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I inherited my mother’s love of rabbits.

This might have contributed to the book Watership Down being one of my all time favorite books.  I’ve read it so many times and each time I turn the last page I begin to deeply miss the community of rabbits the book creates.  I now see a rabbit in the evening and think, “I wonder if it is out for ‘Silflay’?” On the ranch north of town and also when I lived in the mountains on the guest ranch, we would see snowshoe hares who are spectacular in their own large and lope-y way with those big feet.  There was a sweet small bunny who lived under the old house where I live now, but I haven’t seen it since my cat Reggi arrived on the scene.  It is a loss for sure, I miss it.

These photos were taken when I lived on Otter Creek Road on the cattle ranch.  I spotted this little one sitting quiet and still.   The glow of the sunlight on his ears made my heart warm right up.  Something about bunnies.

I could have reduced the size of the above photo, but I just didn’t want to – it gives you an idea of the expanse of the sky here.  Breathe it in.  Look as if you are standing right there in the glow of the setting sun.  Smell the sage brush and hear the calls of the Western Meadowlark.  Montana is to be experienced with the senses as much as with the eye.

If we dive deep enough into ourselves, we will find the one thread of universal love that ties all beings together.

— Mata Amritanandamayi

Optimism is a daily spiritual practice.  And when we do it, we can transform the world.

                                                                        –Shawn Achor

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Beginning in April or May Morel hunters in Montana have a variety of signs they watch closely for to signal that these tasty fungi are growing:  Has there been enough rain, followed by a few warm days? Are the ruffed grouse drumming their wings?  I’ve heard it called, “A Montana right of Spring.” Novices bring plastic bags on their hunt, seasoned lookers bring paper bags.

I have looked three different years in Spring, and to date have only found ONE mushroom when looking along Cottonwoods by the Boulder River on a friend’s property.  That one mushroom was a happy victory!  One year we went to an area that had burned the year before – there is a species of Morel that loves burnt soil.  Last year I looked a few different days along the river near where I live.  Nothing!  I found other mushrooms but not the elusive Morel. 

The top photo was a gift from a friend – sauteed in butter and mixed with pasta – indescribable!  This Spring has been cold.  But today as the rain falls steadily, and I see in the forecast several warm sunny days, I think I’ll take a stroll near the river to look once again.  It’s such a fun treasure hunt!  And if I find any, I may share some but you know, the location of the find is kept under lock and key :o).

Live to the point of tears.

–Camus

NOTE: I’ve been collecting excerpts from the Big Timber Pioneer’s “On the Record” for several years. Each Sheriff’s Report post consists of a few of these which tickle my funny bone at the time of writing the post.

These are priceless!  The potential for mistaken identies – was it something, “fuzzy” or was it a mountain lion?  A fight or a conversation at the gas station?  But a naked stranger passed out on the back patio is hard to misinterpret! And animals – there are always animals…

From 6/16/16 Pioneer

• A caller reported a male with a backpack was trying to speak with a female in a grey van at a local gas station. The female was telling the male to get away and he would not leave. The undersheriff responded to the scene and reported it was just a grandmother and her grandson talking.
• An employee at a McLeod Street bar reported a male was naked and asleep on their back patio. A deputy responded to the scene.
• A caller reported he was getting gas when he saw a mountain lion pass over the road, jump a guardrail and enter a field near the Town Pump. The cashier at the business indicated he saw something fuzzy, but did not believe it was a mountain lion.
• A caller reported horses walking down Busha Street. The owner was contacted and got the animals back in.
• A cow was reported on Hwy 10 East near mile marker two. The undersheriff responded and reported the animal was back in.
• Sheep were reported out on Main Boulder Rd. A possible owner was contacted and stated they would get the animals back in.

It’s a happy day when the mama sheep and lambs arrive in the pasture next to the house!  The sheep winter at a ranch miles away on the Yellowstone River, and the owners of the flock bring them back to the Boulder River area in the Spring.  My neighborhood happily just got a lot bigger and the sweet cries of baby lambs float by in the air each day.

During my time at the Old Red River House, various animals have camped out for a time – a stray black cat for a winter, a fox for about 6 weeks, a family of skunks that lived under the abandoned house, and a little rabbit I was very fond of.  And there was this quiet fawn, seemingly on his own in the world.  It was inevitable that one day I would look outside and he would be gone, but I was still sad.

Look past our thoughts so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment.

–Rumi

Last year when Reggi had his first look at the bulls in the pasture next to the house.  He was so curious!  He hopped into their pasture more than once, walking around and trying to figure them out.  They seemed just as curious.

Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.

–Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati