Tweet Update…

Note: Just heard on WPR that there is a “high wind advisory” in Southeastern Wyoming…that’s us!

And the teenager (and his dad) rode their bikes to school today!

Remember the recycling bin?

Well, I had to put that baby on our front porch, snug-like-a-bug in the corner near the front door…or so I thought.

Soon afterwards, I heard a bang. The bin had toppled over.

And that’s when I saw them….all these plastic bottles hurtling down the street.

We live one house off of a fairly well traveled road (mostly during morning and evening rush) and I didn’t want any of the bottles hurtling into the path of oncoming traffic (or any kid-lets biking to school).

So…even though they weren’t our bottles--- good citizen that I am, thanks to mom and dad---I went out and chased after them to put in our recycle bin.

I’ve now placed our somewhat substantial pumpkin in front to (hopefully) brace the bin.

We’ll see what happens. Guess I’ll be hanging close to the front door this morning.

Oh yeah. When I went to close the front door…it felt like I was pushing against the entire UWYO football team!!!

Gees…

If you remember from the photos, we have this expanse of open land in front of our lot, which is the Junior High’s football and track fields.

So…lots of open space in front of our house, which is the direction where the usual westerly winds seem to come from.

Sigh…

Not that we had much of a choice, but wish I had realized this before we purchased this house.

Although I’m not sure that too many homes here are immune to wind and snow.

The other house we considered may be situated on a cul du sac with lots of other homes to block it, but it too faces west.

And I bet when the wind blows, since it is situated in that snug circle, the snow lands on its front door, which I hear is also a problem for many of the homes here.

Oh well…

I guess I’ll have to reconsider putting up my many usual Halloween decorations.

I’m afraid they’d end up strewn all over the neighborhood.

Double sigh…

Just one of the adjustments of a young (it sounds better) Easterner making her way in this land some call the wild…wild…West!

Thanks for taking a peek.

They call(ed) the wind Mariah…

or at least her baby sister!

I think I’m finally starting to “get”…in more ways than one…the infamous Wyoming winds.

I tried to put our recycling bin in its usual place this morning…at the end of the driveway, which is on the NW (really Western) corner of our lot.

So let me count how many times I had to go running after the fly-away lid…1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

You’d think I would have learned after the first 2 times.

I’m sure the neighbors driving by got a good chuckle as they watched me sprint down the street chasing this tumble weed of a lid, all the while shaking their heads and thinking “Easterners…”

Yep…that’s me (at least for the time being)!

Mr. Hyde…has left the building

Yes…the teenager has left the building and someone resembling our “little guy” is once again with us, albeit I’m sure, for just a temporary spell (especially since the long weekend is over and he once again gets back into the school routine).

I think hanging with his buddies influences his attitude towards us…not that his buddies have anything to do with how he acts towards us but…when compared to his peers, we fall woefully short.

At least that’s my deep insight for the day...or maybe the week (or even the month!).

He chatted on and on about his week, school, and his two basketball games at dinner on Saturday evening and again after Kol Nidrei (Yom Kippur) service on Sunday evening.

He didn’t even complain (much) about the nearly 2 hour long service he was forced to attend.

I had to ask…”who is this young man” who has deigned to grace us with his presence…and smile and laugh and joke, and egad …even cuddle!!!!!

I’m just happy to have him back…even if it’s just for the moment.

I realize (yet again), he’s a good kid…a sweet boy, with a great sense of humor and tremendous wit …who makes us laugh and shake our heads as he rambles on about life “according to J.”

But…check back with me in a few days. I’m sure I’ll have a few other “choice” adjectives to describe the “teenager!”

Speaking of the “little guy”….I submitted this card to a recent card making challenge on a Blog site I like to visit.

We were challenged to incorporate a photo into a card. I picked this photo of the then- little guy, which I have always loved, and couldn’t resist turning it into a Halloween card.

Wasn’t he just adorable...and so happy!

Someone out there is going to get this in the mail for Halloween...so acted surprised!

Thanks for stopping in...

Just a little more time...

It’s just a little after 8:00 am and I just got back home. I drove my men to school this morning.

After dropping J at his school, S and I walked to the Union for a cup of java and to share the NY Times.

We sat for a few, and then we went our separate ways…S off to the law school and me back home to unpack a few more boxes and then to run errands.

I would never have had this opportunity to sit and enjoy a cup of joe with S on a work day back home…unthinkable!

We may not have the latest shops, restaurants or food stores here in this small town, but what we do have is a little more time…to share with each other.

I could get used to that…

Hope you’re enjoying your day.

“Tweet” 2

Just got back from taking the “teenager” for his first Laramie haircut. For the record, he asked for one.

Afterwards, we stopped in at the Big Hallow Food Co-op to pick-up a gallon of the local, all natural milk S likes.

As I was backing out (of the angled parking space next to the railroad tracks) I looked around and mused…what a quaint small town!

My next immediate thought…”I can’t believe I actually live in this small western town.”

Sometimes it jus takes my breath away…that we actually made the move and that this is our life.

I’m not saying that it’s bad…or that I’m unhappy…or that I don’t like it here.

On the contrary, my initial musing after all did include the word “quaint.”

Sometimes, though, I feel like I need to pinch myself that…it’s real.

Just for the record…this is a “peak” day.

My "tweet" of the day...

I'm shelving the many many boxes of books the "teenager" no longer wants in his room.

You know. The little board books (i.e., Good Night Moon, Jamberry, The Going to Bed Book, Brown Bear), colorful and only slightly scary Halloween books, and those fabulous picture books by the likes of Chris Van Allsburg.

I have a hard time getting rid of (or giving away) books, especially children's books. We did give quite a few to the local charities back home, but so many of these books hold special memories for me.

Besides, I can always use them in the classroom...whenever I land in a classroom again.

But...my heart is sad as I place these books on the book shelves in the lower level (read: basement) where they've been relegated---nay, banned---by the "teenager."

Each book evokes a memory for me of those many hours we spent looking, reading, touching and talking about the stories and illustrations.

And once again, I'm reminded that my little boy...is no longer little.

I'm hoping that one day he will re-discover the wonder of these books, and the memories they may hold for him.

Sigh...

Brrr...

I’ve been sitting here in front of my lap top for the past hour concentrating on two things:

• The Wyoming car registration process; and

• Getting an application in order to (hopefully) attend UWYO.

I stopped for a moment, and that’s when I realized…just how friged it is in the house!

And I’m already wearing a sweatshirt jacket!

I checked the thermostat---one of those sophisticated contraptions with settings for wake, leave, return and sleep.

I realized the leave setting (set for 8 AM) and which doesn’t change until the return setting (set for 5 PM) is set for 59 degrees.

No wonder I’m freezing!!!!

So I just upped it to a toasty 67 degrees…hopefully I’ll thaw soon.

Can’t believe I have the heat going in September!

I believe this post may officially qualify as a tweet…gag!

What have I become?!!!

I heard it on WPR…

Candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes…?!

I heard this morning on WPR, that President Obama signed into law on Monday legislation that grants the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products. Among other things, the law will restrict tobacco advertising and ban candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes!

I had no idea such a thing…as candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes…existed!

Nor that they apparently come in packaging resembling high-priced flavored chocolate bars.

Think: packaging resembling those wonderful looking bars sitting at the check-out counters at Barnes & Noble or Borders...

[Edited to Note: This is in no way meant to imply that any high priced chocolate bars including, but not limited to, Godiva chocolates are in any way related to tobacco products or that B&N or Borders sells tobacco products!!!]

With a new teen in the house, I’m realizing (or am I already too late?) that I REALLY need to get more on the ball and pay attention…to Everything!

I do know…that despite our best hopes and intentions as parents…teens are at some point tempted to venture and think about experimenting and exploring things we’d rather they not even know about.

After all, I was once a teen (albeit a good one).

So, how can I try and circumvent something…when I don’t even know it’s out there?!!

Good “wake up” lesson for me.

Diligence…Diligence…Diligence

BTW: FAB music…as always…on WPR (but I still miss Diane Rehm, et al.)

Hope you all have a great day!

Famous Blue Raincoat…

Happy Birthday, Leonard Cohen!

I heard on Wyoming Public Radio this morning that L Cohen turned 75 today (and then later heard that he collapsed from food poisoning).

They played a number of his songs today, with many sung by him.

I have always loved L Cohen songs, ever since I first heard him in college.

I have also always loved his voice, although I’m probably in the minority on that one.

But hey, Leonard Cohen…just what the heck does…”Did you ever go clear” mean?!!

Experimenting with Emu…

I recently learned that Emu is a rather large bird…like in the Ostrich family.

[My apologies for not having information to give credit where credit is due for this adorable photo.]

We also recently learned that Emu meat is low in fat.

So we decided to give some ground Emu a try.



Before cooking…



and after...

Looks just like ground beef!

The meat had a rather sweet taste, but required a ton of seasonings for our taste buds.

As advertised, it was low in fat and oil.

We’ll give it another go…maybe as a steak.

(With sincere apologies to our vegetarian and vegan friends!)

The Dichotomy of Laramie's weather

Someone asked---so I'm happy to show---what happened to the snow this afternoon.

Photo taken at approximately 5PM of the Junior High, which could barely be seen in the photo taken earlier this afternoon. [If you click and zoom in on the photo, you might see the snow caps just beyond the goal post.]

At 5 PM it was still cloudy, windy and chilly (the temperature gage in my car hovered at 32 degrees all day) but the snow had stopped and melted by 4:30 pm.

I've been hearing all day about how it has snowed during every single month in Laramie at some time or other, including once on the 4th of July!

Did I really sign up for this?

Toto---We're not in Kansas anymore...

A friend just called to make sure that I hadn't completely lost my marbles since my post about the snow!

Indeed, as we were chatting, this is what was going on outside...



A little mini blizzard---by my Mid-Atlantic standards.

Wyoming Public Radio just announced "no road closings"---re the pass(es) between Laramie and Cheyenne, Fort Collins, & Denver---but visibility is an issue.



View of the Junior High across the street...all that fog looking stuff is falling, blowing snow! Usually we can see the snow capped mountians from our front door.

I've been told about the "snow in summer," but I guess I was a little like my friend...a bit dubious.

Well...not anymore!

I spied…

these guys (in the peanut---[Edited to add: The peanut is a decorative area with a small tree and shrubs on our proptery in the shape of a peanut]) near the sidewalk between our house and the neighbors on the cul du sac side of our house whenI got up at 6:35 this morning...


I was so excited to have not one, but two, of these guys so close at hand and tried to capture both in one frame, but they kept moving and my little Nikon…or maybe it was me…just couldn’t do the job.


Just checking when the neighbor's dog was last out...


Dang, those security lights! Can't go anywhere with any stealth...


Wait up! I hear something...

I didn’t see them at first when I stepped out and took this photo...



It’s now 7:34 AM as I write and the precipitation is still coming down---or blowing down sideways, which I’m told is pretty common with the wind during snowstorms.

Don’t think I’m going to take Shelia for a ride while this stuff is still on the ground. Hopefully that faithful Laramie Sun will shine sometime today.

I hear it’s raining in Atlanta and, I think, D.C.

Sorry guys…but instead of rain, you could have...snow!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Weather Report...

Tonight...

Cloudy. Chance of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms in the evening...then rain and snow showers likely after midnight. Colder. Little or no snow accumulation. Lows around 35. Northwest winds 10 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

Just thought I'd share...

Meet Sheila…

Sheila is the newest addition to our family. She’s not even a day old…and yet, she’s already giving me some trouble.

I haven’t had a companion like Shelia since college, when my yellow racing buddy was stolen from campus. S had an extra mountain bike that I rode when we first met, but it’s been at least 15 (plus) years since I last pedaled anywhere.

And that old adage “It’s just like riding a bike, you never forget” doesn’t hold so true for me.

Truth be told, I never did feel like I ever quite mastered the whole balance thingy, nor was I ever able to dismount (nor disentangle myself) with any grace or savior faire …think Lance Armstrong and his ilk. And now, the ground seems a LOT further away and a longer distance to fall.

Laramie is a true bike riding town and S and J each have their own bikes, although S’s is a racing bike and not conducive to the gavel roads (of which there are many on the outskirts of the neighborhoods) or the bumpy sidewalks. So he decided to go bike shopping and took me along to try and convince me to find a bike of my own.

I wasn’t convinced it was such a good idea and worried that I might not remember how to pedal a bike, or that both bike and I would come crashing down.

When is it too old to have training wheels?

I surprised myself. I found I could indeed keep the bike upright. I tried a few on for size and pedaled on down the sidewalk, albeit a bit wobbly all the way. I did have a moment when two pedestrians came a tad too close for comfort and I ended up “kissing” the adjacent building. Nothing too serious though: just a scraped elbow and a very red face.

It took a while to settle on Sheila…but was pretty sure she was the one the moment I pedaled her down the street. I have to be honest, however, and admit that I am shallow…shallow…shallow…as looks played into my choice. You see…Sheila’s competitors were just a bit too girly looking.

Anyway, this afternoon S and I decided to go for a quick ride into the wilds of Laramie…pretty much across the street on an off road trail where people bike, hike and run or to catch a great view overlooking the north side of Laramie.

Biking up the hill, which was too much for me (being out of [bike riding] shape and with the altitude) and I tried to stop and dismount. Sheila tripped me up and I started to fall, stumbling around like a drunk with my arms splayed trying to hold my balance. I did fall, scraped my knee and elbow and ripped a good pair of jeans. Thank goodness no one else (‘cept S) was around!

But I didn’t let Sheila get the best of me…Oh no. I got right back on that bike and rode it all the way home.

Tomorrow I’ll give her another go…

Le Shana Tova

Last evening was the eve of Rosh Hashana...the Jewish New Year.

Today we are joining the small Laramie Jewish Community for morning services.

A sweet and Happy New Year to all who celebrate (and to those don't as well)!

Testing...Redux

That last post was written and auto saved at 7:46 MT.

Scratching my head to figure out why the posting time lists as an hour earlier at PST.

Seriously...this is all just for me (because there just isn't any other way...except for a handwritten journal...to capture and remember the fleeting moments and the feelings experienced on this journey).

Besides, my two men left for school together this morning...J's school is just down the street from the law school and we're trying something different this morning...so I have a few extra minutes to goof off!

What better way than to spend it with my new BFFN...or my new "Best Friend For Now!?"

The acronym comes courtesy of my mom. I was explaining the post..."what happens when..." and how my computer has become my new best friend. Mom laughed and suggested I give my computer a name...we came up with "BFFN."

Thanks, mom!

[Seriously, though...I think she might be a little worried.]

Hope everyone has a wonderful day...

Test...

Just trying to figure out on which "time standard" my blog is set.

My 'computer' thinks we're still on EST and reads...9:46 AM. Two hours later than our actual Mountain Standard Time of 7:46 AM.

But it seems that my posts are set at whatever time my 'computer' feels like...sometimes CST or even PST!

Weird...

Life…with a teenager

Who is this strange young man who looks amazingly like our son, but increasingly has the personality of a lemon…sour!

We’ll…maybe not ALL the time.

Who is this contrary young man who refutes and rebuts everything we say?

Who is this boy, whose recent favorite phrase---“That’s just awesome”---really means “Would you please just leave me alone.”

How did this happen?

When did he become this…teenager (especially without our knowledge or our consent)?

It seems like it just happened…overnight.

When we arrived in Laramie, he still resembled our “little” boy…albeit, maturing.

In three short weeks he’s become someone we’ve never met before.

I’m not sure I like it. Not so much that he’s becoming non-communicative, or a smart aleck or full of sarcasm.

No. What I don’t like…what scares me…is my boy, nay, my “child,” is growing up.

I’m just not ready for it---not now.

Too much has changed in our lives. Too many firsts and new beginnings are fast coming our way and I’m just not ready to share my home with…a teenager.

[Sigh…]

Someone just told me that 13 year olds “disappear,” but then they return...around age 20.

[Double sigh…]

Yep. Life...it’s a changing.

So what happens when one…

• moves far away from family & friends, or

• moves to a small town, or

• moves far away from family & friends and moves to a small town, or

• doesn’t have any friends in the new small town, or

• doesn’t have a job to meet & make new friends in the new small town, or

• has family who are gone all day at work or school in the new small town, or

• stays at home (a lot) to get boxes unpacked and the house in order (and besides doesn't have anywhere else to go) in the new small town, or

• all of the above

One starts talking to their computer...is what (case in point with this post)!

Just took a break from unpacking a half-dozen or so boxes and trying to figure out where to put what…or what to store or what to give away…when this popped into my head.

I’m just being silly…or am I slowly losing it? You be the judge.

Actually…I’m just having fun and entertaining myself. Yeah. Right!

More than just a Farmer’s Market (or a whole lot to learn)…

The Laramie Farmer’s Market has turned out to be more than just a bunch of kiosks where we purchase local produce and other comestibles, including the best ever kettle corn.

Last Friday, I decided to try some handmade soap with Emu oil to (hopefully) help combat the inevitable dry skin common to Wyoming. Linn, the vendor, suggested I purchase a “family-friendly” scent…Juniper Breeze.

Linn informed me that Emu Oil is an animal by-product…before she rubbed some oil onto my arm. I told her, “That’s okay, as long as the animal isn’t killed just for the oil extract.” She assured me that all parts of the animal are used. Indeed, they also sell Emu meat.

So I walked away with my bar of soap thinking…Emu must be some type of sheep…or goat…or a Lama-esque animal. You laugh!!…while Andi, is probably just rolling her eyes…at my ignorance! Yeah…I was surprised to go online and discover that Emu...is a bird!!!!

I’m glad to know I’m still not too old to learn a thing or two…and you might just find a handmade bar of soap with Emu oil in your holiday stocking this year!

Later, when Linn saw me leaving the market, she caught up with me to tell me about the local square dancing club, which of course, I had already looked into--- but can you see S square dancing?! Umm…don’t think so!

Lots of nice and friendly people here in Laramie.

Hasta entonces…

Laramie on National Television

The University of Wyoming Cowboys played rival Texas Longhorns yesterday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium here in Laramie. The Longhorns, I understand, are ranked # 2 in the nation for college football. The Cowboys and the Longhorns have met but a mere 3 times on the gridiron, and yet…are intense rivals.

The game was a sell-out (over 31,000 in attendance) and pretty much the event of the season thus far. Unfortunately for us, we were too late to purchase reduced faculty season tickets…pretty much the only way we could get into the Texas game. I heard one of the Sportscasters mention that Texas Longhorn fans had to purchase UWYO Cowboy season tickets just to attend yesterday’s game.

We watched the game on cable TV and if we had opened the windows we probably would have heard the roar from the stadium, which is a mere hop-skip-and a jump from our front door. We drove by the stadium just prior to kick-off and could see the fans sitting on the bleachers…this is, a small town after-all. In fact, when we do go to watch a future game, we’ll leave our cars in the garage and walk to the stadium to avoid the hassle of parking...or maybe we’ll bike the 2-3 minutes it will take to get there. The pleasures of small town living!

During the game, the TV cameras would occasionally pan to the sights beyond the high stadium seating to views of the mountains and hills that surround Laramie, which is really what this post is about...Laramie, Wyoming on national television…probably one of the few times the rest of the nation will catch a glimpse without having to trek out here for a visit.

During commercial breaks we got a glimpse of the schedule of the upcoming college games to be televised on Versus (cable network channel) and alas, the Cowboys are not on the schedule.
S thinks the Cowboys probably aren’t a ranked high enough to warrant TV time and that the only reason yesterday’s game was televised was due to the second-ranked Texas Longhorns. Oh well…

So…if you missed yesterday’s game, which I’m sure most of you did, you missed some sights of Laramie. Not a big deal, but it sure was nice to see bits and pieces of our new small home town on national television.

I get my kicks when I can…

Thanks for stopping by…

September 11...

I’m so ashamed. I forgot that today is September 11. I can claim that I’ve been so confused with the days lately…not getting a newspaper or having to be anywhere…but I have The Washington Post as my home page and I knew it was coming, and yet, I still forgot…until I turned on the TV this morning. I don’t want to ever become immune or complacent…or forgetful about this day (or August 29, when Katrina devastated New Orleans), especially since I’m so far away, and today…I especially feel so very far away.

I wasn’t at “home” in Arlington…on the East Coast…for that 8:46 am moment of silence. I was here, on Mountain Time, at 6:46, just waking for a new day. I wish I had remembered, so I could have paid homage at that moment in time, like I would have at “home.”

I was working catty-corner from the Department of Treasury on September 11, 2001 and was sent home soon after the Pentagon was hit. The streets were filled with terrified and sobbing D.C. workers, all trying to call someone on their cell phones, which, as a result, overloaded the system and no one was able to get through to anyone else. Fortunately for me, my dearest friend from Maryland was able to get through to my phone to let me know that J’s school was keeping the kids in class until parents could come and get them. Her call was such a relief since it was his first few days as a kindergartener in a new school where we didn’t know any of the other families, but especially because S and I were both on the D.C. side of the Potomac River.

I remember the terror I and the other thousands of D.C. workers felt as a jet flew low overhead, knowing full well that the skies had been closed. Then someone shouted…”it’s a military plane!” I remember seeing the smoke billow from the Pentagon as I drove a young, terrified co-worker home (once I was able to retrieve my car) and I remember the sound of the military jets flying all night long, patrolling the skies for weeks afterwards. I want to keep on remembering all of these things and exactly how I felt that day and the weeks afterwards so that I never do forget what happened…or the people whose lives were lost that day. So I will make time today to watch the special programs and to read the special tributes…

On a positive note…I will never forget that September 11 is the birthday of two young and adorable friends…one was born on September 11, 2001, and the other was born on September 11, 2008. Happy Birthday to them!!!!!

Edited to Add:
[oops...that should be September 11, 2007. So sorry to M...ito!]

Where the deer and the antelope play…

On Sunday, S and I decided to try and catch a glimpse of some of the famed Wyoming Antelope.

So we took a 15 mile cruise along Happy Jack Road…a two-lane, wide open highway running approximately 37 miles east/west between Laramie and Cheyenne (and parallel to the more traveled I-80).

Happy Jack meanders through high plains timberland

and an open plateau

with lots of fanciful looking rock formations

all under Wyoming’s bright blue…Big Sky.

They say Antelope poise high on the hills, which we weren’t lucky enough to see, but we have plenty of time and who can complain with such beautiful and unspoiled vistas…except for this.

We passed a dozen or so cars going and coming and an equal number of hikers and campers coming down from the hills, which we’ve heard offer great hiking, picnicking, boating and fishing.

I’m continually awed by the beauty that is Wyoming. To be sure, there are so many many more breathtaking and awesome places on earth…but with snow-capped mountains in the distance and (places like) Vedauwoo and Happy Jack a mere 10-15 minutes from our front door, it makes for a pretty awesome place to land.

And oh yeah…Sunday was a “peak” day...

Peaks and Valleys

Since moving in 3 weeks ago, I’ve hit the "peaks" and the "valleys." Up until last week, I was more-or-less up near the peak. Then…Bam! By mid-week I tumbled at an extraordinarily fast speed down into the valley. I just wanted to be back home…in my house…or having coffee and a bagel with a walking buddy…planning a dinner party…or just hitting all the familiar places.

I’ve made my way back up the peak, but it’s been somewhat of a slippery slope with some backsliding.

Maybe it’s the moon, which was totally awesome last week.

Yesterday afternoon was one of those “aha” moments…I remembered we’re on a journey, which, despite the occasional tumbling into the valley, is also an adventure full of exciting “firsts” and new beginnings and that we’re lucky to have this opportunity to explore another slice of life in this great big country. (Of course…Europe would have been a great option too!)

So here’s to the peaks and the valleys…and all that’s in between.

Thanks for checking in…