Wow...Where have I been... Where am I going?

It is now the end of May, and it was the middle of April since I last posted on my blog.  I can’t believe how busy my life has become. As I get older, it seems as though it is harder for me to stay on top of things. I am trying to put things onto a schedule to help me stay on top of my blog and all the other things I have been neglecting. Does this sound like a theme for me? Perhaps! April slipped away from us, and May seemed to fly by. It’s amazing how fast time flies.

 In celebration of our anniversary, this year, Bob and I decided to get away for a bit. In years past, we have enjoyed the small towns of Wyoming. This year was no exception. 

Fifty-one years ago, Bob and I spent our honeymoon in Jackson Hole. Back then, it was just a small town, but now it has become a major tourist destination. The number of visitors has increased so much, but Jackson Hole is still lovely. There was no question in my mind that I needed to take a photo of the Grand Tetons. I never get tired of looking at these grand old mountains. They truly are majestic.

After admiring the beautiful mountains, we visited Lander, Wyoming. It is a small town that is tucked away in a beautiful little valley near the highway. There's a wonderful pioneer museum there that we highly recommend visiting. We saw lots of pioneer artifacts and Indian relics that fascinated us. I took a lot of pictures, but I’m only posting a couple of them. This beautiful quilt was particularly impressive, as was its preservation. I always marvel at the dedication the pioneers and other folks from the past had for their craft, and how they would save little pieces of fabric to make these lovely quilts.

I find relics of the indigenous people of the area to be especially interesting. I have always been a student of the history of these amazing people, so I loved seeing and learning more about these artifacts.

This buffalo hide is one of my favorite among the things I saw. The story on this buffalo hide seems to be preserved really well. Typically, these paintings would depict the events of a war or a hunt. This one looks like a buffalo hunt.  Most of the objects on display were from the 1800s, yet they look like they were made just yesterday.

I think it's important to remember that history isn't always pretty. I saw some things at the Lander Pioneer Museum that reminded me of that fact. One artifact in particular stood out to me: a skull with a hammer through it. This man was apparently murdered by Native Americans for disregarding warnings to stay out of a certain area. A farmer discovered his remains in the 1990s. I think this case illustrates that even though people in the 1800s may not have had to deal with modern-day problems like the internet or cell phones, they still had to face a lot of scary, dangerous stuff.

Our overnight stay in Lander was followed by a trip to Cody, Wyoming. The highlight of Cody was the amazing museum known as the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The museum is a place one can easily spend days exploring. I, for one, could have spent at least a week there and still not exhausted my interest or gotten bored.  

In Cody, I took hundreds of photos. I want to show you some now. But I'm keeping a few to post later.

Buffalo Bill is not just a historical figure anymore.  He's a hologram!  Here, he'll tell you all about his  life.  See how many fun things you can see from this experience at the museum?!

After Cody, we visited Dubois, Wyoming, a small town located about 100 miles from West Yellowstone. Both the town and our stay were delightful. Located 5 miles outside of Dubois, the National Museum of Military Vehicles was one of the most captivating museums I have ever had the opportunity to visit. Do not be fooled by the name ;0) The owner of this collection, a generous and knowledgeable individual, hosted a two-hour personal tour of the WWII section alone! All the vehicles in the museum were lovingly restored to their original, magnificent splendor, and each one remains in working order. This unforgettable experience, which moved many of us to tears, was a gift to behold.

 It is clear to me, having observed my own reactions, that the hardships and heartaches endured by veterans, both past and present, were and are real. I encourage all those interested in military history to visit this museum, where you can experience them directly. Even if  you are not that interested in it, I promise you will enjoy it.  This museum contains military vehicles, a gun gallery, including the gun that fired the first shot that started the American Revolution. Visiting the museum was moving, and I found myself weeping when I left. I didn't get a picture of that shot gun, which is okay, because it gives me an excuse to go back.

 

When you buy the tickets for the  museum in Cody and in Dubois, it's good for two days, and trust me, you will need it.  

Memorial Day is always a tender time for me. Because I was born and raised here in Idaho, I ,have a lot of family here. One of my favorite cemeteries contains a large number of my relatives, including my parents and grandparents on my mother's side.  In fact my great and my great-great grand parents are buried there. It's a beautiful, peaceful place for me to visit.

The next thing on my mind is where my blog is going. Like many other blogs, mine has evolved into more than just an online diary. It also serves as a family journal.

When I first started my blog, I intended to keep it updated with a lot of posts, including a lot of daily entries. But, I’ve not been able to keep that pace. And as much as I like updating it and interacting with the readers, it's become a real source of stress and anxiety for me.

I do want to continue my blog, but I will no longer update it with any kind of regularity. In general, I’ll focus mostly on family-related topics with a splash of other things here and there. You are certainly not obligated to read, comment, or do anything. Please don’t feel bad if you don't. It’s hard enough to find the time to blog as it is.

 

I’m going to do my best to keep an eye on this site, comment when possible, and return comments when I can.   I so appreciate all my wonderful, kind, and supportive followers, you are more like good friends. Even during some of my darkest days you were there.  And please know that your support and love makes and made a world of difference to me.  

This is not goodbye, but... See you later...

Much love, 

Barb

Saturday Thoughts. . .

 

It's such a blustery, windy day here in Idaho.  The sky is gray,  and it's cold.  I'm hoping for better weather so that I can work on my yard and garden soon.  How is the weather where you are?

On Wednesday I made bread, it was so good!   I also made some sauerkraut a few weeks ago.  I know, sauerkraut... Yuck!  No, we love it.  a few weeks ago I bought a big bag of shredded cabbage, and I turned it into sauerkraut.  The package had red and green cabbage in it so it looks pink.  It's so easy and the health benefits are amazing  - if you can get past the smell when you open the container! We like to eat a big spoonful with our meals, it really is delicious, helps with digestion, and is full of probiotics.  Last week we had some with German sausage with it and it was such a comforting meal with a baked potato and a green salad.  Not sure what dinner will be tonight, but I think I'll do something with some frozen halibut... I think fish tacos sound delicious!

On Wednesday we went out to dinner with friends.  We always have such a good time with them!  We went to dinner at, Olive Garden and then played cards. I seldom win, but I always have fun.  We like to play Hand and Foot, but sometimes we play, Cover Your Assets, it's fun too!

On Thursday, we had a little graduation party for Averi, (it was pretend, she made it up, and we all went with it)!  We had brownies and ice cream and of course gave her a little gift.  It was a fun night.  I asked her what she was getting a degree in and she said, "being lucky!".  She truly is such a lucky girl to have so many people who love and adore her.  

It was my grandson's birthday last Wednesday.  Braedon is married to my granddaughter, and we just adore him!  He's a wonderful, thoughtful guy who always makes me smile.  He's also a wonderful magician!!  He fools me every time and I can never figure out how he did the trick!

No big plans for today.  I just plan on staying inside, out of the wind!  I might work on an art project for a while.  Here's a little sneak peak...

I just started this today, and it will take me a long time to finish this drawing.  You might be surprised when you recognize who this is!  At least my rendition ;0)

I have so much I need to do, but I think I'll just cozy up and do some fun things instead.  I hope you are all doing well and enjoying spring.  I know the weather isn't great in many parts of the country, but it will get warm... Sooner or later.  Have a great day.

Hugs and Love,

Barb

Before you know it, March is gone . . .

And before I knew it, March was gone!  March is a big month for birthdays at our house.  I was able to celebrate with three of the five grands who had birthdays.  We were able to celebrate with all of them after Brody came home from Croatia!  

Nathan

Caleb

Emily

Speaking of Brody!

It was late when he came home but there was a crowd to meet him when he got off the plane.  Here he is with his mom, dad and sister, giving his sister a big hug.  She was so excited to see him!  We were overjoyed to see him after two years away from home! I had the cutest video, of him coming through the gate, but of course, it wouldn't upload.  Later in the week we had a big family dinner for him with all of my children and grandchildren.  It felt really good to have all of them under the same roof.  

Last week-end, we had two of the boys over to help us clean up the yard and do all of those things that I'm just too old to do now ;0)  We have such a problem with Starlings getting into the shed, so Bob helped them make a few bird houses to hopefully help with that.  We've already seen Starlings coming in and out of the birdhouses!

Of course the best part of all was being lifted up in the tractor bucket! It was such a beautiful week-end, and we accomplished almost everything we needed to get done, and had the chance to spend some quality time with our grandsons.

At the beginning of March, I went and saw, Hello Dolly with a few friends.  We have a wonderful local theater called, The Center Theater.  They have the most wonderful musicals, and this one was no exception.  The acting and singing is top notch, and the costumes are absolutely gorgeous and professionally made!  The photo is taken from their play bill, and does not do Dolly's costumes justice, they were amazing.   It was so much fun, I'm looking forward to attending the next play . . . Fiddler on the Roof.  

We also bought a freeze dryer this month!  We have been wanting one for the last year, and they had the small ones that we wanted on sale, so we bit the bullet and bought one.  We have dried chili, peppers, and marshmallows for hot chocolate.  Today I cooked a bunch of potatoes, grated them, and put them in the freezer.  Tomorrow we will stick them in the freeze dryer.  They will be wonderful to have on hand or camping,  and will be great addition in our foood storage.  This is one of the three trays that we will dry tomorrow.

I have been trying to eat and use more fermented foods.  My favorite is sourdough.  I also have a big jar of homemade sauerkraut on the counter that will be ready to eat in a few days.  

Today I decided to make a batch of sourdough muffins, and they are delicious!  For those of you who like sourdough and use it, this is the recipe I used.  It's actually for blueberry muffins but I used chocolate chips instead, I also omitted the streusel topping.  

Well, that's a few of the highlights for March.  I hope to get some blogging and commenting done soon.  Thanks to all of you who have hung in there with me.  See you in April!  Love you all!

Hugs,

Barb