My Favorite Things and a Give Away ~ Jeannie Watt

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This may sound odd, but one of my favorite things is appreciating the place where I live. It’s a rare day when I don’t see something I want to photograph because the colors and light are so wonderful here in southwest Montana.

I think I can find a pot of gold at my neighbor’s house.

Summer has super green greens, and because my favorite color is John Deere green, I’m very appreciative.

Sometimes  I have to wait for the pivot (irrigation system) to move off the electric fence before I can move the cows, so I sit my behind down in the grass and admire the view.

Walking from my house to my mom’s (about a 100 yards) I get to look at this.

And this.

Come autumn, the Sand Hill Cranes start gathering, getting ready to fly south. They are often joined by geese and ducks. The noise is amazing; a real cacophony of squawks and honks. We’ve had close to a thousand birds of various kinds gather in the fields before flying away.

And then when the birds leave, the elk show up, as do the antelope and deer, chowing down on the hay fields during the cold months.

We get some decent snow some years.

And it can get pretty cold.

It was 34 below o when this picture was taken a few weeks ago.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my world. To qualify for the $10 Amazon gift card, tell me your favorite thing about where you live.

All my best,

Jeannie

 

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Jeannie Watt raises cattle in Montana and loves all things western. When she's not writing, Jeannie enjoys sewing, making mosaic mirrors, riding her horses and buying hay. Lots and lots of hay.

92 thoughts on “My Favorite Things and a Give Away ~ Jeannie Watt”

  2. The thing I like best where I live is the wide open space, with not too many people. The people that we do have are good, kind people for the most part, which makes it even better! We get deer, pronghorn, rabbits, and turkeys in town, and there is a whole lot of prairie all around, as well as a very old mountain range close by.

  3. Those photos of the deep snow are beautiful and off-putting (we once got about a 3 foot snowfall in the D.C. suburb of MD where I grew up). More power to you, Jeannie!

  4. I love the time-worn beauty of the majestic Appalachian Mountains. Over the eons, nature has worn away their sharp edges to make a gentler landscape, but they never fail to lift my spirits and make them soar when they come into view. Whether clothed in a blanket of fresh winter snow, the neon green or spring, the lush-emerald tones of summer, or brilliant fall hues, they are a sight to behold.

  5. Howdy Jeannie! I love the water. A good thing too! Being in Florida, we are surrounded by it! We have our springs, rivers, lakes, and beaches. But, I also love our live oak trees. I’ve climbed a many of them! Our sunrises and sunsets are pretty, on the water or in the fields. Our falls aren’t as pretty as in the mountains since most here flock to see the leaves turning. But, they do eventually. You just have to wait till November!
    But, my very favorite time is when the black eyed Susan’s bloom along with the flocks in the ditches of our highways. And I love my blooming plants and flowers in my garden each spring.

    Thanks for the beautiful pictures Jeannie!

  6. We live in a quiet community in WV on 4 1/2 acres. We have a lovely gazebo that I enjoy sitting in throughout all 4 seasons. The wildlife is abundant with birds, squirrels and deer. We even have an occasional fox or groundhog. The beauty of the sunrises are a particular favorite. I enjoy watching the transformation of spring into new life and the brilliant colors of fall. It truly is almost heaven.

  7. gosh this is so stunning, you’re so lucky!! I live in Stratford-upon-Avon and I’ve lived here for five years now and now whenever I come back home on break from college, I’m all the more appreciative. It’s like stepping into my own personal fairytale and I swear I feel like nothing can ever compare. It’s so warm and welcoming over here, and I was guilty of taking it for granted before. Also, the image you took of the Sand Hill Cranes is so gorgeous! I’ve never seen one before! This post was such a calming thing, thank you!

  8. Southwest Montana is such a dream. I can only imagine the amount of inspiration you must have whenever you look at these sights. l’m from Rio de Janeiro and my favorite thing about being here is the sea really. I love looking at the sea from my window and constantly hearing it throughout the day. We’re also almost always standing in sand with waves washing at our feet. I also just read your book “The Montana Bride” at the shore just yesterday<3 We also have the most wonderful community and have get togethers at family clubs weekly. Another favorite thing about Rio is of course the food, the food here is truly divine

    • Thank you for reading my book! 🙂 I would love to hear water all the time and I, too, love the ocean. I can only imagine how fantastic the food must be! Your home sounds wonderful!

  9. I’m close to the beach and to New Orleans. But I’m also up in the country in my own little corner in the woods and no one bothers us here.ive been here 2 years now and no one has ever knocked on my door lol unless it’s my momma and I know she’s coming and that’s only here and there to pick up my kids for the weekend. We love it here.

  10. I wish I lived in the west too, because part of my heart is definitely there. I do love where I live though. I’ve been living alone in Paris since moving here last year after graduating and I adore it so far. I have an apartment and I can see the Eiffel (the size of my thumb haha) from my window’s view which I love. That is definitely my favorite part about living here. I like to sit by the window at nights and listen to an audiobook and daydream or listen to music while the tower lights up every night. It is my favorite part of my day. I also love a lot of cafes over here, and discovering independent local booksellers is another favorite past time. It doesn’t hold a candle to experiencing seasons like you do in Montana though, it’s my dream to visit there someday.

    • My daughter-in-law would be so jealous, Evelyn. She’s visited Paris once and fell in love. I love cities, too. the energy is amazing, but after a few days, I need to retire to the wide open spaces and restore my energy, lol.

  11. We live in hubs (moved and renovated one room school until 1908!) house where he was raised on the family farm. The family has been here close to 200 years!

  13. I live near the Chenango River in upstate New York. In the spring and summer it is lush and green. In the fall, our leaves rival those that people travel miles to see. The winters vary…sometimes we get a lot of snow and other years not so much. I like experiencing all the seasons.

  14. I live in Florida. I love the fact I can walk in almost every day and enjoy God’s creation. Even though I live in the south you can see the difference in the seasons maybe without all the color of the fall but still beautiful in it’s way.

  15. I live in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. My home is up on a hill in the woods and I sit on my deck with my pup, Harley, every day and thank God for my privacy and the beauty of nature he provided all around me. I feed the birds and keep an eye out for the red fox, the black bears, deer and the bobcats, etc., waiting to snap a picture. I truly thank God every day that I’m able to continue to live where I do even after my hubby’s passing.

  16. I was so fortunate to visit Montana and Wyoming about 12 years ago. The beauty is just breathtaking! I am fortunate to live in a prosperous and well managed state, but the scenery can’t compare. So, I appreciate what I have. We do have some interesting old forts and historic sites which I enjoy visiting.

    • History is always a boon. I’ve lived in places that seemed to hide their history, so it’s wonderful that you have sites to visit, Catherine. There’s a lot to be said about “prosperous and well-managed”. 🙂

  17. My favorite thing about where I live is living in the country. The town isn’t that big but I grew up in the country and now live about 10 miles from there but still in the country. I like the quiet, the starry nights, the friendly neighbors (lots of farmers), etc.

  18. I love it when flowers start to grow, but my favorite season for beauty is autumn with the trees turning colors. Only God could paint such a beautiful scene with the blazing oranges, the deep crimsons, the pale to brilliant golds, and the dark purples. All interspersed with the varied greens of evergreens. Gorgeous!

  19. I guess my favorite thing about living in B. G. KY is being just a short trip to Nashville, TN without living in all the hubbub and hurry of a big city. Bowling Green is just right with a population around 70,000. We have the Western KY University which gives us diversity and anything else one could want. Health care and the stores most wanted are here as well. Who could ask for anything more? By the way, we also get a great view of the leaves turning golden and all kinds of yellow in the fall. Just beautiful.

    • That sounds so perfect, Judy! Close enough to get to the city if you need to, but living in a quieter area–with leaves! I’m so fascinated with the turning leaves, coming from a mostly evergreen area.

  21. I live on the same 20 acres where I grew up, and I love that it’s far enough from the city to still be rural (we still live on a dirt road and I hope they never pave it) but close enough that I can get to town in about 10 minutes if I need something quick.

  22. this is truly beautiful and so wonderful that your mom lives so close. I live in Illinois so the winter can be brutal (especially to this CA transplant, LOL) and the summers can be so humid I melt. but my family is here and we have only thought of moving in jest. LOL we are close to many stores so that is a plus, especially now. we are close to many good doctors, so that is a definite plus. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

    • I’ve heard about your winters. Not for sissies, that’s for sure. There is a lot to be said for stores and good medical care, but I understand the melting in humidity.

  24. I live in central Minnesota and love the four seasons. I grow dahlias and so when spring arrives I know that it won’t be long before planting the tubers. The summer brings about so many favorite things to do around the lakes area. Fall is gorgeous here. It is my favorite season. Winter brings its own kind of beauty. Sometimes it seems long. Other times it is serene and peaceful. God is good in all the beauty to behold.

    • I’ve heard nothing but good things about Minnesota–I taught with some lovely people from there who returned as soon as they retired. I love, love, love dahlias. I don’t have much luck growing them here, but there are so pretty!

  25. I live in Charleston, SC and I love the history, the warm weather and the beaches. I want to visit Montana someday.

  26. I guess the most beautiful thing about where I live is that its a small town and has that small town feel, it feel safe and at times boring but there is a sense of community

  27. I live in Southern Arizona and I love the winters when I can wear long pants. We are expecting a high of 68 today. I was born in Sidney, Montana and I still have relatives there and in North Dakota. I tell everyone that I went to college in Flagstaff because it was the closest I could get to Montana weather and still pay in-state tuition!

  28. Continuing the peripatetic lifestyle of my army brat upbringing, I have visited or passed through 48 of the 50 states (and a number of other countries) in my time aboard this globe. I split my time now between the east coast and Arizona (occasionally driving the distance instead of flying. It was a childhood summer when we passed through a corner of Montana, and it blends with Wyoming in my memory. Your fabulous pictures have put it on my “road trip” list. North Dakota (my 49th state) is on this summer’s list.

    • How cool that you’ve visited so many states, Elissa. I bet you made a lot of friends growing up, but I don’t envy you all that moving. I hope you enjoy North Dakota.

  29. I live in eastern North Carolina. I like that we have mountains in the west, beaches in the east and a lot of interesting things to go and see in-between.

  30. We live on the edge of a small town in Laporte County in Indiana. We have fields on the one side and the town on the other side. I love looking out on the countryside.

  31. I am lucky to Iive on a small lake during summer and fall in Wisconsin. I live on a large river / Intercoastal waterway the rest of the year in Florida . I see Beautiful! sunrises and sunsets on the water.

  33. The climate is the best thing about living in the San Diego area. Some people might say living near the ocean but for me that would be second.

  34. The previous owners spent some $ on spring bulbs which we have added to. The display In spring goes on for several weeks…

  36. Hi Jeannie, Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos with us, I love your every season photos, Montana looks like a beautiful state and it sure looks and sounds like it really gets super cold over there. I live in West Texas and what I love about it is that we can enjoy our walks in the morning in part of the desert and we get to see all kinds of creatures , bushes , flowers and cacti on our walks. Once in awhile we will get some snow, but not every year, it can get pretty cold over here though. Have a great day and a great rest of the week. God Bless you and your family.

    • Thank you, Alicia. I love walking in the desert. I’ve heard that it gets pretty cold in West Texas at times, but personally, I like a little bit to the air. 🙂

  37. I live in the suburbs of a big city, so I have the option of quiet living in a small town with big entertainment possibilities a short drive away.

  38. All four seasons are beautiful even though personally I’m not a fan of summer. I really enjoy all the wildlife I see which is mostly deer, chipmunks, squirrels, & all kinds of birds & turkeys, but occasionally we get to see moose, beaver, fox, coyote, fisher, smelled skunk but luckily didn’t see it, & saw bear poop(glad I didn’t see the bear but it was close to the kids playhouse so we were extra watchful for quite a while at that time). We are in the country but also in between two mountains and the views are wonderful.

  39. Yeah the bear poop was a little scary but we have a neighbor who only lives here part time because of how far up the mountain you have to drive to get there so you can’t with the snow at all. He usually just comes in the summer but welcomes people on his property to enjoy sunsets or sunrises and views anytime. He had a bear knocking on his door one night. Now that would be really scary! He told us because he wanted us to be aware when our girls were playing just in case.

  41. Thanks for sharing! It was wonderful seeing the pictures and getting an idea of what the seasons are like in your area. I live in NW Florida so what is really big in our area are our lovely beaches. We don’t have the extreme changes throughout the year that you do but it does allow us to enjoy those beaches more often.

  43. I live in the Midwest and I always enjoy how spring tends to start slowly, then one day the trees just burst out in leaves.

  45. For me it has always been the view of the mountains. We have been lucky enough to live in 3 places with wonderful mountain views. I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of Northern New York. We lived in an 1860’s farm house on top of a hill. Behind us was the mountain ridge and in front of us was the view. From our house we could see across Lake Champlain to the Green Mountains of Vermont, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We could make out the Presidential range in NH and Mt. Washington. We moved to Colorado Springs an d had a perfect view of Pike’s Peak from our back yard and deck. We lived on the last ridge to the east and could see the plains stretch out before us. It was fascinating watching the thunderheads build over the wide open plain. We could also watch the storms build over the Rockies on summer afternoons. We now live in NE TN in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Once again I am in an 1890’s farm house on top of a hill. To the south and west are the Smoky Mountains and immediately to our east are the Blue Ridge Mountains.We are about 10 miles from town with 3 small ridges between here and there. When I come over that last little ridge to our house, the mountains spread out before me. Even after 30+ years, it still gladdens my heart to see them. This time of year the tops of the mountains may have snow or be gorgeous covered in hoar frost. In Spring, I love to see all the different shades of green that appear. By summer it is all a sameness of dark green. There is a river between us and the mountains though we are only less than a mile to the mountains. Our spot on top of a ridge exposes us to wicked winds that blow down the river often reaching over 60 miles per hour. We get beautiful sunrises over the Blue Ridge and spectacular sunsets over the Smokies. We have deer and bear, coyotes and the usual small animals. The mountains on the other side of the river back on National Forest which is a bear preserve. Our daughter has a log house up the side of the mountain and had One huge boar, a smaller male, and 3 females with cubs around her house this summer.

    Thank you for sharing your pictures. We have traveled in that part of the country and love its special beauty.

    • I love mountains, too, Patricia, and have been fortunate enough to always live in an area where I have them! I would feel lost without them and it sounds like you would, too. You paint wonderful pictures of the places you live! Thanks for sharing!

  46. Your pics are beautiful! I love the snow pics, but -34° is a bit much!

    My favorite thing about the area I live in (SWMO) is being close to family. My mom lives here, my husband’s mom & stepdad live here, our son & daughter-in-law live here, our daughter is only a little over three hours away in OK, & we have many friends & extended family close by.
    I also like the fact that we have a very balanced variety of the four seasons.

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