Underneath that icy cold blanket of frozen whiteness life is waiting patiently to return. It is far more patient than I am. It will come back at exactly the right time, in due time.

First, tiny shoots of green will appear and then a sudden explosion of spring wildflowers will follow. The trees will fill in and the baby deer and elk and moose will be frolicking about in the meadows. The tourists will return and the fly fishermen, too.

I particularly love the fly fishermen (and women).

Every few yards they will be out there in their fly fishing gear, gracefully throwing their lines over the waterways which are empty for now still…

There is something so calming and almost ethereal about watching the local fly fishermen. I could spend hours doing just that, completely mesmerized by their skills. The only thing that captures it is the movie “A River Runs Through It”. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it for the visuals alone. It captures our “backyard” perfectly.

It’s really quite magical here. It’s hard to explain until you’ve been.

It’s just one of many reasons why we endure these long, brutal winters.