Balsamroot and Snow watercolor and pen

Balsamroot and Snow

The balsamroot doesn't wait for permission. It blooms at the base of a weathered fence post while the mountain above is still wearing winter — cold in the morning air, three birds already riding the first thermals of a warming day. This is the Methow in that brief overlap when two seasons share the valley at once, and most people who've spent a spring morning here will know exactly what this light feels like.