......puppy breath

I really didn’t want to leave the bed this morning. My Golden puppy, Thistle, was cuddled up with me when I woke up, just being too darn cute. I woke up and she had her arm outstretched, slightly bent, almost caressing my face with her paw. Her nose was all but touching mine and I think it was her warm breath that awoke me.

I think dogs and cats are gifts for us to appreciate. I’m not going to get into a dog/cat comparison. I know there are people out there that are dog people and those that are cat people. I don’t discriminate.  I was first a cat person out of sheer necessity because coming from a broken home, we lived in apartments for many years and could only have cats. Once my mom and step-dad began to purchase homes, we started mixing cats and dogs and eventually went to just dogs. Well, Mom went a little overboard, I think at the moment she has 9 dogs, but that’s a whole ‘nother story! She has become part of that strange species we call “breeders” and “show people”. I think it has something to do with me moving 2000 miles away.  She says she wishes she’d had dogs before me now, she’d have had a better handle on how to raise me. I’m not sure how to take that.  Would she have put me on a leash? In a kennel? Shown me in a ring? Let me poop on the floor? Never mind,  best to leave that one alone…

Anyway, I don’t quite trust people who don’t appreciate and treat animals well.  They love you no matter what, don’t they? I love them so much that I went to school in San Diego and learned veterinary skills and became a registered vet tech. Made great money there and saved a lot of animals. I felt like I was stealing almost when it came time to get my paycheck, I loved it so much! Then, it just got too expensive to afford to live there and I went back to drab, dreary Maryland only to find that they were recruiting kids out of the high schools and training them on the fly to be techs and the only way I could survive as a tech was to work Emergency vet (read midnite to 6 am).  It was horrible. Remember, it’s Baltimore….I was seeing german shepards being brought in that had been shot because a guy was mad at  his girlfriend and took it out on the dog; I saw cats eaten alive by maggots….It was more than this bleeding heart could hold! That’s when I went back to school and became a people nurse instead of an animal nurse.

We started up a lot of Emergency Management stuff here in Buffalo and I got handed the Disaster Animal Response Team  (DART) to head up.  Marilyn Connelly, our Homeland Security Officer, gave me the honors.  I am thrilled to be doing this.  We have had some intense training on how to set up a disaster shelter for pets and their humans in the event of natural disasters here in Buffalo.  We even had an extremely close call this past summer when we were at 600% of moisture on the mountain. There was a real danger of flooding in the low lying areas, looked like Clear Creek might crest way above flood stage, we were checking gauges daily and I was getting emails from Marilyn daily.  My team found a spot at the fairgrounds to set up housing for both the animals and the people (it’s high ground there) and there’s the logistics of keeping cats and dogs separated (you have to remember in a crisis, the animals are nervous, too), keeping everyone warm and dry, etc. Luckily, this was summer, so warmth wasn’t much of an issue except for the small dogs who are always cold.  Anyway, we got very lucky and the snow melt was slow and we averted a flood.  Marilyn did an amazing job of coordinating not just my team but the whole county throughout the emergency. By the way, my job is just supervision, my health does not allow me to do much physical work anymore, but I have some great folks working with me…Bobbie Walseth, Jerry Tolman, Mary Hicks, Todd Morrison, Elaine Walker, just to name a few. We even have official badges…yes, for this we need stinking badges…

Back to Thistle, wow, how did I get so off track? She is quite different from our last Golden, Tumbleweed.  But why should that surprise me? Children are all different, right? Tumbleweed was a slacker, she liked to lay around a lot. She hated water, can you believe it? She would only go outside to do her business and always wanted to just be with me, companionable. Even as a puppy, she was pretty mellow.  Thistle, on the other hand, requires a lot of walking, running, playing and general exercise.  If we don’t get in a good, brisk bout of exercise, she is a whirling destructive dervish in the house. Even after a good walk, if I’m doing my chores, she’s constantly got a toy in her mouth, bumping the back of my knee with it as I walk, urging me to play! She’s so strong, I’ve had to get her a harness to control her when we walk.  She fears nothing, either.  She’ll walk right up to a huge mule deer if I let her.  She touched noses with my friend Marchel’s horse, Rhodao, when she was pretty darn young.  And she’s obviously a birder.  She can sit quietly when she wants to.  She wants to when she sees a big fat turtle dove! She almost stops in mid stride and you can see her start to tremble and almost see the little wheels turning in that smart little head…. She hasn’t caught one yet, thank goodness.  I am enamored of birds, too.

Anyway, she has found a place in my heart and captured it for all time. I hope she’s with us for a long, long time.  Animals are such a gift.  We have so many lessons to learn from them…forgiveness, unconditional love, relaxation,….I hope you have one in your life to make you happy, whether it be a dog, cat, horse, whatever floats your boat….just something other than human that you have a mutual admiration and respect with!

“Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to. “~Alfred A. Montford

and the Oscar goes to.....

Well, last night was just as amazing as I imagined it would be! Maybe even a little more so, if that’s possible.

Angela and Rachel and the entire Board of Directors of the Chamber really outdid themselves this year with the Winter Gathering and should be given a big Hollywood round of applause!  They transformed Deerfields/Beerfields into a true movie paradise last night!  Here, let me take you on a mind’s eye tour of what I saw…

As we approached, the outside big lights were on. The building first housed the local theatre many, many years ago before being turned into an eclectic art house/coffee bistro years ago. The red carpet was rolled out complete with velvet roping to keep back the “fans” (I had one that was supposed to show up but she got distracted). The limo was busy bringing people to the front door.

As each couple came in and registered at the desk, we were greeted by the Chamber, given our own little “movie pass” with our names on it to save our places at our tables and then grandly announced to the room over the loudspeaker and the “paparazzi” flashbulbs went off as our photos were taken. Oohh, already feeling like Haley Berry, who I was keeping in mind as who I was emulating for the my night at the Oscars! There were movie posters everywhere. A lifesize cardboard cutout of Mae West greeted us by the door, even!

To our delight, Kitty Merrill, president of the Chamber and a dear friend, invited us to sit at her table with her handsome and eloquent sidekick, Tom.  We were later joined by Theo and Dawn Hirshfeld and Dennis Lawrence and his wife.  Couldn’t ask for a more stimulating bunch of folks to sit with!

Our next stop was to mingle with the other “stars” and have some of the fine appetizers, which happened to be some amazingly huge shrimp served in overflowing iced bowls, very pretty display and accompanied by a very nice Kendall Jackson Reserve Chardonay or for those who preferred red, a Franciscan Napa Valley Merlot. 

We had a blast talking to everyone as they were announced. The whole place seemed just effervescent, felt like I was walking around in a bubbly bottle almost! Everyone was laughing, complementing each other on their choice of outfits, great big grins on their faces. Such fun for the end of January here!

When we finally all got settled in and seated, Angela, the Director, in her absolutely stunning floor length, beaded,  open back dress, got up on the podium and gave us a run down of the Chamber’s accomplishments for the year. Folks, we have a lot to be proud of in this little ole town.  People here really put a lot into making this “More than a One Horse Town”, let me tell you.  I sometimes forget, until we are at an event like this and we start ticking off all we’ve accomplished.  Buffalo, you should really be proud!

The first course arrived and was stunningly presented! Prosciutto crostini and stuffed dates with balsamic glaze. Each plate had an orchid for decoration! This was paired with Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc+Viognier.  Heavenly (Can you hear me singing?)

The second course was a wonderful greek salad, with fresh feta and lots of yummy greek olives (my fav) paired with Campanile Pinot Grigio.

The third and main course was braised tenderloin medallions in a truffle sauce with amazing cauliflower gratin and the famous “Occidental” potato pie paired with Franciscan Napa Valley Cabernet Savignon.

For our fourth and final course, we were served assorted gourmet cheese including a big slice of munster and a little havarti, amazing chocolate truffles, dipped strawberries and  some kiwis and pineapples that had been rolled in toasted coconut!  This was paired with Schlink Haus Anslesc, a wonderful dessert wine.

Rob certainly did not go away hungry as I kept giving him most of my food. Unfortunately, I’ve had this thing lately where I fill up after a few bites.  It’s been great for losing weight, although I really need to stop that, I’m running out of clothes, lol.  He’s enjoying it though, as he’s a human eating machine and never seems to get enough!

As we were finishing dinner, Angela approached again and began to give out “Oscars” for all sorts of things and she did it with grace and aplumb. No, not a plum!  We weren’t THAT pickled! We even got recognized as a couple!  We got an Oscar for the most loyal Chamber couple for always showing up for all the Chamber functions, through thick and thin, through all the years. That was really sweet! Rob and I love doing things for the town and really don’t need recognition, but it was nice to be honored! Rob used to on the Board and even served as Chamber President years ago.

All in all, it was just an incredible evening and I really have to hand it to the whole Chamber crew.  The Occidental Hotel and the chef did a bang-up job. Everything ran so smoothly and laughter filled the building.  I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did.  I took over 100 photos.

Which reminds me of one other person I need to mention….Lanna Wing. She’s another professional photographer here in town.  She does mostly portraits and is just the sweetest person. Any time someone asks us to photograph “humans”, I send them to her.  Well, last night, she was the roving photographer for the event.  She did an awesome job! She also had an area set up just like at the Oscars, with the sponsor backdrop, where you could get a “professional” picture taken that will be available for purchase on her website next week.  Did we do it?  Heck, yes! I think you can purchase any of the photos, actually.  Can’t wait to see them.

Well, folks, the nails are filed down, the make-up is washed off, the fake eyelashes are removed and my hair is back to its normal limp straightness.  It struck midnite and I’m back to being a cowgirl…Cinderella returned from the ball…but she hung onto her prince, who’s upstairs snoring off the numerous bottles of vino he consumed.  I’ll have this awesome experience to keep me warm through the dead of the snowy Wyoming winter…….

Now, where’s my cowboy hat…………..

one, two, three....Strut!

I thought it was the male of the species that was supposed to do the strutting? Isn’t it true in every species, pretty much? I know that it’s the male birds with all the pretty plumage, right?

So, do you want to tell me why I’m sitting here with stuff on ridiculous fingernails I applied, hitting all the *^%#@*^ wrong keys the morning before our big gala dinner?  I even filed these suckers down as far as I dared and I still feel like Eddie Scissorhands! This may be a very short conversation this morning! I can pretty much guarantee these fingernails will not be attached to me tomorrow unless I truly can’t get them off…or file them down to nubbins…..

Stop laughing! I am not a girlie girl. Oh sure, I like to dress in pastels in the summer and I like lace and flowing fabric but I’m not one for hair and make-up and nails. I used to be until I met Rob. He doesn’t like it at all. Says it distracts from natural beauty, the sweetheart. Once I stopped slathering that crap on, I realized he was right. Make-up settles in creases and makes you look older. Eye make-up…well, I’m gonna stick with Mom’s old saying  about “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything” The only make-up I wear is a little blush on my cheeks from time to time. As for my hair, I was born with the straightest hair on the planet…wouldn’t hold a curl if it had a widdle fist to grasp it. Lordy, I used to try to get perms and the darn things would fall out in 3 weeks. I don’t even have a bend in my hair. I’ve learned to keep my hair above my shoulders in a bob or very layered in a razor cut.   I’m a wash and wear kinda girl.  I don’t even know what to do with a curling iron except burn my ears! Poor Lynette, my hair stylist here in Buffalo, has a heck of a time with my styles, as I also have a cowlick at the crown of my head that likes to make my hair always go toward my face, too.  She's wonder woman with a razor and scissors! I don't know what I'd do without her!

Okay, I’m calming down now.  Thank goodness, someone is helping me today with all this fussy stuff. There will be pictures and I will look at them tomorrow and say “Who da heck is that?”

I tried on my dress last night and had to get Rob involved to zip up the last little bit of the back. When he walked into the room, I thought he was going to have a fit. “I hope you have a jacket!” he roared.  “You are showing way too much in that dress!”  Awwww, ain’t he sweeeet? I explained I have a nice silk pashmena (long scarf) to go over my bare shoulders and he said he wants me to wear it totally closed!!  Gotta love a man who still gets a little freaked out about his elderlyish, AIDS ridden wife possibly being attractive to other men.  I think it’s adorable. Nice ego boost, for sure.

Okay, well, I just can’t keep typing this morning, this has taken me almost an hour, I keep hitting number keys with the top of my nails and having to go back and fix this. I know you don’t want me to stop entertaining you with my antics but….this is exhausting!

I promise tomorrow to have all the juicy details of the biggest gala in Buffalo, complete with pictures, most of them will be on Facebook, however.  Rob is a photographer, after all. If any of you that read my blog are not friends with me there, I always welcome new friends! There are no strangers in my world, just great friends I haven’t met yet.

...whiteouts can be magical

You ever have one of those days that is just magical? Yesterday was that way for me. It started out really nice. Had a Chamber coffee get-together downtown, which is always fun. We get together once a month, all of us business folk, and discuss what’s going on with the businesses in town.  This week we were all abuzz with the upcoming Winter Gathering. The “swag bags” that are going to be distributed at the gala were tucked in a corner of the room, all pretty and maroon.  I’m already starting to feel like a celebrity (even if it’s just a pretend one, for one evening). Then, we started talking about the big RMI meeting that’s coming to town, bringing hundreds of foreign tour operators to our little town.  Big things are going on in our little town! We have an awesome Chamber staff these days.  Angie and Rachel work so hard for our community and they love it so much.  It really shows.

                                                                                                                                           

The weather was being a bit magical yesterday, too.  Started off with 40-50 mph winds and a light sideways snow early in the morning when we headed to the Chamber coffee.  By the time I got back home at 9 am., I heard on the police scanner that there were whiteout conditions all over Buffalo! Unfortunately, there were several accidents up on the interstate due to the conditions.  The whiteout lasted about half an hour and as quickly as it blew in, it disappeared and there were our shining mountains and blue skies again!  Rob came and picked me up to go take his newly hired assistant, Jim, whose title will be County Planner and GIS Mgr, and family to lunch at Pistol Pete’s and as we are driving down Main Street, the white-out started back up again.  This seemed to be the order of the day….whiteout, clear blue sky, whiteout, clear blue sky… When it was all said and done last evening, we had quite a bit of snow but I think most of it is piled in a corner of the state due to the wind! We ended up with a lovely, crisp evening.

Yesterday afternoon, I went and helped Breean, Jim’s wife, check out the new house they just rented here in town.  It was so cool.  One of my dear friends, Susan, used to own it, and ran a bed and breakfast out of it.  It’s a 100+ yr old house with 5 bedrooms right on Main Street, gorgeous view, sits high on the hill.  I told Breean that it was all so awesome, we lived in the “sister house” to it that is on High Street that you can see from hers, when WE first moved here! They are exactly the same floor plan. Ours was once on Main but in 1911 was drug by draft horses to face High.  It was not in the shape that the one they are renting, however, she has the nicer house! They are just renting until their house in Basin sells and they can buy something here.

Jim and Breean have two awesome kids, Wylie and Wyatt, who are 6 and 4.  Now, I’m sure you may remember that I’ve always worked with kids, so this is heaven for me.  I spent all afternoon yesterday exploring closets and cubbyholes and chasing these two adorable toe-heads around. Wylie is the 6 yr old and she’s just a joy. Very smart…6 going on 15.  Wyatt is the 4 yr old and he follows us around, trying to keep up.  It’s obvious that they are very well mannered.  I can’t wait til March 1^st when they are all moved in.  I know where I’ll be hanging out a lot this spring!

That took up my afternoon and got me right up to time to go to our famous Friday Happy Hour at the Moose Lodge.  We had quite a turnout this week. A bunch of people I hadn’t seen in a while showed up and a raucous discussion was had by all.

Just a magical day.  Might not sound like it to you, but I guess you had to be there. I find so much joy in the little pleasures of life these days.  When you don’t know what tomorrow will bring, you tend to do that.  I really do live each day as if it were my last.  You should try it sometime.  It’s like living under a lens that magnifies joy and somehow stamps out pain and sorrow.  You don’t have time to dwell on the petty crap. It just doesn’t  matter.

Here, you can borrow my lens, if you like…….

riding the wind into Friday...

Wind River Canyon outside Thermopolis

Arrgh, this morning two things woke me up…my feet were buzzing to beat the band with my hands joining in the chorus and the second thing was our lovely Wyoming wind.   I just checked with weather underground, and it’s clocking some 45-50 mph gusts again. That usually signals some snow in the forecast. I’m hoping it’s blowing away some of that weird ice we have laying all over town right now.

We are having a bit of an odd winter this year.  Well, if you can call it a winter, that is. Been on the mild side.  Now, talk of the weather can lead to some real arguments around here. Seems that if you say it’s a good winter, you’ll find someone that will disagree and say we need “more moisture for spring” If you say it’s a winter lacking in moisture, these same folks will argue that you should be thankful we aren’t knee deep in drifts. I’ve learned to pretty much keep my mouth shut, as I don’t like to stir the contrarians.

Anyway, my neuropathy seems to be a serious weather predictor.  I really should get a job as a Wyoming weatherperson. I bet I’d call the weather a lot better than these yahoos on TV, that’s for sure. Wouldn’t we all like to have a job where we could be wrong 80% of the time and still keep our position? It is a tall order to be able to accurately predict what’s gonna happen around here, though.  With the mountains, sometimes things that are forecast to happen slam into the Rocky range and fall apart while other weather seems to gather energy in the mountains.

One of our first summers here, we were up at Meadowlark Lake, high up on the mountain, out in a little boat on the lake.  It was mid August and we were camping, had our little Sheltie, Heidi with us then.  We are all out in this little boat that had a a tiny outboard in it, just a little electric number.  It’s a beautiful lake and we were enjoying ourselves.  We were pretty far from shore when I heard a strange sound…..sounding like everyone in the cabins on the shore was popping popcorn. I mention this to Rob…”wow, that’s weird, sounds like everyone’s making popcorn” He looks off in the distance and grabs my arm and says “start rowing fast” and he puts on the dinky motor on the boat….it wasn’t popcorn, it was a hailstorm!!! By the time we got to shore, we were getting hit with what felt like boulders and the poor dog (who was a bit neurotic to begin with) was totally flipping out.  We made it into the backend of our pickup, under the shell, without having any blood drawn and sat it out for about 15 minutes while it sounded like someone was throwing rocks on the truck! And this was August!!

I have learned living here to always have boots, gloves, and jackets in any vehicle. You never know what the weather is going to do. Of course, I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been over in Thermopolis or somewhere else on the other side of the Bighorns and we are nice and warm, in shorts and sandals and then proceed to come back over the mtns and it’s snowing to beat the band and I’m in flip flops, needing to pee….hence the extra shoes.

But, back to my dumb hands and feet. They are buzzing this morning with that feeling sorta like you get when your feet fall asleep and they are waking back up.  The Cymbalta and Topomax I’m on is supposed to help with that, but sometimes it’s just too intense. Shaking them, like when something fell asleep, doesn’t help, either.  I’m wondering if the barometric pressure has something to do with it.

Probably doesn’t help that yesterday I went to take the trash out and Rob told me there was a bag of dog poo in a 5 gallon bucket in the garage that needed to go out, too. I went to grab it out of the bucket and it was frozen solid.  The whole bucket fell back down on my big toe, tons of frozen dog poo and all.  I’m now sporting a huge black and blue big toe with a nice purple line in the middle where the edge hit. I think I broke it but there’s nothing to be done for broken toes.  It is pulsing at this very moment.  Might have to wait til spring for the darn bucket to thaw enough to get the bag out now. Told you I was accident prone!

SO, today I will be sporting my hiking stick.  We have a Chamber of Commerce Coffee this morning so I actually have to get my rear in gear at sunrise.  Trying to think what clothes go well with the hiking stick (vanity, thy name is Lisa).  The Chamber coffee is always fun.  We do it once a month. It’s an opportunity to get together with other business folk in town early in the morning and find out what’s going on with everyone.  The town is all abuzz right now with the RMI convention we’ll be having here at the end of March. We have tour operators from all over the world coming to little ole Buffalo. Quite an honor. Anyway….now I’ve got myself thinking about what I’m gonna wear.  Remember I told you, when I don’t feel well, I dress better, so this morning is gonna take some thought and planning.

Well, I’m gonna take my buzzy hands and feet off to the closet now and see if I can’t find something presentable that will suffice in the Mother of All Winds today. It’s Friday, so I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Can’t wait to tell you all about Sunday nite’s Night at the Oscars extravaganza I’m going to….tried my dress on and it’s looks mmmmarvelous.  Even hired someone to do my hair and make-up as I NEVER wear make-up.  I promise to have pictures next week.

Now go out there and have a great weekend and be kind to strangers you meet, okay?

toxicology report..........

Gosh, I just hate it when people aren’t what they appear to be.  I always pride myself on being a good judge of character but every once in a while, I screw up. I have on occasion had the painful duty of ending relationships that were just too toxic to continue.  Being the honest person that I am, I also feel an obligation to the person to let them know why I am ending the relationship. I feel that it is only fair to them, even though it may hurt their feelings at the moment. I usually tell them gently that I hope they will think about what I’ve said and try not to make the same mistakes in future friendships.  At least then, I can walk away with a clear conscience and they are not left bewildered why I’m no longer around.

Now, don’t get me wrong. When I decide not to share my life with someone anymore, I do not start being rude when I see them, either. I’ve never understood people who can’t be pleasant when they run into someone they don’t care for. What’s the harm in saying hello and smiling, even if you don’t particularly want to spend time with a certain person? The only person you are hurting when you get all angry when you see someone you no longer are friends with…is yourself. Here in Buffalo, it's even more important to stay civil as there are so few of us, we run into each other on a regular basis. It's not like a big city where you can end a relationship and never see someone again.

I take no joy in doing it, either. As a matter of fact, it hurts beyond belief. There is nothing worse than the feeling that you  trusted someone and have them use that trust to turn around and use it as a weapon against you.  Then, to have to show them a mirror of themselves is not fun. Luckily, I’ve only had to do it a few times. As I’ve grown older and wiser, my intuition for authentic people has also grown and this becomes less and less a problem.

To give you an example, I will share with you a letter I wrote to one of my ex-friends several years ago:

I had to write you and let you know why I was short with you the other day and why I can no longer be involved with you.

I have noticed that the only time I hear from you is when you are in some kind of crisis, not when things are even going semi-well. This is not the basis for a true friendship. I get the feeling that you really don’t notice or even care what is going on in my life and I feel like I have been taken advantage of.  I have spent a lot of time and energy to try to help you but it’s like throwing stuff into an endless gulf, you always want more. While I feel for you that you are going through all these health problems, they are of your own doing.  I have tried to help you as best I can but you have still not even gotten hold of the patient advocate at the hospital.  That is the person who needs to be helping you now, not someone who has their own life-threatening  illnesses to deal with.  Stress is my biggest enemy and I have to keep it to a minimum.

You may now think I’m being heartless and cold, I’m strong enough to live with that. You seem to live your life as if you are some kind of victim most of the time, anyway.  If you really stop and look at your life, you will come to the realization that you have been your own worst enemy. I am not the bad guy here. I am merely a human, just like you, who is struggling just as much, just not in the same way.

I feel I have given you as many tools as I can to take care of yourself. I just can’t be part of your never-ending drama anymore. I wish you all the best and I hope that your staging results come out well, but if they don’t, I wish for you the courage to face them head on and find some way to grow from the experience.

Take care,

Lisa

Usually, I prefer to say all this face to face, but there are some people who are always thinking about the next thing THEY are going to say instead of listening to what YOU are saying, hence this letter. You probably know exactly what kind of person you are dealing with by the time this unfortunate ending occurs.

Just in case, though, you’ve been running around frustrated with your relationships, I’ve included a little guide here to the types of toxic people that are probably in your life.  We all have them but sometimes we don’t recognize them.

The Blamer
This person likes to hear his own voice. He/she constantly complains about what isn't working in his/her life and yet gets energy from complaining and dumping his/her frustrations on you.

The Drainer
This is the needy person who calls to ask for your guidance, support, information, advice or whatever he/she needs to feel better in the moment. Because of his/her neediness, the conversation often revolves around him/her, and you can almost feel the life being sucked out of you during the conversation.

The Shamer
This person can be hazardous to your health. The shamer may cut you off, put you down, reprimand you, or make fun of your or your ideas in front of others. He/she often ignores your boundaries and may try to convince you that his/her criticism is for your own good. The shamer is the kind of person who makes you question your own sanity before his/hers.

The Discounter
This is the person who discounts or challenges everything you say. Often, she/he has a strong need to be right and can find fault with any position. It can be exhausting to have a conversation with the discounter, so eventually you end up giving in and deciding to just listen.

The Gossip
This person avoids intimacy by talking about others behind their backs. The gossip gets energy from relaying stories, opinions, and the latest "scoop." By gossiping about others, they create a lack of safety in their relationships, whether they realize it or not. After all, if they'll talk about someone else, they'll talk about you.

To determine whether a relationship drains you or fuels you, ask yourself these questions.

Write down the name of a person in your life.

Am I able to be myself with this person? Do I feel accepted by him/her?

Is this person critical or judgmental of me?

Does the relationship provide an even give-and-take exchange of energy?

Do I feel upbeat and energized when I'm around this person, or depleted and drained?

Does this person share my values? My level of integrity?

Is this person committed to our relationship?

Can this person celebrate my success?

Do I feel good about myself when I'm with this person?

Now, don't all my friends start thinking that you are the one I'm aiming at in what I've had to say...you're safe! I love you all.  This was actually written with my dear husband in mind today.  Men are such trusting souls and bounce through life thinking everyone is as black and white as they are. Rob is grappling with the cold hard facts that some people are out to hurt him and I'm trying to help him through it. Thought I might as well share these little nuggets of life I learned the hard way with the rest of you while I'm at it.

Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.
~ Fulton Oursler

elusive Northern Lights...

Last night, Rob and I took off in the truck to see if we could spot some of the Northern Lights. They were supposed to be visible due to all the huge activity from the solar flares and be the best in at least 7 years.  We went out to Lake DeSmet, which is about 4 miles outside town because there are some high spots and there’s really no lights for miles and miles out there, except for the occasional car passing by on the interstate.

Now, first you have to understand, I have a vivid imagination. I am always eager to experience life to its fullest.  So, we get out there, near the monument and I could “swear” I see lights starting to jump off in the horizon! I’m telling Rob, okay..I’m yelling at Rob, to turn off the interior lights, the dash lights, all the lights in the truck, so I can get a pitch black view of the sky.  We get out the binoculars….we get out in the cold, windy lakeshore air.  We glass the whole sky.  What I was seeing was reflections, probably, from a little bit of clouds down low. SO, we wait….and wait…and wait….nothing in the way of pretty green lights for us.

But, during that time a magical thing happens.  It is the clearest night in ages.  I have my head hung out the truck window, staring straight up at the stars in the sky. What I see is breathtaking. Millions and millions of stars are out.  The Milky Way looks so close, I almost feel like it’s sitting right on top of my head.  It’s so dark and quiet out there, I almost felt like I was in one of those snowglobes, only it was filled with stars instead of snow.  I can see so many constellations that I hadn’t seen except in books.

We’ve decided that maybe we need to do this more often. I think we’ve been taking the Wyoming night sky for granted.  Sure, I go out with Thistle at night and see a few shooting stars in the backyard because we don’t have a lot of light pollution, even in Buffalo.  But, what I saw last night humbled me, the sheer magnitude of the universe came back to me in a way I haven’t experienced since we moved here.

It was also awesome because I had some uninterrupted time to talk with Rob. We talked about our next few photo trips and what we’re going to do.  He just got an email from a guy in MN who wants a guide to show him good spots for photography in the Bighorns. Came to the right guy in Rob, he did.  In exchange, this guy (who is a photographer) gave us a long list of places we should check out when we go to MN for a fall photo shoot.  Rob had already checked out on the internet the places he spoke of.  So, we sat out there in the dark, with the stars all around us, talking about that trip.  It was just magical.

After about an hour, we finally gave up. I really could have just sat there forever, suspended in the stars and the darkness.  But, we decided we should go visit my girlfriend, Michelle, who bartends at one of the local bars, the Outback, so off we head, back to town.

Michelle is one of my favorite girlfriends and one of my oldest friends in town. She also has a golden retriever and Thistle and I have been spending a lot of time with her lately (I’m trying to socialize Thistle with other dogs).  She only works a couple of nights a week at the bar and we rarely ever go there because we are creatures of habit and usually only go out on Friday nites and she doesn’t work on Fridays, so this was a treat.  Michelle is a lot like me.  Always cheery, upbeat, no matter what’s going on in her own life. Great energy!  We spent a little while with her and topped off a fabulous evening, laughing and sharing photos with Rob of the antics of our two dogs.  I don’t know who had more pics of Abby and Thistle, Michelle or me, on our cell phones.

Anyway, you may not think this was a special night but for me it was just awesome. Even though we didn’t see what we set out to accomplish, we ended up having one of those nights I will cherish forever. Sometimes, when you are trying to force one experience to happen, another comes and whaps you upside the head.

And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.
William Shakespeare

from the hearts of babes...

People often ask me where I get my “courage” to keep going sometimes.  I really don’t consider what I have as courage but I will give you a few examples of who has inspired me over the years.

I have worked a lot with damaged children in my lifetime. Probably because I was one, I am drawn to them.  I’m just going to talk about the ones whose scars you can SEE today, though. At the pediatric hospital I worked back east, we had all kinds of tragedies.  I had a young toddler whose mother put her in a bathtub of scalding water and gave her 3^rd degree burns on her feet, rear end and hands…well, anything that touched when you sit in the tub. Her name was Jazzie and she was the most beautiful little girl and every time I’d get all her little bandages all wrapped on her, I’d turn my head to do something else,  2 minutes later, she’d be all arms and legs in the air in her crib, giggling to beat the band, waving those STERILE bandages around like the fourth of July.  She was always smiling, despite the pain. She always had those raw, blistered hands reached out to me in love. When I would arrive on the unit in the mornings, all the toddlers would be in highchairs, lined up along the nurses station wall, about 10 of them, waiting for us nurses to feed them and here’d be Jazzie…arms flailing, chattering happily, so happy to see me! I always wonder what happened to her. She did not go back to that home, tho.

And then there’s Dustin, my hero. I met him when he was 17. He’d been at the Hospital since he was 6. He’d been hit by a hit-n-run driver at that age and suffered c-spine injuries that left him paralyzed, unable to breathe without a ventilator, no feeling below his neck.  His family had stopped visiting years before I got there. When I met him, Johns Hopkins had already rigged him up with a device so that he could control his wheelchair with a blow tube using his mouth. They had also done the same with a computer for him. Now, this was back before the internet was as fancy as it is now, back when all there were was bulletin boards to communicate with other people. Well, Dustin was running one himself and talking to people all over the world. He painstakingly would blow toward each key on the keyboard. No one he spoke with at first knew that he was disabled until he chose to let them into his world. He wanted to be an archaeologist and talked Hopkins into bringing him in some rocks and they even fashioned him a tool that he could work with his mouth. So he could tease out fossils from the rock.  He never wavered in his quest for independence.  He had the greatest sense of humor, too. He was on this nasty medication that caused him to have terrible, smelly diarrhea and one day I was in with him, wiping it up, him on his side and he moves his head back towards me. “So, Lisa..ya want some chips with that dip?”  Anytime I’m having a bad day, I think of Dustin. I bet he’s doing awesome.  Last I heard, he had a 24 hr nurse and was living independently and going to Hopkins, pursuing his degree.

We also had a lot of kids that came through for Ilizarov apparatus procedures.  This is used for kids that are born with one leg shorter than the other and for “dwarfism”.  They break the leg in several places and put on a halo and strategically place long screws into the bone of the femur and tibia and fibula.  Every 4 hours, it was my job to turn the screws so that it stretched the bone about 1/16 of an inch.  We do this for months at a time until the bone lengthens to it’s proper spot. It’s excrutiating to the child and we only do one leg at a time. The worst part is that you have to clean around each of the screws, tamping around the skin, to keep it from glomming onto the screw.  Such brave little boys and girls. I wiped away a lot of tears in those days and I got a lot of hugs. I was always so happy to see them come running down the halls with their straight normal legs, though. 

Everyone always tells me they could never work pediatrics. That’s it’s just too sad. You have no idea what you are missing. I had one little girl who was dying of cancer.  She kept telling me that all she really wanted was to let her mother know that it was okay, that she was going to be with the Lord. But, she was worried about leaving her Mommy alone.  So, I went to her mother and told her that her 6 yr old wanted a few minutes alone with her, that she had some beautiful things to say to “just her”.  Well, the woman couldn’t handle it and never stepped foot into that room without other people with her until the child died. Every evening, after everyone but the nurses were gone, the little girl and I would talk about it.  I wasn’t sure what to say to her about her Mother’s inability to face her alone.  But, the night she did die, she grabbed my hand and said  “Nurse Lisa….tell Mommy  that I’m sorry I have to leave her, I tried to be brave and hang on, but I just can’t do it anymore. God keeps whispering it’s time to go. I’m not scared, I just don’t want Mommy to cry anymore.” And with that, she pressed a little painted rock into my hand that she’d made with the P/T  ladies that she’d written “I’m right here” on and asked me to give it to her mom. A few minutes later, the monitors started their knell…..Mom never did come back, except to get her meager few belongings from the room. When I tried to give her the rock, she refused. I still have it.

These are just a couple of my little inspirations. I have several collages on my hall wall with pictures of these children I worked with…I don’t really need the photos, I always carry them in my heart.

Some people come into our lives and go quickly. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding, with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints in our heart, and we are never the same." ~ Flavia Weed

Monday, monday.....

Sigh…another Monday rears its head. What is it about Mondays that we fear/dread so much? Aren’t they full of promise? Don’t they signal a brand new week that could change our lives forever? So, why do we hate Mondays so much?

Well, first off, it signals the end of the weekend, I guess. And I do enjoy my weekends. It is nice having Rob home and underfoot. It’s my chance to spend some quality time with him. Monday morning, he puts back on that serious face that says he’s gotta be Mr. Planner and steel himself for the public.

But what happened to Monday being full of promise and renewal? I think I’m going to start trying to look at it from a different angle from now on.  I’m going to stop dreading it and start embracing it.  After all, my mantra is embracing life in all its ups and downs, why should I not embrace Monday?

I tend to start a lot of new promises to myself on Mondays, do you? If I need to exercise more or change some nasty eating habit, I always have to start on Monday. No other day will do. SO, this Monday, I am going to start appreciating Mondays!

Okay, no messing around, here? Today is my day to go tan in the morning at 9 a.m. That will feel good since it’s only about 14 degrees out.  That’s one good Monday thing! Then, I’m gonna go have coffee with one of my girlfriends afterwards who always gets me going into a sheer knockdown gigglefest every time I’m with her.  That will make Monday even more tolerable. Then, as long as some of the ice melts (we had a rare rain over the weekend that turned to ice when the temp plummeted after dark) on the streets, me and Miss Thistle, my 5 month old Golden Retriever, will take a nice long walk and see if we can’t run into some pretty mule deer to talk to down by Clear Creek trail and perhaps take a few minutes to listen to the ice cracking in the river. Oh and of course, we’ll have to chase a few squirrels for Thistle. 

After lunch, I have to get back to working on our taxes. Now this would normally send me into the Monday blues but with my new found LOVE of Mondays, I’m going to re-wire my brain and say to myself “You might just get a refund this year and the faster you slog through all this paperwork, the quicker you’ll know what’s coming or going to the IRS!” See, that won’t be so hard! (Do I sound convincing?)

Oh, and I have to go get a prescription for Ms Thistle.  The poor dear has been on antibiotics all but 8 weeks of her life.  She has a UTI, well, she’s had several since we got her from the breeder and will have to stay on antibiotics until we get her spayed because she was born with a little birth defect in her Hoo-ha that makes it sorta an “innie” instead of the normal “outie”  Poor thing is going to have to have surgery to remove the extra skin to keep her from getting more infections but we have to wait one more month.  The antibiotics have been costing us $95 every two weeks.  The Prescription shop was not amused when I tried to claim her as a dependant on my prescription insurance. Can’t blame a girl for trying.

Also need to go start shopping for some birthday presents. I don’t know how I did it but I have about 12 birthdays coming up of very close relatives and friends for the end of January and all of February.  With my new found love of Mondays, it’s a perfect day to start hitting the downtown shops!  I already have a few of the gifts.  One of my dear friends, Marchel Kelly, makes these awesome wrist warmers. You know how you always have that gap between your gloves and your jacket? Well, she’s made these awesome warmers, and they even have a insert that warms up inside and they are cute as can be.  Definitely sending a pair to our daughter, Jackie, in Chicago.

Okay, so, see….I’ve managed to come up with fun things to do for my first Monday That Will Be Fun Day!  And, to top it all off, I feel pretty darn good today.  Nothing is screaming at me, body-wise today, just the usual aches and pains.

SO, would you like to join me in this little experiment? I really think poor Monday gets a bad rap!  So, get out there and enjoy it. It’s the beginning of a new week and who knows, this could be the week that everything turns around for all of us. There could be a knock at the door, a phone call, who knows, that changes your life for the better…forever….

"Life whispers to us all the time… Find a quiet spot in the middle of the turbulence. Go to a quiet place within your soul and stay there for a short while. Do not rant and rave at the problem. Just go to this spot and let your fears be calmed, even for a moment. Don’t listen to the call of the problem but, rather, listen for a few seconds to the song of your soul."~ John Harricharan

A little help from my friends...

I have never felt so comfortable living some someplace before than I do living in little ole Buffalo, WY.  I have more friends here than I ever have in my life.  I’m not talking acquaintances, either, I am talking, drop everything if you needed them…. friends.

They are a very eclectic group, too.  Like I said in a previous entry, we have the full gamut of types of people here but they all have a few things in common, they all love the outdoors, they all appreciate nature and they all seem to really respect their fellow man..  The pioneer blood still runs hard and deep in the veins of folks around here.  It’s sorta still the last frontier in the lower 48. 

This is not an easy place to live.  We don’t have any big industries except the oil and gas and methane and that is really hard, dirty, dangerous work. If you want to ranch, well, that’s not easy either. I used to help during calfing and lambing season out in Clearmont on one of the ranches in the spring, with the wind blowing 60 mph, trying to help match up babies with their moms and that’s cold and sometimes depressing work when the babies don’t make it. I do love carrying two little lambs under each arm, though, them bleating to beat the band, they are so small and cute at that age (they really stink as adults). The ranchers try to time calfing with the weather getting better but the weather around here is a fickle beast and sometimes it’s a blizzard.  Those cowboys work hard, let me tell ya. And then, they round up those cattle and sheep and run them up onto the mountain in the spring to graze on the high mtn grass for the summer.  Here in Buffalo, we still have cattle drives right through town twice a year in the fall and summer!

The other jobs around here are kinda sparce.  We have no big businesses, really. Lots of real estate companies. A lot of little boutique stores, but no manufacturing, and the biggest store is Pamida. Our lovely Chamber of Commerce staff is working hard to try to get some industry in here that would fit well in our community and they are doing a bang up job, but it takes time. SO, if you are thinking you’d like to live here, be prepared to work your butt off. I call it poverty with a view.  Sure, you can do well, but don’t expect it to be handed to you on a platter. You’ll have to either start your own business and have it be successful or you’ll have several jobs. 

The cost of living in Wyoming is less than other places, we have no state income tax but you are giving up some stuff, too.  Personally, doesn’t bother me a bit.  When we first moved here, I thought I was going to miss shopping malls, turns out I don’t, and lo and behold, I don’t shop like a drunken sailor anymore, either.  Amazing what you find out you don’t need when it’s not staring you in the face all the time saying “buy me”. We only have two real shopping malls in all of WY, one in Casper 110 miles away and one in Cheyenne, 5 hours away.  I now prefer to buy from the little merchants, I don’t even bother with the big box stores anymore. Of course, the internet has changed everything, too.  If I really want something, that’s the biggest store on the planet!  But, living here, your values change and “stuff” becomes less important.

Anyway, back to the friends.  Right now, those that can and have the money squirreled away, are doing their little “snowbird” number. Just had dinner last nite with friends who are headed to CA for a month, to escape the depth of winter. Another couple I’m very close to just left Sat. to spend a month in Nicaragua.  A lot of Buffalo goes to Mexico and Arizona and Florida this time of year.  The rest of us huddle together around our woodstoves and pretend we don’t care. Rob and I are just getting to the point where we can start taking little snowbirdie vacations, not long ones, maybe a week.  But, I really like the comraderie that evolves with my friends in winter.  The tourists are gone and it seems like we all slow down and I get to see people and spend more time with them. I make an effort every week during the winter to call at least one girlfriend I haven’t heard from in a while and go spend some time with her.  We all know you have to water those friendships to keep them alive and I cherish each and every one of my friends.

I came up with a great idea right around the holidays…had an after holiday “Spa party” at my house.  Wasn’t selling anything…I have all kinds of spa stuff to make me feel better I’ve accumulated over the years..a portable FAR infrared sauna, a wax tub for hands and feet, massage doohickies, lotions, oils. Anyway, got about 16 of my girlfriends together and we had a blast! We had name tags with spa names..I was Lounging Lisa. And I had “spa” drinks…made green tea and blueberry slushies that came out great. Gave each other massages, I did a little guided yoga (just the sun salutation) and we stretched and put on facial masks and dipped ourselves in wax.  I was amazed that some of the girls who lived within a block of each other, didn’t know one another!  Now all my girlfriends are better acquainted with each other!

Made me feel good ….I don’t believe in strangers, just people I haven’t met yet. 

"If you can't find something positive about your environment, look again-with 'fresh eyes.' Try another point of view. Be creative. What good are you taking for granted? If you can't find anything, hold your breath. Within a few minutes, you'll *really* appreciate breathing."
~Peter McWilliams
"You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought" {Page 137}

Of weekends and workaholics

I love weekends, but then again, unless you have to work them, most people do. I just wish my body understood that there are certain days of the week it could sleep late if it wanted to. Not working, I guess it just doesn’t get the message.  Rob’s body does…he’ll sleep late this morning, but the poor man is a workhorse. Sometimes I don’t know how he does it.

Rob is the County Planner/Project Manager for our county.  He’s the first one they‘ve really ever had and he's now been doing it over 10 years.  There was a guy before Rob, but he managed both the city and the county land use business. Now there’s a City planner, too.  Rob’s job is a bit controversial and I worry about him. We are in the midst of working on getting zoning here…. I know, can you imagine a place that doesn’t have it yet? It’s something no one likes, not even Rob, but it’s a necessary evil. In a perfect world, everyone would respect their neighbors and consider them before doing anything on their own property that might affect someone else….but this isn’t a perfect world.  Johnson Co has become a haven for a few scoundrels who have learned there are no rules here and are just out to make a buck. We don’t even have building codes in the County, can you imagine?  I’ve seen bad electrical wiring, shoddy construction, you name it, around here.  But we have a pioneer spirit around here, too.  People don’t like being told by the “gummite” what to do with their property…. So, it’s been rough, and I worry about the toll it takes on my husband. People in town can't seperate Rob the County Planner from Rob Yingling, resident and shoot him dirty looks and talk nasty behind his back...it's his job, folks..... Because he really cares, he’s been working on zoning regulations that encompass our county’s unique needs.  We have a lot of agricultural land, ranches and a lot of open space that needs protecting and we also are trying to keep the density of population close to the services in town.  Some yahoo started a subdivision of trailers 12 miles outta town with no thought that police, fire, ambulance all have to go out there to save their butts and the folks who live in the city end up paying….

Rob’s other big job is our web design business, Bighorn Web Design. We have about 75 clients. Real estate companies that we do daily work for, an auction company that keeps us busy, several others that are very frequent updates and right now we are getting in tons of work from all our outfitters sending in pictures of this years hunts.  Oh, and Rob designs the ads that flash on the screen at the local theatre before the movie, too. He does all this work after dinner in the evenings (sometimes til midnite) and on Saturdays and Sundays after he cuts firewood for our woodstove and his summer gardening chores. He keeps saying he’s going to start getting rid of the business….

Then, there’s his fun job, Wild Wyoming Images. Rob has one of those natural eyes for photography. He’s been taking photos since he was a Chief in the Navy and when he started doing websites, a lot of the clients had no photos to add so he started taking shots of their stuff. Turned out he has one of those magical eyes for composition. And he has the patience of Job when it comes to wildlife photos.  Not me, they didn’t have those ADHD and stuff for diagnosis when I was a kid, but I’m pretty sure I’m one of them, lol.

One shot Rob took out at the HF Bar Ranch is of about 30 horses running toward us, the ranch runs the guest horses out to pasture every evening to graze and Rob got right out in front of them and caught a fabulous pic of them with this beautiful speckled paint in front, named Chocolate Chip.  It is now on 4 billboards on 1-90 advertising Buffalo as “More than a One Horse Town”. He’s also been published in fishing guides, magazines and tourist guides. We even did scouting for Vanity Fair once, that was a hoot.  Right now, we are working with Caters News Agency in London, perhaps gonna hit the big time with Rob’s smiling Moose photo, keep your fingers crossed.

Hold your family close, know that if you have someone in your life that works hard like my husband does, they are probably doing it for you. My medical bills are horrendous. I have Medicare from my disability and we also have pretty darn good health care through Rob’s county job, but we still somehow end up paying about $15,000 a year out of pocket.  The  insurance companies always find a way to not pay for things. My co-pays on my pills are around 300-400 a month, too.  It just never ends. I got a settlement from the hospital when I got stuck, I do get 70% of my RN salary for the rest of my life and Social Security Disability but because they only gave me a few months at the time, I wasn't even thinking about health care coverage when we settled, dummy.  Just got my w-2 from the hospital the other day for taxes.  It's so weird to still see it come from there and it says "sick pay".  Bet they hate writing it, too!

I’m so thankful I have someone who thinks I’m worth it.  I hope you do, too.  Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

And, on he sleeps…

No wonder he’s upstairs sleeping.

You can dress her up....

I really dislike sympathy. I think I touched on this before, I don’t mind people knowing that I’m fighting a bunch of medical battles but I don’t like it being obvious. Feeling sorry for me is not going to make me any better and it may make you feel a little superior for a moment but it doesn’t help you either. So, I have a bunch of things I do to try to make myself look like everyone else.

Everybody likes to look good, right? You feel so much better with your hair combed, a nice little outfit that makes you feel confident? We all have several outfits that we know we look better in than others,  that we grab when we wanna feel special.  First impressions and all….

My dermatologist in Billings actually has me go to the tanning salon. I have a skin condition thanks to my lovely little companion, the HIV virus, called eosinophilic foliculitus.  That in turn causes something called dermatographia, which means you can write on my skin and leave your name, weird, right? Itches like hell! All I have to do is scratch myself and I start up a whole madness that can travel all over.  Anyway, the most effective way to keep it under control is sunlight.  So, she has me tan.  I’m sure there are people in town that just think I’m vain and want to look like I just got back from a beach vacation but this is why I do it. I actually hate having to slather myself with lotion all the time because the tanning bed causes even drier skin.  The only other treatment for the folliculitis is steroids and I’m not allowed to use any of those because they damage my immune system further (read here..could kill me quick).  I also think I may be getting a little pre-cancerous lesion on my nose, I have to wait til spring now to get back to Billings to see Dr Hawk. The little spot only comes up when I over-tan, but I'm watching the freaky little bugger...

I have this thing about looking presentable, I’ve just told you….we all do to some extent.  But for me, it’s a defense mechanism because I know when you run into me on the street, you are giving me the once-over, looking for signs of me going downhill…admit it...we ALL do it with our sick friends.  I’m going to let you in on a little secret, but you better not throw it back in my face or I will hunt you down and tickle you until you are blue!  The worse I feel, the more well dressed you will find me…. So, if you see me running around town in my bent up ole cowboy hat and ratty jeans and a sweatshirt, rest assured, I’m having a grand day! If, on the other hand, you see me all color coordinated, down to my shoes, looking like I just left one of the offices downtown, I’m probably not feeling too good. Now, shhhh, don’t spread that around.

It all goes back to Saturday Night Live, believe it or not…do you remember Billy Crystal’s character, the latin guy? He used to say in every skit “It is better to looooook good than to feel good, dahling” Funny where you pick up life tips.  But, also, when I do dress myself nicely, it helps a bit, not much, but a bit.  Now, dressing nice in Buffalo is a whole ‘nother animal than anywhere else in the US.  Since we live in windy, cooler conditions most of the year, we dress more practical, even when we are dressed nicely, than most other folk.  I have countless pairs of jeans..dress jeans, town jeans, knock around jeans, garden jeans, hiking jeans.  I have 19 really cute vests ( yes, I counted them) and I have turtlenecks in every color and print you can think of (except those stoopid little animals and hearts and crap) Dresses on the other hand, not so much….the wind likes to grab those suckers and twist them around your face so fast, looks like you are wearing a burka! The other clothing necessity here in WY is a silk scarf. First time I saw a cowboy wearing one, I snickered, thought he was a bit weird.  I tell you, though, you don’t even need a jacket around here if you have a good silk scarf! You double it loosely around you neck and you are warm as can be…get too hot, take it off…they are awesome, I have them in every color now, lots with local cattle brands on them (yeah, I’m cool)

On the same dressing subject……. we have a big shin-dig coming up on Jan 29^th! The Chamber of Commerce is having a Winter Gathering and this year’s theme is “Night at the Oscar’s”  we are going to have a red carpet, couples will be announced as they come in, the paparazzi will be there taking pics, it will be F-U-N. I have decided to emulate Haley Berry for the evening. Found myself a beautiful royal blue strapless floor length dress I could see her in, goes great with my tan, and I even found a fake mink jacket at Best Out West Antiques.  My only problem is always the shoes, need heels, can’t walk in heels…wonder if Rob could carry me in… Oh, it’s gonna be a blast. It’s our one event of the year where we can dress up. We have a 4 course dinner with wine pairing that evening and our tickets include a grand prize drawing  for a trip to Hollywood for like 4 nites, I think.  I won the grand prize at this a couple of years ago. That year it was a trip to Wine Country in CA, limo, plane, tours.  Rob didn’t want to go, so we donated it back at the dinner and it was auctioned off for $5000 right on the spot, which went to the Chamber.  Only way I’d ever be able to donate like that!

Okay, see what you did, I’m off track again!!  Suffice it to say, you now know how to gauge how my days going and I’m not sure I should have told you. But, as I’m sure you’ve figured, I don’t keep much to myself once I start talking, so….another cat outta the bag..meow!

Happy Friday, everyone!!

“A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them." -Oscar Wilde