Leif Enger’s I Cheerfully Refuse started out slowly. But I wasn’t ready for the story to end. The characters are compelling and the plot solid. This most likely made the futuristic sci-fi appealing to a reader that turns toward historical fiction. So, a great book to read if you are expanding your brain with different types of reading. And you might want a dictionary handy for the vocabulary.
The beginning of September 2025 was a return from a quick trip to Nashville. So short was our stay that we used the hotel at the airport for two nights. The Hilton Hotel attached to the airport is a beautiful property. Both a pool and restaurant on the rooftop.
While August travel took me to adventurous locations, travel this past month focused on conferences. Both took place in Colorado. The first was in Vail and the second in Golden. The leaves were just beginning to turn. And to be honest, the majority of time was spent indoors.
As long time readers noted, September 2025 varied from most months. Very few posts and not much reading occurred. Furthermore, the baby quilt is still not finished and only one of the Christmas stockings is started.
In addition to the travel, I canned produce from the garden. Lots and lots of salsa with a few batches of spaghetti sauces and pickles sprinkled into the mix. Plenty to share.
Finally, last week we said Bon voyage to neighbors of thirty years. They are relocating to the coast of France. I am looking forward to a visit in the future. It feels odd to now be the longest residents on the street.
Garnet Ghost Town is located deep into the woods of Garnet Mountain. To the east of Missoula, the easiest access is off 200. The first few miles are paved but from there on, travel is on gravel and at times a bit wash boarded. However, this piece of gold rush history is well worth the effort.
The number of buildings is impressive. A few are very well preserved, and visitors can access interiors and even upper floors. The historical placards begin on the drive in and continue in Garnet Ghost Town. Additionally, informational flyers are available at a low cost. Best of all there is a manned visitor center. The location is well worth the time, detour and requested ten dollars per person.
The easiest way back to civilization is the twelve-mile return trip back to 200. However, for those looking for adventure and beautiful vistas, an alternate route to I-90 exists. However, high clearance vehicles are essential and four-wheel drive is ideal. This is not a short cut. And at times the road is not much better than a jeep trail. Even though the area had experienced a bit of a dry spell, we encountered mud and standing water in one spot that required a bit of navigating through.
We passed one car of Garnet Ghost Town visitors most likely questioning whether to turn around but fortunately no oncoming vehicles until we reached the current location of Bear Town with a population of 2. The mayor was sitting out front of his modular waving as we drove by. The road improves after this point but there is still a bit of a drive from here. But if two little-old-ladies can make the trek, you can too with the appropriate vehicle.
Our guide was great at insisting we stop occasionally to look at the views. Our float drifted through forests, canyons and even pastures. Osprey and Eagles dominated the sky. The clear waters yielded white fish and trout below. No deer, elk or bears were spotted on the riverbanks this trip.
The canyons were the most striking. So, I briefly traded my fishing pole for my camera. But not for long. Fishing is in my blood.
Members of the family gathered in the foothills of the Rockies to celebrate Independence Day. A parade, a picnic and swimming ushered in the morning before the afternoon showers caused a retreat indoors just in time for naps-for the very young and the not-so-young.
The highlight of the garden mid-summer is the peach harvest. This year the crop was moderate in number but large in size. Fresh peaches with meals are the best. But low sugar peach jam and peach pies are also delicious. We were able to share with friends and neighbors.
The lettuce finally went to seed. The loose-leaf varieties were plentiful. However, the star of the lettuce harvest was the head of Great Lakes. The iceberg variety can be challenging to grow in the heat. 
Beets and turnips are still maturing, but the first of the crop were harvested at the end of the month. Both were good sized. Unfortunately, the seed potatoes from the first planting failed and so far, the second planting has yielded small spuds.
A mid-July trip to the Jersey Shore was a treat. Travelling with youngsters takes planning and patience but it is so worth it. The journey across time zones affects youngsters and adults in different ways. Babies are hungry when they are hungry. And to a certain extent so are school-aged kids.
Fortunately, we found a great seafood place a block offshore. So good, we took our larger group back there once the rest arrived. In the interim we hit the beach with gusto and wisdom. If you are ever near Monmouth, you can’t go wrong eating at Charley’s Ocean Grill.
The garden starts in March with the planting of lettuces and other greens, onions and potatoes. The first of the potatoes have stalled out and the harvested spuds are small in size.
Salad greens are toward the end of their spring cycle. So, several varieties are going to seed. Per usual practice, seeds will be saved in envelopes for next year. The exception, the heads of Great Lakes lettuce which are still forming. 
Peas are about finished and yielded poorly. The climate of the Plains contributes to this. Not enough cloudy days to my thinking. Beans and cucumbers are climbing and flowering. Can’t wait until they are ready to taste!
Photo is one of the Great Lakes heads forming in the greens row.
Mid-Summer 2025 shows beets and second planting potatoes with steady growth. However, carrots spouted poorly. I may expand the netting over the carrots next year in case the robins are enjoying “seed hunting” too much. I do like the birds in the garden to help keep the grasshoppers at bay.
Mary Alice Monroe’s matriarchal novel Where the Rivers Merge is satisfying until the abrupt end. Apparently, there is a sequel in the works. Since the first is just recently released, I will impatiently await the end of the story. I can already picture this tale of Eliza Pinckney Rivers Chalmers DeLancey as a television miniseries with the lush lowlands of South Carolina as a backdrop for a life spanning the twentieth century.
The cherry crop was a few days behind schedule but yielded a batch of jam and a batch of jelly in addition to enough for several pies. The Big Garden continues to produce and we enjoy the bounty daily. Fresh green salads accompany dinner most nights. The second planting of potatoes are thriving and the first planting is getting very close to harvest. Green tomatoes pepper the side garden plants while the back garden boxes and The Big Garden tomatoes are full of blooms. Planting of seeds and onion sets continues, ensuring a staggered harvest.
I try to keep up and acknowledge the emails that come into the blog. Unfortunately, the majority want me to let them publish what they write thereby skipping the cost of a website. Others want me to write on their topic of choice. The vast majority are literary agents doing the job of promoting a client’s book.
My favorite correspondence is from writers themselves. Some write in the comments, others reference my blog on their websites and still others send private notes. This month I learned Ken Steele was recognized by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries in May 2025 with an award for The Promise of Unbroken Straw. Kudos to Ken, I am still gifting his book to various individuals in my circle. I highly recommend it.
A new series debut, Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies is a good book for vacation travelers. I picked the book up in the Louisville, Kentucky airport last weekend and found it a bit different from the usual cozy murder mysteries. Catherine Mack, who also writes as Catherine McKinzie, mixes a bit of Rom-Com into the novel. Further, the protagonist uses footnotes throughout the novel.
