Last night our local temperatures sunk to
twenty nine BELOW zero Fahrenheit. Yes
you read correctly. Such a downward turn
didn't take any of us by surprise. Mostly
because for more than a week the mercury
is forecast to dip deep down every evening.
Requiring even the hardiest of Montanans
to chill in ways they never thought were
possible. From flooding to frosts to forest
fires to hail to drought to frozen tundra our
surrounding terrain is often under siege.
And yet most locals seem to thrive within
a context of ever changing extremes.
Cozy in our central heating, one wonders how
homesteaders survived such Montana winters.
Many were city slickers in search of a dream.
Hence the lure of free land wooed them to a
place far beyond their comfort zone. One has
heard of snowbound innocents starving or
freezing to death due to a lack of kindling
or sustenance. However I can't help but think
that the loneliness and isolation of this wild
terrain must have been their greatest threat.
Ultimately many simply gave up and went
back home. Only the bravest and toughest
hung on. As their descendants do so today.
To be a rancher requires perseverance,
patience, and pluck. One must be able
to gamble everything against nature's
whim. Hence most successful farmers
in these here parts are rather reticent.
Especially when it comes to change.
During the winter months they've no
choice but to sit back and relax. But
all too soon spring will arrive and once
again they'll have to literally dig in. For
those with a herd of cattle, the task of
protecting their bovine bounty requires
keeping watch - 24/7 - all year long.
It's not as bad as it could be. Manhattan can
feel much worse in the mid thirties. Given
the wind and dampness make that moderate
temperature bone chilling. Laugh if you will
but there truly is actually something better
about our western exposure. And that is our
lack of humidity. Upon returning back to
Lewistown I was amazed at how lovely the
weather was. It wasn't until I got into my
Jeep that I realized it was actually only five
five degrees. Yet somehow it felt nicer than
the deep chill I'd just left out east. Proving
once again that way out west is best!
the wind and dampness make that moderate
temperature bone chilling. Laugh if you will
but there truly is actually something better
about our western exposure. And that is our
lack of humidity. Upon returning back to
Lewistown I was amazed at how lovely the
weather was. It wasn't until I got into my
Jeep that I realized it was actually only five
five degrees. Yet somehow it felt nicer than
the deep chill I'd just left out east. Proving
once again that way out west is best!
