shorts and snouts...

Thistle was pooped and snowy after the Lake walk!

Good morning, campers!!  How’s everyone on this fine Thursday morning? I’m doing fabulous, if I do say so myself, actually just woke up at 5:40!  Makes me almost giddy thinking I may actually be coming to an end of this ridiculously early morning rising I’ve had since the beginning of January!  This is more like it!

And, what an incredible morning it is here in good ole Buffalo! The moon is so big and bright,  hanging right over the mountain.  I really should wake up Rob because he’s been trying to get a really good picture of the moon over Buffalo, but the poor dear was up pounding the keyboard last night pretty late, working on websites.  The weather is supposed to be amazing today, with a chance of even more amazing through the weekend.  I think we’re going to get up to almost 50 today.  Now, I know, all you Easterners, who live in humidity, don’t think that’s very warm. It’s actually light sweater weather, tops, and maybe even, dare I say, arm baring for around here!  I am pulling out my shorts!

This is one of the few places I’ve lived where people regularly wear shorts and sweatshirts a lot.  We have a really great guy, who now only spends his summers here, that used to insist on wearing shorts by the calendar here.  His name is Dick Grabherr, yes, you read it right.  He used to own Winchester’s Restaurant and now his kids run it, now that he lives in Mexico most of the year.  Dick would wear shorts from Easter to Thanksgiving here, no matter the weather!  It doesn’t hurt that for an “old” guy, he has nice legs.  Dick is such a hoot, I can’t wait for him to come home for the summer.  Rob asked him when we first met him why he didn’t go by something other than “Dick”, you know, why not “Richard or Rick”? He proudly asked us if we forgot his name after we heard it the first time and we admitted that no, indeed, who can forget Dick Grabherr?  He said that in his line of business, his name was important!  He also has a very deep voice and we miss him doing the radio commercials for Winchester’s.

Anyway, off track, again! SO, I’m going to put some shorts on today but it really has nothing to do with the weather. I am getting the stitches out of my knee later today when I go see the orthopedist for my follow-up appointment.  I can’t wait, let me tell you.  My knee has really started to itch where they are and I’m dying to scratch but every time I get near those stitches, my tummy starts flipping.  I’m such a coward about these things! I’m pretty nervous about getting the stitches out, wish they were those dissolving kind.  Plus, every time I go see Dr Quinn, Medicine Boy, he contorts my limbs something fierce.  Hopefully, with the fantasmigoric surgery he did, the limb twisting with be okay.

Man, yesterday, I had so much fun out at the lake with Brenda and Bobbie and all their dogs!  It was pretty darn chilly out there with the wind but we just had a blast. I’m sure you can imagine a walk with 8 dogs!  Poor Thistle was the only one on a leash because she can’t be trusted yet to come when called.  We’re working on that but not making a lot of headway just yet.  Brenda brought her two dogs, Yukon and Buddy.  Yukon is a very large black lab who is still pretty much a puppy, despite his size and boy, is he full of energy!  Buddy is a tiny little Yorkie, who yesterday was complete with an adorable sweater.  They both thought Thistle was pretty darn cool.  Well, I think Yukon is actually in love with Thistle.  He kept play-attacking her all the time we were on the walk.  At one point, Thistle and I were stopped at the bottom of a big snow bank and she was leaning up against my legs for support.  I saw Yukon up above us all crouched and watching and the next thing I know he’s coming full force at us and then slid on the ice crust and bam…right into Thistle.  She didn’t know what hit her!  Luckily, I saw it coming and braced myself, although I was laughing so hard at Thistle’s reaction, I almost fell down myself.

Dog mash!

Bobbie brought all five of her dogs, too.  She has the most adorable compendium of dogs! There’s Ginger, who is an elderly Husky, but still likes to play.  Then we also had Brody, Grover, Ruby, and Agnes.  Ruby is Bobbie’s latest addition and she’s is a bundle of energy, too. She’s really brought life back into the pack of dogs.  She was flying around Thistle yesterday, along with Agnes, and they were playing something fierce!

Grover, Thistle and Brodie hatch a plan but Buddy wants nothing to do with it!

I just love them all!  I think Thistle does, too.  Grover always has to growl and make a few comments to Thistle every time we get together before things settle down but he’s not mean about it. I think he’s just telling her that he’s a little old man and she better listen when he says something.  He’s so funny and little, when he makes noise, it sounds more like a cat than a dog! Thistle, despite laughing under her breath, gives him his honor and lets him play “big man”.

See, Thistle is the youngest out of all those dogs but she’s also one of the biggest.  Last week when we took her to the vet, she weighed in at 51 pounds already!  I’m hoping she’s about done with her growing and will level out around 60 pounds. She’s so strong that yesterday, every time she wanted to run with the pack, she’d pull me right off my feet and I’d have to start running right with her to keep from landing on my face.  Heck, who needs to pay for physical therapy when you have a puppy, right?  She’s got my knee working just fine!

We didn’t get to go to the Lake Stop for the Comedy show last night, Rob was just too swamped with web work, darn it.  We are trying our darndest to start cutting back on that work as it has really taken over and we have other things we’d much rather be doing, like the photography business.  We’re slowly letting clients know that we are getting out and referring them to Heidi Roberts of Buffalo Computing when we let them go.  I wish Rob would do it a little faster, myself.  He has actually taken on MORE clients instead of losing them!  Darn workaholic!

Speaking of which, I almost have a brand new husband coming home from his County job these days!  The new Planner he hired, Jim, is working out fabulously and already showing lots of progress on the GIS end of things and Rob now comes home beaming!  Quite a switch from the grouch that was overworked and stressed that I had just a month ago.  I think it really helps to have someone intelligent to discuss the county business with in his office, too.  I think the citizens are going to be quite impressed when they see what Jim has brought to the table here. Doesn’t hurt that he’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet, too.  He and the person who used to do the GIS work, Rande, are getting along just fine, too and working together quite well to move all that stuff to the planning department. Rande‘s got to be happy that all that stuff is off his plate and he can concentrate on the IT work for the Courthouse.  Poor guy was way overworked, if you ask me.

Well, it’s a new day and I gotta go put some shorts on! Yippee!! Thistle just came downstairs so that means Rob is starting to stir as she doesn’t get up until he does, the lazy girl! I hope your Thursday is fabulous and you find something fun to get into. 

spring..the sassy season

Front yard as I arrived home yesterday

Ain’t spring grand?  I tell you, yesterday it was in all its glory here, that’s for sure! Sassy little season, if you ask me.  Yesterday, we woke up to a beautiful day with a rather strong but warm wind.  Ginnie and I were headed to Sheridan in the afternoon to do a little shopping.  The weather forecasters had said it might snow later in the evening so we figured we’d have no problem getting back and forth before the precipitation started. I posted on Facebook that we were headed off and one of my friends even posted back that it was warmer in Sheridan.

In the morning I went for my massage with Carmen, bless her soul! That girl has magic in her hands, let me tell you.  I have had a big old knot in my right shoulder that has been giving me a fit from walking with that darn crutch for months and she worked her magic and got it all ironed out.  She even had time to work on my legs which were all bunged up from the strain of the surgery.  By the time I left, an hour and half later, I was feeling like I could conquer the world again!

Well, we got in the car for Sheridan and took off around 1 p.m. and the weather was just fine, like I said, just a bit windy up on I-90. Well, it was a lot windy and I am thankful that I have such a heavy, low car these days as it was pushing us around quite a bit.  The mountains looked ominous, but that was to be expected with the forecast. Well, as we got closer to the Story exit, about 12 miles from Buffalo, thinks started to change quick!  By the time we hit the ridge between Johnson and Sheridan County, it was a mixture of snow and rain and the further we got, the more it turned to snow.  By the time we could see Sheridan in the distance, we had snow snakes slithering wildly across the interstate and the wind was whipping us around like a brand new, untested bull!

It was an all out snowstorm by the time we hit Wally World.  I called Rob to let him know we were in Sheridan (he‘s so sweet, he always wants me to let him know we arrive safely) and asked if there was anything going on back in Buffalo and he said no, it was still a nice, sunny day there. I told him about our odyssey and got the usual warnings to be careful and quick in Sheridan. So, Gin and I split up to do our shopping to make things go as fast as we could.  Being a vegetarian for the most part, I always have gobs of veggies to buy and we were out of all kinds of essentials so I had a haul to purchase yesterday.  It didn’t take me long, though, as I have become disciplined to only purchase what I have written down on my list.  You know, you can spend a lot of money if you don’t stick to your list! I always joke with the cashiers there that they have a perfume they spray to make you spend your money.

Anyway, we hit the checkout by 2:30, which is pretty fast for me. By the time we got out to the car it was coming down fast and furious.  Gin asked me to take the old highway home as she has a little problem with riding in bad weather on the highway.  So, we took the back way to Story, which is a beautiful drive any day and was even more so with the swirling snow. Story is tucked tight up against the mountain in a canyon and really gets the bulk of any snow that’s coming in.  The snow apparently decided to follow us back to Buffalo because I called Rob again just as we were getting on Old 87 and told him we were headed back that way and he once again told me there was nothing in town and was rather surprised by my Sheridan weather report. (Sheridan is only 35 miles away).

The snow seemed to stay right over top of us the whole way home!  Like I said, we just brought it with us to Buffalo. People were giving me odd looks as I drove by with a snow covered car as it had just barely started here.  Mr. Snow liked it so much, he decided to stay all afternoon and evening and give us a big old dump, too!  As I look out my window this morning, we have another nice pile out there.  I’m guessing it’s at least three inches but it’s hard to tell exactly how much we got with all the blowing wind that came with it.  I think we are only supposed to get into the 30’s today but the forecast for tomorrow is back into the 50’s so this will all melt away in short order.

Like I said, I just love this time of year!  Good thing I remembered to put on a heavy jacket before we left yesterday or I would have been a popsicle! As it was, I just had on a tank top under the heavy jacket and when we were walking into Walmart, the snow was pretty darn cold on my exposed skin!

I have a pretty easy day today planned.  Yesterday I did that Leslie Sansone walking tape and it felt pretty darn good on my knee so I’m gonna up the ante today and bring out the big guns.  I have this tape that I usually do twice a week called Jari Love’s 1000 cal workout. This gal just rocks!  She’s gotta be at least 60 years old but she puts out a tape that would make 30 yr old men cry.  This particular tape is a sequence of weight lifting and cardio in which you do 60 seconds of cardio and then 60 seconds of weights and this continues for an hour.  I’ve had girlfriends walk out on me on this one!  I love it because as soon as you are sick of one exercise and think you can’t do another repetition, she switches.  I’m gonna see how far I can get today with that.  I may be walking like a turtle tomorrow….

After exercise, I have to put the finishing touches on our tax workbook and call the accountants to go for our meeting.  I think my friend, Sherry is stopping by at some point, too. I have to track down Breean and see if she wants to go meet some more people in town. Oh, speaking of which, her daughter thoroughly enjoyed her first day at elementary school! She was so excited, she got up at 5 am and was all ready for the first day at her new school, the precious thing! She was even more excited when she got there and found out she had Mr. Ferris as a teacher as she has never had a male teacher. I find that funny as she is only in first grade and already talking like she’s had experience in such things.  Children are so adorable, aren’t they?

Tonight, we are going out to the Lake Stop at Lake DeSmet for a Comedy Club show at the Elbow Room.  There’s supposed to be two comedians from Comedy Central performing out there and Ginnie has reserved a table for ten of us. I haven’t seen a comedy routine since I left MD, so this will be a real treat.  It will be even more fun because we have a big table of friends going!

See, living in Wyoming is not boring by any stretch of the imagination.  It’s so funny when I talk to relatives back east.  I’m not sure exactly where they think we live but since most of them have never bothered to visit, I think they have a strange view of what it’s like out here. They are just sure that we have nothing to do here but huddle by our fireplaces and watch the snow fall in winter.  When we were moving out here 14 years ago, we were down at the American Legion post we belonged to in Hampstead and people kept coming up to me and Rob and asking “why the heck are you moving to God forsaken Wyoming, there’s nothing out there?”  I would reply “If you have to ask the question, you won’t understand the answer”.  You see, to me, Buffalo and Wyoming are the way the whole country was maybe 40-50 years ago. We still smile at each other, we still like each other…we are courteous and generous and help each other in times of need. When someone gets ill here, everyone brings food.  When someone moves into the neighborhood, we all go meet them!  There’s just no strangers here, only friends we haven’t met yet! This is not a place to hide out from the world, more it’s a place to shine among others, to be a member of a real “community”, where you are valued and accepted.  Because we aren’t tripping all over each other, we feel more inclined to be nice!  Oh sure, we have our assholes, everyone does, but they are OUR assholes and we know who they are and how to deal with them, they aren’t just random jerks screwing up random things. Oh, I could go on and on about why I love it here and that’s just the people.  I don’t think I even need to mention the nature.  Pretty cool when you live in a state that has more wildlife than people, if you ask me.

One of the tourist ads WY puts out, says it all!

I just know that I’ve found my “home”. I have more friends here than I’ve ever know in my life. And they aren’t fair weather friends, they would all drop everything, if I asked them for help. I so wish some of Rob’s family would come out and visit and see what we have out here.  My folks have been out here numerous times and they’d move here in a heartbeat but for the fact that my dad is still practicing law back east and won’t attempt to pass another bar exam at this stage of his career (he’s made Of Counsel at a big law firm in Westminster, MD, quite a feather in the cap).  Unfortunately, Rob’s family is wrapped up in their own lives and haven’t made the trip. It pains him that they aren’t willing to come see what he’s decided is his forever home.  But, it’s understandable that their own grandchildren are the ones they decide to visit when they do vacation and they are all in TN and VA.  Alas, I just don’t think they know what they are missing.  We do have one of his cousins, Courtney, who has been out and she plans to come out again soon with her husband and son. We had a blast when she was here, even took her on a big horseback ride in the mountains.

Well, I see as usual, I’ve gone off in all directions this morning.  Hope I haven’t bored you too much. I get a little carried away when I start talking about my beloved Buffalo, don’t I?  I hope you find something or some place you are just as passionate about that becomes as important to you. It really makes life worth living, doesn’t it? Now get out there on this fine Wednesday and show them what you’re made of.  Smile at the world folk and show them you are happy to be here.  We live in an amazing place, in an amazing time and I for one am truly grateful each morning that I rise and have a chance to experience another day.

These Cedar Waxwings should be arriving any day now!!

As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily.  The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.  ~Terri Guillemets

singing into spring....

Thistle in the wind yesterday

Wow, this morning I woke up with music just blaring in my head! I think I’ve touched on that before. I used to think everyone had musical accompaniment to their days but after finally talking about it, I found out that, while some do, it’s a bit unusual. This morning “I’m Coming Out” is playing in my head.  I always wonder what the songs “mean” because sometimes they are my favorite songs and other times, I just can’t stand them! The only way I can get them out of my head is to sing them out loud.  After singing them, the song changes to something else.  I kind of like this one so I’m going to let it play for a while.

These songs frequently determine my mood for the day, as I’m sure you can imagine. It’s sort of like waking up after a good or bad dream. This morning I came downstairs and had a nice little dance in my step because it’s a very upbeat song. My knee is doing great!  Last night I had a little swelling on it from overdoing the walking and exercise and had to take some ibuprofen but I’m totally off the pain meds (days ago) the doc gave me.

I did manage to do my yoga yesterday morning although I’m glad I didn’t have anyone watching or listening. Amazing how stiff you get after just one week of not stretching!  I have been doing yoga for about 30 years now and I’m really limber because of it. I can even touch my palms on the floor without bending my legs, usually.  This was not the case yesterday!  The muscles in my thighs and calves really took a beating with the inactivity and surgery. There was a few times where I actually said some rather nasty things out loud in an attempt to touch my toes.  Thistle was sitting nearby, giving me sympathetic, puzzled expressions. She’s so helpful, when I’m standing there with my head upside down, she thinks that’s the appropriate time to give me a tongue facial. That, in turn, gets me busting out laughing instead of grunting in pain! I do something called the Sun Salutation several times a day.  It’s a series of stretches that works every muscle in your body. If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend it.  It’s very simple, none of that pretzel twist, advanced stuff, really just some very deep stretches that you hold until you feel your muscles release.

I got about halfway through my Yoga Booty Ballet tape before I had to throw in the towel.  Those girls were just a little too much for me just yet, maybe next week. Today I’m going to try something a little less bouncy to do.  I have this great walking tape by Leslie Sansone that accomplishes a brisk 4 mile walk in 45 minutes.  I think that may be more my speed today. I have to get myself up to par, though, as we are coming up on just a month until our big photography vacation to Arizona and I’ll have a lot of desert walking to do down there.

That trip is going to be so much fun!  We are stopping in Monument Valley, UT  first and have reservations at Gould’s Resort that has a view of the red walls right outside the balcony!  After that, we are stopping in Sedona, AZ to see the energy vortex and meet up with some lovely friends I met on Facebook who have a health spa in town.  Wing & Laurie seem to be such nice people, I just can’t wait to meet them in person! Wing is the drummer in a spiritual band called Amitabha.  Laurie and I have been emailing each other for about a year privately and exchanging little gifts through the mail.  She sent me a lovely handmade bracelet that they make to raise money for AIDS babies.  They are the sort of people I knew from the minute I started corresponding with, we’d be friends for life!

After Sedona, we’re stopping in Wickenburg, AZ to see an old friend, Don, who used to run the Arrowhead Motel here in town with my best buddy, Odie.  Odie died in my arms back in 2006 from a brain aneurysm . Gosh, that was a terrible day!  Don had called me because he couldn’t wake her up from a nap and we met at the hospital.  Odie never regained consciousness and I had to help Don make the decision to take her off life support.  I have tears in my eyes now just thinking about that day!  Anyway, Don now lives with a really nice girlfriend down there named Judy and she’s a firecracker, just like Odie.

After that, we’re headed into the Saguaro Desert to take pictures of the desert flowers in bloom. A friend of mine who lives here in summer, Sanna, has been down there with her horses all winter and will still be there when we arrive.  Our other friend, Katrina, who owns Indian Campground here,  is headed down at that time to help her bring her horses and stuff back up to Buffalo, so we’ll have a real fun get-together with them.  Doesn’t it sound like a magical vacation?

It’s what keeping the smile on my face during the weird spring weather, let me tell you!  Yesterday it was actually 67 degrees here! Today, there’s a 50% chance of snow, that’s spring!! The thing I love about spring here is that while we get our major snow during this time, it melts so fast, it’s as if it was never here. You just have to remember to keep all manner of garments in your car so you don’t get caught in the wrong kind of weather without the proper attire. I’ve seen warm, rain, snow, and sunshine all in one day here.  Spring can see temps start out in the 60’s and dive to the 20’s in a matter of hours. Keeps you on your toes, that’s for sure!

Today is Massage Tuesday with Carmen of Spirited Hands Massage.  I see her every other Tuesday these days, otherwise we’d be starting from scratch on my poor muscles all the time.  She’s got her work cut out for her today!  I have a really bunched up group of muscles in my shoulders from running around on crutches for so long that is just killing me.  I wasn’t able to see her two weeks ago so we are a bit behind.  That woman has the strongest hands I know for a little bitty thing. She’s only about 5 feet tall but she’s a powerhouse!  Since I’ve had all my knee problems, we haven’t gotton further than my shoulders.  Hopefully, now that’s all in the past, we’ll get to a full body massage one of these days.  I still have one more big problem that my orthopedist and I are dealing with, a slipped disc with central stenosis, in my neck, which causes a lot of those shoulder problems.  Because the surgery to fix it is rather invasive, we are letting Carmen work her magic for as long as we can before I go under the knife again. They have both given me some great things to do at home to try to help that out. I have one of those inflatable neck braces that stretches my vertebrae out so the bulge can go back in place and Carmen has given me some neck exercises as well.

Well, time to get the old rear in gear and see if I can stretch myself out before seeing Carmen. I hope you have a great day planned and if you don’t, try to see the good in what you are doing and be grateful for what you have, folks.  The little inconveniences we experience really are just that, they aren’t world stopping, really, are they?  If you find yourself aggravated today, just step back and breathe deep and thank the Creator that you are still here, you have eyes to see, feet to walk on, a warm place to return to.  If you start counting your blessings instead of what you DON’T have, you might just find a little gratitude in your life! That’s how I roll.

Yesterday's view of the Bighorns

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." – Epictetus

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." - Thornton Wilder

yoga and taxes...

Greetings, all! I’m feeling pretty darn good this morning, if I do say so myself! I actually slept until 5 a.m.!  Maybe I am finally getting over this early morning wake-up I’ve been going through for the last two months. Man, that would be awesome. I am so tired of falling asleep in my recliner in the early evening and waking up before the crack of dawn!!

My knee is doing much, much better. I can walk unassisted now, thank goodness. I was beginning to think I’d be married to that stupid cane/crutch for life. My knee is still a little stiff and I have some trouble bending it all the way but I think once I start physical therapy at the end of this week, that, too, will be fixed.  The stitches are starting to itch, as well.  I finally got to take a real shower yesterday, too.  The surgeon had told me not to do so until 6 days post-op.  I think I spend about 45 minutes under the water, just soaking up the warm goodness.  You don’t realize how much you enjoy showers until you can’t have one for 6 days, let me tell you!  I had been taking baths and keeping my knee out of the water, but that just isn’t the same.

Yesterday I finally sat down and did our questionnaire for our taxes. Our accountants, Dooley & Jelly are great folks but I gotta tell ya, I feel like I do all the work.  It took me almost 6 hours to fill the darn thing out and even though I’ve been doing it for years, it’s very frustrating and confusing.  It doesn’t help that in addition to our personal stuff, which includes a massive amount of medical stuff, we have two home businesses worth of receipts I have to categorize.  I really wish everyone would get off their proverbial asses and pass the Fair Tax! It would be so much simpler.  For one thing, we should not be taxing income in the first place, right?  The way it works now, the more you earn, the more you pay.  Now any idiot can figure out that you wouldn’t want to work too much with that kind of system.  The Fair Tax only taxes you on what you “purchase”.  The less you buy, the less you pay! Oh, don’t get me started, my blog is not supposed to be about what’s going on in the nation, it’s about me, so I’m going to shut up but I do ask all of you to look up “Fair tax” and after you read about it, I bet you’ll agree it’s the simplest solution.  The problem with the politicians is that there’s no room for lobbyists to make money from it and that’s why it’s not moving forward.

Sorry, every time I do taxes I get so pissed. I have worked at least three jobs all my life, up until my disability.  I have never gotten more than a pittance of my money as a return, I have always had to pay and it irks the hell out of me. I know a lot of people who live off the system and proudly proclaim they are getting back a big refund and I know that is MY money they are getting, not theirs.

Anyway, today is going to be a lot of fun. I have all kinds of things lined up to do.  First thing is my lovely tanning bed awaits me for my 12 minutes of bliss.  I take my little i-pod in there with me and I shake and jiggle to the music. It always starts my day off right.  It’s supposed to actually get up into the 60’s today, can you stand it?  After tanning, I’m stopping by Gin’s house for coffee and smoozing. She was off having her “single lady” adventures all weekend and I have to hear all about it.  I bet she has some great stories as she and Tamra are always getting into something on the weekends!

This afternoon, I’m taking Breean around to some of the local businesses to introduce her to the fine folks who run things here.  She says she doesn’t think folks are real friendly here, or at least that hasn’t been her experience so far. I told her that this is a tourist town and folks just don’t know yet that she’s a local and that she’ll be here more than a minute.  We tend to be polite but reserved with folks just passing through (unless they are real gregarious) until we get to know them.  Since I know just about everyone in town, I told her it would be best if I accompanied her on her outings for awhile so they’d see real quick that she is not a tourist.  Today is her daughter’s first day of school at Meadowlark Elementary.  We’ll just have her son along with us, who is 4 and a real hoot.  The other day, they stopped in to see Jim at the office and Wyatt walked over to Rob with this real serious look on his face and cocked his head up with his bright blue eyes and said “Hi, Rob!”  You had to be there, but it was just so cute and darn near adult…

Downtown Buffalo, WY

I also have to stop in my doctor’s office at some point today. My hospital back east sends me this crazy long disability form every year, which the doctor has to fill out, proving I still have AIDS (like I got cured or something?).  I’m sure they wish I would just die.  When we settled on long term disability back in 94 instead of me suing the pants off them, I’m sure they thought they’d only have to pay me for a couple of years, tops. People were dying fast back then.  We settled on 70% of my pay for the rest of my life. I don’t think they ever thought I’d still be alive in 2012. It will be nice to stop in and see Sandy, anyway.  She’s just the greatest doc and we are lucky to have her.  She even does house calls, when needed!

Alrighty, time to get off my duff and get moving.  I’m going to start back up on my exercises today, since it’s a Monday and things always start off better at the first of the week.  I have been lax on my yoga, well, not lax, I couldn’t really do some of it with my knee all bunged up. I am pulling out my Yoga Booty Ballet tape today and seeing how far I can get….wish me luck and bendability!

When asked what gift he wanted for his birthday, the yogi replied:  "I wish no gifts, only presence."  ~Author Unknown

Photography (ph)follies....

Rob discussing his photos with a customer

Wow, just sat down to my computer to start writing and the scanner was squalking at 4:15 a.m. That’s pretty unusual for Buffalo on a Sunday morning.  As I listened, I became very saddened because it was a call for some poor soul experiencing a psychotic breakdown. The worst part is, I know the person. Well, I should say that I used to know them, I don’t hang out in the bars anymore so I don’t see this person much but the last time I did they seemed okay and gainfully employed. Actually, he was an employee of Rob’s when we first moved here and Rob was manager at Colonel Bozeman’s for a couple of years. I sure hope that whatever is going on with the poor soul, he gets some help. I do know that he has a lot of family and it’s a relief to know there will be people to help him out the other side of whatever caused this.

We had a very eventful day ourselves, yesterday.  Rob and I had a Spring Fling show in Sheridan. We had to get up at the crack of dawn and load the car in the ice and leftover snow with all of our artwork.  We can’t pack that stuff the night before because the photography can’t be out in cold weather.  It was a relief that the snow had not come that the weatherman had predicted for yesterday when we were getting ready as we had to take both of our vehicles.  So, after getting everything, including Miss Thistle, packed up, off we went!  The roads were pretty good until we got to the Johnson County line and then everything got pretty nasty. Sheridan evidently got all the snow we were supposed to get.  It was a real nail biter there for a while, especially because early morning is when all the big trucks are out on the highway.  I was hit by an 18 wheeler when I was 17 and I have a serious fear of those big guys. 

The highway crews had only plowed the slow lane so passing was a major butt pucker! It never fails that there’s always some yahoo who drives way too slow and makes you pass them! One of the things I really like about living here is that we have hardly any traffic,  so bad weather is usually only you and the weather.  For some reason, though, people seem to like to travel in packs on the highway. I’ve never understood that! I try to stay as far away from others as I can, especially in bad conditions. So, there were several times I was talking out loud to myself as I passed people on what looked like solid ice and blowing snow at 65-70 mph. Yes, I know, I hear you…slow down!  Well, braking is not something you wanna do on ice, right?  The highway here is a series of hills and valleys and you just have to let the car speed along at its own pace!

We made it safely to Sheridan with plenty of time to enjoy a nice breakfast at the Country Kitchen before hitting the show.  The show itself was a bit of a disappointment this year.  We made money but not as much as we usually do at this particular show.  We had a great time anyway, though.  Bonnie L., who does beautiful original turquoise jewelry, was there with her sidekick Sheridan and “Cowboy” another fabulous jeweler friend was there.  Heck, we knew half the vendors!  I think I bought more in dollars than we took in, oops!  I had a lot of birthday gifts to shop for though, and since this show does not allow any commercial vendors, I tend to do a lot of shopping.  There’s one lady who comes from Billings who does a lot of her own soaps and stuff that I always buy from because I am allergic to perfume and detergent.  She makes this awesome laundry detergent that’s nothing but pure soap and lavender oil. I had to stock up on that, of course. Rob is so sweet, he doesn’t make a fuss.  He was busy discussing photography with all the people who stopped by.  We joke that if we had a dollar for every compliment on his work, we’d be billionaires!

Sheridan (left) and Bonnie with their custom jewelry

The college’s culinary school provided the lunches this year and it was fabulous! They had a really nice white bean chili and a lovely chicken wrap with fresh avocados and a raw green bean salad accompaniment. For once, I did not have to go off grounds in search of my vegetarian alternative for lunch!

Since Miss Thistle was along,  Rob and I took turns going out in the snow and playing with her every hour or so.  She had a blast, running around in the deep snow of the fairgrounds, sniffing where all the livestock had been.  Gosh, she’s got a lot of energy!  My knee is doing so much better and it felt good to get some exercise with her.  I think I’m actually ready to start back on our daily walks! I’ve already called some of my dog-walking girlfriends and set up dates for the week.

We got home about 5 p.m., totally pooped out!  Usually on Saturday evenings we watch a movie, but neither Rob nor I  thought we’d be able to keep our eyes open.  Good thing, because I was fighting to keep my eyes open and we went to bed really early.

We have another show at the end of the month but it’s right here in town, thank goodness.  It’s the Small Business show for the Chamber of Commerce.  That’s always a rip roaring good time. It’s a two day show of all the small businesses here in town.  We’re looking forward to that one a lot! They have a Business after Hours on the first evening, complete with music and it is very well attended by the community.

SO, today is going to be a day for regrouping, inventory to see what sold and needs replacing in the photo bins and preparing everything so that we are ready for the one at the end of the month. We don’t do a whole lot of shows, preferring to rely on sales through our website and through word of mouth when someone needs gifts.  Of course, our dream is to have a shop right down on Main to display our photography, but right now the real estate is a little too pricey for that to be anything but a dream. We have our photos displayed for sale at the Jim Gatchell Museum and at one of the other boutique stores downtown, Artful Hands,  in the meantime. Good things happen to those who wait, right?

Well, I’m going to get my happy butt in gear this morning. The house is a wreck from bringing in all the stuff from yesterday and there’s a pile of dirty laundry that’s starting to develop its own personality, so I better get cracking on something productive!

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday! We are actually supposed to get up into the 50’s today and the 60’s tomorrow, whoo hoo!! Could Spring actually be coming to Wyoming?

In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.  ~Mark Twain

bacon flowers....

Mr Turkey hanging out in the tree out of the deep snow

Well, my first day back among the walking sure was busy and a lot of fun, let me tell you! I started off by going to get my twice weekly tan, which I told you is to keep my skin problem under control.  It was so nice to crawl into the tanning bed and feel the warmth, as it’s been pretty cold around here.  Kris, the owner of the salon, was real surprised to see me up and about so quickly.

After I left there, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a little pot of flowers for my friend, Bobbie, who had the retinal surgery, as I was headed to visit her.  While I was in there, I remembered that she is a bacon freak and that we always are joking about that. So, I picked her up some bacon to go along with her flowers!  I was really looking for the pre-cooked kind so I could make a bouquet out of that, too, but alas, Buffalo is still lacking in some things and I had to settle for raw bacon.  The clerk at the check-out got a real kick out of the whole idea. She laughingly told me she wished SHE had friends who brought her post surgical bacon!

With my bacon and pretty little sunshine yellow mums in hand, off I went to see Bobbie. Now, I think I told you that she has four dogs and that we walk together on occasion.  Since the last time I’d seen her, Bobbie acquired another sweet little dog, however.  She’s now up to five dogs running around and it’s a hoot!  The new pup’s name is Ruby Tuesday and she is a sweetheart! I got quite a greeting from the pack when I arrived and Ruby decided that we were friends right away.  She spent a lot of the time I was visiting, sitting on my lap, sniffing me all over and giving me short approving licks.  I think she’s really going to like Thistle. Bobbie says she’s really added life to the pack of dogs in the house.  She was definitely egging on the other dogs to play, that’s for sure.

Bobbie loved the bacon, of course, and went so far as to post about it on facebook. Yes, we’re different, aren’t we?  We had a grand old time talking and comparing notes on our surgeries and post-op trials and tribulations. Poor Bobbie had to ride home in not so great weather from Billings after her surgery.  She looks really cute with her big silver metal patch on her eye. She’s had 7 surgeries on that eye now and we are all hoping and praying that this is the last one.  I told her we need to decorate the patch with something fun (I’m still working on that one, folks).

My car under the snow!

After I left Bobbie, I met Rob for lunch at Sagewood Café and Gifts on Main.  Sagewood is an awesome little gift boutique here in Buffalo with a little restaurant in the back. They serve fabulous homemade soups daily along with great sandwiches.  Nothing they make is fried, which I really like. It just so happened that they had one of our favorite soups yesterday, Italian Wedding soup. I swear I could live off that stuff, if you’ve never tried it, you don’t know what you are missing.  They also had a really nice quiche as a special which I had as an addition to my soup. Rob had some wonderful Chicken Alfredo Bake with his soup.  It seemed like half the town was there with us and of course, we had to discuss my surgery with at least 5 people. That’s what I absolutely adore about this town.  There is no place I go that I don’t know at least half the people in the room at any given establishment.  This sounds awesome, right?  It is, unless you are at the grocery store and need to do a quick “in and out”…there’s no such thing here! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told Rob I’d “be right back, just going to the store” only to return an hour later because I’d run into several people I hadn’t seen in a while in the grocery store and world problem-solving ensued.  I wouldn’t have it any other way, though.  When we lived back East among the throngs of humanity, I have never felt so alone, I swear.  People walk by you like you’re a piece of furniture and no one makes eye contact with each other. I remember one of the first times we went back for a visit to Westminster, MD. I hadn’t realized how acclimated I was to holding doors, making small talk with folks, making eye contact when passing….and how unusual that is in the crowded cities. I think I was making people nervous! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to spend too much time in that world anymore and I know I’m not missing anything for the lack!

After lunch, I went home and played with Ms Thistle for a bit. Gosh, she just thrives in that snow! She was tearing around like a freak in the backyard. The snow is still really deep from that last storm and we have a lot of really big drifts in the yard that she was busting through with abandon. She likes to use her nose as a snowplow and it’s hilarious to watch. By the time she’s tuckered out, she looks like the abominable snowman, covered in lumps of snow!

I stopped in to see Breean, the new planner’s wife after playing with Thistle (who came along in the car, just because she likes to ride) and brought her kids some fun little toys to play with. I found this really cool coloring book that comes with 3-D glasses!  You have a black piece of paper and when you rub it with the different pens, images appear and they look 3-D with the glasses.  I got that for Wyatt. For Wylie, I got a little cardboard jewelry container that had all kinds of stickers and glittery stuff to decorate to make it your own custom model. Wylie and I decided to decorate ourselves almost as much with the little adhesive stones and glitter as put on the container.  The kids seem to be acclimating to the new digs well. I have to tell you, or perhaps I did already, that I just love playing with kid’s stuff. I guess I just never grew up, nor do I particularly want to.  I see nothing wrong with playing and continuing to use my imagination.  Kids these days are so used to being “entertained” by computer games and I make it a point to bring children some of the “old” stuff that requires a little thought process to play with.

The last big errand of the day was taking Thistle to have her stitches removed at the vet.  I thought for sure she’d be all freaky when we pulled up at the vet’s after her big surgery.  Nope, she went barreling into the office, firmly planting her feet up on the counter to greet the staff! She was a very good girl while Teresa, the Vet, removed the numerous stitches. I stayed up at the head end of her and distracted her while Teresa and her tech removed them. Teresa said she is always in a conundrum about the amount of stitches for this particular procedure.  She wants enough that nothing splits open but knows it will be a bear to remove them.  When we were done, there was a whole big pile of stitch pieces and Thistle was none the worse for wear. She got some really nice treats for being such a good girl.

Clear Creek!

Well, we made it to Friday once again. What a crazy week it has been!  I am so looking forward to our happy hour with friends tonight!  I’m thinking we’ll have quite a crowd. Rob and I have to really behave, though, as we have that Art Show in Sheridan tomorrow. We have to get up at the crack of dawn to pack the vehicles, get our butts to Sheridan and get some breakfast, all before set up at 7:30 a.m.  Keep your fingers crossed that the weather cooperates and we aren’t driving in a blizzard, as we usually do for this show.  Right now, they are predicting snow showers through the night tonight and another 40% chance tomorrow. The winds are not supposed to be bad, however.  Unfortunately, with our mountains, you never really know what it’s gonna do until you see it happening! If the weather is bad, we’ll have to leave town even earlier so we can drive slow out on the highway.  There’s a pass that is rather elevated between Sheridan and Johnson County that can get quite treacherous and it’s close to Lake DeSmet, which has it’s own little weather pattern.

Okay, time to get moving and see what Friday has in store for the old gal. I probably won’t be writing tomorrow because of all the show packing.  If I don’t speak with you, have a wonderful weekend. Go out and find something fun to do with your friends and family and leave the cares of the world behind for a few hours.

The house looks so peaceful with all the snow!

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
~Mother Teresa

twinkle toes Thursday...

Thistle exploring her deepest snow ever!

Yay, I seem to come out the other side of this knee surgery! Last night, we removed the big old bandages the doctor put on and got the first look at what he’d repaired.  I just have two little holes in my knee with a couple of stitches in each.  After we removed that big heavy bandage, I am walking much better. The knee is still pretty stiff and not bending real well but the pain is pretty much gone. I have put the medication away and switched to just ibuprofen.  I am still using my trusty friend, Mr. Cryocuff, but all in all, I think I’m finally through the worst of it! I just have two rather large band-aids covering the surgical sites now.

see, just a couple of little punctures to do all that great work!

Tuesday night and Wednesday were not fun, though, let me tell ya.  They should have warned me how bad it was going to hurt after the medication they injected into my knee wore off.  I did manage to make it yesterday to the State of the County Address, with the help of my loving husband. It was so nice to get out. I know I was only in the house for two days, but it felt like eons!  Everyone seemed kind of surprised that I was already up and about but they should know me by now.  Everyone came up and offered sympathies and we all swapped stories of everyone’s past surgeries. It’s so funny how people like to relate their own painful memories to commiserate.

Except for the County luncheon, I pretty much slept yesterday, which was probably the best thing I could do. This morning I feel like a new person.  Like I said, the knee’s a little stiff but I really don’t have any actual pain left.

I’m going to try to get back to my normal routine now. I got things to do, people to see, ya know! My friend, Bobbie, who I frequently walk dogs with, also had surgery on Monday. She has had a problem with detached retinas and they had to do some repair on her eye.  So, I’m going to hobble over to her house after my tan this morning and see if I can’t cheer her up and make her laugh.  She’s the friend that has the four dogs, all of them more precious than the last.  The only one that doesn’t really mind playing with Thistle is Agnes, though.  I’m going to leave Ms Thistle at home, however, no need to make a scene with dogs going nuts, right?

I can’t believe it’s already Thursday!  I really lost this week with the surgery!  I just got an email from another bestie, Pam, who had to fly to Syracuse, NY last week because her Gram passed away.  She recounted the horror of flying out of Gillette during that big snowstorm we had the middle of last week. Amazingly, even though they had delays lifting off, she made it to New York on time.  She said coming home yesterday was no fun either!  Can’t wait to hear what all she ate and shopped for while in the “big city”.

That’s one of the funny parts of living here in Wyoming.  Anytime we go somewhere else, it’s like going to some exotic foreign land after living here in such a quiet little place.  We all lament about not having the big city perks at times, but when we do leave and go to the big city, we are all high-tailing it back to Buffalo as fast as we can!  It’s almost like running back into the comfort of your mother’s arms after some big bully has attacked you. All of us here really enjoy going places but I think we enjoy even more, the return home.

Last night, Jim and his wife and kids came over to visit for a few minutes. They are settling into their new home quite nicely.  Jim starts his new planning/GIS job with Rob as of today!  The kids were all a-flutter about the new house and just bursting with what they’ve discovered.  Breean is pretty much all unpacked and says it’s starting to feel like a home, too. I see a bright future here for that family.  Jim seems to be a real go-getter, like Rob and I think the Planning Dept is going to be running really smoothly now.  I hope so, because Rob has been really overworked lately.  One of the Planning Commission members seems to think Rob doesn’t do anything but approve sub-divisions.  It irks the heck out of Rob because these people only step foot into his office 12 times a year for meetings and have no idea what he actually does. Rob has been trying to re-work the Minor subdivision regulations for years but because he is constantly interrupted by phone calls and people coming into the office, it is taking him forever.  That’s not a project you can just pick up and work on, you have to be concentrating on the area you are working at or you get all screwed up.  I think citizen boards are awesome but they really need to realize that they are just lay-people and don’t know the inner workings of planning!

Yuck, was I just talking about planning? I am not a planner, by any stretch of the imagination! I think that’s why Rob and I get along so well.  He plans everything and I implement. I could no more have a list of things to do that a dog would. I don’t know why, believe me, I’ve tried to be that sort of person, but I am just not that organized.  I’m the ADD half of the equation, flittering about and landing on several projects at a time. I do manage to get them all done eventually, however, but it can look quite messy in the middle of my routine. I know it drives Rob crazy because he’s a super list maker. I’m grateful that he is, especially when we’re going on a trip or something because I’d forget half the stuff if it weren’t for him.  On the other hand, when we are traveling, I spend half my time messing with his itinerary because I like to be spontaneous.

We have to pack up all our photos tomorrow for a show in Sheridan on Saturday.  They are having a “Spring Fling” Art and Craft show at the Sheridan Fairgrounds. We really enjoy this particular show every year as we are usually the only photographers there.  It’s one of those shows where they don’t allow any commercial booths.  I usually spend half as much money as we make at these things, though.  Rob has a lot of new photos and we just got a new banner for the booth that just looks awesome.  Hopefully, the weather is going to cooperate, there’s been times we’ve taken our lives in our hands to get to this particular show!  Spring in Wyoming can be treacherous. We are coming into the time when we get our heaviest snows, although they melt quickly with the rising temperatures.

Anyway, hope you have a beautiful Thursday!  I am feeling so much better, feel like I’ve been through the wringer but hey, that’s what surgery does to a person, right? Now, go out there and show the world what you are made of. Smile at people you pass today and you just might get a big old grin in return and maybe even make someone’s day!!

This was my "home" since Monday, gonna be tearing this all down today!

“After 12 years of therapy, my psychiatrist said something that brought tears to my eyes. He said ‘No hablo ingles’..” ~James Johnson