Sun Up, Shore Bright - Peterson Lake, near Big Fork, Montana

“ …Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me 

keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be 
astonished.…”

— Mary Oliver (1935-2019), from “Messenger,” found in Mary Oliver’s collection Thirst

Neighbourhood Blooming Bright - Missoula, Montana

“My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—
equal seekers of sweetness….”
-Mary Oliver (1935-2019) from “Messenger,” in her collection Thirst.)

Winter Leaf Frost and Amazement - Missoula, Montana

“… When it’s over, I want to say: all my life 

I was a bride married to amazement. …” - Mary Oliver (1935-2019) from her poem When Death Comes

Spring Snowcaps - Bitterroot Valley, Montana

“... it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.”
—from Praying by Mary Oliver (1935-2019)

Just Pay Attention - Missoula, Montana

“It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.”
— Praying by Mary Oliver (1935-2019)

From The Shoreline - Rainbow Lake, Montana

"...Meanwhile the sun and the
   clear pebbles of the rain  
are moving across the landscapes, 
   over the prairies and the deep trees, 
the mountains and the rivers. 
Meanwhile the wild geese, 
    high in the clean blue air, 
are heading home again. 

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, 
the world offers itself to your imagination, 
   calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting- 
over and over announcing your place 
   in the family of things." - from Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

Peony 3, Full Bloom - Missoula, Montana

"...and all day

under the shifty wind,
as in a dance to the great wedding,

the flowers bend their bright bodies,
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
...stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again—
beauty the brave, the exemplary,

blazing open.
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?..."

-from Peonies by Mary Oliver (b.1935)

Peony 2 - Missoula, Montana

"...they open—

pools of lace,

white and pink—

and all day the black ants climb over them,

boring their deep and mysterious holes
into the curls,
craving the sweet sap,
taking it away

to their dark, underground cities..."

-from Peonies by Mary Oliver (b.1935)

Peony 1 - Missoula, Montana

"This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready
to break my heart
as the sun rises,
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers..."

- from Peonies by Mary Oliver (b.1935)