" The Earth Laughs in Flowers ."

 "The Earth Laughs in Flowers" .  A wonderful quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson . Truly spring is a time for the natural world to inhale sunshine and exhale color. After a long winter there is nothing like a yard full of rainbow colors .

MacGuyver enjoying the warm weather. He has begun to shed for the season and leaves patches of white fur everywhere . That is ok because he is the brave dog and protector of the cozy cabin in the woods .

Nourishing the Feminine

Spring in the Northern Rockies is a particular rebirth after so many months of of cold and snow . The seasons are very distinct . There is no mistaking the slide from Winter to Spring here. That is one of the allures for me, the seasonal definition of the passing time . A hike close by on some state land had treasures in the form of yellow and while blossoms. The arnica and western service berry are blooming . There is plenty of choke cherry and wild lily of the Valley, and Hooker's fairy bells. I was actually excited to find a fairly large Serviceberry blooming in the front forest . One of my projects is to bring in more diverse species on my modest tract of land. Often logging culls the valuable timber and leaves the less valuable trees. I have a lot of Western Larch seedlings and will replant them around the area as they mature . The Honey bees are plentiful this year. The meadows had been decimated by chemical spraying due to the weed laws here . Four years of mowing and avoiding chemicals has seen a return of the bees and their wonderful presence. We have an obligation to live on the land with joy , gratitude and consideration. Is it really worth poisoning ourselves, our children and the animal and insect kingdom to have a perfect green lawn ? 

Aspen Green

The aspens are leafing .Spring is here with warming weather . The last frost is expected in a couple of weeks and summer planting season will be full on. These are the glory days with the sun up at 5 AM and dusk at 10 PM . That is a lot of daytime . What would you do with it ?

Sunset over Flathead Lake

"Follow your own foot steps,

Learn from the rivers,

the trees and the rocks,

Honor the Christ, 

the Buddha , 

your brothers, and sisters .

Honor the Earth Mother and Great Spirit .

Honor yourself and all of creation ."

"Look with the eyes of the soul , and engage the essential. "

Teachings of the Q'ero EarthKeepers 

                                       
                                             
                                               
                                                   
                                                 
                                                   
                                               
                                     
                         


                           

Swan Saturday

I was lucky enough to chance upon a pair of swans this Valentine's day . the smaller birds are canada geese . The birds were resting about a quarter mile off the shore in a thawed area on the lake. I never tire of the beautiful sounds the water fowl make calling to each other.

Guilty of just fooling around

McDonald Lake 

I am totally guilty of just fooling around. Jan 3 to 5 gave us 3 feet of snow and that took a bit of time to rearrange . Other wise known as shoveling .  The birds have needed their feed and time to track the bobcat visiting the yard. Last weekend brought some sunny days and a great time to go snow shoeing up the Going to the Sun Road.  Blue Skies , snowy peaks and clear water. It doesn't get much better.

Edging towards the New Year

Lighted Bike

Downtown Whitefish

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First seven inches of snow

streaming snow

17 inches Sunday Morning

The snow started Saturday late morning and continued until the next morning early. 17 inches at the house. Before driving home on Saturday I went downtown for a few errands. The wind was whipping up and the snow was flying . The nice thing about decorations in the winter is that it makes the cold season a bit more cheerful. A bike rider crossed the street near by . I followed wanting to get a picture of the super cool bike with lights on the tires. He disappeared around a corner but lucky for me he stopped at the liquor store.  When I returned home we had the first 7 inches on the ground . By morning the second 10 had joined . The trees had been transformed to near snow ghosts. The snow is a blessing though. Good snow pack is water next year and a nice insulating layer now for the tender plants hibernating winter. Time to rest , stoke the fire and contemplate the New Year just around the corner .