Montana Musings

Greetings from St. Mary, MT! Saturday, May 26th

I moved into the Park Cafe housing on Monday (21st). I have a private room and share the trailer with three other girls. My coworkers are from California, Michigan, Oregon, Montana, Arizona, Minnesota, Hawaii, Arkansas, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Canada. I'm the only southern girl here and receive frequent comments---"Your accent is so cute!" and "I just love the way you speak!". I don't notice my accent, so I find their interest in southern ways of speaking to be quite amusing. :) We have been in training for three days and the cafe officially opened this morning. My first shift (washing dishes) begins today, 5:30 p.m.-closing. The work shifts vary from day to day. My coworkers and I will be waiting tables, washing dishes, and working in the gift shop for 15 weeks. My final day of work is September 20th, at which time I plan to return to Missouri/Tennessee via a cross-country road trip with Shelby (sister).

My coworkers are mostly college students with a few 2012 college graduates mixed in. I'm the oldest by 1 to 6 years of the new people hired for the summer, and already feel like the mama of the group. ha ha :) I've doled out first aid supplies (epsom salts for feet sore from hiking & cough drops for scratchy throats) and befriended some of the younger girls who don't drink alcohol, but have felt pressure to do so because most everyone else drinks during their time off/goes to a local bar. We talked yesterday about the need to create a 'Non-drinkers Society' for the summer and spend time together hiking, whitewater rafting, going to town occasionally, watching movies, and playing board games. Trivial Pursuit was a big hit two nights ago, and I see a Trivial Pursuit tournament in the future. :)

Some of us are very far from home, so mail call is a huge deal. We get very excited when a package or letter arrives (even when it is not addressed to one of us) and can't wait for the person to open it. It is like Christmas when the mail is delivered. :)

It has been cold this week and snowed for a few hours yesterday afternoon--fluffy flakes which didn't stick except in the higher elevations. The mountains surrounding St. Mary are covered with snow, making me feel as if I have jumped forward in time to the winter months in the south. I keep forgetting summer is just around the corner and the temperatures are already hitting the mid 90s 2,400 miles away in Tennessee. The air is exceptionally dry in this part of the country. I don't think humidity is even in a Northwest Montana resident's vocabulary.