Sunday

Custer, Idaho

Several years ago, My sister-in-law and I took my Mom to The Dalles Oregon for a family reunion. My rabble-rousing sister-in law-argued with an aunt that we could get there without going through Boise. And we did! It tooks real adventuresome traveling to win the argument, and we saw so much beautiful country off the beaten path. This was Custer, Idaho, a little ghost town we found on a dirt road from Challis, Idaho to somewhere.

This past winter I found Custer on the internet and did some reasearch on it. I Ifelt sad. It has been taken over by the government as a National Historical Site, which means they have "restored" it to a point that it looks more like a Cape Cod Village. Lots of white paint on everything, handicapped ramps, and a museum. Reminds me of what has been done to South Pass City. I'm glad I saw it when I did.

This is the best way to keep kids' hands clean and slow down the spread of colds and flu in the middle of the winter! We set up a "bubble table" with lots of soapy water. Our kids had the cleanest hands in the school. And we had the wettest carpet.

Setting up the bubble table caused a mysterious phenomenom. A lot of fathers started bringing their kids to school, and stayed to blow bubbles for a while every day. Curious!

Rites of spring

Cris Paravacini would bring us a setting hen from the ranch every year. We set her up with a nest box with a fence around it. The fence appeared to be keeping the hen it, but it was really to keep the kids out.

This is Sassy, a Banty Hen. She was one of our most successful. One year we had a big white hen, forgot her name, I think of her as "the hen from hell." About two days before hatching, she just snapped and broke up her nest. She broke all the eggs, and threw dead baby chicks out on the floor.

One little kindergarten girl, said in a very small voice, "Are we going to have a funeral?"