Winter Garden Dreaming - Missoula, Montana

A brisk 2 degrees F driving to work this morning, and even colder with windchill...some southern somebody pretty please enjoy some sunshine for me!

“Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the Spring and ends in the Fall is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in January with the dream.”

 - Josephine Nuese

Tree And Sky - Missoula, Montana

"Why waste your money looking up your family tree? 

Just go into politics & your opponents will do it for you." 

- Mark Twain (1835-1910 aka Samuel Clemens, who BTW was a dear friend of Helen Keller)

Still Winter - Missoula, Montana

The marmot has spoken (er, observed?): Six more weeks of winter for us on this side of the world. And the snow keeps coming....!

 (Full disclosure: This pic was during our October snowfall, hence the fresh leaves and plump berries...)

Toward Clarity - East Missoula, Montana

 “Old habit of mind is one of the toughest things to get away from in the world.”  

-Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), in A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court, Ch. 22: The Holy Fountain

Uncluttered - Near Bozeman, Montana

A couple weeks ago, I added the following focus tip as an 8:15 AM Calendar entry. I read it to start every workday, then move it to the next weekday morning. (Same bat time, same bat channel!) So far, so good - I find it helps clarify my one-thing-at-a-time striving.

#17: "Keep your desk and workspace bare. Treat every object as an imposition upon your attention, because it is. A workspace is not a place for storing things. It is a place for accomplishing things." 

Many thanks to my fave life-hacker Tim Ferriss for sharing the link to 100 Tips for a Better Life by by Ideopunk.

Isolated Eavesdropping - On Hwy 200, Montana

“I'm learning to surrender both to the grueling work and to the isolation. When I need centering, I sing a favourite hymn, "Spirit of God descend upon my heart," which also allows me to eavesdrop on my spirit and pick up on its mumblings.”

-Joan Anderson, in A Year By The Sea, p.131

Seasons, Cycles - Missoula, Montana

"In actuality, life is full of cycles, and cycles are not always unhealthy. In our walks, we will have cycles. I think my biggest barrier is my own reaction to what is at times completely normal behaviour for anybody. 

If I could just begin to incorporate more of the principles of God's love and His forgiveness as it relates to my own inability to be perfect, then I think my commitment would be a lot more solid and a lot easier to uphold."

-Margaret Becker, in 1990 interview with Jerry Wilson for Cross Rhythms

Doorways - Butte, Montana

“Our time is our life, and our attention is the doorway to our hearts.”

-John Mark Comer in The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World