Favorite Things

Man... how did it get to be afternoon? I meant to fall into bed when I got home. Darn the lure of the computer!

I really like my midnight shifts at the motel, but that may be because I like feeling loopy. Tiredness can be pretty damn fun sometimes. But it doesn't make me the most coherent of bloggers, so I'll keep this short today. Just some wonderful bits and pieces from around here.

Every night I put on my fabulously soft, rainbow colored legwarmers. I have to take them off after about 4 minutes, because it's still in the lower 90's here (what? Montana's not cold all the time? dang it!), but they make me happy, and I really want it to get really freezing now.

I have a warm, comfy chair. It's a strangely appealing kinda orangish red, with a cheap blue cushion to add comfiness, and my blue afghan to add home. From Mary Sarton, quoted in inspired house, "A house that does not have one warm, comfy chair in it is soulless."

The first week I was here, my next door neighbor came over with lemonade and cookies.

My pastor's wife came over with a marble cake yesterday.

In church, there's a 15 minute section for prayer requests, where everyone calls out things they need help with, or are grateful for. It's like a big, communal, good-natured gossip fest.

My woodstove. It's just the cutest damn thing.

A beautiful piece of art on a ladder in a light, clean, and airy wood cabin.

I have a flushable toilet.

Chai tea in a box.

I can take a sink out, all by myself. I even think I can re-install it right, when the floor is done.

There's a garage sale and raffle today in order to raise money for an ill neighbor with no health insurance.

The ground in the front yard is covered in little green apples that I can throw for the neighbor's boston terrier.

There's some really good roads, practically in my backyard, and tomorrow I have the day off. I think I'll really give myself a day off. I need to head towards Glacier, or before I know it, snow will have closed most of it off to me again.

I live on the Clark Fork River. It follows the road east and west, and though it's always there, it surprises you every once in a while when you come around a bend, and you're stunned all over again. I really need to go fly fishing.

I live on one of the last two sections of railroad in the entire US to have these old fashioned signal arms. Apparently they are very impressive. Normally, I'm not much impressed or at all aware of railroad thingies, except to say, hey, that's a train. But I actually noticed these signals and admired them, well before being told that they are just the coolest thing. They really are cool, and they fit into the landscape of trestles and tunnels and mountains and rivers perfectly.

I guess that's enough for now. It's good to think of these things, instead of spiders and roaches, my sore feet, dirty living room, thrashed bathroom, explosive stove, and neighbors with mullets and 3 kids by 18. Although it's kinda fun to dwell on those things every once in a while too.

Here's the best bad thing. There's a room in the Blue Castle that's been shut off since my second day here. The hardwood floor is covered with dead flies and other... detritus. I think they may have kept their dog there. There's trash and empty boxes, and on the door, someone has drilled a tiny eyehole, and written underneath "do NOt desterb". From my head to my feet, you can see whole grubby handprints. It's really almost fabulously bad. I tend to avoid looking over there.

Comments

[tracy]

Okay. I'm homesick now. I now officially miss Montana. Grr.

[greta]

The best bad thing? O.M.G. The thing that made me GRIN?
"I can take out a sink"...neener, neener.
You GO, girl!
Do see Glacier. Words can barely describe it.
When the Hurricane force winds die down, I'll send you another Care Package.
xoxoxox

[Daisy-Winifred]

What kind of hand prints...human or!!!? :0)

So your new business cards are going to read
AT YOUR SERVICE
The All Round Creative Human Camper and
Traveller
Plumbing-Photographing-Blog Posting-
Renovating-Writting-Being
All things attempted few abandoned many succeses.
JUST WATCH ME.

Watching, waving and sending many good wishes.

[Marilyn]

I've just caught up on the Montana posts. Whew! You've been busy! I hadn't realized that your lent space for the winter was going to require such effort on your part to make it livable. Although some of it sounds creepy and scary (I'd be cowering, too, if I had to enter that root cellar)...all of it is entertaining. :)

[maryse]

hey girl,

again, you are my hero! sounds like you've had a challenging few weeks. good luck! glad you're back.

[Ann]

Ah, I see you've encountered what I call "rural health insurance" already. I can think of more than five such events since moving here 3 1/2 years ago, and I'm sure there were more that didn't make it to my radar.

I still think it's cool living in a neighborly place, even when I'm feeling a mite too *watched*.

D-W's comment ROCKED.

[Joan in Reno]

Wow! You need a job as well as all of your work renovating, etc. I hope you are getting all parts paid for and something for all of that work besides a "free" place to stay. And I loved D-W's calling card; you *must* print some up. Your Montana adventures are making me very envious. And your description of your neighbors is so typical of those very small boonie wide spots in the road (their narrow breadth of mind/thinking are the main drawback). Sounds like you will have an "interesting" winter.