my realtor melissa called me yesterday afternoon to tell me the house owner countered back $188,000, only $1,000 less than his asking price. needless to say, my offer is considerably less, because there's nothing special about the house to put it that far above the comparables in the neighborhood. so she suggested i come up $1,000, and leave that as 'best and final offer.' so that's what she did and i haven't heard back about how that turned out.
the thing about that house is, i like it because it's a blank slate. there's lots to do yet on it to make it 'homey,' which i would like to do, but that also means a lot of time and money, esp since it needs landscaping, a fence and deck. so, if he doesn't really want to sell his house, i'm ok with letting it go. there's nothing special about it and there are many other new construction homes around town for the same price or better.
other than that, just hangin out in cody. yesterday afternoon i had a lot of down time so i went to eat at a sandwich shop called the breadboard, sat in rawhide coffee for a while playing around with photoshop, and went out and browsed some of the tack shops on main street. there are so many pretty things. so many things i'd love to buy for my horses and me, like breastcollars, headstalls, bits, spurs... i did buy a pair of small silver vogt earrings, a small green leather wallet made in texas and a pair of cruel girl jeans on sale for $15.
roommate a got back into town about 5, and a facebook friend k was in town so we joined up for dinner.
and then i went to bed. and then i had breakfast at peter's cafe, picked up a latte from rawhide coffee and i'm now back at the holiday inn meeting room listening to a presentation on bighorn sheep transplants to the seminoe mountains south of casper. when i get back to town it's update the roundup website, hook up my trailer, catch my horses, go to work at church, then head to the association.
it's bad when i woke up at 6:30 this morning and felt like i'd slept in....this week has been an early one. tomorrow will be a semi-early morning, as we're heading to pathfinder around 7, i believe, for breakfast. i'm supposed to take some roundups down....i tend to forget that sort of thing.
Friday, August 7
Wednesday, August 5
sheridan
i had to be in sheridan at 7:30 this morning. knowing my waking-up skills of late, i requested mexican martinez give me a call at 5 if he hadn't heard from me yet - my alarm was set for 4:30. sure nuff, his phone call woke me at 4:57. :-P here's to quick shower/hair/clothing skills and being in the blazer, fueled up and on the road by 5:35 and i made it here to sheridan just a few minutes behind schedule.
i'm here for the wyoming ag business association annual meeting. their agenda is very heavy on hay and range management this year. right now a university professor is speaking on weed management in grass hay fields. fun stuff.
i was going to drive from sheridan straight to cody tonight, but that was before a house came up that i'm interested in making on offer on, so i'm headed back to casper when this gets done and then up to cody early tomorrow morning. (i'll prob have to enlist mexican martinez again on that one....)
i really like the house, i'm going to make an offer and see what they say. this part of it. i really like the kitchen, and how open the floor plan is. and the garage is quite large. it's three bed, two bath, so a good setup for roommates.
i'm here for the wyoming ag business association annual meeting. their agenda is very heavy on hay and range management this year. right now a university professor is speaking on weed management in grass hay fields. fun stuff.
i was going to drive from sheridan straight to cody tonight, but that was before a house came up that i'm interested in making on offer on, so i'm headed back to casper when this gets done and then up to cody early tomorrow morning. (i'll prob have to enlist mexican martinez again on that one....)
i really like the house, i'm going to make an offer and see what they say. this part of it. i really like the kitchen, and how open the floor plan is. and the garage is quite large. it's three bed, two bath, so a good setup for roommates.
Tuesday, August 4
a rare evening at the place
yesterday was an uneventful day for me, as i worked at the office all day then went back to the apt to do some housekeeping and bake a pie for boss dennis's birthday lunch, which is today. on my way home, my truck turned over 107,000 miles. it's growing up so fast. it's amazing how fast those 1,000's tick off when i'm driving around the big wyoming country out here. i've spent a lot on gas this summer, going places and hauling horses, but it's been totally worth it. better spent on that and getting to be outside on a horse in the sage and sunshine than spend it in town going to movies or out to eat or at the mall or at the bar.
the pie i chose to bake is blackberry peach, and i picked up the fruit at sam's.
i used my mom's traditional pie crust recipe, because it always turns out light and flaky. i've tried to vary my crusts with other recipes, but i'm generally disappointed. pie crust can be a tricky thing.
i had good assistance from my little chef, who insists i pull out the stool so he can see what's going on:
he's good at keeping things together when we're cooking.
i had some extra crust and enough peach pie filling for one ramekin but not two, so i made use of some fresh strawberries i had in the fridge.
all bubbling and baking and getting happy.
they turned out really good. i ate both of them. :-D might as well, they're only warm and fresh from the oven once.
all i had for dinner otherwise was dill pickles, at five calories each, so i figured i could do both pies and oh, it was worth it.
here's the big pie. the top crust had messed up when i unfolded it over the filling, but turned out not to matter cause i disguised it with brown sugar that bubbled and crystalized.
link lost interest in cooking and turned his attention to the thunderstorm outside.
after the storm the kittehs both went back outside. i'm really glad i live on the ground floor so it's kinda like we have a yard. otherwise they wouldn't be able to go out and explore. and find things like crickets and earthworms and sparrows to bring inside....
my little sweets, lexus.
i'm pretty pleased with my flowers this year. some of them gave up and died, but most are doing well.
my herbs are also doing really well. some of them are coming to the end of their season, like the dill, thyme and parsley. basil, rosemary, chives and oregano are still going strong.
the pie i chose to bake is blackberry peach, and i picked up the fruit at sam's.
i used my mom's traditional pie crust recipe, because it always turns out light and flaky. i've tried to vary my crusts with other recipes, but i'm generally disappointed. pie crust can be a tricky thing.
i had good assistance from my little chef, who insists i pull out the stool so he can see what's going on:
he's good at keeping things together when we're cooking.
i had some extra crust and enough peach pie filling for one ramekin but not two, so i made use of some fresh strawberries i had in the fridge.
all bubbling and baking and getting happy.
they turned out really good. i ate both of them. :-D might as well, they're only warm and fresh from the oven once.
all i had for dinner otherwise was dill pickles, at five calories each, so i figured i could do both pies and oh, it was worth it.
here's the big pie. the top crust had messed up when i unfolded it over the filling, but turned out not to matter cause i disguised it with brown sugar that bubbled and crystalized.
link lost interest in cooking and turned his attention to the thunderstorm outside.
after the storm the kittehs both went back outside. i'm really glad i live on the ground floor so it's kinda like we have a yard. otherwise they wouldn't be able to go out and explore. and find things like crickets and earthworms and sparrows to bring inside....
my little sweets, lexus.
i'm pretty pleased with my flowers this year. some of them gave up and died, but most are doing well.
my herbs are also doing really well. some of them are coming to the end of their season, like the dill, thyme and parsley. basil, rosemary, chives and oregano are still going strong.
Monday, August 3
i would live here
i think they maybe need to repaint the sign for the grazing association. :-)
k, so, in my last three or so months of looking for a house that feels like a home for me i haven't really found anything that felt right. this house did. this is where bob and becky martinez live and i like it just as it is. i especially like all the random photos of brandings, trailing cattle and horses hanging on the walls. i want to do that in my place.
this is the dining/entry area where we sat around friday night and ate breakfast sunday morning.
the kitchen:
the living room. i like it, including old furniture, western art and deer and elk mounts.
and that's pretty much the whole downstairs, those three rooms and bathroom. i think there might have been two bedrooms upstairs.
k, so, in my last three or so months of looking for a house that feels like a home for me i haven't really found anything that felt right. this house did. this is where bob and becky martinez live and i like it just as it is. i especially like all the random photos of brandings, trailing cattle and horses hanging on the walls. i want to do that in my place.this is the dining/entry area where we sat around friday night and ate breakfast sunday morning.
the kitchen:
the living room. i like it, including old furniture, western art and deer and elk mounts.
and that's pretty much the whole downstairs, those three rooms and bathroom. i think there might have been two bedrooms upstairs.
it was a good weekend
here are some photos from the rest of my saturday evening. after i made the decision to head back out to the association friend c texted to say they were going to glenrock, but by that point i just kept heading west. i also found out the next day that friends D, zach and G had all been in glenrock, along with friend jd. although it could have been really fun to party with all of them, it could also have been really un-fun, so i'm kinda glad i just skipped the whole thing. as it was there were about a dozen people out at the association, including friend G's dad and brother.
this is a photo of the gorgeous evening i got to enjoy on the drive out there. it was beautiful. i had to stop the truck and take some photos. that's ferris mountain again.
after arriving at headquarters and delivering the three fifths of pendleton i helped myself to some delicious steak (all the calf nuts were gone. sad, sad day. ok probably not. i still have not consumed them and i'm ok with that) and sat down to bs with the people.
this is bob, grazing association manager. his birthday was sunday. that's his new dog sittin next to him in the camp chair. it kept showing up at another rancher's place, and the dog's real owner said just to shoot it, but it's a decent dog so they brought it to the association. i wish i coulda taken it in.
this is becky martinez with her little dog, the corgi/pomeranian cross. in this photo it was trying to chase away the varmints that were lurking out in the dark.
ranch dogs know how to take it easy. they'd wait around eyeing the chairs and when one opened up they'd hop in and curl up.
and this is mexican martinez taking it easy. at this point he'd given up on the night and claimed a concrete pillow. he eventually moved to the bunkhouse. that night i slept in bob's bedroll in his horse trailer, which was so soft and warm and comfy. i woke up to the sound of a diesel engine the next morning and coulda curled right back up but didn't want to be the lazy one on the place so i pulled my boots on and went in search of coffee.
i rolled out of the association at about 8:30 and after getting back into town i chilled at the apt for a while, watching 'appaloosa' and starching jeans. then my plans for productivity went downhill when friend c texted and i went to hang out with him and ended up having mexican and a mudslide for lunch, watching 'i am legend' with him at his place and grilling elk steak for dinner. we also went out to give bartender g hard time at the bar and i had a few drinks and was responsible and home and in bed by 10. and my dirty dishes still sit on my counter. :-)
this is a photo of the gorgeous evening i got to enjoy on the drive out there. it was beautiful. i had to stop the truck and take some photos. that's ferris mountain again.
after arriving at headquarters and delivering the three fifths of pendleton i helped myself to some delicious steak (all the calf nuts were gone. sad, sad day. ok probably not. i still have not consumed them and i'm ok with that) and sat down to bs with the people.this is bob, grazing association manager. his birthday was sunday. that's his new dog sittin next to him in the camp chair. it kept showing up at another rancher's place, and the dog's real owner said just to shoot it, but it's a decent dog so they brought it to the association. i wish i coulda taken it in.
this is becky martinez with her little dog, the corgi/pomeranian cross. in this photo it was trying to chase away the varmints that were lurking out in the dark.
ranch dogs know how to take it easy. they'd wait around eyeing the chairs and when one opened up they'd hop in and curl up.
and this is mexican martinez taking it easy. at this point he'd given up on the night and claimed a concrete pillow. he eventually moved to the bunkhouse. that night i slept in bob's bedroll in his horse trailer, which was so soft and warm and comfy. i woke up to the sound of a diesel engine the next morning and coulda curled right back up but didn't want to be the lazy one on the place so i pulled my boots on and went in search of coffee.
i rolled out of the association at about 8:30 and after getting back into town i chilled at the apt for a while, watching 'appaloosa' and starching jeans. then my plans for productivity went downhill when friend c texted and i went to hang out with him and ended up having mexican and a mudslide for lunch, watching 'i am legend' with him at his place and grilling elk steak for dinner. we also went out to give bartender g hard time at the bar and i had a few drinks and was responsible and home and in bed by 10. and my dirty dishes still sit on my counter. :-)
Saturday, August 1
i told him flattery gets him nowhere
'prob because i told them the lady i was askin for was pretty n had a smile that could light up a cloudy day like a ray of sunshine'
friend scott martinez, texting me the price quote on a three-horse slant he found for me, and commenting on how the trailer dealership was giving me a better deal than they gave him. still too much for me at this point in my life, though. i'll be rockin the two-horse a while longer.
'140.'
the estimate of an older gentleman on sunday about how much i weigh. not 140. :-P
'you're pretty, but you sure are big.'
another older gentleman at sheepherder's who walked up to the bar and felt the need to comment. i'm getting conflicting comments from these people!
oh, and i told scott flattery would get him nowhere. but it still makes me smile. he's taken it upon himself to get me out of town and show me more of wyoming, which i don't mind one bit. this saturday we're going to go to frontier days together (that day might include kenny chesney and jake owen, but for sure the rodeo, which is first-class pro rodeo cowboys) and the next saturday we're going to move some cattle for a rancher on the grazing association scott's brother manages, and the next saturday is the shindig at pathfinder ranch, he put me down to attend (it's a ranch rodeo/dance/social event).
friend scott martinez, texting me the price quote on a three-horse slant he found for me, and commenting on how the trailer dealership was giving me a better deal than they gave him. still too much for me at this point in my life, though. i'll be rockin the two-horse a while longer.
'140.'
the estimate of an older gentleman on sunday about how much i weigh. not 140. :-P
'you're pretty, but you sure are big.'
another older gentleman at sheepherder's who walked up to the bar and felt the need to comment. i'm getting conflicting comments from these people!
oh, and i told scott flattery would get him nowhere. but it still makes me smile. he's taken it upon himself to get me out of town and show me more of wyoming, which i don't mind one bit. this saturday we're going to go to frontier days together (that day might include kenny chesney and jake owen, but for sure the rodeo, which is first-class pro rodeo cowboys) and the next saturday we're going to move some cattle for a rancher on the grazing association scott's brother manages, and the next saturday is the shindig at pathfinder ranch, he put me down to attend (it's a ranch rodeo/dance/social event).
the rattlesnakes
let me start out with a photo of what the weather earlier this week looked like:
it made me want to get out my crockpot or make soup for dinner. it was so chilly and wet and cloudy. and for the last week of july! however, the weather has cleared up and it was warmer again today, but not after a chilly pre-dawn grooming and saddling for april:
last night after working at church i went out to the rattlesnake grazing association, as planned. i ended up leavin the west end of town about 10 p.m. i already had april and scooter loaded and waiting in the trailer. amanda was going to come, but those plans didn't work out and i made my way 40 miles west to the headquarters via dirt road.
i arrived at the ranch yard about 11 and found bob martinez and jamie in the kitchen chillen and friend scot in the corrals. i unloaded, then we went to the house to enjoy a few rounds of pendleton and a few rounds of conversation before heading to bed. jamie and i shared the bunkhouse, which has about 10 beds and is very original. upon packing up my bedding this afternoon i observed my mattress a little more, and it was definitely mouse-eaten
my wake-up call came at 4:30 this morning and i changed my shirt (i've become quite accustomed to sleeping in my jeans), redid my hair and headed to the kitchen where bob's wife becky had perfect biscuits, gravy and potato skillet for breakfast. (becky has the coolest little dog: a corgi/pomeranian cross. it was supposed to be corgi/border collie, but apparently the neighbor's fluffball got there first. but the dog turned out really neat. i want one. but i want one of every dog right now.) shortly after i caught april from the corral and put her in the barn (they really have a pretty cool old barn, for wyoming, where very few were built by the homesteaders) for some grain, she's the last one in this row:
then we had to wait, and wait, for the rest of the help to show up, so by the time we were loaded in the association's trailer the sun was well up in the sky, but it was still really chilly. i was glad i brought my chaps and carhartt vest. first thing in the morning i was wearing my carhartt coat, too, and gloves and we could see our breath. and it's august 1! global warming, my eye. (april's the back one loaded in this trailer.)
so then we dropped groups of two or three riders off at different points along the pasture, and scott and i ended up on the top end and we pushed a bunch of about 90 older cows through a gate and sorted off a few strays, then met up with the rest of the riders with the larger group of younger cows. this is scott and nick on the big gray horse:
these are the younger cows coming through a draw, almost to their gate:
scott, with ferris mountain in the background. i love ferris mountain. it was hazy today. oh, and pathfinder ranch is between scott and the mountain, the place where i'll spend next saturday. oh, and i had my first up-close encounter with a defensive rattlesnake today. i've seen them around a lot, but never been rattled at. scott and i saw quite a few today. the name of the mountains is appropriate.
as soon as a small group of us arrived back at headquarters with a small bunch of strays i had to load up (after havin a beer with scott and brand inspector trav whittman) and take off to make it to church by 3 for work, which is where i'm at right now. on my way out i took some photos, since it was pitch black last night. it was a strong case for why i need to put some extra lights in my grill guard.
this is robert's trailer that i used this weekend. that dang thing is heavy.
i love endlessly remote wyoming dirt roads.
and it keeps going and going.
and, i didn't think of it soon enough in my drive to take photos of all nine cattle guards that were the landmarks of my directions on the drive out, but i did get this one:
and this one:
and this one.
so now i'll be done at church here in an hour or so, and i think i'll head back out to the association to take part in their little gathering, which features calf and lamb fries tonight. that, and we polished off two fifths of pendleton last night, and scott requested i pick up more. i could go to glenrock, for deer creek days, but i don't feel like a crowded bar tonight. give me a few ranch people sittin around bs-ing and i'm good. i think amanda was going to glenrock, but i haven't heard from her all day, ever since she got lost and went back to town last night.
and this freebee pic is of link when i brought him to the office thurs afternoon. i was talking to friend D in the parking lot of my apt, and link was walking around the truck, so when i got ready to head out i cat-napped him and took him with. look how happy he is:
it made me want to get out my crockpot or make soup for dinner. it was so chilly and wet and cloudy. and for the last week of july! however, the weather has cleared up and it was warmer again today, but not after a chilly pre-dawn grooming and saddling for april:
last night after working at church i went out to the rattlesnake grazing association, as planned. i ended up leavin the west end of town about 10 p.m. i already had april and scooter loaded and waiting in the trailer. amanda was going to come, but those plans didn't work out and i made my way 40 miles west to the headquarters via dirt road.i arrived at the ranch yard about 11 and found bob martinez and jamie in the kitchen chillen and friend scot in the corrals. i unloaded, then we went to the house to enjoy a few rounds of pendleton and a few rounds of conversation before heading to bed. jamie and i shared the bunkhouse, which has about 10 beds and is very original. upon packing up my bedding this afternoon i observed my mattress a little more, and it was definitely mouse-eaten
my wake-up call came at 4:30 this morning and i changed my shirt (i've become quite accustomed to sleeping in my jeans), redid my hair and headed to the kitchen where bob's wife becky had perfect biscuits, gravy and potato skillet for breakfast. (becky has the coolest little dog: a corgi/pomeranian cross. it was supposed to be corgi/border collie, but apparently the neighbor's fluffball got there first. but the dog turned out really neat. i want one. but i want one of every dog right now.) shortly after i caught april from the corral and put her in the barn (they really have a pretty cool old barn, for wyoming, where very few were built by the homesteaders) for some grain, she's the last one in this row:
then we had to wait, and wait, for the rest of the help to show up, so by the time we were loaded in the association's trailer the sun was well up in the sky, but it was still really chilly. i was glad i brought my chaps and carhartt vest. first thing in the morning i was wearing my carhartt coat, too, and gloves and we could see our breath. and it's august 1! global warming, my eye. (april's the back one loaded in this trailer.)
so then we dropped groups of two or three riders off at different points along the pasture, and scott and i ended up on the top end and we pushed a bunch of about 90 older cows through a gate and sorted off a few strays, then met up with the rest of the riders with the larger group of younger cows. this is scott and nick on the big gray horse:
these are the younger cows coming through a draw, almost to their gate:
scott, with ferris mountain in the background. i love ferris mountain. it was hazy today. oh, and pathfinder ranch is between scott and the mountain, the place where i'll spend next saturday. oh, and i had my first up-close encounter with a defensive rattlesnake today. i've seen them around a lot, but never been rattled at. scott and i saw quite a few today. the name of the mountains is appropriate.
as soon as a small group of us arrived back at headquarters with a small bunch of strays i had to load up (after havin a beer with scott and brand inspector trav whittman) and take off to make it to church by 3 for work, which is where i'm at right now. on my way out i took some photos, since it was pitch black last night. it was a strong case for why i need to put some extra lights in my grill guard.
this is robert's trailer that i used this weekend. that dang thing is heavy.
i love endlessly remote wyoming dirt roads.
and it keeps going and going.
and, i didn't think of it soon enough in my drive to take photos of all nine cattle guards that were the landmarks of my directions on the drive out, but i did get this one:
and this one:
and this one.
so now i'll be done at church here in an hour or so, and i think i'll head back out to the association to take part in their little gathering, which features calf and lamb fries tonight. that, and we polished off two fifths of pendleton last night, and scott requested i pick up more. i could go to glenrock, for deer creek days, but i don't feel like a crowded bar tonight. give me a few ranch people sittin around bs-ing and i'm good. i think amanda was going to glenrock, but i haven't heard from her all day, ever since she got lost and went back to town last night.and this freebee pic is of link when i brought him to the office thurs afternoon. i was talking to friend D in the parking lot of my apt, and link was walking around the truck, so when i got ready to head out i cat-napped him and took him with. look how happy he is:
Friday, July 31
i loaned out my trailer...
...and had to borrow another one. at the time i agreed to loan mine out, i didn't think i'd be takin my horses anywhere, but i should know better than that. so now i'm borrowing robert's livestock trailer, and his hitch, since new coworker marcy and her husband didn't have one for their pickup. i had to run around picking up that stuff, and going to the courthouse to get a new plate for the livestock trailer since robert hadn't renewed it yet.
and now amanda's going to come chase cows with us, so i'm going to take scooter, too. it crossed my mind, but at the time i didn't think i'd need it, to get the extra tack out of the nose of my trailer before marcy left...oh well. i'll have to get robert's saddle from him, too. i feel like a mooch. i shouldn't loan my own stuff out. :-P i've got a lot of work in putting it all together so i can be independent. at least i didn't loan my truck out.
so in another hour tops i'll be headed out of the office to get the livestock trailer, which is on the west end of town, and load the horses. i'm just going to have them stand in the trailer while i work at church. i better stop and throw a bunch of hay in there so they keep happy. (last night link had to sit in the pickup and wait for me to leave the beacon, but there was a blanket in there and i brought him out a chip so he was happy.)
straightaway after finishing at church i'm going to head west out of town for the 40-mile drive (on dirt road and across nine cattle guards, according to friend scott's directions) to the association. i suppose i'll be leavin town about 9:30, but for me that's better than getting up at 3 tomorrow morning to get things loaded and to the ranch by 5.
somewhere in there, if i have time, i need to iron my jeans and shirt and shower. i bought a new shirt at lou taubert's yesterday that i think i'll wear if i have time to starch it.
and today church boss don called and asked if i'd have time to clean the church offices sometime tonight or when i'm workin tomorrow.....i told him i'd get it done.....not sure when that's going to be yet. maybe i can do it sunday afternoon. yes, i'm getting back into town mid-afternoon tomorrow to work at church again, then as soon as i'm done there i'm headed to glenrock to celebrate it up at deer creek days the rest of the night.
it's a full weekend, but i like it that way. feels like i'm not wasting any opportunities, and when i have just me to worry about, i can schedule things however i want and whenever and wherever i want. for now i am perfectly content to not have anybody else to work around.
and now amanda's going to come chase cows with us, so i'm going to take scooter, too. it crossed my mind, but at the time i didn't think i'd need it, to get the extra tack out of the nose of my trailer before marcy left...oh well. i'll have to get robert's saddle from him, too. i feel like a mooch. i shouldn't loan my own stuff out. :-P i've got a lot of work in putting it all together so i can be independent. at least i didn't loan my truck out.
so in another hour tops i'll be headed out of the office to get the livestock trailer, which is on the west end of town, and load the horses. i'm just going to have them stand in the trailer while i work at church. i better stop and throw a bunch of hay in there so they keep happy. (last night link had to sit in the pickup and wait for me to leave the beacon, but there was a blanket in there and i brought him out a chip so he was happy.)
straightaway after finishing at church i'm going to head west out of town for the 40-mile drive (on dirt road and across nine cattle guards, according to friend scott's directions) to the association. i suppose i'll be leavin town about 9:30, but for me that's better than getting up at 3 tomorrow morning to get things loaded and to the ranch by 5.
somewhere in there, if i have time, i need to iron my jeans and shirt and shower. i bought a new shirt at lou taubert's yesterday that i think i'll wear if i have time to starch it.
and today church boss don called and asked if i'd have time to clean the church offices sometime tonight or when i'm workin tomorrow.....i told him i'd get it done.....not sure when that's going to be yet. maybe i can do it sunday afternoon. yes, i'm getting back into town mid-afternoon tomorrow to work at church again, then as soon as i'm done there i'm headed to glenrock to celebrate it up at deer creek days the rest of the night.
it's a full weekend, but i like it that way. feels like i'm not wasting any opportunities, and when i have just me to worry about, i can schedule things however i want and whenever and wherever i want. for now i am perfectly content to not have anybody else to work around.
Thursday, July 30
third anniversary in wyoming
aug. 9 marks the close of year three in wyoming for me. as the date approaches i find myself reflecting on all that's changed in my life since i first drove west across nebraska. all the people and places i've come to know here and all the experiences and adventures i've had that i wouldn't miss for the world. if i had it to do over again, i definitely would. who would have thought i'd end up making a home for myself in casper, wyoming - a town i didn't even know existed until a couple months before i moved here. and yes, it has become a home. i'm comfortable. it suits me. i'm happy. but nuff said, i won't ramble too much about all that here.
on the house front, nothing's worked out yet. starting to feel impatient, but trying to be patient. i don't want to spend another winter in my apartment, but if i must, i must. i emailed my realtor about a couple more properties today, so we'll see.
so this third anniversary i will spend at pathfinder ranch about 40 miles southwest of casper, and i'm looking forward to it. the actual shindig is on aug. 8, and i've heard we're leaving to head down there at 7 a.m. so it really must be an all day affair. there are horse/cowboy competitions, food, band, dance and 300 people invited. sounds like a great time to me! i'm looking to get in on some of the contests and maybe take a horse down, esp since friend scotty tells me their ranch geldings won't ride double and won't get close to barrels. i better take one of my trusty mares. :-)
this is pathfinder, not the best photo, but it's a beautiful ranch with miles of flat sage country broken up by rocky outcroppings. one of those outcroppings (nearby, not on ranch land) is independence rock, of oregon trail fame.
it pays to get to know the locals, because this new owner of the pathfinder is throwing this deal to get to know the neighbors, and it's by invitation only, so i got in on the list of the rattlesnake grazing association. :-) but aside from that, i love getting out and meeting more people and hearing about where they live and getting to do things with them. ranching wyomingites are very social and there's always something going on, and even if it's work it's not really work, because it entails riding a horse around in big country following cows. granted, i've never done this in inclement weather - yet - but i imagine i still wouldn't mind so much. it's iconic. it's the stuff the west was built upon and it's just a part of being here.
on the house front, nothing's worked out yet. starting to feel impatient, but trying to be patient. i don't want to spend another winter in my apartment, but if i must, i must. i emailed my realtor about a couple more properties today, so we'll see.
so this third anniversary i will spend at pathfinder ranch about 40 miles southwest of casper, and i'm looking forward to it. the actual shindig is on aug. 8, and i've heard we're leaving to head down there at 7 a.m. so it really must be an all day affair. there are horse/cowboy competitions, food, band, dance and 300 people invited. sounds like a great time to me! i'm looking to get in on some of the contests and maybe take a horse down, esp since friend scotty tells me their ranch geldings won't ride double and won't get close to barrels. i better take one of my trusty mares. :-)
this is pathfinder, not the best photo, but it's a beautiful ranch with miles of flat sage country broken up by rocky outcroppings. one of those outcroppings (nearby, not on ranch land) is independence rock, of oregon trail fame.
it pays to get to know the locals, because this new owner of the pathfinder is throwing this deal to get to know the neighbors, and it's by invitation only, so i got in on the list of the rattlesnake grazing association. :-) but aside from that, i love getting out and meeting more people and hearing about where they live and getting to do things with them. ranching wyomingites are very social and there's always something going on, and even if it's work it's not really work, because it entails riding a horse around in big country following cows. granted, i've never done this in inclement weather - yet - but i imagine i still wouldn't mind so much. it's iconic. it's the stuff the west was built upon and it's just a part of being here.
this is gorgeous
i find lately i've developed a taste for expensive, high quality using tack for my horses and the same for western clothing, boots and accessories for myself. it's a very bad thing, because cowboys have exceptional taste and there are so many nice things out there to catch one's eye, like this gorgeously simple headstall from national roper supply:
i just keep adding to my collection a little at a time, as i can afford it. nothing beats outfitting your horse with quality tack. i'm still in search of a roping saddle.....wouldn't that be exciting. new saddles are monumental.
i just keep adding to my collection a little at a time, as i can afford it. nothing beats outfitting your horse with quality tack. i'm still in search of a roping saddle.....wouldn't that be exciting. new saddles are monumental.
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