Shinin' In The Sun - Missoula, Montana

"...Sprouts all growin',
comin' up glowin',

Fruit of jewels all 
shinin' in the sun..." 
- from The Garden by Shel Silverstein

Soft, Wild - Missoula, Montana

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."-Iain Thomas

The travelers are home (viva Las Vegas!) at last! Take a browse of their thoughts of the beautiful place of Sri Lanka at JourneysWithGod.com .

Underwater Spring-ing - Missoula, Montana

"Still in my coat and hat, I sank onto the stair to read the letter. (I never read without making sure I am in a secure position. I have been like this ever since the age of seven when, sitting on a high wall and reading The Water Babies, I was so seduced by the descriptions of underwater life that I unconsciously relaxed my muscles. Instead of being held buoyant by the water that so vividly surrounded me in my mind, I plummeted to the ground and knocked myself out. I can still feel the scar under my fringe now. Reading can be dangerous.)" - Diane Setterfield

(Safety reminder: Sit down before you read the latest Sri Lanka update at JourneysWithGod.com .)

European Bittersweet - Missoula, Montana

I was drawn to the shooting-starness of this lovely streambank wildflower, but it turns out it's actually a relative of the potato plant. Common in much of the United States, this small purple beauty is known by many names - Climbing Nightshade, Bittersweet Nightshade, Woody Nightshade, European Bittersweet, Fellenwort, or Blue Nightshade. (For the scientifically inclined, it is classified as Solanum dulcamara.) Pick a name - any name! - it brightens a streamside ramble no matter what you call it.

Almost Ready - Missoula, Montana

"Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world - except for a nice MLT - mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomatoes are ripe." - Miracle Max in The Princess Bride

Tranquil Green - Potomac, Montana

"I long for the countryside. That's where I get my calm and tranquility - from being able to come and find a spot of green." - Emilia Clarke

Wee Fall Fern, Frosted - Missoula, Montana

Today's title could have grown alliteratively excessive: Found Frosted Fall Fern Forest Foliage... any additions spring to mind?

En route to University Peak, I became a bit fascinated by what plants were growing at varied distances above the valley floor, and a week into November, no less.  These ferns were about 45 minutes into the hike, up numerous switchbacks, and still frosted at 9:50 AM; the principal red frond was about 4 inches long. Conveniently, 20-second photo stops also provided a breath-catching, muscle-resting, dignity reclaiming excuse.

Random wondering while writing this: Was the red fern in Wilson Rawls' book, "Where the Red Fern Grows" an autumn-hued symbol, or plant perpetually russet-hued?

Earth Stars Gleaming Bright - East Missoula, Montana

"...Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our stars the flowers of heaven?" Mrs. Clara Lucas Balfour (1808-1878)

Hardy Summit Dweller - Mount Jumbo, Missoula, Montana

I Dwell in Possibility – (466)

By Emily Dickinson

I dwell in Possibility –

A fairer House than Prose –

More numerous of Windows –

Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –

Impregnable of eye –

And for an everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –

For Occupation – This –

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise –

Undergrowth - Missoula, Montana

“…It’s a place of healing,

the forest floor.

A place intent on living.

Where each movement beneath the

towering company of life informs the next.

A little slower this time.

A little softer.

More quiet.

And with each surrendering breath,

another can be heard….”

- From "The Forest Floor" by Mariella Rossi

The full poem is a click away - right here; enjoy and be inspired to venture out to your own forest view.

In Clover, Missoula, Montana

“…I but seem to see the fluent plain

Rise toward a rain of clover-blooms, as lakes

Pout gentle mounds of plashment up to meet

Big shower-drops. Now the little winds, as bees,

Bowing the blooms come wandering where I lie

Mixt soul and body with the clover-tufts…”

-From “Clover – Inscribed to the Memory of John Keats”, by SidneyLanier (1842-1881)

Clover Revery, Missoula, Montana

“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,

One clover, and a bee,

And revery.

The revery alone will do,

If bees are few.”

― Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems

Alley Corner Vine, Missoula, Montana

Looking at this photo set this Sunday School ditty on 'repeat' in my head : “Brighten the corner where you are….!”  
(Click the text link to join in with Burl Ives and choir!)

Thank you, Ira Ogdon, for a catchy reminder that a simple kindness or passing smile may be so much more to someone on the receiving end.