Norma's Wanderings around a small section of Montana |
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. |
Today was a fundraiser for the Musselshell County Historical Museum. I recently joined the board, so I was asked to help. The Chuckwagon Breakfast from 8-1 fed about 150 people. Pretty good deal. We served pancakes, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, plus sliced strawberries and watermelon. Beverages were coffee, orange juice and water. All food was donated by Museum board members. I donated some butter, 7# of strawberries, and 2 large Costco size bottles of Log Cabin syrup. Plus I donated 5 hours of time. Good grief. I thought I am 20 years old again, working in the Big Boy restaurant in Ashtabula, Ohio. Clearing plates and getting drinks. But this time I wasn't working for wages or tips. Just volunteering. With no break. But it was for a good cause. I couldn't even eat the food. I'm gluten intolerant, so no pancakes or biscuits. I don't eat pork, so no pork gravy. Right now I'm having some digestive problems, so I'm fasting so not even the eggs or fruit. I just drank a bit of juice. It could have been worse, I could have been the dishwasher, she stood with her hands in soapy water for 5 hours. So after all the guests left, I cleaned up and headed home. Right across the street. I came home and lay on the porch swing for a spell. Rested my poor feet and legs. Enjoyed a quiet time for about an hour. But I did hear that my little entry in The Bard's Hall Contest earned 2nd place. Hooray! I have another entry out there in the Dialogue 500. I've been writing a lot for The Daily Flash Fiction and The Writer's Cramp when the prompts seem interesting and time allows. Sometimes I win, The weather here is looking better this year. We're getting a bit more rain this Spring. Sure beats last year. We didn't have much rain at all. We're still in a drought, but a bit of rain now and then is welcome. Pray for everyone in the West. Drought and fuel prices are hurting all the farmers. |
Well what do you know! I have been nominated for a 2022 Quills for a Flash Fiction story. Talk about surprised! I am honored folks. Thank you to whoever thought my story,
I was a frequent contributor to that contest for a few years, now it's a few times a month. I seem to hang out at Andre's Banana Bar quite a bit. it's a fun place to be. I don't go for the drinks, but for the interesting conversations. But when I see interesting prompts, like these, well I'll take a chance. These were the words I had to use: mountain hand leaf What would you write, in 300 words, in 24 hours, using those three words? Sounds easy? Give it a try. You may win the contest. Or a Quills nomination. You never know. |
It actually rained today. We just could not believe it. Rain does exist. It fell from the sky. We felt like the people in the time of Noah who never knew rain. He told them it would rain. Before the flood, it never rained. Water rose from the ground as mist. Well, here in Musselshell County in Montana, for two years, nothing so much as a drop of rain has fallen before the last few weeks. I looked out at a small tree in my front yard a few weeks ago. No leaves. A few days of rain and it suddenly sprouted tiny leaves all over. A miracle. Our yard is now three inches high. The trees and flowers everywhere are rejoicing in the wet. Is this the end of our drought? We pray it is. Then tonight I went to the store. I saw a sign on the dairy case. Egg shortage. Only one dozen per customer. And that dozen now will cost you $4.99. What? I'm glad I get eggs from a friend. She comes once a week with two dozen fresh eggs. No shortages with her chickens. And no price increase. Gas went up again here. It's now $4.29 a gallon. I'm glad I walk here in town, or ride my bike, most everywhere. Life is going to start getting tougher, so I'm glad we're getting a garden going again. Canning jars are being purchased next week. Freezing and canning more food is in our future. |
I don't have enough to do. So I signed up with the National Weather Service to be a Weather Spotter. We had an informational meeting tonight. I have to laugh as I read that first sentence. I have WAY too many things to do. Today I led prayer for the town for National Day of Prayer. I also yesterday made a new Facebook page for our church, and set up an email contact system for our church as well as updated our church's website. I also volunteered at the thrift store in town. We are remodeling a room in our home. I think I've mentioned this. But the new wrinkle, the contractor/handyman quit. Ha! And the kicker? He said, "Well, you don't really need that room anyway." Well, pardon me. Yes, I do. My dresser is in the dining room. My husband's office is in the dining room. The cedar chest is in the dining room. The only other closet for some of our clothes is not in existence, so my clothes are all over the house. Annoyance beyond belief. So we are doing the rest of this on our own. I am getting ready to start the garden again. The weather is finally warming up. Tomorrow we start our volunteering for the museum again. Every Friday til the end of September. So, yes, now I will be watching the weather in addition to my many other jobs. Tightly packed isobars and wall clouds and anvil clouds and cumulonimbus clouds and hail and flash floods and all that fun weather stuff. Hurrah! |