PORCH PONDERINGS

A Storm of Hoppers

It's raining right now as I sit on the porch. We called it quits at the museum half an hour early. We got skunked today, no visitors. That happens. The governor announced that mandate the other day so now everyone is again worried, upset, calling for his head, calling for everyone to wear a mask all the time, canceling all plans for the rest of eternity.

A friend of mine swears she will not shop in Montana any more, she will drive to Wyoming. ????? What? Drive two hours to shop for groceries? Shop local. Shop online, wear the blasted mask and drive for an hour to Billings. Swallow your pride and wear the mask. And yes, the government can tell you what to do, dear heart. Ah, we shall see, we shall see.

The leader of a writing group I was a part of told us today she was disbanding the group. I am copying her email comment to the group:Please note that the Writing Practice group will not be meeting in the foreseeable future. A worsening pandemic, mask-wearing (inside), and now higher temperatures (outside) have been/are problems that seem difficult to overcome. Or maybe the group has seen better days. So I responded, higher temperatures outside, if we chose to meet in a park, are not a problem, we meet in the morning. Mask wearing is not required where we meet, in a bank, and some don't want to wear a mask if not required, that would be me. Oh and she is the one that said she was going to 'hunker in her bunker' for two weeks after the 4th of July, since our town had a rodeo and lots of strangers would bring illness, they didn't. And it's 'mask it or casket' for everyone. I happen to like those two catch phrases and somehow plan to use them in my writing. They amuse me. The illness doesn't amuse me, and it's serious business, but it isn't a part of my life at this point. I'm not letting it rule my life. I'm living life, not letting anxiety and worry rule it.

Okay, on to better things. Well, maybe not. Grasshoppers are on the rise. Literally hopping all over. The house to the north of us, right next door, has been sold, many months ago. For some reason it still sits empty. And now for some reason the lawn hasn't been mowed for weeks. There's a real jungle there. And grasshoppers are everywhere now, coming from that yard, I'm certain of it. If I wasn't worried my mower would die, I'd mow the foot tall grass. But every day I pray the owners will show up. They had grand plans back in the winter of redoing this grand old place, gutting the inside, restoring it and all. Yeah, well it still sits. Lonely and abandoned. Except for the grasshoppers.

Thursday we went to Billings for shopping and dental appointments. Always fun to get up at the butt-crack of dawn and get on the road for a day-long shopping trip. Ugh. And everywhere we went, masks were required. Hubby got chastised in the food store. 'It won't do any good if it's not over your nose!' Well, alrighty then. He pulled his mask up like a good soldier. But the most irritating thing was Walmart. We knew the mask rule at Walmart was to take effect on the 20th, but then the governor of Montana said the 15th, so fine. But then at the Walmart we go to upped the ante. They closed down the entrances to only one in and out. Really? So you think you have a great parking spot near the entrance, only to find it all blocked and locked and have to walk down to the other one. We really hate that store anyway, and try not to go there, but every now and then you have to go there for that one certain thing.

We did pick up some wood for baseboards and such yesterday. More pieces of the puzzle that is our remodeling project. Now they have to be cut to the size needed and stained. Then our friend can come in and get more work done on our room. It's slowly coming together.

So now the thunder storm is passing to the north. The sun is back out, the wind is gently blowing. Maybe a nice night ahead! We love Montana!




Queen Norma Jean