Norma's Wanderings around a small section of Montana |
I've discovered quite a wonderful little perk. Amazon prime video Free videos - yep - free. Right now I'm into MGM classic movies. Clark Gable in 'Mutiny on the Bounty". Ah, Gable's dimples. Sigh. But then Charles Laughton as Captain Bligh. Ugh. Anyway, this 1935 film is a grand spectacle. The H.M.S. Bounty is sailing to Tahiti by way of Cape Horn. What a trip that must have been. And all the sailors dressed in their sailing finery with those three cornered hats. Amusing. Of course every now and then there are commercials, but that's okay. Free works for me. |
So far I've had four articles published in the local paper. It's a start. I am working on another for an event this Saturday. I also thought of writing one for Leap Year, since the paper is out once a week, and this next week it comes out around February 29th. Perhaps I could bring in some history, some culture, some tidbits people aren't aware of. Such as, the calendar we use and why. Maybe touch on the different calendars tossed about throughout the ages. The French tried a 10 day calendar for some years. Here's the skinny from Wikipedia: The French Republican calendar (French: calendrier républicain français), also commonly called the French Revolutionary calendar (calendrier révolutionnaire français), was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution, and used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and for 18 days by the Paris Commune in 1871, and meant to replace the Gregorian calendar.[1] The revolutionary system was designed in part to remove all religious and royalist influences from the calendar, and it was part of a larger attempt at decimalisation in France (which also included decimal time of day, decimalisation of currency, and metrication). It was used in government records in France and other areas under French rule, including Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Malta, and Italy. Since we aren't on that system here in the US, or elsewhere, we follow the Gregorian calendar of 7 days. I found this about Leap Year: The rule for leap years is: Every year that is exactly divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are exactly divisible by 100, but these centurial years are leap years if they are exactly divisible by 400. For example, the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 are not leap years, but the year 2000 is. — United States Naval Observatory[2] Leap year has to do with the sun and its movements. If you are geeky, check this out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year#/media/File:Gregoriancalendarleap_solsti... |
Happy Mardi Gras! Fat Tuesday - King Cake - parades - all that rigamarole... When hubby and I were doing our full-time RV gig, we spent some time managing a campground in New Orleans. As a result, we also got to go to a Mardi Gras parade. And this one was not that big deal you hear about. It was more a family affair. If I remember right, it was on St. Charles Avenue. I still have some memorabilia from that. Groups, called 'krewes' get together, create the most wonderful, or sometimes, crude, floats. Quite the deal. King Cake - brightly colored cake - traditionally with a plastic baby baked inside. Find the baby - good luck. So all this frivolity is to get all your drinking and gluttonous eating done before Lent - which starts tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. Lent is the Christian time of penitence and fasting to remember Christ's crucifixion before the Christian holiday of Easter. The day after Mardi Gras we drove all the way down as far south as we could to the end of pavement. Ground an inch or two above the gulf then the ocean.. A number of small towns along the way, each one poorer than the next. Good memories... |
I don't want to be a whiner, but mercy sakes. This hand is NOT getting much better. But I do have an appointment with my old friend the neurologist next week. Dr. Echeverri and I have been seeing each other since 2013 or so. He's been with me after two brain surgeries. My primary doctor sent a referral to the neurologist group for someone to see my hand. So they called and I see him next week. After we did our 'Meals on Wheels' yesterday, this hand gave me the worst pains. I used it too much, I guess. Today I had a physical therapy appointment and we talked. The therapist did another treatment, a wrapping with kinesiology tape, and gave me a different exercise to do. I'm also taking a nerve drug, gabapentin. I've been on that before. Nothing really seems to help. Let me see if I can tell you what is happening here. On my left hand, on the outside where my hand meets the wrist, right on that edge where a little bone sticks out is where the pain is. So my entire hand is still swollen a bit. I can barely extend my last two fingers. At times this hand feels cold, or I feel shooting pains from elbow to fingertips. Huh. Rubbing it seems to help, for a little while. Working on the exercises the PT gives me such pain, but I try. I really am over this. So, just a two broken bones. Right. Like I said to someone, "It was like the devil picked me up and threw me down." And I heard the sound of glass breaking. Those were those bones. Yesterday I had the pleasure of giving away $18 thousand to charities in town. The fundraiser I'm chairperson for gathered and I passed out checks. Now I have to go back and get that checkbook in order. I also have had two stories published in the local paper. And more in the works! Hurrah! Now let's get this stupid hand fixed, folks. I'm over this. And the car, let's get that done too. |
Things are still not good for the ole left paw. Pain, stiffness, mercy me. I am now doing physical therapy with it. I told the therapist yesterday I am considering chopping it off. But she was sympathetic, perhaps a bit horrified, and talked me back off that cliff. But when pain is never-ending, and there is no hope on the horizon, you do envision wacky solutions. Of course I would never consider taking a knife or ax or machete or chain saw or whatever to my arm or hand. Would you? The end result would be even more pain and a bigger problem than now exists. So we are doing multiple modalities. A TENS unit - electrical stimulation. Desensitizing the hand and arm - stimulation with different textures. Because what I perceive is most likely my nerves all jumbled up and firing willy-nilly. We have to retrain these nerves or they will always have this overactive response. Hmm. I am also going to make an appointment to see my old friend, Dr. Echeverri, the neurologist. He saw me through two brain surgeries. Perhaps he can help with this minor hiccup. Roundup has been relatively calm, except for a few weeks ago. I found out there was a random shooting just a few blocks away one night. Some yahoo fired some shots at a house or truck, no one's talking, at night. I never heard this happen. Then someone at church mentioned it. So I wandered down to the Sheriff's office to a buddy I have there. She gave me some info. But, of course, she couldn't tell me much, other than they're investigating. The ugly messy house behind us is getting cleaned up. The people in there were evicted. There have been trailer loads of trash taken out. Appliances sit outside. Furniture sits outside. No trespassing signs all around. Mercy. I pray any new tenants are not as messy. It's been quite a bit warmer. Temps now in the 40's and 50's. From those lows in the -40's. What a swing! But at least all the snow has melted. Makes walking much easier, since we still don't have a car of our own. And what a drag that is.... |
So the interview for the town paper went well. I will now write columns about life in Roundup - as a freelancer. This works for me. I can write on my schedule and about what I feel is important to the community. Plus it puts a bit of money in the pocket. My first story will start tonight. A community meeting with the mayor about plans going forward. Should be boring informative, I need to get photos, since I get paid extra for them. Then tomorrow I have a meeting for the church newspaper. This is an ambitious project, and not one I'm sure the facilitator can pull off. But we'll see what transpires. This gig pays nothing but good news for the people of my church family all over Montana. And that's fine, I still can write and be creative. 2 papers - 2 different directions. |
BRRRR - OMG - we woke up to -19° this morning. I think the high was -12°. Hubby took a walk this AM, as did I. No biggies if you're dressed well. Hot soup for lunch. And then we've been sitting in front of our little gas space heater stove in the living room. Nice addition that we really enjoy when it's cold like this. Now hubby is walking up to the library again. I've still having a devil of a time with my hand. I think I fell on one particular spot, and all the pressure from that fall focused there. Painful still, swollen hand still. Even though x-rays show the actual breaks are healing well, the soft tissue bruising is going to take some time. I can move my fingers finally, but the wrist and moving my arm, yikes. I made a sort of resolution to write 300 words a day. So I've been posting on the Flash Fiction challenge site most days. I also have been doing some online exercise classes that my insurance company sponsors. The 300 words are doable, since I am still getting my left hand back into typing. The exercise classes are low impact, last about 15 minutes, so I do about 2 or 3 a day. I don't stress myself, but I still am getting some good stretching and moving, even in this extreme weather. There are two big non-profit tasks coming up. I have to distribute the monies raised in the one I manage. Auditing that one now. So in February I'll give out eleven checks to non-profits. We raised about $17K this year. Pretty decent for a year with a dicey economy. Then the Chamber of Commerce is doing the membership drive, of which I am treasurer. So I volunteered to do that mailing. Working now on that also. Busy work. Good to be busy. Keep warm. It is brutally cold here for a few days. |
Hi there! I'm blogging over at Andre's Banana Bar - check it out. And come visit the bar flies guests there sometime. "Resolutions - Week One" |
The never-ending drama continues. Still no car. Annoying is one way to term this interminable waiting. I have no idea what is taking so long. Bugger me. My hand still bothers me. It is still badly bruised, but at least the swelling has lessened to a degree. But there is just one spot under the cast that still gives me fits. I think it is the spot that got the brunt of the contact with the sidewalk. Then another weird thing happened on Thursday. I got a friend to take me to town, and we did some errands. One was to be a haircut. I haven't had one in at least three months. And to say I am past-due is being polite. Curly hair just gets more and more unruly at a certain stage, and I am there. So I walk into the salon for my appointment. The lady looks at me like I am a ghost. "Sorry, Miss Blah-de-blah isn't in. She called all her clients last week and cancelled. Her father is not well." Hmm. With me standing in front of her, does that say to her that maybe she missed one??? So annoyed. When I got home, I posted a review online stating all this. I mean, people need to know that things get messed up. And from what I read, it wasn't the first time. I then got a call from the salon owner apologizing. Okay, fine. But I already had gone, when in town, to another place and made another appointment for a few weeks from now. Then the beautician calls - to say she's sorry. I just deleted her message. They won't miss my money. So, retail. I hate when people don't open on time, don't stay open the hours posted. I hate a dirty store or restaurant. And I hate when you don't follow-through and do what you say you'll do. Tonight is Christmas Eve. Have fun. Not much happening here. Hubby is going to a friend's house tomorrow. I decided not to go. Too much hassle to drive for 1 1/2 hours one way with a broken hand that still hurts, and then drive home in the dark worried about hitting a deer or elk in a borrowed car. I wouldn't be good company. |
I just got another cast on my hand. Yikes... under was revealed a still very swollen and badly bruised hand and arm. Mercy me. So for those who have had a cast removed, you know the drill. But for me, this was a first. And it hurt like mad. Now I am in a new cast for 3 more weeks - things seem to be healing nicely, says the doc. That's good news. But this hand - so sore. I have to type pretty much with my right hand, and one finger on my left hand. It takes me twice as long to get any thing done. Dressing myself, brushing my teeth, fixing food. And as for a shower, good thing we installed a walk-in tub. I can sit and hubby can wash my hair and rinse me off. I figure this is what happened to me. I was walking along out of the bank in town. So close to my house. Then suddenly I am on the ground. I think some unknown force lifted me up and slammed me down. How else would you explain no other bruises anywhere? Weirder things have been know to happen... Something nice tonight, though. A lady from church and her daughter brought over a basket of fruit with fresh flowers sprinkled on top. AHHH.... So nice of them. A nice little gesture to make my heart happy. Be careful out there. Just saying ... |