View from the Hills

Meeteetse Museum

2010-09-19T15:19:00.009-06:00

We visited a wonderful museum in Meeteetse Wyoming. They had on display mostly what you would expect to see in a rural western town’s museum. There were old farm and ranch equipment, forestry tools and historic firearms.

They had some of the exhibits

organized into rooms, like the

parlor and the kitchen.

They had old furniture and a collection of North American wild sheep.

But this I did not expect to see. In the back of the

place, across from the wild sheep stood an armless

mannequin wearing a security guard shirt.

No pants, just the shirt. Security in Meeteetse must not require all that much, just a dummy with a shirt!

Smile, or Else!

2010-08-23T22:07:00.003-06:00

Nabisco is running a back-to-school promotion. The grocery store display holds their snack crackers and the text advises us to "Pack a Smile"

The display itself tells another story. This image is a very angry bus, the top lights (eyes) flash red, it appears to have frowning eyebrows and the down-turned "mouth" looks to be saying "touch my crackers and I'll run you over".

I would rather buy my munchies from a more friendly bus. Keebler says "grab your snack supplies," and their image says welcome, let's be friends!

Tale as Old as Time

2009-09-26T16:38:00.009-06:00

Well, maybe not quite as old as time, but we purchased our dining room set in 1973. It was new and shiny and beautiful. We had a large table and 6 chairs with matching hutch. At that time our family consisted of Johnny, me, a 2 year old and a baby. The toddler cut teeth standing on the chairs and chewing on the backs of them. They both crawled under and over them and made forts under the table. The hutch served as backdrop for family photos. We moved several times, each time selecting a place to live that had room for our table, chairs and hutch. Two more children came along and many joys were shared around that old table.

The children grew up and the chairs grew old. The shiny wore off and they developed a tackiness that would adhear to skin. The beastly brutes were particularly fond of the the area just behind your knee.

Not long ago a friend took the chairs and stripped the finish, glued the rungs and stained them to match the set. He finished them with wax and they no longer bite, they are once again shiny and beautiful.

The Pickle Project

2009-09-26T11:43:00.006-06:00

Not all pickles are created equal, or equally created in this case. There are pickles that you make by mixing vinegar, water, sugar, salt and flavorings; packing in jars and processing . Those are good.
There are also pickles made by fermentation. Cucumbers sit in a bucket of salt water and flavorings and form their own vinegar. That is what I have brewing in the kitchen right now. We will know the results in 3 weeks.

Speaking of fermentation, that is what happens to cabbage to make sauerkraut. It has gone very well and will be served tonight with Polish sausage. Shredded cabbage, water, salt and three weeks are all it takes to make sauerkraut.

Slowly Wiping out the Paper

2009-09-21T17:02:00.009-06:00

I don't know if it is environmental or economic,
but the toilet paper tube is shorter than it was before.

Yellowstone Park has gone green and removed the center from the soap.

Magical Kitchen English Muffin Recipe

2009-08-31T20:32:00.007-06:00

1 package dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 cup milk, scalded

3 Tbs butter room temp

2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

5 to 5 ½ cups flour

1 egg room temp

Cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in warm water, whisk and set aside
In a large bowl add milk, butter, sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour. Blend. If this mixture is warm and not too hot for the yeast add the dissolved yeast. Beat 150 strokes or 2 min with mixer. Beat in Egg
Spoon in remaining flour, ¼ cup at a time. When dough cleans sides of the bowl, turn onto floured surface and knead, till smooth and elastic
Lightly grease dough let it rise in mixing bowl. Cover and set in a warm place until double in size.
Punch down the dough knead for 30 seconds and set aside to rest for 10 minutes
Sprinkle work surface with cornmeal and turn the dough onto it roll out the dough until it is ¼ inch thick. The dough is very elastic and draws back when rolled, let it set a few seconds and roll again. Cut into 3 inch rounds, I use a large jar ring.
Knead the uneven pieces together roll out and cut more rounds, repeat till all dough is used.
Set rounds on a corn-mealed surface and let rise till they are ½ inch thick
Heat heavy griddle to hot. Bake the muffins for 2 minutes on each side, Reduce heat and bake 6 additional minutes on each side. Be careful not to scorch them;
Cool on metal rack.
Pull apart with tines of a fork and toast the insides.

These freeze well.

English muffins

2009-08-23T23:18:00.002-06:00

My afternoon project, 39 English muffins. Some to eat fresh, some to freeze and some to share.

Estes, Etc

2009-08-19T22:53:00.003-06:00

I was part of a group form Yellowstone Harmony attending Rocky Mountain Roundup in Estes Park. The Buzz, an international champion quartet taught a fabulous seminar. We learned a new song.
We had lunch at the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley has a wonderful history.
http://www.stanleyhotel.com/index.html
Connie and I went on the Ghost tour. The tour was very interesting, but we didn't see any ghost.

Saturday night Cody and Tina came and went to the final show with me.

Ice Station

2009-06-09T22:39:00.008-06:00

You will never, ever, ever guess what I put in my freezer tonight. Well, you might guess if you know that I go to Cody on Tuesdays and that I sometimes pick up and deliver things for my work.

It would also help to know that the lady I work for makes rugs for a taxidermist. Quite often I deliver bear-skin rugs, but tonight I picked up a different type of hide. This one was wet so that It can be stretched before it is rugged. She does the stretching too. The taxidermist wraps the wet skin in plastic and freezes it so it will keep till it is stretched.

So right there in the center shelf of my freezer on top of the beef is a package of zebra. Next week it will be a nice rug and the beef will be dinner.

Not long ago she did a musk ox. It was all stretched and ready to go when it came to us. We get the mount before it is touched up, this one still has tissue in his nose to hold its shape.

Lost Mountain Lion

2009-06-02T22:46:00.003-06:00

There was excitement in Powell Sunday morning. This guy was in a tree about 3 blocks from our house.http://powelltribune.com/index.php/content/view/1054/2/

Showtime

2009-05-29T18:08:00.002-06:00

Yellowstone Harmony Chorus took the stage at the old Cody theater for our musical production Brother Can you Spare a Gallon. We sang several old songs woven into a script about hobos befriending a local business woman. In the photo we are singing a song I wrote for the show, Cody Stew.

2009-05-20T07:56:00.000-06:00

The last post now has a title:

Saving Time

Time to Blog Again

2009-05-18T22:26:00.007-06:00

I went to a meeting of a local writer's group. They allowed me to read my children's book and a poem about my brother.
Each month they give a writing assignment that you can read to the group the next month.
This month we are to write a couple paragraphs about a slice of life and give it a title
Here is what I have written.

“Take out your cell phone and turn it on.” The speaker said, “yes, I know that during church that is unusual, but I want you to set your alarm.”
I found my cell phone and I was able to find an alarm mode.
“Set it to 3:16P.M.”
Mine was blinking 9…9…9…I pushed a button and the minutes blinked 00. I pushed another button, I was back to 9…9…9.
“Everyday when this goes off you will be reminded of John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ ”
9,9,9, 00, this isn’t working, I need instructions; randomly pushing buttons is not producing good results.
The object lesson was over and we had moved on, “turn to number 560 in the songbook” the words to the song appeared on the overhead screen and I held my blinking cell phone as I sang.
Living By faith in Jesus above,
Trusting confiding in His great Love.
From all harm safe in His sheltering arm,
I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.
I grinned as I turned my phone off and dropped it back into my purse.

Possible titles are:
Time After Time
Time and Time again
Timeless Faith
Marking Time in John

Amazingly Beautiful

2009-01-27T21:09:00.004-07:00

This morning the sky displayed a phenomenon of refracted light. As the sun rose, ice crystals formed colored light shapes on either side of it. These are referred to as sun dogs.

Week Two

2009-01-18T21:58:00.006-07:00

Saturday was beautiful for this time of year and we went to Jodi's for a ride on Jesse.

This week's game was Scrabble. I can't imagine playing that in a foreign language, Min Jeong knows many English words and catches on quickly. She went with me to rehearsal on Tuesday and watched the Pink Ladies rehearsing Shine Your Light and the chorus learning new songs. Church supper on Wednesday and Thursday night we watched Newsies.

She made a wonderful seafood, rice stew and another marinated beef dish. Tonight she used the rest of the package of frozen seafood to make seafood pancakes. These were served with a sauce made of a combination of pineapple, soy sauce and red pepper. We served carnitas for lunch and Johnny explained the meaning of Tex/Mex.

Dried Seaweed is Good

2009-01-11T22:14:00.005-07:00

Tonight Min Jeong made dinner for us. She fixed a marinated steak and sushi. We have had a busy week. We taught her to play Boggle, took her to a baby shower and a special prayer meeting on the side of the highway in the snow. We introduced her to several of our friends. She has gone with us to Wednesday night supper at church and our monthly pot luck on Sunday.

We Have a Guest

2009-01-05T17:33:00.004-07:00

We began the new year by hosting a Korean teacher. Thirty elementary-school teachers from Incheon, Korea are studying in our area and one of them is living with us for 6 weeks. She has been assigned to observe in an elementery school in Powell. Living with an American family allows her to improve her English skills. Wanda, her American name, has been teaching English in Korea for 6 years and she communicates quite well.

2008 finished with a housefull. 3 of our sons, their 3 wives, 2 grandsons and 2 dogs were here for Christmas. We had a wonderful time.

Summer Project

2008-09-25T22:25:00.005-06:00

It is finished and it is green.

Across the prairie

2008-06-09T20:28:00.006-06:00

It is an 8 hour trip and carves an "S" right through the middle of Wyoming. The entire state is lush with bright green grass, purple and yellow flowers, and the ever-presant sage. All of the normally dry gullies have running water, the rivers are full and Glendo Reservoir is higher than we have ever seen it; the trees are flooded. The antelope play in belly-deep grass.

On the way home we stopped at a new restaurant in Casper. Actually, it is an old restaurant, Sandford's Bar and Grill, with a new location. So Sad! They open tomorrow, bummer.

The weekend was fabulous; family, food, and fun. We celebrated a birthday, BBQed ribs and brisket, watched our kids play an indoor soccor game, played in the park with grandsons, had a massage, worshiped with Discovery church, went out for sushi, flew a kite, and played Scrabble.

My back responded to the car ride and I have a chiropractor appointment tomorrow.

Face of Stone

2008-06-04T22:04:00.005-06:00

We have some interesting rock formations near us. The top of this cliff juts out in such a way that it looks like the profile of Abraham Lincoln. I am sure the rock was around long before anyone knew who he was, I wonder who it looked like then. Can you see him?

Move up closer.

Right in the center of the photo.

I am stumped

2008-06-03T22:28:00.005-06:00

I had a link to a story in my previous blog. When I click on "story" I get an error message. I have been trying to fix this. When I edit that post, I highlight "story" and click the link button. I had coppied the URL for the site I wanted, inserted it appropriately and published the post. When I go to my blog and click on "story" the URL I want to go to is added to my Blogger URL already in my window and that gives me a faulty address. So instead of this:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/FRRROZEN-HOT-CHOCOLATE-SERENDIPITYS-BEST-KEPT-SECRET-109560
I get this:
http://www.blogger.com/http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/FRRROZEN-HOT-CHOCOLATE-SERENDIPITYS-BEST-KEPT-SECRET-109560/
Anyone have this problem?...........Jason,...................CJ

A New Favorite

2008-06-02T22:34:00.011-06:00

A blogger I was reading mentioned having Frozen Hot Chocolate when they visited New York City. I was hooked and had to find out more, isn't that what Google is all about.
It was easy to find and came with a story. We tried it, and it is wonderful, we whipped up a batch for friends and family, and they agree. Now it is time to share it with you. Give it a try and tell me what chocolate you used.
Now, people are suggesting other additions; coffee, strawberries, raspberry flavoring.
Ahhhh summer is just beginning, I can try them all.

Frozen Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates (We tried it with Hersheys milk chocolate)
2 teaspoons storebought hot chocolate mix
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (Splenda works, or it doesn't need to be sweetened at all)
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups ice
Whipped cream (didn't put the garnish on it and it seemed to be fantastic anyway)
Chocolate shavings

Preparation
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted.
Add the cocoa and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
In a blender place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice.
Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri (or a Smoothie). Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Enjoy with a spoon or a straw. . . .or both!

Yellowstone Harmony in Utah

2008-05-18T22:04:00.005-06:00

Last weekend our chorus traveled to Salt Lake City to compete in the Region 8 Sweet Adenine contest. We were the smallest and newest chorus there.

We sang our two songs on stage in Abravanel hall. We were costumed as hobos and sang Me and My Shadow and Side by Side.

We had a great time. Saturday night after the contest and the afterglow we hosted a glimmer. Several quartets came by the suite to sing a couple songs.

Now I Need Ham

2008-03-16T14:22:00.003-06:00

We have been buying eggs locally and I usually have a choice between brown or white. Today they said the only ones left were green. They are a very delicate blue-green, almost like they have been colored for Easter.
Have you ever eaten green eggs?

Sundog in the Clouds

2008-03-04T22:35:00.005-07:00

This little rainbow piece can be called a sundog. Over the last few weeks I have seen several of them in the East, This is the only one I have seen over Heart Mountain. This one was in February.

Last rays of daylight

2008-03-03T21:33:00.004-07:00

In February, the sun goes down directly behind Heart Mountain. I captured the last rays followed by evening's golden glow.

2008-01-29T11:44:00.001-07:00

I do not keep up with current fashion. I mostly dress in jeans and t-shirts. Though I do own some nice dresses and jackets, usually dressing up means nicer jeans and t-shirt, maybe a vest. That was my attire recently as we waited for a connecting flight. We sat at the airport and watched people go by. My observation is that the "now" color is black or dark blue with a little bit of dark red thrown in. My shirt was a golden yellow that matched a hand-made vest; the only other person wearing that color was a Chinese Buddhist monk searching for his boarding gate.

Nope! I definately don't keep up with current fashion.

Venus de Jo-jo

2008-01-14T07:26:00.001-07:00

Jo-jo helped me put a bustle in a wedding dress last week. This is the first time she has lended a hand. Well…Jo-jo has no arms so I guess she lended a body. Jo-jo is an adjustable dress form given to me by a friend nearly a year ago. She stood guard in the den for a long time. It took a while to get used to walking past the door and glimpsing a life-size human figure and wondering who was lurking there.

Dress forms help sewing enthusiasts fit garments to themselves or in this case hold the outfit so that it can be adjusted. Dressmakers have creatively used duct tape to make body doubles when they do a lot of sewing for themselves. I sew for a variety of shapes and sizes so I find the armless Jo-jo to be quite handy.

Pony up! (dumpster diving has its reward)

2008-01-11T12:24:00.001-07:00

When the needed repairs are done on my refurbished pony he will look something like this. Of course I will have a different child holding the reigns, probably not a girl and not wearing a rainbow t-shirt

Here is a front view ridden by attitude dude, "Hup, go pony, let's get outta here before Smokey Bear wants his hat back."

I rescued a PONY!

2008-01-10T17:22:00.001-07:00

I found him in the alley this morning.
He needs to be patched up a bit, but I am keeping him.
If I hadn't rescued him he would have been gone by noon!
Doesn't he look like fun!

Floating Mountain

2007-12-10T17:55:00.001-07:00

Heart Mountain floated above the horizon Saturday morning. I was headed to Cody in my elf suit to sing for Newcomers Club. In the afternoon we changed to the red sequined costume and sang in Powell.

Elves at the museum

2007-12-03T06:29:00.001-07:00

Boot Scootin' Cowgirls of the West

2007-10-25T19:45:00.001-06:00

Getting set up.

The show takes place in old-time Cody Wyoming. I did the backdrops, one is a scene in the Irma Hotel bar the other a street scene. The theme wraps around "the new math teacher" as she moves to Cody, finds a beau, nearly loses him and finally lives happily ever after. The music was up-beat and fun. the humor was a bit corny and fun also. We received many positive remarks afterward.

I wrote a song for the show, Women of Wyoming. Howard had me direct it.

Real reality, really

2007-10-07T17:02:00.001-06:00

We have been watching a very entertaining reality show.

Meerkat Manor

The Whiskers Family is back! The drama continues for Flower and the rest of her Meerkat family in the second season of Meerkat Manor. From family quarrels to love affairs to backstabbing worthy of a Shakespearean tale, these fuzzy reality-TV stars pack a huge dramatic punch.

Cool Fire

2007-09-02T19:51:00.001-06:00

The last of August cooled off here; one week was very chilly and a bit rainy. We thought it a perfect time to do one of the projects we had been planning, a fire pit. We set aside a Monday evening to dig and build it. Well that Monday it was 93 degrees, we built anyway. That evening we were finished and lit our fire. We sat on our patio and enjoyed our campfire listening to the gentle hum of the neighbor’s air conditioner.

Car Trip

2007-08-27T21:37:00.001-06:00

Someone once lived here just north of the small community of Deaver Wyoming. The car and small house have aged to nearly the same color, and the fence has given way to dozens of harsh winters. We have passed this many times on our way to Billings but I only recently noticed it. Saturday on our way home we had time to take pictures.

We also had time to stop at the Quick Stop in Rockvale for a chocolate huckleberry shake. Another old rusty car sits there, but it is a metal sculpture.

Friends, Family and elk

2007-08-17T22:24:00.001-06:00

The Rocky Mountain Round-up is in August every year and Sweet Adelines from all over region 8 gather at Estes Park Colorado. This year's featured speaker was Lori Lyford. She presented great lessons on breathing and vocal production.

Seven of us attended from Yellowstone Harmony. We stay in World Mark condos next to the river. We had elk in our backyard morning and evening.

The highlight of the weekend for me was Saturday dinner when Blake and Kim, Adam, Griffin, and Cody and Tina joined us.

The Cherry Project

2007-08-03T23:20:00.001-06:00

A family from Powell has a cherry orchard in Montana near the Flathead lake. Every year they send a trailer load of cherries to Powell. They arrive in Powell the day after they were picked; fresh, plump, and juicy. This year I ordered two 30 pound boxes.

I set up a work area in the laundry room. The fruit went from the counter to the sink, through the pitter and on to drying trays.

The cherry stoner, was borrowed from a neighbor. It is sweet. Without a doubt, the best I have ever used. Clean cherries go in the hopper, one rolls into a depression. With a push of the plunger, a cutter goes through the cherry pushing the pit into the box. when the plunger resets, the cherry is brought up and knocked off the cutter and drops into a waiting container. I want one of these!! I was able to do a 30lb. box in about an hour. That is all that will fit in the dehydrator. The pitter went home and the second box had to be pitted with a small metal pitter I have had for a long time. That device forces the pit out the other side of the cherry. It squirts juice everywhere and stains your hands deep purple. It also takes several hours that I spread the job over about 3 days.

The dehydrator runs for a couple days and the result is dried cherries, or chaisens. We ended up with a full gallon bag. we probably ate and shared 5 to 7 pounds of the fresh cherries while we were processing them.

And Then There Were Two

2007-08-02T21:37:00.001-06:00

Blazes, birds and books

2007-07-22T22:43:00.002-06:00

I have a few things to share and they are loosely connected, very loosely.
Tonight there was a beautiful deep red sunset. We get the most dramatic sunsets when there are fires in the Park, that would be Yellowstone National Park. The fire burning there now is known as the Owl fire and it is located in the Northwest section of the park.

A couple nights ago we sat on our back patio and watched an owl perched on the wires. When the owl is on the wire, the other birds chirp like crazy and even swoop down over him to drive him away. He sits unruffled by the commotion until he is ready to leave. Then he falls forward off the wire and opens his wings and glides away. Johnny could probably make a profound spiritual connection, but I just love to sit and watch the owl.

Okay, I said there was a very loose connection; our Harry Potter book came this weekend. Fortunately, we just picked up the new C.J. Box book at the library, so both of us have an interesting read. Harry Potter has a strong connection to owls, but C.J. box's new book takes us back to Yellowstone, It is set in the Park and titled Free Fire.

there, how is that for a nice tidy little packet of unrelated thoughts woven together.

I have been writing and painting and singing

2007-07-21T23:13:00.001-06:00

Last night was Yellowstone Harmony's opportunity to perform in the Cody band shell. Every Friday, the community sponsors a 2 hour Concert in the Park.
I had the privilege of writing the script and painting scenery. We followed a "tour" theme, so I painted a bus. I found a picture of a fabulous old bus and turned it into "our" bus.

After we sang in the park we went to the Cody Rec Center where they were having the Cancer Walk. We sang there for 30 minutes.

We were singing "Shine Your Light" when they lit the luminaries

You load 16 tons......

2007-05-26T18:50:00.001-06:00

In the last 4 days we have hauled used fire bricks and built a border around the pine trees in the backyard. Dave helped us load the brick from the Wyoming Lime Plant. the Lime Plant lines their kiln with firebrick and replaces all of it regularly dumping the old brick in a pile.

The bricks are varied in color and size. The color runs from gold to pink to rust red. they are keystone shaped and some are larger than others. The bricks have numbers molded into them probably indicating their size and where to put them in the kiln. They are quite heavy.

We picked through the brick pile to select unbroken, rather attractive bricks. We hauled them home and stacked them in the backyard.

Today we laid about half of them in a border around the trees.

Evening storm

2007-04-29T22:46:00.001-06:00

A couple years ago I captured this storm developing near the mountian at sunset.

Low clouds

2007-04-11T22:12:00.001-06:00

Blood Stained Cross

2007-04-07T11:40:00.001-06:00

When the Blood stained the cross
Major gain, major loss.
Shook the earth
Veiled the sky
Son of God born to die

Heal my faith draw me near
Change my heart, Lord, let me hear
Of your love so pure
Your grace so free
All of the blessings meant for me

Come into my heart
Let me be your dwelling
Give me all the words
Let me do the telling
Let me see the cost of cruel Calvary
Let me know the love
Poured out for me

When the tomb Lost its prey
Opened wide resurrection day
The dark could not contain the Son
Light of God, Victory won

Heal my faith draw me near

Change my heart, Lord, let me hear

Of your love so pure

Your grace so free

All of the blessings meant for me

When the Blood stained the cross

Major gain, major loss.

Shook the earth Veiled the sky

Son of God born to die

Baaaaa

2007-04-02T22:24:00.001-06:00

Driving around Sunday afternoon, we met Toni. she was building a snowlamb. She said he was looking up toward Heaven.

Warm days following deep snow

2007-04-01T20:23:00.001-06:00

Almost as quickly as it piled up the snow melted and formed the mighty Division Street River and attracted the river runners.

Digging Out

2007-03-31T11:27:00.001-06:00

We measured 16 inches of snow in our backyard. The bottom inch and a half was slush.

We cleared the driveway and sidewalk and now it is nearly dry.

We let the dog out of the kennel, but she didn't get very far and I had to carry her back.

20 inches!

2007-03-30T22:53:00.001-06:00

I think the snow has quit falling. We couldn't see the mountain today, it snowed all day. The wind did not blow, that is unusual. I love it when the snow piles up on narrow surfaces.

It snowed heavily enough that by the time the driveway was cleared and the sidewalks were shoveled, there was another inch and a half to scoop off the driveway.

Heart Mountain and Snow drifts

2007-03-29T12:22:00.001-06:00

This is the scene as I bust drifts on my way home for lunch today.

Some friends stayed with us last night, not wanting to drive home in the blizzard conditions.

Ahhh, Spring in northern Wyoming!!

Odds and Ends

2007-03-22T17:08:00.001-06:00

Some things just strike me as odd. The irony of this scene was one of those things.

2007-03-19T23:00:00.001-06:00

Our western skyline is dominated by Heart Mountain. Different weather conditions and sun position almost give it personality. Today the mountainside was burning for about an hour.
The formation is identified with a relocation center left over from WWII

Decapus

2007-03-17T17:07:00.001-06:00

This blower is drying out the wall. Each hose leads to a hole drilled through the drywall. It was dubbed the decapus this morning.

Another wall a different blower.

Another room has a large dehumidifier. There are blowers without hoses in several rooms.

We asked about filling the baptistry and the guy running all the blowers said, "no way, we are trying our best to remove humidity from this building!"

We have 2 classrooms dry and set up for tomorrow and chairs back in the auditorium.

The Flood

2007-03-15T20:17:00.001-06:00

Tuesday afternoon, the caller said there is water running out of your church building into the parking lot.
Lots of water. The pipe leading into the holding tank from the pump had been leaking, long enough to soak the entire auditorium and a few classrooms.
There aren't very many people available to move furniture in at 4:00 in the afternoon. Johnny, Tonya, and I moved the chairs to the back room, and cleared classrooms. Another family came and helped with the cradle roll room.
Johnny had called a cleaning service when he first saw the standing water and Glenn came to vacuum water out. He set fans and has been working on drying out the walls. The insurance adjustor looked at the damage today.

We canceled Wednesday night dinner and scheduled a work day for Saturday to put things back together.

2007-02-24T22:07:00.001-07:00

Today was one of those rare days where neither of us had to be anywhere, turn anything in, complete anything or fix something. It was very relaxing.
We took our dog for a walk. In spite of her age she still likes to run.
We did a little cleaning and hauled our pile of newspapers and catalogs to recycling.
We closed out the evening with a concert,
http://drumbrothers.com/groups.htm#bros

2007-02-03T21:23:00.001-07:00

We lost a little friend today. Lady, the one on the left, didn't wake up this morning. Missy and Lady are from the same litter, I am sure Missy will miss her too. We have had them for about 15 years.

2007-02-02T23:29:00.001-07:00

I'm all thumbs, really, I have all these thumbs. Six of them, and they didn't fit!, bummer.

I made mittens in January, starting with the thumbs. Each thumb is 3 pieces sewn together then made waterproof with an iron on seam tape.
Shown here is an inside out thumb pulled over a mini ironing form. I am applying the tape with a small iron. That thumb is then sewn into the palm of a mitten, but not these, I sewed them with a seam that was 3/8 and they were supposed to be sewn with 3/16 inch. That made each thumb 3/4 inch too small when it was complete. Back to the cutting table.

2007-01-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is the little fellow who got in the car tonight after singing practice.

I had put my tote bag and purse on the floor and he jumped right in. He didn't want to get back out. So naturally, the first thing I did was take photos!!

He was probablly looking for food, he was not at all afraid of me. He went from the front to the back seat of the car, but would not go out either door.

I tried to push him out with a pillow, He grabbed it, so I tried to coax him out with it, he didn't come.

He stepped on my tote bag and my pitch pipe went off and that scared him and he jumped out of the car. When my friends came out we were very careful not to let him back in, he was still close by.

2007-01-06T22:12:00.001-07:00

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle is a children's board book with a flashy last page. There are 8 tiny light bulbs embedded in the back cover that turn on and blink when that page is opened. The illustration on that page is of 8 fireflies with the lights in their abdomens.
The switch for the bulbs is a plastic strip connected to the 3rd to last page; it goes through the next to last page and slides under the last page to operate the lights. This switch quit sliding back into place and left the lights on when the book was closed running down the little batteries.
My friend at the library asked me to fix it.
I pulled the back cover off revealing that the slit in the page for the sliding strip was torn just a little. This gave just enough slack for the strip to bend backward and not turn off the lights. I cut thin strips of plastic tape and repaired the edges of the slit, glued the cover back on and the fireflies now light up when they are supposed to and sleep when the book is shut.

2006-12-02T22:44:00.001-07:00

We sang today at the Buffalo Bill Museum and then sat with Santa for a photo. The group has changed a bit from last year.

We are still doing fun songs and having a great time singing.

2006-11-16T08:21:00.001-07:00

I came across a comment that we only have one word for snow. One of C.J, Box's books, Winterkill, I think, debates that and gives a list of words. The ones I remember are powder and slush. Anyone have other words that we use for the mantle of white?
I can think of many adjectives, drifting, blinding, gentle, sparkling, deep. I have driven in a whiteout that was probably a blizzard and shoveled 3 or 4 inches of what the weatherman called partly cloudy.

2006-11-02T23:30:00.001-07:00

Whistle While You Work

I heard a new term tonight, "aggressively friendly". It seems our local hospital is taking the Disney approach to quality health care and going out of their way to be friendly.
I have been visiting friends in the hospital the last few days and have noticed that the staff seem on the alert for ways to make you comfortable.

The Disney institute is spreading the magic with seminars and showing the health and hospitality industry how to be more hospitable, "Be our guest! Be our guest! Put our service to the test." Their 4 elements of good service would improve nearly any organization.

Quoting an interview on Line Zine " One example is our program called Take Five in which cast members take five minutes out of their day to proactively do something special for a guest. We call it being aggressively friendly. Our cast members look for opportunities for magic moments—those little things that happen for guests that are utter surprises. For example, a housekeeper in one of our resort hotels discovered that a guest was not feeling well so she took the time to get chicken soup from a resort restaurant and bring it back to the guest.

As Mickey would say, "That sure is swell!"

2006-10-29T08:38:00.001-07:00

Friday night we were invited to dinner and the ballet. The St Petersburg Classic Ballet Theater performed in Cody. They were fantastic!
Saturday was an all day coaching session for Yellowstone Harmony. Sherry Feller was a delight to work with. We are selecting songs that we will take to contest in the Spring.

2006-10-18T17:18:00.001-06:00

We have been reading a series of books written by C.J. Box. His books are set in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming and have a very distinct Wyoming flavor. I am now reading Trophy Hunt and Johnny is on Winterkill.
These are mystery books with the main character being a game warden.

2006-09-29T08:18:00.001-06:00

The Book Query
A book that changed my life, besides the Bible:
Spilt Grape Juice and 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee

A book I have read more than once, besides the Harry Potter series:
The Far Arena A wonderful novel about life in Ancient Rome

A book I would take with me if I were stuck on a desert island:
My best answer would be an inflatable book, so I Googled that and found this. Not only is there a book, there is a treasure map for the island!

A book that made me laugh:
I Stink by Kate and Jim McMullan. A board book with fragrant presentation of the alphabet

A book that made me cry:
I cry at Hallmark commercials! So pretty much anything that involves tragedy/romance
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Anne Burns would probably fit nicely here. It was recommended by my mother-in-law several years ago. She said it was a pretty good discription of what southern life was like when she grew up.

A book that I wish had been written:

A book that I wish had never been written:
Joseph Smith's book

A book that I have been meaning to read:
Blue Like Jazz, I am at least half way through this one and like it, I just got bogged down and didn't finish it.

I am currently reading:
Open Season by C.J. Box. (just finished this one) He is a Wyoming author with an award winning first book, I checked out his second book today.
Childrens Writers & Illustrators Market 2007

And the Ladies of the Club needs some sort of category of its own. It was a wonderful book written by a woman in her late 80's.

2006-09-23T12:01:00.001-06:00

Rain!!

We had almost an inch of rain this week. That is a fourth of what we have had all year according to the national weather service. That means there is snow in the mountains surrounding us.

Crowded!!

We have 3 couches, 3 love seats, and 3 chairs and a few sets of miscellaneous cushions in the shop. I had a very busy month. The college brought in several pieces of weight room equipment to be recovered and the hospital is bringing exam tables. Repairs for the furniture store are coming in steadily and they are opening a new store, so there will be even more.

Party!!

Yellowstone Harmony celebrated last week. We unveiled our new Sweet Adelines charter by hosting a party. There was food and singing. Howard and Joanne introduced us to new tags.

2006-09-10T22:46:00.001-06:00

The inconsistent blogger returns.

My car and sunglasses have been restored to their rightful place, they came back with a whopping bill for replaced seals and a timing belt.

I am 8 lessons into a 12 lesson writing for children class, hoping to learn how to publish a manuscript.

Johnny blogged about our Labor Day drive. We hiked along the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River. There is a place where the river has sculpted the granite into sleek curves. Our friend is peering into a round hole that tunnels all the way through the rock.
The hole reminds me of looking into someone's ear!

There is a wonderfully serene waterfall above the rocks. It is a small waterfall that you can step across at the top. In the bushes above the cascade there are delicate spider webs.

This month at work, I am covering workout equipment from the local college and exam tables from the hospital.

Last week I called up an old skill and helped a friend pack all of her dishes, crystal, and glassware. Today we moved it and carried several boxes up 13 stairs. Whew!!

2006-08-16T22:27:00.001-06:00

I miss my sunglasses. They are in the little swing-out holder in my car.
I miss my car, too. It is in the shop getting fixed. The day after the long trip my car leaked its oil out in the driveway.
I am thankful this didn't happen on the trip to Estes Park.
Estes Park was wonderful, The Region 8 Sweet Adelines had their big workshop there.
Nine of us from Yellowstone Harmony went to the workshop and had a great time learning from 3 fabulous coaches.
I left for Estes the same day Jason and Christa started home.
Jason and Christa had been here for about a week. We hiked down to Porcupine Falls with them and their dog, Sinapaw.
Earlier in the week Jason and Christa went with Johnny, Cody and Tina on a rafting trip while Griffin and I joined Mark and Nancy in the children's park in Cody.
Griffin had come to see us and Uncle J and Auntie C. Cody and Tina brought him from Colorado. They also brought Blake's motorcycle for Johnny and their dog, Cade.
I saw Griffin again in Estes Park, he came for dinner with his parents and little brother Adam to visit for a couple hours.
We have had a teriffic time with family and friends lately.

2006-07-21T12:44:00.001-06:00

Performing in Billings
The performance went quite well. We sang for the biggest audience we have ever had. We all tried not to have that deer-in-the-headlights look when the coordinator said there would be about 1000 people sitting in the grass. It was an outdoor concert, a beautiful evening and the crowd was terrific. Our program flowed smoothly and the sound system was awesome.

We had a fun time together even though we were squeezed into the car for an hour and a half each way. Driving home I saw a deer, a coyote, and several rabbits, on the highway as well as a very big bird that gained altitude in the nick of time. Fortunately we slowed down and missed all of them, a few mice however were road kill.

2006-07-18T22:38:00.001-06:00

We have a new photo, a new baritone and a new paid gig. Thursday afternoon we will be traveling to the big city to sing a 45 minute program, opening for another more well-known group.

2006-07-16T16:03:00.001-06:00

Salsa

We have a new friend, his passion is dance. He is teaching a community education class here.

That class is full, with a waiting list, but he told us he would teach us to dance privately. Saturday afternoon we went with our friends Max and Nancy to the dance studio and learned the basic Salsa steps.

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!!

2006-07-05T07:33:00.001-06:00

We rode the Powell bike path yesterday. It heads north on Absoroka, turns east on Lane 8 then follows the cannel back to 7th street. It is a firm wide path.
Last night we had a cook-out and volleyball in the church yard, then the kids shot fireworks in the parking lot. From there we had a terrific view of the city display.

2006-06-23T02:12:00.001-06:00

Left over coffee, a scoop of ice cream and a couple squirts of chocolate syrup in a tall glass with a little milk is a wonderfully refreshing concoction.

2006-06-15T21:43:00.001-06:00

Make over

When these booths came to us a couple weeks ago they were blue with the back inset Burgundy. They are now ready to go into a new place in Powell, Joey's.

There are 3 double booths and 2 singles. I finished the last one this afternoon. While I was doing booths, Sandi has been working on tall chairs.

Monday, Boone, the owner of Joey's is coming to pick up the booths and chairs and bring us 20 more chairs. Both of us will be working on those chairs. Boone plans to open Joey's June 30th.

2006-06-07T23:15:00.001-06:00

Master of Cylinder Cooking
Many years ago we raised a large garden and canned, froze, or dried our fruits and vegetables. We baked everything from scratch, even crackers; those were good. I made granola, fruit leather and jerky. I have butchered meat and dressed chickens (seems more like undressing them). I went so far as to have a soup stock simmering with meat bones, left over veggies, and cleaned potato and carrot peels. We referred to that as “garbage soup” and one of our friends liked to come over the night it was served because it was so good.
Then one day, to make a quick lunch, I opened 4 different varieties of Nalley chili and heated it up. As I remember, the comment was, “this is good, better than the other chili you make.” So I dubbed it “4 Cylinder Chili” and considered it my own recipe! I slowly abandoned my close to the Earth cooking and accepted more and more processed food. A friend gave me a frig magnet that stated:
I serve 3 kinds of meals
Canned, frozen, and take-out
I may have given up preparation, but I didn’t give up creativity. I don’t just empty a can; I tweak it!

My latest cylinder concoction is South of the Border Beans.
I have only made this in large batches, starting with

10 cans of Pinto beans. Drain some of the cans so that liquid just covers the beans in a slow cooker.

Cut up and fry a pound of bacon, add to the beans.

Stir in a 12 oz. can of pickled, sliced jalepeňos and simmer till flavors are blended, add water if it begins to dry. I like to stir in a can of refried beans to thicken it up.

2006-06-02T22:48:00.001-06:00

Flywheel by Road Champs

This is a cool toy. Simple, fast, easy to operate, and requires no batteries and it is inexpensive. My co-worker's grandson brought one out to the shop one day and I was hooked. The wheel twists onto the handle, the rip cord launcher pokes through the handle. Pull the launcher the wheel flies off. That's it. Go get it-- repeat. Of course you are not to aim at people or animals, always use it outside, and small pieces could cause choking.

The one I bought looks just like this picture, we had fun with it while the grandsons were here. We played with it in the house and at the park where I aimed it toward squirrel, but no one choked on anything.

The squirrel was fascinated by the wheel. It landed about 4 feet from him. He went over to it and looked down at it then stood there checking it out for a little while.

2006-05-30T23:38:00.001-06:00

Traditions to Hand Down

In the early years our family moved often and traditions become flexible as settings change. If something happened more than once, it became a family tradition, but could be just as easily dropped from practice. When we quit moving around the Midwest some rituals were repeated more often and firmly established themselves as a Hill family tradition.

Handprints on the wall is one of the newer commemorations. Grandchildren leave an imprint painted on the wall, memorable events of that visit are later written next to the hand pattern. Adam left his first mark this week, he wasn't a willing participant. Griffin is getting to be an old hand at it and each time you can see growth. The text will include the climbing wall and tractors

2006-05-23T23:20:00.001-06:00

Rock Around the Clock

The Yellowstone Harmony barbershop show is history. It went quite well. We featured several songs from the 50's.

The Pink Ladies entertained in their new poodle skirts.

After the show, singers and friends continued with the traditional Afterglow; a cast party where each group is invited to sing again. The Pink Ladies worked up a song just for this time, a special version of "Old McDonald Had a Farm". The inhabitants of
his farm are:

A lisping snake, with a hith, hith here, there, and everywhere
A stuttering cow, with a mmmoo, mmoo
A dyslexic sheep, with a aab, aaab
An asthmatic duck, with a quwheezeack, quwheezeack
A narcoleptic pig, with a oinkzzzz, oinkzzzzz
A whiney horse, with a moaning neigh, whiney neigh

Each of us represented our own creature donning an appropriate costume. Previous animals repeated their sounds with the introduction of each new noise. By the time we presented the dyslexic sheep, the audience was standing and overwhelmed with laughter. We finished to a roaring standing ovation.

We have a concert in the park coming up next month. We will sing it again.

2006-05-11T12:51:00.001-06:00

Cool new way to get hurt.
When my boys were growing up they had the idea that anything worth doing had the threat of serious injury. You didn't just swing in a swing, you stood up and did backflips at the highest point of your arc.
Too bad jump boots were not around when they were younger.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDNZzseSeJ8&feature=Featured&page=1&t=t&f=b

Powerskip boots

2006-05-07T22:21:00.001-06:00

A Wop Bop a Loo Bop

I have been sewing this little poodle on black felt skirts. That is part of the Pink Ladies' costume for our show on Saturday.

We will be singing We Go Together from Grease
Dream
Down in The River To Pray
and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

The entire chorus will be doing an Elvis medley and a McGuire Sisters medley and several other songs.

2006-04-22T23:29:00.001-06:00

Today was beautiful, time to replace the storm windows with the screens. We had a nice breeze through the house this afternoon, then we shut everything as the breeze changed to a cold wind with just a hint of snow.

2006-04-12T17:27:00.001-06:00

Tonya and I have been walking 3 miles about 3 times a week. I just came in from today's walk. It is very windy otherwise a nice day. The walk felt good I can't imagine 18 miles and more like Jason does!
Practice last night. We are hammering home the show songs. One month to go. A song I wrote will be featured in the show as a tribute to Sylvia.
Nancy and I go over our class material tonight, tomorrow is the 5th class on our parenting series.
I finished the book I was reading, Eldest. I am excited for the next book, Inheritance, the third in the trilogy.
When we are both home in the evening we have been watching the first season of 24, definately a cliff hanger!

2006-04-08T18:26:00.001-06:00

We spent the day working on our 2 new songs. Afterward some of us sewed costumes. The show is the 13th of May. We have a few other busy Saturdays.

2006-03-29T08:37:00.001-07:00

A few flowers would be nice

Two years ago Johnny planted a package of wildflower seeds, nothing came up. Last year we had a rainy spring and the area where he planted bloomed with colorfull flowers. I saved a lot of the seed and planted the area again. All I need is water, I am not counting on rain. I have the soaker hose in place and plan to hook it up to the pump. Till we get the pump going I will be out there sprinkling.

2006-03-27T07:27:00.001-07:00

Over the hill and picking up speed
I know several people who might fall into the category of "elderly". Some of you reading this surely think that describes me! In my view, elderly people are 20 to 30 years older than I am.
The senior citizens I know are funny, creative, and quite active. One woman needed a new hose for her garden this year. Her daughter bought her one with a 7 year guarantee. My 87 year old friend quipped, "my new hose will outlive me!" Another was recovering from a surgery in the hospital. The hospital staff was amazed at her appearance, she looked made-up even before breakfast. Her secret: she has her eyebrows, eyeliner and lipstick tattooed on. My octogenarian friend Emma is making party favors for the senior center, she has dozens of tiny decorated hats and cowboy boots covering tables and counters in her apartment, each one a unique creation. My uncle Kenneth celebrated his 90th birthday with a gathering of family and friends. I hope he has a great year.

2006-03-19T15:21:00.001-07:00

Mmmm Mmmm Good!

It is the middle of March and everyone knows what that means, right!
No, basketball is not the answer I had in mind.
Corned Beef sandwiches!! Not just corned beef sandwiches, but Reuben sandwiches.

The Reuben, as I fix it, is sliced corned beef topped with Swiss cheese on rye bread. This is grilled to a toasty brown. Then sauerkraut and mustard are added.

Now is the time for this delicious repast because St. Patrick's day is when you can buy corned beef in my community. I bought mine late in the day so was not able to pick the quality I usually do. I buy the meat sealed in plastic with a packet of cooking spices. I look for a piece of meat that has a nice even thin slab of fat running through it. There is always fat, it is part of the flavor. The ones I found were unevenly shaped and the fat sort of meandered around everywhere. I still took 2 home and gave them 50 minutes in the pressure cooker. I always trim the fat off before serving.

This is wonderful accompanied by dill pickles and potato chips.

My family enjoys sauerkraut on other sandwiches too. One of my sons dubbed the turkey with sauerkraut the Simeon sandwich. It is about as good as the turkey cranberry sandwich, but that is another post.

2006-03-12T17:06:00.001-07:00

Kitchen gadgets

Pet food cans

Hungry doggies

Aging hands

Missy and Lady are American Eskimo dogs. They have been living with us for 14 years.

A few years ago I started feeding them canned food. I have this very useful electric can opener that I dedicated to dog food cans. It made the job easy.

Well, the can makers tried to simplify my life and added a pull tab to dog food cans. My handy dandy kitchen gadget doesn't work now.

Pampered Chef to the rescue. They make a device that fits over the pull tab, pops it up and twists the lid off eliminating broken fingernails.

The can manufacturers must have found out because they made the pop top ring larger and it will not fit into the slot on the opener. So I have been using the stiff finger broken fingernail method of can opening for weeks.

As I was taking pictures and planning this blog entry, I noticed that the new cans have the smaller rings and fit into my opener. I cross my aging fingers and hope the cans stay that way.

2006-03-11T07:21:00.001-07:00

Reflection

Last Saturday I rode to Cody with Sylvia (top left) for rehearsal and a photo shoot. We had a great time with a photographer in his studio. We took promo pictures with the car that I made.

Sylvia and I talked about her upcoming hospital stay, on Tuesday she was having open heart surgery to repair a valve.

On Wednesday, we found out that Sylvia did not survive the surgery. I am sad, the chorus will miss her, she has been a baritone for several years.

Her family has asked us to sing at her funeral Saturday morning.

Sylvia I. Musso April 24 1942-March 7 2006

2006-03-01T21:51:00.001-07:00

The Photographer from the Cody Enterprise caught us hamming it up at our table and we made the paper.

2006-02-24T17:44:00.001-07:00

The Pink Ladies had a table at a Cody business expo. We sang several times and distributed our cards and flyers. The car is cut out of 3 sheets of foam board and painted. We plan to use the car as a stage prop whenever we can.

2006-02-15T07:54:00.001-07:00

How We Sang Today!

We delivered over 20 singing valentines today.

We waited at the veterinarian's clinic while he finished a surgery before we could sing to him.

We captivated a 4th grader with a song from his dad.

The lady in the red hat

was delighted.

This excited young man had us sing for his new wife during her hair appointment, they were such a fun couple.

We finished our day

performing for the partying

Presbyterian's.

2006-02-09T23:28:00.001-07:00

I was on the radio this morning. A friend and I went to talk about doing singing Valentines next Tuesday.

Every year our women's barbershop chorus uses this as a fund raiser. We deliver two songs, a card and a rose.

2006-01-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

The Button Project

250 prong buttons give shape and texture to this velvet couch.
250 prong buttons did something for the shape and texture of my fingers and fingernails, too.

2005-12-18T08:40:00.001-07:00

I don't do cookies, I don't do fudge. I don't do divinity or fruitcake either. What I do is this wonderfully fabulous cooked mass of sugar and butter known as toffee. My friend calls me "The Queen of Almond Roca. " I have been making this for a long time and have nearly perfected my skills. This was not always the case. I have thrown out a few batches of inedible sugar rocks.

This all began in Grand Junction Colorado with Enstrom's Toffee. Years ago, Mr. Enstrom himself taught people how to make his special candy. One of my friends, Yuba Vaughn had taken his class and made toffee every year. One special Christmas she invited me over to learn this Grand Junction tradition.

You begin with the right pan. It has to be rather heavy to distribute heat and it has to have tall sides, boiling sugar expands. A small pressure cooker makes a perfect pan. Put two and a quarter cups of sugar in the pan and a cup of water. Yuba measured the water in the same cup as the sugar. I know, dry measurement and liquid are different, but I don't fool with the wise ones, I use the same cup. Put a loose lid on the pan and set it on high heat for 8 minutes. Use this time to assemble the rest of your stuff.

You need a long handled wooden spoon. Long handled is crucial. Too short and the hot sugar leaves scars. Set an 11 by 17 pan on a protected surface. This size pan is basically a cookie sheet with sides. I have one a little smaller that I use, too, but 9 by 13 is too small.
Unwrap a pound of room temperature butter, not the other stuff, real butter. In Grand Junction there was even a specific brand. She never mentioned Salted or Unsalted. I think I use salted. Measure 2 cups of almonds into a bowl.
Are you ready? is the 8 minutes up? When the time is up dip the spoon into the syrup raise it out of the liquid and see if it makes a thread. As the goo drips off the spoon it will spin about a 2-inch thread then it is ready. Until then, keep boiling. I just stand there and keep checking for a thread.

Now it is time to add the butter. Stir constantly and add 1 cube at a time. Each cube melts before the next is added, keep stirring.
When the butter is all in and melted slowly add the almonds. (Dumping all the butter or all the almonds in at once will cool the boiling syrup too much, be patient.) Save about a quarter cup of almonds to sprinkle on top.
Continue to cook and stir until a deep rich caramel color develops. Just as it begins to smell like it is burning is the time to pour it into the 11 by 17 pan. I run water into my empty cooking pan and set it back on the stove (turned off), it is quite hot. Use your spoon to distribute the candy evenly in the pan. Then take it outside and set it on the snow…really, it needs to cool down. It is important to make toffee when it is cool and humidity is low. Cool about 3 minutes and come back in the house. Put 1 ¾ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips on the toffee. They will melt; spread the chocolate evenly. Finely chop the remainder of the almonds and sprinkle over the chocolate.. Let cool completely.

Break it up and enjoy.

The Plaid Project

2005-12-15T22:24:00.001-07:00

I shipped these chairs back to their home in Montana this week. I spent several days recovering them and getting all the stripes to match.

Pink Ladies on the Town

2005-12-14T07:44:00.001-07:00

2005-12-08T17:50:00.001-07:00

Saturday, Driftwood and Roses sang at the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody. After we sang we stood in line with the 2 and 3 year olds for a photo with Santa.
Later we joined the rest of Yellowstone Harmony and sang at the long term care center, an independent living facility and then back to the museum. Every year at this time the Buffalo Bill museum has a free day with lots of local entertainment.
This coming Saturday we will sing in Powell at the nursing home and an independant living center. Driftwood and Roses sings again Sunday for a birthday and after Christmas we are booked for the Radiology department's holiday party.

2005-11-26T12:53:00.001-07:00

It is just time to change, actually it has been time to change for a while, I just don't seen to have anything better to change to.
Tis the season of:

craft shows
Sewing projects
finding the decorations
Comfort and Joy tea
Toffee
Sweaters
movies at the theater
Christmas programs
Hot chocolate
fireplaces
finding old friends

2005-11-09T12:07:00.001-07:00

Saturday I traveled to Lander Wyoming with a group of friends to sing at the Wyoming State Training School. Fifteen of us from Yellowstone Harmony made the trip. Driftwood and Roses, a septet comprised of chorus members is pictured here. We are posed in front of the stained-glass window of the chapel where we performed.
We did two performances, the first for about 75 very lively audience members, there were only about 25 there for the second time around.
Lander is 4 hours from home, so we had a lot of bonding time in the car. We used some of that time to rehearse our new Christmas music. I wonder if Jason listens to "Leroy the Redneck Reindeer"?
Our next performance is a live radio broadcast on a local show, Comfort Food. We have two patriotic numbers ready to sing.

2005-11-03T08:34:00.001-07:00

A friend and I took a Community Education class last week and learned how to make balloon animals.
We had a lot of fun. This is our first effort (it is a dog).