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PORCH PONDERINGS

by NormaJean AKA Writing Queen

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.

A poem captured my attention the other day.

Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget 
Falls drop by drop upon the heart, 
Until, in our own despair,
 Against our will,
 Comes wisdom 
Through the awful grace of God.

Aeschylus

What's on your mind today?

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Comments ·

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Jeff

Aug 1, 2026 at 2:22pm
In response to "Once again..."

Sometimes it feels like the seasons these days are just interminable waits for the other extreme. It's so hot in the summer, we long for the extreme cold of the winter. Then when we're freezing in the winter, we wait for the oppressive heat of the summer.

NormaJean AKA Writing Queen

Jul 30, 2026 at 6:16pm
In response to "Extreme Heat"

Our upstairs and downstairs vary in much the same way. 20 degrees. And the downstairs is 20 degrees cooler than outside.
Thanks for the comments.

Jeff

Jul 15, 2026 at 10:18pm
In response to "Extreme Heat"

My dad's house is the same way. It's pretty old and doesn't have good insulation, so summer just means he basically lives downstairs and only ventures upstairs when he needs something from the kitchen. The difference between the upper and lower floors of his house is at least 20 degrees, sometimes more!

1 Like

Lazy Writer est 4/24/2008

Jul 13, 2026 at 1:20am
In response to "Hot hot hot"

Stay hydrated! A must!

Kåre เลียม Enga

Jul 13, 2026 at 12:09am
In response to "Hot hot hot"

I hope the heat stays east. I live without a/c.

Wordsmitty ✍️

Jun 29, 2026 at 12:13am
In response to "Chico Hot Springs"

Relax and have fun!

Soldier_Mike

Jun 18, 2026 at 6:51pm
In response to "Stymied"

So, not horribly far from home, and not uncomfortably close to that bit of No-Man's-Land popularized on "Yellowstone".

Have a great time, Norma!

SandraLynn

May 24, 2026 at 9:29am
In response to "Riverwalk"

Not being bored is a positive. One of our local theories is that the teenage deer become bored and double-dare each other to outrun a vehicle. For some reason the chipmunks do the same daredevil scamper. I hear the rumbling. A vehicle is approaching. On your mark. Get set. Not yet. Not yet. Don't make your move until you see the whites of the driver's eyes. Go! Don't look back. Concentrate on the other side. Become a blur.

Kåre เลียม Enga

May 24, 2026 at 1:33am
In response to "Riverwalk"

No venison? I went across the river to the market today.

Kåre เลียม Enga

May 17, 2026 at 10:46pm
In response to "Snow!"

I think we had a few flakes here the last couple days. Frigid morning.

August 1, 2026 at 1:30pm

#1120431

Once again...

Now come on. High of 107 forecasted for today.

Didn't we just have this scenario a few weeks ago? Drat.

The entire state of Montana is overheated. We are exhausted.

Today I will go to the museum to see if anyone shows to be a greeter. The last time it got this hot, no one showed. But there were, strangely enough, at least 10 people both days it was over 105.

Everyone is now longing for the subzero temps we will get in a few months.

There is not much else going on. The 4-H fair wraps up today, I think. Kids have had their project animals down at the fairgrounds for a week. I went down yesterday for a look-see. Lots of campers, RVs, and people.

I am praying for cooler weather, and fewer problems in the world.

Comment • View 1 comment

July 30, 2026 at 6:23pm

#1120311

Heat - Extremes coming again!!!

I will be so glad when July leaves us. Again, a heat warning for Saturday, 2 days away. We have been in the upper 90's for weeks.

I tell people once we're back in the 70 to 80 degree range, we'll all be wearing coats.

Lucky for me, a friend gifted me a portable a/c unit, the kind with a tube to exhaust through a window. That has been a game changer. I can now sleep at night.

But I am still out and about, walking a bit. Of course, sometimes I come home and completely change out of sweat soaked clothes. It is important, in my mind, to keep moving. Walk, don't just sit around. And when the seasons change, I will again be out and about.

The museum still sees visitors, even on the hot days. We always warn people we don't have a/c, but still they stay and visit. Good for us, and still surprising.

The fact that we are now on the Montana Dino Trail is a plus. Lots of visitors come because of that connection.

I just ordered ice cream for our annual ice cream social in a few weeks. And no, we don't scoop ice cream. We serve local ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches. It's a little fundraiser we do to get people into the museum and perhaps make enough to cover the cost of the ice cream. I just pray it is cooler on August 15.

Stay cool!

Comment

July 24, 2026 at 10:44am

#1119980

Hot Again...

Another hot one today. We've had temperatures over 90 for about a week or more. Today a heat warning and fire weather warning.

Early this morning I was wakened by a wind storm. It was an errant storm cell passing through with no rain, where I am, and lots of wind. It sounded at times like my roof would take sail. So then try to go back to sleep after that. Plus it is hot in the bedroom so we are running fans to help.

But then I think it will soon be below zero and we'll be upset about that. So, go with the flow.

I am reading a good book I heard about. 'The Sociopath Next Door'. I am learning about some signs of what to look for. There are a few people in my life that I know fit the profile. The author states 1 in 25 Americans secretly has no conscience and can do anything at all without feeling guilty. Then she has information on several people that fit the profile of a sociopath. Very interesting information. To my writing mind, good for creating a character profile.

Beyond the current thought of a person in power that perhaps is a sociopath, there is a person I am currently dealing with a person at the museum who definitely fits the profile. The greeter constantly disappears for a week or two with no notice. Then there is constant bickering with the other greeters. And one time, and this is after I was chastised by this person, I received a huge hug and told how much I was loved. That took me by surprise.

Life is strange. And sometimes stranger than fiction.

But then all of you know this. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Comment

July 15, 2026 at 8:38pm

#1119530

Extreme Heat

Holy fajole! Mercy, it's been hot.

I know the entire country is suffering with heat, floods, all kind of miseries.

For two days, it was 112 or hotter in some places. The highest temperature in MT was 118 in Forsythe just a day or so ago.

How do you beat the heat when you don't have a/c? We don't. Our bottom floor is 20 degrees cooler than outside in summer. But the upstairs, well, it's like being on the surface of the sun. I spent the hottest days in the basement of the museum where the temperature, summer and winter, seems to stay at 72. Nice and cool.

We even sent out notices that people could come and cool off. We were open. So we had about 10 visitors each day. And only one family took advantage of our cool space. We had water, gatorade, popsicles, games, coloring, books. Oh well. It was a good idea and many said so.

Then last night a storm rolled through. And gracious, it was fierce. Rain and wind and a bit of hail. The wind was clocked at 86 MPH. It blew down some trees in town. Just about blew me off our porch...

Today is a bit cooler, only about 90. But the heat is coming back all the rest of this week they say.

On a lighter note, there are rehearsals starting for the annual play in Musselshell. I didn't get a speaking part on stage, since I contacted the director late. But I think I will have more fun. I will be a plant in the audience and just ad lib between scenes. It's a murder mystery so I think I will have people vote on their choice for the culprit. There are three scenes in the first act, and two in the second. I am to talk between scenes for a few moments. No script. No rules. This could be fun.

Stay cool everyone. It's a hot one. And we've had a few fires already. Not good. When I walk across my yard and it crunches like shredded wheat, you know it's dry. A perfect storm for fire season.

Comment • View 2 comments

July 12, 2026 at 10:50am

#1119344

Hot hot hot

It's the start of Day 2 of extreme heat here in Roundup. Yesterday it got up to 107°. Today the forecast is for 112°. Yikes. It's not unusual to get higher temperatures in summer here. 100° is about the highest. But this is above and beyond normal.

The museum decided to open the doors to our basement yesterday. It's always cool there, even without a/c. Our museum doesn't have heat or air. It's an old structure, and never has needed a/c before. We close before the cold season, so we don't feel we need heat everywhere either.

When the museum was a parochial school they had radiators. But someone in their infinite wisdom took them all out. So now we have a boiler in the basement, but it only heats the basement area in the winter.

But I digress. The basement was open yesterday. We stocked with water, gatorade, popsicles, chips and snacks. We had about eight people come, but to visit the museum. All were out-of-towners. So we will try this again today. Open during the hottest part of the day for people to come and cool off if need be.

Our 4th of July celebration in town was the biggest ever, they say. I wasn't here, so I have no idea. I'm just glad I missed the fireworks. Walking home the other day, through an area that has a new playground for kids, I came across 4 large tubes that held fireworks. They had been fired in this area. I thought that was just wrong. So I complained at the city council meeting. But nothing will be done. They like to support two fireworks stands.

The play in Musselshell is in the works. We start rehearsals tomorrow night. I have an unusual part, per the head. From the sound of it, I don't have to memorize lines and get to interact with the audience and adlib. Whew. That might be a nice change.

Stay cool everyone. We're going to be on fire here today...

Comment • View 2 comments

June 28, 2026 at 11:24pm

#1118612

Chico Hot Springs

It's been awhile. As usual. I get so caught up in the busy-ness of my life right now. No excuses.

Fireworks season is now upon us. As usual, I am complaining about the rules that allow fire works in our town for 10 days.
From 9 AM to 11 PM, it is legal. Don't call the law unless your house is on fire, or you're dead. I'm kidding of course, about the dead part.

So this year I am going away. Away to the mountains, where perhaps there aren't daylong booms and crashes and bams.
I usually am in town for Friday for a county meeting, but this year they get the day off as July 3 is a legal holiday.

I am going to Chico Hot Springs in the Paradise Valley, near Gardiner, Montana. My favorite place in the world. This resort was founded in 1900 and has been open ever since. The open air hot spring pool is not treated with chemicals. They drain it each night and refill. Such a great place - good rooms and good food. Plus the mountains are nearby. i just pray I don't hit a deer or elk or bison on the way. It happened several years ago and we lost our car to a deer. The second one to a deer strike.

Life has been stressful for many reasons. So I am looking forward to time away. By myself.

Comment • View 1 comment

June 20, 2026 at 7:42pm

#1118116

Solstice

Today was the celebration of the summer solstice at Pictograph Cave state park in Billings. A poetry teacher has celebrations at each of the four sunlight days of note.
Spring Equinox
Summer Solstice
Autumnal Equinox
Winter Solstice

Bonfires - or bone fires as was originally in the 15th century - are sometimes used to celebrate the day.

In my part of the world, we will have 15 hours of daylight for the day. From about 5:20 AM sunrise to about 9:10 PM sunset.
Lots of daylight. Good for the quick growing plants here, as their time is short.

I penned:
Rebirth
Renew
Rejoice
Refresh
Relax then
Row til the end of the light
Stand still
then
Return and Repeat

It was a good time with old friends, and my Roundup buddy, Juliet. After the poetry session, we went to Billings downtown and visited our favorite bookstore. A gay pride festival was in session, so we walked around a bit. Then to a Chinese restaurant for takeout to eat in the car.

After soul-defeating times the past few days and weeks, this was a wonderful day! Finally...

Comment

June 18, 2026 at 5:50pm

#1118000

Stymied

Seems it's been over 2 weeks since I updated this BLOG.

Two weeks is a long time, and I thought of this upon waking this morning.

Ever get so stuck, so stymied, that you just cannot get the initiative to do anything?

Perhaps that is me now, or perhaps it is the come-down after a play I was in.

I had a confrontation with a fellow cast mate who just could not be quiet backstage. She has a loud normal voice, and when she gets excited, well, it borders on shouting. So after a few months of this, I called her out about it the last show of the play. Egads. I wear hearing aids and all sounds are amplified, and not filtered as if you didn't have the little machines in your ears.

So now, after the play, I am concentrating on the museum. I am also busy with volunteering at the senior center - I run the dishwasher. Plus my weekly commitment at the county commissioners' office.

Now the month is winding down, so around here it means fireworks will soon be happening. This year I am going away for July 3 and 4. I am going to Chico Hot Springs in the Paradise Valley near the North entrance to Yellowstone.

I love Chico - natural hot spring pool, cool and hot. Chico began in 1900. A hot spring fills the outdoor pool and is drained nightly then let to refill. The water is not treated with chlorine or chemicals. There is also a hot pool - great for soaking. Chico has hotel rooms and cabins, and a teepee and train cabooses to stay in. Plus an excellent restaurant, a bar, a fast food place, a souvenir/coffee shop. Love it!

The reason for going away is the fireworks in town every year. Hate them - see note about hearing aids above. Every year I think my house is going to catch fire from the big giant bombs exploding around me.

I read again the Four Freedoms as spoken by FDR at his state of the union speech in 1941. Months before the attack on Pearl Harbor that propelled the US to enter WWII.

Freedom from Want

Freedom from Fear

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Religion

Comment • View 1 comment

June 2, 2026 at 2:57pm

#1116923

Surprises!

So I haven't been on here for some days.

But today I have to tell of some things that happened recently.

Today a big rig load came through town. Now this was as large as the downtown buildings. 12 axles, one semi at the front and one semi at the rear.

At the same time this big monster tank came through, a car waited. This car had a trailer and on the trailer was a cage of goats. I thought that was funny.

A rare sighting the other day gave me joy. I walked by a car at a playground. I did a doubletake and went back to talk to the passenger. It was a teen girl and she was actually reading a book. It was like a rare bird sighting in the wild. It gave me joy and surprise. No phone, no device, just a book.

Things are tough now throughout the country. You have to enjoy surprises when they happen.

Comment

May 24, 2026 at 12:05am

#1116352

Riverwalk

I had a very interesting walk today. I try to go to the riverwalk on Saturdays. It's not far, a few blocks, across the highway, and then into the "wild" of the riverwalk. It is a peaceful place to walk and think. I used to walk my dog there. But it was more for me looking back at those times. My dog liked to walk, anywhere. I used some time to rehearse my play lines. I have one part that is a monologue. I could fudge it a bit, but other actors rely on very specific words as cues on when to enter. So I have to get this to memory. I've tried a few techniques I've used in the past. Writing down lines on my hand, carrying lines on a clipboard. I have them all written in a notebook, but the trick is how to make it look like you're not really reading, when you actually are.

But something happened on my walk to this river side trail. As I walked past a house, near the highway, I scared up a deer, a mule deer. That deer went bounding off toward the highway. And SMACK! A truck carrying a horse trailer hit that animal broadside. The fur flew, the truck barely slowed down and then I wondered how to get the deer off the road.

So when I walked closer, there was no deer. I don't know if it stuck onto the front of that truck, or just ran off across the road. I never did see it again. Weird. I have hit my share of deer in my life. Ruined a few cars when those rascals jump out. There is a road going east from Roundup toward Musselshell and Melstone that I call the "deer suicide" highway. I lost a car once, a friend lost two in the space of a month. Also see out this way are elk. And those can really mess you up.

Life is busy now, with play practice every night, working at the now-open museum, volunteering again at the senior center, and my two part-time paid jobs.

But at least I am not bored...

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PORCH PONDERINGS (Book)

PORCH PONDERINGS

Norma's Wanderings around a small section of Montana