Notes from Yellowstone #8

It’s gone cold and damp and gray in the space of less than a day. And of course, I have a cold now. I don’t have to be back at work for 20 hours, so I am having a nice herb tea in my outside pjs (sweat pants, long t-shirt, jacket, and some wicked good slippers over sox). I hope the propane holds out. I wouldn’t want to run out tonight. I’ll be sure to check it before the service station closes and I check out for the night. 

I’m using Mama’s medicine on Mama, tonight. Tea and graham crackers to snack on, while I decide what to pull out of my hat for dinner. Something nourishing and nurturing to keep me upright for THE TURNAROUND, or what I have nicknamed the coffee break. I’m going into it like it’s a hard training weekend for a marathon. It’s 15.25 hours of “workout” divided by 7.75 hours I can use however I want to. I’ll have the bed turned down and waiting for me when I get home.

I’ve checked the propane, and it looks good. Green is good, right? That’s the way I read the manual. Green=good. Red=bad. I’m going with good. It will be a very early night tonight, and a sleep-in to 6:30 or 7 tomorrow (Do you hear that, dogs?) Huddled up in the Hovel with an extra blanket on the foot of the bed. The gray and cold outside stops at the green of the trees around the Hovel. A dimmer light to see things around us in another way. I wonder what will come out in this grayer light that we don’t normally see during the day?

Speaking of critters, I’m pretty sure I saw a pair of martens chasing each other through the trees outside my bay window, at the north end of the Hovel. I also watched a chipmunk destroying, or rather consuming, the petals of one of the wildflowers that grow in the bare spot between the Hovel and the forest. It would eat flowers for a while and then move to the seed stalks of the shorter grasses. He showed a clear preference for specific flowers and grasses, rendering both unrecognizable after he’d feasted.

Tuesday morning. The rain put me to sleep last night, and I woke up to heavy frost on Old Blue and the furnace keeping us from freezing. I’m wearing layers today, for sure, and carrying gloves. I’m going to guess that there will be a lot of showers today, for shivering people camping in Yellowstone without hookups or generators. Because it’s July. July in the northern Rockies, that is. 

About Sharon

Like anyone who lives long enough, I have experienced great loss and survived. I am convinced that my survival depends on my own participation in creating the reality I am living in, and I am determined to be a thoughtful and active participant/creator. These writings are my way of documenting that creation. As the song goes, "I will survive!" I chose the title Staying Vertical because I find that surviving isn't just staying on my feet physically. Keeping my thoughts and emotions on the vertical plane keeps me alive and moving forward. Thanks for joining me!
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2 Responses to Notes from Yellowstone #8

  1. Pete Siegel says:

    Ya gotta watch out for those “mini-bears” as they are called at the Philmont Scout Ranch. The buses that take the Scout and Venturing crews out to their drop off points dive over several mini-bear guards to shake off the little critters and keep them out of the Back Country. ;-)

  2. I saw where it has snowed out your way. July snow. Only in the Rockies. Right now I wish I were in it. Or sharing a cuppa with you over a cold July morn. It is good to be reminded how alive we truly are.

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