Madison and her Gamma Rae hiking on Mt Helena, 2004. Gamma rays are good for you in small doses.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Home, Home on the Range.
Home, Home On the Range . . .
Greetings from a mountainside about 25 miles south of Helena. I’m in a cabin looking out across thousands of acres of ranch land, complete with cows and horses, over to the Elkhorn Mountain Range. And there’s snow in them thar hills.
The first step in recovery from an addiction is recognizing a problem when you have one – and the other evening as I opened and closed 2 gates, drove over cow pies, and arrived home to this cold cabin with no electricity and a “detached bath,” it struck me: I’m addicted to NOVELTY. At that moment I remembered that what I really like are bright lights to read by, high-speed internet, and toilets that flush. Which does not mean I wish I weren’t here. I adore this special place and the solitude, and feel privileged for this opportunity – extended to me by a long-time friend who has never rented it to anyone before. I’m not lonely, with a squirrel named Ruprecht (after a character in the play I saw the end of May in NYC, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and a young snowshoe rabbit I call Big Stuff that lives under the porch. B.S. ate all the flowers off my geraniums, so I elevated them and leave pieces of carrot out for him at night. I hike and mountain bike all over the ranch. The cows run away from me; the horses run toward me, which is somewhat alarming given my history with horses. I must find out what to give them, as they seem to expect something from me.
After the trauma of leaving St. John, under less-than-wonderful circumstances, I’m slowly beginning to feel real again. Chores that some people might think of as fun have been quite stressful – like buying a car, learning to use a cell phone (406-459-6171), and hooking up to wireless internet (at a coffee shop in Helena), and having to open all sorts of packages myself. But most of that is behind me.
NYC was great, and it was fun to see my friend Carolyn. She’d worked as an interpretive specialist on St. John for 6 months and now works at a private museum in Queens. We drove to Jamaica Bay the first morning to a wildlife refuge, where I saw my first cardinal (and bought a stuffed cardinal that sings for Madison). We took the subway system all over the place: Museum of Modern Art, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Staten Island Ferry, Soho, Chelsea, and Pier 54 to see a most incredible nomadic exhibit called Ashes and Snow (see ashesandsnow.com). It was colder than heck there, but everyone was friendly and nice and I only saw one person lying on the sidewalk asleep (or dead). I often heard sirens but saw no gunfire. After seeing all those crime shows I was fearful. Carolyn was a gracious hostess and I hope to see her again on my way to Budapest in August.
My granddaughter, Madison, is almost 18 months now and we have fun together. I take care of her about one afternoon a week. Jeff and Lee and Madison came out here for Sunday dinner recently and we went hiking up the ranch road. Now when Madison sees me she says, “moooooooooooooo.” If anyone knows why cows moo, please let me know. Probably the same reason birds sing.
I’m only now beginning to communicate with the rest of the world. I just haven’t felt all that friendly. I did make a quick trip over to Priest River to see my dear friends and fellow members of The Growing Brainless Together Club. I stayed in the cabin overlooking the river there, as I have been blessed to do many times before, and a cow moose that had recently given birth graced our viewshed in the bushes down by the river. We watched her and baby Bullwinkle through our binoculars. While out walking on the road I met one of the neighbors, who climbed down off his tractor to visit. He’s 95. I found myself wishing he was 30 years younger, not that I’m looking. As I turn 60, it is enjoyable to meet older people doing so well. Sherry and Penny’s mother, Kathryn, for instance, is 82 and dates a man who is 92. He drives her all over in his new car, and they have more fun than anybody. K smiles quite a lot these days. On July 29, Jeff, Lee, Madison and I will drive over to Priest River to celebrate my birthday with the GBTC.
In a week or so, I hope to drive over to Moscow/Pullman to see artist friends Jennifer and Diana, then south to New Meadows to see cousin Jimmy and his wife, Lorna, who came down to St. John last February to walk in the 8 Tuff Miles race. We might go rafting on the Salmon River one day.
July will be taken up with hiking/training for my 60th birthday adventure in Eastern Europe, a 10-day group hiking tour from Budapest to Krakow over the Carpathian and Tatra Mountains. A company out of Portland, Walking Softly Adventures, leads hiking trips all over Europe. The “softly” part means you get to stay in a comfy inn each night. That trip is Aug 19 – 29, although I’ll arrive in Budapest early to poke around and adjust to the time change. I joined Montana Wilderness Association and will go on several outings with them in the next couple months. Who knows if I’m even up to all of this hiking – and at “elevation,” to boot. They say taking Viagra helps you hike better at elevation, but I bought a trekking pole instead. Hope this doesn’t turn out to be a death march.
Friends from St. John, Tina, James and 7-yr-old daughter, Maia, will be driving a motor home from Florida out to MT to see me (and lots of scenery in between), and plan to be here July 25 – 28 or so. They’ll bring Squeak the Lizard with them and photograph him at various road signs. Squeak sits on the counter at The Canvas Factory and wears a sign, Squeak Lizard for Service. Then Squeak will go with me to Eastern Europe. I’ll take him back down to St. John on Nov. 1 when I return there for the winter to work. Maybe I’ll write The Adventures of Squeak, The Lizard.
No publisher yet for A Field Guide to North American Geezers, nor have I heard from the publisher who is considering the novel, Cheating the Hog. This summer/fall I do hope to update and reprint Just West of Yellowstone. Otherwise I just write in my journal about daily life and keep getting ready to sketch and do some pastel paintings using new skills learned from my St. John artist friend, Livy.
This weather report is sketchy, and quite possibly superficial, but I wanted to communicate something. I’m developing a weblog, but it is slow going because I’m only on the internet a couple times a week when I get to Helena. There are a few things there if you’re interested, at www.jellyfishstew.blogspot.com. I can tell you of a significant weather event last evening: a hailstorm with hailstones as big as golf balls (honest). I went for a hike afterward and the air smelled like a thousand fresh-cut Christmas trees from all the small branches that landed on the ground. The best aromatherapy.
I’d love to hear from everyone who receives this email. Please know that I’m thinking of you and hoping you each have the best summer yet. And if you are in the Helena area, I’ll be in touch soon.
Remember, Cows Not Condos.
I send you a big hug from my Villa of Reduced Circumstances,
Rae Ellen
Alias Rage (short for outRAGEgeous, not necessarily angry)
Greetings from a mountainside about 25 miles south of Helena. I’m in a cabin looking out across thousands of acres of ranch land, complete with cows and horses, over to the Elkhorn Mountain Range. And there’s snow in them thar hills.
The first step in recovery from an addiction is recognizing a problem when you have one – and the other evening as I opened and closed 2 gates, drove over cow pies, and arrived home to this cold cabin with no electricity and a “detached bath,” it struck me: I’m addicted to NOVELTY. At that moment I remembered that what I really like are bright lights to read by, high-speed internet, and toilets that flush. Which does not mean I wish I weren’t here. I adore this special place and the solitude, and feel privileged for this opportunity – extended to me by a long-time friend who has never rented it to anyone before. I’m not lonely, with a squirrel named Ruprecht (after a character in the play I saw the end of May in NYC, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and a young snowshoe rabbit I call Big Stuff that lives under the porch. B.S. ate all the flowers off my geraniums, so I elevated them and leave pieces of carrot out for him at night. I hike and mountain bike all over the ranch. The cows run away from me; the horses run toward me, which is somewhat alarming given my history with horses. I must find out what to give them, as they seem to expect something from me.
After the trauma of leaving St. John, under less-than-wonderful circumstances, I’m slowly beginning to feel real again. Chores that some people might think of as fun have been quite stressful – like buying a car, learning to use a cell phone (406-459-6171), and hooking up to wireless internet (at a coffee shop in Helena), and having to open all sorts of packages myself. But most of that is behind me.
NYC was great, and it was fun to see my friend Carolyn. She’d worked as an interpretive specialist on St. John for 6 months and now works at a private museum in Queens. We drove to Jamaica Bay the first morning to a wildlife refuge, where I saw my first cardinal (and bought a stuffed cardinal that sings for Madison). We took the subway system all over the place: Museum of Modern Art, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Staten Island Ferry, Soho, Chelsea, and Pier 54 to see a most incredible nomadic exhibit called Ashes and Snow (see ashesandsnow.com). It was colder than heck there, but everyone was friendly and nice and I only saw one person lying on the sidewalk asleep (or dead). I often heard sirens but saw no gunfire. After seeing all those crime shows I was fearful. Carolyn was a gracious hostess and I hope to see her again on my way to Budapest in August.
My granddaughter, Madison, is almost 18 months now and we have fun together. I take care of her about one afternoon a week. Jeff and Lee and Madison came out here for Sunday dinner recently and we went hiking up the ranch road. Now when Madison sees me she says, “moooooooooooooo.” If anyone knows why cows moo, please let me know. Probably the same reason birds sing.
I’m only now beginning to communicate with the rest of the world. I just haven’t felt all that friendly. I did make a quick trip over to Priest River to see my dear friends and fellow members of The Growing Brainless Together Club. I stayed in the cabin overlooking the river there, as I have been blessed to do many times before, and a cow moose that had recently given birth graced our viewshed in the bushes down by the river. We watched her and baby Bullwinkle through our binoculars. While out walking on the road I met one of the neighbors, who climbed down off his tractor to visit. He’s 95. I found myself wishing he was 30 years younger, not that I’m looking. As I turn 60, it is enjoyable to meet older people doing so well. Sherry and Penny’s mother, Kathryn, for instance, is 82 and dates a man who is 92. He drives her all over in his new car, and they have more fun than anybody. K smiles quite a lot these days. On July 29, Jeff, Lee, Madison and I will drive over to Priest River to celebrate my birthday with the GBTC.
In a week or so, I hope to drive over to Moscow/Pullman to see artist friends Jennifer and Diana, then south to New Meadows to see cousin Jimmy and his wife, Lorna, who came down to St. John last February to walk in the 8 Tuff Miles race. We might go rafting on the Salmon River one day.
July will be taken up with hiking/training for my 60th birthday adventure in Eastern Europe, a 10-day group hiking tour from Budapest to Krakow over the Carpathian and Tatra Mountains. A company out of Portland, Walking Softly Adventures, leads hiking trips all over Europe. The “softly” part means you get to stay in a comfy inn each night. That trip is Aug 19 – 29, although I’ll arrive in Budapest early to poke around and adjust to the time change. I joined Montana Wilderness Association and will go on several outings with them in the next couple months. Who knows if I’m even up to all of this hiking – and at “elevation,” to boot. They say taking Viagra helps you hike better at elevation, but I bought a trekking pole instead. Hope this doesn’t turn out to be a death march.
Friends from St. John, Tina, James and 7-yr-old daughter, Maia, will be driving a motor home from Florida out to MT to see me (and lots of scenery in between), and plan to be here July 25 – 28 or so. They’ll bring Squeak the Lizard with them and photograph him at various road signs. Squeak sits on the counter at The Canvas Factory and wears a sign, Squeak Lizard for Service. Then Squeak will go with me to Eastern Europe. I’ll take him back down to St. John on Nov. 1 when I return there for the winter to work. Maybe I’ll write The Adventures of Squeak, The Lizard.
No publisher yet for A Field Guide to North American Geezers, nor have I heard from the publisher who is considering the novel, Cheating the Hog. This summer/fall I do hope to update and reprint Just West of Yellowstone. Otherwise I just write in my journal about daily life and keep getting ready to sketch and do some pastel paintings using new skills learned from my St. John artist friend, Livy.
This weather report is sketchy, and quite possibly superficial, but I wanted to communicate something. I’m developing a weblog, but it is slow going because I’m only on the internet a couple times a week when I get to Helena. There are a few things there if you’re interested, at www.jellyfishstew.blogspot.com. I can tell you of a significant weather event last evening: a hailstorm with hailstones as big as golf balls (honest). I went for a hike afterward and the air smelled like a thousand fresh-cut Christmas trees from all the small branches that landed on the ground. The best aromatherapy.
I’d love to hear from everyone who receives this email. Please know that I’m thinking of you and hoping you each have the best summer yet. And if you are in the Helena area, I’ll be in touch soon.
Remember, Cows Not Condos.
I send you a big hug from my Villa of Reduced Circumstances,
Rae Ellen
Alias Rage (short for outRAGEgeous, not necessarily angry)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)