Winter on the Montana Homestead

I can still remember the first winter I spent in Montana over 15 years ago. I was amazed that there was so much blue sky during the winter even when the temperatures were bitterly cold outside. Having grown up in the country on the east coast, I was not inexperienced with cold winters. But the east coast winters I remember from my childhood were always gray, dreary and depressing. 

We still have some gray, dreary winter days here in Montana but we are blessed with quite a few beautiful blue sky days too. There’s something about the bright sun shining down and the wide blue sky above that makes the cold Montana winter days bearable. Even enjoyable. In the last few weeks we had some bitterly cold subzero temperatures but it was gorgeous outside.  Here’s the view from inside our house when it was -17 degrees outside. Bitterly cold but simply beautiful. 

We had quite a bit of snow fall over the last few weeks. I’m always grateful for all the snow we receive in the winter even if it means our drive into town is a bit treacherous at times. The greater the snow pack in the high elevations of the mountains,  the lower the forest fire risk over the summer due to dry conditions.  Here’s the view from my office window where I have my sewing machines set up to create for our Etsy shop. During the cold snap, we had quite a few birds braving the cold to visit our bird feeder. 

 My flower gardens outside are buried in snow. I can’t wait until spring when the green of new growth starts to poke up through the ground. Not one to let my green thumb skills rest all winter, I tend a plethora of indoor houseplants year round. I have several plants that were started with clippings my mom gave me from her plants. A couple of those clipplings actually heir from plants my great grandmothers grew. Each generation has passed plant clippings on to the next and we continue to nurture these plants from one generation to the next.

The bright spot in my indoor houseplants are the African Violets that heir from one of my great grandmothers. They love  the north facing window in our living room. These beautiful plants have been blooming all winter long. 

 Winter on the Montana homestead can be bitterly cold and covered in ice and snow. Luckily there is a lot of beauty to be found indoors and out to make the long, cold winters bearable! 

What has the weather been like  in your neck of the woods?