Flowers in pots, on trees, and growing wild.

Howdy Nancy, Jeni and etc.,

I spoke with Mom & Dad last week and they thoroughly enjoyed having the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids visit. They were also enjoying the peace and quiet afterwards. I'm sorry I missed that visit - hoping to be there over Thanksgiving.

I've been busy planting stuff, trying to figure out how to put in a raised bed on slanted ground (the ol' bear will be here next week and he'll do the figuring out I haven't done), and messing about in Billings.

I've planted some of my favorite flowers on the front deck - gerbera daisies;

they are watched over by the blooming horse chestnut.

These blooms are yellow - in Whitefish they were always white. I wonder why?

I've also found some places in town to take walks. Lake Elmo State Park is one (they have a Whale Watching Club policing the area),

and the Zimmerman Trail up on the "rims." The rims are the cliffs cut by the Yellowstone River in ages past, and they rim the north and northeast parts of town.

The meadowlarks were singing away at the top of the park, by the trailhead. As I went down and walked among the rocks, I heard and saw other birds, and saw lots of flowers. The only one I recognize is blue flax - but I've never seen it such a deep blue.

On the way out I saw this sign again -

I'd completely forgotten about watching for rattlesnakes while I wandered. I'm glad I was wearing boots!

And here are two pictures just for Jim: Dehler Park (where the Billings Mustangs play)

and the newspaper section of Parmly Billings Library,

including but not limited to the Star-Tribune, Wall Street Journal, the Denver Post, the Salt Lake City whatever-it-is, and assorted Montana dailies and weeklies. Oddly enough, there are no New York Times or San Francisco Chronicle. Is the library too conservative for those papers? Hmmm. But - you can bring a cup of coffee with you if it has a lid on it.