Pulling a 200-Pound Sled

Suffering from persistent coughing and sickness

Welcome to the midweek(ish) version of An Irritable Métis. This is where things are usually a little less … irritable. If you forgot what all this is even about, you may remind yourself here. If you want to help me keep the lights on, well….

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A female downy woodpecker visits the suet on December 28th

Hunched over my desk on Wednesday evening writing this edition for publication in the morning, I am here to tell you I am troubled. By the time this thing lands in your inboxes I’ll be headed north to spend another day teaching poetry to 4th and 5th graders. This is my first trip since before Christmas; December 17th was my last visit. Since then the Omicron variant has blossomed across the country and is growing in Montana too. I started grabbing screenshots on December 29th of new cases here. That day reported 389 new cases in the state, with 41 new ones in Missoula County (which put the city at 309 active cases).

Today, January 12th, there were 1831 new cases in Montana, with 227 in Missoula County, bringing the total to 1788 active. Missoula is currently 2nd in the state for total cases behind Gallatin County (Bozeman), which has 2079 active cases. Of course none of these numbers account for people who haven’t been tested but are infected, nor does it account for people self-testing. So the actual numbers are way bigger.

I know these statistics aren’t a big deal to you folks in other parts of the country, but given our low population in this state they’re huge. And getting huger. On top of that, our legislature ruled last spring that individual counties couldn’t enforce mask mandates and other preventive measures, which makes absolutely no sense to me. It is a decision that I can only call evil. Meanwhile, in Lake County, where I am headed, I hardly ever see masks at all and sure don’t see them in the school. On an Indian reservation. Per a Montana Public Radio report last week, “COVID-19 was the leading killer of Native Americans in Montana last year.”

I have an N95 mask to wear but I’m still not sure I’m doing the right thing. I can’t imagine what it is like for teachers who have to show up day in, day out. I am going mostly in solidarity with them. At least I think I am. I’m still not sure I should be going at all and it is very stressful.

I see the Biden administration is considering sending masks to everyone in the country. Is late better than never? I’m not so sure. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders “reintroduced legislation on Wednesday that would allow the federal government to send three N95 respirator masks to every person in America.” Legislation he originally introduced in 2020 “but Congress did not bring it up for a vote.” My emphasis. The piece goes on to quote Sanders saying, “It is an absolute scandal that in the richest country in the history of the world, high-quality masks are not more readily available to frontline workers, health care workers, and all Americans.”

Well no shit. What an absolute failure.

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First Woman of Color Completes Solo Crossing of Antarctica

When I was a kid I was a huge sports fan and I loved the Los Angeles Lakers because of Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He is a sports legend and has arguably become even more iconic since he retired. He is wise and thoughtful and truly an elder not just of the Black community, but the world community. It blows my mind that I can read his thoughts directly on all kinds of different things, because of course he has a Substack newsletter too. Anyway, I learned this from him today:

Preet Chandi, a British Army physiotherapist, just became the first woman of color to complete a solo crossing on Antarctica to the south pole. She skied 700 miles in 40 days, 7 hours and 3 minutes. Temperatures hovered around minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit and wind speeds up to 60 mph. She did this while pulling a 200-pound sled and suffering from persistent coughing and sickness.

What an astonishing accomplishment. There’s more to the story, and a couple excellent photos of Chandi. You can check it out HERE.

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Who Am I to Endorse Anyone?!

She asked me to though, and I said of course I would. Cora Neumann is smart, is experienced in public health, works with and listens to Indigenous people, and isn’t just another run-of-the-mill white-dude-in-a-cowboy-hat of the ilk Montana always sends to D.C. I’m tired of those jerks. When she gets past the primary she’s only up against one of the most corrupt D.C. bureaucrats ever, and that is really saying something. Way to go, Montana. So let’s do something different this time around, eh? New district, new blood, super high stakes. I’m all in.

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The Star-Spangled Banner

In a comment on my last post, a reader named Sollemnia said, despite her feelings about the USA and its citizens, that “I really like The Star-Spangled Banner as a song. I think it’s pretty. Ignore the context and it’s lovely.”

I’ve been thinking about that song ever since. I know there are more verses than just the one everyone knows but my contacts are getting sticky and I can’t be bothered to look them up. Feel free if you’re so inclined. But it is a decent enough song, taken out of context. Isn’t it? It’s also a nightmare to sing.¹

In spring of 2020, just as COVID was getting swole, my rock band was hired to play at the upcoming summer’s Western Montana Fair. We were pretty stoked if only at the ridiculousness of it all. The thing is, we were also asked to sing the anthem at the start of that evening’s rodeo events. Which means it was on me to do the singing, since I’m the only one who really “sings” in the band. I was freaked out for two reasons: first, the last time I was at anything rodeo-related was at Indian Days in Browning (on the Blackfeet reservation) a few years ago, and my wife and I didn’t even stand for the anthem, let alone sing it (this was right in the middle of all the Colin Kaepernick stuff). I didn’t know if I really wanted to participate this time around at all, especially since I don’t know where my “Make America Mexico Again” t-shirt is. Second, and most importantly, if I did agree to do it I didn’t want to screw it up.

So there were many trips I drove to town alone bellowing that song out in the seclusion of my car, trying to get a handle on the key I’d need to sing it in so I could hit those devilish high parts. Sadly, I never had a chance to find out the answer to either concerns since the fair was cancelled due to the pandemic. Ah, missed opportunities. Or, as Jimmy, our guitar player, says whenever the subject comes up, “That was gonna be our big break!”

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Hello, New Subscribers

I’ve picked up a decent number of new subscribers since I was last hustling all of you good people to buy books. If you don’t already know I’ve written a couple, with one on the way. So here’s that greasy hustle, new and improved for 2022!

First up is One-Sentence Journal, still going strong more than three years after winning the 2018 Montana Book Award, which you can get HERE.

Also this one, Descended from a Travel-worn Satchel, which came out just this past September, which you can buy HERE.

As sales go I think both books did pretty well at Fact & Fiction this past year but I don’t get such news from them anymore so who knows. What I do know is that I am very grateful for those of you who took a chance on these very personal books, who support what I do, all of it. This writing thing has been better than I ever imagined it would.

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And Finally….

Preet Chandi’s crossing of Antarctica reminds me of all those efforts dudes were making to be the first to pull it off decades and longer ago. Which of course makes me think of Ernest Shackleton. Which makes me think of this wonderful poem by Elizabeth Bradfield, from her book, Approaching Ice:

Be safe, friends. Get vaccinated. Wear masks, even if you’re vaccinated. Especially if you’re vaccinated.

1. And more than one great singer has made a nightmare of it by doing too much. Keep it simple, people. Save the vocal wankery for your own miserable grammy-winning ditties that I’ll never choose to listen to.