Make mine a real tree

When it comes to Christmas trees, for me it's got to be the real thing. It may be because I was raised on a Christmas tree farm, in a family of tree farmers. It may be because I'm a Forester and have devoted my education and career to the growing, maintaining and harvesting of trees. Maybe it's because I've never had anything else. I'm not sure, but I do know that somehow it just wouldn't be right without a real tree in our house at Christmas time.


Searching for the right tree.

It all starts with my favorite part, Christmas tree hunting. For me this is a great day in the woods with Whitney and the dogs, and by now it's a family tradition. With hot cocoa in thermoses, we head out to one spot after another that we've thought would have good prospects, we spot trees, we shake snow from their branches, we compare their qualities and finally sooner or later the perfect tree jumps out at us. Or at least that's what is supposed to happen but like hunting most things, usually that's not exactly the way it goes.

In years past, we've chosen trees by headlights and flashlights because it got dark before we found the right tree. One time several years ago, we wound up having two trees because we picked one for Whit's house in Missoula and one for my place in Plains and then kept them both when we celebrated the holiday together. One year we helped Whitney's parents pick a tree that traveled clear back to Oregon with them. A couple times we've even gotten trees where it wasn't exactly legal (don't tell). And this year our tree was enjoyed by two different Christmas parties before coming home to our house. The point is choosing the right tree is often as much fun as having the tree in the first place, and no two years are exactly alike just as no two trees are exactly alike.

After the tree is chosen, it's time to cut and trim the tree, load and haul the tree and finally get it into the house and set up in the stand. All this even before it gets decorated! I guess from that perspective it's no wonder some people choose imitation trees. But if you're like me, and you're into the tradition of choosing a tree to bring into your home to be decorated and celebrated during the Christmas season, the time involved in the process is all part of the joy of the season. Yes, I really do turn on Christmas music and pour a glass of eggnog while decorating the tree (I'm that kind of dork)!

Our 2012 Christmas Tree

Yes, a tree must die in order to come into the house and become a Christmas tree. But in it's place there will grow a new tree because that is perphaps the tree's best and most important quality. They regenerate! Everyday, year in and year out trees are seeding, sprouting, and growing. That is one trick a fake tree will never be able to do.
So if your reading this and you have a fake tree in your home, then by all means enjoy it. But for the rest of you go out and get a real tree. Support tree farmers or your public lands by purchasing a permit to harvest a tree. And this year, while you're celebrating Christmas, celebrate also our greatest renewable national resource. Our trees.
KJ

It's good to be back

It's been a rough couple of weeks. Whitney and I have been very busy lately, and so have been neglecting the blog. For that I am sorry, but you'll be glad to know we are back and intending to pick up blogging again. Last month, Whit's Grandfather passed away.  Without him, Whit's family needed to reevaluate her Grandmother's home and care, so it was decided to move her up to Oregon to live with Whit's parents. To complicate that transition, we learned that Whit's Mom had fibroid tumors that would require surgery, and her Dad needed his knees looked at. Whit and I decided to fly to Arizona to pack up the last of her Grandmother's things and haul them up, and take the oppurtunity to visit my Family in CA. Things there have been bumpy too, since we learned last month that my sister April has breast cancer. Take a moment if you would and stop by her blog to say hi. I Heart My Life April continues to be an inspiration to all of us with her positive attitude and unstopable spirit. This trip allowed us to help Whit's family and see mine, a win win, if it hadn't come right in the middle of hectic, get-er-done times at work due to my boss's broken leg. But family comes first so we went.
That set the stage for our 1350 mile treck in a 17 foot UHAUL pulling a 1972 Ford F100. It actually went pretty well, except for nearly losing / killing Whit's Grandmother's cat in Phoenix. We'll just say that next time we travel with a cat, we won't be trying to walk him near a car wash that's between a highway and a canal. Of course it didn't help that he had never been on a leash, or in a kennel, or in a car before! But I managed to drag him out of the crack he got stuck in, and we got back on the road. By the way, Blackie the cat made a full recovery and by Friday evening was purring and happy in his new home.
After that (and a short time lost in Riverside, CA), we were motoring along at a steady 55 mph and 8 - 10 mpg.
Along the way we got to see my brother's place in Coarsegold CA, (near Yosemite) and admire all the work he's been doing there. Then we stopped at my Dad's where I grew up, and spent a wonderful day playing with our Niece Nia. Later we traveled to Santa Cruz and saw Joey and April, and had a very good dinner with the Stearns family. It was really good to see April and hear first hand how the Chemo is treating her and how well the Care Calender is working. Thanks SO MUCH to all of you that have contributed and if anyone is interested please Email Whitney for info: Whitsisk@hotmail.com. After all that we left the Santa Cruz area and after a brief but very enjoyable visit with family in Redding, made it to Ashland, Or with all the cargo including Blackie the cat intact. A day in Ashland unloading the truck and visiting and then we were flying home to Montana. Much of the drive was very pretty, and while we were very glad to be able to help out and see everybody, the pace of the trip was exhausting. and I have to say, it is good to be home. 
Today I went and got our new bees! After I learned that one of our hives had died, I tried to order more but was told that they were all sold out. Friday before last, on our way to the airport heading out of town, we got a call and learned that there were bees available if we wanted them. The only trick was getting them which involved a 3.5 hour one way drive today, the day after we got home from our week-long adventure. So, while Whitney planted seeds and got the green house in shape, I brought home two very active nuc hives.  Nuc or Nucleus hives are made up of one brand new mated queen, 5 frames of brood (bee larvae), and a good number (15,000 or so) of workers. This is one way to start a new hive and I am told works very well. The advantage of buying a nuc rather than a package of bees, is the brood. Since the queen will take a week or so to adjust and start laying, the brood that hatches will be up and working 3 to 4 weeks sooner than if we had to wait for the queen. That month will be key in our honey harvest this fall, since we need the hives to be humming at capacity when the spring blooms come on. That's the whole game, have the bees ready before the blooms hit so there is no wasted time. Hope it works! More on that soon, including pictures of Whit and I installing the bees. For now, know that the bees and I made it home safe and sound despite a few getting loose and buzzing around inside the car while I drove home!

Thanksgiving and early December

This year for Thanksgiving we traveled to California to visit my family at my childhood home, the GHJ Tree Farm . It was wonderful seeing everybody and spending time together. 

The weather was fantastic and we had a blast playing outside.

While we were there, it was fun to help sell trees with my Dad. His is a choose and cut operation where families come and pick a tree to cut and take home. For many of the costomers this is a long standing tradition they love. I grew up on the tree farm and that experience is  probably where my interest in Forestry stems from. These trees are planted and cared for for years all with the purpose of someday being chosen to light up someone's holiday.  

Back here in Plains we have a few traditions of our own. We're lucky enough to live in a place where you can choose and cut a Christmas tree off of public land with a permit. Removing trees of this size from areas that are actively regenerating improves the conditions for the rest of the trees in the stand. This year's tree is a beauty!

Whitney really enjoys sewing and quilting in the winter and recently completed this baby blanket.

She made this for some friends of ours who are expecting their first baby soon. 

What would December be with out football? This year the UM Grizzlies are again in the FCS playoffs and doing very well. Maybe it's a championship year? Whit made this sign and did manage to get on ESPN, but only for an instant. 

Hope everybody out there is having a good December. Until next time, Kyle and Whitney.

Hunt 2011

It's been a great hunting season!

 Early on in the season, we enjoyed a really fun camping trip with friends, and I took some rides looking for elk. While these outings didn't turn up any game, they were both very worthwhile hunting trips. Hunting is about a lot more than bagging a trophy. A big part of the experience is spending time with great people in the places that we love. This season we were really excited to have Whitney's Dad here for a couple of weekends.

We've had a great time with Gary revisiting some old favorite hunting places and trying out some new ones. We took long hikes, at times not seeing anything. Other times we saw many deer, and even a herd of cow elk. One day Gary and I saw nothing but some mountain lion and really large wolf tracks.

 Eventually, Whitney and I were both successful filling our buck tags, each taking nice mule deer. We got to share the experience with Gary which made it even more enjoyable.  We've both shot deer with larger racks in years past, but we are meat hunters first and foremost, and these will be good eating. These two deer will keep us well fed for the next year, I'm really looking forward to the tenderloins! We'll let them hang for a week and then the work starts. Until then we still have some time left to look for elk, and I'm looking forward to hunting with  a good buddy next weekend.

No matter what the outcome, when you spend time in the hills with great people it's a great season!