PORCH PONDERINGS

Day Seven of The Bard's Hall Contest

Day Seven of The Bard's Hall Contest is a beautiful Sunday on the porch in Roundup, Montana. There is a blue sky and sunshine and this morning a stiff breeze heralding a change to come. Every time there is wind a storm follows. Happens more times than not. We did have rain overnight. Good for the lawn and garden. We irrigate our garden and flowers, but not our lawn.

Montana is a dry state. We cherish any rain that comes our way. But I am not one to spend good money watering the grass. Food I will water, and some flowers, perhaps. But not grass routinely. I feel my money is better spent in other ways.

So Roundup - curious name for a town? I think it is so Western. It came about, they say, back in the days of cattle drives. There is a low area near the river with high sandstone bluffs and the cowboys thought it was perfect for rounding up the herds. So the name stuck. Roundup. Then they found coal, then the railroad came through, then the town grew with the mines and the railroad. Still the name stayed the same. The town has shrunk, as have many Montana towns that were tied to railroad lines. But we somehow hang on. We are not on the interstate. You have to want to get here. What we do have is a quiet, rural way of life. Close enough to a big city if you need that but near enough to serenity if that is what you seek.

Lewis and Clark came near here on their travels. The Musselshell River is a few blocks south. It runs all the way to the Missouri. And speaking of Lewis and Clark, my goodness. Who of us would be brave enough or strong enough to go on a journey of that magnitude? Every time I think of those men, and Sacagawea, I just cannot comprehend what they accomplished. Amazing feats of bravery and strength. There is a monument on the Yellowstone River, Pompey's Pillar, near Billings. Clark carved his name on it in 1806. The BLM manages this and you can visit it still.

We moved here from Gardiner, which is at the North entrance to Yellowstone. We lived there for about twelve years. We actually worked in Yellowstone in the reservations department for four years, then moved into town.Our final eight years we managed a small seasonal motel. Summers were busy, as you can imagine being next to a national park. But the winters were wonderful. Nothing but peace and quiet and the mountains and sometimes snow and cross-country skiing. So moving from Gardiner and the mountains to this little burg in the prairie took some getting used to.

I sit on my porch now and as I ponder those years, I don't regret the move here. God had a wonderful house here for us. I love this porch, I love the inside as we slowly remodel it, and I love the people we have met here. Now if I could only move the mountains here. Then we wouldn't have to drive four hours to hike!

Enjoy life! Get out, explore. I am on the Southeast Montana Tourism Board. Lots to see here in Montana. And no social distancing required in the great outdoors. Lots of room for everyone.






Queen Norma Jean