You Are Officially Falling Apart

I didn't fully understand or appreciate the cascade effect until lately. Just before my Montana trip, docs from all walks of profession started coming up with new maladies for my perusal. It wasn't just one; it was a few.

"Because such-and-such happened, you've now got so-and-so, that complicates your original 'aches and pains.' I now see so many medical types that remembering their area of expertise and office locations escapes my recollection sometimes.

While in Montana, I get a phone call saying "we've taken the liberty to refer you to these two or three physicians. You need to call them to make appointments. This was the day after sitting on wooden bleachers for a Pow Wow. My hips, knees and lower back were stilling reacquiring feeling. I guess arthritis does that. If it wasn't for my walking stick, I would have undoubtedly been ambulating on my knees.

It seemed like old soldier's week when I got back. You've got too much swelling, take these pills; the reason for your swelling is because of your liver, not your heart; physical therapy in the pool twice a week should help the arthritis; by the way you've got a UTI, but there still aren't any more kidney stones - take this antibiotic.

It all comes down to abusing the old body for too long and now it's abusing me back. It's getting even for all those Paramedic and Firefighter tasks I urged it to do for thirty years. At least I got it out the other side alive, if not in one piece! What more does it want?

I can only hope that the body parts stabilize. Having something fall off in a local shopping establishment might look tacky. Now I must work on some editing before a finger falls off and I have to relearn how to use a keyboard.

Gary



What A Week!

I pulled into the driveway after a 13 hour jaunt back across 2 1/2 states last night from Browning, MT. Browning is in Eastern MT near the Rockies and Glacier National Park.

I spent 5 days sucking up as much information as I could and wasn't disappointed, so by Saturday night I decided that all things considered, it was time to pack up and head back Sunday before my body quit working completely. If you ever want to see a humungous Pow Wow, Browning is the place to go during the third week of July. Tribes from across the Country show up and you get an eye- and earful.

One thing I didn't plan during my scouting of the larger area was to have the transmission of my pride and joy 2007 Chevy Silverado become history. Fortunately, I was just coming into Cut Bank and they had a GM dealership there. It was Friday the 11th. A new tranny couldn't be shipped and installed until about the 23rd. I was stuck.

Wouldn't you know that a 2014 crewcab truck identical in color to mine was sitting in their lot? I wanted the awesome blue one sitting next to it, but it was only a 6 cylinder - this was an 8 like I had.

The Mayor of Cut Bank was my salesman, which originally gave me pause, but by the time he walked me through all the options, I realized he was honest. He could sell me the new truck for a hundred dollars less a month than what I was paying for my old one!

So, what could have been a disaster turned out to be a blessing. New truck, new warranty, new improved gadgets and I could complete my original goal of researching the Blackfeet Tribe. Next time I'll tell you about the $150 a night rooms at the area motels and why it's a blessing to have generous parents!

This next book will have a truckload of memories piled in its bed and I'm still alive to tell about them!

Gary