My very own Wyoming Painted morning

For some time now, I have been trying to make myself into a "morning person."

For nearly all my life, I have been what is called a "night person" - one of those persons who stays up all hours doing things like watching TV, reading, working on projects, surfing the net and generally, just not getting to bed before midnight.

A few years ago, I discovered how beautiful it could be early in the morning and I now delight in being up at an early hour. And I find that I am getting to bed earlier, so that I can get up.

Let me tell you about a recent morning.

Maybe it was a sudden gust of wind or a deer nibbling in one of Nancy's bird feeders, but something woke me up. For some reason, I climbed out of bed at an early hour this past week and took in the full impact of my surroundings.

Is there anything on earth better than the cool Wyoming air early in the morning?

My shadow loomed out far before me as I wandered around the yard. My other Shadow (our dog) was hot on my heels as we checked things out. Nancy's bird feeders were busy with chattering birds and some had been toppled by squirrels or raccoons.

After pouring myself a hot cup of coffee, the dog and I headed off on a walk.. We moved back to town about two years ago after living out in the Squaw Creek area for 23 years. We live near City Park close to the Popo Agie River. The dog and I took off to check out the flow.

The water level was coming back up. The recent snow had either provided more runoff or some of the irrigation had been shut off upstream, I wasn't sure. But after being about the lowest I had ever seen it, it was now running with a little more authority again.

Watching the river is a great pastime. The ebbs and flows change constantly throughout the year.

Here in October, its noise was just a whisper compared to the roar it had been making back in June. There is a large rock on the other side of the river on Sam and Molly Browall's property that I have been using as a depth gauge. That rock has been under water just once since we lived here, back in June of 1999.

The colors are so vivid at this time of day. These are "Wyoming Painted Mornings" as the golden light of the sun illuminates the mountainsides with alpenglow. You could make out the Bears Ears rock formation that towers over Dickinson Park up there in the mountains. You couldn't help noticing how white the distant mountains still were from the recent early September snowstorm.

We are at the beginning of the autumn season, a time some people dread as they see it as a time of dying and conclusion. I see it just the opposite. It is a time of glory to celebrate the completion of another growing season and a time to reflect on the comings and goings of nature's wonderful gifts to us.

A rooster crowed over on Hillcrest Drive. A few members of Lander's town deer herd were stirring, too. Some dogs over by City Park were barking.

My dog and I spotted just the head of a buck with his antlers above the waves of blowing grass near the river. With the noise of the river and the breeze, he didn't hear or see us approach . When he did, he jumped up and bounded over a fence and was gone. Was he the latest incarnation of Uncle Buck, the huge patriarch of the Lander herd? It was hard to tell for sure, but that rack looked familiar.

As he headed off through the trees Shadow and I headed back toward the house.

As we did, I looked back at my long shadow stretching out behind me and took in all the glorious colors of the fall morning. I called this my very own Wyoming Painted Morning.

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Authorized by William C. Sniffin
Contributions or gifts to Bill Sniffin for Governor 2002 are not tax-deductible.
Bill Sniffin for Governor - P.O. Box 900 ­ Lander, WY 82520 (307) 332-3111, ext. 17