New Radio

I guess my XM radio has bit the dust. I talked to them today, another girl with an accent. They had a good little radio special for existing customers "one-day-only" for less than $20, so I ordered it. but of course I had to buy the home kit. The car kit is included, which I don't need.

This girl was hard to understand, but she couldn't understand me any better. She was so careful, and repeated everything back to me that I had said. She had most of the numbers of my credit card wrong, and I think we got that straightened out. i couldn't help but like her - she was so nice and was trying so hard.

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Couldn't believe I found this old picture today. That's me and my cousin, Cleo. I used to love to go visit them, down by Hawk Springs on a ranch. My Uncle Bill always had horses I could ride, and fun things to do. Cleo didn't like horses or cattle. He liked flowers and played the clarinet. He is no longer "Cleo." He is C. Ray, and is the head Librarian at the University of Adelaide in Australia. A long ways from a ranch in Wyoming.

Just two more funny signs I found.

A friend posted this on Facebook:

"I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry."

This headline appeared on Pinedaleonline a couple of days ago. You have to have lived in Wyoming and traveled South Pass to see the humor in this.:

"Windy conditions expected for South Pass Tuesday & Wednesday."

That's news? It would be news if the wind wasn't blowing up there!

Darned XM

Yesterday my XM radio stopped receiving the signal from the satellite. Then it wouldn't change from the information channel. So I was going to log onto the XM site and reactivate. I've done it before, and it's simple, right? NOT! The XM site wouldn't recognize my password.

So I called the number and got a girl with an accent that made her hard to understand, but I got the radio reactivated and was able to get to my account on the XM site. I have five radios on my account. I pay the subscription for Paul's radio, Tracy's, and Barrie's. That's their birthday presents. Then I have XM in my pickup and little MIFi in my studio upstairs. I listen to it a lot. But after reactivation, it wouldn't receive the signal.

So I started a search through some drawers downstairs for the antenna I used to use in my blue pickup. I later found it in a basket on the bookshelves. But in the bottom of a drawer, I found some envelopes with some black and white negatives in them. Of course I was curious. One of the envelopes said "Judi's haying prints" on it.??

So I wasted most of my morning scanning negatives. And in the middle of doing that, I went in search of a new light bulb to go in the track lights above the computer. One has been burned out for months.

Now where was I? And what was I supposed to be doing? Oh yeah, the antenna. I found it, hooked it up to the radio, and still can't get the signal. Is there interference, or do I need a new radio?

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I scanned this negative - Boomer at the front gate. I wonder if he ate the sign?

Found a negative of Barrie barrel racing on old Seaweed. Please notice that she is actually kicking up a little dust!

Louis Lake

Tracy on Bob and Fritzi's pony

Louis Lake

Cabin at Louis Lake

Bob and Fritzi are old friends of mine. Fritzi and I went in college together. They were both school teachers. One summer they leased Louis Lake Lodge, and Tracy and I went up and spent time with them. What a great time!

I don't think there was any electricity at all up there at that time. The cabin Tracy and I slept in was just that - one room with two beds. They sold gas at the lodge, and served meals. I would hang out in the kitchen with Fritzi, help cook, wash dishes, etc. Then we would leave the kids with Bob and saddle up a couple of horses and ride around the area. It was pretty up there.

You can get to Louis Lake on a road that goes off the South Pass highway, or from Lander to Sinks Canyon and up the switchbacks.

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Traumatic day yesterday. I went shopping. First, I needed cat food, so I headed for the feed store. I felt like a rat in a maze. About 20 minutes after I turned off the highway, I finally made it back. Never did find the feed store. That's a scary part of town. Half the streets are closed, with big deep ditches dug in them, and I felt trapped. Every street I turned down was closed. I finally went around some orange blockade barrels and through someone's driveway and got to a street that took me back to the highway. I knew I was beaten, and decided to buy cat food you-know-where.

I went to Specialty Meats and bought meat, milk, eggs, peppers, and some cheese.

And then I had to go to Ridley's. The shelves were a mess. I needed some tomato sauce, and dug through about two dozen cans before I could find one that wasn't dented. The peppers I paid less than $3 for Specialty Meats were more than $5 at Ridley's. No kidding. Same peppers, same brand - the plastic package of a yellow, orange and red bell pepper.

I got the cat food. When I got it home, Barrie informed me that she had bought an extra large bag at Sam's Club some time ago, and that half of it was still in the basement. I bought 3 cans of tuna fish, and Barrie told me she had bought a case of it at Sam's Club.

As God as my witness, I will never go shopping again!

Tuesday

Barrie pole bending on Seaweed

Barrie on Sweetheart

Barrie posted some pictures on Facebook of her riding some of the horses she broke and rode, and one of her own horse. I thought I would put these on my blog, of her very early riding experiences.

I've talked about Seaweed on here before. She was a G&F pack mare, gentle and foolproof. Barrie started riding her when she was five or six, and used to barrel race and polebend on her. Seawood would actually break into a slow lope on the home stretch.

I think Sweetheart was G&F too. She was gentle, and we used to put Barrie up on her. If Sweetheart went into a trot, Barrie would slide off the side and fall on the ground. She always got on again.

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I actually got up this morning, made the bed, did some laundry, scanned a few pictures, and took some garbage out. That's enough.

About the chili -- Rollie, I'm sorry, but the LA Lakers stopped by with a case of beer and we ate all the chili.

The chili was a little spicy hot, but good. I've never in my life used chorizo in anything. I think that's what made the chili taste different from any I've made before. Guess I'll buy some more chorizo sausage.

Monday

Wind River Queen

Judi mentioned the boat that used to be at Half Moon Lake. I went back through my photos and found a picture I had taken of it on a snowy day in November. It had been pulled out of the lake and was parked along the road up above. The sign says "Wind River Queen,"


Another picture I took that same day up above Half Moon. It was so beauiful that day, and just about the end of the fall colors.

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I am cooking beans in the pressure cooker to make chili today. Not sure why I got the urge to make chili, but I have it started. I have a recipe from my "stepdaughter-in-law" that calls for a can of beer, and some chorizo sausage, among lots of other ingredients.

Sunday

Spotty and Tulip

I finished this yesterday - more or less. Tulip needs a little more texture in her hair and some more darks.
A very concise trafffic sign. No doubt about what to do at this intersection. Just stop. Reminds me of the old Kingston Trio song about the guy who couldn't get off the subway because he didn't have the correct amount of change. His wife would come down to the station every day and hand him a sandwich as the train went through.

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Another cool cloudy and windy day. The grass seed I planted got wet, and is hopefully sprouting. It rained a little, and Barrie watered some. But I'm not sure, because there have been birds scratching the ground out there. Maybe they ate it all.

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I received a quiz from a friend the other day testing me to see how many of these quotes from movies I knew:

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." (Too easy, everyone knows this is from "Gone With the Wind."

"We rob banks.

"You're gonna' need a bigger boat."

"I have a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."

"A boy's best friend is his mother."

Blustery Day

Where did the term "Blustery Day" come from?

From the book "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day", by A.A. Milne. As far as I know, the term was invented by him when he wrote the book.

We don't have any Winnie the Pooh books, so that is on my wish list at Amazon. I did buy Kasey a new book last week., "Jolly Mon." It was written by Jimmy Buffett and his daughter, and comes with the song on a CD. I'm a big Jimmy Buffett fan. Unfortunately, most of his songs are not what you would play for kids.

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This is why Barrie took the screen off the window in my downstairs bedroom. Maddy slobbers up the glass. The screen might not survive a curious puppy.

Two more funny signs I found on the Internet.

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On my Yahoo page this morning, in the news headlines, I read this:

"Fears Over Fatal Fungi Futile, Experts Say"

Do Journalists go to a special school to learn how to write headlines? Surely the person who wrote this meant it to be funny. I think?

Thursday

Yesterday Kasey was drawing on the rocks with her sidewalk chalk. Today, her artwork is covered in snow, and she is wearing boots.

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Bookmarks

I needed a bookmark last night and came across these. I had brought them home from the mushers' banquet when the Stage Stop was in Pinedale.

Those of you who know me know that I love children's art work. These are delightful. I especially like the bottom one. The girl musher is really having a good time. I think she's on something.

Wednesday

Ahhh, summer!

KC helped me scatter some grass seed in the little front yard yesterday. Then Barrie got her sidewalk chalk out, and she decorated the rocks.

Color me surprised! We left the front door open, and Kat actually came outdoors and joined us. She kept running back in, and then would come out again. She enjoyed a little exploring. Later, Barrie heard something at the door, and when she opened it, there was the poor cat, begging to come in. We forgot her and left her out there.

This is Chloe, the cat with no tail, whose mother left in my driveway several years ago. I had her spayed. I think she must have found another home nearby, because she doesn't come here very often, and is fat! She has always loved to be petted, but has been very shy of Kasey until yesterday. Kasey was thrilled to meet a cat that like to be petted.

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Art group was wacko today. Nancy had barbecued chicken for breakfast, and I think it did something to her. She kept us in stitches.

Then Rollie showed up. He informed us that sometimes talking to Judi was like "dial up", or "rotary dial,", and definitely was not DSL. He had us all laughing, and Judi was laughing too.

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I was going to chew on Barrie for leaving the garage lights on. Then I noticed she had taken my pickup and unloaded the ton of flattened cardboard boxes I had for the recycling center. When I got home, she was cleaning house, and I think she watered some lawn. Looks like she watered the seeds Kasey and I scattered yesterday.

I spend most of my time in my upstairs room. When I think she is sitting on the couch watching TV, she is actually doing all this stuff!

Tuesday

Yesterday, Barrie posted this on Facebook:

"I'm expecting a big snow storm. Truck is washed, dog box off, mostly bald summer tires are on, fresh oil and grease. Bound to cause 2 feet of snow! Just to be sure I'm going to leave it parked outside with the windows open. And put my snowboots away."

And then she put her dog sled away and got out the lawn mower.

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Tracy called this morning. She was driving a Sheriff's Department car to Greely, in a convoy. They were getting four new cars, and had to take four down to have the radios, etc. removed and installed in the new ones. Then she will drive one of the new ones back to Breckenridge. She said no one would pass them!

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Two more funny signs

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I thought I was almost finished with the colored pencil drawing of sled dog puppies. But I am now adding a dark background. I need to learn how to choose the best paper color for the subject.

Monday

I can't call this finished, but I'm done with it. The addition on the right of the log house is supposed to be rock. I can't paint rocks. This may eventually end up on the shower floor.



Another of the funny signs I get on my Google home page every day.

What a beautiful day. No wind at all. I keep expecting wind every day, and rain. That's our typical spring weather, but nothing about this last year's weather has been typical.

Saturday

Tracy

How did kids survive all this? Believe it or not, this seat hooked over the back of the pickup seat, and Tracy rode in it. It sure gave her a straight shot toward the windshield if we ever hit anything!

When she outgrew this, she would stand in the seat beside me. When I used the brakes, I would put my right arm out in front of her. It took me years to get over that reflex.

I read an article not long ago about kids' survival. Kids back then didn't wear helmets or protective gear when they rode bikes. They rode in the back of pickup trucks. They played outside all day unsupervised.

Tracy, Christmas at Kingman with her Grandad Bud LeClair. Bud and Esther had those little red boots made in Phoenix for Sonny when he was a baby. Sonny is Tracy's half-brother. They were given to Tracy. Several years ago, Sonny and his wife were at Paul's and Tracy's house when I was there. I gave Sonny his little red boots back.

Bud and Esther had this cradleboaard made for Tracy. A woman from Fort Washakie by the name of Daisy St Clair made it. The sun shade was from a cradleboard she had used for her son years before.

More old pictures from the album

One of my favorite pack trips from my younger days was Three Forks Park. The Game and Fish spent several years doing surveys of lakes in the wilderness, and Chuck packed in all the equipment, helped move them from one lake to another, and took in supplies


Crossing the Green River with pack horses, going into Three Forks Park.

The camp at Three Forks Park. There were huge boulders in the trees. When we rode into the park, there was only one way to get in there, between two big boulders. Then we put a tree across that spot to make a gate. As that was the only way out, the horses and mules could be turned loose.

We had porcupine problems here. They were starting to eat all the leather straps off the saddles during the night.

We were practiclly in the shadow of Square Top here. One day I was left in charge of all the horses and mules, and Chuck, Ralph, Gary, Ron, and one other guy all went to climb the mountain.

This is where I went arrow head hunting, up Tourist Creek. Three Forks Park is down below. Wish I could remember the name of the other two creeks that came in there.

Getting ready to play poker in the cook tent. That's Chuck, Ralph Huddleson, Ron Remick, and Gary Neely is out of sight on the right.

There was another summer employee up there, but I don't remember his name. He was an overbearing and obnoxious kid. One day Gary, Ron and I were in camp, and this kid was bragging about how well he could ride. We had a pack horse that would not be ridden, so Gary and Ron and I talked him into riding him. He got dumped. Chuck was mad at us when he got back to camp. We were lucky he didn't get hurt, but it sure was funny to see him get bucked off.

An Evening of Culture

Vicky has some really nice things on the wall in the art room.

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Enjoyed art group this morning very much. Conley stopped in for a piece of Vicky's cake. He was going to Salt Lake to take a friend to the airport.

Lenore, Helen, Vicky, Judi, Barbara and I were there. Nancy is back from California, and it was sure good to see her.

We are all working on the log house, an "assignment" from Pam before she left. I think it's a hard subject to paint, but will keep plugging away on it. We are not signing them. We want to see if Pam can figure out who did each one.

We had several people walk through just to visit this morning. I think they come to see what Vicky has brought to eat. Paul J. came in, and Rolli. Charm stopped in for a while, and Buzz E.. Beth sat and visited with us for a while also.

I love this group. We are so casual, and low key. No business meetings, and no pressure to paint (except for the damned log house!.)

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Ah, an evening of culture at the Raper household. Eating a TV dinner, and watching a heavy metal video on the laptop computer.

Tuesday

Today I found my checkbook (on the floor of the back seat in my pickup). I have paid bills and reconciled three months worth of bank statements. AND I have done a load of laundry. Can I quit now?

The cat put her life in jeopardy yesterday. During the night, she knocked a drawing I was working on onto the floor and bent the paper. I didn't know if I could save it or not.

I got out the ironing board and iron, and ironed the back side of the drawing. As colored pencils have a wax base, I didn't know if it would work or not, but I think I have salvaged the drawing.

I KNEW there was a reason I saved the ironing board and iron. Haven't used them for two years at least.



I found an envelope in the desk drawer with some old black and white negatives in it. I decided to scan them to see what was on the film. Recognize these people? Mary Ann (Hittle) Almquist and Annie and Amy.

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Some of my Facebook friends are little weird, and I don't understand them. Here is something one of them posted recently:

My mother, as a hen, was killed by an opossum last night. In the reincarnation world.

I don't get it.

Monday

I had good intentions when I got up this morning. I was going to do a load of laundry, but Barrie had one going. Darn! I was really looking forward to doing laundry. (haha)

Then I got ready to reconcile my checking account, but can't find my checkbook. No one loses their checkbook as often as I do. It's not lost, just put somewhere I don't remember. It always shows up.

When I went to the garage to see if it was in my pickup (it wasn't), I got sidetracked and loaded up the back of my truck with things for the recycling center. But I think I'll wait until tomorrow to take it.

The only thing I have done is pick the dead flowers off my geranium.

Well?

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I thought some of the headlines in the news on my Yahoo page were interesting this morning. For example,

"Corpse still alive at airport," wife says." A woman was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle a corpse onto a plane. She said her husband was still alive when they reached Liverpool airport.

"A few hundred warehouse workers and drivers at Danish brewer Carlsberg halted work for a second day on Thursday to protest a company decision to limit beer drinking at work to lunch breaks."

I call this photo "Beauty and the Beast"

Photo from last summer of bluebird in the rain.

Saturday

I took the colored pencil drawing I did of Barrie's dog Kimble (done on drafting film) and erased on it today. I really didn't like the wood texture I did of the dog house. It distracts too much from the dog. And I erased one eye and her nose to do do over.

And I started a new drawing of two sled dog pups.

And that's the extent of what I've accomplished today - Nothing!

My sister-in-law called me yesterday just as they were getting home from the south. They have spent the winter being snowbirds in their motor home. They had doctor appointments in Salt Lake City on their way through. Sounds like they had good health reports, and had a good winter. Glad You're Back!

No new pictures, again, so I am posting one I took of an antelope doe and her fawn up at Fremont Lake a year or two ago. This was taken in the fall, so the fawns are almost as big as she is.

Friday

We had a ittle skiff of snow sometime during the night. I don't even know how cold it got. I never check the temperature any more.

I got things organized yesterday to reconcile two months' worth of bank statements. Didn't I just do that last month? Anyway, I categorize all the charges on my credit card, which sometimes takes a while. Why do I do this you ask? I don't have any idea. I guess I like to see where I am spending my money and how much, but I have no intention of changing my spending habits or making a budget. I guess I do it because my mother tried to teach me to itemize and categorize things. She would be proud.









I've got a tiny 3" x 4" watercolor notebook, and I'm trying to do a sketch every day. I'm supposed to be going out and do plein air painting with this little set. Maybe after it gets warm outside and before the bugs begin.

Thursday

Finally got the last details finished on both my income tax return and Barrie's, and got them e-filed this morning. We both are getting money back this year. Hmmm, let's see. What shall I spend it on?

Barrie says the first thing she is going to do is get her last four male sled dogs neutered. I'm not sure how many males she has, but all but four are neutered. She likes female dogs better.

I had a strange thing happen at the post office yesterday. When I picked up my mail, I had about 7 or 8 items that had been forwarded to someone at my box number. When they checked on it, the girl in the post office said the box was still in my name, and she has no idea who the person is using it as a forwarding address. There was an official looking letter from the USPS to the person, at my address, so someone has given this person my box number. The girl promised they would get right on it and figure out what was happening.

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Does anyone remember when the hillside gave away and the ditch washed out behind Nick Stadler's house? The hill slid clear across the highway. It didn't get Nick's house, but it took out his garage and buried two of his trucks. What an exciting day! The ditch goes through a big culvert in that location now.

I think the hillside is pretty stable at my house. Lots of tree roots holding the soil in place. I have water standing in my back yard every summer, but for some strange reason, the water does not get in my basement. It's going downhill too fast, I guess. I know people down on the flat between here and the creek have to use sump pumps in their basements every summer.

Wednesday

There is still some wind today, but it seems calm after yesterday. My house was creaking yesterday.

There were only five of us at art group today. Judi brought her computer, and I helped her get a "hit counter" on her Blog page. It's kind of interesting to see how many people look at your blog every day.

We are all working on the same picture of a big log house with stonework. It's kind of an "assignment" from Pam. I ruined my first attempt and gave the paper to Dee's grandson to paint on. I haven't made much progress on my new one yet. I's a difficult subject.

And I got three new books from Amazon today. That's not good.

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Another summer picture, because I don't have anything new. This is Dan. She is one of the kittens who was left in my driveway a few years ago. I had her spayed. I have only seen her once in about the last year. She came home for a few days, came in the house, and rubbed on all the furniture. I really thinks she must have another home somewhere. She is very round and fat.

Tuesday

Whooo! As Jimmy Buffet sings in one of his songs, "The weather is here, wish you were beautiful."

A good day to stay home.

I don't pay much attention to any news about Tiger Woods. But a Facebook friend posted something that I thought was humorous.

Were I Tiger Woods, I'd go full porn right now. Great liability to asset conversion. And he's already got that name.

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How can the first snowfall in the fall be so beautiful, and late storms in the spring are not? I took this photo in the town park a couple of years ago. you can see Harmony Crossing in the back.