Wrinkly Bits

A Blog by Gail Cushman

Mother Nature’s in Charge

Just when we think everything is running along as smooth as a brand-new Ford F-150, Mother Nature steps in to remind us who is boss and this week she went into overdrive, with rain and wind barreling down in a fury. English playwright William Congreve wrote, “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned,” and I don’t know how Mother Nature was scorned this week, but she was not happy, and I pray that she sees a counselor and gets herself together.

I’m currently visiting Cowboy Bob in Stillwater County, Montana, and from his porch we watched trees and houses float down the Yellowstone and Stillwater rivers. Neither river is dammed, so her fury, in the guise of two to four inches of rain and snow melt from the mighty Beartooth’s combined to destroy or damage at least seven bridges as well as washing out portions of multiple roads making it impossible to go about business as usual. Several communities were completely cut off by her scorn. Cowboy Bob lives on a hill, so we were not in danger, but plenty of people were and it is humbling to see Mother Nature’s scorn. Yellowstone National Park, which lies behind Cowboy Bob’s house, is closed to tourists and parks and campgrounds have rescued stranded tourists. As far as we know, no lives have been lost.

For today, Monday, things have calmed, although wells in rural areas are contaminated, and there are shortages of food, water, and gasoline, even at more than $5.00 a gallon. The scary thing is that the Beartooth Mountains, as well as other Montana ranges, have not lost their white snow-capped crowns and the weekend’s weather is predicted to be at over 90 degrees…so stay tuned. Mother Nature may make another run at it.

You can see many pictures of Mother Nature doing her thing on the Wrinkly Bits fans’website