Howdy Beaver
By Alkali Springs Correspondent
Finally, we got some moisture in the beautiful Bear Paws. It snowed about five inches in some of the lower Beaver Creek Park areas and much more in the upper mountains. Not only that, but it was a heavy wet snow that fierce winds could not blow away. It did do some drifting, but for the most part, it was just a wonderful wet spring-like snow. Then the temperatures rose and the snow melted in, creating drinks for trees and grass and animals and the like that had needed moisture for a long, long time.
We had reported some time ago that someone told us the evergreens in the Bear Paws (and most everywhere else in Montana this year) think they are dying of lack of water. That is why they are producing pine cones in huge numbers compared to most years. It is a last gasp to self preserve. And consider that that has been happening for three years to Bear Paw forests. Why, it is a wonder we have any trees left at all.
So if we could get a storm like we had last week once a week for a couple of months, it would be just great. And maybe we will. National Weather Service forecasts are predicting average moisture and below average temperatures for the next three months. We will even take the cold temperatures if we can get some heavy snow drifts this winter.
Some wag told us as we walked down the street in Havre on the morning of the snow that he had not seen snow for so long he had forgotten what it was and thought that the terrorists had found us and were anthraxing us that morning.
We got a couple of other takes on the fly situation this last week. How wonderful to write a fly story that is not on paper covered with fly specks. The cold weather has finally chased the flies away from our house, but as you remember, we had more flies in the house in September than most people have in their houses in their entire lifetimes.
One lady met us at the grocery store and told us what we were doing wrong. She said that when people come to her house and want a fly swatter to dispatch her flies, she doesn't let them touch the flies. She remarked that every time you kill one fly, at least 25 come to the funeral. So it is much better to be stuck with what you have in the fly department, rather than to invite a host of others by killing one.
We were just thinking that one out when another friend came up to us and said he had read that if two flies are left to their natural inclinations and nothing stops their children and children's children and on and on for one year, the world will have some 6 trillion more flies than it did the year before just from those two flies. That was depressing.
We are just happy to be shed of the pesky things for at least a couple of seasons.
