We’ve all heard how important it is to eat a diet high in roughage. Likewise, “roughaging” (spending time outdoors) is essential to our mental health. Even if it’s a settee on the porch, we need it, gotta have it. I aim to be the reason you pulled your bedding out the back door last night.
Winnie Nielsen says: Looks like the last of the Birch Tree leaves this season. When I was growing up, I helped my Dad plant two Birch Trees in our front yard and they do have the prettiest yellow leaves in the Fall. Or perhaps this is a tree specific to the West?
MaryJane says: We do have a couple of birch trees but this one is an aspen growing up by our pond. Good morning! A new version of Anne of Green Gables premieres Thanksgiving eve on PBS. Don’t miss it! What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
Winnie Nielsen says: Hi MaryJane. I just saw the ads for Anne of Green Gables last night on our local PBS and looking forward to seeing it. Our local PBS is starting a Downton Abby 6 season marathon on Thanksgiving so I need to pay attention to when Anne of Green Gables will actually show on our station. We just finished watching the first season of The Crown on Netflix and it was totally over the top awesome! You must watch. It is about the life of the current Queen Elizabeth as she became queen suddenly with the death of her father.
For Thanksgiving, we will make our regular trek to Tallahassee to have dinner with an old friend of Warren’s from graduate school days. It has become a sort of 20 year tradition we feel obliged to keep on doing.
Winnie Nielsen says: Peaceful wall tent abode with a spectacular view.
Elisabeth Perkins says: Beautiful
Winnie Nielsen says: Love that carpet of yellow leaves for Fall. Stunning!
Elisabeth Perkins says: Those flowers are gorgeous!! Just another one of Gods beautiful creation!!
Dianna says: Love the yellow with the sun on it
‘Tis the season for gathering firewood …
Tallman, who lives with his wife near the small town of Monarch, was “discovered” by the Great Falls Tribune a few years ago and featured in this snowy snippet:
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist the owlish humor.)
Gary, who was 82 in the video, told the newspaper, “I started building them just because I enjoyed doing it—and to take a picture and send it off to the grandkids. It surprised me people are fascinated by it.”
His wife, Marilyn, was not so surprised, saying, “Everybody doesn’t notice how many tones in the wood there are. He sees beauty in all kinds of things. We’ve always admired our woodpile. We both like watching for what’s interesting in the earth. And an awful lot is.”
Well said.
According to Gary, his woodpile mosaics take around 20 hours to complete (after he sketches his design and sorts the logs by hue). After his work is finished, though, it is soon destined to disappear—much like the ephemeral art of a snowman. When the Tallmans need the wood, they harvest it from the masterpiece. A perfect balance of poetry and practicality.
And, speaking of poetry …
Few of Gary’s firewood fans realize that he is also something of a cowboy poet. He published a book of poetry in 2011 called Montana Paths, which features a photo of one of his wonderful woodpiles, dubbed “Montana Hooter,” on the back cover.
Ready to wield an axe and create your own wooden wonders? Check out my handy tips, techniques, and tool list in my first book, MaryJane’s Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook.
Winnie Nielsen says: Now that is really cool art! What a bonus for those who must have a wood pile to make it through the Winter.
Krista says: This is a really fascinating form of art! It’s so cool when someone can make art out of nature and out of something we don’t think about on a daily basis. Hopefully the take pictures to document all of his work before taking it apart for the fire.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
Don’t you just love the little red buds that are left after the leaf falls? So hardy and built to last the sharpest of Winters, and will show us again their strength with the tiny greening that will arrive come April. Truly amazing!