Introduction

Wow. 2009 is now a year filed away. Another year's worth of lessons under our hats, and another year's worth ahead of us. It's funny how we contemplate years. Rather quickly we begin to forget which one's which in our memories. We candidly remember events, important dates, and even the thoughts we had at the time...but when you try placing them in any kind of historically accurate fashion, the "greyness" creeps in.

In my head, 2009 will be remembered as our first official year living in our new town, Great Falls. We endured each new season from new perspectives and windows. It was the year we became a new-century "traditional" family...two parents working and our child going to daycare. After two-and-a-half years of keeping one of us home with our daughter, while scratching out an income (forget any kind of savings!), we decided my husband should also obtain a steady paycheck. We have 15 years to save up for our little girls' college option, and that is no small savings. After chatting with other moms, even in-state tuitions are reaching $80,000 for a four year degree. Yikes!

College isn't the only reason for our change in lifestyle. We decided living in town is not where we wanted our little one to grow up. Both my husband and I are rural people, and living in a 2 bedroom 1 bath duplex on a one-way street did not suit us. Financially it worked out, but our hearts couldn't take it any longer. So, 6 months ago we signed a lease with option to buy a 2.5 acre homestead just out of town. We have neighbors, but we also have space.

We were spoiled in our previous home...we lived in the Flathead Valley of northwest Montana. It is an outdoor enthusiasts dream. Golfing, snowboarding, fishing, hunting, and hiking were all within a few minutes' drive. AND, best of all for me personally, our ten acre home/farm sat on a gardener's dream. Sandy loam. I honestly think this is near the top of God's most precious gifts to man...of course behind saving us from our sins, and water, and food, and creation itself. But it is definitely in the top 20! I could literally drop a seed on the ground and I think it would grow. Clay levels were down at least 12 inches, so my vegetable garden flourished. One year, we dug up our entire back yard and I grew a garden. It was fantastic! It was one of my first attempts at gardening on my own, so it was a bit of an eye sore, but I was in heaven! Now that we are putting it on the real estate market, we replaced my onion patch with a flower bed (which is also phenomenal by the way), and my corn patch is grass once again. My hope is that we can one day return to that part of the valley. For now, however, it is not in the plan for us.

Instead, we are in Great Falls. Sunny, windy, beautiful Great Falls. I'm afraid to say our spot on the east side of the Divide is a bit different. We moved into this home in September. There was just enough time for me to introduce myself to the pre-existing cottage garden. I planted a few bulbs I bought from a friend in the Flathead, and got a fist full of, well, clay. Not a total discouragement, but definitely a far cry from my loam. Luckily my hubby and I used to make a living gardening and landscaping for others, so amending clay soil is nothing new to us. Just another task. Back breaking as it may be!