The next step in the solution to my back problems is now complete. Last Monday I had the nerves burned at 4 vertebrae on the right side of my back. Some parts of my back pain are better, but as with all invasive procedures, there is a certain amount of soreness that will go away with time. At this point all I can say is thank goodness for ice packs! The second step, which is the burning of 4 nerves on the left side of my back can not be done for at least 2 weeks. I am planning on getting it done at the end of July. While nothing is perfect and I will always have to be careful of my back [as all of us should] this is definitely an improvement that I am very happy with. Now if I could just go back to being 35 again!!!

My neighbor, her sister-in-law, son and I had a garage sale last weekend. I had only had one before when I lived in Cherokee and swore I would never do it again. However, since there were 4 of us it was not as bad as doing it alone. As always, the worst was sorting stuff out and then pricing it. The sale its self was kind of fun. They have a huge garage for their tractor and motorhome that is enclosed so after kicking out the vehicles things could be set up well ahead of time instead of last minute. The weather was perfect and we got rid of a lot of junk but of course there was still some left over. Then, the day after the sale was over, I found some more stuff that I should have put in the sale but that is the way it goes. I didn't make as much as I could have as I found some things that Linda, Mike and Lisa were selling that I just had to have, so mostly money and stuff just exchanged between us. We even sold some lettuce and salad greens from our community garden that is growing really well.

Dan and I each have the same Canon camera with telephoto lens that we use to take bird pictures on the trips we take. Both cameras have been acting up and after doing everything that we knew to do [change batteries and memory cards, and cleaning the contacts] things were still not working. The next step was to send them back to Canon. After a sizeable chunk of change and numerous calls and emails, we have the cameras back. Today we are planning on going to the refuge near home to try out their "fixes". Fingers crossed that everything works OK.

Last night we had a storm......Oklahoma style!!! About 11pm the wind started, the rain poured down [which is really impressive on a metal roof] and the power went out. We decided we had everything secured so went to bed. This morning we woke to find that the cottonwood tree in our back yard had several broken limbs. This time they hit the ground and went into the creek instead of through the roof of the shop like last time. However, two of our neighbors did not fare as well. One lost 28 shingles off his roof as well as 5 trees while the other lost a beautiful big spruce tree from the front of his house that took years to grow. This morning everyone is out cleaning up the mess. We thought we had gotten away from dramatic storms when we moved up here. Our neighbor, who was born and raised in Montana, said this is the worst storm he has seen in his 61 years.

Pulling limbs out of the creek.





Our neighbor's beautiful spruce tree.















At the back of our house we have a bunch of poppies that were just beautiful. Yesterday I was going to take a picture of them but didn't get around to it. After last night they got beaten around but they are still pretty. Moral of that story is, don't wait to take the picture!!

After my back injections I have made 2 visits to the physical therapist. Their main concern is the moderate tingling down my leg [because it can do permanent nerve damage] instead of the severe pain in my back [which is inconvenient but not as serious]. I told them I could live with the tingling but lets get rid of the pain. They evaluated my problems and then suggested activities that would help with the tingling [forget the pain]. One of them is that I need to sleep and walk differently to decrease pressure on the problem areas of my back. The walking part felt better but the sleep modification is about to kill me. Last night I went back to my old way [sleeping flat with no pillow] and today has felt better. Then, after all that, they say physio may not help me. My neighbor had his back nerves burned yesterday and today he feels absolutely great. I can't wait until the end of the month when I get my nerves burned.

After our "getting stuck in the snow"
experience when our birding friends were
here, we found some other birds, some of which were cooperative for a photo. This is a spotted towhee.

We also came around a curve in the road and found a group of Rocky Mountain
Sheep. These were young males who were practicing for when they get to be big boys.

After having the steroid injection in my back in May, I got some relief but not a lot. The next step was a nerve block. Yesterday they injected 8 places in my lower back with something like novacaine to see if there was relief from the deadened nerves. The deadening only lasts 4 hours but in that time you are supposed to do the activities that hurt your back and see if there is any improvement. I was very pleased that the pain was about 80% better. The next step is to go back and burn the nerve that had been deadened. This is supposed to last for 6 months to 2 years. The doctor seems to think that my problem is arthritis which is the worst at the lower 3 vertebrae and that I don't have any narrowing or anything more serious. I do have 2 herniated discs but they are not causing as much problem as the arthritis. While arthritis will not kill you, it sure can slow you down [which annoys me] so I want to do what I can to improve the situation.


Our 5 pair of California quail are still coming around for goodies, but there are about 3 females that are not here. Presumably they are sitting on eggs. One of the males was sitting on the fence near where I think his female has her eggs so caught a quick photo of him. They sure are pretty birds.

Our neighbor was digging up some lavender from her yard that had spread beyond where she wanted it. We went over, brought it home and Dan planted it in a garden spot that should be perfect for it. It tried to grow it in Oklahoma but never had much luck. Too hot I guess.

This past week we have been birding western Montana with friends from Oklahoma. While our state usually has spectacular weather this time of year, this year was the exception. It rained nearly every day. However, being the intrepid birders that we are, we just put on our rain suits and headed off. We spent a few days in Glacier National Park. It was beautiful as always even though the birds were somewhat hard to find. There was a report of some Northern Hawk Owls about a mile up a trail that we tried to find. They did not tell us that the trail was straight up. Dan and Jimmy headed off while Nealand and I stayed in the car. Apparently the hike was quite a challenge both from the gain in altitude as well as the lack of oxygen from the higher elevation. In the end, the ranger had given us the wrong directions for Howe Lake trail and we had ended up at the wrong location. By the time we realized the error, no one wanted to attempt the correct trail.

We then returned to Missoula for the Montana Audubon "Wings across the Big Sky" festival. There were different field trips on both Saturday and Sunday that we all attended.

On Monday we headed south to the Idaho border to look for Boreal owls. Unfortunately that turned out to be a futile trip.....in more ways than one. We were following a Forest Service road that kept getting higher and higher. After about 8 miles we came across some snow across the road that was about 40 feet long. Following some discussion we decided to try to go through the snow. About 1/4 of the way through the Explorer started fish tailing and ended up with the rear end going sideways and stopping just inches from falling off the edge and down an embankment. Upon inspection we were in about 10 inches of snow with an inch of ice under that. This looked like a lose, lose situation. We had both AAA and Good Sam Roadside Assistance but they never would have found us in that wilderness. That plus the fact that there was no cell phone service. There was also no traffic on the road. We decided the only way out was under our own steam. Of course we had no shovel or any of the tools needed. With a pocket knife we cut some branches and picked up sticks to attempt traction with some rocks to keep us from going over the edge. Unfortunately I became the designated driver while the guys pushed. Talk about pressure!! The first attempt resulted in one tire spinning and additional sideways motion putting us a couple of more inches closer to the edge. When I had my dog Abby, I had a piece of carpet in the back of the car for her to sit on. We kept it in the car to keep the back clean. That proved to be the solution to the spinning tire but not before having to jack the wheel off the ground to get the carpet under the wheel [in the direction of the downhill edge]. Talk about a scary situation!! We would take a run with the carpet under the tire, make a few feet and when the carpet came flying out the back end, we slid some more. However, after multiple times of moving the carpet, pushing and moving ahead about 4 feet, we finally got to the other side and gravel road. The only problem was if we proceeded on the road it got higher with the possibility of more snow. The only option was to turn around and head back through the same snow. Oh no!! However, after smoothing out the snow then laying twigs, sticks, limbs etc on the snow pile it was crunch time. I hit it hard enough to have momentum but not too hard that I would slide. After a few minor fishtails I was through on the other side. What a relief!! Needless to say we headed back down the road and out onto pavement. The moral of this story is that when you have left two 4 wheel drive cars at home stay out of the snow banks!! [To everyone else this would seem obvious but at the time it all seemed like a good idea]. I would love to have taken photos of this whole ordeal but had to stay in the car or I too would have fallen down the embankment. The only photo I managed was through the rear view mirror.

Last Friday I was reading a forwarded joke when suddenly my computer was attacked by several viruses and trojan horses. After several attempts by my resident computer expert [Dan] to fix it, I ended up being unable to get on the internet. Naturally, it was Friday and no one could fix it until Monday. We took it in and the guy did whatever he needed to do and I am back on line. That was frustrating not to be able to be on line. It did not get Dan's computer fortunately.

When Dan got his new computer, the operating system that was available at the time was Vista. Ever since he bought it, he has had trouble getting things done that were easy on the old XP system. As a result, yesterday he took his computer in and had Vista uninstalled and Windows 7 installed. While things are not a bed of roses at the moment, once he figures it out things should be better.

When we are at Costco I always buy mangos that I acquired a taste for in south Texas. Last time they also had papaya and while I like the mango better, the papaya was from Belize. Since we probably passed by the place where they grow the papaya and since the Belize economy needs all the help it can get, I have been buying the papaya. These exotic fruits go well in the meals where I eat cottage cheese and fresh fruit [Dan is not that much of a fruit eater but I sure enjoy it.]

As I mentioned in a previous posting, once I got into my 60's things started to fall apart. My back injection improved for a few days, then went back to almost where it had been before. Now the doctor is going to try a nerve block in June. Hope this does better. Also, had a problem with one eye that was a possible detached retina. After 2 different checkups 2 weeks apart they found the eye had several changes that indicated detachment, but one key element was missing. As a result, this will be watched for additional changes. I want to be 25 again!!!

On my way home from church last Sunday I stopped at a garage sale and bought 2 new wren houses for 50 cents each [I love a bargain!] I put one out this morning along the creek where I had heard a wren sing. We did some additional things outside and when I came in I went to the window to look at the wren house. Lo and behold, there was already a little guy who had laid claim to it. He was bringing little sticks in to make his nest and in between he was singing his heart out telling the girls what a great house he had found.

The tree swallows have claimed their house as well. However, this morning a pair of house sparrows were trying to move in [fortunately they would not fit]. The swallows were giving them fits and attacking them at every approach. Go swallows!!

While I was putting up the wren house, a pair of red-naped sapsuckers were in the willow tree beside the wren tree. We also had a black headed grosbeak and a western tanager around the feeders and water today which were new birds for our yard. We sure are having a lot of bird activity.

Our women's group at church is collecting items and money for a mission project so I have been helping them with the shopping. It has been kind of fun although my experience in buying baby clothes is limited, to say the least.

Last weekend we went looking for birds. While we only went about 60 miles, we saw totally different birds from home because the terrain and vegetation was much different. Lots of different choices around here although the total number of species is less than Oklahoma. Never a dull moment.

After waiting forever to decide to get the cortisone shots in my back, I finally took the big step. I had the MRI which showed herniation in 4 discs with L5 being the worst. Yesterday I had the injection at L5. They told me that my back may feel better on injection day due to the numbing medicine they used [it actually did feel better] but that it could feel worse on day 2 and then slowly improve for up to 14 days. Today did feel better and I actually felt like doing some light activities that I had not felt like doing previously. However, they said not to bail off and start chopping wood or anything, and I am being careful. I am cautiously optimistic, and if things continue to improve like they have done today, I will be very pleased.

On April 24 I officially became a senior citizen. That really is a mixed blessing because although there are some advantages [I can officially get senior discounts at restaurants without lying about it] there seem to be more disadvantages. I have never been sick during my life, but in the past year or so, things have been taking a rapid turn for the worse which really annoys me. I want to be back where I can do what I want and when I want. However, aches and pains as well as energy levels seem to put a halt to all that. Oh well, I guess I will be like everyone else and just do the best I can. Through all this, Dan has been a huge help and does so much for me that it would hurt my back to do. I am really very fortunate.

I broke the corner off a tooth while I was in Texas and got it fixed last week. While that is never my favorite thing to do, I do like the results.

I have wanted to have a garden up here but deer are a huge problem. We don't have an area with a high fence, and many of the things we have tried have been eaten. A friend who does not have deer suggested a community garden with him. Last weekend we helped him plant a bunch of seeds with the hopes of a bumper crop. It will also be convenient for when one of us is away or busy and the others can water and share garden tasks. Looking forward to a nice green salad.

Dan is still working on his "to do" list. He is getting lots done, but his shop has still not warmed up so has to limit his time in there.



Our bird feeders are still getting lots of activity with the sunflower seeds and suet being devoured at a rapid rate. These are our California Quail