I agree Linda. She hasn't been assertive so far. I have offered to call for her r write e mails but so far she hasn't accepted that offer.

Wally and Margie Mundstock liked to explore the back roads, and they got me involved in that from the start. The second weekend I was there, they took me up in "Burby," their Suburban, along with Puff, their dog, who came everywhere with them, up into the mountains of Lost Creek State Park near Anaconda. The roads weren't great (well, I was from the Chicago area; I was used to the paved roads with potholes. Most of these roads weren't paved, and some were just snowmobile trails). But Burby could go everywhere, and so we went.
Along the way, there were some wild irises, and Margie wanted some for her garden. I don't know how legal it was to dig irises out of state park land, but we stopped to do just that. (Margie and Wally are dead now, so there can be no repercussions.) Puff stayed near; Margie made sure she didn't run off. She was a toy poodle and was older than even the Mundstocks' youngest daughter, JoNae.
From that first outing, I gained a love of exploring. I tried to get out at least once a week to go up in the mountains, try a new road, go a little higher, a little farther, and see something new. I had a Forest Service map to guide me. Sometimes it helped, sometimes ... well, I just got lost. I had no GPS, just that map and my own good sense. I always found my way home somehow.
One day I went up the mountain and came out the other side into Dillon. Don't ask me how I got there; I don't remember anymore. It was a beautiful drive and it was late spring, in May. There was still snow on the road in some places. Once I got to Dillon, I knew where I was and headed back on the interstate.
I had enjoyed fishing when I was younger and had a fishing pole and tackle box, so one weekend I bought some worms and looked for a lake at which to fish. I was not quite fishing like those in "A River Runs Through it." I was sitting there, feeding the baby fish, casting and sitting enjoying the sun when someone came behind me and touched me on my shoulder.
I almost jumped into the lake. There was Wally, laughing. I couldn't believe he went to the same lake as I did for the afternoon.
I loved going up to this place called Crystal Park. We traveled up through the Big Hole and then up a road that was little more than a snowmobile road. Along the way were big meadows of wildflowers. Occasionally, I'd see a moose or elk or deer. One time, there was a mama moose with her baby.
When we arrived at the park, there was a picnic area and then a large mountain with a big hole where all the big crystals were. Ray would go up the mountain to dig; I'd stay at the bottom and dig around the bottom because my legs didn't like climbing. I still have some crystals from there: amethysts and quartzes.
One of my favorite places to drive to was the Skalkaho Pass. It was only open when the snow melted, and that could be as late as June sometimes. It was high up in the Pintlar Mountains and at some points only a single car could pass. But when you got up to the top, a beautiful waterfall awaited the driver.
And what a waterfall it was during a season when the snowmelt was plentiful. The first time I saw it was during a drought and the runoff was low, but it was still breathtaking. But the next time ... well, that was another matter.
It was right before I was going to leave for South Dakota and my next job. I took my little brother, Ray, up with me. We wandered around many places along the road, including one place I had never seen before. On my Forest Service map, it's called the Frog Pond. I'm not sure why; we didn't see any frogs. The other times when I was there when there was a drought, I didn't see the area. I guess the recent heavy snow melt had made it more verdant.
We left that area and continued up to the top to the waterfall. The water was gushing down the side of the mountain and over the road, so much more than it had the other times I had been there. We pulled over and took photos, and Ray walked around the rocks, enjoying the water coming down.
I always remember that outing, for how green and lush Montana could be at times; contrasted with how brittle and brown it had been sometimes. The previous fall, we had wildfires in Yellowstone, with the smoke blowing over the passes into our valley. When the kids played football that fall, the smoke hung over the stadium like an unhealthy cloud.
There were so many wonderful places to explore in Montana: the Bitterroots, Glacier Park, Lost Creek, Georgetown Lake, and Yellowstone River. In five years, I got to see a lot of it, but not as much as I wanted.
But the beauty of the Frog Pond has stayed with me all these years, as some place I want to return to someday, to sit and stay and remember the glories of Big Sky Country.

Dear Eileen..

I am SO enjoying your stories...imagine all of the lives that you have affected

in such a positive way!

Don't EVER forget that! *hugs*

Julia,

Back in the mid eighties, I had a friend whose husband had ALS and he was diagnosed with ALS a month after my friend was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. They were in their mid 30s, a little older than I, at the time, had no children, and the only family they had was their friends. He worked for the railroad, so they had excellent insurance, so another friend and I began managing their home health care. We were able to keep round the clock nurses for both of them and physical therapist came and we were able to get a van equipped to lift their wheel chairs up and down so that we could take them back and forth to the doctors. The wife died first.  Her nurse called me and said her end was nearing and since I had no one to watch my children, (toddlers), I took them with me and put them on the sofa to sleep, thankfully they did, and I made her nurse move her hospital bed next to his and I put their hands close and he sort of held her hand while she died. After her death, he lived six more years and maxed out his insurance but another friend, who was his friend (I was her friend), also worked for the railroad and she married him so that he could immediately get her insurance benefits and thus began his final stages of ALS.  He eventually was unable to move anything but his eyebrows and he had a trach connected to a ventilator, a tube feeding coming out of his stomach in which the nurses gave him feedings, water, and medication.  The night he died, he had appealed to a court to allow him to end his life or take away the feedings and respirator.  Finally, a judge granted permission to remove all life support and we all gathered.  He clicked and raised his eyebrows and tears flowed down from his eyes past his ears and onto the bed and he lasted six minutes. He had very loyal nurses, friends, and doctors over those years but he knew there was no cure and he was so tired of fighting. I hope your friend's suffering doesn't last as long because it can be pretty bad.   You are a good friend. 

Ladies,

Just so you know, it's okay to post on the daily thread. I know some of you are busy and others have been on vacation, but in order for our board to thrive, we all have to contribute. While I enjoy reading various types of posts, I think a comment here and there on the daily thread or even starting the thread would be nice.

Glad to get that off my chest.  Today, I am canning some jalapeños. I don't eat the peppers, but I sure do use them to add a little flavor to various dishes.  My daughter's garden was very successful this year and the peppers just keep right on growing as does the okra so I am pickling and canning every few days.  I freeze the okra or make pickled okra. 

Well, the real-estate agent contacted us last night and said that the seller is coming down to our offer, which wasn't really a counter offer since she countered and we stayed quiet and she just kept coming down.  I contacted my retirement folks and they said when I am ready, they will start putting money in my savings so that we can buy the house and pay for renovations.  I am so happy that when I set up my retirement, I had the maximum amount taken out of my check that the university would match at a 100% and then I added a couple of hundred extra so the money piled up quickly and the investment officer was wise in investing and now I am okay.  Yeah...The man who is going to help with the cabinets and I talked yesterday and he drew the cabinets out and I loved it.  He utilized every inch of space in that kitchen and I am going to have a ton of counter space and storage. This is the first time that I have actually designed my cabinets and I am designing on how I use my kitchen and what needs to be stored.  I'm also working on my craft room.  I cannot wait to get all my stuff back in order so I can start quilting again....

Okay, today I am packing some things and, of course, canning.  I'm also going through our clothes and tossing **** we don't wear.  My husband will never throw away anything. He has suits that he hasn't worn in twenty years so today, I am getting them ready for the salvation army, those that can be worn. 

Breakfast: loaded oatmeal

Lunch: vegetables and shrimp

Dinner: potato soup....

Snacks will be watermelon of which I am tiring.  My daughter has had an abundance of watermelons....

Ladies, rock on and please post. We all need support and your words may be the one thing that keeps me or one of the others on track....