Watching It Snow

© 2015 Penny Hall 

© 2015 Penny Hall 

© 2015 Penny Hall 

This morning I woke to what looks like six inches of snow.  It is in the 20's.  The weather reports predict snow through Tuesday morning could reach as much as one foot.

Then, an arctic blast is expected to follow dropping temps into the single digits.

I am working from home today.  I fed the birds and cleared the side walk.  Later I will clear off the car.  I planned to take a walk but the wind kicked up so I think I will wait until it is a bit calmer.

Wonder if this means we will have a white Christmas?

Visiting the Neighbors

©2015 Ken W. Hall

Time seems to be passing faster than I can remember.  Thanksgiving was very cold.  The day before, the day of, and for a few days after it was below zero at dawn.

Today the wind is so strong I could barely open my car door at lunch.  It is cloudy now and looks like snow is falling on the mountains.  

I am glad it is warmer.  The snow that fell before and during Thanksgiving is almost gone here in town.  It is in the high thirties but the wind makes it feel colder.

Ken sent me the above image.  He took it on his walk this morning.  The deer are plentiful in town this year.  These were passing through our street making their daily rounds.

First Snow Removal Day

© 2015 Penny Hall

I woke up to a big surprise this morning.  Looking at the pots in my front yard we must have gotten five to six inches of snow.

It snowed Tuesday and Wednesday, especially in Bozeman but the temps hovered around thirty degrees.  It was in the twenties yesterday morning and twenty this morning.

This is that beautiful light, fluffy, snow.  I took the photo from my office this morning at 8:45 AM.  Now the sun is peeking out.  I am sure the icy roads will be melting quickly.

This was our first snow removal day of the year.  Things were so calm and quiet as I removed the snow from the car and sidewalks.

When I drove through downtown Ennis shop owners were out clearing the sidewalks.

Winter was slower arriving. I wonder what it will be like this year?

Rush Hour in Ennis Montana

© Ken W. Hall

© Ken W. Hall

"Yesterday, Friday September 18, 2015 a family of moose, including the bull, the cow and the baby, blessed us with their presence, and I might add 'What a presence it was.

I spent nearly an hour observing them all and the places where each fit into the family. I wonder…if I had in my past known where I fit in my family how would my life been different? What really matters now is how I fit into my own life."

                                                                                                  - Ken W. Hall

Friday afternoon a friend called to alert me that a family of moose were in town. It is rare to see a bull, cow and salt all in one location. I called Ken and off he went.  Of the 300 images he took he was kind enough to share these with me to share with you.  

After several rainy days the sunshine was a welcome sight and made his photography easier.  As you can tell the rain brought the first significant snow fall to the mountains.  Temps in the mornings have been in the high thirties and daytime temps in the fifty to sixty degree range.  I do love the fall weather and visits from your animal kingdom.

The Sky Is On Fire

© 2015 Ken W. Hall

On the morning of August 21, 2015 the sun rose as usual and at the appropriate hour. Looking east from Ennis toward the Madison Range I could do nothing but stare and wonder at the majesty of the new day, and whatever it would lay gently in our laps.  It beckoned that I should share its arrival and message.

"Upon its rise into the new day it did it did not being the fire smoke, it merely brought it to our attention.

What a reality to see and not be able to deny the reality and severity of the circumstances. It is now that we must awaken our awareness of those in Harm's way in the fire stricken communities and surrounding areas. The storms are fierce but the power and result of our prayers can alter and often eleviate the heat, no matter the circumstance."

We must pray well and with sincerity and we must pray often. Our brothers and sisters are asking for our participation.

                                                --- Ken Hall

The image above is the color of the sun when blocked by smoke. This morning dawned with a thirty-five degree temperature due to a cold front that moved in yesterday.  We still cannot see the mountains for the smoke but it is a little clearer today due to the lack of wind.  It is a brief reprieve.  

Smokey Times

© 2015 Ken W. Hall

© 2015 Ken W. Hall

"Smoke from the forest fires billowing from the west coast and nearby Montana locations shrouded the clear and sunny skies. Smoke could be tasted and smelled.

  To be deterred by nothing Mother Doe and her twins visited quietly and with intent of breakfast. They, in unison, browsed by the creek, along its very banks. It was early morning and the light was perfect. Colors were soft and saturated. This made it easy to see the 'wardrobe' change being facilitated by the Great Designer. The summer red coats, holding on for their very existence while revealing the tattered spots of the twins. The life for the twins seemed to have come at a very late date. I think it was in June or July which when compared to other fawns we observed was later than what I would call normal.

Shortly after the dining table image the twins felt a very synchronous burst of energy…a game of tag was in order. I can attest that when fawns play tag it is at an extremely accelerated rate of speed, a speed in fact when coupled with the soft morning light said, "No stop action images for these two, at least not now." The images painted to my memory are indelible, vivid and real. The only way I know to share is for you to tap into my dreamtime and summons the recall of bullet fast twins literally running circles around our property at what was at my best guess twenty plus miles an hour. The two laps they completed were in some circles epic. Within me, they were divine and sacred. Mother Doe blessed us with memories very selectively and with great sanctity and purity. Church today was a blessing."

-Ken W. Hall

© Ken W. Hall

All Rights Reserved 2015

The smoke is unhealthy today due to so many fires not only in Montana but surrounding states.  The wind shifted today and blew in way more smoke.  It has been smokey for almost a week now but today was the worst.

The sun this morning was blood red through the smoke.  Temperatures are in the forties in the mornings and range from highs in the 60's to low 80's.

Neighbors and Their Babies

 © 2015, Ken W. Hall   "Elder Training…the only way to really teach is to share what you know from your heart and trust that the student will receive what they require for their life to come."

  © 2015, Ken W. Hall  "New Life is a dance with silent music, music heard only by the Soul. "I am ready for my close up Mr. Demile!"

      © 2015, Ken W. Hall    "I want my dinner and I want it now, none of that instant stuff!"

Ken has been busy lately capturing parenting behaviors among our animal neighbors and friends.  They are so much fun to watch.

Our 4th of July parade and pot luck at our house afterward was great fun.  It is sort of the official kick off of summer.  Hundreds of visitors defend on Ennis for that weekend.

We had several days of temperatures reaching into the 90s.  Now it has been in the 80s again.  Yesterday and today we experienced afternoon showers that were short lived but brought wind and cooled things down.

Summer is in full swing.  I love the energy of summer.  New life, new growth, flowers and growth.

The Power of Water and Stone

©2015 Ken W. Hall

©2015 Ken W. Hall

©2015 Ken W. Hall

©2015 Ken W. Hall

We marveled last sunday at the power, sound and fury of the Madison River water flowing from the dam at bear trap canyon.  Ken said it was the first time he had ever seen all the gates open at the same time.

I love sitting on large boulders especially when they are surrounded by rushing water.  Like a magnet I moved swiftly to a great spot that put me in the energy of the moving water while sitting comfortably on a solid rock that would not move.

The sound of the waves was so loud that is all you could hear.  I sat for a long time as Ken captured image after image of anything that caught his eye.

The weather began to get warmer and the sun began to shine more last weekend.  Temperatures this week reached as high as the low eighties.  Today the high is expected to be sixty-nine.

We will play in the dirt and plant the flowers we found this week.  I am loving being outdoors feeling the warmth of the sun.

Mother's Day in Yellowstone National Park

©2015 Ken W. Hall

Yesterday I went with Ken to Yellowstone.  It was a breezy day in the forties.  We waited more than thirty minutes in line just to get in the gate.

Once inside it was smooth sailing except for times when traffic stopped to view wildlife.  We saw elk, buffalo, ducks, eagles, osprey.

We visited the artists paint pots which was a fun walk and gave Ken lots of new material for his abstract photography.  I am looking forward to seeing what he does with them.

In the meantime the buffalo photo above will have to do.

We woke to twenty-two degrees this morning.  It is cloudy and expected to rain but the high was in the high fifties maybe low sixties.  Temperatures are still below normal for this time of year.

Encounter with a Chukar

©2915 Ken W. Hall

We live in a very small world that is soooo big, right!

"With a native homeland in southern Eurasia, the Chukar was introduced into the United States from Pakistan to be a game bird. It lives in arid, rocky terrain across the western United States and southern Canada."

Makes you wonder what bus my fine feathered friend arrived on in Ennis, Montana…even more curious where did it get on that bus!

I spent over 1/2 an hour with my new friend in my back yard. Most of the time we were face to beak at a distance of 20 feet or less. It came dressed in a classy designer suit while my designer attire was sweat pants and my Nike running shoes. However, the shoes were white so that has to count for some points don't you think?

                                                             -- Ken W. Hall

Last week we had six inches of snow and a blizzard. The last three days have been calm and warming to the mid to upper sixties from mornings in the thirties.  More rain and cooler temps are expected tomorrow and throughout the weekend.

Easter Morning in Ennis

Easter Sunday was my first morning home after being gone several days for the passing of my mother from this world.  I was greeted with a gentle and beautiful snow fall.

It fell softly off and on all day and only a few rem ants remained this morning.  It has was in the low thirties yesterday and today and inched up into the forties.

Our bird feeder is constantly full this time of year as the birds migrate to their summer destinations.  I saw my first gold fence of the season.  The doves were plentiful along with chickadees, starlings, fences, crows, magpies and more.

I am grateful for the moisture that is needed for us this spring since we had a rather dry winter.  I thinkI will go visit the river today even if it is cloudy and wet outside.

Morning Magic on Ennis Lake

©2015 Ken W. Hall

©2015 Ken W. Hall

©2015 Ken W. Hall

©2015 Ken W. Hall

If you look closely at the next to the last image you will see a sea of white.  That is what looks like a thousand migrating tundra swans.

Ken discovered them this morning on his early morning trip to bear trap canyon via Ennis Lake.  He was greeted by geese, deer and mallard ducks as well as the swans.

It was a memorable morning.  The temperature at the time was in the twenties.  Now it is in the fifties with sunshine and a breeze.

I am loving this spring time weather.  It is supposed to be this way all week.  Wish you were here to share it.

Morning Visitor

©2015 Ken W. Hall

©2015 Ken W. Hall

"A temperature hovering near 0 degrees heightens the morning senses of a young mule deer doe, an animal that listens into the 'the silence' and is gifted with abundance. She had, along with two other does, bedded down for last night under a increasingly stunning moon approaching full phase. Their beds, body imprints holding the stories told by the stars, lay just outside a six foot plus wire fence near the feeder, a fence that is a mere focused thought and springs from nimble legs away from breakfast as humans know it.

The feeder tube holds approximately a quart of sunflower seeds and we now have a approximate time that is required, with calculated moments of surveillance for intruders, to leisurely consume this moment the abundance. The meal spanned in human time about thirty minutes, thirty minutes that satisfied her needs of the moment and with great stealth and totally unseen by the her intruder with the camera she was nothing more than the mirage of the mind.

Was I truly present at this event? Was there in truth really a deer? Was the surreal experience a dance of trickery? The camera has its truth of the dance but only you know if it was true for you. 

– Ken W. Hall

Winter weather is back with temperatures below normal for this time of year. The coming week it expected to snow and drop below zero and in the single digits at night and warm to the teens and twenties during the day.  Recently it dipped to six degrees below zero and put a halt to all the green grass, irises and buds that were beginning to appear.

Penny

Is It Really February?

© 2015 Ken W. Hall

© 2015 Ken W. Hall

When I returned to Ennis I was surprised to find things so different for this time of year.  I wanted to connect with the Madison River and figured I would have to go to Lions Park since my favorite campground is usually closed due to gorging and ice.

To my surprise the campground was open and access to the river was easy.  There were a few puddles of melted snow on the road in and out but that was about it.  The river was flowing free of ice.

The local news reported that the Bozeman Golf Course opened two months early because the conditions are more like spring than winter.

Ken wanted to take a drive around Ennis Lake yesterday.  Ice fishing appears to be over since the only ice on the lake is slush.  Large portions of the water are completely clear.

We drove into Bear Trap Canyon and on the way out Ken stopped to admire this magnificent eagle.  He put on quite a show for us.

The temperatures have been in the thirties and forties at night and in the forties and fifties during the day.  Yesterday it was fifty-seven degrees, sunny and breezy.

Is it reality February in Ennis?

January Sunrise in Ennis

I sat reverently, my mind submerged into the aroma and taste of my coffee. The blinds were still drawn and the cat was not  melded into my lap and there was no voice around me, only the silence. In that moment I was silently summonsed to the window to raise the blinds. Then it was there…God's painting for the morning. I offered thanks for the call and preserved it as best I could with camera and pixels.

All the previous sunrise melodies that I had heard from previous scores from the Master were instantly echoing in my minds eye and the path to my heart was illuminated ever brighter, emblazoned with molten light.

                                                                                                                        --    Ken W. Hall

It is expected to reach record highs this week with temps in the fifties.  

Snow Heart

©2015 Ken W. Hall

Snow Heart

Today I heard God's voice, it spoke to me in a dialect I could clearly understand and only I could hear. So personal and just what my Soul wanted. Today I longed for the memory of my connection with God. Must be true this “Ask And You Shall Receive”.

- Ken W. Hall

I just received this image from Ken and thought you might enjoy it.  Looks like it will be in the high forties today in Ennis with some clouds.  Tomorrow and Tuesday it is expected to reach up into the fifties with lots of sunshine. 

                                                                          - Penny Hall

Fire Burns Sportsman's Lodge

© 2015 Ken W. Hall

© 2015 Ken W. Hall

I learned from friends in Ennis that the Sportsman's Lodge burned early this morning.  Thankfully no one was harmed.

When I talked to Ken he said he heard the fire trucks last night.  Later today he captured these images.

Temperatures remain in the twenties at night and thirties during the day.

Leaving Montana

©2015 Penny Hall

It was ten degrees and snowing when I left Montana this morning.  It was predicted to be below zero so we were pleased to wake up to a warmer temperature.

The roads were clear due to the warm in temps the past couple of days to the forties which melted the ice.

I am heading to Arkansas to spend time with family.  Ken is at home doing some fabulous work with his photography.  I marvel at his talent, passion and drive.

I will try to keep you posted of happenings in Ennis via Ken until I return.