Ballet In the Park- Ashland, OR

With a free-spirited Grannie, Audrey is not going to miss out on much in terms of Artistic Expression. Eve took her to Ashland for a Sunday "Ballet in the Park" which was a participant deal. I am sure the tutu was run up by the grandmother unit, also. Well the girl obviously got into the spirit of it and Eve got some transcendant photographs. Quick quiz: Is this the most beautiful grandchild on the planet OR is this the most beautiful grandchild on the planet? Pick one. Twenty nine months old tomorrow-makes me want to hop in the car.

Watch out Maria Tallchief-another legend is lurking!

The Hope of the Line

As the youngest male with the family surname, nephew Justin is the name bearer for our line. God save us! Seriously he is a treat. Brother Bob called while Rich and I were sitting on the porch. He was interested in a family artifact for his new home in Nebraska. Rich and I went on a search which led us to the bedroom furniture of our parents which resides in Justin's room (was this ever my room-many moons ago?) We did not find the artifact but did find an empty Budweiser long-neck bottle and a pair of lacy thong underpants. Justin came home from work to discover us plundering his space. Rich held up the contraband. "Oh, those are mine," Justin said without missing a beat. His sister Heather, above, was 17 when Justin was born-17 is his age now. Below, Justin carries on the tradition I started in 1948 of sabotaging as many family photographs as is humanly possible. The trick is to be subtle enough so that it is not noticed until the picture is developed. That way there is no yelling and no do-overs. His girlfriend, Emmy, at his side, seems to find him amusing-as we all do.

Cuzzin Fest in Casper

Cuz Donna from Denver and her book-club friend Susan floated the Platte and watched the birds-a great trip-they enjoyed immensely. Meanwhile, cuz Jim and Susie were hosting longtime friends and hot air balloon pilots at their house up the street from Richie's. So Rich and Valerie were pressed into ground crew duty which awakened a new passion for them. Valerie got a ride in a balloon and they touched down briefly in the Platte. Val got her champagne toast and bath as a newbie and was still as high as a kite (not from champagne) from the experience. She was burning up those cell phone minutes telling her kids and family about it. Everybody ended up gathering at the ancestral home on Spruce for a barbecue and fabulous dinner that just sort of came together. I love these people. Kind hearts and good humor and shared history and making memories. If the day wan't nice, I don't know what is.

Buster was a good boy and his socialization continued. He can get a little overwhelmed by crowds but by the time he got bits of steak and brats and pats from practically everybody, he was "into it"- big time.

Heather, my niece "threw together" a fabulous pasta salad, razzed her little brother, and shared a fabulous DVD of her year-ago wedding. I had to head for home-I like to get past all the spots I have deer hunted with my cars before dark. But the art and music of the DVD was truly impressive. I caught a glimpse of the possible-combining media and photographs.

Out Came the Sun and Dried...

...the Spider Out. The sun is shining, the temperature moderate for July in Wyoming. The terrific moisture is still soaking in. I will be anxious to see if Boysen Reservoir has risen when I go to see cuz Donna and others in Casper tomorrow.It has been drouthy- a lake of grass and willows where water should be.

I am coming off a period of feeling old and poorly as reflected in these musings. Could it be as simple as a Magnesium supplement pill? I had eaten 3 pounds of Cherries since Wednesday-usually calculated to produce the screaming meemies but ...nothing. Bloated, yes, feeling tired, leg cramps at night, weakness, droopy blurry vision. My diuretic did not seem to be having any effect. I began to wonder if something were missing so I went to my considerable cache of supplements and decided Minerals were first. Within an hour I was picking up. I Googled Magnesium Deficiency and there I was on page after page-even the Federal National Institute of Health page. If you take a diuretic, they know to replace Potassium, which I do, but not the others minerals. They get flushed away too. So I have been hitting loading doses of Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, and Calcium plus the one a day elements. I have remained awake all day. Attitude is about 100 percent better. The first thing to go when I fade is the memory so today I make a chart. I really do get angry with myself when the means to feel better is at hand and I do not avail myself. Makes me out to be a whiny, hypochondriacal old poop. Interestingly, my recent cravings-Spinach and chocolate are associated with magnesium deficiency. But when you look at the R.D.A. and what you have to eat to get it-nobody can do that. Reference Link to Magnesium below: (you will have to copy and paste in your browser- I don't know why)

a href="http://Magnesium">

Jehovah's Came. Yippee, Skippee!<

A Monsoon, Bwana, a Monsoon!

The rains came down and down. Then one leg of the power went out. Then we loaded up and headed to Riverton after turning the power off at the pole. The power company said they would call when the juice was restored-they didn't. Susie called and wondered if my power was out because theirs was and said Lander had much nicer weather and suggested I come home that way, as they had, foregoing the delays and the mud and muck on 17 Mile Road. Dined at the Golden Corral scoring a baked chicken breast for Buster, went to the Union Cellular Office where I learned my bagphone's days are numbered. Driving past the fairgrounds, the entire west side of them was a lake and firetrucks were pumping and clearing drains. The Wind River looked like springtime runoff. Drove in the rain toward Lander and was suddenly inspired to stop in Hudson Wyoming to do a load of laundry. That is a good little laundromat and I had the place to myself. It was rainy in Lander but not so much. There is standing water everywhere, roads, driveways, pastures, creeks are swollen, flood warnings are out. The power was restored according to Sue. I turned on the power at home and we were back in business. Sometimes when you don't go looking for adventure, adventure comes looking for you. My wheelbarrow was two/thirds full of rain water. The only gauge I have indicated a deluge and more is likely.

Gadget Reviews

A pretty good thunderstorm moved through here cooling and wetting things down. Refreshing. Buster is under the table on my feet, the iPod is playing away, dinner was Lasagna and fresh Spinach salad. The Television has not been on in a week. A good night to recap gadget performance after having lived with them for awhile.

The hearing aids are OK- it would be nice to not need one and the lower strata aids have their issues with telephones. Can you say "squeal?" I still have an ear I can use for that, though. I can't really decide whether the in-ear or over the ear is better. I am running on original batteries in both of the "Whispers." The Ampli-Ear is retired. I have an old Bugle that might double for an ear trumpet. I think it would go well with my outback hat and cargo pants.

The Motorola Q is a good device but I think it is marketed dishonestly. The battery life with original issue was about 4-5 hours-abysmal. The high capacity one is pretty good but makes the device fatter and requires a special battery door and $50 more. They sell it as especially thin but in useable configuration it is fatter. There is a tendency toward fusion-devices that do it all. This is good if they do them well. The GPS (global positioning mapping) offered by Verizon requires a subscription and will not work with Google maps though there is a receiver in the phone. I am looking at a Blue Tooth GPS receiver for $45.00 that will make it functional without subscription. I also discovered better cheaper batteries than Verizon-sold ones. I have been enjoying the downloaded books a great deal. Once paid for you can download them forever and read them on computer or telephone. They save your place! That is a good thing.

The Olympus D550UZ (18X zoom) is a flighty camera. In low light it is very unreliable as to picture quality. Some evening Powwow pictures were so noisy they were unuseable. I will get some use out of it but would not really recommend it for a sole camera. Olympus disappoints again. Bright clear days it is pretty good but struggles for focus at the long end of the zoom. A strength is the automatic settings in "Scene Mode"- there are lots of them and they seem to work.

Phone cameras are all pretty weak in my experience. Good for capturing police misdeeds and catastrophes but nothing for the album. To be fair, I need to really try harder to get quality with them.

Let there Be Sound!

My most recent shipment of hearing aids arrived. Except they are not hearing aids (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) NOR are they legal for spying on people. They are designed and sold specifically for detecting Buck flatus at a distance. Woodland Whisper brand, made in China, I ordered two kinds. One set of in the ear (two, sold by the pair so the direction of said Buck flatus can be determined-$40 for the pair.) The other set me back $20 for an over the ear, behind the ear model. My primary problem is in my right ear and I am sure it stems from a ruptured ear drum I suffered long ago-old Riverton Hospital days-twenty years ago or more.

The ITE (stick it in yer ear, bub.) is smaller has better controls (on/off, volume, and tone) than the Ampli-ear. The ear molds are much more comfortable. It has plenty of amplification. Fairly unobtrusive but visible. To my surprise, the behind the ear one is the winner so far. It has a bigger battery, tone and volume and on/off controls, and is very comfortable to wear. Forgettable, and the least obtrusive particularly since I need a haircut. The sound is good. Both will detect flatus at a yard so far. Preliminary ratings: (low number = better) Ampli-Ear = 3, Woodland Whisper ITE = 2, Woodland Whisper VTC = 1. Very early results but promising.

2nd Annual Crawdad Boil

Janet called this afternoon. Her son Hollis had harvested beaucoup Crawdads while irrigating. As they need to be alive when cooked she called friends and relatives to dinner. She did have to call me twice because we missed but I had already left a message I would attend this treat. My across-the-road neighbors (and back aways), Guy's relatives, were invited and I had not met them in the many years I have lived out here. Ann is a fun lady, her new husband Wendell is an interesting man. Aunt Esther could not attend because she had spotted a rattlesnake on her premises and had shovels stationed at strategic spots in hopes of ending its days. Janet's mom and dad drove down from Sinks Canyon. We yakked and had a few Coronas and cooked the provender. It got up to 104 (at least) today so a picnic in the cooling evening was a pleasure, the food outstanding. I like when a nice surprise interrupts the routine. A complete how-to -do at the web album link:

104 Degrees, 2007 Crawdad Boil

Powwow Time

Finally got my droopy ass out of the house and into the HEAT. I feel better for it but I had to interrupt my picture taking at the Northern Arapaho, Tribe's Ethete Powwow several times to start the Dodge Van and take Buster for air conditioned rides. Even with the sunshades and windows open it gets hot in there. I like powwows. There is great food, a friendly atmosphere, such a variety of people, all ages, sizes and shades. The traditions are great, the costumes- regalia, range from traditional to contemporary. The music is traditional and primal. Pounding drums and men singing soprano raises the hair on your neck.

This afternoon was devoted to encouraging the youth of the Northern Arapaho Tribe to strut their stuff. With new Casino funds in the stream some handsome prizes were ready to be handed out. There will be more dancers next year- mark my words. The attendance was good. People were mellow.

There is a web album and some more explanation at the link:

Northern ArapahoTribe Ethete Powwow

Birds are back, shoes are loose...

I had thought the birds had deserted my "wildlife habitat" yard. But with amplification, I can tell they have not. It is nice to hear them again. I am continuing to plumb the depths of the hearing aid market. The current Ampli-Ear ($39) does the job soundwise but is kind of clunky looking and has a limited battery life (but if you turn it off the batteries come back several times). Others are coming-some even cheaper. I have my eye on some a little more upscale- an ITE (in the ear model) for $79.00 and an open ear canal (OTE-over the ear) model for $195.00 but I am field testing so I will give the others a chance and a review first. Push comes to shove, the Ampli-Ear works. I am beginning to understand what I have been missing and not missing. I thought they were making silent keyboards-not so. Clickety-clack.

One thing I am not missing is the bellowing of the cattle in the pasture. They went to summer camp above Dubois. I always enjoy them at first but the pleasure palls over time. There is not a shred of feed in the pasture. They would complain until they were fed.

My shoes are looser-the edema is going away. I am making sure I sleep at least 6 hours-that is sometimes a chore because when I am awake, I am up, unless I force myself to go back. Less than six in one stretch and my body will take its due when it pleases, sometimes a couple of hours before bedtime and that creates a mess. My Doctor and the Dalai Lama say nine hours is best. Wouldn't that be nice!

Now it is time to get off the aging/infirmity/decrepitude bandwagon and go and see and do.

(trying to) Sacrifice the Fatted Calves

The baby llamas hugging: one of the sights seen in the semi-fog of this week. The calves ballooned, the sleepiness returned, and has just left for a blessed respite. The legs are resuming somewhat human proportions. As at least one loyal reader emailed to see if I were still upright, I decided I'd better make a blog entry.

I received my "hearing aid" in the mail. I have been noticing what I am sure others have noticed, that my hearing is fading and at one recent social occasion I was missing nearly all the conversation. So I did Internet research. Remembering my disastrous adventure with contact lenses, I am loathe to spend big bucks until I have some inkling that I would benefit, use, enjoy, an aid. A printed t-shirt: SPEAK UP! might be a less costly remedy. I found a broad spectrum of opinion, one of which was Mead Killion's, that hearing aids are controlled by a closed shop. He has petitioned the FDA to open the shop. As he invented the damping circuit that is used in most hearing aids, he has some credibility. So I am starting at the low end. My $40 ampli-ear does make things clearer. Cosmetically it kind of sticks out but it might be a welcome distraction from the usual deformities people discern in my presence. Maybe a dab of fluorescent paint would help. Killion maintains that 'hunter hearing aids" sold in sporting goods stores at a reasonable price would meet the needs of millions and be one tenth the cost of fitted aids. So this journey will have chapters.

Almost Toast

As mentioned in the July 4th post, we had a fierce thunderstorm about an hour after I left the party at 5 p.m. Sue and I exchanged e-mails seeing if all was OK at our respectives homesteads after the power quit surging. We thought we escaped. But the lightning struck a big old cottonwood tree at their place, damaging nothing but the fence, missing son Pat's camper, the powerline house,road, ditch, etc.

We had our picnic just on the other side of the power pole.

The roots of the tree were charred. The wood was transformed.
In a bizarre twist Rasty's twin brother was killed by lightning on July 4th many years ago- I think 66 but I am not sure of that. Losing a twin is something people don't get over. I am not too superstitious but I think I will keep an eye on the sky before visiting again. Somebody might be on somebody's list.

Another storm yesterday left us without juice for quite awhile. I started prepping to move into the camper where the generator would provide electricity. It seems to be "surging" so that was the chore today. The problem is still unresolved but the oil has been changed, fuel filter checked, spark plug wire checked, etc. Only two things left to try on the checklist provided by Onan: checking the spark plug, which will require a longer socket extension and dealer service which I hope to avoid. In truth, I had a big inverter installed in that rig so I could have made-do anyway. The power came back later in the afternoon so life went on. Anything to avoid "going to bed with the chickens." Whew this a racy post: Onanism and sleeping with chickens!

The 4th of July

Buster is my hero. We woke up today to find seven calves in the back yard. The feed in the yard is more lush than the pasture but the cattle have broken something every time they get in the yard. Buster gave a short "woof" and looked at me. "Go get 'em." says I. Ten seconds later they were halfway to the river. He didn't even leave the yard. The heeler in him rose to the top. I took him to town for a Sausage McMuffin. I had a few last minute chores anyway. But I told him it was in his honor because he did a good job.

Sue and Rasty had invited a group of us for a July 4th picnic. I had planned a "grab-bag" game I like so I had a few last minute errands. The party was great-strong characters all the way around and the conversation and humor was great. I like all these people and look forward to seeing them again. Sue and the other attendees put together a fine feast-mostly home grown that was memorable. Nan brought a homemade apple pie with homegrown apples that was terrific. Mother Nature topped it off with fireworks this evening: a Thunderstorm rolled in about 6 p.m. and the lightning caused the lights to go out about four times. There was no counting between flash and boom. No major damage and we got a nice little rain out of it.

Click on the link below for more about this great 4th of July"

I'm Not Saying it is Hot...

I'm not saying it is hot around here but Guy's birthday cake melted between the store and his house. He turned "the double nickel," got his free Senior lunch at the Casino, and irrigated like a trouper. His party which was unannounced even to me, took place in two stages. The "starvin' Marvins" ate on time: Janet and her folks and me. Hollis and Guy came in for the second shift. Not knowing the occasion I had to rely on the phone camera for some crappy pictures. Nice people and good food, good conversation, cool beverages, make for a good time. We had one. Janet had been to Rapid City with her mom for her checkup and to see her brother. Janet's mom is a cancer survivor and is doing well. They had a good time and had tales to tell. I showed them my Motorola Q and Guy showed me his Radiation Meter. I tested the phone. Pretty interesting stuff.

They took their cows to a summer pasture above Lysite and Guy is hoping to cash in on the biofuel/corn demand and planted NEW fields in corn. As they haven't been used for this before, it has been grueling getting the plowing, planting, watering, and so forth done. Hollis ate well but the boy is slender and suntanned. Their new home is certainly liveable-very,very, nice, but progress on that has taken a back seat to the income producing
labor. I am glad they are so young and tough. (a co-worker at Janet's office told her she was "tougher than woodpecker lips.") They spent the last winter in a travel trailer, with an outhouse, while they and their contractor worked on their log house. They spent select nights with Janet's folks to shower, and do laundry-mom loved it. Time to feed and see her kids. I really respect these people (in addition to liking them a whole bunch). They have patience and perseverance and good humor. Guy says, "I'll tell ya' this farming is not for sissies."