Fires of Autumn

The fires of autumn burn

In each leaf

Giving its utmost

Before the death of winter.

One last joyous explosion

Of flaming life

Before their souls depart

Scenting the air with the fragrance

Of dying leaves.

Autumn

I really can't get over what a spectacular fall it's been here.  It's almost as if God said, "Alana, I know you don't really want to be here right now, but I'm going to make it so beautiful that it will be almost impossible for you to not enjoy it."  Perhaps a bit fanciful, but that has indeed been the case.  Sunny days, blue skies, yellow leaves, bluish mountains, golden brown fields...

It may not have the reds and oranges that make fall memorable in other places, but it's the most brilliant fall I've seen here for years.  It's made me wish that I were a poet so that I could more fully do justice to the feelings it evokes in me, to be able to describe the crisp, fragrant air, the whiff of cottonwood sap, the scent of gently decaying leaves tantalizing the nostrils.  Unfortunately, since smells and feelings cannot be properly captured, I must content myself with pictures, though these also don't do justice to the season.  

I never get tired of looking out my window to the cottonwoods at the end of our pasture and the Spanish Peaks beyond them.  Sometimes the gold leaves and blue mountains shimmer under the fluffy white clouds that float in a peerless blue sky.  

Sometimes the mountains are shrouded in clouds and snow.

 And sometimes it's a mixture.

Oddly enough, though, that is about as close as the snow has come.  Halloween came and went without a snowstorm or freezing temperatures, a happenstance that is almost unheard of.  The unseasonably warm temperatures even allowed me to take a trip up into the mountains...

...to this waterfall.

 It may not hold the record for "tallest" or "widest" or "most water," but I tend to think it's quite spectacular.

I think the forecast calls for snow soon, though.  I've managed to adjust to autumn fairly well; we'll see how I do with winter!

Around Town

Yesterday I decided to take pictures of barns.  In general, I think barns are pretty cool looking.  Especially the more old-fashioned red ones.  However, there is something espeically spiffy about these barns in fall.  Perhaps it is the way their red color contrasts and compliments the yellow leaves, blue sky, and blue-green mountains around them.  Perhaps they help make up for the lack of red leaves in the area.  At any rate, knowing this beauty was around, just waiting to be captured, I took my camera to a few known barns yesterday.  

This was my first serious stop:

I had driven past it several times in years past, slowly and admiringly, but had never had the time to stop and look properly.  I didn't remember seeing the pond before, so the reflective properties were an unexpected bonus.  

I hadn't put this next building on my planned itinerary, but as it was nearby and picturesque, well, here it is.  More rustic, for sure, but I like rustic. 

Enroute to my next stop, I paused to take pictures of these two barns:

Ah, and then there it was, the last scheduled stop.  A barn that has clearly seen better days, but, still quite picturesque.

As I went around the corner to get a different angle on the barn, I found that I was not the only one who considered it photo-worthy.  Another woman had stopped her car along the side of the road to take pictures.

 

Of course, one cannot spend an afternoon traversing the valley without seeing other strange, unusual, and/or beautiful sights.  

For example, Bozeman seems to boast and unusually large number of man-made ponds, often surrounded by weeds and oddly landscaped trails that are rarely utilized.  Oh well, I guess it's a nice thought.  

Fortunately, many of these ponds have ducks in them.  

Speaking of animal life, it is, of course, impossible to go anywhere without seeing cows.  

 It's been a while since I've wondered around here and the town has changed some, so stumbling across this wall was a sign - I was on the wrong road!  (Well, sort of.  Fun wall, though.)

Yes, that will make an excellent bonfire, and yes, that is a deer head on the fence.  Only in Montana...

Last but not least...

 Since when do apartment buildings come in rainbow colors?!  I can just imagine the conversations:
Child to mother: "But Mooom....I want to live on the BLUE floor!
Or
Woman inhabitant on the phone: "Address?  Yes, that's Building number TYG (for Tan Yellow Green), Apartment number Green-4.  What?  Oh, no, they've decided that colors are much easier to remember than numbers.  Just so many numbers everywhere, darling, it's ghastly.  Just think, we could be building number 274, apartment 14.  How dreadful."

Ok, so really, I like the colors.  I just sometimes have silly flights of fancy.  

Welcome to town!

Longing

"Let not our longing slay our appetite for living." 

~Jim Elliot

That has been the quote on my skype "status" for months now, possibly because I've been too lazy to change it.  More likely, though, I haven't changed it because every time I see it, it still applies.  

It seems that over the course of the last year I have found myself often longing for various things that were out of reach.  They're not bad longings - mostly missing people and places - but I find that I can become so focused on what I'm missing that I forget to enjoy what I have here and now.

So, while I find myself missing JUC (and all that means) almost constantly, I am striving to enjoy what I have here and now.  For example:

The proximity of *real* mountains.

The sights, sounds, and (especially) the smells of autumn.  I wouldn't say that autumn is my favorite season, but it's one of them.  Plus, it's one season that I haven't really experienced for two years, and who knows?  If things go as plan, I may be missing autumn for a while.  I want to enjoy this one.  

The beauty and elegance of Calculus.  Well, the problem below isn't so much beautiful or elegant...but it looks cool, so we left it on the board to impress all the younger students. :)  I know most readers will think I'm crazy, but I really missed the logic and objectivity of math in the past two years.  I love being able to understand things and always get the right answer.  History and geography, fascinating as they are, are much more subjective and open to interpretation.  That can be fun, but some days, well, I just want the certainty and elegance of math.  

Horses on which to gallop across the plains.  Not that we're galloping in this picture...though she would have if  I had let her.  

A chance to reconnect with family...

...and with friends.  And their children.  As a side note, I really missed being around people younger than college-age in Israel, so that aspect has been fun.  

Yarn to play with. :) 

Sunsets to see.

And, of course, the ever popular biodegradable straw.  I mean, really, if you are looking for a reason to visit Montana, there's one, right there.

 
So for now I strive to learn what Paul learned:

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 

~Philippians 4:11b