Mountains-November 28, 2018

Yesterday we went to Denver to meet Jerry's sister for lunch. We were really excited to get to see the mountains with a little snow on them.

Between ozone and pollution (brown cloud) we have not seen much of the mountains this season. They were really pretty. That's what we refer to as Long's Peak.

While this is the worst picture I have ever taken and posted,

this is the reason we have not seen the mountains. This is the

brown cloud above us. We are breathing this stuff. And it is

almost impossible to keep the furniture dust free.

And nobody cares this is what our air is like. Denver is worse.

English tea and dance-November 25, 2018

 



I forgot to post this fun thing. Hannah and Zoey take music classes that are very different from anything we have ever heard of. For 6 weeks they study the music of various countries. They learn dances to go with the music. November was English music and dance.

 

Here is the last performance for English music and dance. I am not

sure how the streamers fit in. Yet, it was cute to watch them. They sang

and danced. The teachers told stories about various kings.

 

Afterward there was a formal tea. We were each asked to bring snacks appropriate to the country they had studied. So I made English tea biscuits. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to make. It took me over 4 hours to cook and assemble those things. But I wanted to play by the rules. I was the only one with a homemade treat. Not sure I will go to that extreme in the future. They had china dishes and hot tea. Hannah had never had it and had not been shown how to hold the cup. That was fun to share with her. She loved it. For the record, the tea biscuits were actually delicious. I did get several compliments from other parents. Derrick asked if I would make some more for them. I'm thinking.............

T-Day-November 21, 2018

Just like everybody else this time of year, I have very little spare time. I did not realize it had been so long since I posted on this blog. I wanted to take a minute to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with family and friends. Be thankful for all we have.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Veteran's Day-November 14, 2018

I hope you have seen the missing man table that Chick-Fil-A sets every year for Veteran's Day. The first time I saw it I cried. I could not believe I was standing there with tears running down my face. It was so emotional and so beautiful This year, in addition to the missing man table, our local Chick-Fil-A had a bowl of little plastic toy soldiers. The note asked everybody to take one in remembrance of a soldier. I took one in memory of my wonderful and deeply missed Daddy. He served in Italy and North Africa. He humbly was awarded a Bronze Star which he never talked about. I spent months trying to find out the reason for the Bronze Star. To my disappointment the records for Daddy's unit were destroyed in a huge fire. So he took the secret about the star to his grave with him.

See, it's just a plastic toy soldier. But it does

remind me of my Daddy and how much I miss him.

It is going to stay on our mantel resting on a piece of petrified

wood we bought at the Petrified Forest.

 

I really appreciate Chick-Fil-A doing this every year. It's a wonderful tribute.

Sturgis-November 10, 2018

During the trip to Deadwood we also went to Sturgis. We have business dealings in Sturgis so we almost always stop there.

Here is what we saw there:

This one still has four spark plugs in it.

 

We wonder if these are left from the first Sturgis Bike Rally in 1938?

At least it gave us something to laugh at while we were being blown

away by the high winds!

 

?

Deadwood-November 8, 2017

We were blessed to be able to take a few days off and head to Deadwood, near our home town in South Dakota. I am sure you have seen many pictures I have taken before but maybe I have a couple you have not seen.

Once we crossed the South Dakota state line the snow was very

pretty. It was unspoiled by thousands of snowmobile tracks.

 

Not even any animal tracks to spoil the pristine snow.

 

It was bitterly cold in Deadwood. We went prepared with heavier clothes and winter coats. It was so cold that a tube of hand cream I had in the console froze solid. Thank goodness for heated seats to help thaw it out. There was also a day of very high winds, the likes of which we have not experienced in years. Thank goodness we could stay indoors.

 

On the way back we saw more untouched fresh snow and it was such a wonderful sight to drive through. There were only a few icy spots on the roads. South Dakota is starting to take excellent care of snowy or icy roads. They used to just throw rocks out. Now they use magnesium chloride which does a great job on the road but it will destroy the wiring under the hood. So we thoroughly washed the truck today including the undercarriage.

 

We saw antelope, deer, turkeys by the hundreds and a fox, but no buffalo. Not sure why there were no visible buffalo.

 

These turkeys were just outside of Deadwood. They did not seem

at all disturbed by us being there. We stopped so as to not scare them.

 

After they crossed the road I let the window down to take a

picture of some of the turkeys. I was shocked at how quiet

they were. I always thought they were noisy birds, but the

sound they made was a very soft low cluck like a chicken.

(There are two turkeys in the above picture)

 

 

This will be a bit more of a challenge. There is a fox in this picture.

He was running so fast after he crossed the road I could not take

the picture quick enough. Please use your imagination and tell me you

see him center slightly left.

 

As usual we had a fabulous time. We did go to Rapid City for part of one day. And then we went to Lead part of another day. The rest of the time we were in Deadwood. It is always tough to leave but we must get back to reality.

 

 

 

 

 

Animals at Scheels-November 2, 2018

I said I would post pictures of the animals at Scheels. We went back yesterday to take those pictures. I have too many to show on one post. We walked the entire store and were shocked at how many stuffed animals we saw. (I bet stuffed is an incorrect word). They have been to a taxidermist, so whatever they should be called is what they are. The money this store put into these animals and all of the bronze statues is absolutely astounding. It's quite a store to see.



Before we look at stuffed animals, check this out:

He is made of Legos. And he is huge.

His name is Freddy.

There is an entire section of Lego blocks and

boxes of Lego kits. It is quite the sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, yes....we rode the ferris wheel

It's only 65 feet tall so it is not huge. But it is fun and it's pretty.

The man running it talked to us quite a while after we got off. It

was not a busy day. He even offered for us to ride again for free.

I declined. I will say you certainly get a great view of the entire store

from the top of the ferris wheel.

 

I will post more pictures another day.