Posts from the ‘Nature’ category

It ain’t over yet…

Winter, it is not over yet. We’ve had three nights of snowing and blowing – the blowing being not so bad at my home as I am again in a bit of a wind shadow. Arctic cold spilled over the Continental Divide as forecast and it is considerably colder – at 3F – this morning than is usual for March 10.

Yesterday after a snowy, windy start, the sun came out and made for a brilliantly, beautiful walk.

Karl waited…

I cleaned up…

It was not windy when I was snowblowing, but when the snow is so light and powdery it “drifts” everywhere, mostly on to the snowblower and the snowblower operator – that is my new black hat and the snowblower is mostly black. It was as cold as it looks at about 17F.

We will reprise this operation later today – hopefully it will be above 10.

This Winter, it ain’t over yet!

One way

The “arrows” are wild turkey tracks…just struck me funny…

**edit/clarification 3/5 the other tracks are white-tailed deer, going the opposite direction of the arrow. The turkeys are going the same way, i.e. opposite of the arrow – that little “dot” at the top of the arrow is the back “claw”. see Idaho Wild Turkey Federation for a bunch of prints going “up” the page – “arrows” pointed down.

the start of my Saturday

The week’s foot of new snow and very cold temperatures will not be the last of Winter that we see here in Northwest Montana, but it might be the last cold, powdery, heavy snow. It is beautiful beyond words this morning as the sun made the crystalline surface glimmer as if in a fantasy. It is supposed to rise above freezing in today’s bright sunshine. I will be out every second I can enjoying nature’s sparkle while it lasts.

Karl and I are headed to Missoula to fetch the Winnebago. It looks to be a perfect day to drive around the lake and through the valley bordered by the Missions to east and Bitteroots to the west. And back, hopefully…

Soft morning light

First thing in the morning, I flip on the front outside spot as fair warning to the outdoor wild things that us indoor wild things will be making an appearance soon. As I walk through the house, I turn on a few low lamps – just enough light to navigate by as I start coffee, fire up the woodstove, feed the cat – the morning routine.

That first cup of coffee and I, followed by Karl, begin the morning with quiet reflection from a loved old wingback chair in the sunroom. The sunroom is a small bump on the end of the house, off the kitchen. My desk sits beneath the front-side window. From the wingback chair, I can see through the back slider into a living room window… and out the other sunroom windows, the trees illuminated by the outdoor spot.

This morning, the view of Bob and the trees covered with snow, made me grateful once again for a fresh new day.

And this new, soft snow? – Beautiful always, but especially so in the soft morning light.

Snow squall

We set off for our afternoon walk in sunshine. By the time we rounded the last corner there was a squall moving in. The wind picked up driving the flurries sideways, then it stopped suddenly and the snow changed to giant flakes coming straight down.

Karl took his after walk treat and headed out to the snowbank by the end of the walkway which has become his favorite place to sit or lie and survey his territory. The snow did not bother him.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bob was inside warming his backside in front of the fire.

Montana moonset

This morning’s nearly full moon and just a few clouds were enough to entice me to jump in the jeep with Karl and slide down the hill to catch the moon setting over the northern Flathead Valley. I took coffee, a piece of coffee cake and sat and watched the show accompanied by my good dog. We shared the coffee cake too.