Merry Christmas!

While its not typical to have a full day of heavy, wet snow coming down at this time in May, no weather patterns are off limits in Western Montana.

Especially in the spring!

I think everyone I see posting about this on social media today is mostly disappointed because Mother Nature actually gave us a few days of warm, happy, squishy sunshine not long ago.

People wore shorts and flip flops.

The golf course was busy (darned tourists and newbies, anyway!)

The Ice Cream Place and BBQ Pit are back open.

These, not unlike the return of the hummingbirds, are harbingers of Spring and one layer of clothing and laying out under the stars next to the propane fireplace and ball caps versus toques and rolling the windows down.

All is not lost, though, because the PGA Championship is on this weekend and its exciting watching Lefty staying in focus and relevant. He’s only a couple of years older than me (which is weird) and I love seeing athletes “of a certain age” still killing it.

Mickelson seems like a nice enough guy, too, which most of the PGA tour players are. Why be a dick when you’re making bank every weekend?

I find it admirable his brother, Tim is his caddie. There is no way on this planet my sister and me could caddie for each other. Too competitive. She’d start grabbing clubs out of my bag and say, “This is how you hit the ball!”

(Who am I kidding? I’d do the same thing to her.)

Its like seeing videos of Simone Biles right now and her insanely gutsy Yurchenko vault that she nailed last night. I admire high level athletes, no matter what their sport is. I admire the Toronto Maple Leafs managing to keep their game going despite watching their captain, Tevares, get accidentally slammed while he was already down and be carried off the ice on a stretcher in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup finals. (Tevares is okay structure-wise but he did get a concussion… something we hockey fans worry about when we think about players’ lives after hockey.)

(Toronto is playing Montreal, the series is tied 1-1 with game 3 on Monday the 24th.)

While I’m enjoying elite level athletic success and while I’m watching the snow begin to accumulate outside, its a far cry from where I was last weekend.

Lordy, the damned Norovirus that is infiltrating Western Montana just like this errant blizzard hit my unsuspecting body Saturday evening and while I didn’t die during the process it certainly wasn’t the worst option.

O.M.G.

I had been doing some real estate stuff at the office and stopped off to play a few holes at our sunny (but fairly busy) golf course that afternoon. Its on my way home. We have a membership and Norman is always waiting for us. Sometimes I play 3 holes, sometimes the full back or front 9, it doesn’t matter to me.

But my game was just a tad off. I was hitting alright, and I felt fine (at that point), but everything was just a tad wayward. So I packed it in after playing 1, 2, 3, then 2 and 3 again and headed home.

Where I just didn’t feel quite right.

I felt a bit queasy on my walk out back and figured I should eat something. I get so busy with all my careers hitting on high right now that I sometimes don’t eat like I should.

I regret the frozen rice bowl immensely given what happened when Norovirus claimed my body like a bad-assed demon from Supernatural. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to eat rice again but it won’t be anytime soon.

This bad boy virus hits hard and it hits fast.

I spent the next couple of days rehydrating.

Probably for the best that I didn’t have any days scheduled to be Dr.Fyfe in Deer Lodge this past week!

I felt strong enough by Tuesday to head over to my friend’s house to work on taking a new listing for them. I’ve known this family since day #1 when I had my veterinary clinic here and I’m honored to be asked to help them move once again.

And I felt pretty much normal yesterday when I headed down to the beautiful Bitterroot Valley to join my friend, Carey for the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce annual fundraising banquet. I finally got to see her new house and visit with her fun pets again, too. Then we spiffed ourselves up in snazzy dresses and repped our agency in downtown Hamilton. That was the most food I’ve eaten since Noro-gate last weekend and it tasted great.

There is something about wearing good quality, heavy spandex that is adorned with sequins and beads. Once a skater….

This former professional athlete just watched Phil Mickelson, who is also “of a certain age” win another Major golf tournament.

I’d be lying if I said my eyes were dry.

I hope you don’t get the Norovirus. I feel awful for kids who endure that nightmare.

I hope you don’t get socked in with a blizzard like I’m apparently in for as nothing has let up all day today and it really is starting to accumulate.

I hope my showing goes well this week for my new listing and that I can help my friends with the next journey for their family.

And I hope Phil Mickelson cherishes his moment once again in the sun and that I get more opportunities to play dress up in the future.