USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Gracie]

Love ya GW, but MrG says brrrrrrrrrrrr but also thanks you. He wants to try down south and see what happens and if after awhile if we hate it...we will load the truck up again and come back this way...or much MUCH further north, if you get my drift.

 

[Gracie]

For all intent and purpose, it appears that my Doxie is prepping to go to the Rainbow Bridge. She's not eating, although she is

Awww. I'm sorry . Good friend of mine just had to put her dog down. That is two friends in less than 3 months that lost their furkid. Sigh.

 

[Gracie]

Meanwhile...this is a new thing I have to get used to. I was blind in my right eye, could see great in my left. But now when I wear my glasses, I can't see damn thing with my right eye that has the new lens and can see fine with my left, but I can't see out of my left while seeing perfectly fine out of my right eye when I DON'T wear glasses. And I have to wait 3 weeks to get new glasses. So....I want to pop out the lens on the right eye of my eyeglasses so nothing is there, keep the left lens and I should be able to see just fine until I get to see the doc for the new glasses, lol.
So at the moment...the best thing for me right now is to type without glasses at all. I can see better although my Use To Be Fine Left eye is balking now and the right is doing just fine even with Floaties.

What a conundrum!

 

[Gracie]

And...we have been running around all day today to get things done and I am flat worn out. 5 hours in town, from eye doc to dmv to bank, to grocery store....and I need a nap. Flat tuckered out. And although I can see...I am getting an eye ache so....NAP TIME!

 

[gallantwarrior]

Love ya GW, but MrG says brrrrrrrrrrrr but also thanks you. He wants to try down south and see what happens and if after awhile if we hate it...we will load the truck up again and come back this way...or much MUCH further north, if you get my drift.

I understand, Gracie! You know I'm with you, heart and soul, and hope for the very best outcome for you and Mr. Gracie (and your puppies). I suppose we'll follow your saga in the CS.

 

[blackhawk]

 

[saveliberty]

Yes, Save. The surgery worked. I think. Took the damn patch thingy off this morning cuz they never said whether to leave it on or not. Called his office this morning and they said no..I'm supposed to only wear it at night. I said well, nobody told us that and the damn thing has been on since the surgery yesterday. They said "take it off". So I did. I have shitloads of floaties. Storms of them. Looks like strings of black smoke. BUNCHES. I have to keep blinking just to see. But yes..I CAN see. Soon as I blink the storm away until they float back where it is blocking my view. I wonder how long that lasts? I will ask him when I go see him today at 2pm for post surgery.

Should clear up soon Gracie. You know I always root for team Gracie!

 

[saveliberty]

Seems like many employees are worried about their future at the moment. It will fall to me to be the positive one Friday and lift everyone going into the weekend. Sometimes management is hard because you have to say and do things that are difficult for you to believe yourself, but the employees deserve a confidence boost.

 

[Gracie]

Is it normal to be up, down, up, down, all over the place? I am excited, then scared, then sad, then excited again, then feeling dread, back to sad, back to semi exited, numb, down again...etc etc etc. Blood pressure has been a stead 211/80, I'm always flushed and hot, then get cold. MrG is afraid I'm gonna keel over from a heart attack. To be honest...I sorta wish I would so I don't have to deal with this any more. But then...he would be alone. And have two old dogs to deal with. And have to start this new "adventure" on his own. I'd feel guilty. Mostly, I keep kicking myself because we have been such idiots to not plan for this. We were supposed to be sitting in rocking chairs on the porch...not starting all over again at the mercy of friends like two beggars holding out a bowl murmuring "alms for the poor?"

Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck.

Sorry. Needed to get that out. Maybe my BP will go down now.

 

[saveliberty]

Is it normal to be up, down, up, down, all over the place? I am excited, then scared, then sad, then excited again, then feeling dread, back to sad, back to semi exited, numb, down again...etc etc etc. Blood pressure has been a stead 211/80, I'm always flushed and hot, then get cold. MrG is afraid I'm gonna keel over from a heart attack. To be honest...I sorta wish I would so I don't have to deal with this any more. But then...he would be alone. And have two old dogs to deal with. And have to start this new "adventure" on his own. I'd feel guilty. Mostly, I keep kicking myself because we have been such idiots to not plan for this. We were supposed to be sitting in rocking chairs on the porch...not starting all over again at the mercy of friends like two beggars holding out a bowl murmuring "alms for the poor?"

Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck.

Sorry. Needed to get that out. Maybe my BP will go down now.

Pretty sure you have overlooked what you are giving to your friends Gracie.

 

[Big Black Dog]

We found the rodeo at the Sheridan Fairgrounds with no problem at all. Got parked and went in. As we entered the fairground the first thing I noticed was Kyle Bush had one of his race cars there so I had to have a photo of myself standing beside the #18 car. Kyle Bush is my favorite NASCAR driver and I couldn't let an opportunity like this pass. Afterwards we milled around and looked at all the stuff they had for sale until it was time to go take our seat. We headed for the grandstands and I nearly dropped my teeth when I saw where our seat was. We were in row 29 and there was only 30 rows. It wasn't a straight up climb to reach our perch but it nearly was. Thankfully we were in the shade but being so high up I doubt if we would have gotten hot because of the decreased oxygen from the height. I was in the middle of a conversation with Mrs. BBD and all of a sudden they surprised me by shooting off a cannon. It scared the dickens out of me and for a brief moment or two I thought I might need to go change my pants! This was the second rodeo I have ever been to. Years ago I attended a very small one at the arena in Rockford but it was mostly a show instead of a full blown rodeo. A big group of young ladies on horseback came romping out all carrying flags and the event was on. First up, and to me the most exciting event was the Indian Pony Races. There were four groups of Indians in each heat and each group had three horses. They had to ride around the race track, change their pony and ride around the race course again. Their race was three laps. The trick of the thing was how well you could dismount from your pony and get upon a fresh pony and continue the race. It was very lively and apparently the fans at the rodeo all loved the pony races. At each heat there would be a different group of Indians until all the heats had been run. The winners of each heat were to race in the grand final race to be conducted the next night which was the last night of the rodeo. Then came all of the usual rodeo events. The final event was the bull riding. I have to tell you with all seriousness if you are the kind of a person who would willingly get upon the back of a wild bull and try to ride it, I think you need some sort of professional evaluation and possibly medications. The crowd loved it and were nearly wild with glee. Folks out west seem to take their rodeos seriously. The rodeo finally ended and we headed back to the campground which was 60 miles away. The speed limit being 80 got us there quickly and it wasn't long before I climbed into bed and drifted off to a deep and peaceful sleep. I don't know why, and I can't explain it, but that night I dreamed about dancing ducks.

Tomorrow I will tell you about our trip down I-90 to the next stop which was the campground at Three Forks, MT.

 

[Montrovant]

Damn you, IRS!

So the woman who told me that I could have my non-filer's letter faxed to me gave me a number to call. That number led me to the same BS recorded crap I've gotten when I've called the IRS before.

Luckily I found the proper path to at least get put on hold, hopefully waiting for an actual person to talk to, no thanks to the actual IRS employee.

 

[Montrovant]

Still on hold. It beeped at me a few times as though something was changing.....then the music started again.

 

[Montrovant]

A person!

 

[Montrovant]

I'm on hold again, but this time it's waiting for them to hopefully fax the letter to my employer......

 

[Foxfyre]

Greetings, Everwon!
It's been a while, hasn't it. Too many pages to read to catch up, sorry.
We've started our rainy season here. I am accustomed to slogging through ankle-deep mud to feed, water, and milk the goats. They still object to the mud. Goats do not like the wet, that's certain.
I've been working at both places, Birchwood and Willow, getting lots done. In Willow, I've been clearing "slash" (branches and leaves, etc. left over from felling trees) and cutting/splitting firewood. My plan to build the barn and move up to Willow this summer were put on hold after the partner shattered his ankle, but I still need to keep cleaning and clearing. That fire here last year, and the many devastating fires in the Lower 48 make it clear that one should take every precaution possible to "fireproof" one's homestead. I've also decided to terrace the slope on the south side of the house for my garden.
Since my last visit here, the Solstice has come...and gone. The nights grow darker, longer. The turning of the year progresses apace.
Hopefully all are doing well.

So happy you checked back in GW. When you are gone so long I worry about you even though I know how busy you are and how your schedule doesn't always allow for recreational computer time. And almost nobody reads every page when they check in here. But looks like your plans are progressing though it seems to me that commuting to Anchorage from Willow during the summer months is more practical than during the winter. But you live there and know what you can cope with. Anyhow happy you are well.

Thanks for the kind words, Foxy! No matter how much I want to make more time for friends, local and distant, things just pile up. I'm waiting for a batch of curds to set up so I can finish the yogurt I'm making. If I don't get on the milk while it's relatively fresh, I just end up throwing away a ruined batch of cheese, or whatever. One of my milk customers came by this afternoon and promised he'd bring some more containers to be filled. Even though he's an MIT-trained chemist, me makes his living making homemade, Alaskan wild berry jams and jellies. So right now is prime berry-picking time for him. Then he'll be prepping for the upcoming crafts fairs.
For all intent and purpose, it appears that my Doxie is prepping to go to the Rainbow Bridge. She's not eating, although she is

I hear you re life setting our priorities for us sometimes. So sorry about your Doxie. The pain of losing them is such a high price for all that unconditional love. But it's worth it.

 

[Foxfyre]

I have never been to Montana before now and finding myself there sort of amazed me. All of my life I have heard stories of Custer's Last Stand and suddenly I found myself less than three miles from the place. I found it a bit hard to get to sleep just thinking of what I might find there in the morning when we payed the Custer Battlefield a visit. First, though, I must say a few words about the campground we were staying in. The 7th Ranch Campground is actually a working cattle ranch that happens to have a very nice campground built upon it. It was one of the nicest campgrounds I have stayed in. Very clean, well-maintained and plenty of hot water in the shower room. It is within sight of I-90 but no highway noise. The staff there very friendly and when you check in they give you a free ice cream bar. Nice place. Can't say enough good things about it. Anyway, the next morning I woke up just a little after 0600 and went outside to take in the early morning quiet time. Nice breeze and a coolness filled the air. I watched who I later found out to be the owner of the ranch ride his horse out to check on his cattle. There was a rabbit hopping around also enjoying the morning. Before long Mrs. BBD woke up and began to stir around and fix breakfast. We ate, did the morning chores for the 5th wheel and then headed out for the Custer Battlefield just a very few miles up the road.

When we arrived at the Custer Battlefield the person at the gate where you paid to get in asked for $30.00. I asked him if there was a special price for veterans because months before we went through the process of having the word "veteran" place on our driver's licenses. It was supposed to get us into places like this for free I was told at the time we obtained it. Not the case. The ticket guy did say that both Mrs. BBD and I appeared to be over the age of 65 so he said we should buy a National Parks Pass for only $10.00 and it would never expire and we would be able to get into all the National Parks for free by just showing it. The deal was struck and we drove into the parking lot at the Custer Battlefield. The first thing we did was to take a tour of the entire battlefield via a bus and the whole event was explained to us as we looked out upon the battlefield. Here and there were small white tombstones where a fallen soldier was found. There was also some scattered red colored tombstones where an Indian was killed. The tour was very nice and everything was explained very well. I found it odd that it was not the same story I had heard from my father years ago when I was a young boy. Obviously, my father had his facts wrong. After the tour we went inside the museum and looked at all of the artifacts on display there. Very impressive. Then we gathered outside to listen to a Park Ranger give a 45 minute talk about the battle. The fellow who gave the talk was probably one of the best story tellers I have ever heard. This guy was fantastic and you never lost interest in what he spoke about as he told the story about how the battle began and progressed until it ended at the Last Stand Hill. I left in a state of awe. Seriously, if you have never been to the Custer Battlefield, it is something you must do at least once in your lifetime. You won't be sorry you went.

After we left the Custer Battlefield we stopped at a little trading post by the roadside. They too were geared up for tourist but their line of trinkets seemed to be a bit better than the average junk sold at tourist traps. They also had a restaurant so we decided to have a bit of lunch. This is where I came into contact with something called Indian Fry Bread. It was served with honey that you could put on it. It was fantastic. Yummy for the tummy. After we ate we looked around in the gift shop and then went back to the campground to rest up and decide what tomorrow would bring.

The next day we went to the other Custer Museum located in Garyowen. I was more of a tourist trap but it did have a small, but nice museum, attached to it. We looked it all over and then drove up to the county museum in Hardin, MT just up the road. Nice place. Lots of good stuff to see. We spent the rest of the afternoon there then went back to the campground.

After we got back to the campground we decided that we would stay over another night and go to the WYO rodeo in Sheridan, WY the following night. Sheridan was 60 miles away so we got an early start so we could attend the Pow Wow being held there in Sheridan beginning at noon. We got there in plenty of time and found a nice place to sit and watch. It began with an Indian dance and it was quite impressive to see. The grand entrance was spectacular and the dancing indians were very interesting to watch. They all looked especially nice in their finest dress. We watched them dance for several hours. One dance, called the "Chicken Dance" was how a prairie chicken looked as it did it's mating dance. I chucked because it reminded me of how I danced around when I found out I had made Chief back in my old Navy days. There was also a small boy who did what was called the "Grass Dance" and everybody cheered him on because he was so cute. After the Pow Wow ended we went next door into a restaurant once owned in part by Buffalo Bill. Food was great and the beer was good and cold.

By now it was getting close to time to head down to the Sheridan Fairgrounds for the rodeo. We found it with no problem and I will tell you about the rodeo tomorrow.

What a wonderful travelogue BBD. And now you have me thinking that we should drive up to Wyoming and Montana.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm on hold again, but this time it's waiting for them to hopefully fax the letter to my employer......

Okay I should have put you on the vigil list when this first came up, but we need to send some really positive vibes your way.

 

[Dajjal]

I am seriously thinking of drawing my money out of the bank and buying Gold coins. I wish I had done it years ago when I first considered it, because Gold has gone up four times the value.

English Gold sovereigns have gone up forty pounds in the last few months, since when I last looked at them on the Internet.

I am getting no interest on my money in the bank, but Gold keeps going up and up.

 

[Montrovant]

I'm on hold again, but this time it's waiting for them to hopefully fax the letter to my employer......

Okay I should have put you on the vigil list when this first came up, but we need to send some really positive vibes your way.

I'm pretty sure I'm good now. At least, my employer didn't call me back to say there was any problem with the fax. I'll know for certain when she gets home.