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montana woman magazine
ISSUE NO 14, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021: KELLIE SWANSON / EQUINOX
table of contents VIGNETTES |
37, 52
SEPTEMBER TWENT Y-SECOND; NEW GUEST
Autumn Toennis
38
AUGUST (AND EVERY THING AFTER)
Chloe Nostrant
53
THE CURIOUS STORM
Emily Adamiak
72
A DREAM OF MY DAD PROMPTS A TRIP TO MONTANA
Amy Lindquist
78
BELLS IN THE BREEZE
Barbara Fraser
82
THE L ANDING
Sydney Munteanu
87
REMINDERS
Nicole Dunn
EDITOR'S DESK |
2, 7, 27, 96
SELECT WRITINGS
Letters & poems
31
THE BOOKKEEPER'S LIST
Recent reads from the bookshelf 4
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58
all shades of blue: kellie swanson & the magic of modern-day alchemy
FOOD & SPIRITS |
14
BL ACKBERRY PLUM JAM
Comforts of the season in a jar
16
HOMEMADE PRETZELS
No-fuss appetizers
20
CHARCUTERIE FL ATBREAD
Brie, blueberry, peach, & plum
24
JUS TWON EMORE: PART V
Daiquiri
ART & DESIGN |
40
MIDNIGHT APOTHECARY
Step-by-step embroidery
LIFE |
74
THANK YOU, WOMEN
A love letter to helpful women from a new mom
80
TWO YEARS
The second retrospective
WELLNESS |
88
LEVITATION NATION
Striking a balance
90
LOGAN HEALTH
The right resources to keep students safe mon tan awoman .com | s e pte mbe r/o c to b er 2 02 1
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montana woman
OWNER & EDITOR
megan crawford
Montana Woman is a platform. It’s a place to celebrate our achievements, a place to support each other, a place to acknowledge the resilience of the women of this state. It doesn’t necessarily matter where you’re from, you’re here now. In all of your loudness, your boldness, your fearlessness— you are here. We’re here, together. We publish a statewide magazine every other month that features women across Montana— the movers and shakers, the go-getters, the rule-breakers, the risk-takers. We all have a story to tell.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
megan crawford
BUSINESS MANAGER
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Montana Woman Magazine as you know it began in October 2019. Right out of the gate with photographer Alexis Pike as the first cover feature— clad in fringe pants and a motorcycle helmet in a Bozeman alleyway— we’ve always been authentically ourselves. We believe in showing up as you are. You don’t need to change who you are to have a seat at the table. No matter your age, your identity, your hometown, you are welcome here. We believe in creating a publication that’s worth reading because we have stories worth telling.
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LETTER
from the
EDITOR You can feel it.
One evening, a breeze will greet you, draping like cool silk down the ridgeline. It’s always the evening— golden hour, when the wheatfields glow like yellow jasper— when she arrives. Summer melts down to Nothing, and Nothing becomes Autumn: the golden hour of the year. Creaking, brambly, aching Autumn. We lament the end of Summer as the river drops and the land burns. We scramble for the last swim in the lake, the last wildflowers, the last of the long days. We’re so eager for Summer that Autumn takes us by surprise. The nights begin to cool, the evening creeps in— it begins with rain and ends in embers. Sage mountains, their dry summer trees cocooned in smoke, grow golden Larch freckles. Our Great Horned Owl, hidden from the swelter, takes up his nightly station on the roof. Pheasants cackle in the field again, cawing to each other across the valley. This is a new kind of awake— the awake before dusk, awake of night, howling at the Harvest Moon. Somewhere between waking and sleep, in fog-cloaked morning yarrow, in steam rising from the river, in damp earth, we return to ourselves— like smoke reaching to the cosmos, returning to stardust.
contributors
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KELSEY MERRITT
SYDNEY MUNTEANU
STEPHANIE MOSBRUCKER
LAUREN WILCOX
CHLOE NOSTRANT
NICOLE DUNN
SARAH HARDING
MORGAN MARKS
MEAGAN SCHMOLL
MINDY COCHRAN PHOTO BY KIRALEE JONES
BARBARA FRASER
AUTUMN TOENNIS
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FOOD & SPIRITS |
Blackberry Plum Jam BY MEGAN CRAWFORD
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For this recipe, I wanted to make something that tasted like autumn— warm spice, stonefruit, a blend of sweet and tart. I had some leftover plums from the flatbread recipe (see page 18), and while I would have been happy just eating plums, I knew I wanted a blackberry recipe in this issue. So I set out to make my first jar of jam. Yes, my first go at making jam was a recipe I made that morning, less than a week before this issue was due. Needless to say, this is a beginner-friendly small-batch recipe. Sometimes you want to make jam for everyone you know and their neighbors, but I was about 11 pounds short on plums for that. Since this recipe uses plums— skin and all— and lemon juice, you don’t have to use pectin. Plum skins are abundant with pectin, and lemon juice aids in the gelling process (I make one three-jar batch of jam and I talk like I know all the intricacies of jam-making). I also macerated the fruit, which allows them to get soft & juicy and take in those cozy cinnamon and cardamom flavors.
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blackberry plum jam OVEN TEMP: 230ºF
by megan crawford
GEL TEMP: 220ºF
BOIL: 15-20 MIN
makes roughly three 1/2 pint jars (24 oz)
ingredients 12oz blackberries (about 2 cups) 17.5oz red plums (about 2 cups) 2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
supplies glass canning jars with lids large, wide saucepan/pot tongs or jar lifters
wooden spoon small plate (for testing the gel) potato masher / immersion blender
method Prep your fruit (plums: wash, slice, remove pits, leave the skin; blackberries: wash, can be left whole). For a jam with a smoother texture, cut the plums down smaller. Place plums and blackberries in an empty pot with no heat. Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom on top, and add lemon juice. Gently toss the mixture with a spoon, making sure the fruit is evenly coated. Let sit in a refrigerator for one hour. This allows the fruit to macerate (even though there isn't water involved), bringing out a sweeter flavor.
left: fruit before macerating. right: fruit after macerating for one hour.
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blackberry plum jam OVEN TEMP: 230ºF
GEL TEMP: 220ºF
by megan crawford
BOIL: 15-20 MIN
makes roughly three 1/2 pint jars (24 oz)
method While the fruit macerates, prep your jars! Preheat the oven to 230ºF. Wash all your jars and lid components in warm, soapy water; rinse, but don't dry. Place the jars on a baking sheet and leave them in the oven for 20 minutes. Soak the lid components in simmering water for a few minutes. Leave the jars in the oven (with the temperature off) and the lids in the pot until you're ready to use them. Take your small plate and plop it in the freezer. You'll use this to test the gel of the jam, so you want it to be nice & cold. After the fruit has sat for an hour, bring it to a simmer on low/medium heat for about 15 minutes; stir frequently. At this point, if you want to break the fruit down more, remove the pot from heat and use a potato masher or immersion blender. Before you set the pot back on the heat, get another large pot for the preserving process. Make sure it's deep enough to hold your jars and a couple extra inches of water! Set that pot to boil. Return the pot to heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring frequently, for about 15-20 minutes or until the temperature reads 220ºF on a candy thermometer (or, if you're like me and you can't find a candy thermometer in your house, you can don an oven mitt and use a meat thermometer to get a rough estimate). Take out your frozen plate, plop a small spoonful of jam onto it, and hold the plate vertically. If the jam runs down, it still needs to thicken. Once the jam has gelled, carefully ladle it into your prepped jars (I used a glass measuring cup for this step). Be sure to leave about 1/2˝ of room. Swipe a spatula around the inside of the jar to help release air bubbles. Wipe the rim & thread of each jar to make sure there isn't any jam residue. Screw the lids on, but don't over-tighten! Using tongs or jar lifters, carefully lower the filled jars into the pot of boiling water you prepped. The jars should be fully submerged. Keep about 1/2˝ of space between each jar. Return the water to a full rolling boil and cover with a lid; process for about 10 minutes.
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method Turn off the heat and let the jars sit for about 5 minutes (you don't want to cause a temperature shock). Remove the jars using tongs or a jar lifter, making sure to keep them vertical. Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit overnight or about 2-14 hours. As they seal, the lids will make a popping sound. If processed correctly, unopened jam should last for about a year. Once opened, store jam in a refrigerator. serving suggestion: slice brie and place on a baguette, broil until cheese is melted/bubbling. Top with blackberry plum jam, sprinkle with coarse kosher salt, and garnish with a mint leaf to serve.
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FOOD & SPIRITS |
homemade pretzels by Lauren Wilcox
16
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homemade pretzels
by lauren wilcox
TEMP: 400ºF
BAKE: 14-16 MIN
ingredients
for the pretzels
2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup water ¼ cup milk 1 tbsp butter 2 tsp dry active yeast
¾ tsp salt 2 tsp sugar 2 egg whites ⅛ cup baking soda 5 cups water (for the pre-bake boil)
for the cinnamon sugar
½ cup granulated sugar 1 tsp cinnamon
method Heat up your milk and water to around 105°F, and add the butter and dry active yeast. Give it a quick stir, then set aside for a few minutes to activate. The yeast should foam up. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Attach a dough hook and slowly pour the yeast mixture in. On the lowest speed, mix until a smooth dough forms. This will take roughly 8-10 minutes. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl, place plastic wrap or a damp cloth over it, and set aside until it doubles in size. The rate will depend on the temperature of your kitchen, but this takes about an hour to double for me. While your dough is doubling, get a pot of water boiling. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Once doubled, place dough on an unfloured surface and lightly roll out into a flat shape. Cut the dough into 12 relatively equal pieces.
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| FOOD & SPIRITS
method Take a piece and roll it out between two hands until you have a rope 10 inches long. Grab both ends, leaving the middle resting on the counter, and twist the ends around each other twice. Press the ends into the middle that is still on the counter. This will give you a traditional pretzel shape. If this method is unsuccessful for you, you can also fold the rope in half and twist the ends or tie the dough into a knot. The shape will not affect the flavor of the pretzel!
Add ⅛ cup of baking soda to your boiling water. Boil the pretzels for about 15 seconds each and place on a lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each pretzel with an egg wash, and sprinkle the tops with coarse sea salt. The salt is optional; I don't add it if I am going to coat some of the pretzels in cinnamon sugar.
Bake pretzels in the oven for 14-16 minutes until a deep brown color is achieved. Immediately after taking pretzels out of the oven, brush them with melted butter. You can coat them in cinnamon sugar at this point. Let cool (or don’t) and enjoy! Great co-stars for these pretzels: beer cheese sauce, honey mustard, cream cheese icing. mon tan awoman .com | s e pte mbe r/o c to b er 2 02 1
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FOOD & SPIRITS |
charcuterie flatbread BY MEGAN CRAWFORD
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| FOOD & SPIRITS
charcuterie flatbread TEMP: 425ºF
by megan crawford
BAKE: 8-9 MIN
BROIL: 1-3 MIN
makes two flatbreads
ingredients Stonefire flatbread brie 1 cup blueberries 1 peach 2-3 red plums
1 tbsp olive oil honey fresh rosemary kosher salt pecans
method Preheat oven to 425ºF. Brush flatbread with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt & chopped rosemary (I used thyme, but I would recommend rosemary). Prepare your fruit. Cut peaches into thin slices and plums into wedges. Cut brie into wedges, then make thin slices from the wedges. Scatter toppings over the flatbread, starting with the brie. Add peaches, plums, and blueberries. Using a hand chopper or food processor, chop the pecans. I used honey bourbon vanilla pecans for this recipe. Sprinkle kosher salt, fresh rosemary, and nuts on top. Bake at 425ºF for 8-9 minutes, then broil for 1-3 minutes to let it lightly crisp. Make sure to take it out of the oven before the blueberries burst! Top with honey and a rosemary sprig for garnish. Cut, serve, & enjoy! note: you can use naan or make your own flatbread, brie can be substituted with another soft cheese, and you can swap pecans for another nut (walnuts, almonds, or go without if there's an allergy).
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FOOD & SPIRITS |
JUS TWON EMORE: PART FIVE moving spirits BY MEAGAN SCHMOLL
A creaking, cracking, dripping of sounds slowly made their way to that which they were called. It had been a long amount of galaxy time since the levers (pronounced “leeever” in this story) had been turned. The spirits moved slowly, sluggishly contemplating their joints. “Did spirits have joints?” They realized they must have really been under for a long time to feel this stale. As these thoughts poured out, they were gone, and movement loosened the old, stagnant ideas and pushed them out into the spaces between the time that these spirits comfortably settled into. The sounds of the spirits grew louder and echoed through the galaxy towards their levers. “It had been a long time; would those that loved them remember?”
DAIQUIRI INGREDIENTS
1.5-2 oz Rum 0.75 oz Simple Syrup* 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice Combine all ingredients into your mixing glass, then add ice. Shake it like you mean it— think of the music that fills the streets in Cuba or Jamaica or where the sounds make your hips, feet, and body roll. With the music still moving your feet, strain the cocktail into a fancy glass and garnish with a lime wedge or twist. Continue wiggling around while the flavors refresh your soul as they dance down your throat, laughing along the way. SIMPLE SYRUP
Appleton; Flor de Cana; Cruzan Light; Ron Zacapa; Plantation Pineapple
The Daiquiri is an incredible combination of ingredients to explore the nuances and zing of different brands and styles that Rum/Rhum has to offer. Some are funky and bold, while others are
MEAGAN SCHMOLL is the owner and creator of Raskol Drink, a Cocktail Creation and Spirits Education resource designed to expand your knowledge and bar around the curious thirst of history, lore, and spirited adventures that make up the ingredients in your drink. raskoldrink.com
Combine equal parts sugar and warm water into a mason jar. Cover and shake intermittently until sugar is dissolved.
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lighter with hints of coconut. Below are a few of the quality brands I am drawn to:
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SINCE OCTOBER 2019, MONTANA WOMAN HAS BEEN, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, AN OPEN PLATFORM. THIS IS A PUBLICATION FOR THE REAL, COME-AS-YOU-ARE MONTANA. THE UNDERCURRENTS, THE CHANGE-MAKERS, THE RISK-TAKERS, THE MOVERS & SHAKERS.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO CHANGE WHO YOU ARE TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. NO MATTER YOUR AGE, YOUR RACE, YOUR HOMETOWN, YOUR IDENTITY— YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.
MONTANA IS FOR ALL OF US, FOR EVERYONE. WHETHER YOU WERE BORN & RAISED HERE, YOU MOVED HERE, YOU VISITED, OR YOU DREAM OF VISITING.
WE CREATE A PUBLICATION THAT’S WORTH READING BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE STORIES WORTH TELLING.
WELCOME TO THE TABLE.
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the gift that gives all year. 6 ISSUES | 1 YEAR
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the b ook k eep er ’ s list IMAGE BY HENRY BE
BY MEGAN CRAWFORD
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EDITOR’S DESK |
t he bookkeeper’s list Yes, I am still reading like I said I would back in issue 11. It’s slowed down with the buzz of summer, but I’m still chipping away at the goal of 10 books. For those of you who haven’t seen issue 11, I promised that I would read 10 books this year because I used to be an avid reader. My “voracious reader” title went by the wayside in 2016 from a mix of college, life, and the convenience of Netflix and the like. Of course, I now edit a magazine every other month and read & write more than I ever have. But because I still love books, I want to be sure to set time aside for them. Now, as we head into prime reading weather, I have a few more books I’ve read, plus a slew that are waiting on my shelves. From the eight books I’ve read this year, only one left me disappointed (sorry Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent is one I will happily not read again). I’ve found my new favorite book, enjoyed taking poetry breaks from the magazine, and now look forward to reading under a blanket again.
braiding sweetgrass: indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants
R ob i n Wal l K im m e re r
NONFICTION, INDIGENOUS PHILOSOPHY, NATURE ESSAY (2013)
Braiding Sweetgrass immediately became my favorite book. It feels like being wrapped up in an old wool blanket (the kind that’s softened with age). I took my time reading this book because I never wanted it to end— I wanted to hold onto every word, let it soak in. Kimmerer, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and professor at the State of New York College of Environmental Science, blends scientific botany with Indigenous teachings & philosophy. If you only read one book in your life, let it be this one. “Each person, human or no, is bound to every other in a reciprocal relationship. Just as all beings have a duty to me, I have a duty to them. If an animal gives its life to feed me, I am in turn bound to support its life. If I receive a stream’s gift of pure water, then I am responsible for returning a gift in kind. An integral part of a human’s education is to know those duties and how to perform them.” ROBIN WALL KIMMERER
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a thousand mornings
M ary Ol i v er
POETRY, NATURE (2012)
Oliver’s writing is to the point— brief and whole (“The Gardener” is a personal favorite from this collection). “I have decided to find myself a home in the mountains, somewhere high up where one learns to live peacefully in the cold and the silence. It’s said that in such a place certain revelations may be discovered. That what the spirit reaches for may be eventually felt, if not exactly understood.” MARY OLIVER, “I HAVE DECIDED”
letters to a young poet
r ai ner m ar i a r il ke
CORRESPONDENCE, POETRY (1929)
I love reading correspondence, whether it’s packaged neatly in a book or an old postcard in a shop. Letters to a Young Poet is a collection of writing from Rilke (one of Austria’s most-read 19th/early 20th century poets) to a new writer, Franz Xaver Kappus. In a series of 10 letters from 1903, Rilke writes back with advice about poetry, life, art, and love that feels well ahead of its time. “Things aren’t all so tangible and sayable as people would usually have us believe; most experiences are unsayable, they happen in a space that no word has ever entered, and more unsayable than all other things are works of art, those mysterious existences, whose life endures beside our own small, transitory life.” RAINER MARIA RILKE
the lentil underground
l i z c ar l i s l e
NONFICTION, AGRICULTURE, SUSTAINABILIT Y, MONTANA (2015)
The Lentil Underground explores early organic/sustainable farming in Montana in the 1980s, along the Rocky Mountain Front.
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to be read: know my name: a memoir
c h anel mi l le r (2019)
hood feminism: notes from the women a movement forgot
m i k k i k enda l l (2020)
women who run with the wolves: myths and stories of the wild woman archetype
C l ar i s s a P i n kol a E s t é s (1989)
t en t hou sa nd do or s of ja nuary
Al i x E. H ar r ow (2019)
gathering moss
R ob i n Wal l K im m e r e r
IMAGE BY ASAL LOTFI
(2003)
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see the art & make the art at the square a contemporary art museum
The Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) in Great Falls, Montana has been exhibiting art, teaching art and supporting the development of contemporary art and artists since 1977. Housed in the historic Great Falls school built in 1896 by Paris Gibson, the founder of Great Falls. The Square is known for its exceptional rotating exhibitions showing local, regional and national contemporary artists, in addition to its outdoor sculpture garden and educational gallery programing. The museum offers outstanding onsite studio classes to the community in ceramics, printmaking, painting, drawing and more!
PARIS GIBSON SQUARE MUSEUM OF ART
1400 First Avenue North Great Falls, MT 59401 (406)727-8255 www.the-square.org www.facebook.com/PGSMOA/
HOURS OF OPERATION
Open Monday-Friday 10am to 5pm, including Tuesday Evenings 5-9pm, and Saturday Noon to 5pm. Closed Sundays and Select Holidays.
free admission!
Exhibitions presented by Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art are supported in part by the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by museum members and the citizens of Cascade County, and generous support from Montana Federal Credit Union and D.A. Davidson.
IMAGE BY ANNIE SPRATT 36
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| VIGNETTE
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| VIGNETTE
August (and everything after) BY CHLOE NOSTRANT
I. Horse trailers Boat trailers Campers Motorcycles. Rodeos Hoot Owls Family Bonding Sturgis. II. They are filming a movie using Mike’s horses— but not his prized mare. She wouldn’t be caught in time for the morning call. III. One bartender retired, one broke his hand— best not to order an Old Fashioned, we drink our whiskey neat. IV. Huckleberry stained fingers pick past bear scarred limbs. No creature exists that doesn’t seek late season sweets.
IMAGE BY LANDON PARENTEAU
V. Box fan in the window— to sleep you must choose. Wildfire smoke or heat. We aren’t made for this. Sweet dreams, my dear.
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ART & DESIGN |
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threadlists 3836 (light grape) 3740 (dark antique violet) 3726 (dark antique mauve) 152 (medium light shell pink) ecru 3782 (light mocha brown) 3031 (very dark mocha brown) 3857 (dark rosewood) 3777 (very dark terra cotta) 918 (dark red copper) 3826 (golden brown) 783 (medium topaz) 3364 (pine green) 3362 (dark pine green) E168 (metallic silver) E436 (metallic golden oak)
supplies
TIP: Embroidery floss is a combination of six individual threads. For this pattern, I recommend splitting the floss to two threads. This results in a cleaner stitch, and it helps your floss go a long way.
6˝ Embroidery hoop 10˝×10˝ Cotton fabric (I recommend Kona) DMC embroidery floss Scissors Embroidery needle Clover white marking pen (or similar water-soluble fabric pen) Optional: felt for backing
tracing on dark fabric I used Kona cotton fabric in navy for this pattern, and while I love how finished pieces look on darker colors, they’re not the easiest to work with. You still have to trace your pattern onto your fabric, but now you’re dealing with a more light-blocking material. For dark fabrics, you’ll need a water-soluble white pen (I use a Clover marking pen). You could use a chalk pencil if you’re working with a simpler pattern, but your tracing work will wear away much faster. Don’t worry about making it look perfect! Tracing is a guide, not the final stitch.
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ART & DESIGN |
stitch guide I know— we’re working with way more stitches in this pattern than the last one. But, these are my go-to stitches that I use in most of my embroidery work. A greater variety in stitch types gives a piece more dimension and texture, and a lot of them are perfect for making plants. Video tutorials are especially helpful if you’re stuck (looking at you, French knots). You can always use a scrap piece of fabric to test out stitches and thread count.
fishbone
When you break it down, the fishbone stitch is just a series of straight stitches. But despite its simple nature, it’s one of the most effective ways to make leaves and petals.
Repeat this on the left side. Work back and forth, alternating sides, to the bottom of the leaf. As you work down, the intersection where the two sides cross will create a “valley” running down the center of the leaf.
this page includes pattern info (which is why it's hidden!)
Create a single straight stitch— this will be the top point of the leaf. Bring the needle up through the fabric slightly lower and to the right of the top of the straight stitch, then send the needle back down just below the end of the straight stitch.
french knot
I personally love French knots, but I did not like them when I was first learning. Honestly, the best way to learn French knots is to watch someone make one (at least that was the case for me). French knots are easiest to make with a flat surface nearby (a table or even a pillow will do if you’re also a sofa stitcher). Since this stitch requires two hands, you need something to rest the hoop on. Send the needle up through the fabric. Hold the needle in one hand, and with the other, take the length of thread a few inches above the fabric and hold it with your non-needle hand. Place the needle in front of the length of thread. Wrap the thread
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Since the leaves in this pattern aren’t simple single leaves, you’ll layer and add fishbone stitches as you go. Again, don’t worry about making it look perfect— it’s nature, after all!
around the needle once or twice; the number of times you wrap the thread will determine the size of the knot. Using your non-needle hand, pull the thread taught and keep it taught (this will help keep the knot neat!). Send the needle back down through the fabric next to the thread, but not in the exact same spot. As you pull the needle through, anchor the lead thread with your non-needle hand. This creates a coiled knot, and since the needle didn’t go through the same spot it entered, it’ll sit on the fabric rather than going right back through. If you don’t get it on the first go, don’t worry— practice makes progress.
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lazy daisy
stitch guide
A lazy daisy stitch makes easy work of simple leaves and flowers. It creates a small loop that can be filled in with a single straight stitch. This can be recreated with satin stitches, but the lazy daisy gives you a nice border to work with. Send the needle up through the fabric, then back down in the same spot (or close to it), but don't pull the thread tight. You'll want to keep a loop handy! Now send the needle through the fabric at what will be the tip of the petal/leaf, making sure the needle is inside the loop. At this point, you can pull the thread tight (the tighter you pull the thread, the narrower the loop will be). Anchor the loop by sending the needle back down just on the outside of the loop.
long & short pattern available in physical
The long & short stitch is exactly what it sounds like— straight stitches in varying length. This is the main type of stitch used in thread painting since it blends colors and allows more variation in direction and angle than a satin stitch.
copies & in our online shop
When you’re working with long & short stitches, keep the qualities of the object in mind. A mushroom cap is like an umbrella, starting from one point and sloping down— angle your stitches to match! Be sure to blend colors as well. Cool colors (blue, purple) make shadows, warm colors (yellow, orange) make highlights.
satin
Satin stitches are simple, straight stitches that run parallel to each other. I usually start toward the middle of the section I’m stitching and work to the edges from there. If you pull the thread too tight, the fabric may pucker— too loose and your thread won’t lay flat. It’s also best to stitch a bit outside the line since the fabric will pull and stretch.
whipped backstitch
A whipped backstitch is just a fancy backstitch, and it makes easy work of stems or any sort of linework. Start with a backstitch. At one end of the backstitch, send the needle & thread up through the fabric. Without going back through the fabric, pass the needle under the backstitch. Always pass the needle the same way (i.e., if you’re working from right to left, go right to left for every backstitch).
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find the pattern at montanawoman.com/shop/ embroidery-14
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new patterns in every issue
3836 (light grape)
3777 (very dark terra cotta)
3740 (dark antique violet)
918 (dark red copper)
3726 (dark antique mauve)
3826 (golden brown)
152 (medium light shell pink)
783 (medium topaz)
ecru
3364 (pine green)
3782 (light mocha brown)
3362 (dark pine green)
3031 (very dark mocha brown)
E168 (metallic silver)
3857 (dark rosewood)
E436 (metallic golden oak)
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woah! what's with all the empty space? since embroidery patterns have to be traced onto fabric, this side of the pattern is blank.
(it's weird, but ya gotta make it work, you know?)
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get stitchin' find these patterns & more at MONTANAWOMAN.COM/SHOP
VIGNETTE |
new guest
by autumn toennis
now leaf-mold coolness wanders in knows your living room sits at your kitchen table.
IMAGE BY ALLEC GOMES
before heat gallops down sticky asphalt streets, slaps at stalks of dried grass;
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SHE
wears the change of the season as a second skin. As the trees entertain their autumnal dress, so too does she welcome the shifting air. Their transition alights a smile upon her cheeks. The weather, too, has progressed toward its sleepier season. The wind presses its hands at her window, teasing her to come join the leaves it has procured in its travels to her door. It places a crisp kiss upon the panes, a consummate flirt. She laughs. Rain introduces the dawn. It greets her with a light salute before the deluge follows closely behind. She fears not. Bottles of thunderstorms past rest atop her mantle. They quiver and shake, hoping for release. Beside them, her rare books lay, scattered with intent and familiarity. Candles adorn the empty spaces between their spines. They quiver in anticipation of the few rays escaping the growing vortex outside. With a sigh, she clasps her cup and sips merrily, admiring her wares. Her home settles, balancing between this newfound battle of the light and the dark. She mimics its movements, swaying to and fro as she takes stock of her humble home. Lavender and rosemary sway, waving from their posts by the entry. The flames of both hearth and candle trail each other along the walls, entranced in their own private dance. Hours pass in a blink. Shadows enter her abode, thankful once again for her warm invitation. They enjoy their visits here, for the time has come for their yearly stay. Settling in
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beside the fireplace, claiming forgotten corners, they expand and grow, the space now both hers and theirs. She lets them. She relishes their company after a long and winding year. Soon, the sky dries its eyes. She smiles as she pushes open the door from her little world into the forest across her threshold. A moon like clotted cream greets her as she embraces the night. Her steps never falter, her thoughts brimming with soft and mindful prose. She lifts her face to the stars, for they too have awoken as if from a dream. They twinkle in time with the owl’s evening greeting. Autumn arrives slowly, but not for her. She anticipates its entrance with open arms. The night and day are equals as she holds them both in her heart. She laughs at her footprints, boots coated in memories. These she makes and remembers with reckless abandon. She trails her hand along the bark of her neighbor oak. He stretches toward her touch. The moon, overcome with shyness, tucks behind a cloud. She claps aloud, delighted, for this is her favorite game to play. She too stows her face away, her palms pressed tightly to her cheeks. She listens, to the dark and the alive before rays once again filter through her fingers. Light is always more cherished when the dark comes out to play. Tonight, she chooses to greet the darkness with aged friendship rather than in strained acquaintance. Sighing, she treads the familiar path.
emily adamiak
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WISDOM WORKSHOP community / sustainability / longevity
406.407.2054 | wisdomworkshopmt.com
homes.cabins.saunas.studios.villages handcrafted in northwest Montana
IMAGE BY BEN GOERTZEN
FEATURE |
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B
etween the forget-me-nots and cornflowers, somewhere near the lupine, past the delphinium and bluebells, is a truest shade of blue. The deep ocean before the storm, the last wisps of dusk; dark, inky velvet. Beneath the surface is a magic brew: add yellow-green ferric ammonium citrate, tangy orange potassium ferricyanide, a drop of sunlight, a splash of water, and suddenly a crisp white sheet of paper can hold the sea. Cyanotype, a 19th-century photographic printmaking process, is among the earlier photography methods and the process of choice for Kellie Swanson, a Bozeman-based artist. “I hated cyanotype. It didn’t mesh with me, I was bad at it, I swore it off forever… it’s kind of ironic now that it’s my job and I love it so much now,” she laughs.
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Kellie Swanson and I met in Montana State University’s photography department. We showed up at the same time to turn in our first big final projects— the first two students to show up— and that never changed. Of the students in the department, Kellie was one of the few I knew would almost always be somewhere in the lab, processing film, making prints, perfecting layouts. So it comes as no surprise that she now does it for a living. Graduating from msu in 2018, Kellie knew that somehow, alternative processes (alt for short) would be in her big picture. In response to the standard rotation of ‘what are you going to do after college’ questions, Kellie had a plan: “my pipe dream is to do alt somehow and make it my actual job— I have no idea how I’ll do that and I probably won’t be able to, but that would be cool!” Like a lot of folks in the last year, Kellie lost both of her jobs in the wake of covid. Searching for sometime to fill the time, Kellie looked back to alt. After all, she had just bought a new
desk— “I want to make something because now I have this cool desk I want to sit at!” she recalls. So, two years after graduating from msu, Kellie revisited cyanotype and started making prints in her bathtub. The process started with traditional paper prints and eventually worked its way to a plain denim jacket in her closet. Moving from paper to clothing— creating sustainable, wearable art— changed the game. “People started responding to it really well, and it just sort of took off from there,” she notes. From the denim jacket came denim shirts, jeans, cutoffs, dresses, overalls, bandanas, and the sweetest bunch of baby clothes, all adorned with their own unique field of wildflowers. “I consider it like building a landscape, making a photograph out of the actual pieces of the earth,” Kellie explains. “The flowers I collect, I can arrange into a new bouquet or landscape.”
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KELLIE IN HER GARAGE STUDIO | IMAGE BY BEN GOERTZEN
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IMAGE BY BEN GOERTZEN
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All of the clothing pieces Kellie uses are secondhand, found at local thrift or vintage shops; the flowers are from local fields and farms. When people send in clothing for custom work, it’s usually their favorite pair of wellloved overalls, sometimes accompanied by their local wildflowers. Every single piece is one of a kind, made in Kellie’s garage studio. “It’s such a rewarding job— doing something you love and creating something beautiful every day is unreal.”
But it’s more than photography— it’s magic. Maybe it’s cliché, but there’s no other way to describe these analog processes. They’re all chemical formulas and equations, but when you take a step back, you can’t help but feel those fringe bits of magic in the ethers. If you’ve spent any time in a darkroom, processing film or developing prints, you know it— the wonder of creating something from a blank piece of paper right before your eyes, blooming awake.
“I always wanted to make alt commercially viable,” Kellie states. “I didn’t want to go into galleries, and I didn’t want to do the whole fine art world— I wanted a commercial thing I could market and sell to everyday people.” Due to alt’s nature, it’s almost always not considered commercial. It’s obscure. It takes far more time where digital creates shortcuts, and it’s not easily mass-produced. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be commercial— alt prints can hang on gallery walls and in your closet. When you can print on almost anything, why limit yourself to a frame?
With 19th-century processes, though, every print has a certain level of surprise. They’re not easy to duplicate, especially when you’re working with botanicals. Every leaf and petal catch and hold light differently— placement, base material, available ultraviolet light, humidity, and processing all affect the final print.
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“It turns out different every time! I’m not a very methodical person with my process… I just go with it and see how it turns out, and it feels so much like magic to me. I get so excited after every piece I make— it’s so different every time.”
Now a year into running a cyanotype business, the next dream is around the corner: a communal art co-op in Bozeman, providing a workspace bigger than her garage and a home for the energy of artists working in the same space. For now, Kellie organizes Last Tuesdays— rotating backyard art events on the last Tuesday of every month for folks who are making pretty much anything: ceramics, fleece wear, jewelry, baked goods, paintings, pasta— all made by hand. It might not be a warehouse art co-op yet, but it’s helped build a sense of community that we’ve missed so much in the last year. And that’s where the co-op dream comes in: once you’ve worked in a collaborative art environment, you will almost always miss it. MSU offered that creative hive, but what do you do when you leave a space like that? You create it.
“To people who are hesitant to put their art out there: people are going to love it! You might not know who those people are yet, but they’ll find it and love it. There needs to be more art out there and more artists and more people just going for it. This was my dream less than a year ago, and now it’s my full-time job. Just go for it.” KELLIE SWANSON @ksx_art kellieswanson.com new collections are dropped monthly, and custom orders are released a few openings at a time STUDIO IMAGES BY BEN GOERTZEN @benjamingoertzen redyetiproductions.com MEGAN CRAWFORD is an alternative process
photographer, workshop instructor, and the owner, editor, & designer of Montana Woman Magazine.
third hand silversmith thoughtfully handmade jewelry image by gossack creative 66
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thirdhandsilversmith.com @thirdhandsilversmith
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transformation is not accomplished by tentative wading at the edge ROBIN WALL KIMMERER, BRAIDING SWEETGRASS
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found watercolor; painted by a woman named Katherine. She painted from New Mexico up to Montana and was also a singer and a dancer.
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VIGNETTE |
a dream of my dad prompts a trip to montana by amy lindquist
Feeling the pull, I load my children in the van with enough books and snacks to last the elastic miles that tug me out of the city, past crowded trees, out into the plains, past wind turbines that seem to wave me on, past the sun and shadow badlands, into the Yellowstone Valley where family waits for us. We’re here to share a handful of days, an i’s dot in the universe of time. But you, Dad, have always taken a long view of time. Oysters and mammoth clams, you remind me, once lived here. In a vast inland sea, sixty million years ago, sharks cruised the shallows above our heads and rained their needley teeth down on the hills.
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We hike the red rimrock at Strawberry Hill where my children run, long-legged and tan, up the trail like jackrabbits, but I walk back with you and Mom, and we name together the bitterroot, orange globemallow and sage, hearing, but never seeing, a meadowlark. You wear your “Wait I See a Rock” shirt and admire the treasures the kids collect until their pockets bag down with pumice, obsidian, fossils and red shale. Old rocks, new memories. I say, Look kids, your freckles are mine are my dad’s. Your singing voice is mine is my mom’s. Like the shell that left its thumbprint here on your rock—our parents and parents’ parents shape who we are. And though there’s miles between, I want my children to know the timbre of our laughter around the table,
IMAGE BY KINSEY GIBSON
the crouch of a family story about to launch, the whistle of the wind, and the wide horizon that I will always carry in my soul.
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LIFE |
thank you, women a love letter to helpful women from a new mom BY KELSEY MERRITT
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W
hen my daughter was born, my life exploded with new color. Days that had once been filled with meal planning and organizing the house in some semblance of a schedule were thrown by the wayside in favor of small moments of bliss brought forth by this new, tiny human who was experiencing everything for the first time. Now, at almost four months old, she continues to dominate our household’s attention in a blast of technicolor. Isla (“Eye-la”) Jo talks to her father every night in a fervor of intensity as she hurries to babble to him about the events in her day. Her world revolves around the activities of her 6-yearold brother, who inspired her first smiles and who revels in her loud burps. And, for me, my daughter commands my attention as she breastfeeds with expressive eyebrows and sucker punches my heart every time she stops to grin at me or breaks into a double-dimple smile.
IMAGE BY IRINA IRISER
As I’ve entered into this new form of motherhood, I didn’t fully understand how long it would be after she was born until I had the time and energy to shave my legs entirely. I could have never comprehended the amount of spit-up rags we would go through on a daily basis and how quickly the laundry basket seems to fill with the tiniest of clothing pieces, booties, and rags. I wouldn’t have believed how tired I could possibly be while still (somewhat) functioning during night feeds, early morning diaper changes, and mid-afternoon-oh-mygod-will-you-please-just-fall-asleep-so-wecan-both-sleep slumps. But, more than any of those things, I learned the power of women. Particularly, the power of helpful women. Whether it was the labor nurse holding a puke bag while telling me how strong I was, my mom standing with an ever-filled glass of water every time I breastfed Isla in the first days after birth, both my mother-in-laws coming to bring food and entertain our son, the neighbor who ordered a take-out meal for us, my sister who showed up to hold the baby so I could shower for multiple days in a row, the old boss who brought a full Texas-size meal full of love, the friends who texted and never questioned why mon tan awoman .com | s e pte mbe r/o c to b er 2 02 1
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it took me so many days to respond, the stranger at the restaurant who picked up the burp rag I dropped and quietly patted my shoulder with an encouraging smile, the doctor who hugged me at the end of our 9 month+ journey together, the woman in the parking lot who offered to take my shopping cart back while I juggled two kids (one of whom was screaming), the friend who sent me a video monitor so I could sleep while the baby slept, the other mom at taekwondo who always offers to start my car for me to let it cool down for the baby, and the countless other small actions women I know (or don’t) have taken to help me feel less alone in these first few months of motherhood. I met my son when he was 3-years-old and my husband was a single father. Now, we’re a family of four with two dogs (a three-legged Golden Retriever and a stinky old French Bulldog who we love despite her stench) and I am exhausted,
www.montanarobes.com
Photo Credit: Studio MacLeod
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the dishes are always stacked up, the floors need to be steamed, I don’t know the last time I went anywhere without dried spit up somewhere on my shirt and my God— we are happy. Thank you to all the women, near and far, who have stepped up in so many wonderful and beautiful ways to help this mom feel supported. I promise to hold the door open for the new mom struggling with the obnoxious size and weight of baby carriers, to make meals for new parents with recyclable or reusable dishes they don’t have to return (a true godsend shown to us), to bring groceries to leave on the porch in the weeks after birth, and to always, always, always: smile at the new mom just trying her best. KELSEY MERRITT lives in Belgrade with her husband and two kids. She and her son eat too many Otter Pops.
Bellss in the Breezep by barbara fraser
Oh little wind chimes Hanging by a ribbon on a door You call to others in the gusts I hear you better in the breeze Who do you call for, my beauty Who awaits the sound you sing Is your value only near me Would you chime better on a string Someone once adored you Pulled a ribbon from their hair Tying knots in even spaces Catching sounds in surrounding air Then one day, love found you again Your ribbon rusted and faded But your bells still strong and true Time was not diminished Neither myself nor you
| VIGNETTE
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LIFE |
1,344 pages 35 features 14 issues
two years OF MONTANA WOMAN MAGAIZNE BY MEGAN CRAWFORD
My writing will always require several rounds of drafts and rewrites or be one document that I put together in a single sitting. This is the second attempt at writing this piece, completely different from the first. Some Letters from the Editor go through five or six different lives, only for the 20-minute draft to make the final cut. I’ve now made a folder on my desktop that’s dedicated to these writing scraps, usually based on one sentence or just a word, gathered up like fabric remnants. Some have made their way into the pages of an issue; others won’t be revisited for a year.
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I never set out to own a magazine. I’ve never been a five-year-plan kind of person, so this was nowhere near my nonexistent plans. I tested out of college writing, so becoming an editor required a reread of my high school copy of Elements of Style. My experience in journalism was writing a letter to a newspaper in Salida, Colorado, in 5th grade for a state report. I took one magazine layout class in college, and we had a full semester to make a 25-page magazine. Sometimes you only get so many opportunities for drafts and rewrites. These last two years have taught me that you can only plan so much. Therefore, I’m not completely reckless for not having a five-year plan. Of course I have ideas and hopes for the future of the magazine. I would love to make a fifth-anniversary cookbook of recipes from the magazine and around the state. I’ve barely scratched the surface of people I want to feature. I have more pieces I want to stitch, poems to write, recipes to make, stories to share. But I’m not anchoring myself to one set path.
If I’d made and adhered to a rigid five-year plan, I’d have an mfa and a lovely bundle of student debt (which has instead manifested itself as a magazine). I would maybe be teaching somewhere, most likely in a different state. I would not have met the people this magazine has led me to, which is arguably the most magical part of all of this. Ultimately, that’s what makes it all worth it— the people I’ve met, stories I’ve had the honor of sharing, the privilege of having a platform like this. Hearing from readers who feel at home among these pages is more than enough. Every issue is unknown to me. I can plan themes and color palettes, feelings, maybe a feature, but in the end, I’m usually just as surprised as y’all are. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. All I can hope is that these two years continue to unfold, and the paths ahead wind among a river in the early evening. Soft, golden, warm; somewhere where the meadowlarks sing. And I hope you’re here, too— among these pages, carried by wildflowers.
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the landing BY SYDNEY MUNTEANU
Everyone talks about that feeling when they land. Sweeping in, dropping slowly, Gliding through the valley. Engulfing you on all sides— that Big Sky.
IMAGE BY SASHA FREEMIND
You shift around in the aisle seat to get a glimpse out the window The beauty of the lakes pressing into hills, giving way to those crisp, rugged peaks. I always think they are ridges from another realm: A Queen’s Crown With her worshiping plains expanding to the east far as eyes can roam.
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| VIGNETTE
On the way down, the elderly gentleman sitting next to you (He’s a Real cowboy, too) offers you some of his trail mix and asks, “How long ya visiting?” You smile, because, “I’m coming home.” He smiles back, Nodding. And pours a palm-full of peanut m&ms Into your hands. When you finally touch down The most perfect, little airport greets you with her taxidermied flair. You sweep up the local paper, Quickly To get out the door. And look up As the sky opens up Streaked in orange With just a hint of her usual shade of grey. Then turn your head to check If he’s waiting outside his truck with a fist-full of wildflowers. Or likely, not yet. You can’t blame him for running late. From an adventure, with the wind still in his hair. So you wait, and breathe that sky in. Secretly You won’t tell him you’ll forgive him. Because these are your favorite moments The way the sky welcomes your landing. And you know you’re back Here.
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THIS COULD BE YOU!
backcountry weddings for the WILDLY in love
For soon-to-be-married couples who feel constrained by the trappings of a traditional wedding, an adventure elopement is the next best thing you never knew existed. From sunrise mountain top summits and helicopter rides on glaciers to casual strolls through the woods and chill days on the lake, we’ll work together to craft a wedding day that truly speaks to your soul and incorporates what you love most — the outdoors and each other.
YOU LIKE TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX … WHY SHOULD YOUR WEDDING DAY BE ANY DIFFERENT?
@jesslynmariephoto
www.jesslynmarie.com
info@jesslynmarie.com
IMAGE BY LINDSEY GARDNER
a ceremony as unique as your love.
SARAH HARDING humanist celebrant
celebrantsarah.com part of the elopemontana.com collaboration
| VIGNETTE
reminders BY NICOLE DUNN
When wildfire smoke fills the valley it becomes a sudden special treat when, at long last, the mountains & sky once again are visible. When we spend a few days or weeks sick or injured— bed bound & ailing— our return to functioning health is nothing short of a miracle of riches. When our lived-in location presents a long dark winter, springtime is a glory we learn to savor.
It’s okay that it often requires a bit of shaking to remind us to be grateful for what we take for granted, for it’s the shaking that may well serve to wake us up.
IMAGE BY IAN KEEFE
When a loved one dies unexpectedly— and after the initial waves on our ocean of grieving have eased their thrashing— it may be what inspires us to reassess what matters most.
When our car breaks down or we crack a tooth or a storm knocks out our power or our preferred item is out of stock at the store or our Wi-Fi wigs out and quits working or fill-in-the-blank-here with your own chosen terribly inconvenient but albeit manageable life ruckus, the depth of our fortune is revealed.
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WELLNESS |
striking a balance WHAT THE FALL EQUINOX AND WELLNESS HAVE IN COMMON BY MINDY COCHRAN | LEVITATION NATION
I
am fascinated by an article I read recently in National Geographic1 that said 40,000 tons of stardust fall to the Earth every year. That is 80,000,000 pounds. That strikes me as, well, astronomical (pun intended), and reminds me how connected we are with the Earth, the planets, and the stars.
As a fitness instructor for the Levitation Nation Aerial Studio in Kalispell, Montana, I always
Of course, balance in wellness does not stop at physical health. It is much bigger, and it can be
IMAGE BY ENEKO URUÑUELA
The fall equinox (which occurs annually around September 21st) is when the sun moves north across the equator, and daytime and nighttime are equally balanced. We can simultaneously celebrate this special occurrence and honor our cosmological connection by taking stock of balance within our own lives.
encourage my clients to carefully balance lifestyle factors that affect physical health, such as sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction. I suggest looking at your quantity and quality of sleep first and foremost, since it is challenging (if not downright impossible) to get the other three factors to fall into place if you are not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Sleep deprivation impacts nutrition because it causes the hunger hormone ghrelin to elevate, making it difficult to stick with good food choices. Also, you can expect your workouts to suffer when you are sleep deprived, because how can you be expected to kick ass in the gym when you are exhausted?
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a real challenge to find a balance for all things. As a professional dancer, I am often torn between many demands with limited time. I need to train for my dance and acrobatics, stretch, and crosstrain on top of that. I also spend time each week doing food prep, and that is on top of running the studio and spending time with my husband. It can be a real challenge to fit it all in. And while I don’t have children myself, I work with enough moms to know how overloaded they can get too. But we must work to strike a balance that includes “me-time” on top of being in service to our goals and our family. Parents also have the additional challenge of finding balance when it comes to eating for nutrition versus feeding a small army quickly and on a shoestring budget. Don’t get hung up on wellness absolutes here; absolutes like “avoid all processed foods” or “cut out all carbs.” It’s okay to occasionally serve pizza as long as that is not your daily go-to. Think in moderation and know that health can be found in the balance. On wellness absolutes, there is one that I always stick to, and that is “no sugar;” simply because I personally can never have a “little bit” of sugar. Once I break the seal for “just one” cookie, I have ten. Maybe the same is true for you, maybe not. What is important is that you pay attention to the conversation your body is constantly trying to have with you, and you do what’s right for you. It’s important to acknowledge that physical health is just one component of wellness. Comprehensive wellness is optimized through the synergy of all the dimensions of wellness ranging from physical, emotional, and intellectual to spiritual, social, and financial. With so many demands on limited time, you have to prioritize to fit it all in. For example, for the physical health dimension, you must prioritize: SLEEP, by setting a bedtime for yourself and sticking to it. NUTRITION, by picking a meal-prep day; so that you have healthy ready-to-eat meals when hunger strikes. STRESS REDUCTION AND EXERCISE, by scheduling in your “me-time” and exercise. These might be one-in-the-same, but if not, schedule both separately.
And, consider where you might be able to reclaim some time. One place I always look to when I need to reclaim time is reducing the amount of time I spend surfing on my phone. Identify where time may be lost unnecessarily, reclaim it, and use it to work towards your priorities. One other type of balance which definitely deserves a mention is the energy balance, sometimes stated as “calories in versus calories out.” For those looking to maintain or hold their current weight, the calories consumed from food should equal the calories burned by daily activities and exercise. To create weight loss, you have to create an energy deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn. Unfortunately for dieters, once your body gets accustomed to the lower caloric intake, it adapts by slowing down your metabolism so you burn fewer calories, resulting in less weight loss. It can be a vicious cycle. So, what is the magic formula? According to “Mindless Eating” by food psychologist Brian Wansink, it seems we can lose half a pound per week without triggering a metabolism slowdown. Since there are 3,500 calories per pound, that means those working on weight loss should be reducing calories by or increasing activity to burn 1,750 calories per week. The other important takeaway here is that sustained weight loss takes time and patience as well as trial and error. Unlike the equinox, balance in wellness does not happen on its own. Use these tips to help you on your pathway to your best and healthiest self. Happy Balancing! MINDY COCHRAN is the founder of Kalispell’s Levitation Nation Aerial Studio, where the catchphrase “fitness is fun” is embodied alongside a culture of movement & women empowerment. Mindy believes that “The Real Levitation Experience” lies within elevating your health & wellness. Mindy loves to share the expertise she has acquired through her certifications as a personal trainer and life coach. For more about Mindy or Levitation Nation, please visit levitationnation.org. Worrall, Simon. “How 40,000 Tons of Cosmic Dust Falling to Earth Affects You and Me.” Science, National Geographic, 3 May 2021.
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WELLNESS |
the right resources to keep students safe PROVIDED BY LOGAN HEALTH FOUNDATION
It was an eerily quiet Sunday morning at the soccer fields in Kalispell. Several games were simultaneously at play for one of the largest regional soccer tournaments in the area. Within seconds, the movement and excitement came to a crashing halt as 14-year-old Tucker Paul collapsed on the field. He had suffered a sudden cardiac event. Tucker laid motionless on the grass without a heartbeat or respirations. Two nurses on scene immediately started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr), and a parent ran to find one of Logan Health’s certified athletic trainers. All games stopped as families and teammates joined hands in prayer circles as only the sound of ambulance sirens could be heard in the distance. Amy Thoreson and Tracy Houser, both certified athletic trainers from Logan Health’s Youth Development program, know the importance of always having an Automatic External Defibrillator (aed) with them in case of a potential life-ending cardiac event. That morning, before heading to the tournaments, Amy stopped at Logan Health Medical Fitness Center and picked up an aed— unaware she’d have to use it only a few moments later. When Amy was alerted to the emergency on the field, she immediately ran to the scene and hooked up the aed to Tucker‘s chest, providing two shocks and restarting the young man’s heart. The ambulance arrived and transported Tucker to Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell. “When I went home that evening, I just looked at my two children and I held them close and I cried,” Amy recalled. “I’m sure every parent went home that night and did the same.” Quick actions, skilled people, and the vital aed saved a young life in a 90
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situation that could have so quickly ended in tragedy. As part of our commitment to the region’s families and children, Logan Health’s Youth Development program provides certified athletic trainers at every community sporting event and within most public schools. With recent additions to Bigfork and Stillwater high schools, there are currently five high schools within the Flathead Valley that now have full-time athletic trainers on campus— and positions are continuing to be filled. By supporting Logan Health’s Youth Development program, you’re supporting the wellbeing and livelihood of our region’s children. Our mission is to provide a multi-disciplinary, highly-trained staff to enable all youth to have an active and healthy lifestyle and foster lifelong success through individualized plans that include knowledge of the body, performance training, injury prevention, safety screenings for concussions, and recovery to play protocol and nutrition. The program will also provide social workers and counselors in the schools and as a resource to communicate to students about bullying, emotional self-awareness, body image dysmorphic orders, and eating disorders. This past year, the Youth Development program screened over 1,100 student athletes for baseline concussion testing— a process that will occur again this August. And, with Tucker’s story as a fresh reminder of what can happen on the field, the Youth Development program recently purchased 20 medical-grade aeds to be provided to local schools and used by our athletic trainers— an encouraging start made possible by a passionate donor, who generously gave a $2 million gift to the program.
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