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Wednesday, Apr. 24, 2024

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PORCH PONDERINGS

by QueenNormaJeanGreeneggs&vegham

Rated: 13+ · Book · Biographical · #2198921

Norma's Wanderings around a small section of Montana

Well, hey there!
Welcome to Roundup, Montana! If it's a nice day, we'll sit a spell on my porch and talk awhile.

"All the resources we need are in the mind.” Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th President of the United States of America.

Another quote I find interesting: "Creativity is intelligence having fun." Albert Einstein

What's on your mind today?

Signature for use by anyone nominated for a Quill Award in 2020

Signature for nominees of the 2019 Quill Awards

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Kåre Enga in Udon Thani

Apr 20, 2024 at 11:50am
In response to "Drama"

I should be in Missoula May 1st. Chance of 20° or 70° ... sun, rain, snow, tornadoes, earthquake, Yellowstone blowing up?

Elycia Lee ☮

Apr 20, 2024 at 11:02am
In response to "Drama"

I never overwater them, but I think I'm underwatering them. The leaves are curling. When I put them out, their leaves burn. When I wipe them, lines appear on them... I really wanna start over, but I don't know how to... My rubber plants bottom stem leaves have dropped. Only the top is growing. For one of them, their baby leaf hasn't been growing for over 6 months now... Sounds like you've got quite the green finger there.

QueenNormaJeanGreeneggs&vegham

Apr 20, 2024 at 11:00am
In response to "Drama"

QPdoll

It was good to be out and work in the garden. We were both tired after, but that's okay. Digging in dirt always helps. There is always dirt in our lives. We have to dig up through it to get to the shining world on the other side.

1 Like

QueenNormaJeanGreeneggs&vegham

Apr 20, 2024 at 10:57am
In response to "Drama"

Elycia Lee ☮

Well, if your rubber plants aren't doing well, try dusting them. Prune them. Don't overwater. I always am cutting back things. Makes people nuts. But sometimes you have to cut back the dead to to get to the living. A metaphor for lots of things in our lives.

1 Like

QPdoll

Apr 20, 2024 at 10:47am
In response to "Drama"

Drama, indeed! Glad you were able to take some stress relief time.

Elycia Lee ☮

Apr 20, 2024 at 10:44am
In response to "Drama"

I'm actually jealous that your fallback plan to stress-relief is gardening.

Can you infect some to me? Currently, all I have is an iron plant and two rubber plants. My rubber plants are not doing well. Your job does sound interesting.

1 Like

Elycia Lee ☮

Apr 11, 2024 at 5:36am
In response to "Test Results"

EMG sounds horrible. Get well soon. Hope this phase in life would pass and that you would have that quiet period that you yearn for.

1 Like

Schnujo is Late to Lannister

Apr 11, 2024 at 3:30am
In response to "Test Results"

Wow! You do have a lot going on, but I'm glad you're trying to make the best decisions you can for yourself.

I had an EMG once. Yeah, not a pleasant experience and mine yielded no new info, so that was even worse -- it was all for nothing.

I hope things improve soon! Take care of yourself!

1 Like

Kåre Enga in Udon Thani

Apr 7, 2024 at 11:09am
In response to "News from Roundup "

Is the EMG like acupuncture? I have neuropathy (self-diagnosed) in both feet. When I get back I want some advice from a doctor. I don't know whether an EMG would work but my ability to flex my toes and foot may be a starting point.

Pan wants to see snow. But... this isn't the proper season! Why he didn't mention this in December or January... Snow is fickle. Remember the Great Lakes? Can you imagine a walk with big flakes, through a foot or two of fresh fall, slugging through slush, negotiating ice, below zero and sparkling crystals, a blizzard!

I may be back in early May. If I lived anywhere near Roundup we could go somewhere for coffee. That's what I really miss in my life.

Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT

Feb 28, 2024 at 9:32am
In response to "Free for works for me"

Clark Gable was sure swoon worthy.

October 31, 2020 at 2:54am

#997226

The Sloth

So I found a graphic about the sloth at the Billings Zoo. Fun. Just had to share it with you.

Things are fine here. There was a news story on NBC about the virus in Billings - it showed St. Vincent hospital. That is my go-to place for healthcare that can't be treated here in Roundup. I love that place. It has taken good care of me these last several years. NBC did a good job talking about the COVID surge here in the rural parts of Montana. It's not good, people. And it probably won't be good for some time.

I think a visit to the zoo to see the sloth would be a fun get away.

1 Like • Comment • View 1 comment

October 30, 2020 at 12:50am

#997137

She wore a yellow ribbon after I made an apple pie

I just got through watching 'She Wore A Yellow Ribbon' a movie by John Ford starring John Wayne. Great stuff. The usual cowboys vs Indians. The calvary riding through Utah's Monument Valley during a thunderstorm. A real thunderstorm with real actors on real horses. No computer animation. Good stuff. I love the old movies on TCM.

So on the OctoPrep forum there is a discussion about finding your brand. What a brand John Ford as director had. He was a famous director. 'Grapes of Wrath', 'Stagecoach', 'Fort Apache' were just some of the Westerns. He liked to use John Wayne in quite a few of his films. He liked the idea of long shots, outside on location.

Per Wikipedia:
Ford's films, particularly the Westerns, express a deep aesthetic sensibility for the American past and the spirit of the frontier ... his compositions have a classic strength in which masses of people and their natural surroundings are beautifully juxtaposed, often in breathtaking long shots. The movement of men and horses in his Westerns has rarely been surpassed for regal serenity and evocative power. The musical score, often variations on folk themes, plays a more important part than dialogue in many Ford films.

As I read about this director, I thought about how this also applied to us as writers. We need to find our place in the writing world. Because I think once you find your 'brand', you will write from your heart. You won't be trying to 'make it work'. Your words will reflect who you are at that moment in time. And no else can do that but you. Easier said than done.

Today was a quiet day. Not too much happened. I walked to the post office, then to the grocery store, then we did lunch. After that, hubby and his friend went off to hunt deer. I stayed home and baked an apple pie. It turned out spectacularly! And when you're following a new recipe, that is always a good sign. We have a lunch meeting tomorrow, and I am to bring dessert. So I thought I'd bring some chocolate zucchini cake and this apple pie plus some whipped topping. Perfect!

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October 27, 2020 at 1:38am

#996859

Record Lows and Internet Woes

Today there is no way anyone is sitting on a porch in Montana. The record low in the country was in Montana. West Yellowstone didn't have the record, but their low was -20. Here in Roundup it was 2 degrees this morning. Pretty darn chilly. But we are in the plains, not the mountains. It is supposed to warm up later in the week.

I had to chuckle at a post a friend made on Facebook from Texas, record cold. 43 degrees. Yeah, right. I guess it's all relative.

Hubby is planning his annual deer hunt tomorrow. So tonight he was plotting his plan of attack. He was searching some application on the internet for public land where he can go nearby. He found a few areas, and plans to leave as soon as it's above 20 degrees in the morning. Last year he shot a small doe. But she wasn't that great of an eat. Sorry all you vegan types. She was tough and stringy. Venison can be good, and tasty, if cooked right and the meat is good to begin with. But I have a hard time with tough meat. I hate to chew and chew.

Not much else happened today. It was rather quiet. I did have to call the bank about the account for the non-profit group I manage. I had tried all weekend to access the online bank statement. I was never able to get into the account. So when I called, the nice young man said, 'Well, sometimes if you haven't been on in a while, it'll delete the account.'

Hold on there, cowboy. What?

So we had to go through the rigamarole of setting that up all over again.

But as I explained this to hubby, who used to do IT for banks once-upon-a-time, it amazed him. Then I told him that this bank is independent. It is the only bank of its kind, native to Roundup. It is not owned by any other bank. Their internet department is one person. So I guess it makes sense that they perhaps can't pay for millions of dollars of software to keep accounts hanging around for long periods of time? Oh well, crisis averted. Problem solved. No sense aggravating about it. Now I just have to remember to check the account at least once a week. Or internet guardian and I will become best buddies.

My highlight the last few nights I've been awake til 1:30 has been the Great British Baking Show on Netflix. What a hoot. Makes me want to open a bakery. Well, maybe. Remember that old commercial? Something about donuts.

The poor guy met himself coming and going muttering 'time to make the donuts'. During last night's episode I put a hem back in a dress I rescued from the thrift store. This is a nice dress, worthy of repair. So I checked the label online. If you bought it at full price, sold at Dillard's, $199. What? And someone donated it with the hem out. Don't you think you would find someone you knew, or you would do it yourself, and repair a dress of that caliber? Amazing. I think I'm keeping it. Just saved myself a bunch of money and have a nice fancy church dress in return. Just took an hour and some thread.

I have a few more nights with a 1:30 AM curfew, then I set it at 1:15 AM. Geez, it sure is hard. But I am seeing results, so I shouldn't whine.

Queen Norma Jean

1 Like • Comment • View 2 comments

October 23, 2020 at 9:42pm

#996588

Another Winter Storm is Here

We have another winter storm warning. The last one was a non-event. This one seems to have more teeth to it. The snow

is starting right on schedule, the temperatures are as cold as predicted. I'm glad I have nowhere to be.

Right now I'm watching BBC on TV. They're having a marathon of Hitchcock movies. We just finished watching Psycho. What a wicked movie that is. But what I like best about it is the shower scene, of course. Janet Leigh was never shown without clothes, never naked. Even when her body was taken out of the shower by Anthony Perkins, she was never exposed. In today's movies, all is exposed, I hate that. It seems more sinister somehow in that movie. And Anthony Perkins, oh my. His eyes, his manners. Wicked.

So now "The Birds" is on.

Tippie Hedren is in a boat going across the bay. She's in a fur coat, suit, with hose and heels. Quite elegant. A bit overdressed? You think!? Ha! The birds are about to rebel and attach everyone. But who knows why.........It's fun to see Jessica Tandy as the mother.

Hitchcock is an excellent storyteller. Building the tension, setting the scene. It's all there.

I have been watching 'The Great British Baking Show' on Netflix during my late night as I wait to go to bed. It's worth a watch.

I love watching the competitions and different terms they use. Cake is 'sponge'. Cookies are 'biscuits'. It's like the show 'Chopped' but with comedians and hours to make their creations, not 20 or 30 minutes. Fun and games with a British accent.

I am a cheerleader for the OctoPrep Challenge and having lots of fun doing this. Seems like most everyone is doing some kind of fantasy-elf-dragon-witch-fairy-wizard-vampire-space-soap opera story. I got to thinking how many of these kind of books are out there. How many are wanting to write the next 'Harry Potter' book series, the next 'Twilight', another 'Hunger Games'? And how many will? I am betting that maybe one, perhaps a few. Perhaps you will. I think it is a sign of the times. Escapism. 2020 is so dreadful that we all want to write about another world. Can't say that I blame you.

So back to the 'Birds'. Tippi Hedren is now in the 3rd day of her character in the movie, and still in the same costume. Now she outside the school, sitting in front of the jungle gym, her back to it. And as she sits, smoking, Hitchcock cuts back and forth to her and the jungle gym. Now this is genius. One bird. Then three, then the jungle gym is full. I love Hitchcock's direction. He was just a master of storytelling.

May you have a wonderful safe weekend. Keep working on your wonderful bestseller. I pray it will be on the New York Times bestseller list. But if not, it matters not. It will always be on your bestseller list. And that is what really matters.

Like • Comment

October 20, 2020 at 11:52pm

#996382

Glad the Potatoes are In

So we got some snow the other day. Six inches by my count. Some in the outlying areas got more. They are predicting more tomorrow. There is a winter storm warning. Glad we don't have to go anywhere.

We stripped the garden the other day. By weight we got a bit over 30# of potatoes. I planted huckleberry gold seed potatoes. They are a nice purple skinned yellow flesh potato. We like them better than the regular russet baking potato. They have more flavor, less sweet. I think the ones you get now in the stores are just pure sugar. Hate them.

Today as we did dishes, I looked out the window and spied a lowlife deer eating crabapples off our little tree in the front yard. She ate all the ones on the ground, then proceeded to stand on her hind legs and graze on the branches. So we had to shoo her away. Hopefully her little pea brain will not register that there are more little apples to be had. Her hooves are razor sharp, she could really ruin my little tree. And speaking of trees, we got a new one out front. The city planted a gingko tree for us near the street a year ago. It died over the winter last year. We complained, since it was a city planting project. Roundup is the Montana Tree City for 2020. They are proud of that fact and plant a lot of trees for people. You pay $25 and they'll give you a nice little tree. Whoever planted the gingko did a pitiful job and the poor little thing didn't make it. So a few days ago we got another tree. This time it's a box elder. Seems that is a form of a maple, and does quite well in Montana. So we pray this little one makes it.

Not much else going on. Still doing the late night thing. It really is getting annoying trying to find things to do to keep myself awake. But now I am at 1:45 AM, tomorrow I drop to 1:30 AM. My goal is to get to midnight. I think it is working. My addled little brain, poor gray matter.

Enjoy the image. I'm getting ready to be busy for another 3 hours. Hmmm. Knitting. Reading. Bingo online. Facebook. What else can I do?

Winter is here?

Queen Norma Jean

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October 17, 2020 at 1:04am

#996069

Frozen Goat Chunks - They're a Thing

We finally got our car back from the collision repair today. It was gone exactly a month. It was good to see it again. Don't get me wrong, the rental car was nice, but it is better to have your own wheels back. I was sure I would wreck the rental and then where would we be? Yikes....

I saw something in the freezer section of the meat section of the grocery today. Made me laugh. Sounded hilarious for some reason. "Frozen goat chunks." Now really. FROZEN GOAT CHUNKS. Ha. Think of the possibility of that. It's not as hilarious as dried chunks of goat - instant goat - add water and a billy goat appears. But where is the market for frozen goat chunks in Billings, Montana? And no, we did not buy that package of frozen goodness.

I am still on the sleep deprivation schedule as ordered by the sleep doctor to remedy my sleeping problems. The jury is still out on this experiment. I seem to be fine until about midnight. Then I have a heck of a time staying awake until 2 AM. I am now able to add 15 minutes to my total. So I can now go to bed at 1:45 AM. I keep adding 15 minutes each week until I get to midnight. Then hubby wakes me at 7 AM. No naps, no resting. Boy, I say this is tough. But I seem to be sleeping at night. So perhaps the craziness is working.

I ran around the past few days passing out Southeast Montana promotional materials. I have posters about Covid-19, stickers and neck gaiters. All free, and all promoting how safe it is to be outdoors in our neck of the woods. So most people and businesses willingly take the freebies, no problem. Except the lady in the liquor store. She was a piece of work. "I can post this for a week." I say, "Fine, that's wonderful." She repeats, with a scowl "I can only post this for a week, it's my policy."

I repeat, with a smile, "Fine. No problem." I start for the door. I don't care, actually, if she throws it in the garbage at this point. She gives me the evil stare. "Have a nice day!" I say as I walk out the door. I think she was having a really hard time, or needed a shot of something. But then I walked over to the hardware store and saw the hardware girl, my buddy, and then everything was just fine. She always makes me laugh.

A sign on the highway made me laugh. For Zoo Montana in Billings, they just got a sloth.

Now Zoo Montana is small. A cool zoo that only has animals that naturally live at our latitude or above. So on the billboard, the sign is Zoo, with the sloth hanging from both Os, then Montana, so much fun. Under that: 'The sloth is here finally. He got here as fast as he could.' And a picture of it. So cute.

We roamed a little bit in Billings looking at the thrift stores for a desk. I need a desk for my work space. I currently have the laptop and all my writing information upstairs on a tray table. Not good. My hubby has a great big antique desk. I'm jealous. So I will wait and sometime one will arrive at the thrift store in town. I just have to be patient.

So everyone keep writing in OctoPrep. It's half over and NaNoWriMo will be here before you know it! It is due to snow here this weekend, so I know November is right around the corner.

Queen Norma Jean

presents a gift to you!

Because you may need a guard dog today

Queen Norma Jean

presents a gift to you!

Because you may need a guard dog today

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October 13, 2020 at 10:40am

#995781

Contest and COVID

What a busy time for all of us here at WDC. I had the pleasure of judging Round 1 of the contest for the OctoPrep. There were some great entries so it was hard to choose a winner, but a winner must be declared. Better luck next time all you scribes. And rather than bemoan your loss, write an entry that will win!

The wind has been blowing like mad lately.

And usually here in my neck of the way out yonder woods, that means a storm or change in the weather. We pray for rain

or snow

. I don't remember the last time it rained here. So very dry.....

What else is new? Well I have some SE Montana tourism goodies to hand out to people. So yesterday I wandered about parceling out neck gaiters you can use as masks, stickers for your car or whatever, and posters. I went to a motel in town and got out of the car, goodies in hand. The wind was howling, pushed me a bit and grabbed that poster out of my hand, threw it down the sidewalk and into a tree. I stood there and watched it fly. I didn't have another in the car. Annoyed, I almost didn't go into the motel office, but decided, what the H, I'll get another tomorrow and bring it to her. So as I spoke to the owner, she had a good laugh with me about the wind, we discussed the virus and her challenges now. Sanitizing rooms and laundry, letting rooms sit a day, then trying to rent rooms during this pandemic. She does have traffic with hunters now. There are three motels in town, and all three are pretty busy now with hunting starting up. I thought, 'Get one for me, the little buggers.'

I'm almost to week one with my ordered five hours of sleep each night. Mercy sakes. It is hard by 1 AM to keep my eyes open. I try everything, walk about, stand up, do anything to keep from falling asleep before 2 AM. Then tomorrow I can add 15 minutes. I do this routine for awhile. It is to retrain my brain to realize I do actually sleep at night, like the sleep study showed, but my subconscious tells me I didn't. But I gotta tell you, this is tough.

Stay safe my friends. Musselshell County where I live has only 10 known cases of Covid-19, but in Yellowstone County, an hour south, there are almost 1,500. Our hospital is considered a 'clean' hospital. No cases of the virus are allowed in that facility. If you become sick enough to be in hospital, you are shipped out of the county. And conversely, if you are in another county, are not sick with the virus and they need your bed for a virus patient, you may get sent to our hospital. What a curious way to run things......... But then, when has common sense ever made sense?

Queen Norma Jean

presents a gift to you!

Because you may need a guard dog today

Like • Comment

October 8, 2020 at 12:29am

#995334

Counting Sheep and Hoping for Sleep

So here's the deal. I had a sleep study.

I thought the results were bad. I mean, the wording was such that I thought I was going to die in my sleep sometime soon. But then I do tend to be dramatic. So I went to the sleep doctor today to get the real report, straight from the horse's mouth as they say. Seems that I slept very well, had a good report. Well done, little soldier. So then why do I feel so rotten all the time, so tired? wake up? can't stay asleep? She told me I probably have something called "paradoxical insomnia". I will now copy and paste the definition from the internet.

Paradoxical insomnia (previously called sleep state misperception) is characterized by complaints of little or no sleep over long periods of time without the level of impairment expected with such a level of sleep deprivation. Patients often describe heightened awareness of their surroundings when lying down to sleep.

Okay. I guess that pretty much sums it up. I don't seem to sleep in my mind, but the sleep study shows that I actually did. Weird. So my prescription is to sleep no more than 5 hours each night. Decide on when I want to wake each morning and count back to when I have to go to bed. That for me is now 2 AM. No naps, no sleeping aids. Then eventually add 15 minute increments to the amount you allow yourself to sleep. You have to retrain your brain to sleep. This, I have to tell you, freaks me out. I have a fear of not sleeping.

I don't know why. But what the h, I'll try. After all, I'm retired, I can fall asleep in my soup without a boss yelling at me.

Today was the Billings run. We did Costco, a grocery store, dry cleaner, hardware store, the sleep doctor, lunch out, and my highlight, a haircut. Busy day. We try not to go to Billings more than once a month, but lately it's been twice a month. And now hubby wants to go to Red Lodge, beyond Billings toward the mountains near Yellowstone, tomorrow to fish.

So we'll be driving again tomorrow. We're still using the rental car.

Ours is still being repaired. Something about getting parts from Subaru is making this whole repair from the deer collision take way longer than it should.

OctoPrep this year is a whole lot of fun! I'm doing some encouraging, and then some judging. Way more fun. I guess I miss the excitement of seeing my name on the log with a work in progress, and logging the assignments on time, and then going to NaNoWriMo and logging all the word counts there, but this break for 2020 is sure enjoyable. Next year I may do another work. I had something in mind for this year, but it just wasn't the right time.

1 Like • Comment • View 1 comment

October 4, 2020 at 8:10pm

#995051

Free Day for OctoPrep

So here it is Sunday, and a wonderful day it is. Blue sky and sun, a little wind. We have moved permanently into the new bedroom. Nicely done if I do say so myself. Lots more room, no paneled walls and a nice closet. Quiet. Nice.

Things are busy with OctoPrep. Have you been doing your assignments on time? So today is a free day. Time to catch up!!!

I am a judge for the first contest round. And I have to say, I am reading some good protagonist background stories. Very imaginative. Are they as good as these?

IMAGE

Banned Books

(E)
Books you should have read if you are a writer
#2234098 by QueenNormaJeanGreeneggs&vegham

You never know!

I've been thinking of getting the garden put to bed for the winter. We turned the irrigation off, and it doesn't look like rain for some time now. All that is left are a few green tomatoes, some beets, and potatoes to dig up. Time to let her go. Rotten grasshoppers took all my corn this year. Next year, watch out, you little buggers, I'll be armed and ready!

This was our bounty a few years ago:

IMAGE

Garden Still Life

(E)
From a Montana Garden
#2234100 by QueenNormaJeanGreeneggs&vegham

Thanks for reading, but what are you doing!? Get that novel written! It is almost time for your next assignment! Don't make me come out there!

Queen Norma Jean

1 Like • Comment • View 1 comment

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