After I posted a few sunsets tonight, my friend, Fran, sent me this photo of her sunset! She lives on the Madison River half way between me and Yellowstone National Park.
Take a look at this!! How would you like to have THAT view out your back door tonight?
Thank you Fran!
Two For Sale signs went up in our “hood” this week.
That Mercer sign is for a 7 acre parcel right next door to us.
We could be next-door neighbors!
The ERA sign is at the end of the cul-de-sac – just a stone’s throw away – down where you see the telephone poles in the first photo.
See, there’s our house up there – just beyond the sign. Aren’t you looking for wide open spaces and Big Sky, fresh air and a friendly, cheerful, inclusive neighborhood? Here we are!! You can build your dream house right here.
This beautiful home with the best neighbors imaginable, Rex and Penny, could be your neighbors … besides us, the Beekmans with the robin babies in our back yard. Hey, look closely! That one on the right has her eyes open!
This nest is on this porch where I am sitting right now with my laptop, Rita and Robbie are coming and going, feeding their babies, paying no attention to me! I love it!!
The nest is in the shadow just left of the small bedroom window. My chair is in the sun with my tabletop in the shade. I have a bird’s eye view of the robin activity.
This morning was a beautiful, sunny. warm, still day – perfect for a walk in Lion’s Club Park by the Madison River that is less than 5 minutes from us. I met a couple of TOPS friends and we walked around by the river, the baseball field, the playground…
From this view of the river, there is a bench, a painted sculpted fish, and a gorgeous view of the Madison Range across the valley.
Come go for a walk with me. There are benches along the way, picnic tables, barbecue pits, a baseball field and a playground. Young children usually flock here. But, I was early. They started to arrive as I was leaving.
On the way to the post office after my walk, I passed another For Sale sign. Our friend, Niel, died recently after a long battle with cancer. His cozy little house in town is for sale. Maybe you’d prefer this. You’d be on a smaller lot in a more modest neighborhood downtown. Look at this lovely place. Interested? Call the ERA number on the sign at the top of this post.
Your neighbors across the street have this lovely tree – and these beautiful opium poppies. What a great little town our Ennis, Montana is!!
Driving home from there, I took the golf course route. Here’s the scene just a mile from our home:
They keep it well maintained and lots of our neighbors love getting out on the course on a day like today.
Peaceful, beautiful, clean, clear, friendly …
… what more could you ask?
Oh, I forgot to add there’s a darling little lake at Lion’s Club Park where the kids can fish and keep the trout they catch. The Madison River has a “catch and release” policy to preserve the natives. And there’s an old tractor at the park where the kids can climb and pretend FARMER. We have a lot of cattle and wheat farming in our Madison Valley.
But it’s best known for the Madison River and the fly fishing.
Will you come and be my neighbor?
Caroline & Chuck are building right down the hill from us.
They’d be great neighbors for ya, too!!
Have a Wonderful Wednesday.
See ya tomorrow.
JanBeek
Thank you, Guideposts, for your inspirational daily messages. On this Memorial Day that is so different from those past, I am grateful for the men and women who sacrificed for our freedom.
I am grateful for the freedom to live in this beautiful place in Montana where the robins sing, build their nests, lay their eggs, and feed their babies right outside my dining room window! I’m free to just bee… free to do nothing but sit and watch today… if that’s my choice!
I found this beautiful, stunned bird sitting on the front porch this morning. Is it a wren? It’s really tiny. Even when TazE (our Boston Terrier) went out to sniff at it, it didn’t move. It was free to just bee… bee still for a while. A half hour later, it was recovered – and thankfully flew away. Free to recover. Free to fly.
As I sit here and watch the robins take turns in the nest, I am eternally grateful to those service men and women who gave their lives that I might enjoy the peace I have today. Peace to sit here and marvel at nature. Free to enjoy the peace, and to FaceTime with my daughters across the continent and across the Atlantic.
Peace to watch Bob head off with a neighbor to fish the Madison today.
I hope he is free to catch a big one, like my friend Susan Phillips did this week… and then free to catch and release so someone else can be free to have the thrill of catching this beauty! Our Madison River has a “Catch & Release” policy because the trout all are natives… no “planting” allowed. It’s a world-class fly-fishing mecca!!
What are you free to do today?
Tell me about it.
And what are you most grateful for?
See ya tomorrow.
Have a Meaningful, Peaceful Monday.
Let’s get some fresh air.
Let’s for outside for a walk.
Go enjoy the birds!
Social distancing
Is not for this bird cluster.
They’re ready to sing!
Let’s sing a duet –
Sing with this Loggerhead Shrike.
Harmonize today.
Singing’s not your thing?
How about going out to fish?
The river’s calling!
It’s easy to be
Six feet apart over here.
Come enjoy fishing!
That mountain’s the Sphinx;
It’s a landmark in these parts.
More from Susan’s lens:
Listen to River
Singing its beautiful song.
It’s inviting you!
Let’s get some fresh air.
Go for a walk or go fish.
Let’s be creative.
The clouds threaten snow
In my part of the world now,
But that won’t stop me.
Get some fresh air.
It’s good for your heart and soul.
See you tomorrow!
I appreciate
Good photography by friends
Here are my favorites
Great photography
Inspires me to grab my phone:
Let SnapChat do it!!
Today was a beautiful blue-sky day
to go 4-Wheeling on LUCILLE
(our red-headed ATV who is a BALL)
We drove in our pick-up pulling Lucille on a trailer
to the Macatee Bridge area about 25 miles south of Ennis.
There we met friends, unloaded the ATVs
and headed up into the Gravelly Range
past the Talc Mine.
The day could not have been more beautiful!
We had our bear spray with us.
We were headed to the Cottonwood area
where a couple of hunters
were mauled by Grizzleys last week.
There were 6 guys (That’s Bob on the right)
and 3 of us gals
Yes, when we got up to 8,000 ft. level at the look out,
it was time to bundle up!
I covered my ears,
Barb covered her neck,
and Caroline covered her head and neck!
Barb’s dog, Charley, was not afraid of the cliffs.
Our TazE stuck mostly to the rocky lower levels.
Both dogs enjoyed the freedom to explore.
Our goal was to see the Aspen gold-
Autumn in the Rocky Mountains is a spectacular time of year.
The landscape became more beautiful the farther up we traveled.
This is what we traveled up the Gravelly Range to the Ruby Valley to see!!
When we got up to Monument Ridge at 9,587 feet,
it was gorgeous, but really cold as the wind
came right off the left-over snow
on the higher mountains.
Black Butte had snow tucked in all its crevices.
Caroline bundled up to stay warm.
Coming back down, we made a potty stop and let the pups do a little more roaming.
Barb, Don & Charley were ready to be on our way.
We passed at least two dozen of these harvested tree stacks
on our way to and fro.
The forest service has been very busy
cutting down dead trees and clearing out areas
near the road that might cause a fire hazard.
Besides the gorgeous golden aspen groves,
my other favorite scene is this red barn on the Ruby River.
Isn’t it gorgeous?
We passed some grazing cattle
before following the signs and our friend, Chuck,
who led us back to our vehicles
where we loaded the ATVs and headed home.
See the cool beaver dam we passed on the way down?
Back down in the Madison Valley,
the Madison River,
and the Macatee take-out,
we were ready to return home
and share our great trip with you.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Have a good night.
The End!
See ya tomorrow.
Montana Photography
Those are the Tetons behind the moose.
Enjoy these awesome photos by Scott Wheeler.
He will have a booth at the Madison Valley Arts Festival
in Ennis, Montana on August 10.
His Facebook Page is:
Facebook.com/swheelerphotography
And his website is ScottWheelerGallery.com
This is the Madison River, just a couple miles south of Ennis, Montana. I have the privilege of living in ths world-class fly-fishing area!
South-east of us, the Madison River flows out of Hebgen Lake. The Madison’s origin is the Gibbon and the Firehole Rivers in Yellowstone. Yellowstone National Park is just an hour’s drive from us.
You can see why our Madison Valley is considered part of “Big Sky Country” – the views are magnificent. The sky is uninterrupted.
Thank you, Scott Wheeler, for your fantastic photography.
If you want a copy of his work, my friends,
be sure to come to our Ennis Arts Festival this August 10th.
Look me up! I’ll be there.
Learn more about the Art Festival at our website:
Bob & I don’t see the river from our house, but we look out at Jack Creek Canyon in that magnificent Madison Range. The western sunset reflecting red in the eastern mountains often is part of our night’s “light show.”
These next two photos are mine…
taken a couple weeks ago
when we still had some snow on the ground.
Here is the western view.
Our house is the one tucked in
all those evergreen trees out there…
… and here is the eastern reflection:
Jack Creek Canyon to far left, Fan Mountain straight ahead with God’s spotlight on it!
Yes, we are blessed.
You have a blessed day, my friends.
Happy Friday!
See you tomorrow
What Do You Yearn For?
Today’s letter in the A-Z series
on Finding More Meaning
and Greater Purpose
in Life
is “Y”
The Word is “Yearning”
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com
When you look at this picture, what do you see?
I see more than a dog and a girl and a tall, dark tree –
I see more than a grove and a road to light –
I see something for which I pray each night.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
I see the peace for which I yearn –
the Lord, to whom I turn –
I see a road that lets me in –
And the path where I begin.
In their song, “Somewhere Only We Know,”
the Sons of Serendip sing of this place:
“Why don’t we go somewhere only we know?”
Some of the lyrics say, “I found the earth at my feet…
Walked by a river and it made me complete…
There’s a place we used to love;
Is this the place I’ve been dreaming of?”
I’m dreaming today of that place on earth
Where only peace abides;
Where folks can hear differing opinions
And find no need to take sides.
.
I pray to find at the end of the tunnel
The Love of Christ everywhere on earth,
The peace that passes understanding
That was our gift when Mary gave birth.
.
I yearn to place my feet, my soul
On the spot where only love can grow,
Where labels end and hate is gone,
Where love and compassion are all we show.
In their book, Spiritual Literacy,
Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat
wrote this about Yearning:
“Follow your heart’s boundless desire.
It takes you out of yourself
and fosters an appreciation for
the multidimensional pleasures of life.”
What do YOU yearn for?
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com
See you tomorrow… the Z Day of this series!
C = Connections
In their book, Spiritual Literacy,
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
wrote the following,
“Cultivate the art of making connections.
See how your life is intimately related
to all life on the planet.”
Different Kinds of Connections
The connections we have with our family and friends enrich and add meaning to our lives. For most of us, that’s a given.
But what about random connections?
The poem by John Donne reminds us,
“No man is an island,
“Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own,
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore send not to know
For whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.”
Our lives are richer, fuller, more meaningful when we realize “No man is an island,” and we allow our hearts and our bodies to be touched by the lives of others. Feel the connections!
Feel the Intimacy
All of us are connected, whether we know it or not! We may feel the connections, but do we feel the intimacy?
Gunilla Norris wrote, “This is intimacy: its touch is ever new, revealing the precious moments we have to live and to connect with things. No love is ever lost in this universe.”
Connection with Things
Some people say they have never felt closer to God than in their garden or out in the woods or on a river. They connect to the plants, the trees, the water, the earth… and the intimacy they feel with things fuels a greater love and appreciation of the divine. Out in nature, they are freer to be their true selves.
Are you one of those people?
Connections Make Us Stronger
Like a chain, linked together, we are stronger, more effective, when we are connected.
We can keep evil at bay more convincingly when we are connected. We protect one another.
We can invite more joy and create more good when we are connected.
Today I am volunteering again at the Medical Center. As a “Purple Lady,” I am connected to a group of ladies who “woman the desk” five days a week, greet people who enter the door, and help them feel welcomed and taken care of. Our fund raiser each year (a Home Tour event) raises thousands of dollars. The money is donated to the hospital for needs such as x-ray machines, physical therapy equipment, a crash cart, blanket warmers, etc. Connections make us stronger and more effective… and friendships are formed that enrich our lives immeasurably!
What connections have added meaning and enrichment to your life?
I love water. Do you? Water is a life-giving force; it is the one essential, besides LOVE, that sustains life. Life cannot be sustained without it!
I was in a conversation with a former wrestling student of my husband’s recently and he said he was “Headed back out to sea again. Headed back to Tern and Laysan Islands in the Northern Hawaiian Island chain.” He said, “Hope the seas aren’t as rough this time. I hate paying for meals I can’t keep down…” His image of going to sea was not necessarily a pleasant one. After he returned, he wrote to say he was “back on dry land again.” He lives in the state of Washington. Living here in Montana, I told him he didn’t know what “dry” means. We need rain so badly here! That comment lead to an e-mail exchange of ideas about water. The last of those found our friend writing so poetically that I decided in fact his words are a poem!! I took a few editorial liberties and added a couple of phrases here and there… but mainly, the words below are his! I added a picture of the Gallatin River where my grandchildren and I hiked last summer. Beautiful, powerful water! You never know where your next source of word power will emerge. Read on… and thank you, Peter Martin, for your inspirational message!
The Power of Water
Water is a powerful source of energy.
Whether at the shore or along a river,
it sounds almost mathematical,
and it draws me closer,
nearer to God, my Creator.
I don’t know if it reminds
a person of being in the womb,
or if it is older and much more
in the primal brain centers.
I do know that whether peaceful
or babbling, rumbling or gurgling,
it instantly reminds me of music.
Like bathing the soul in color,
cleansing our senses,
restoring our faith,
giving us strength to continue,
It nurtures our mineral needs
and draws away pain.
Water
is my source of…
How would you complete that sentence?
You, too, are a poet, my friend.
Join your comments to Peter’s and add your word images below.
I’d love to hear from you.
JanBeek ;o)
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
Written
on May 27, 2020