Hopeful - Missoula, Montana

"...I can only imagine the pile of requests languishing on some ignored [Congressional] desk...My army is fading before my eyes. I am holding it together by sheer will and God's grace..."

"With all these trials, what keeps the men here?"

He considered this a moment. 
"Hope. 
 Hope is its own army and carries its own weapons.
 Without it we will surely perish."

-The novelized George & Martha Washington,
   in Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser, p. 290

Good Life Waiting - Missoula, Montana

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." 

- Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)

Spring UnCurling - Missoula, Montana

Bright greens uncurling
Echo the sweep and unfurl of 
clouds against the high blue sky
-cjh

Lichen The Neighborhood - Missoula, Montana

"There are often inquiries about cultivating lichens...Alas, there's no reliable way anyone has found to keep lichens going once they've been relocated... We can't tame lichens; as Irwin Brodo has said, in Lichens of North America, "...lichens are the essence of wildness." " - Stephen Sharnoff, in his essay 'Lichens and Oaks: A Deep Partnership'

Raining Again, Alberton, Montana

For the weather whingers out there who bemoaned the cold and snow: I hope you’re happy now.

Rainy days in the low 40s Fahrenheit resolving to nighttime lows around freezing make for an interesting morning commute hereabouts.

But beauty still abounds, as here in the misting rain suspended on last season’s tenacious leaves.

Feather Flotsam, Missoula, Montana

As an adult, I don’t know whether or not it’s true. But as a child, I fervently believed the convincing words of a grade-school teacher to our little sponge selves as she explained how wee bits of yarn and string and miscellaneous whatnot scattered out of doors would be used by birds in the spring to build their nests. A soft length of mohair yarn, blown into the tall grass, once inspired images of cozy comfort for feathered friends.
After personally picking up a couple bags of bits and pieces the birds apparently rejected, I think there are two possibilities: 1-our teacher was a bit daft, or at least excessively idealistic, or 2- she had it in for our parents and derived some pathetic satisfaction in knowing we’d all go home and earnestly lobby our bewildered elders to take us on yarn flinging expeditions to help the poor little birdies. I will give her this: long Alberta winters can make for some pretty desperate bids for entertainment.

Hole-y Fence, Missoula, Montana

Since the walking trail near our neighborhood runs next the railroad tracks that are next to Southgate Mall (i.e. amazing Montana scenery is not up close and personal), it's a perfect place to notice odd details. In an era of clearing growth for ease of construction, I appreciate this fence-builder's attention to detail and desire to preserve a good tree.