Norma's Wanderings around a small section of Montana |
Finally the big push is over and we had our play performance. 'Alibis' is another show under our belts for the Illustrious Musselshell Players. We made them laugh, and that was the goal. Never mind that sometimes people forgot their lines, the prompter helped them out. This was the 19th performance for the players. I pray next year someone will step up and agree to direct. It would be a shame to not go on to at least #20. This picture is the curtain call at one of the performances. I played a 'dotty chemist'. So I am the one in the white lab coat. As you can probably tell, this stage is miniscule, it is in an old elementary school in Musselshell, MT. The school now is used as a community center for the little hamlet, population of about 23. Most everyone lives outside the town and works at ranching or farming or commute to Roundup or Billings. I just found out from Brandiwyn🎶 that I am to be the head cheerleader for OctoPrep. Well, thank you so much for the promotion! She assured me there would be a pay raise, a raise in the 401K contribution, and additional job perks. I love cheering people on to finish writing in OctoPrep. I don't want anyone to not finish because the time got away from them, or they just forgot to finish an assignment. So be looking for the cheer squad to help you stay on track this year! |
I think the weather has changed. From highs in the 100's to highs in the 70's, we are in the transition from summer to autumn. We usually have a few weeks of nice weather, then BOOM, snow and cold arrive sometime early October. Tomorrow is supposed to be a warm and smoky day. I guess the smoke is coming from fires in the west. Darn. I hate that. But we have been lucky so far this year. No big fires anywhere near Roundup. A few small ones that the local fire department puts out in a hurry. Good thing, since it is so dry, still. Finally, after 2 cancellations I can get my hair cut tomorrow. Seems like a minor thing, I know. But when you have crazy curly hair such as mine, it just gets to be uncontrollable after a time. Reminds me of the time when all the salons were closed due to COVID. But this situation is different, in a way. The first appointment was scheduled for the day I got out of the hospital, in July. No way I was going to do a haircut that day. Then the next time, I had another appointment for another doctor. Another cancellation. So I guess third time is the charm. I'm doing community theater again this year. This is a good one, a silly mystery play. We perform the end of this week. Puts me in the mood for my participation in the WDC 22nd Birthday Masquerade Party. Check that out if you want some silly mystery fun. "Wdc 22nd Birthday Masquerade Party" |
I finally got a green light from a pulmonary doctor. He reassured me, told me to hang in there. I caught a nasty virus, so it will take some time to get better. And I am getting better, but still feel the need to take a rest every afternoon. I did lose 20# while sick, so I ate ice cream for two weeks. It worked on my psyche, but I only gained a pound or two. It was fun, but now I am thinking that fun is over, since it costs so much here in town. Right now we are in the midst of some really hot, smoky weather. The last blast of summer before it starts getting cold. Bring it on! I am always cold, so hot doesn't seem to bother me like it does some people. Take care, stay healthy. I basically lost my summer this year. Don't get sick and lose your autumn or winter. |
It is a bright sunny not-too-hot day here in Roundup. A nice break from the 90's we've had lately. There was a brief shower last night, but we are still in the dry days of August. I am still recovering from my pneumonia/rsv infection. I go to see a specialist on Thursday. What a deal. But I am venturing out more. I've been to church, and am still walking every day. Weight gaining is still on my list, so darn, I decided I had to eat ice cream every day. What a deal. It doesn't seem to be working, but it sure is fun. As I start to feel more normal, I am starting to reevaluate all the volunteering I have been doing. I am thinking of dropping another group from my list of volunteer duties. And as I write that, I have a Zoom meeting on Tuesday to apply for a job with a state-wide tourism advocacy group. This has been on my schedule for a few months. If I get the position, I will definitely drop one more volunteer 'job' here in Roundup. Husband and I talked about this last night. I just have to decide which of two to drop. Currently I am only active on WDC in the Micro Fiction challenge. That is all the energy I have right now. But soon I hope to get back 'in the swing' and start participating more in other contests and events. Stay healthy and be well, my friends. |
Things are still going here, still battling the lung problem. Now I have to go to Billings and get this darn thing fixed. Sometime soon. I tried to make an appointment with a pulmonologist to consult. Well, that didn't go so good. I have to wait until September 1. Good grief. So I guess I have to present at the ER and hope for someone there to fix the problem. I don't want someone here to do it. They didn't do such a good job last time diagnosing my problem, that is why I ended up at Billings for 4 days. Now to convince the husband I need to go. Why he's reluctant I don't know. I'm pretty tired of being stuck at home for the 3rd week. Oh well, this too shall pass. I'm trying to be positive. Write on, fellow authors. |
Seems I have a new wrinkle in the game. Now I have a collapsed lung, or fluid on the lung. Some people tell me that is the same thing. I went to the clinic on Friday to get that good news on an X-ray. So I have a week to work on deep breathing with one of those little devices where you blow into a tube and get the air to raise a bellows. Ha, I cannot even move it a tiny bit. That tells you how badly my lung function is. And how badly I need to work on getting back to normal. A church member just happens to be a respiratory therapist and he tells me to drink lots of water - doing that. Take walks - doing that. Use a spirometer - that's the device I described. Take deep breaths even if it hurts - and believe me it does. If I cannot get this lung reinflated, I may have to have a bronchoscopy. Not fun, but I'll do it if need be. Back to the clinic on Friday for another X-ray and check my progress. Fun and games. |
Take a break. Sometimes in life you have to stop. And sometimes that stop is full, put on the brakes, fall on your face. I just got out of the hospital with a case of double pneumonia and RSV. Now double pneumonia is bad enough, but add that ugly virus onto it, and whammy! You're flat on your back. This illness had been building for weeks. I went to the ER last Thursday, they admitted me. I was on 5 liters of oxygen. That's a lot of oxygen folks. Coughing, coughing, non-stop. So I stayed in hospital for 4 days. I didn't even mind being there. Because I knew I was in the very best possible place. When you cannot breathe, you want to be where people can help. I didn't even mind getting poked for an IV and bloodwork and heparin shots. You people do what you do best. I am sick. Make me well. And they did. But darn it, I had to drop out of Wonderland. Nuts. But there is next year. Now I am in recuperation mode. I am walking around the block, taking my medication, resting, being a good patient. Enjoy the rest of the summer! I will be resting a recuperating. |
It has been a while since I posted. And once again, the bombing has started here in Roundup. The 4th of July fireworks are all around and on top of us again. I thought with things being tough, gas and food and all, people would cut back, but no. The rockets and firecrackers and bombs are exploding as I write. I hate it more and more each year. I did complain online. And promptly got chastised by the seller of said fireworks in town. We're a family business, it's our livelihood. Whatever. Veterans with PTSD and those with anxiety issues cannot bear to be in town for a few weeks because of inconsiderate people. I did get away for a few days. I went to Gardiner for a time. I visited my old stomping ground, the motel we used to manage. It is a sad town right now. The town itself was not flooded, but now they have no one visiting, because there is no access to Yellowstone National Park. So the motels are not able to keep help, the restaurants are not able to keep help, the gift shops are not able to keep help. Sad state of affairs for all involved. I did go hiking one afternoon in the national forest. And promptly fell into a small stream, messed up my arm, but it could have been worse, I was afraid I broke something. Since I was 2 miles or more from the car, that would've been dire. And by myself. But it was fine, just a few scrapes that are having a heck of a time healing. I came home to the remodeling project that is about 75% done, a great leap forward from when I left. My garden is growing well. We had a great thunderstorm tonight. So things are going well. The big RIDE celebration has started. Concerts, parades, rodeos, lots of fun here in town. Happy 4th Holiday everyone! I have 2 birthdays in our family on the 4th. What fun! |
The big news around here is the flooding near Yellowstone. Yellowstone National Park is closed, all entrances as of yesterday. The roads out of Gardiner have washed away. I used to live in Gardiner. We made a home there for about ten years. I love Gardiner. A small little town nestled between the river and the mountains. About 500 people live there year-round. But in the summer when Yellowstone is in full swing, about 2,000 to 3,000 will stay on any one night. It's an isolated wonderful place to be. The Yellowstone River is a mighty river, an undammed river in the US. When it floods, well, watch out. But this flood is epic. The water that rushed down Monday was record-breaking. It took out roads and bridges, houses, trees, whatever stood in its way. So now Gardiner, and those in the town, are isolated. Nothing can come in, no one can leave. The power went out. The sewage and water treatment plant went out. The grocery store cannot be supplied. There is no medical care in town. Tourists are trapped in town with no way out. Restaurants and hotels have no way to resupply, or even safely wash laundry and dishes. I just pray there was no loss of human life. The lives of those living there will be impacted for sure. Tourism is their 'bread and butter'. Without the tourism dollars from Yellowstone, they will have some rough times ahead. Living for 9 months with only 3 months of income is tough enough. So pray for the folks in this wonderful little hamlet. I dearly love this place. It has a piece of my heart. |
Yesterday I had an awesome opportunity to tour a little known National Park - the Big Horn Canyon in southern Montana. Our SE Montana tourism group had our meeting at the headquarters, then went on a boat ride in the Canyon. Canyon walls are 2500 feet on either side of us, the depth is unknown, as the water rises and falls with the rains. Fish are wall-eye, carp, some trout, https://www.nps.gov/bica/ Big Horn Canyon walks a tight rope through private land and tribal land. The Crow Indian reservation is nearby. The Canyon was flooded in the 1960's for hydroelectric power. The Yellowtail dam was named after Robert Yellowtail, chairman of the Crow tribe. It took 12,000 acres of Crow land. Now the Big Horn Canyon is a popular fishing and boating lake. We accessed this lake from the North, near Fort Smith, Mt. Our two-hour boat ride took us back through the huge canyon walls. The parking lot was full of trucks and trailers, but not a boat was seen. The marina, Ok-a-Beh, Crow for bend-in-the-river, is the launching area and run by the Crow tribe, as is the little snack bar and gift shop. The superintendent of the park spoke to us. He oversees this park, Littlehorn National Battlefield and Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming. So we laughingly titled this picture: Yogi, Boo-boo and the Ranger. |