Week 6   Mark Glenn working in his vegetable garden. Read Mark's profile. Update from the field: Micah Fink, Field Producer Mid-July is usually hot and dry in Montana. The grasses in Frontier Valley grow high and green, and nature seems benign ... until the dark clouds begin to roll in over the mountains, thunder rumbles, lightning flashes, wind gusts, and the hail starts to drop. Then, huge inch-thick chunks of ice drop down from the dark sky, pummeling the dry earth. Three times in the last few days, hail has interrupted the steady functioning of daily life. Where are the chickens? Will the tender plants in the garden survive the blows? Everyone rushes to gather the newly washed sheets off the violently swaying clothesline. Then the storm passes, and it is time to return to work. Sturdy fences need to be built to contain the herds of cattle that hungrily wander the open range. And the ever-present chores of   "Dark clouds begin to roll in over the mountains, thunder rumbles, lightning flashes, wind gusts, and the hail starts to drop." Mark's definition of hard work. Mark talks about romanticizing frontier life. preparing for the coming long winter months loom large, even in July. Snow seems months away, but wood needs to be cut, split, and stacked to feed the hungry wood stove. Also, hay needs to be cut now in order to feed the animals when snow and ice cover the fields. Even when using a newly sharpened scythe -- a luxury the families now enjoy -- this is a grueling process.