Western Wyoming

Offering classes in sewing, quilting, knitting, and crochet

2011-11-03T18:32:00.000-06:00

I'm now offering classes or private sessions in sewing, quilting, knitting, and crochet. The first 30 minute session is free. I also offer sessions of 1 and 2 hours. This is a great chance to learn these skills!

New Tricks

2011-04-23T12:01:00.000-06:00

Toby has developed new ways of communicating in his old age. He can't really bark any more and he's not willing to wait for someone to let him back inside, especially when it's cold out. He has discovered that putting his front paws on the screen door gets our attention, particularly if the inside door has been left open. We find it annoying, but it is rather difficult to reason with a dog who can't hear.

Toby has also discovered the snow is high enough so he can look into the living room window in the evenings when we're watching television. The first time he did that gave us quite a start, I can tell you!

One snowy morning before we had gotten out of bed, there was this terrible racket going on at our bedroom window, waking us. Toby, soaking wet, was attacking the screen on the window - having found the snow level with the window sill - and making it perfectly clear that he wanted in, NOW. He'd had enough of the snow and rain and wanted his morning treats, pronto.

If all that weren't bizarre enough, Cupcake has also learned the screen door trick.

Years ago, when we slept upstairs, the snow in winter would get high enough to reach the porch roof and Toby and the cats would appear at the bedroom window early in the morning to make sure we were up and moving.

After living with pets for a time, one wonders who owns whom.

Cupcake and the Fox

2011-04-23T11:43:00.000-06:00

Living in an A-frame, our windows all have wide sills, perfect for cats to bird watch or bask in the sun. The other evening Cupcake, one of our cats, started running from window to window. Of course we had to see what she was fussing about. It turned out that a small red fox was visiting and wandering all around outside the house.

Cupcake wanted desperately to go outside and confront the intruder, although I'm sure the outcome wouldn't have been as nice as it is in storybooks. She was quite frantic about it. Cupcake has run off German Shepherds, Beagles, and other assorted canines in the past, but she's getting on in years and isn't as fast as she thinks she is.

Toby, our dog, isn't as sharp as he once. He's 15 years old, deaf, although he manages to know when one of us is in the kitchen, and doesn't see very well either. He didn't add to the commotion this time simply because he didn't know it was going on.

On a previous occasion, Cupcake and Toby confronted a fox over the compost pile. It turned out to be a stand-off, as neither side would give in. The fox tried to lure Toby out on a chase, but Toby wouldn't leave Cupcake behind. After quite some time, the fox gave up, smiling, and went on his merry way. One wonders who actually won that round.

Chickens

2011-04-23T11:33:00.000-06:00

We've had chickens for several years here in Wyoming. At the moment we have New Hampshire Reds, Barred Rocks and a couple of Arcunas. They're excellent layers and have easy going personalities for the most part. The rooster isn't aggressive at all, which counts for a lot in my book, but not so much in my spouse's. He prefers roosters who stalk you and then attack from behind.

Steve built our coop and insulated it very well so the chickens continue to lay, even through our very long winters. He is in charge of cleaning out the coop, which he faithfully does on a monthly basis, and feeds and waters them. We alternate getting the eggs, I do it during Daylight Savings Time and he does it during the winter, although in the fall I seem to be filling in quite a bit during hunting season.

Recently, on my egg gathering, one of the Barred Rocks was sitting on a nest. We don't brood our own chicks and none of our hens has tried to set. I usually just move the hen aside and take the eggs. However, this time, the hen wasn't going to budge. She peeked me, harder than necessary, I thought, but still refused to give up her seat. I managed to get a few of the eggs under her and then she bit me! I have never in my life been bitten by a chicken! Thankfully they haven't any teeth. She bit hard enough to leave a bruise. I still managed to get all the eggs because once she bit me, she left the nest on her own. I was too shocked to do anything at all for a moment or two.

I suppose I'll have to be more wary in future egg gatherings. It just seemed so out of character for these chickens.

Recession in Wyoming

2011-01-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

The ups and downs of the economy seem to affect Wyoming differently than the rest of the country. The recession has hit many of us this past fall. The oil boom is dropping off somewhat and moving to North Dakota. Unfortunately, costs for everything just keep rising, but incomes aren't increasing at all. I've noticed packages at the grocery store are getting smaller and smaller but the prices keep going up. My husband has been out of work for quite a while, and it's a little slim on my end as well. We're cutting back as much as we can, but living in Wyoming means traveling long distances for everything, so our gas consumption seems pretty high. That's one area we're not able to cut, although we can cut down in other areas.

We've talked to several of our local and state politicians, although I have no faith in them at all. They're so focused on their own pet projects they aren't able to see what the public needs or wants. We have the fewest doctors - and the ones we do have weren't at the top of their class. We don't have the specialists that most places do either, although some pretend to be. In some areas we have medical students and residents filling in for actual physicians. Not that it makes much difference. Quality medical care is not a priority here and few insurance companies are allowed to sell their policies in the state as well. Some of these companies have never heard of the word "ethical", I'm sure. That seems to be the usual state of affairs these days with health insurance and a great many people in this state don't have insurance. That in itself wasn't a problem, but it has become one lately, with county supported clinics demanding payment before a patient is seen. It's a very sad situation. I'm not sure what can be done about it, though.

Another guest blog

2011-01-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

Wrote another guest blog for a home improvement blog! http://youridealhome.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/how-to-communicate-with-your-contractor/ It was a lot of fun! I'm really enjoying all the article writing and blogging. So much fun!

Supposed to snow this weekend. We'll see. The weather forecast isn't always correct. The pets didn't want to go outside today, but it didn't seem too cold.

Wrote an article on plantar fasciitis the other day. I was inspired to buy new boots and slippers to help deal with mine. Amazon had great deals on them. Certain brands work really well at eliminating the pain. I think we can all use less pain. I hear that flu A is making the rounds in town. Two of my neighbors have or have had it. Hope I don't get it. I hate being sick!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Remote Controls

2011-01-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

Remote controls are both a help and a pain in the neck. I'm sure most women would agree once their spouse or significant other gets their hands on the remote - it's all over. Women no longer get to watch what they want to watch. When the men in their lives are zipping through hundreds of channels in 60 seconds, the women are forced to resort to unusual methods to get to watch the shows they prefer. Check out my latest article on men and remotes!

Weight Loss

2011-01-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful sunny morning today in Wyoming! A little on the cold side, though, at 23 below.

The Febuary 2011 issue Ladies' Home Journal had an article on weight loss featuring Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser. A sidebar to the article included a program called Pound for Pound. For every pound you pledge to loss from now till May, Feeding America will donate one pound of groceries to a local food bank. How's that for motivation?! You can get more information at pfpchallenge.com.

Weight loss isn't easy, but for many of us it needs to be done for our health. We want to be around for our children and grandchildren, and to be able to do what we want to do in our lives. Obesity accounts for huge amounts of money spent on illnesses that we don't need to acquire. We don't need to spend tons of money on health insurance that doesn't pay much to start with, but has higher than necessary premiums, because of weight issues that we can control. And we can control them.

I teach nutrition, but I still have issues with my weight. I know what is healthy and what isn't. The majority of my problem is lack of exercise. I use the same excuses everyone else does, I don't have time, I'm too tired, etc., etc. I hate to look in the mirror anymore, so this weight is coming off!

The wii fit has been dusted off and exercise is written into my schedule for every other day for a few weeks, then I'll move to daily. I'm still battling soreness and other assorted aches and pains, but if I can do it, anyone can. I keep a set of dumbbells next to the couch, and do arm exercises while watching tv. I try to get up and down the stairs at least 5 times a day, more if I think about it. On days when I'm bored with wii fit, I put in a Leslie Sansone DVD. It's not fun and I'm not an athletic person to begin with, but determination will win!

Check out the pound for pound challenge and get your friends together. You can even pledge to maintain your weight. Do it for you, and for a good cause at the same time.

Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds DVDs and books are available at Amazon.com, as are The Biggest Loser DVDs, wii fit workouts, and books.

Guest Blogger

2011-01-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

Today I was a guest blogger for The life and times of a Redneck Woman. What fun to write for someone else's blog! Check it out!

It was actually above zero here this morning, although it sure feels colder. Guess my internal temperature gauge isn't working quite right. Winter in Wyoming this time of year does seem to get pretty cold. The ice fishermen like it because it freezes the lakes, but don't know if the rest of us appreciate it quite so much.

One of my cats has extended her terriority to cover the chair I posted about yesterday. Rather odd, since she doesn't much like things that move, but she definitely likes that chair.

A rather odd thing has been happening at my house. My husband has decided he wants to do the cooking - he plans his menus and brings food up from the freezer, usually once I've already started cooking. He doesn't say anything ahead of time, but then he wants me to incorporate his ingredients into what I'm making. That doesn't always work too well. The odd thing about it, is when I cook, it tastes so much better than his cooking, there are no leftovers. Oh well.... Just one of life's mysteries, I guess.

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

The New Year has arrived!

2011-01-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

2011 has arrived! I wonder how long it will take me to get used to writing 2011 on my checks? Yes, there are still places that accept checks, which comes in particularly handy when your bank doesn't offer online banking.

I have almost completed my cookbook on game meat - watch for it! It will be published very soon! I'm excited and already have plans for the next one! It's been a fun project.

My spouse decided that he wants an exact copy of his favorite ski pants made. I've gotten all the materials, just have to get out some muslin and copy the pants. Copying ready-to-wear isn't what I'd call fun. There are other options, but he likes those best, so we'll see what we can do.

I finally finished reupholsering an old mission style rocking chair. It was originally in black faux fur with lawn chair webbing for the support on the back. It was dreadful. I was able to redo it myself for a fraction of what professional shops wanted. There are a few things I'd do differently, but overall, I think it came out quite well.

The Last Day of the Year - 2010

2010-12-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

The last day of the year seems to prompt reflection. The past year has been one of a series of years that seem to have all blended together. There have been big changes this past year so perhaps a new exciting year is in the offing. One can always hope!

I discovered this craft blog recently, CraftGossip.com. They have some great ideas! I finally have time to get back into some of the fun things I like to do - so I'm planning on making some of their projects. There are always more projects I want to do than I have time for - and there are a number of UFOs I absolutely need to finish, plus a number of books I'd like to read too.

Today is cold, 10 below, and cloudy. Supposed to be colder tonight. The lakes will be icing up for ice fishing shortly. We've got about 2 feet of snow. Snow machining and skiing are in full swing in the area. A few weeks ago some moose came to visit - right up to the windows. It's amazing how big they really are up close. We've seen lots of wildlife recently, especially elk. They're pretty good size themselves.

Appalling

2010-12-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

There have been two news items recently that have really annoyed me. First, Andy Harris, a newly elected Congressman from Maryland was whining about his health care insurance not being in effect immediately. The man is a doctor and he's complaining about lack of health insurance? Who voted this idiot into office? 40 million Americans don't have health insurance and he complains about going without for 1 measly month and he still qualifies for COBRA. I'll bet he's never gone without medical care nor have his 5 kids. How many of the rest of us have to forgo medications that we need because we don't have health insurance? Or gone completely without healthcare because we don't have health insurance? With people like that in office, healthcare is a privilege for Americans, not a right.

The second is the protesting of Elizabeth Edwards' funeral. What do these people think they're doing? Evidently, their parents forgot to teach them good manners. It may be lawful to protest, but the fact of doing so is unethical, not to mention bad manners, and just plain rude. Leave the family of Elizabeth Edwards alone! She went through enough when she was alive. Let her go to her rest in peace, and let her family grieve privately. Those members of the Westboro Baptist Church ought to be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Afternoon!

2010-12-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Woke up to a flurry of snow this morning. I'm not sure if it was really snowing, or just blowing, or a combination of the two. Couldn't see out the windows, though. One of our elderly neighbors tried to drive in this stuff this morning. He didn't make it. Rather sad.

For now, the sun is out and the icicles are melting, but I see more clouds on the mountains coming in. We're to attend an annual Christmas party this evening. Christmas is most definitely sneaking up on me this year. I'm usually prepared way ahead of time. It doesn't really matter, I suppose, it will arrive whether or not I'm ready, and since we're not doing the commerical part this year, I guess I won't worry about it.

I'm hoping to get some guest bloggers to liven things up. I've invited several people to guest blog, so we'll see what happens.

Two classes started yesterday. I always like teaching the last course of a program. The students are all excited to finish up and since this particular class has a project rather than assignments and such, it's fascinating to see what they come up with. By the way, I teach college courses online.

Another article written by me:
Mountain Lion

I liked writing the ones about animals. Also going to write some home improvement guest posts for another blog. Ought to be interesting.

Good Morning!

2010-12-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

The snow was so pretty last night. We got several inches, but it's so dry that it seems like sugar. It's impossible to make snowmen out of, which is quite disappointing. The sun was out for a little while this morning, but the clouds are coming back.

I read a very funny blog regarding rural mail carriers this morning. Living out here, the post office doesn't quite work the way it does in more populated areas. We get mail 3 times a week. There's no special time for it to arrive and sometimes the mail carrier forgets us completely. How, I don't know since we get more mail than anyone else on the route. In fact, our mail is deposited into one of the plastic bins they use for sorting, and that is put in our mail box. Steve had to build an extra large gorgeous mailbox complete with flag to accomodate these bins.

Out here our mail boxes aren't just for mail. For example, if we borrow a book or DVD from someone, we return it to their mailbox. If someone buys eggs from us, they put the egg cartons back in our mailbox. Christmas gifts are left in mailboxes, advertisements of new businesses or notes of community gatherings are all left in the mailboxes. They're part of our community connection. Our post office will even accept things like groceries from town to send up with the mail carrier, or deliveries from other services such as UPS or FedEx. Some of the other carriers can't find where someone lives, although our UPS delivery person knows everyone, he often can't get to people's homes in the winter. His truck isn't equipped with 4-wheel drive. Since we're closest to the highway, we are often the main delivery point. Once, 24 boxes were delivered here for a neighbor, who came the next day, when he was able to plow himself out, to retrieve them. Anywhere else, they wouldn't even bother trying, I don't think.

2010-12-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

It is dusk here now and starting to snow. We have about a foot of snow on the ground now, although it's been snowing for days not much snow has been put down. We need the moisture badly, too many drought years in a row. The mountains are all blanketed with clouds and the neighbors' lights are barely visible. It hasn't been too cold, though, up into the 30's, so some snow has melted already.

Still, only one cat will venture out. The other prefers to sit by the fire and kept warm. The dog wants out, but then gets too cold and barks to be let back in. The chickens are warm in their coop and their run is wrapped in plastic so they get the light, but not the snow. They don't like to walk on the snow.

As the evening darkens, we won't be able to see anything outside, except for the closest lights, maybe. Perhaps we'll get a lot of snow this evening.

Here are some links to articles I've published:
Ice Fishing -- Cold & Dead or Warm & Alive
Ice Fishing Gear
Snowkiting
Nutritional Facts of a Sea Urchin