Spring brings hospital visits

Officially, winter is over and it is now spring. As usual, it is more spring-like in Columbia Falls than it is on Trail Creek. For sure it was a real winter. Although there is a lot of bare ground in Columbia Falls. There are also a lot of snow piles and some snow-lined streets are pretty narrow.

On Trail Creek it still looks a lot like winter but there are signs of spring. The days are longer and we are getting periods of rain along with warmer temperatures in the daytime. Although there is plenty of snow there are also bare spots on south-facing hills and the North Fork Road is definitely in spring breakup mode. A small slide partly blocked the road near Camas Bridge and there are other places, like Wurtz hill, that should be watched. In general, water, ice and potholes will likely deter speeding for weeks to come. Just another typical spring breakup.

One thing that has not been typical is the number of North Forkers who have been hospitalized in the last month or so. Kidney surgery, hip surgery, pacemakers, broken ribs and high blood pressure all contributed to the bottom line at local hospitals. There was one positive side effect though.

You didn’t have to drive too far to visit with neighbors. On one visit to the hospital I was able to visit with three families from the North Fork who were also visiting the two North Forkers who were patients. The food was not as plentiful as at North Fork socials but the visits were great.

Not to be outdone by my neighbors, I even contributed to the epidemic of ill health and accidents. One day after visiting a neighbor who broke a hip after falling on the North Fork and my giving him a bad time for not being more careful, I fell on my front steps in town. Broke a couple of ribs and went to ER, but was not hospitalized. No permanent damage except to my ego although there was some pain. Actually the pain was manageable except when I coughed, sneezed, tried to breath, sit down or stand up. Other than that, I was fine and I am told it will only hurt for 4-6 weeks.

Now that everyone, except one, is out of the hospital we can start worrying about spring breakup and the possibility of spring flooding. Like I said, just another typical spring on the North Fork. With just enough changes to keep us on our toes. What do you think?

Larry Wilson’s North Fork Views column appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.