Saturday

As we don't have any snow to speak of, I thought I'd go through my pictures and post a couple of January photos from years past. 

This deer was standing in the deep snow along the road out by the Air Force station on the Boulder Road.  I took the picture years ago with my Minolta SLR camera on slide film, with an 800 mm mirror lens.

These two plastic "garden"  rabbits sat on top of a stump in my back yard.  We moved them to the front yard when Jarvi and Shorty moved into the back yard.

Oh how I miss the snow! 

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I don't know why I'm even bothering, but I am going through files on the old HP laptop and removing everything I think it can live without.  Maybe that will help get it back in running condition.  I can't believe all the crap that gets put on the hard drive of a computer by other programs.  It actually booted up on the first try this morning, then spent a long time making updates to itself and configuring.  Who knows what it's doing?

Friday

Have spent the entire morning fussing around with computer.  My new laptop came with McAfee anti virus program installed, and the trial period is running out.  I have a license for Norton that is good for three computers, so had to do some reading and researching.  It was already installed on 3 computers, but I remeoved it from the old HP laptop.  Dowloaded Norton to this computer, entered the key, and I guess I now have Norton activated.

I got Barrie a new 4GB memory card for her camera.  Her camera won't accept it, says it is locked.  I tried it in my compact camera, and it says it is the wrong card.

My Canon Rebel also uses an SD card, and it worked perfectly in that camera.  What the heck?  In the past, my SD cards work in both the Rebel and the compact camera. 

Ahhhh! Don't you just love technology?

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Barrie's Christmas was jinxed.  The card for her camera won't work, and the book I ordered her didn't come.  When I tried calling about it before Christmas, they were closed for the holidays, so I sent an e-mail.  Got a reply a couple days ago.  They said it shipped separately, and it was on its way.  Date of shipment was 11/29.  Wait a minute!  That was a month ago!  How did they ship it anyway?  By mule train.

So another e-mail this morning questioning them.  Merry, merry Christmas, Barrie!

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I ordered a bunch of picture mats for our artist group a couple days ago.  Maybe I got a little carried away, but we never seem to have the right mat for our work.  And our group has plenty of money, so we can afford it.  They will weigh a ton, and Barrie has promised that she will deliver them to the art room at Rendezvous Pointe when they come in.

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Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

When blondes have more fun, do they know it?

 



Thursday

 Got a Christmas card from my friend and former teaching partner, Heidi.  She and Bob live in Washington state, and have two boys.  Don't these guys make you smile just looking at them?   They look like "keepers" to me.

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As always, the NWS predicted something that didn't happen.  We got a little skiff of snow last night, but not the winter storm they predicted.  Sunny this morning, and the wind is blowing.

I have pounded the heck out of a beef roast this morning with my handy dandy little meat tenderizer with 42 little knife blades.  I rubbed it all over with a rub I found in the cupboard for roasts and steaks.  I am tired of trying to make decent food in my crock pot or pressure cooker.  This roast is going to be cooked the old fashioned way, in the oven with carrots, potatoes and onions around it.  Stay tuned to see if the dogs got it, or if we liked it.

My watercolor antelope is almost finished.  I am going to start practicing painting sagebrush on scrap paper today.  Maybe I can actually learn to paint a reasonable facsimile of sagebrush.

Wednesday

I had a real shock when I walked into the art room at Rendezvous Pointe this morning.  Kasey was sitting at a table, and Lenore was combing her hair.  Then I realized it was Tegan, Lenore's granddaughter.  They are both four years old and look so much alike it's scary.  Lenore was hoping I would have Kasey with me and they could play. 

Kasey was all gussied up last night with blue fingernails, her fancy shirt, and her jewelry and wrist watch.

My stove has quit, kaput, the pilot light is even off. I  left a message on Gene Paul's answering machine, but I think they may be out of town for Christmas.  I brought an electric heater up here, and it's not too bad.  The new slipper sox Paul and Tracy got me for Christmas have come in handy!  I dread seeing my electric bill next month.

Someone's fourth birthday?  Whose?

Monday

Kasey loves her "Little Pet Shop" animals Paul and Tracy got her.  They are really cute.

I got her a "magic tree house" for her animals.  Sorry, Barrie.  I had no idea it would be so big and so complicated and it even takes batteries.  

And she took all the animals for a ride in the pink pet shop car.

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From Christmas past.  We had come back to Wyoming from Colorado for Christmas this year.  I think Tracy must have been two.  We put her to bed, and got her up later to tell her that Santa had come.  She loved the doll and buggy.  She started down my mom's hallway (hardwood floor).  She was wearing footed pajamas with no skid proof soles, and when she hit the slick floor, her feet went out from under her and she ended up on her back with the doll and buggy on top  of her.

Barrie got this big "pillow" leopard for Christmas one year.  I thought she would really like it, but I found in on my bed every night after she went to bed.  Finally got her to admit that she didn't like it, and that it scared her.  She wouldn't sleep with it in the room.

Saturday - Staying Warm

Gene Paul came yesterday and worked on my upstairs stove.  I had taken the glass and grid off and sprayed it with canned air.  Boy, did the dust fly out!  But then I couldn't get the pilot lit. 

I wonder if the fact that I was his first grade (and second grade) teacher had anything to do with the fast service I got?  Because he came within a couple hours after I called.

He is ordering a new part for the furnace in the basement, and will clean the gas log fireplace in the living room.  He said my switch on this stove might be faulty and he will bring a new one when he comes back.

I hope he didn't charge me by the hour.  He looked through my art work, we talked, and he even played with the cat.

Still have to get Kasey's presents wrapped.  Barrie's gift won't be here in time for Christmas.  When I called to ask about it, the message said they were closed for the holidays.  So she will get a picture of her present. 

Got a note from a woman who bought one of my pencil drawings.  She wants to buy the watercolor of the trout I have hanging in the art room at Rendezvous Pointe.  Nice.

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If you have a cat AND an iPad (which I do), you should read this article about how to teach your cat to play games on your iPad. 

http://www.wikihow.com/Bring-Out-Your-Cat%27s-Inner-Gamer-on-the-iPad

I think I'll pass.

There really is a link there, just above "I  think I'll pass."  Blogger won't let me change the color to something you can read.  Just click around and you might hit it.



Thursday

Started the day with breakfast at the Wrangler with Barrie and Kasey.

Kasey picked up a copy of the Sublette County Magazine from the rack in front of the Wrangler, and she and Barrie looked at the article and pictures on dogsledding Barrie has in it.

Kasey ordered French Toast and bacon.  Barrie and I had eggs, sausage and a bicuit.  Wonderful breakfast!  I always love breakfast at the Wrangler from way back when - when Ramseys started it on the other side of town.  It was next to the trailer house I lived in when I first moved to town.  They used to keep a key to my door in their cash register, because I was always locking myself out.

Kerback's trailer court is no longer there, and the Wrangler loaded up the cafe (which was a trailer house with wood siding) on a trailer and moved it across town. 

Sugar Shack is in that location now.  The Sugar Shack used to be right in front of my house.  It was called "King Cone" then, and advertised "Road Kill Burgers".  If they made a mistake on an order, Tom would step out his back door and yell to Barrrie to come down and get it.  Had some good free meals from that place!

Barrie and Kasey have gone mushing.  Kasey is planning on going out by herself with one dog. 



Wednesday

Kasey went to a pajama party yesterday afternoon. On their way home, Barrie picked up my mail, and I had three boxes. Kasey brought them upstairs, and they all were packed with packets of air.  Kasey calls them "poppers".

She started stomping on them to make them pop. 

When they were all flattened, she took them downstairs to the garbage and put the biggest box in the basement. 

 Barrie must have gone to the recycling center, as all the boxes from the basement and garage were gone.  Yay, Barrie!

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Barrie had to work today, and Julie's Day Care is closed, so Kasey went to art group with me.  She painted and drew with markers, and practiced writing her name.  Beth gave her a little gift packet stocking stuffer with a pen and little book, some little balls, a piece of candy and some other things.

I stayed and had lunch with Vicky and Dorothy.  KC said she didn't want anything to eat, but she ate some of my sweet potato and the jello desert.  Then she had a cup of ice cream.  We had a fun day.





Monday

Bright sunny day.  Are we ever going to get any more snow?  This weather is boring.

Put most of the big pot of chile I made in the freezer this morning in small containers, and washed the chile pot. 

I'm going to cook some rice, and a sauce with curry powder and hard boiled eggs to put over it.  Ever had curry sauce?  It's the only time I ever use curry.

My watercolor antelope is waiting patiently for me to get back to work on him.  If I can finish his body today, I am going to take a sheet of watercolor paper and practice painting sagebrush -- over and over again until I get it right.  Then I can put some sagebrush in the picture.  Antelope have to have sagebrush, don't they?

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I watched the movie "Christene" last night (Stephen King.)  I've seen it before, maybe more than once, but it's been a long time. 

Saturday

Barrie and Kasey made sugar cookies yesterday.

Kasey was talking to Doug on the phone when I went in the kitchen.

Then Kasey stirred - - -

While Barrie talked to Doug and looked for spices.

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Barrie bought tape and gift wrap yesterday, so I can wrap gifts.  Trouble is, Barrie's present isn't here yet.  Paul and Tracy's has been shipped, but it requires a signature.  I wasn't thinking, or I would have had it delivered to Paul's office or the Summit County Sheriff's Dept.  I tried to change the delivery, just have them hold it for pickup at the UPS place.  Frustrating - user  name, passwords, account  number, etc.  I finally gave up and sent Tracy the tracking number.  Maybe she can notify them to hold it for pickup.

Friday

Here is our Christmas tree this year, the philodendron  Barrie brought home from Telecontractors.  It's as big as a horse.  (She brought a horse home a couple years ago too, but it's not in our living room.)  The plant makes a good Christmas tree.  Barrie put twinkling miniature lights on it.  Kasey loves putting decorations on it and rearranging them.

Kasey threw up last night, so stayed home from school today.  She hung out with  me upstairs while Barrie went to the store.  She's a "bed head".  She brought a puke bucket up with her, but seemed to feel fine.  She played with the iPad a while, then we watched the video on my computer of Toby Keith singing "Red Solo Cup".  She knew all the words and sang along.  She played with Kat.  Yes, they really do play.  They chase each other.  Kasey giggles and Kat snarls and growls.

A small 4" x 6" painting with the Cotman paints.  I couldn't get anything to look right in the foreground, so  I got out  my Graphitint pencils.  They are watersoluble pencils with graphite in them.  I need to use them more.  They are lovely colors, earth tones, and are fun to work with.

Wednesday

Now playing on my iPod, Alaska's Hobo Jim, "Iditarod Trail".

 

 Kasey and I had a "picnic" yesterday.  When she got home from school, Barrie made Little Smokies wrapped in crescent rolls for a snack.  Yum!  Kasey brought them upstairs, and sat in my rocker to eat hers.  She said we were having a picnic.   I had four.  KC had two, ate them, and went downstairs for two more.  Then she had some Reese's Pieces, which she shared with me. 

She watched two TV shows with me, artists demonstrating painting techniques.  She enjoyed them, and of course she wanted to paint.

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I started a  new watercolor of an antelope in art group today.  I have hopes for it.  Judith A, an artist friend from Colorado, emailed telling how she mixes colors for sagebrush.  Maybe I'll be able to put some sage in this picture. 

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When I got home from art group, the resident elf had cleaned my upstairs room, including the cat's litter box!  I'm spoiled.  Don't elves have pointed ears?  I better check Barrie's ears.

Another pair of strange shoes.  Do you think people actually wear these?

Tuesday

Yesterday was filled with piddling busy work.  I finished the book "In Cold Blood", cleaned my ink pen, did a load of laundry, pruned my airplane plant, put the little plugs in the bookcase to conceal the screws, watched a watercolor video (Tom Jones), bid on and won a watercolor pallette on EBay, painted over my herford calf's eyes (again), transferred an antelope drawing to watercolor paper, partially painted a 4" x 6" landscape, and recited my times tables.

What?  Times tables?  Yes, I really did.  I was curious how easily I could say them, and it was easy.  I have my old fourth grade teacher, Miss Fuller, to thank for that.  When my mind is totally gone, I bet I will still remember my times tables.

Miss Fuller was a unique teacher.  She lived right behind the school and often went home for lunch.  The other teachers watched out for  her.  If she was late getting back, someone would cover her class and someone would go get her.  She liked a good stiff drink with (or in place of) her lunch.  I don't remember her teaching us anything else, just the times tables.  She made us write them, recite them out loud, and we had races to see who could write them on the chalkboard the fastest.   

In later years, I worked part time as a waitress in the Derby Bar and Dining Room in Shoshoni.  Miss Fuller would often be there, and without fail, she would get mad at Nick about something, and tell him she was just going to buy the damned place and fire him.  Nick would accept the check she wrote him, and tear it up later.  No one argued with Miss Fuller.

The last time I saw her was at a funeral in Shoshoni.  She was dressed like a bag lady, with several layers of clothing, and shuffled as she walked.  She remembered me, but didn't ask me to recite the times tables.

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I'm going to watch this video today.  I had a copy I made from a VCR tape years ago, and it won't play.  So I ordered a new one.  It has the most beautiful footage of large birds I've ever seen. 

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Another pair of strange shoes.

Monday

Roger asked me to post this picture again of the pencil drawing I did of Kasey.  Wish I had the skills to do this in watercolor.

I haven't gotten a card from them either.

I went through a knitting phase for a while, and knit socks, a bunch of them.  The pair on the left was done with separate colors of yarn and an intricate pattern.  The other four pair were knit with a varigated yarn that  makes its own stripes and patterns as you knit.  Wonderful stuff!  A blend of wool and nylon.

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The beans and cornbread I made last night were good.  At least I liked it.  I'm not sure if Barrie and Kasey ate it.  I think the beans will go in a pot of chile.

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"Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid." ¯ John Wayne

Sunday

I worked on this little oil painting a while yesterday.  Frustrating.  Just can't get their faces to suit me.  Next time I paint a cow, I'm going to  have her grazing with her head buried in tall grass

I finished filling the bookcase, and guess what?  I still have more books to fit somewhere.  I put a piece of Indian pottery on the top for decoration.

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I cleaned the last meal I ruined out of the pressure cooker/crockpot this morning, and started some beans.  I boiled the beans for about 10 minutes, and will let them sit and soak for a while.  Then will pressure them for about 1 hour.  They will be delicious.  Even I have a hard time ruining pinto beans.  Maybe I will make chili or maybe I will just eat beans and cornbread.

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Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.

Mark Twain

Friday

Now playing on my iPod, Wayne Newton, "Mack the Knife".

 

Kasey came running upstairs last night, in her pajamas and hair wet from her bath, yelling "Grandma, Grandma, Chloe's here.  Come down and see."  She was so excited.

 She went to the basement to get canned cat food and put some on a plate for Chloe.

 Then she had her  mom get some water for Chloe, and sat down on the floor beside her to watch her eat.  Funny girl.  She loves that cat!

The new bookcase is filling up fast.  I  really need to go through books and get rid of some of them.  If only someone would sort through the books in the living room and in Barrie's room.

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Barrie shut the front gate, and there are four deer standing down in the driveway by the gate, looking longingly at the front yard.  They want in!

Thursday

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  The senior center has been decorated beautifully again this year.  The Christmas Angel uses the art room to store gifts for the kids, and it all looks so festive.

Didn't do a thing in art group yesterday except look at magazines.  It was Vicky's birthday, and Vicky, Conley and I stayed for lunch. 

Daughter in law Judy send me some pictures of strange shoes.  Here is one.

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Enjoyed the rodeo on tv last night.  Clint and Sweetness won first (three way tie) in the calf roping!  I'm a big fan.  Saw a picture of some girls in the stands holding up a big sign that said "Marry Me, Tuf Cooper!" He's the youngest of the Cooper brothers.

Tuesday

My e-mail is up and running in good shape, finally.  I wasn't going to use my old email program, but changed my mind.  I hated Outlook Mail,  and Windows Live Mail won't connect with Century Tel.  So I downloaded Incredimail again, and it works beautifully.

I used Windows Easy Transfer to copy files from the old computer to the new.  It worked really slick, just took a long time (all night and then some), and I guess I got impatient and stopped it before it was finished.  I found today that it never got all my picture files moved.  So I copied them to a flash card this  morning, and moved them to the new computer.

I started to put my new bookcase together this morning and found that I need a screwdriver.  Bummer.  I didn't even go look for one, because I'm not even sure where my tools are now.

Enjoyed the rodeo again last night.  Still waiting for Clint and Sweetness to win a round in the calf roping.  Sweetness is owned by a woman who grew up near Shoshoni, right next to my brother and sister-in-law's place.  Sweetness has won "Roping Horse of the Year" for two years in a row.

 

No special reason for the picture today.  It is Madge's Cabin, up at the museum.  I Photoshopped the sky and background.

No Email

I think Century Tel has done it to me again.  I was very rude to one of their tech people a few years ago, and I swear they've had it in for me ever since.

I'm not able to get email on either my new computer or the old one.  And when I log onto Century Tel's web site and checked for email there, it showed I had one.  I didn't open it, didn't delete it, or anything.  But the next time I looked, it wasn't there.

I can send email, but can't receive it. 

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Chloe is in the house, sleeping on the padded footstool I have under my drawing table, up against my feet.  Awww.

I've been enjoying the coverage of the NFR this year.  They do such a good job.  Is it just me, or do a large percentage of bulldoggers ride grey horses?

Saturday

The new computer is set up, (I think). I'm not sure the email works, though. I finally called Century Tel, and was told "Oh, we changed the server address."  Grrr. 

Every time I call Century Tel, I end up being angry with them. I am using Outlook for my email, hopefully.

The computer is slick, and fast. No more typing and waiting for the display to catch up with my fingers. It came with Office 2010 installed.

I love this video.  Makes me laugh and laugh.

Setting up new computer

Setting up new computer

Wednesday

Went to art group today.  There were only four of us there, Conley, Vicky, Barbara and me.  Vicky brought a pumpkin pie and whipped cream.  Yum.  It was SO good.  Vicky sent two pieces home with me for Barrie and Kasey. 

Got the new bookcase out of its box and the pieces hauled upstairs.  Whew, that thing is heavy!  And you could injure yourself just unpacking it - heavy cardboard and those mean big copper staples.

Desert Dust

I you are old (like me) and have lived in Wyoming a long time, you may remember this horse.  His picture used to be on every postcard rack in the state.  He was a wild stud, captured down by Wamsutter on the desert.  The rancher who caught him decided to keep him.  He lived for years, and sired many colts.  He was in a pasture down by Glenrock, when someone shot him and several other horses. 

Here is a link to the story about him:

http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/field_offices/Rawlins/wh/desertdust.html

The rancher who owned him was named Frank Robbins, and I met him once, under comical circumstances.  Some of my friends and I were goofing around in Shoshoni, just driving around.  It was time for the little bus to come in from Casper, so we went down to the Shoshoni garage to watch it.  (Yeah, that's the kind of thing you do if you grow up in Shoshoni.  Once in a while, someone actually got off the bus!)

And this night, someone did get off the bus - a drunk cowboy, no coat in the middle of winter, no shoes, and no wallet.  Seems he was drinking with some friends in the Elbow Room in Casper, and when he reached a certain point, they decided to put him on the bus to Shoshoni, as a prank.

He was pretty confused, and looked pretty helpless to us, and cold.  So we took him to the Derby Bar and Dining Room, where Nick fixed him a steak.  The bartender gave him a pair of shoes, and someone else found him a coat.  Nick let him sleep on the mattress in the old gambling room, and staked him to bus fare back to Casper the next day. 

And that's how I met the owner of Desert Dust.

Tuesday

 Kasey is listening to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on my iPad.  She had never heard the story before, and was very worried about the "Whos" and said the Grinch was rude.  She loves that word. 

Cats from the Past

When I posted pictures of Chloe yesterday, I saw pictures of a couple cats we had years ago.

This is Midnight.  He  just showed up one day and stayed.  He terrorized Barrie.  Once he left and was gone quite a while.  I looked out my classroom window at school, and he was rubbing on the tires of my jeep.  So I took him back home. 

  

This is a kitten I raised on a bottle.  Her  name was Muffy, and Boomer thought she was his cat.  They would play together. When she got run over, Boomed searched the house over looking for her for days.

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The coat hooks and boot rack are here.  Now if I can get Barrie away from the TV to put them up . . . .



Monday

Happy Birthday to my friend Sally today! Have a good one.

Chloe came to visit again last night, and to eat, and rub on everything.  Kasey was happy to see her.  I had a new book (The Grinch), on the iPad, but  KC would rather play with Chloe.

I was trying to think how old Chloe was, and went back through my old pictures and found one of her as a kitten, taken in the fall of 2006.

This is Chloe with her sister, Dan.  Dan was supposed to be little tom cat, but presented me with a litter of kittens in the spring.  So did Chloe.  They each had two litters before I bit the bullet, grabbed my checkbook, and had them spayed. 

I don't know where they were born, but their mother had them stashed down by my driveway.  Three or four of the kittens had bob tails.  Their mother left with the rest of them, but for some reason, Chloe and Dan didn't follow.  So I started feeding them.  They were pretty wild, because I never handled them.

I'm pretty sure Kat is the great, (or great great?) granddaughter of one of them.

Saturday

 This is a little (4" x 6") watercolor I did this morning.  This is the view from Paul and Tracy's deck in Silverthorne.

 Chloe's moto is, "if it's there, rub against it."

Barrie and Kasey got home last night.  They went to Encampment for Thanksgiving. 

Tracy called Friday.  She and Paul are at their condo in Florida.  They had dinner with Leslie (Snow) and Russell at his parents' house.  While she was talking to me, I could hear a noisy bird.  She said there is a big bird of some kind that hangs out on the pier in front of their place.  Tracy said she's very polite, just sits and watches people, waiting for bite of fish, maybe?  Sounded like a heron - Tracy said it's as tall as she is.