Quotes and Garage Doors

"I was the worst hitter ever. I never broke a bat until last year when I was backing out of the garage." —Lefty Gomez

Guess what day it is. Guess what day it is... Happy 1 year anniversary to me!

My first post-college job, my day job... isn't exactly what you'd expect a writer to have. I work in the office of a small garage door company. I'd have to say it's a typical pink collar job, except perhaps for the knowledge base I've gained in the last 12 months.

It's incredible, the things I never thought I'd know... like how to reprogram a garage door remote or keypad, or to reset signals from the opener. If a door refuses to close normally (but can close if you hold the wall button down), it may just mean the safety beam photo eyes are blocked or out of alignment. I've also been introduced to what certain things constitute as a 'door emergency' (i.e. a broken torsion spring = your door's not going anywhere, and if your car's inside then neither are you.). It's amazing how one necessary phone call like that can alter our entire busy schedule for a week.

Warehouse and Office of Rocky Mountain Doors

I'm learning a very different kind of quoting... and yet I still find a few similarities with this and journalism; it's all about asking the right questions and pulling all the information together to get satisfactory results. In this case, I'm consulting price sheets and vendor information to give customers price quotes. A specified quote depends on what the customer wants: commercial or residential doors, installed or uninstalled, windows or no windows, insulated (and to what degree) or non-insulated, sizing, (decorative) hardware, and compatible openers... You know, just scratching the surface here. The more opportunities I have to quote, the more it strikes me that I always have tons more to learn; and the responsibility keeps me sharp when we all communicate with with the manufacturers, customers, and within the company. And that's just on garage doors! I certainly don't know enough about the automatic gates or central vacuum systems to give quotes in those aspects of this business. Always, I still have lots to learn.

The quirks of a small community... certainly keep things interesting! Many people are friendly, but like any job there are plenty of others who are not. I've recently had notable extremes for both experiences, and I'm glad the good still outweighs the bad. It made my whole week, knowing I was able to help a gal over the phone in programming her garage door remote (hearing the door running in the background and her yelling a great "Woohoo!" makes me smile all over again). Since the business is situated in a rural county with a number of retirees, I work with many folks in the older generations. They have my highest respect, and through this year I've gained a new perspective that has further heightened my admiration. It must be a truly humbling experience for a man to ask assistance from much younger men about a garage door problem he likely could've fixed on his own, were he 10-20 years younger. It must be daunting for the woman to call us for door service when her late husband used to take care of 'all these repair things.' Yet dealing with certain people who 1) act like I'm incompetent because I'm a woman working in the construction field or b) are highly impatient and believe they should be the top priority no matter what... gets exhausting.

That's why it such a perk to have great employers... and if I've learned anything in this past year, it's that any job can make or break you based on where your connections are, who you work with, and who you work for. In all genuineness, I have the best bosses. They have reasonable expectations, they know I'm competent, and they welcome the collaboration from all their employees to make their business run with quality and efficiency. I'm glad I've found an environment for my first job where I know I'm very valued.

So as a writer and post-grad, the silver lining is simple... I have a steady income and steady routine that's helped me get on my post-college feet. The writer's bonus? Being a secretary provides such rich opportunity for character studies. After all, how can writers expect to create engaging characters if we write all the time with little face-to-face contact among others? I get to explore a rich field of ideas and personalities every day.

Much as I enjoy working where I am, I know there are so many things I want to do with my life, and my employers know this as well. So until I finish laying the foundation for what I'm doing next, I plan to keep learning all I can and gaining new experiences.

If nothing else, I have a feeling I may know a thing or two more about garage doors and openers that my future husband... or at least, I'll know exactly who to call if a 'door emergency' ever comes up.

"The doctor must have put my pacemaker in wrong. Every time my husband kisses me, the garage door goes up." —Minnie Pearl

What's there to do in Montana?

"I gotta be where I can see those Rocky Mountains, ride my horse, and watch an eagle fly." —Chris Ledoux

It's the kind of question I've been asked many, many times in my young life. It's the question I both welcome and dread when someone finds out where I'm from. It's what makes this state "The Last Best Place." It's what most East Coast and Midwest folks seem to have a hard time understanding, what Southern Hospitality comes very close to, and where many Californians like to come to get away. 

It's why I keep coming back here.

THE QUESTION: "What's there to do in Montana?"

Depending on how much sarcasm is expressed in the face-to-face asking, I'm always tempted to reply with, "Well, with that kind of attitude... not much."

But to those genuine-seekers who love learning about other places, I invite you to peek into the doings of my home state. So with one word, what's there to do in Montana? Plenty.

At first glance, it may seem that Montana doesn't offer much for the city-dweller. As it is, Billings is the largest city in Montana, and it boasts of only 105,636 people over 41.6 square miles (Census 2011). The city I grew up near, Missoula (the second-largest city in the state), encompasses only 67,290 people in an area of 23.9 square miles (Census 2011). Numbers-wise... not terribly impressive.

That's the beauty of it! There's plenty of wide open space to do almost anything you want.

Go hiking up a mountain trail and see the vast city and country unfold before your eyes. 

Missoula, Montana - March, 2013

Discover the lakes and rivers in the area, inside or far from the city. (See the Clark Fork River winding through the right side of the photo above? Missoulians and visitors alike enjoy walking, running, rafting, or biking along this river inside the city.) The mountains are filled with easy-access points for even novice hikers to go exploring, yet Montana holds many of the few wilderness areas left in the contiguous United States that are practically untouched by human hands.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved horseback riding - especially when the opportunity arose to take the basics I learned in the riding arena and head straight out into the open fields or up a mountain trail. Sure, you can horseback ride in many parts of the world, but there's nothing quite like experiencing firsthand what it could be like to live as a true cowboy or cowgirl - with the picturesque Rocky Mountains on the horizon or their foothills dictating the design of the very trail you're riding on. Maybe you'd even follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark from their 1802-1804 exploration.

Montana also boasts a number of skiing/snowboarding resorts (approx. 18) all across the state: I live only 45 minutes away from one Montana ski resort. It's a sweet experience knowing you can learn to ski or snowboard at a very young age, and it's a recreational activity the whole family can enjoy. I went skiing one winter at the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan, and let's just say that it's fine and dandy for the Midwest, beautiful in its own way with Lake Superior nearby - but I'll still never think of the Porcupines as real mountains since every difficult ski run there was equivalent to an easy/moderate run in the Rockies.

Another unique aspect of Montana mountain life is going wild huckleberry picking in the summer. Huckleberries look a little like blueberries, except they're smaller and slightly more tart. Most of the bushes they grow from reach about knee-high. The berries grow at higher elevations and typically ripen in mid- to late summer. In western Montana, a good rule of thumb is to check the huckleberry patches during the last week of July and first week of August; too early and the berries will still be green, too late and they'll be all gone. Be sure to wear close-toe shoes and an old pair of jeans - ones you don't mind getting purple stains all over. Huckleberry picking takes a good dose of patience to collect a lot of berries, so don't lose heart if your first 3 hours on the mountain only yield 2-3 cups of berries. It'll be worth it.

The skepticism that comes with asking about Montana is usually rooted in what people perceive to be a lack of city activity. Sure, Montana can't boast of any national sports teams, can't portray itself as a multicultural hub of international influence, can't claim to be the hot spot of music and entertainment. Yet we love our university sports, our strong Native American heritage, our weekend farmers' markets and community activities. You can't go anywhere in Montana without seeing some type of University of Montana (U of M) Griz or Montana State University (MSU) Bobcat decals. You can't travel the land without seeing remnants of Native American history in the names, historical sites, and distinctive landmarks. And you can't cross this vast state without noticing family-oriented small town events with parades, rodeos, county fairs, concerts, triathlons/marathons, and many other weekly community events.

All this and more is my testament to the variety of doings that Montana offers. I'm sure I've left out a number of exciting, uniquely-Montanan activities - but there's one special ingredient that truly makes Montana "The Last Best Place," and that is the people who call it home. 

We are frank, bluntly honest people who aren't afraid to tell it like it is. We are diverse in ideas and opinions and aren't afraid to express ourselves. Yet overall, we are engaging and wonderfully friendly people, especially to visitors and new residents. We are just as likely to say hello or wave in passing as we are to ask for your life's story while standing in a checkout line. Depending on where you're from, it might seem like we come off too strong at first, or pry where it's not our business. But we honestly care, and we make a point to show genuine interest in others. Thankfully, we don't plan on changing our approach anytime soon. It's what makes Montanans... well, Montanans. For that, I will always love the people here.

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." —Edward Abbey