Monday

I will never figure out how it takes me so long to get dressed, make my bed, get breakfast, and do the dishes.  At this rate, at least I only have time for two meals a day!


I'm trying to get things together to renew my driver's license.  I was all wrong in what I expected I should have.  If you renew by mail, all you have to provide are two proofs of address, which must be your physical address.  I just called the office to ask them to include the North Bridger address on my statement for apartment rent.  Other than that, I have no proof of physical address.  It's not on my drivers license, and I have no utility bills.  Everything I have has a box number.  I do have my property tax notice, but that has the house on Canal Street, not where I live.  Maybe a mailing label from UPS?  I could try using my bank statement too.  For some reason, that has my current address on it.  I'll just black out information they don't need.

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Somehow, I was under the impression I had to show a passport or a birth certificate.  There's no mention of that in the instructions. 

 

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This happens to me every day!



Saturday

I went to a Residents Meeting yesterday, and found they have floor plans displayed for the new apartments in the dining room.  So I took my camera and hand scanner down there today and got some pictures.

 

Here is the overall floor plan. I am map challenged.  I HAVE to be facing north to read one.  So I will have to study this a while before I can visualize it. It looks like they are building only four two-bedroom units, and four studio apartments.  The rest are one-bedroom apartments.

Here is the floor plan for the one-bedroom apartment

 

They also have samples of carpet, paint colors, and tile on display.  They are going to  be beautiful!

 

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I don't think I mentioned that I have talked to the doctor in Rock Springs about the cataract surgery.  It seems that in addition to deadening the eye, they will inject what they call "conscious sedation", which will relax me.  That means my heart will slow down, and that is why they want medical clearance from my doctor.  Okay, I can understand that.  I just wish he had listened to my heart my first appointment, instead of having me drive down there again and sending me home an hour before the surgery was scheduled. 

 

Hopefully, I can get this done next month!

  



Friday

The construction site yesterday for the new apartments looked like an ant hill.  Men and equipment were scurrying all over the place.  Today, (after snow) I don't see any activity at all over there.  It's not the weekend, and I don't think it's a holiday.  Do they stop when it snows?

 

 

Snow always makes the world look fresh and pretty.

 

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When I looked at the Pinedale Web Cam this morning, this is what I saw.  It finally dawned on me that it must be out of order, and that white pickup parked outside the Wrangler has probably been there for a long time!   The Web Cam at the Cora Junction doesn't show any snow either.

Makin' Bacon

 

Makin' Bacon - There's definitely a learning curve here.  Maybe six minutes is too long?  I like my bacon crisp, but this may be a little over the top.  I did, however, make almost perfect eggs over easy this morning.  I'm not usually too graceful when it comes to turning an egg over.

I saw this clever little gadget to cook bacon in the microwave and just had to have it.  Barrie and KC call me "Grandma Gadget". 

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The weather yesterday - - - - we had some sunshine, some rain, some snow, and some thunder and lightening.  The snow all melted, and the sun is shining right now. 

 



Tuesday - frosty

It got down to 29° here last night!  Finally!  Snow is in the forecast for this weekend.

I hope I can learn to adjust the thermostats here soon.  I had the one in the living room set at 55° last night, and it was 73° and the heat was on when I got up this morning.  Too hot to sleep!  I have the window wide open now. 

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I found pictures on the Internet for each of my daughters yesterday:

 

 

This one's for you, Barrie.

 

And this one is for you, Tracy!

 

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I ordered a couple kitchen gadgets that I have decided I really have to have.  One is a spoon rest, and I also ordered a covered butter dish. 

 

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I'm all set up to do some painting, as soon as I get the dishes done. 

 









Monday

Still not much change in the weather here.  It got down to 33.6° last night, according to my little weather station.

Tracy drove to Denver for a meeting, and they closed I70 down just before she got to the tunnels. 
Lots of drivers were not prepared for winter driving, and there was a mess of trucks and cars.

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Just read a news story that scientists have decided they were off on the age of the moon.  It is actually about a million years younger than they thought.  I wonder if some of these scientists work at forecasting the weather?

 

 

I am at a standstill with this pencil drawing of a horse.  Maybe I'll just quit.  Someone said he had a hammerhead, which is good, because he is a wild horse from the White Mountain herd down by Rock Springs.  He was actually covered with scars, but I thought if I tried to draw them, it would just make him look like an Appaloosa.  Which would work too, because Appaloosas have hammerheads, don't they? 

 

 

 



Sunday

Hmmm, I turn into a really good cook when I fast for a day.  I just had sautéed mushrooms, a biscuit, a deviled egg, and a pork chop.  Now I feel a nap coming on.  I don't seem to have the throw I used to have on the back of a chair.  It's a requirement for a nap.  Guess I better put that on a list !

 

This is something Barrie made sure to put in with things she moved here.  It's an ash tray, and is a priceless piece of clay sculpture!  She made this for me when she was in first grade.  Notice she even put cigarette butts inside.

 

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I used to have a neighbor who brought Snickerdoodles when she came over for a visit and have coffee.  I haven't had one since Dalis moved, and decided today to find a recipe for them and give them a try.

 

  

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Here is another math tee shirt.  It actually took me a moment to "get" this!

 



Saturday

I downloaded the manual for my little La Crosse weather station this morning, so I could find out how to check on how cold the overnight outdoor temperature was.   The coldest it got last night was 33°.

I had a good laugh this morning.  I watched a video of Todd Helton pulling the 'hidden ball' trick.  A guy was safe at first base, and Todd bluffed throwing the ball back to the pitcher.  So the runner stepped off the bag and Todd tagged him.  I thought it was so funny that I watched it several times. Click on the link below if you would like to watch.

Todd Helton pulls off hidden ball trick

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I intended to do some shopping on Amazon this morning, and for some reason, found myself looking at funny tee shirts.

 

 

I love this smiley face.

 

I NEED this shirt!

 

 

Friday

Faler Ave. is now closed, so I guess I will be using the new street they built around Rendezvous Pointe.  There is lots of equipment working and lots of activity on the site of the new apartments.

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Dire warnings and predictions of temperatures below freezing the last few nights, but it hasn't happened. 

 

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I'm sad that Todd Helton, the Rockies first baseman, is retiring after this season.  I wonder what he is going to do.  He is so young to retire - only forty. I haven't heard anything about his plans for the future.

 

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I'm baking bread today - some kind of bread I started last night.  I made a sponge and it sat overnight.  I did put it in the bread machine with the rest of the ingredients this morning, and have it out and rising for the fourth time.  Really time consuming, but I don't have anything else I need to do.  

 



Wednesday

After missing two weeks, it was so nice today to go to my art group at Rendezvous Pointe.  I started a new pencil drawing of a cow moose and twins.  The drawing of a bulldogger I have been working on is still sitting on the table, unfinished.

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All kinds of action in this place yesterday.  Judith, the activities director, almost forced me to go to the cocktail party in the afternoon.  I couldn't think of a reason not to go (I was cleaned up and wearing underwear).  I'm not sure what there was to drink, I don't think there was much.  I found a can of Budweiser and sat down at a table where I knew three people.   Dr. Tom and George D. were playing the accordion and guitar, and some younger woman sang.

So now I can say I have been sociable.  But it didn't compare to when my teacher friends and I used to gather at the Stockmens on Friday afternoons.

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People here decorate their doors with wreaths, flags, and pictures.  I decided to put my grizzly photos on my door.  The sticker was the only thing I bought in Jackson when Tracy, Barrie, KC and I went.

Tuesday

The latest on the cataract circus - - I have an appointment for an echocardiogram on October 7.  A doctor from somewhere in Utah comes to Pinedale once a month. 

My friend Judi and I must have been out photographing the sky at almost the same time last night.  I didn't see the lightening she did, but I probably took about fifteen pictures, trying to capture the best pink in the cloud at the horizon.  When it faded, it went fast. 

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I chopped up the leftover meatloaf, plus just about everything else left over in the refrigerator, added tomato sauce, onion, potato, and a can of corn.  It's simmering away in the crock pot.  Now I will have left over stew/soup for the next six months. 

 

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When Bill and Alice were here, they brought me an old book of  "Cowboy Out Our Way" cartoons.  The book had been in our parents' book collection, and I loved it as a kid.  I always said I wanted it, but not badly enough to get it, I guess.  Anyway, I have really enjoyed it.

 

 



There were a lot of cartoons that had been cut out of a newspaper in between the pages  in the book.  This is one of my favorite.

 

 

I got interested in what was on the back of the newspaper cartoons.  This fashionable lady was on the back of one.  I never saw a date on the newspaper, but I'm sure it was from the 1950's.

 

 

The classified ads were on the back of one.  I thought the cars for sale was really interesting.  How long since you have seen white wall tires?

 

The newspaper clippings were very yellowed, so I made some adjustments with Photoshop to make them easier to read.

 

 

 







Monday - doctor

Okay, I know it's all in my head.  But I went to the doctor this morning, and now I feel tired and achy.  Power of suggestion?

When I told him my eye doctor won't give me the anesthesia to perform cataract surgery until I have been to a doctor about my heart murmur, he said, "Anesthesia?  They don't administer anesthesia, all they do is spray your eye or use eye drops to deaden it." We both agreed the eye doctor was maybe being a little overly cautious. 

Anyway, because I have never even had a checkup for about fifteen years, he ran me through the whole thing.  I have had an EKG, been X-rayed, had my blood taken, blood pressure, and I'm not even sure what all.   

I even got to use my handicapped parking permit at the clinic!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll have a beer and read.

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I put a different quilt on my bed last week.  This one almost glows in the dark.





Sunday

We had another great rain this afternoon.  The water was pouring in sheets off the metal roof here.  The sun is shining now, and I'm sure there's a rainbow somewhere.

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I have had my George Foreman grill for quite a while now, and I had decided I didn't like Panini sandwiches.  I finally had one at a cafe in Jackson, and I DO like them.  I just didn't know how to make one.  I baked a different type of bread, and put meat loaf, provolone cheese, onion slice, and spinach leaves on this one.  It was yummy.

 

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Many years ago, I heard a story (joke about Neil Armstrong. 

 

When Apollo Mission Astronaut Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, he not only gave his famous "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" statement but followed it by several remarks, usual com traffic between him, the other astronauts and Mission Control. Just before he re-entered the lander, however, he made the enigmatic remark "Good luck, Mr. Gorsky."

The story goes:

 

When he was a kid, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hit a fly ball which landed in the front of his neighbor's bedroom windows. His neighbors were Mr. & Mrs. Gorsky.

As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky, "Oral sex! You want oral sex?! You'll get oral sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!"

 

Some people claim he never made that statement, but others believe he did.  Well, it makes a funny story, anyway.





Saturday sky

 

 

Okay, I have to admit.  I miss this view I used to have from the west, especially after the big pine trees were taken out.  Both of my windows face south, and I have to go outside to see the sky to the west.  No big deal, as I am only about ten steps away from the outside door.  I love stormy skies.

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I just got all the photos from the memory card in my little camera moved to folders on the computer, and formatted the card.  Now I need to back up the computer again.

 

My "big guns" are sitting under the print rack in the bedroom.  I have three Canon DSLR cameras and numerous lenses, and I am not using them.  On the other hand, I don't feel ready to get rid of them.  If I EVER get this darned cataract surgery done, I would probably be taking more pictures.  I sure saw lots of good stuff to photograph down around Farson and Eden.  Lots of old buildings, tractors and trucks.  Good reference material for paintings, too.

 



Friday

Well, I have avoided it as long as possible, I guess.  Today I will set up a prescription drug plan.  And Monday I have a doctor appointment.  I feel lucky that I have kept all that out of my life until now.  But I am sure I will now be forced to deal with insurance companies, doctors, drug companies, and the government.  And I will become one of those little old ladies with a plastic box with compartments so I can sort out my pills for each day. 

Wish I had taken my camera with me when Barrie and KC and I went to Rock Springs.  Barrie let Kasey dress herself.  She wore a sundress, bright pink with big polka dots, and some white net hanging out the bottom of the skirt.  With it she wore pink leggings and a bright striped fleece jacket.  The dress was too big for her and kept coming unzipped.  I told Barrie she looked like a little gypsy child!

Maybe I can find a hot pink pill box with polka dots.

What lovely rains we have been getting!  And there is snow on the mountains.  I thought fall was never going to get here, but it seems it has finally arrived. 

 

This is for my math teacher friend.  Happy Birthday, Rollie.

Thursday

I hauled my old friend George Foreman out of the cupboard today and grilled some zucchini and mushrooms.  I made a Panini sandwich, using the (Ciabattta, I think?) bread I made.  Much better than the doughy "smashed" sandwiches I produced before.  This bread was a little too hard, I thought.  So I  need to make something in between. 

Other than making a late lunch, this has been a totally lazy day.  The apartment was cleaned this morning, and all that I have to do is recharge my Kindle reader!

Listening to Dan Seals on my iPod.

 

Wednesday - to Rock Springs

Well, this day has been a bust.  Got up in the dark and was ready to go to Rock Springs for surgery on right eye.  Had two hot egg McMuffins for Barrie and KC - me, I'm coffeeless and foodless.  Boy!  We were ready.

In doctor's office by 9:00.  Pouring rain in Rock Springs.  Had some eye drops, read some charts, had bright lights shone in my eyes, etc.  (I thought they did that last week.)  Then find that Dr. Jensen had surgery yesterday, had some faulty equipment, and went through a whole box of it.  He needed something to dilate my eyes further and he didn't have it.  And he found the heart murmur and told me the anesthesiologist  at the surgery center would not administer the anesthesia to me until I had seen my doctor about it.  So back home we come.

Looked (half hearted) for a good place to eat in Rock Springs, and ended up driving back to Farson, because we KNOW that is a great restaurant.  Drove home in pouring rain, and it stopped just before we got to Pinedale.

So now I have an appointment at the clinic Monday, and still can't see.

The day was not a total bust.  A road trip with Barrie and Kasey is always fun.

Tuesday

This has got to be the most ridiculous study ever done!  How do you even go about doing a study on this?

"Men with smaller testicles are more likely than their well-endowed brethren to be involved in the care of their toddlers, anthropologists at Emory University reports."

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I remember years ago one of our teachers got the railroad to come to school and do a program on train safety for the elementary school students.  After the presentation, we were awarded a certificate and a plaque proclaiming our town had never had a train related accident.  Our mothers were so proud!!  (By the way, our town is located 100 miles from the nearest railroad.)

 

I guess no one mentioned the former student who when he became an adult, went to Rock Springs, got drunk, stole a locomotive and went for a joy ride. That was a wreck of a different kind!

 

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I will have surgery on my first eye tomorrow morning in Rock Springs.  I have to be in the doctor's office at 9:00, which means we will have to get up at an ungodly hour (for me).  No coffee or anything to eat. 

 

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I was so sorry to hear from my friends that wolves got into their sheep and killed nine.  And their beautiful and famous guard dog, Rena was seriously injured.  They did kill two of the wolves.  Rena is at the vet's.  Hoping for her full recovery.

 





Monday

Hot and noisy.  Hot sun shining through the windows and big machinery working across the street. 

Just picked up the prescription for eye drops I should have started using yesterday. Altitude Drug didn't get it in until this afternoon. Tiny bottle about 1 1/2" tall, and cost $138.  Unreasonable!  I don't have the prescription part of Medicare.  I decided against it when it became available.  Had I gotten in back then, it would have probably paid a lot into it by now.  I've not had a prescription for at least fifteen years.

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Just got  back from Ridleys but haven't put all the groceries away yet.  Got the necessaries, milk, eggs, and such.  Also bought some really healthy stuff I haven't eaten for a while, like spinach.

 

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Remember the movie "Titanic"? Poor Jack, Rose went off without him.

 



  

Sunday

Seems I can't keep up lately.  I went to get the eye drops prescription yesterday, and they only had one.  I have to go back Monday for the second one. 

I had never been in Altitude Drug before, and it is a nice place.  Don't know how prices compare to Ridleys, but the atmosphere is much more pleasant.  Saw Mary Sour there and had a nice visit with her.

I ate the last of the eggs for breakfast and am out of juice, so I guess I will drag my protesting body to Ridleys for groceries today.

Lenore stopped by yesterday to get my opinion on matting a painting she recently finished. 

Rain today, maybe?

Friday, after a long week

All the company has gone home, and it is so quiet. I am sitting here in my pink fuzzy slippers, having a cup of coffee, watching it rain., and thinking about turning the heat on.
 
Barrie and Kasey took me to Rock Springs yesterday for my first eye appointment with Dr. Jensen.  I will have cataract surgery on my right eye next Wednesday.  Somehow I thought he would do both eyes at the same time, but he doesn't. 

Kasey was traveling in the back seat with Lucky, her stuffed horse.

Kasey:  "Lucky has his head stuck in the water bottle."
Me: "I hope he doesn't run out of air to breath."
Kasey: "He's a stuffed animal, he doesn't breathe.  He's not real."

About five minutes later - - -

Kasey: "Lucky says he's hungry."
Me:  "He can't talk, he's a stuffed animal."

At that point, KC whinnied loudly in my ear and giggled.

We stopped at the café in Farson - had really good cheeseburgers and curly fries.  I love that café, farmers sitting around discussing things like baling some straw and irrigation and rain.  And a nice waitress who meets Kasey at the door with Lucky after we turn around and go back because we realize we left him in the café.

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I had a little dead frog on my kitchen floor a couple days ago, and KC said they had four dead frogs on her classroom floor at school.

 



Forgot to post this picture of the sign on the Cowboy Bar in Jackson.  Jackson changes stores and shops around all the time, but this is one place that doesn't seem to ever change. 

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I have a new telephone, and haven't got it set up yet.  A man's voice on the answering machine kicks in after only two rings.  Guess I better finish setting it up today.  My old phone went ballistic on me.  When I answered it, it would continue ringing, and the answering machine would kick in, all at the same time. 

 

 

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By the way, I'm loving this weather!



 

 

 

Tuesday

My brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Alice, will be here today.  I told them they had to sleep on the same sheets Tracy has been sleeping on, and they were fine with that.  Sure glad they aren't fussy!

They didn't get to see KC the last time they were here, so I hope Barrie and Kasey will be here for supper.  First day of school for Kasey today - first grade.

I found a little (dead) frog on the kitchen floor this morning.  Kat had been playing with it.  Seems like every year, those little guys show up.  I don't have any idea how big the adults are.  I hear them, but have never seen a frog more than an inch long.  Kids used to bring them to school in the fall.  One year I had a bunch of them in one spot in my lawn, and another year I found about a dozen in a corner in the basement.  I have no idea what kind they are.

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In all the years I've lived in Pinedale, I have never seen it go this late without a killing frost.  What is going on with the weather?

 







Sunday

Yesterday Tracy and I drove up Skyline.  It was very smoky,  Don't know if the smoke was coming from Yellowstone or from the new fire near Dubois. 

Alongside all the dead pine trees, there are also a lot of dead quakies.  They must have some kind of blight.  I think they have just recently died.

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We had lunch at Lakeside.  I had a Portabella mushroom burger to die for.  It was SO good.  The restaurant has been recently taken over by someone from Big Piney, and the woman helped wait on us.  She was very nice.  Also got to visit with Jack Cain, who is at the desk and answers the phone up there.  I took a picture of Tracy eating, and she threatened me if I posted it.

 

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We went to the house, and Tracy loaded up some things she is going to take back with her.  We also got some more things for the apartment, and Tracy put the bowls and plaque on top of the cupboards.  It looks really nice.

 

 

And she put up the tie backs for the living room drapes.   It makes the window so much larger.

 

 

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Today we met Cat at White Pine for a long lunch of pizza, beer, and wine.  What a wonderful afternoon!