Splash of Green for St. Patrick's Day - Missoula, Montana

Perfect timing for a montage of almost-spring grreens - literally and liberally splashed with melodious melt water.

For endless fun and parental irritation, print them out to make your very own flip book! 

(Yes, these springward sprites were brought to you - again! - courtesy of inelegant crouching. 
For you, I would do this, and I don't say this to just anyone!)

Enjoy the lovely Irish Day!

River Rush - Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

"I grew up in this town, 
my poetry was born 
between the hill and the river, 
it took its voice from the rain, 
and like the timber, 
it steeped itself in the forests."

- Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)

Not Quite Spring... - Missoula, Montana

Sister #3 has been texting photos from the other side of the world, where all is warm and light-infused.

To balance out the universe, my reply this morning included today's current Western Montana view. 

And it doesn't show signs of stopping...

Green Grass Under Snow - Missoula, Montana

"The work of the sun is slow,

But as sure as heaven, we know;

  So we'll not forget,

  When the skies are wet,

There's green grass under the snow..."

- from The Green Grass Under The Snow 
by Annie A. Preston 
(published in varied periodicals & poetry collections in the late 1800s and early 1900s)

Brave Crocus - Missoula, Montana

"Fair-handed Spring unbosoms every Grace; throws out the Snowdrop and the Crocus first." - from Spring Flowers by James Thomson (1700-1748)

Tulip Promise - Missoula, Montana

"This I saw on an April day:
Warm rain spilt from a sun-lined cloud...
A flash of blue in a cool moss bank,
And tips of tulips promising flowers
To a blue-winged loon."
-  James Hearst (1900-1983)

(Sorry - bursting tulips won't wait for me to hold this poem for an April post!)

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 .

Fresh Layers - Near Superior, Montana

"...In my darkest night,

when the moon was covered

and I roamed through wreckage,

a nimbus-clouded voice

directed me:

"Live in the layers,

not on the litter."

Though I lack the art 

to decipher it,

no doubt the next chapter

in my book of transformations

is already written.

I am not done with my changes."

- from 'The Layers' by Stanley Kunitz (1905-2006)

Sun-Dappled Shadows, Missoula, Montana

"My dishes went unwashed today,
I didn't make the bed,
I took his hand and followed
Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring,
My little son and I...

We found a cool, sun-dappled glade
And now my small son knows
How Mother Bunny hides her nest,
Where jack-in-the-pulpit grows....

That my house was neglected,
That I didn't brush the stairs,
In twenty years, no one on earth
Will know, or even care.

But that I've helped my little boy
To noble manhood grow,
In twenty years, the whole wide world
May look and see and know. "

‎From "I Took His Hand and Followed" By Mrs. Roy L. Peifer

Read the full text of this sweet reminder here.

Hidden Pocket, Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl

Seeing Red, Missoula, Montana

A co-worker remarked recently how, despite growing up in Montana, she had never before noticed the abundance of red brush growing in varied regions of our fair state. The visual spareness of almost-spring perfectly sets off such vibrant infrastructure. This close-in view (yes, dear sister who will wonder, the shrub embraced me, plus anchored me from further leaf-mold slip down the bank) brings to mind Jacob's speckled sheep sticks; perhaps a boon of herefords are headed this direction.