The Kolden Report: Brookside Woolen Mill (and THEN some!)

Hello, kids!
I attended a mindfulness class over the weekend.  Let me tell you!  If you get a chance, try it out.  You won't regret it.
Now, on to a menagerie, complete with a tour of Northeast Montana's own Brookside Woolen Mill.  Enjoy!

Any guesses as to what this is?

It is the remnants of Epsom salts in a steel pan! 







A robin posed for me one morning....

He looked me in the eye...

And was OFF!

Horns budding.

And his buddy has horns?  I wonder why this happens?  Differing levels of testosterone?






I had occasion to tour Brookside Woolen Mill in Malta.  They make wool insulation there, as well as other items.  

It's quite a process to go from raw wool, to washed insulation.

Here, the finished product is being stuffed into bale bags.


A closer look.

Lots of equipment (some of it vintage)...is required to go from start to finish.

The machinery to wash wool, runs the full length of the large building.

Remnants.

I found the textures captivating.



Such an interesting process!

Eco friendly for sure.

The vintage equip is still going, after all these years.

Pulleys-r-us!

Freeze-frame.





Going to work one morning, I saw this dog bopping along happily.



Once it realized it had been seen, it froze!






Pheasants pair.

Sneaking off...

I'm in love with the sounds of Meadowlarks.  They are singing their hearts out in search of mates.

Golden moment.

Crabby rabbit?

Apparently, I'll never grow up.  I'm still fascinated by the car wash!

Textures in wax and water.

Moody moment.

IS the grass greener?

Gratitude ( that my parents are still on the planet). 

 I do realize how blessed I am when I look at my friends, many of whom have neither parent alive.    Google says that gratitude is a personality trait.  Google also says:   More than any other personality trait, gratitude is strongly linked to mental health and life satisfaction. Grateful people experience more joy, love, and enthusiasm, and they enjoy protection from destructive emotions like envy, greed, and bitterness.  YAY, gratitude!

Along with being grateful for my parents and my talented and patient husband, I'm grateful for YOU and your loyal and enthusiastic responses to my photography over the years.  I am truly blessed.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Awareness of impermanence is encouraged, so that when it is coupled with OUR appreciation of the enormous potential of our human existence, it will give us a sense of urgency THAT I MUST USE EVERY PRECIOUS MOMENT." -  H.H. the Dalai Lama

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.kittykolden.com
www.thekoldenreport.blogspot.com

The Kolden Report: Spring Thaw.

     Hello, kids!

When I last left you, we were on an early spring camp about.  Now, the rest of the tale!





Long and winding road.

TERRIBLY alert.





Face time.

Polished.

I am in love with this image.  (It's a block of ice cut for fishing.)





BAD road.

Poised.






The "Bruce Lee" of gophers.

Soft and cuddly?

Fisherman.





Layers.

The bigger picture.

Bad moon rising.






Structural steel.

Pair.

Tiny train.

Slim pickin's.

Glow.






Who knows what this is?

Surreal.

*********************************************************************************************************************
"I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth, then I ask myself the same question." — Harun Yahya

*********************************************************************************************************************

www.thekoldenreport.blogspot.com
www.kittykolden.com

The Kolden Report: Camping and Critters, part two: Up close and personal!

Hello kids!

I marvel at the fact that I was able to get this close to a beaver and share space with her.     I learned so much...and now....am sharing with you.  Enjoy!



Being wet all the time must burn the calories.  Food is a constant.  But in the winter?  You can see by the remnants that bark is a food of choice. 





Once a stick is chewed bare, the hunt for more begins.

Back into the water!

Check out those TOENAILS!

And the webbed feet!  And the fact that maneuvering that huge tail must take some doing...

She dove UNDER the ice.

And returned with a delicious green branch, no doubt tender. 

Flexible fingers and NAILS to grip with.  (Looking a bit like Shrek, I say.)






Getting down  to business. 

Look at those teeth!

This was a process she would repeat over and over.   When she next dove, I left her in peace.  

Stay tuned, more to come!

*********************************************************************************************************************
"Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth."  Bradley Whitford

*********************************************************************************************************************
www.thekoldenreport.blogspot.com
www.kittykolden.com

The Kolden Report: Winter Wanes

Hello kids!

Even though we had snow this week, winter is waning.  Snow doesn't stick around for long with temps warming to the 50's during the day.  I have a strong appreciation for the seasons, even so.

Enjoy some of  the last moments of my winter...

One morning.  (Surreal, isn't it?)

Disappearing act.

Grass of the rising sun.

Gathering place.  (We are pleased to see the magpie numbers recover.  There were nearly none after West Nile virus invaded.)

Illumination.  (Nothing as lovely as the rising sun!)

And again through tall grasses.  (This will be a VERY large canvas print soon.)

Another angle.  (Isn't it interesting how light makes such a difference?)

Busy boy.

Awareness.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground." - Theodore S.  Roosevelt
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.kittykolden.com
www.thekoldenreport.blogspot.com

The Kolden Report: Frost Kissed, part two.

     Hello, kids!

Winter keeps threatening to be over although we had a taste of spring snow last week!  Great moisture in that heavy, wet snow and it melted quickly.  It's all good!

Here's a look at some winter wonder, for those you who are not tired of it yet....




I love how frost clings. 

Pair stare. 

Warning.  (As if stamping their feet will make me run away?)






Apparently, something "over there" was more intriguing than I was. 

Couldn't have been the bridge...could it?

Weighted.

One sided.







Why does frost cling to the wire and not the post?

The "bigger picture".


*********************************************************************************************************************
"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on!" - Franklin D. Roosevelt

*********************************************************************************************************************
www.kittykolden.com
www.thekoldenreport.blogspot.com