Technically Winter Still - Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

I have to confess: I've been posting mostly snowy photos the past couple of weeks not because it's been visible winter out my windows, but because I just want to see more snow. 

Slightly odd, I know, when spring fever rages rampant all around me. 

Perhaps it's because amidst roasting a little bit in Sri Lanka I thought in hope of the cool, quiet winter wonderland I'd flown away from. (Or perhaps the unaccustomed mid-winter heat addled my noodle a bit?! Newly fledging snowbirds, be warned - this could happen to you!) 

Self-depracatory kidding aside, the real reason I crave snow in March is simply that it's too early to be the current 50-plus degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and We Really NEED More Snow! I love spring as much as the next digger-in-the-garden-dirt, but I do have a small horror of summer wildfires that bleed visible, headache-inducing smoke into every valley's nook and cranny. We need more snow now as a preventative measure. 

The forecast keeps promising the white fluffy stuff a couple days from the ever-shifting today, but so far it's been paltry and high up in the mountains. But Monday could be the day of truth-in-advertising - here's hoping! In the meantime, I'll have to unzip my lightweight hoodie for the second lap around the block.

Soft, Wild - Missoula, Montana

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."-Iain Thomas

The travelers are home (viva Las Vegas!) at last! Take a browse of their thoughts of the beautiful place of Sri Lanka at JourneysWithGod.com .

Life's Work Sampler - Missoula, Montana

"Sometimes I think life would be simpler if I'd been born a man."

"Oh rubbish. Life is what it is. 

Your life's work, on the other hand - that you might exercise some control over."
 - from Painted Horses by Malcom Brooks 

The Sri Lankan sojourners are homeward bound. See the latest updates at JourneysWithGod.com .)

Underwater Spring-ing - Missoula, Montana

"Still in my coat and hat, I sank onto the stair to read the letter. (I never read without making sure I am in a secure position. I have been like this ever since the age of seven when, sitting on a high wall and reading The Water Babies, I was so seduced by the descriptions of underwater life that I unconsciously relaxed my muscles. Instead of being held buoyant by the water that so vividly surrounded me in my mind, I plummeted to the ground and knocked myself out. I can still feel the scar under my fringe now. Reading can be dangerous.)" - Diane Setterfield

(Safety reminder: Sit down before you read the latest Sri Lanka update at JourneysWithGod.com .)

Savour The Quiet - Missoula, Montana

"There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you...In spring, summer, and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself." - Ruth Stout (1884-1980)

Our Sri Lanka travelers are headed homeward - here's hoping for quiet and a bit of privacy via plenty of seats to stretch out on during the longer flights. See their latest updates at JourneysWithGod.com .

Farm FriendS: Poetry Recitation - Livingston, Montana

Ahem...(tap-tap) Is this thing on?
Okay. 
Today I will recite for you my FA-A-AVE-ourITE springtime poem.
Technically, it's still winter, but it feels pretty springy lately.
I feel pretty springy, so here goes!

"Roses are red,
Violets are blue;
But they don't get around
Like the dandelions do."
~Slim Acres (aka Harold A. Pickett, 1913-2009)

Thank you very much; it was a pleasure.
Maa-a-aaaah!

Farm Friends: Favourite Wise Quotation - Livingston, Montana

Hmm-hmm.

As a collector of wise sayings, I am pleased to share a thought today, in hopes that you can apply it toward the prosperity of your very own baa-aa-arnyard. 

"The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese." - Willie Nelson

Thank you for your time.