Fat, lazy snowflakes drift down outside my window, making my thoughts turn to a winter long past when I was a child living in Clancy. Having moved from California, where my dad had been discharged from the Air Force, our move to Montana was a true revelation. I was eight years old and had never seen snow before.
We lived with family there until we got settled, meaning I was living with cousins of the same age who quickly taught me everything there was to know about snowy fun.
This was many years before the freeway was built, so there were beaver ponds to ice skate on and frontage road hills to sled. There were snow angels to create and huge snowmen to build. One particular memory was of a Saturday night when Clancy’s main street was closed off to traffic. A huge truck tire bonfire was built on the hill in front of the church; hot chocolate was served to excited kids who sledded through the center of town… all the way to the bridge over Clancy Creek. We’d hike back up the icy hill, warm by the fire, chug down hot chocolate and do it again. By the time we’d finally had enough, we could barely feel our frozen fingers and toes.
It snowed a lot more in those days, so when the snowplows came down the two lane highway, they produced enormous plumes of snow that would arc off the plow. We’d run to the side of the road, where we were showered in the wall of feathery snow, lucky to never be hit by an errant stone in the snow picked up by the blade.
Eventually, my family and I moved to every little community along the highway. Clancy, Alhambra, Jefferson City. And Boulder. Both my parents graduated from JHS, so it should have been no surprise we’d end up here eventually.
In Jefferson City, our friend Sonny Madison hooked up a team of horses to a sleigh, bundled up a bunch of the neighbor kids (and a few of his own) in layers of blankets, and took us on a sleigh ride through the hills above Jeff City, with actual sleigh bells jingling. It was as though we were living a scene straight off the front of a Christmas card. It was magical. I’ve never forgotten it.
I love Montana because of these and so many other vivid childhood memories.
Over time, we left Boulder for Great Falls, and eventually moved to the Seattle area, where I spent the majority of my life. But after living in places other than Seattle, I’ve returned to Boulder. Many years now gone by, I’m truly home again.
Montana has been so special to me all my life; it’s always been my “spiritual home”. No matter where I’ve lived, when asked where I was from, the answer was “Montana.” Both sides of my family are from here; I’m a fourth generation Montanan.
Now I enjoy the winter quiet and the time to reflect on what matters most to me. But rest doesn’t mean inactivity or lethargy. Snow on the ground means more time indoors and provides us with the perfect opportunity to plan ahead. We have time to choose seeds from catalogs for next year’s vegetable gardens, choose a new paint color in anticipation of warmer days when we can paint our house or check out the (online) travel brochures of exotic places, planning at last, that long intended retirement trip you’ve talked about for ages. Planning your projects while the days are quiet and time is finally available to you.
It means considering other ways to use your time, talents and connections once the weather allows us to go outside again.
So consider this: Boulder, where many of us have lived for five, six, even seven generations, needs volunteers to help preserve our historic heritage. Over the years, we’ve become accustomed to seeing buildings that have been there our entire lives, murals that have always “just been there.” The places we’ve taken for granted as though they will always be a part of our lives. But they won’t always be there. Not without our attention, care and maintenance.
Look around town with an objective eye, as though you just drove in for the first time. What do you see? What improvements would you make if you could?
My last article was about the Reimagine Rural program and on Dec. 3 at 11:30 a.m., we will hold our first meeting at the Senior Center. We’ll discuss what Boulder residents can do through volunteering to help our town – our home – preserve buildings, murals and our history. We can go beyond preservation by improving what we already have. Because of available grants to fund projects, it will cost us nothing but our time and commitment to make noticeable differences and improvements.
Please bring a brown bag lunch and join us for coffee, cookies and the sharing of project ideas and how to go about accomplishing goals we set for ourselves. All age groups are most welcome, especially our teenagers.
Boulder is tired, and should be, considering it was founded in the early 1860’s. It’s time for us to show our town some TLC, folks, before more time slips away and irretrievably takes what we have left with it.
Join us so that our children and grandchildren will have the kind of special memories we have of this place. Memories that will carry them home again, time after time, no matter where their lives may lead them.
Instead of going into winter dormancy, let’s start planning projects now so we will be prepared come the spring. Our sense of place is made of memories and experiences, is it not? We can create both by joining Reimagine Rural. Hope to see you Dec. 3. Those interested can see previous Reimagine Rural meetings by following this link, https://msuextension.org/communitydevelopment/reimagine-rural.html
