Wrinkly Bits
A Blog by Gail Cushman
How many weather changes can we have in one day? I counted six a few days ago. Sunny and bright. Foggy, which was somewhat shielded by the smoke of farmers and ranchers burning leftover hay. Hail, not enough to matter, but still, hail. Of course it snowed, just a little, but then it warmed up and turned to rain. Then it cooled down and we got snow again and this time the snow god wasn’t fooling around. We got lots and lots of snow and it stuck to the ground. A foot of snow, as in 12 inches. I’ve lived a lot of places and have seen it all, I think, but darn it, Montana Weather God, can’t you make up your mind? I have come to the realization that the adjectives “warm” and “hot” indicating weather in Montana do not exist.
“Beautiful, we need the moisture,” is the constant refrain of farmers and ranchers.” I hear you, but can’t it be spread out a bit? I don’t know what to wear…short-sleeved shirt or my going-to-Alaska parka, with wool everything. Stocking cap, cowboy hat, or rain hat? Do I turn the stove on high or open all the doors and windows? Do I make chili or a salad for dinner? So many decisions.
As an example of my frustration, one day last week, it was sunny first thing in the morning, and I thought, “What a glorious day to hang my washed clothes outside on my clothesline.” I love the fresh smell of clothes that have dried in the open air. I got busy, washed a couple loads of clothes and hung them out to dry. It was sunny and pleasant outside. Perfect! The wind started to blow, but that’s okay because it would help the clothes dry quickly. Before I could finish hanging them on the clothesline, fog/smoke blew in, and soon there was a heavy sprinkling of ashes on Cowboy’s clean Carhartts. No worry, I can shake a few ashes off when they dry and if they don’t come off, they will match the paint stains. Not worth worrying about. Suddenly, the wind picked up, and the blue sky turned white and without warning, hail started pelting my nice clean, almost dry clothes. Action: Take clothes down, toss in dryer. Well, look at this, the hail stopped, what to do? Some of my clothes were dry, some were still wet. I folded the dry ones and looked outside. Ah, sun, sweet sun. I quickly rehung the wet ones outside. The wind was good, fresh and a pleasant once again, just a brisk breeze, not a tornado. Perfect.
It was about noon, and I wanted to finish writing my book, and decided to work on it for a while. Clothes washing was under control. Now, when I write, hardly anything can interrupt, but suddenly Cody was barking to come in. His little blond body was covered with snow, and his feet were caked with ice. Our lawn was covered with about four inches of snow and Cody’s footprints were in the snow. Not good. My clothes were still outside. I grabbed them off the line and started to toss them back in the dryer, but on second look, they needed the whole thing over again, so into the washer they went. When they finished, I looked outside, the sun was shining, and I could almost hear the weather god beckoning. “Trust me, Sucker!” Not your life. Maybe next week, but not today. That night it snowed two feet.
