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Friday, Jul. 26, 2024

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PORCH PONDERINGS

by QueenNormaJean it's darn hot!

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.

I am the Captain of my ship.
God is my co-pilot.
Often I sail stormy seas,
Am flung onto rocky shores.

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

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Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

QueenNormaJean it's darn hot!

Jul 23, 2024 at 7:17pm
In response to "Heat"

Kåre Enga in Montana

Hot is a kind term for this weather. Living on the surface of the sun would be a close spproximation - or in the actual desert.

We do have a hands-off approach to our garden. We don't use pesticides. We pick off the potato bugs and dispatch them to a canning jar with water/cleaning solution. And watch for their eggs on the leaves. Grasshoppers are back. Hubby just ordered some new stuff. We'll see if we get it in time to have any effect.

We tolerate the heat with fans and closing up the house during the day, opening it at night. I also bought a little portable fan - if I fill it with water, it'll blow cold air for about 10 minutes. It recharges on my computer. Pretty cool. no pun intended but pretty funny.

QueenNormaJean it's darn hot!

Jul 23, 2024 at 7:12pm
In response to "Rising temps"

Brian K Compton: For You, Mike

As to the refuse situation - there are no other companies to deal with. They have no competition. We are literally and figuratively over a barrel. Garbage companies have been, and still are, run by a small group of, shall we say, shady people. I will not mention a group.

The eyes will get better. I got a magnifying lighted device - really a craft light - to help me with reading. Wow - what a difference. OttLite from Hobby Lobby.

1 Like

Kåre Enga in Montana

Jul 22, 2024 at 1:06pm
In response to "Heat"

It'll be hot and smoky in Missoula. Air quality is bad. New fire in town... evacuations. Since fires don't usually start themselves...

No a/c. Didn't cool down last might like it usually does. Hopefully this all clears out by Thursday.

As a former gardener I appreciate your hands-off approach.

1 Like

Brian K Compton: For You, Mike

Jul 22, 2024 at 12:56pm
In response to "Rising temps"

That is a big bump. No contract? No other bidders??

On eyes, yours is my every day. I need artificial tears because of my eye surgeries. I'm not good at keeping them moist because of all the screen time, especially in a dark room. My obsession with writing gets the best of me, but must be rewarding if I soldier on. (My indirect way of showing what not to do.

)

Hoping your peepers recover.

Kåre Enga in Montana

Jul 12, 2024 at 6:48pm
In response to "Rising temps"

Hidden costs, ignorance and/or not being honest. I wonder who'll take the blame?

Kåre Enga in Montana

Jul 7, 2024 at 12:37pm
In response to "RIDE into the sunset"

Very few fireworks here. Folks respect fire warnings. I suspect... we will have those this week as temperatures soar.

So... it's a two week gathering... nothing like that here.

Summer = markets (farmers market Saturday mornings), Wednesday out-to-lunch, Thursday evening concerts, all in Caras
Park.

Bonner Park has concerts Wednesday night.

We just had the marathon so that was huge. Frost season has started (river is low).

QueenNormaJean it's darn hot!

Jul 3, 2024 at 6:54pm
In response to "RIDE"

Kåre Enga in Montana

Well, the festivities begin tonight with a rodeo. And yes - the fireworks have been going off ever since the fireworks stands (2) opened on the 24th of June. They will continue until the fireworks stands close on July 5. But not soon enough for me. And no - people are usually not respectful of others in this regard. They shoot them off on street corners, from the front of bars, in front for their homes, in the alleys. Wherever. No rules. Just a time limits. I think it's 9 AM til 11 PM. And the sheriff tells people not to call about fireworks unless someone gets a hand blown off or your house is on fire.

One year they ruined a person's business by shooting them off across Main Street from a bar. Now Main Street is actually a State Highway. So there was a big hullabaloo about this. And rightfully so. The yahoos that did it didn't really get in trouble, neither did the bar.

The summer food program was run for years by a church youth group. But last year the director, the pastor's wife, ran off with her paramour and left her hubby and kids and the church and that program high and dry. Oops. So now another non-profit is taking over. But I agree that we should not enable those people that just want another handout. Someone of these parents are perfectly capable of feeding their children.

But you know, this is all just small town drama. People who are all somehow related to each other and know all the skeletons in the closets. So you have to be careful - tread lightly.

Kåre Enga in Montana

Jul 2, 2024 at 4:59pm
In response to "RIDE"

A totally irrelevant opinion from the outside looking in:

I don't like loud festivals. Does it go all day and all night. Are people respectful or just throwing fireworks at each other?

It's a nice fence? Newcomers seem to like privacy over getting to know their neighbors here. Newcomers don't always understand local culture and don't always ask. Assumptions can be expensive.

I believe that summer food programs fill gaps for children and families in need. Montana opted out last year (lost $10 million). But... back this year.

Idaho's state senate rejected proposed funding for the SUN Bucks program earlier this year. Republican Sen. Cindy Carlson suggested approving the program would be "sending the wrong message to parents and kids," according to Idaho Education News. "I believe that the message we need to be sending is we all need to work for what we get," she said, per the outlet.

Ah... child labor! (Yes, I know that's not what she meant; but, I'm sure he doesn't approve of stealing.)

QueenNormaJean it's darn hot!

Jun 21, 2024 at 1:47pm
In response to "Ekalaka"

Averren

There is a certain beauty in the isolation - the plains. Thanks for your comment.

Averren

Jun 21, 2024 at 12:31pm
In response to "Ekalaka"

My first duty station in the Air Force was in Rapid City, SD. I love the northern tier states.

1 Like

July 22, 2024 at 12:34pm

#1074274

Heat

Holy cow it's hot - we are in the midst of a heat wave. As a great portion of the US. But for Montana, this is unusual. Usually, it'll hot for a day or two or three. But for a week or two, pretty unusual.

We don't have A/C in our home. It gets pretty cool at night, so we open the house, let it cool off and close all the windows during the day. The next two days are to be 100° with a cool-down coming after that. Mercy. I have my office and pretty much all my business on the second floor. And it does get pretty hot up here.

In the green, which my husband is tending this year, the potatoes are growing fine, as are the tomatoes. But the spinach bolted - went to seed - as spinach likes to do when it gets hot. The kale will probably do the same soon. There are melons or squash coming on. He's not sure which. So, I try not to boss around the manager of the garden. It will succeed or fail, it's up to him. I cannot do much still with my hand.

There is a big controversy, as expected, with the increase on everyone's taxes for the dump site. A lot of misinformation, the rumors and lies. Curious how some tales get told. I wrote a little blurb for the paper. Since I sit on the governing board as secretary/treasurer and can submit to the paper, I have a pretty good idea of what actually is going on.

Speaking of the paper, I had to insert two corrections this week. I didn't give credit to the proper non-profit for the 'Shakespeare in the Park' presentation a few weeks ago. And I gave bad information about the summer free lunch program for children. Oops. But, I will admit my mistakes.

So it's summer, it is supposed to be hot. Soon it will be winter here. I will enjoy the sun and warm while I can.

6 Like • Comment • View 2 comments

July 12, 2024 at 5:16pm

#1073874

Rising temps

Well the heat is continuing its march across the country. Now here in Montana, at least in my little neck of the woods, it's in the 100's. But humidity is low. 10-20%. So tolerable. I hate a/c. We don't have it in our home. We use fans, keep the house closed up during the day, open it at night when the temps go down in the 70's.

But now I am battling an eye problem. Of course, I get one thing taken care of, another issue crops up. Dry eye, what a bug-a-boo. So, not to bore you with details. But, our eyes are self-regulating. A biofilm forms and is usually taken care of, unless you have dry eyes. Natural tears form, you don't have gritty feeling, scratchy eyes. Somehow I don't have enough tears or the tears evaporate or something else is going on. And now there is an infection because of all this foolishness. Great. It causes blurred vision, I can't read or use the computer well, or drive. I use eye drops all the time. And now an ointment medicine. I also have an itchy eye, I just want to take out my eyeball and scratch it. And you know that won't happen.

Okay - well onto more exciting news. The dump. Ha - we now need to inform taxpayers that we are adding $140 a year to the taxes of each taxpayer in the county. Hmm. This is for the waste cost for the county. I think I mentioned before the waste service company raised the rates to the county 61% this year. Yep. Out of the blue. Well, it turns out not really, but the anticipated raise was between 3-4%. Seems the commissioners had foreseen more than that. So they squirreled away a little extra $$ just in case. The notice will come out in a week or so. So now the people coming out to the dump will be even more joyous than before. Ha.

Life is fun and games. And price of everything just keeps rising - even for garbage.

Like • Comment • View 3 comments

July 7, 2024 at 10:32am

#1073636

RIDE into the sunset

The town had a spectacular fireworks show last night - it went on for at least half an hour. I watched from the sidewalk outside. No way I was walking over to the park in the dark, or driving with the crowd.

RIDE attracts thousands for the two concerts every year. We volunteer, usually one night, to sell entry wristbands. $50 for an adult. But it's good for two nights of concerts. I guess that's an okay price, I have never attended any kind of concert, ever.

So we are placed in a little trailer, given the cash box and a credit card reader. Hmm. Have to figure this thing out. Seems it's pretty easy. So I get the first sale done, no problem. Then the volunteer eventually comes in, "Oh, let me show you how to use this device." Duh. "Well, thanks, but I figured it out." So he stays and watches me do a few. Satisfied, he eventually leaves. Then I show the other two volunteers how to do it.

So, word to all you that supervise volunteers - show the people what to do and how to do things before the **** hits the fan and you have 20 or 30 people standing in front of you demanding whatever you're selling. I mean, I'm usually a quick learner, but some are not.

Fireworks are legal in town from June 24 to July 5, 9 am til 11 pm. I think I posted this before. And so of course some are still shooting off them last night after dark. Really? Come on people. Aggravating.

So the 'big dance' is over for the town. I pray everyone made a bit of money, had some fun. There were large groups at the museum each day, so that is good. There are always class high school reunions, so those are great for people to reconnect. Just good small town fun.

We've been enjoying some coolish weather, but that is about to change. Ugh. I like the thunderstorms that roll through, the rain is nice. One night the wind just was wicked, but love that cool air for sleeping. Since we don't have a/c, I'm not looking forward to a heatwave.

I posted in the Book Brothel group about a book I just read. "James" by Percival Everett. If you have a chance to get a copy, by all means do, It's the author's telling of the story of Huckleberry Finn and Jim, the slave. It is a powerful book, makes you think.

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July 2, 2024 at 1:50pm

#1073467

RIDE

Roundup is gearing up for a big RIDE - Roundup Independence Day Extravaganza. So this party lasts from July 3 to July 7. This year there are 2 parades, 2 concerts, a kid's carnival for several days, 2 rodeo events, lots of other ancillary stuff. And fireworks. Always the blast of ordnances over and around my home.

It's been cool and a bit rainy. Nice for the end of June and beginning of July.

The neighbor to our North is in a bit of trouble, I found out. He erected a very nice fence. But didn't get a permit for it. Hmm. I remember asking him about this. "Did you get a permit?" He assured me he had. This was after a city council meeting where this issue was hotly debated by another citizen. So, he can be fined up to $100 a day, per the enforcer, if he doesn't comply. Uh oh. Add to this the fact they just had a new baby, are new owners of a restaurant and have 2 other small children, and seems like it's a real circus over there. But it's not my circus and not my monkeys.

I'm in trouble again with something I wrote about for the paper. Drama. This has to do with the summer food program for children. Seems I put out information about one entity that wants nothing to do with the other group that is actually doing the food program. And it cannot be changed at this late date. Soooo - I now have to retract what I wrote and apologize to that first group. Just another thing on my to-do list. Like the publisher told me a while back, there will always be someone that will be mad about something.

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June 21, 2024 at 11:31am

#1072979

Ekalaka

I finally got to go on a road trip. I went to a SE Montana tourism meeting Wednesday. But it was in Ekalaka, MT. Yes, that is the name. Far SE Montana. Almost to the ND/SD line. So I enlisted a friend to take me. We left Tuesday, stayed a night in Terry, MT. That little town is only 2 hours away. Ekalaka is 4 hours away. My meeting on Wednesday started at 10 AM. So you can see perhaps the wisdom in being closer a day before.

Terry and Ekalaka are both small, Terry perhaps a population of 800, Ekalaka a population of 500. But each have motels.

So I guess this BLOG entry will be a tourist blab. The Kempton Hotel in Terry, MT is the oldest continuing hotel in Montana. Pretty cool. Terry is also the home of the Evelyn Cameron Gallery, a wonderful woman who came to Montana from England, a photographer of early Montana prairie life. Excellent.

Then on to Ekalaka. It is named after a Native American woman, and Ekalaka has the first county museum in the state. Carter County Museum is one of two federal repositories for fossils in Montana. The other is the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman. Excellent place to see actual fossil of dinosaurs. It's one of the stops on the Montana Dino Trail.

Last night in Ekalaka we stayed for a presentation by a native American, Shawn Backbone. He is a member of the Crow nation and talked at Medicine Rocks State Park. Medicine Rocks is a Dark Sky Sanctuary. So Shawn started his presentation at 9 PM. His nephew played the native flute as he spoke to a crowd of perhaps 30 - 35 people that had gathered. For an hour he spoke of the native's connection to the land, to the seasons, his view of life as a Crow tribal member. As he spoke, the flute played, the full moon appeared, then disappeared behind clouds. Suddenly flashes of lightning could be seen behind him, illuminating him for a second as the dark settled in. The clouds dissipated a bit, stars began to appear. All the time Shawn had cedar chips smoldering in a small iron pot, the smoke permeated the space. This was to signify his connection to the earth.

On the short drive back to our motel, you could see the lightning in the distance, a male mule deer pn the side of the road. We talked about how spiritual the whole event was. Medicine Rocks - a giant jumble of sandstone castles in the middle of the flat prairie. Etched names from hundreds of years still present. Shawn's talk. The flute's ethereal sound. Ah.....

Then we woke refreshed, had breakfast at the little cafe and on the road home we stopped in Miles City. Stopped at Vintage a Rustics, owned by a member of the SE Montana board. Did some shopping, my friend scoped out the place where she used to live. Then a few hours later we're back to reality.

I perhaps stated this before. I felt like I was under house arrest for a year. This trip was such a wonder. I came home with joy in my heart.

Here are some links of the places we visited:

https://kemptonhotel.co
https://cartercountymuseum.org/shop
https://fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/medicine-rocks
https://vintageandrustics.com

4 Like • Comment • View 2 comments

June 12, 2024 at 5:39pm

#1072572

Drama Fun

So today I got a call from my buddy in Musselshell, a tiny burg about 20 miles from here. Home of the Musselshell Players, my favorite community theater group.

Can you be a part of us this fall, Norma?

What part do you have for me?

Well, you can be a hypochondriac or a taxidermist who killed her husband, stuffed him and keeps him in a closet.

Hmm, I chose the hypochondriac. I mean, let’s face it. I’ve done nothing but whine about my health for months now. I’m a member of the O.U.C.H. club. Our Unique Clumsiness Hurts.

So I have all the props - a sling, a back brace, a knee brace, and now a splint for my hand.

I also called a friend for a favor. I can hitch a ride with her, since she is also in the cast and lives local. I’ll pay her for gas to take me to and from. I’ll also be on deer and elk patrol. I don't really want to take our new ride down that deer suicide highway. And right now I cannot drive a stick, with the shifting and all.

I am immediately hopping from one play with 126 lines to another with 85 lines.

Piece of cake.

Should be fun. Can’t wait to see what happens.

1 Like • Comment • View 3 comments

June 12, 2024 at 9:49am

#1072553

Monopsony

Okay - yesterday was intense. I was part of a mock jury trial. So, I cannot talk or discuss what happened.

But - consider this word: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/monopsony

And then think of the expense - 36 people were paid $300 plus breakfast and lunch in several meeting rooms in Billings. In the Doubletree Inn. Plus there were at least 10 people in attendance with the company. My word...

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June 10, 2024 at 9:23pm

#1072451

Hurrah!

Hallelujah! The long wait is over, at last! We now have that vehicle that started to be in our dreams in May of 2023. Over a year. Good grief the grief is over, the angst is ebbing.

Hubby drove it back from VA last week. Three days of non-stop driving. But he made it.

I had a play, community theater, so I didn't make the trip back to see the in-laws. But that's okay. No problem. With this hand, I would have a hard time on the plane and sitting in a car for 12 hours. Plus playing nice, nice to family.

The theater production went well. "Million Dollar Meatballs" was the show. Lots of silly fun. Not too many lines were missed. I actually wrote one on my arms. There is always one, that rotten one, that I cannot remember. The actors are an okay bunch. Not too much in common with them, but that's alright. We had pretty decent crowds. Hard to judge, since they haven't done this in 9 years. So next year we'll have a better idea of what to expect. Plus I didn't have to drive, I walked to the venue. Hurrah!

The car we have now is a 2013 Jeep - 4 door. Manual 6 speed transmission. The motor and transmission are completely rebuilt. The tires are new. The exhaust is new. The radiator is new. The front end has an animal catcher/winch installed, actually bolted to the frame, not the fender. We wanted a solid car, not the plastic, easily crumpled ones they build now. We will put up with lower gas mileage to get a safer vehicle. A Jeep saved my life once before in a crash. I like that it sits higher than a regular car. Easier to get in and out of.

So, now we can really get our life settled again. No more wondering and waiting when the blasted car will be finished.

Tomorrow I have an all-day focus group in Billings. They will pay $300 to people to sit in a hotel conference room and give your opinions. Hmm. I didn't have to think long about that offer. I'll have to let you know how this turns out. Perhaps get out the info so people can contact them. I mean, $300 is pretty good pay for a retired person for a day, and they buy breakfast and lunch.

1 Like • Comment

June 4, 2024 at 12:16am

#1072122

High and Low

A day of highs and lows. As I drove to Billings, a big UPS truck threw up a stone - hitting the windshield of the rental car. Drat! Now there’s a nice starburst in the glass. I fretted and fumed all the way to the orthodontist appointment. But as I pull in, no cars. Hmm. There are always at least 10 people waiting.

“Sorry, the doctor had an emergency. Everyone was called last Friday.” Not me. Seems this happened some months ago with a hair appointment.

“I never got the call. I came from Roundup. This is really inconvenient.” I live an hour away.

“We called or texted everyone.” Well, they didn’t, evidently. But I didn’t give up, I stood there. “I am out of the aligners.” So she scheduled me at the other office across town.

“You go to Airport Road then take ……. Well, I kind of knew where she said the office was, and knew I could probably find it. So thanks, and off I went.

Hallelujah, they knew I was coming. I had the dentist tell me my time in braces was done, and now I would just need to use a retainer at night. But first, multiple pictures of my mouth, my bite, my mouth in 3D, a scan of my mouth in 3D, and all this to get a custom retainer in about 2 weeks. Now for the first time, probably ever, I have straight teeth. Yippee! Invisalign - highly recommend.

On the way home I stopped at the car rental office. I asked about the rock in the windshield. Seems they have a little chart. If it measures within the circle, no problem, So pray it doesn’t get larger than their circle.

So the trip to Billings, highs and lows.

Then when I was home for a time, I get the message that a man that used to attend church had passed away. Richard had heart problems and had outlived every prediction by at least 10 years. Such a wonderful person. Such a low.

Play practice tonight was okay, I guess it was a high. We just ran lines since the auditorium is being used for voting tomorrow. I just wish cell phones were banned from practice. So distracting.

Then to top off the day we got a good old-fashioned thunder storm. No hail. No high winds. Just thunder and rain.

I misplaced a notebook, an important one that had all my newspaper story info. That’s a low. But tonight I found it. That’s a high. So I think I should pack it in for the day. End on a high note.

Highs and lows, good and bad.

1 Like • Comment • View 1 comment

May 27, 2024 at 8:16pm

#1071783

The Berkeley Pit

This is a shot of the Berkeley Pit in Butte. It's quite large, a small, deep pond. Constant supervision is needed to keep birds from landing on the water. So there is a small hut where a person sits and uses multiple means to haze ducks, geese and other birds from the site.

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