Morning Reflections - Victor, Montana

Daisy faces lifted toward

  the morning sun

Air so still 

  the reflections of my heart 

  become clear. 

-P.Richards

(Big thanks to Pat Richards for the guest perspectives - both wirds and view! Chew on more of her refreshing weekly musings at God's Friday Girl!)

Oreo Cows and Mountain Smoke - Missoula, Montana

Stopped on my way home to just bask in delight of oreo cows (actual breed: belted Galloways) and the smokey twilight. So much to see when we pause to look. 

(Not to worry -  this scene is from several weeks ago, and the smoke is long gone.) 

Spring Snow Peaks - Near Three Forks, Montana

The one thing you can predict about springtime in Montana: it’s never boring.  Ides-of- March storms ousted the beatific sunny days of early March, adding much-coveted snowpack to many of our mountain ranges.

Full Spring Ahead - Bitterroot Valley, Montana

“…but if you never do, don't be discontented about it. We make our own lives wherever we are, after all . . . They are broad or narrow according to what we put into them, not what we get out. Life is rich and full here . . . everywhere . . . if we can only learn how to open our whole hearts to its richness and fulness." “

-Mrs. Allan to Anne, Anne of Avonlea, Chapter 15 by L.M. Montgomery 

Big Sky Country Waiting - Livingston, Montana

“Supposed to be no snow for two days. Hah. This country, it sat out there, breathing, waiting for the winter, like a big white cat and you the mouse.”

-from Coyote Wind, A Gabriel Du Pré Mystery by Peter Bowen (1945-2020), page 124

On Sunset And Friendship - Livingston, Montana

“Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart.”  
-Washington Irving (1763-1859)

On Essentialism - Livingston, Montana

“You cannot overestimate the un-importance of practically everything.”  - Greg McKeown

 

On Joy - Near Simms, Montana

"That we are designed for joy is exhilarating, within reach, now or perhaps later today, after a nap, as long as we do not mistake excitement for joy. 
Joy is good cheer. My partner says joy and curiosity are the same thing. 
Joy is always a surprise, and often a decision.
Joy is portable. Joy is a habit, and these days, it can be a radical act."
-Anne Lamott, p. 70-71 of Almost Everything

On Value - BItterroot Valley, Montana

"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run."
-Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) from Walden

Promise - Bitterroot Valley, Montana

“The two most important

days in your life are

the day you are born and

the day you find out why.”

– Mark Twain

Cloudy Day - Missoula, Montana

My husband asked for a seniour price ticket for today's matinee movie. The high schooler manning the ticket window glanced over at me then asked, in all seriousness, "One seniour ticket or two?" 

Of course, I laughed and wondered aloud if I should, perhaps, be offended? Our serious ticket seller appeared confused by my quip.

I suppose when you're still wearing teen braces, everyone older than you appears ancient. 

Commitment to my latest skin serum is redoubled.

Ironically, this little incident would have been avoided had we known that ALL matinee tickets are the same price.

Clear Skies Over Montana - Missoula, Montana

Omigosh, clear skies in western Montana - I almost don't know how to process this!

Weekend winds cleared the air in the Missoula valley to astonishing clean, but the view toward Lolo, Montana, (centre of photo) still shows thick smoke fug lingering further south. 

After so many weeks, the clear air was almost unbelievably bewildering, even while we were thankful to breathe deep and get active outside. 

(Sadly, pessimism lurks with thoughts of "Better enjoy it while it lasts!")

Long Road Home - Near Ovando, Montana

Walking out to the school bus on childhood weekday mornings, our driveway seemed to be at least a mile long.. We moved from the farm when I was 12, and the first time I drove by our old home as an adult, I realized my younger perspective was rather skewed - a mile was extremely far-fetched. Six-year old eyes - and little legs - see a view entirely their own.

Perspective is an interesting thing. When you're in the middle of your own, it's hard to see any other. Rather along the lines of "can't see the forest for the trees". But if we can draw from other experience - even borrowed will do! - and mentally and emotionally step slightly outside our immediate circumstance, we see a bigger picture that is often less dire than we'd first supposed. And this can, in turn, inform our next choices with an entirely different, brighter light. 

Enact, pause, repeat. 

And be reminded how this living and learning requires time and grace!

Mountain Days - South of Hot Springs, Montana

"Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God."

- John Muir (1838–1914)

Almost-Spring Storm Clouds - Bitterroot Valley, Montana

Despite stormy clouds rolling from the west over the Rocky Mountains, we're pushing 50 degrees F on a beautiful Bitterroot almost-spring morning!

Cattle Guard - Livingston, Montana

"Over the cattle-guard's rusted-pipe parallel lines
weeds growing through, gatepost designs
geometrical triangle forms
and I'm almost home..."

- from Cattle Guard by Tony Parsons

Click the above text links to read the full text of this poem - and many others - featured at The Starlite Cafe.

Enduring Design - Livingston, Montana

"The more you overdesign something, the quicker it dates. 

When you're dealing with high-value assets, they can't afford to be fashion projects."

 - Ian Dryburgh

(And isn't the definition of 'high-value asset' all a matter of perspective? To some viewpoints, this obviously refers to a private jet or superyacht. But in rural ranchland, the assumption could right fully be made that we're talking about miles and miles of fencing - definitely an asset AND high-value!)

Vast Secrets - Livingston, Montana

"...Father John had come to love the quiet vastness and the way the plains revealed their secrets when you happened upon them unexpectedly - the swell of a bluff, the cut of an arroyo, the patches of sagebrush and pink, blue, and yellow wildflowers."

- from Shadow Dancer by Margaret Coel, page 2

(Minor disclosure: Regretfully, this photo is not from a weekend jaunt to Livingston, but delightfully left over from an earlier trip. Because it's almost the season for delightful leftovers...)

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)

Guest Post: Rainbow Promise Morning - Corvallis, Montana

Today's guest blogger is once again Big Sister #3 (I don't think you should ever get too old to appreciate the before-ness of older siblings), who has enjoyed some amazing scenery during her stay. (Hurrah for people who take early morning walks and share their lovely views!)

---------------------------

Rainbows are filled with promise. 

They appear almost magically where sunlight and raindrops intersect, birthing a brilliant swath of color. 

The the scientific explanation is no less amazing (learn more here.)

 "I have placed My rainbow in the clouds as a sign of My promise until the end of time, to you and to all the earth. ." 

- Spoken to Noah and his Family in Genesis 9:13

Grab a hold of the promise of today, for like the rainbow, opportunity is often fleeting.

- Pat Richards