.

Today, the Clydesdale's most significant presence is in exhibition and parades."



That last sentence taken from Wikipedia is certainly how my family came to get a chance to see these beautiful creatures. It was well worth the effort to find parking and walk a little bit to see our local Fourth of July parade in Great Falls this year due to the appearance of the Budweiser wagon being drawn by a full team of Clydesdales. I told my husband we could head home after they passed because that is all I really wanted to see.

Earlier in the week I missed a chance to see them at a local park, but I later heard the masses of our community had descended at the location for a peek.



They are spectacular and I hope you too will have a chance to see them pass by your way if you have not already.

A Tree With Character

I had to take a picture of this tree. I love it!!! I think it is absolutely beautiful and has character.

It also reminds me of the Robert Brown poem: The Road Not Taken (with forks in the road).

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20

Out With Nature

This past Monday, the kids and I took Aunt Trish, visiting from Chicago to Giant Springs State Park to have picnic and do a little walking around in nature. We also showed her the fish hatchery.

"Discovered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 and one of the largest freshwater springs in the world. This is also the site of the Roe River, once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's shortest river. Giant Springs flows at a 156 million gallons of water per day. The water stays at a temperature of 54 degrees. More than a quarter of a million people, visit Giant Springs State Park each year. Many come to marvel at this remarkable feature, or to view the variety of bird life. Some come to visit the nearby Rainbow Falls Overlook, the visitor center, and the fish hatchery. The Fish Hatchery Program raises about 750,000 fish annually. They are then distributed to areas throughout Montana."

We had fun exploring a dirt trail that led up over a small bridge and ended at an overlook of the Missouri River.