Worrying helps a great deal.

October 3, 2015

I am anxious about my wife. Is she okay? She drove to Thompson Falls, Montana, yesterday while I worked. She stayed the night at a motel there that has no room phones. I tried to phone her but evidently the cell phone has been turned off or there is no service there. The plan was for her to climb perhaps 10 miles up a mountain with a group from the Montana Wilderness Society. We have hiked with members of the group before and enjoyed the experiences. Arduous, but enjoyable. Trouble is the weather is cold and snowy in parts of the state. It is 5:37 pm and I still was not able to phone her. I know anxiety is not good. Not helpful. Still, I worry. I hope she will phone as soon as she returns to civilization. Now I am going to search the internet for weather in the Thompson Falls area. I remember 5 years ago, or so, she and I hiked to Hornet Peak, just west of Glacier, on October 1 and it snowed up high and we were quite cold. I cried, but it did no good.
I checked the weather report, not what I expected. The air quality from smoke is not healthy. People with respiratory or heart disease should avoid strenuous outdoor activity. Healthy people should limit such activity. Now I am concerned. My honey has serious asthma and a 9 or 10-mile hike would certainly be prolonged strenuous outdoor activity. Perhaps she is on her way home? I hope so.
She phoned me! She is fine. She hiked, but took a shortcut back. Her breathing is fine. She will sleep in the motel in Thompson Falls and return to Billings tomorrow. I am so relieved.

October 5, 2015

Yesterday she returned about 4 p.m.! She was in good shape, although she said the Saturday mountain climbing near Thompson Falls with the group was brutal. She became queazy after the group started out at a fast pace. She ended up catching up with them at a mountain lake and they all hustled back down the trail together.
Mondays are usually damned busy at Omnicare pharmacy. I don’t know which shift I am working so I’ll just go in early because I will have to work steadily if I can’t do things that quickly.
I don’t feel like writing in my diary. That’s odd, because I am doing exactly that and nobody asked me to do it. Somewhere something is compelling me. I’ve been glad I wrote other times, especially when I made an observation.
I have a dental appointment tomorrow and my tooth is not hurting at this moment.
Feels great to stretch in the morning.
My muse is absolutely quiet, perhaps asleep? I’d like to wake her but I don’t even know where she is.

October 6, 2015

I was stunned by how busy we were at work yesterday. We busted some serious licks. Then this morning before work I saw my dentist who referred me for a root canal. My tooth aches, but throughout the day I was able to get by with acetaminophen. (Or paracetamol for you from other lands.) The tooth is an aggravation but not excruciating, yet. I hate to ask for stronger medicine, so I’ll see if I can get by another 8 days until I see the endodontist. I agreed to work two more days this month, bringing it almost to full time all month. I will see how it goes. Next Monday I will go to Russell Rowland’s writing workshop.
Every once in a while I get an inspiration to find out about something I can write about. Right now my tooth aches and my inspiration is gone. Perhaps I’ll read about “Operation Mincemeat,” from World War II.