IT'S TIME TO GO OUTSIDE

                                                      Woodpeckers and Crossbills
  

 First dinner outside this year-BBQ grilled scallops and asparagus with homemade pale ale crusty bread

 Washed down with white wine spritzer and Bayern Brewery's (Missoula, MT) Face Plant. (Don't forget the view in the background)

Jake, Gidget, Brewer and Guiness waiting for a handout. JIR

IT'S NO SECRET

 We are proud abuelos, crazy about our first grandchild Xavier. Distance can sometimes be an impediment, but we are determined not to let it be. We have been there several times to touch him and hold him, and we will make sure we are an integral part of his life, just like we have been in our kids'.

We will be there again in May, to celebrate his 7 month birthday and (awesome) Mom Lindsay's first Mother's Day. JIR

SPECTACULAR CLIVIA

Linda received this plant as a gift about 3 years ago. She was told it would bloom about once a year. For two and a half years we nurtured her, but saw no signs of flowering. Last summer we brought it to Montana and kept it outside, where it thrived and gave us a beautiful crop of flowers. Now inside the house, Ms Clivia decided to sprout again, about 8 months from her last bloom. We are not complaining, this is Nature at its best. Scroll down for the progression during the last 10 days. I counted 12 flowers today, a couple of them still not fully opened. JIR

ST. PATRICK'S DAY OR THANKSGIVING

 Fabulous corn beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots to celebrate the Irish in our family and give thanks for this Ramirez "fab fam". By the way, the Irish side is not O'Ramirez, but O'Gorman. Perhaps it is very timely that our daughter is leaving with her husband Steve for Ireland tomorrow. She has been there before, he will be going back to his roots for the first time. We are thankful for them, and for Danny and Lindsay, and our grandson Xavier.
No green beer with our dinner though, just good red wine and El Dorado IPA from the Blackfoot River Brewing Company, Helena, MT.  JIR

OF MEN, WOMEN AND DOGS

 I swear, we did not make Gidget pose for this picture. It is her favorite position when  she lays down under our counter top table and next to the stools. She uses one of the stool crossbars to rest her chin and legs. Uncomfortable? Not for Gidget.

 Jake, on the other hand, is so huge, he barely fits in his bed. But he does not seem to mind, especially after we let him know how expensive custom made beds for horses can be.

And then there is us. Aging gracefully and thrilled to have shared 34+ years of our lives with each other. JIR

SPRING? NOT YET, BUT...

Crossbills are back...

...and so are the Hoary Redpolls, all hungry for some good bird seed.

 But these love birds don't need to wait until spring to enjoy all that Nature has to offer. JIR

THE CRAZY MOUNTAINS AND SPIRITUALITY

You've seen The Crazies before. Today they were draped in thick dark clouds, a solar glow illuminating their  shadows, bouncing off the snow that covers them. Glorious.
Today was different. I was listening to Richard Rohr https://cac.org , the Franciscan priest who has inspired us and many catholics (purposely not capitalized) over the last several years. Catholics who continue to struggle to understand the shortcomings of our faith. Shortcomings like that of the conservative catholic who told me recently that, since I was not a practicing catholic, I did not have the right to an opinion, or a seat at the table when it comes to opinions and discussions that could lead to a positive transformation of the church. She and others like her want to control, to exclude, to make it all black and white. In the meantime, they are focused on what shoes and clothes the retiring Pope is going to wear. Pomp and circumstance. So out of touch with today's society, and the real intersection of religion and spirituality.  JIR