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24 November 2012

Winter Sky, Missoula, Montana

These golden weeds are everywhere in western Montana. Yet, despite their prevalence, I don't know what they're called. Sad, isn't it? They look like they should be "Western Goldenrod" but - no.
More sadness: Google was no help. Yellow wildflowers, yellow weed flowers, golden weed flowers, ..... no hits that match. And, honestly, I just didn't want to spend any more time looking today.
Additional sadness: we've become so impatient, taking for granted the plethora of knowledge immediately available at our fingertips.
So, if you can identify , please take pity on my ignorance  and leave the flower name in a Comment. (Hint: if you Comment as Anonymous or Name/URL, you don't have to jump through any sign-in hoops. And you can leave the URL of your very own blog or site & hope that someone new clicks on it!)

Update: Thanks to Andrei for identifying these (see Comment below)!
If I correctly remember, tansy is often mentioned in Victorian novels as a cure for what ails you.

22 November 2012

Mindful of Heavy Lifting, Missoula, Montana

"Angels do the heavy lifting in God's eternal purpose & must not be taken lightly."
- Philip Comfort/ Daniel Partner, "One Year Book of Poetry", in commentary for poem "To St. Michael the Archangel", by Henry Constable (1562-1613)
Sometimes we forget we are not unaided, and we become discouraged, bitter, perhaps angry.
But remembering and being thankful breeds courage and - hopefully, eventually - joy.
Interesting - encouragement and courage, it seems, can both begin with gratitude.
So, be courageous, starting new on this day set aside for giving thanks.
(I hope you, too, can jump-start your for-this-I-am-greatful list with something as inspiring as, "turkey and my brother-in-law's fabulous stuffing.")

21 November 2012

Shadow Tree, Missoula, Montana

When we were kids, our driveway seemed to stretch a mile back to the house after the school bus dropped us off in the afternoon. Shadow "boxing" was a favourite entertainment to pass the walking time. This involved coordination of body movements so one’s shadow self poked a sibling in their shadow eye, or kicked them in their shadow behind - accompanied by a crescendo of giggling, of course.
Perhaps you’re thinking, “Hmmmm…. passive aggression and suppressed anger….“
But please consider: it was cheaper than therapy and never required a trip to the emergency room.

20 November 2012

Pipe Dreams, Missoula, Montana

While I can credit - or perhaps blame - my six older siblings for mentally indelible song lyrics from divergent sources like Nancy Sinatra and Donny Osmond, I'm not sure what in my childhood birthed a fascination with commercial building materials. If I were a person with masses of money and an inclination to own and decorate multiple houses, at least one of them would feature clean lines in dark wood timbers complemented synergistically with swaths of metal. But, since I lack both profligate funds and the desire to clutter my life with more sources of paperwork, I indulge the industrial yen with digital photos.
I am thankful for railyards and junk lots.

19 November 2012

Grainy View, Corvallis, Montana

A lovely thing about winter in Montana is that one never knows what the weather will bring week to week. Thanksgiving Day is forecast to be in the high 40s F and sunny - a perfect day to hike off some turkey dinner. I hear Mill Creek Canyon calling. Here's hoping I can convince some other feasters to join me!

18 November 2012

Upkeep, Hamilton, Montana

I taught the 5-12 year-olds class at kid's church last night and this morning, which has left my brain trending toward catatonic, so I can't think of anything to say about today's photo. If you've every worked with children, you are probably laughing maniacally with empathy.
The cool thing about the grey building is that the owners replaced the window frames recently. These buildings are in my old walking neighborhood, and this are the first upkeep efforts I've seen in years. In our disposable society, it's refreshing to see the useful life of anything preserved.