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.