Not much is new, really. Aging of all living things, except green things that have been planted since we moved; a couple trees and the plants that grow in the greenhouse. Though they are still aging, just not as old as me 🙂
But wow, time flies! Where have I been? Sometimes I wonder that myself. Can’t remember what I had for breakfast. I have still been in the same state, in the same county, in the same house as I was 4.5 years ago when I published my last blog; almost six years since we moved to Wyoming. Wow, how could someone actually live in Wyoming for six years when it doesn’t even exist???
I have not written this blog since August 2021, when I discussed my dog being on Prozac. Yes, she is still on Prozac but there remains peace and harmony in the household, at least from a dog standpoint. We still have three, though our old man, Crosby, is now 13.5 years old. Yes, the 0.5 counts when you’re as old as he is. In fact every day counts when you’re an old man.
I digress….I have not written this blog in many years but have continued to pay for the domain as I didn’t want to lose my work (no matter how small)! Was that a smart financial move? Yes, I believe so! I knew I’d come back to it someday, and apparently today is the day.
In the last five years Ethan has graduated from high school and attends a transition program and works at a grocery store. I now work two part-time jobs, and Neal still tends the land and the cattle. Haha, just kidding, he does tend the land, but no cattle. I’d like goats and chickens, but he would have to consent (and he won’t) because he would be doing most of the tending. He mows, blows (snowblows, that is, though this year not even enough snow to blow; he didn’t even put the snowblower on the tractor), cuts, trims, fixes sprinklers, picks up dog poo, fixes fences, you get the picture. And he takes care of the inside too and right now we have a hole in our ceiling (man-made) because we have a leak and he’s trying to fix the leak before he fixes the ceiling so we can stop the ceiling damage. He helps with laundry, dishes, cooks, cleans, drives Ethan everywhere, etc. What do I do you may be thinking? I am the logistical manager of the household 🙂
My older kids have their own lives after college, working at professional jobs and managing their own finances and households. Yay us! For raising kids who are self-sufficient, mostly…though they still need their mom once in awhile.
I have lots of ideas for this blog, but it takes me some time and I have to put on my thinking cap to decide how I will put it into words. I really want to detail the building of our greenhouse as it is a spectacular marvel in our backyard. Though the inside (AKA growing the plants) is still a work in progress for the horticulturists in our home (because we really aren’t horticulturists and our thumbs are definitely not green). The greenhouse discussion wouldn’t be complete without all the photos, however those photos might be lost in a digital black hole. I’ll see what I can dig up.
As I typed the words ‘thinking cap’ I pondered where the term originated. After a quick bit of research there are some differing opinions, but the most common was the following: It started in the early 1800’s when wearing hats was much more common. Thinking Cap became a metaphorical term for a hat for someone doing some deep concentrating. It was originally called a considering cap. Hats come in many different styles for many different purposes and a thinking cap was just another ‘cap’ used for periods of concentration. And there you have it, your word etymology of the day. Not to be confused with entomology which is the study of insects, eww.
I want to make a quick comment about AI. Yes, ChatGPT has become my friend and I like to converse with him, or her, or it (is that scary?). But….today’s blog has only been written by me, myself and I. (Though a couple pictures were AI generated, but words are all mine.) I can’t promise I won’t use AI in the future as it is remarkable how intuitive and eloquent it is. But if and when I use it, it will only be to make my words sound better or to clarify something I can’t quite wrap my head around.
Overall, our life in Wyoming has been full of adventures and regular routine. We feel like this is our home. We had an adventurous windy day a few weeks ago with power being knocked out all over town, large trees uprooting in front yards, and debris blowing everywhere. School was even cancelled the next day due to the power outages and some schools being affected by the trees. Ever heard of kids having a ‘wind day’? We didn’t have much damage except a hole in the fence wire that wasn’t noticed for a day or two. Fortunately, our dogs did not escape through the hole before we noticed.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Look out for upcoming blogs about our greenhouse, the Cheyenne boots (I’ve wanted to check these out since we moved here), Frontier Days, and maybe boring things that happen that are funny, or interesting, or weird. Such as when one of my dogs ate a bunch of macadamia nuts recently and apparently they are toxic to dogs and she had 48 hours of barely being able to walk due to the neurotoxicity.
Happy trails.
Until next time…
Your Wyoming Wannabe Cowgirl
#RanchLife 