Fatigue, Flies and Featherdusters

There are a lot of things I like about living in Montana.  The ever-changing scenery, the friendly people, the more relaxed pace of life, the wildlife..... it's all good.

But even in paradise on earth, there's got to be some down-side.

The toughest has been fatigue while adusting to the altitude.  You know, the building-up-your-hemoglobin-so-you-don't-pass-out walking up the stairs.  It takes a while, and I've been patient, but every time I have a moment to relax and chill out, my body keeps muttering "go take a nap; go to sleep."  It's not safe to leave me alone in the quiet for very long.  This last Tuesday was a pretty physical day for me- by 8:15 I was in bed falling asleep!

A more manageable irritant are the hordes of flies that seem to exist throughout the area.  These black buzzers took me by surprise; in all the other places we lived, there were a few of the pests, but not the numbers out here.  My guess is between horse, elk, cow, bear and other animal poo, there are above average opportunities for fly repopulation.

I'm finally giving in, and will buy a fly swatter.  I've never needed one before; a nearby book or magazine did the job well.  But in this neck of the woods, I need to become a serious fly killer.


Lastly, it's been an adjustment getting used the the levels of dust that exist.  True, we live up a 7.5 mile dirt/gravel road, and any vehicle will kick up a good cloud of dust.  But down in the Yellowstone valley on the south end it's also high desert country, and a windy day will bring swirls of dust into the Cinnabar basin where we live.

I've learned that I can dust our dark wood end tables on a Monday, and by Wednesday it will look like I haven't dusted for 2 weeks.  Ignore the windowsills for 2-3 weeks, and it's going to look more like I've neglected them for 2-3 months.

My featherduster and Swiffer have become good friends.....