Mork and other headaches

I'm in love with Mindy Black.

That's the name of the ENT specialist I saw today, about the severe headaches I've had, intermittently, for several weeks.

When I think of the name "Mindy," I think of the old TV show, "Mork and Mindy." Nanu-nanu, as Robin Williams used to say. Dr. Mindy Black isn't a situation comedy kind of person at all, though; just very serious and professional and very good.

Thank God for that.

Turns out these headaches are caused by a severe infection in my upper sinuses, which manifests itself by making it seem that an alien creature is about to burst through my forehead and go skittering off across the floor.

A CT-Scan helped pinpoint the trouble, along with the scope that Dr. Black ran up my nostrils. And then she got right to work treating it aggressively, with antibiotics, nose sprays, and even a serious painkiller for the headaches.

Did I mention that I'm in love with Mindy Black?

Dr. Black said the smoke from the Arizona wildfires that have burned over 700,000 acres in recent weeks undoubtedly contributed to my sinus problems. So knock it off, all you wildfires, and all you border crossers that Sen. John McCain says are setting the fires. You're not making any friends on this side of the border, I can tell you that.

Meanwhile, a good friend who lives in Tucson during the winter and has a summer home in Minot, N.D., is getting flooded out of her home. In fact, the entire city of Minot is being drowned by the Souris River.

It's another border-crosser kind of problem. The headwaters of the Souris are in Canada. It then flows south across the border and makes a U-turn near Minot before heading back north into Canada again. Because of heavy rains and snowmelt in Canada, the river is at historic flood levels, and most of Minot -- including my friend's house -- is underwater.

Just seems like nature hates us this year.