The Pendulum Swings Part I
A Letter
     It's been almost a year since my last entry on this blog.  What has happened in the interim?  I received about 435 votes in the election, the same amount that every other Democrat received in their 2014 state races.  In other words, it wasn't what any of us did nor did not do; it was pretty much a party-line vote.  My Republican competitor was closer to about 1200 votes.

     Spring, 2015, I was elected as President of the Board for our Musselshell Valley Historical Museum and Vice-chair of our UUA Fellowship in Billing, 50 miles distant.  I ran for, and lost, election to our local school board.  So I win a few, lose a few.  Winning, on the other hand, is not always something to celebrate.  Conducting two Museum fundraisers within two months, standing on my feet for seven hours at one of them, is extremely tiring.  Planning for and creating future Museum exhibits is challenging and time-consuming.  And driving 50 miles to a Fellowship Board meeting must be squeezed into a long list of other errands in order to conserve on gas.  Even losing an election can be a good learning experience when unexpected comments from individuals in town show they've been listening and they're admiring of my throwing my hat into the ring (no Democrat has done it in a long while -- for good reason evidently).

     Nowadays?  This is the first week sunlight begins to shorten.  I will hardly notice until something happens, my early mornings won't be as bright as they are now; I won't be able to sit out on my deck and write quite as early.  The cycle begins anew.

     My getting is older is just the same.  I do O.K.  Walking, riding my bike are several ways I exercise.  It just takes me longer to do almost everything -- and that's good.  The secret for me is to pace myself (except when I'm serving at a Pancake Breakfast for seven hours!).  Pacing is good but it's also helpful to persist in all of my exercising.  Listening to my body is the other requirement for maintaining good health.

     For example, there are several choices I can make when taking my almost-daily bike ride.  I can go north on my street and south down the next street, about one mile from one end of town to the other.  This can happen for four streets until the pavement runs out (several newer streets are unpaved).  Going north is sloping up while south is the opposite.  Or I can cross Highway 89 our main street, go east several blocks before turning north.  Several more blocks take me across Highway 12, where I circle the town park with its play area, tennis courts and pool  I peddle by the pasture where the new elementary school will be constructed (this will be the last school year in the original 1911 sandstone building located 1/2 block from my house).

Ice cream hill is the point as which I turn west.  (It used to look like the top of an ice cream cone but since city trucks have begun to remove much of the soil, it's lost its shape.)  I cross 89 once more heading four blocks to the last paved street on that side of town.  I turn south.  This is the street we look forward to (when Lori rides with me) because we get to coast almost all the way to the last street.  It takes only three more blocks east before starting back north for several blocks and turning into my alley.

Whichever path I choose depends on how I feel.  If my knee is giving me pain (tripped up a high curb last week), a shorter route makes more sense.  If, however, I've spent time during the morning on my exercise routines (stretching, physical therapy, and shoulder strengthening), I'm ready to circumvent the town.  (Is there an exercise for almost every malady?!  Like lying on my back on the floor, napping sometimes, to straighten/ease my back.)

What a life!  Rarely boring, well-paced much of the time, with persistence-in-all-things as a favorite motto (after two years, still have to build a porch rail and cement some sidewalk!).  Along the way I remind myself to be thankful for my challenges here, like having too much to do and even having those PLOM-ing times that inevitably appear (see next entry).  Those challenges force me to use my own creativity and skills.  Yes, life is slower (may take a while to get my sea legs after sitting too long) but it matches where I am -- and that ain't bad!