A message in my canyon
Rainbows result from the pain of the rain that came before. Good and beautiful things often follow the darkest storms. The only thing that is separating them is time. The message is resilience and the potential to become a better person.
It’s all his
The pasture, the puddles, the pond. His real domain is loyalty. He sits at attention when I leave, watching me drive away. As if he's telling me to "Have a nice day." When I get home, he is waiting at the gate. Did he hear me on the canyon road? His butt shakes. His...
“Great Reads in Great Places”
To live forever in the Library of Congress. We wanted to tell a good story for Indian Education for All. And to be accepted by Montana's Office of Public Education. We picked the most important event in Crow history with the most important Crow artist. And we placed...
Snow goes.
Birds return. "To everything, there is a season." Welcome buds with sun-daffodil and poppy. Native grass pushes up green through last year's growth. Baby bison, elk, goat, and bear will soon play in the Park. Grab a clean lens, and don't miss it.
Benny on guard
As Spring releases its bounty. A lone coyote tests him. A turkey does not escape his grasp. Nor the rabbit he buries for a later snack. None are far from the post of his domain. Only leaving to make his rounds along the canyon wall. We are his safe...
Spring in Montana
High in the mountains, several feet stopped the world. To some it's a disaster. To others it's a postcard. But we never begrudge moisture as July is coming. May will be mud. June will be blue and green. Always take care of today, in case something good happens...
Daddy and me
Sixty-six years ago. My, he was handsome. So dark that my Montana Indian students asked if he was one of them. But sadly, no, not in our DNA. Many in Oklahoma can claim it. Daddy was mainly Irish and German. I have outlived him. He died when he was sixty-five. Too...
They do their job
When it's minus forty degrees at night, my bed warmers know what to do. Bred to tunnel in after badgers, Dachshund is German and literally means badger dog. We know their true purpose is to tunnel under my covers to keep me warm. Happily, lovingly, even longingly,...
Fly up to sleep, perchance to dream.
Their roost is 40 feet from mine though 60 feet higher. Every evening they bed, no matter the wind and cold, with their heads tucked under their wings. Balancing on their piney perch, many turkeys in many trees - they should topple. Instead, every evening, they return...
He wore a suit and stayed late
I could have talked to him all day. Curious, polite, and happy to meet an author of his new favorite book. I answered every question with the respect it deserved-he deserved. Thank you young man, for restoring my faith in our future.