I'm not sure you can put enough "r"s in the word "Brrr" to fully capture last weekend in northwest Montana. It was fascinating to watch the temperature go lower and lower.

Saturday morning, as the thermometer was hovering at -21, I was one of the only people venturing out. I wanted to make sure the office was toasty and delivered water and heaters to some friends whose pipes had frozen. There were not many people out and about.

I worry about the animals in the cold — the wildlife and the farm animals and stray dogs and cats. They were all hunkered down for the bitter cold. A friend's chickens were huddled up and not moving very much. My trusty pup Walter was quick to "do his business" and scurry back into the house.

After helping friends Saturday morning, with my car finally fully defrosted and cozy, I made a couple stops to just admire what the cold had done with our landscape. The pinks and blues of the sunrise were breathtaking over Flat Iron Ridge. The steam rising from the open pockets of the reservoir in Thompson Falls were fascinating to watch. I took time to see how the ice formed as the water froze over. I captured some really great photos, and then hurried back into my car.

This winter blast put a damper on a lot of activities. School was canceled and athletic events had to be rescheduled. Businesses were closed and cars wouldn't start. But there was beauty in the storm. And as I sit here Monday morning in what is hopefully the last of the subzero temperatures watching people bundled up on the street, I'm once again thankful for all the seasons Montana has to offer.

— Annie Wooden