Floating Mountain

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

Boot Scootin' Cowgirls of the West

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blazes, birds and books

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

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......

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

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

Low clouds

Blood Stained Cross

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

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

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

Digging Out

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!

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

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!!