MontanaMama
MontanaMama's JournalMy 18 year old son is now a certified pilot!
I know the news is as bad as it has ever been and I’m feeling the weight of it as I’m sure you all are. But, I wanted to share with you that my kiddo, Owen, passed his flight test with the examiner and I’m just thrilled for him. He took a gap year from college to sort through lots of things but he’s been working on this goal since last January, the middle of his senior year in high school. He had hit a rough patch and was feeling pretty down when a friend of ours asked if Owen would want to take a plane ride. It was a school day but the child needed a break and we encouraged him to go. From that day, Owen decided he would learn to fly a plane. He found his own instructor and asked if we would pay to get him going.
For the past 4 months, every time I wandered into his room to visit for a minute, fully expecting to be gaming with his pals online he wasn’t…he was looking at charts and figures and flight plans and doing this work on his own. In July, he came to me and said he wanted to pay for his instructor on his own and asked if I would be willing to keep paying for the plane rental, which, of course, I was.
Owen passed the written exam in August and we were finally able to get a Designated Pilot Examiner up here to Missoula to flight test him. It took about 4 hours. Owen didn’t want us to come to the airport so we respected that. But I’m not gonna lie, I had his location pinged on my phone and watched as he drove from the airport to our shop where we were anxiously waiting in the parking lot and he told us that he had passed!
It was just the best day. It is a complete joy to watch your kiddo doing what they love. Owen will begin working in his instrument rating next.
Thanks for reading.
Funiest thing I've seen all day! Imagine HRC in the courtroom...
Image credit to Vic Sepulveda (instagram)
The evening sprinkler play with Maybee and Nova.
It’s HOT here in western Montana. Not Phoenix hot but 100 degrees is hot for us northerners. Three plays a day keeps my border collie from losing her mind. We usually hike but it’s too hot for me to get very far and Maybee needs movement. Her tongue is epic, btw. 
Montana vegetable gardens can be a crap shoot...but this year
I can’t even believe it. I’ve been giving away tomatoes and green beans left and right. I’ve made a crap ton of salsa verde courtesy of a bullet proof recipe from DUer Hotler. I’m looking for recommendations for a canned tomato salsa and a canned marinara. I haven’t canned in years but this year, I’ve got to get my act together. Fast. I’m grateful for this short sweet season.
The face that Maybee dishes out
when I’m not attending to the frisbee fast enough. Is her tongue long enough? Cue the Sarah McLaughlin song…
Made a wonderful salsa verde yesterday...courtesy of DUer Hotler.
I’ve got a bumper crop of tomatillos, cilantro, Serrano and jalapeño peppers and posted about it the other day:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=1864052
Hotler suggested a recipe: https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/salsa-verde/ I made the recipe yesterday and oh my gosh it’s so good. Highly recommend. My first batch came out quite hot…I made a second batch with no peppers and blended them and now it’s perfect. I should have seeded the Serrano peppers and will do that next time. Really flexible recipe, freezes well.
Thanks Hotler! 
🌶️
My 18 year old son registered to vote today!
After Owen’s last visit to his pediatric dentist this morning, we stopped at the voter services building here in Missoula to get him registered to vote. The man who helped us talked directly with the kiddo which both he and I appreciated. Our first primary election is in two weeks!
Owen continues to work on his private pilot’s certificate and takes his first night flight tonight. It’s a big day. I’m feeling all the feels.
Attention Dead & Co fans. Last concert tonight!
You can stream it here: https://www.nugs.net/live-download-of-dead-and-company-oracle-park-san-francisco-ca-07-16-2023-mp3-flac-or-online-music-streaming/32683-WEBCAST.html
It’s $35 unless you already subscribe to nugs.net. I’ve streamed several of their shows via that service and it’s very good. Per Dead & Co’s Instagram, they’re planning a 5 hour show.
Enjoy. 
Reflections on the Dead & Company concert I attended last weekend.
For the record, I’ve never been into the Grateful Dead or Dead & Co. I know a few songs and appreciate the longevity of the bands over the course my 58 years of life. However, my 18 year old son Owen is an old soul when it comes to all things, especially music. He’s a a huge John Mayer fan and when Mayer began playing with Bob Weir and Dead & Co., Owen was all in and therefore I began to listen to them a few years ago.
When Dead & Co announced their final tour, we tried to get tickets and couldn’t get it done. In October 2022, I was about to go to an after market ticket seller when Owen’s dad was, miraculously, caller #7 on a local radio station and won two tickets to see Dead & Co at The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA. The child was beside himself…and looking forward to this concert got him through the doldrums of his senior year in high school.
He was going to make the trip with one of his buddies and one by one, Owen’s friends backed out due to college tours, family vacations and work schedules. Owen wanted to take the trip alone and I wasn’t down with him driving 5 hours, staying in a hotel and attending this event alone so we agreed that I would be his companion on this trip.
We hit the road a week ago today…as I said, it’s a 5 hour drive from Missoula to George. As we zipped over the two mountain passes, we listened to true crime podcasts and of course, plenty of Dead & Co. We talked about friendships changing with the start of college and the worry that things might not be the same. We talked about making adult decisions and how he might know if he’s doing the right things…we talked about making mistakes and how to get back on track. He told me how much he loves flying and how happy he is when he’s in the cockpit of the little plane he’s using to get his certification. I was grateful for every exchange we had on this trip.
The concert was amazing. The people watching, second to none. I was impressed with the quality of the music and the production. The Dead Heads received John Mayer quite well. One thing that I did not know is that the set list for this tour changes every single night. I think that’s is a sign of immense respect for the people that see the band night after night. The show is new and different every single day. I inhaled more weed than I ever have in my whole life! It was the happiest crowd I have ever been around. It was a vibe and a culture that was easy to be in.
We had a blast and I will treasure it forever. I’m actually kinda sad that this is the final tour and I’ll never experience it again.
Thanks for reading…❤️
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Gender: FemaleHometown: Montana
Home country: USA
Member since: Mon Oct 31, 2016, 02:23 PM
Number of posts: 23,611