Boss Freedom Gone

It has not rained for four days. Well a little sprinkle here or there but not the cold lashing down pour of the last few weeks. The mornings are like summer LOL. I haven't worn my coat to walk Boss this week. Boss is being unruly these days just like a kid you give them an inch and they take a mile. When we first moved out here to the country I let him run free. We were walking together but he sometimes took off chasing a gopher. As long as he stayed in sight It was ok. Then these little forays got further and further afield. It has became a game he will  try to leave and I call him back. He runs up to me and looking up with begging eyes, can I go play?, I pet him and say OK at which he takes off, before I can turn around he is half way across the field and no amount of yelling on my part will bring him back. He is on a mission freedom from Mom.

Another little trick he learned, we are out walking and he crawls under the fence. I tell him to get back on the road, he does and then picks up the pace till he is in front of me waits till I am looking the other way and  dashes under the fence going full tilt running away as fast as he can.

Last week the dogs next door  found a rattlesnake. We have a lot of sagebrush and rattlesnakes like to  hide in there.  So it is back on the leash for Boss. I can't let my baby be exposed to such a dangerous world. I have  to protect him.

Butte

Have  had computer problems for the last two weeks. Hopefully solved.

We left Billings under murky skies. Reports were out that most of the surrounding areas were under flood. I  went back to the Yellowstone to see if  I could get in and retrieve any of my belongs. The road was blocked but we decided we could walk in. The mud was slippery and water still stood in low places. Joy o Joy the chairs were on top of the table where I had place them for safety. My now water filled chuck box was beside them. Since it held mostly cutlery and cooking utensil that was not a problem. My tent was gone. I don't know if it washed away or walked away. We have three with us so it will not be missed. I am just glad Boss and I weren't washed away.

The rain continued to pour as we drove toward Butte. We checked into a local downtown motel. Butte 's older area has an aura of faded glory. Buildings of beautiful stone and artiecture are boarded up and empty. Once a thriving  cooper mining community it has gone the way of Bisbee and other former glorious and prospers cities that  produced ore to run telephone wire and built the west. The motel and the area around it had seen better days and for the most part were empty. I wasn' t going ( couldn't) to spend the 100 plus dollars that the chains wanted.

Later I ordered a pizza. When I stepped outside imagine my surprise to see the parking lot full and a lot of coming and going. I closed and locked my door and settled in for the night.The motel was "busy" all night cars leaving , radios playing, the occasional sound of breaking glass, laughter and loud talking. My phone rang about 2:00." Is everything all right"? "Yes " I replied. Dial tone. Boss woke me up at six. I dressed in my coat and hat it was still cold outside and drizzling. We slipped out the door, imagine my surprise the formerly filled parking lot was almost empty. Beer cans littered the area with the random vodka and cheap  wine bottle. Either my fellow travelers were early risers or I had spent the night in a hurdy gurdy house.TBC

Did you ever read a story and just when it got intresting to be continued were the next lines. Well that is the way I am going to tell this story. Two weeks ago I left you on the banks of the yellowstone river. My tent was under water and mud filled the campground.  I had no choice but to drive back to Billings and find shelter. The skies were a dirty grey and continued to leak moisture as I drove north. The surrounded areas were all flooded as water rose and washed out roadways.

The motel was a welcome relief from the cold wet rainy weather.  A hot shower and some warm tea and i felt like a new woman. Boss was very happy to be out of the drippy world,. he sat on the bed and did not even lift his head to go out. I couldn't afford to live in a motel all summer so I had to find another solution.

Craigslist would maybe hold the answer. I hopped on and looked up RV's.The first day nothing seemed promising, but the next morning I spotted just the thing, it was small and in my price range. I called and drove across town to view my hopefully new home on wheels. It was perfect. Just the right size for me to feel comfortable driving and enough room to get around. I was ready to put down my cash when I spotted  a stick in the middle of the floor. I asked "is this an automatic" "no" the young man replied. My hopes were dashed I just could not see myself shifting gear across the country. I drove away disappointed. But I knew something would turn up