Of Fields and Fences - Sealy Lake, Montana

"...Darling, the snow that sweeps the field

And swathes the garden fence

Will soon fall prey to the exchange

Of gold where gray clouds rearrange

The hills that waft above earth’s plains

And the attire of season-strains...." 
 - from Janet Martin's poem "Of Fields and Foolishness" 

Click here to linger amidst Janet's entire thoughtful poem.

Winter Dusk, Sealy Lake, Montana

Winter Dusk
by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

I watch the great clear twilight
Veiling the ice-bowed trees;
Their branches tinkle faintly
With crystal melodies.

The larches bend their silver
Over the hush of snow;
One star is lighted in the west,
Two in the zenith glow.

For a moment I have forgotten
Wars and women who mourn —
I think of the mother who bore me
And thank her that I was born.

Stalwart Stem, Sealy Lake, Montana

The Sound of Snow
by D. G. Vachal

"Lace and flannel fall
on February ground,
like flocks of woolen lambs
huddled
upon the leafless hills—
Tell me,
can you hear the sound of snow,
catch the tranquil meekness
quite unlike
the clamor of rain
or the tumult of sleet,
horse hoofs that trample
the cobblestones - ..."   

Read the full poem at lilies, sparrows and grass.

Winter Waterway, Owl Creek, Sealy Lake, Montana

“Stream that leapt and danced
Down the rocky ledges,
All the summer long,
Past the flowered sedges,
Under the green rafters,
With their leafy laughters,
Murmuring your song:
Strangely still and tranced,
All your singing ended,
Wizardly suspended,
Icily adream;
When the new buds thicken,
Can this crystal quicken,
Now so strangely sleeping,
Once more go a-leaping
Down the rocky ledges,
All the summer long,
Murmuring its song? “
- “The Frozen Stream” by
Richard Le Gallienne

Bushels of Fun, Sealy Lake, Montana

A co-worker semi-gloated all last week about how she'll think of us shivering this week while she basks in the sunny southern USA climes.
Well, more power to the snowbirds, but they're missing out on some of the best winter offerings. It may be snowin' and blowin' but the results make for a pristine variety of beauty available for a limited time.

Off-Road, Sealy Lake, Montana,

In Missoula, Montana, it snowed pretty much all day Friday.
I love it.
It induces calm in me. 
Well, except when I'm driving out of town and a blizzard whips up. No calm in a white-knuckle death grip on the steering wheel.

But this week's snow is the lovely, reverent variety. There’s no quiet exactly like the almost holy hush that comes with fresh, abundant snowfall.  If you should be graced with such, whether in the city or the wilderness, it’s worth the effort to imbibe early of the peaceful silence - even if it’s just to open a window and gaze deep - while it lasts.

Evening Sky, Sealy Lake, Montana

“Through the wide-open window he could see the evening sky, still grey but faintly luminous and streaked with level cloud. No rain in that sky; only an echo of the peace that held the world in this contented quiet.”
- Josephine Tey, from “The Singing Sands”, p.27-28

SnowClad, Sealy Lake, Montana

“As she crossed the river, a rumour of sunshine stood behind the clouds.” 
- Markus Zusak, from "The Book Thief" , p.472
 
It’s magical, how an outline of new snowfall transforms the commonplace into something entirely serene and worthy of pause-ful contemplation.

Shadow Play, Sealy Lake, Montana

An early afternoon winter sun, high in the sky, creates replica twigs on the snow‘s surface.
 
Walking behind our shadows along a Forest Service road, I was reminded of entertaining childhood saunters. After the school bus spit us out at the top of our driveway, we'd dawdle our way to the house, procrastinating against daily chores. Inevitably, one naughty shadow child would box someone else’s shadow head. And thus began a round of shadow pokes, acrobatic kicks and twisting evasions, backed by much giggling and an occasional triumphant “I got you!”. Good times. 
And no one ever lost an eye. Shadows are amenable that way.

Winter Creek, Sealy Lake, Montana

The best winter days have plenty of snow, a bit below freezing temps, and sunshine to 
illuminate the intricacies of God’s great, wide world.

Lone Snag, Sealy Lake, Montana

"NOT of all my eyes see, wandering on the world,

Is anything a milk to the mind so, so sighs deep

Poetry to it, as a tree whose boughs break in the sky.

Say it is ashboughs: whether on a December day and furled

Fast ór they in clammyish lashtender combs creep

Apart wide and new-nestle at heaven most high.

They touch heaven, tabour on it; how their talons sweep

The smouldering enormous winter welkin!..."

- From "Ash-boughs", by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–89) 

Snow Angel, Sealy Lake, Montana

A reminder from my big sister #3: Before giving in to the snow angel urge, make sure a willing and able helper is on hand to pull you up. Key item in this equation is “willing“, which may preclude siblings rumored to have been dropped on their head in early childhood. Even if rumours are unfounded, some may think it great fun to watch and laugh as you ungracefully flounder your way out of the siren snow.

Parallels, Sealy Lake, Montana

“Art is a harmony parallel with nature.”
-Paul Cezanne

“The river of time may fork into rivers, in which case you have a parallel reality and so then you can become a time traveler and not have to worry about causing a time paradox.”
-Michio Kaku

Sinuous, Sealy Lake, Montana

sin·u·ous [sínnyoo əss]  adj
2.  winding or serpentine: full of bends and curves
 - the sinuous course of a stream
[Late 16th century. < Latin sinuosus < sinus "curve"]
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation.

We tracked down this pocket of calm before we even made it to the ski area.

Skate Tracks, Sealy Lake, Montana

Best Montana winter entertainment deal: $10 cross-country ski/boots/poles day rental from Bob Ward’s Sporting Goods. 

Even counting gas to drive an hour each way, and a small donation in the Nordic Ski Club box, it’s still beats going to the movies - not to mention it’s waaay healthier.