Haystack - Missoula, Montana

"...The word agriculture, after all ... means "cultivation of land." And cultivation is at the root of the sense both of culture and of cult. The ideas of tillage and worship are thus joined in culture. And these words all come from an Indo-European root meaning both "to revolve" and "to dwell." To live, to survive on the earth, to care for the soil, and to worship, all are bound at the root to the idea of a cycle. " (pg. 285, The Use of Energy)

- Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essayst

Smoky Sunset Drive - Missoula, Montana

"...The will is never free - it is always attached to an object, a purpose. 
It is simply the engine in the car - it can't steer."

- Joyce Cary (1888-1957)

'50s Farm Truck, Rear View - Missoula, Montana

dieseltip#215 
"some trucks may never be more than a beat up old work truck. 
that doesn't mean that it still won't be your favourite."

Thanks to Thoroughbred Diesel for the just-right quote. 
Read more dieseltips at their tips page here. 
They've posted quite a few doozies! 

Bottling Sunshine - Missoula, Montana

"A book is simply the container of an idea like a bottle; 

what is inside the book is what matters."

 - Angela Carter (1940-1992)

Thistle, Weed, And Wind - Missoula, Montana

"...The wind is not helpless 

for any man's need, 

Nor falleth the rain 

but for thistle and weed..."

- From The Music, in The Collected Works of William Morris: Love is enough : Poems by the way by William Morris (1834-1896)

Framed, Missoula, Montana

Walking around a ranch always makes me feel like a kid again, meandering about, never knowing what treasure you might find. Sometimes it was a batch of new kittens, or fresh peas for snacking in the garden, or just the joy of wind blowing your hair and clouds overhead. The open space is full of possibility, if you just take the time to roam a bit.

Hazy Valley, Missoula, MT

The Missoula Valley of western Montana hung under a haze of smoke yesterday, continuing pretty much the same today. But it could have been worse & actually smelled of smoke. Here's hoping for rain.
(Chicken coop courtesy of the rockin'est ranch in Missoula.)