Author Archives: Heather Bilden

Oh Doc! Last week we said goodbye to our sweet, soft and silly English setter. I adopted Doc in February 2011 when he was about seven. We had a challenging first night together involving a bath, a trim of his tangled mats of fur with embedded burs, a pee parade inside the house and finallyContinue reading “Saying Goodbye”

As we head into the new year, we want to express our deep gratitude for the continued support of our community. We faced many challenges this year on the ranch, yet we continue to be comforted and lifted up by the generosity and goodwill from friends, neighbors and customers. May the New Year bring anContinue reading “Welcome 2022”

Every morning we pass the lone goose. He has been there waiting on the banks of Coulee Creek for a couple of weeks. He is attentive and as we go by his long neck turns to keep one eye focused on us. My heart breaks for him. Geese mate for life and I fear theContinue reading “Death Comes for the Goose”

Yesterday a swarm of bees on our gate post, and today I took some time to write… “Maybe the sun will shine today” croons the smooth male voice on the radio. I can hear the rain over the music. It is coming down in steady sheets, hammering the roof and windows. An unusual north windContinue reading “Swarm of Bees”

Here comes our single digit winter, descending on us with brisk, stiff winds. The mercury plummets as nature rages outside. No doubt about it, we are privileged to block the buffeting wind out so completely. The roof shakes and the windows rattle. My mind turns to the animals outdoors – a small blanket of snow,Continue reading “Winter ramblings”

Oh, November! Following on the heels of the golden glory that was October, you feel utterly oppressive. It is as if you have pulled a cold grey blanket across the sky, and tucked it in close to the earth. Goodbye to the sun! It has slipped so far to the south that our bodies couldContinue reading “Winter Begins”

A brief stroll up the hill in our backyard revealed an amazing variety of spring flowers. Many prairie wildflowers are diminutive and understated. The prairie golden banner is an exception – bright yellow blankets of these beauties are abundant this year. The bright blue shining penstemmon is our earliest blooming penstemmon. Like many plants, thisContinue reading “Backyard beauties”

As spring marches into Montana, there is a surprise awaiting me every time I step out the door. Day by day the spring migrants are returning from their warm winter locales. The first harbinger of spring is the Sandhill crane. This year they arrived on March 15th to a world still blanketed in snow. TheirContinue reading “The world comes alive”

Intense smoke from western wildfires has settled upon us, and made it nearly impossible to see the horizon. It is time to focus on the world immediately underfoot! I took a short walk in the woods along the coulee cliffs and found some interesting things to look at up close, such as this pine cone,Continue reading “When smoke gets in your eyes…”

Oh sweet, cool August! You have provided such soothing relief after the searing heat of July. Already we have had two evening rainstorms to freshen and moisten the parched earth. The daytime highs are merely in the mid-80s, far closer to a bearable average. I have actually been able to work comfortable outside in theContinue reading “Midsummer”