Honestly, isn’t life the ultimate crapshoot? One day you decide to roll the cosmic dice, take your chances, look for Some Kind of Sign, and basically hope for the best.
Recently I took a chance and rolled those polka–dotted cubes with absolute gusto. When I finally looked around this is the sign I saw.
I took it as Some Kind of Sign.
But, you might ask, where on earth did I find This Sign?
Last summer, two complete strangers (to me, not to each other) found Watching For Rocks, emailed me, met me at Yellowstone, came on one of my ranger hikes, took me out to dinner on my birthday, and invited me to stay at their guest house in Billings, Montana for a few days at the end of the season.
Now, I am known as a particularly cautious person. I rarely go anywhere without an extra pair of glasses, I always phone home, and I never let my gas tank get below half full. I also tip well, for extra good karma.
But I rolled those dice and went to Billings. And I am very glad I did, because those complete strangers who own that sign turned out to be two of the most welcoming hosts I have ever met.
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| My favorite item is the pink cowpoodle with horns and cat-eye glasses |
They cooked a simple, tasty dinner each night I was their guest and drove me all over Billings in the rain, sleet, and spitting snow. They spent one morning patiently looking at motorhomes with me and another day driving several hours to show me a trail in three–billion–year–old rocks.
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| Along Stillwater Creek in the Beartooth Mountains |
OK so I did sustain a concussion after walking full steam into a support post that caused me to see stars and nearly brought me to my knees. And an antique kitchen stove did leak gas fumes into my otherwise cozy room.
(Perhaps I should have stayed just two days instead of three?)
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| This is the shiny but guilty gas-leaking stove |
However, the thoughtful yet distraught proprietress gave me some Advil and slapped an ice pack on my noggin with incredible swiftness, and the kindly proprietor quickly fixed the gas leak, opened some windows, and came to check on me the next morning to make sure I didn’t wake up dead.
A non–leaking gas fireplace greeted me warmly on those frigid Billings days.
This was the most comfortable guest bed in which I have ever snored away the night.
Alternate technology was available for my personal use, just in case I couldn’t get cell service.
There were plenty of inviting chairs and lamps to read by or doze away the hours…
…along with this colorful critter who kept me company in the loo.
So was it worth rolling the dice and taking that cosmic chance?
Does this cute poodle puppy bark in the yard?
