Friday June 29 2007

Horse Creek Fire From The Ranch at Sunset

(o.k. I won't put any more smoky sunsets in)

We've got this flock of crows that have decided they like our place and have taken up roosting in the trees in back at night. They are so noisy, I don't want them around. This has never happened before and I don't know what the deal is.

Wind has come up hard again this afternoon. Good to keep the bugs off if you're out. Charm called and Jo up in Bondurant says its so smoky up there that she wondered if we wanted to postpone the Mixed Media meeting at her house until another time. So we decided not to go. Bummer.

I've spent several hours on the phone today, and more phone calls the last 3 days, with service people trying to get someone to come and fix or replace the TV. All I've gotten so far is the run around from one place to another. They even had me talking to Sears - what a waste of time! (I bought it at Best Buy but they said some companies contract with Sears to repair appliances.) Much more of it and I'm going to get pretty mad. They are all saying that its too far to come, but they have all our money etc. etc. One thing I'm enjoying while it lasts.....no fox news or sports blasting all day. Joe's playing his CDs on the Bose radio/CD player so that's pretty nice, or he gets bored enough that he goes outside and finds something else to do.

CARVINGS ON THE ASPENS

AND COLLECTION OF POEMS

'

The writer's group I belong to, Sublette County Artists Guild, is having a drive to sell more copies of the last book we published. It is a reproduction of two of the favorite old books of history, poetry and photographs that the Guild has done. The original Carvings on the Aspens is long out of print, and quite valuable when you can get one. The members are being asked to sell five books each this summer in order to reduce the inventory. They make wonderful gifts. They cost $26 plus S&H. If you would like one please let me know and I'll see that you get it. (Help me sell more of them than Judi.....she's sold about 20 of them!!)

Thursday June 28 2007

Antelope Ground Squirrel

Sparky and Raven Swim

Sage Chickens

Lupine

Very nice day, warm - Joe says hot. He worked on some of his haying equipment and got the baler ready to go. I did a lot of miscellaneous catching up jobs. My company I was expecting is going to postpone their visit, and will come over a little later in the summer. Bummer. Saturday is the Mixed Media painting meeting, we go up to Jo's on Jack Creek at Bondurant. I think I'll take my pastels. And the bug spray. Charm is going to drive and I'll meet her in Pinedale. Since the car will be in there all day, I'll try to leave it somewhere to get the oil changed. If not Saturday it could be done Monday. Charm and I are going in for lunch and a meeting for the new fine arts and conference center. Beverly's trip to Prescott is also cancelled. She says Bummer. Cousin Donna's basement flooded while they were away to camp. Sounds like she will have a mess to clean up.

I hardly slept last night, and have been doing so well with it lately. Have been awake since about 3 and (2 and 1 and 12:30 etc. must not have slept much because it was nearly midnight when I went to bed.) I kept reading Only Count the Sunny Hours in between dozing. So I finally got up before 4:30. I'm suspecting a bottle of peach ice tea I drank on the way home yesterday. If I remember right that has happened before with that. It must be saturated with caffeine. I got some letters written that I'd put off doing.

Did get the TV repair process started and that was several phone calls. Best Buy says no one wants to come this far - Riverton is closest and they don't want to come - you know that Geek Squad?? Anyway he said in two to three business days (middle of next week?) someone will call and set up and appointment for the repair or replacement - and when might that happen. Sounds like this might linger quite some time before Joe gets his TV back. He comes in the studio and sits in here to watch some things. Its been very peaceful and quiet, and now he's playing his music CDs. This isn't a bad thing! I even felt in the right mood to finish another small study painting. Maybe when it dries I'll put some horses in it. I have several things to take to Ruth to frame.

A rock or something hit my windshield/car yesterday. It sounded like a gun going off. When I let everyone out and went to the car wash I looked the whole car over and couldn't find but the tiniest scratch on the driver's side windshield. Very small for such a loud sound.

It's very pleasant right now, if the bugs don't carry us away. The dogs and I are went out on the ATV for a ride to the mailbox, there is a little mail that should go in the morning. They came back all wet, muddy and tired. I must have seen a hundred antelope, and one baby up close which we unintentionally cut off from the grownups - it was pretty frightened, several bunches of sage chickens, killdeer doing their broken wing act, sage sparrows - which are there but usually so hard to spot, the cattle - Angus and Herefords, ground squirrels.

Although it wasn't smoky here today, the plume of smoke to the west was more visible and seemed bigger. Sun was red going down.

Wednesday June 27 2007

Some of the images of our very full day.

Recycle

Companionship and Chicken Salad

Meeting Place

Friends at Sublette County Artists Guild Writer's Group

Helena and Judi

The Mesmerizing Spatulas

Symbolic of the Cooks, Our Fine Lunch and The Fullness of the Day

Tree Doodle - My Contribution

6x9 Oil by Lynn Thomas

Smoke Overshadowing

Home

Peace

Tuesday June 26 2007

Spectacular - Taken by Alene who Lives Over There

Lifted this photo off the http://www.pinedaleonline.com/ site where there are more photos and story. Horse Creek Fire at 3000 acres Tuesday night The Horse Creek Fire grew by 1800 acres since noon yesterday as winds spread the blaze to the south and southeast, with thick smoke billowing high into the air all dayTuesday.

We had a nice day, calm here until about sunset and the wind is really kicking up now. It was about 80 degrees, nice.

This morning worked on and emailed a WAOW board message with my mentoring vs quality discussion - each of us on the board is supposed to be sharing our thoughts. Got some of the iris bulbs dug up because some people will take them tomorrow. That's part of the project for moving the flowers out of the back yard, so a good thing for them to have nice homes. Also made up the SCAG (writer's group) schedule and roster to pass out at our meeting tomorrow, I had spaced that out, should have done it days ago. Then wrote out the agenda for the business meeting. Made a hamburger potato onion casserole and zucchini for dinner tonight so there will be something leftover for tomorrow's dinner. Got the flower pots watered, because they won't get any tomorrow.

Wednesday is our SCAG meeting over in Marbleton. Five of us are riding to the meeting together in my car, so I cleaned out the inside of the car. It hasn't been done since last year, so you can imagine the dog hair and dirt, and smeary windows. I sprayed some Lysol in there so maybe it won't stink!! We will meet at Rendezvous Pointe at 11 a.m. One thing, we will get a good look at the fire from Marbleton.

It will be a long day since I want to use the trip to shop and do some other errands on my list. Will run the SUV through the car wash, need an oil change but that probably won't happen. Will take the recycling stuff, and drop off four boxes of books to the museum. Get some wire for Joe for the well. I hope I have time to go up to the nursery and look for a few more flowers.

Saturday is our Mixed Meeting about 2/3 of the way to Jackson, where a member has a second home near Bondurant. We will paint and have lunch up there. Charm is going to drive that day. Kay and Cyndi are coming over Friday, or maybe Thursday, from Riverton for the weekend. Need to be prepared for that.

Now I have to email a lady about the plans for the Conference Center, she left a message on my phone sometime today and I just saw it. She wants to have a meeting Monday or Tuesday. Didn't make the last meeting, so I better go to this one. I may not be able to email or blog much until next week. So don't worry if you don't hear from me for a while.

Purple Rocket in the Garden

Monday June 25 2007

How Smokey Is It?

There are over 240 fire personnel working the Horse Creek fire, burning on the Big Piney Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. After seeming to be more in control yesterday it grew to 1200 acres Monday. By late afternoon it was very smoky here. There are photos on www.pinedaleonline.com if you want to look.

Today was windy and fairly cool and needed a jacket this evening. The photos above show the smoke, but also how much the hay has grown. Its not looking too bad. This morning soaked my feet for a pedicure while I did the email. The pedicure Shelly gave me sure got me spoiled in a hurry to want to go back to her instead of doing it myself. Maybe next time. I will probably spend the money instead on that garden cart. Have been painting this afternoon.

The moths, which I'm sure came from tent caterpillars - I had a bunch of them on my shrubs. they were ordinary brown ones. I'm surprised they were only swarming that one night, and not since. I've never see that before.

A bit of trivia since I don't have much news: Dates in rather peculiar juxtaposition this Monday include Custer's Last Stand at Little Big Horn; National Forgiveness Day; and Leon Day, which tells us that Leon spelled backward is Noel, we are just six months away from Christmas, and we should shop early this year. I will try forgiveness, but probably won't shop until the last minute.

Sunday June 24 2007

Antelope Doe with Five Fawns

A Great Photo by Judi Myers

Judi sent me this photo they took going from their house to town. Its very unusual to see this unless she was babysitting. Judi said any other antelope were far off. Three fawns happens, maybe I've seen four, never five. So this is very rare. I hope she has enough milk for them. She's doing a good job so far. I thought you'd enjoy seeing it too. They are wonderful. And thanks for sharing, Judi.

A pair of cranes with their baby were out in the field this morning. I always love to see that they are raising little ones successfully. Its a dangerous time for them until they can fly.

Too many clouds, did not see the International Space Station last night. But there was quite a sunset again through the smoke from the forest fire. Next thing of interest in the sky is on the 30th - Venus and Saturn are supposed to be next to each other. Its sure easy to pick Saturn out right now.

Another clear and warm day. The pinedaleonline said records for high temperatures are being broken here, but for some reason its not seeming too warm. It must just be early to be this warm.

I've really been going right to sleep and sleeping more soundly and longer for a while now. And laying down earlier at night. Its about time. I've worked hard on getting myself unstressed.

After lunch Tom called Joe and asked how many more bales of hay he needed, and that he would come over and get the old mower. And then next Aubrey called and asked what we were doing and that he and Pat were coming over. So we had company and a nice visit with everyone this afternoon. Aubrey told about his garden he left in Georgia - it sounds like he's growing some of everything. I told him it was not a garden but a small farm. They brought us a can of their wonderful green beans from their garden. We've had them before and they are delicious. They got a miniature daschaund since we saw them last. It is about a year old they said. They have a second home here and come in the summer and fall. Aubrey likes to hunt and fish too. We got to talking about all the odd and strange men who live out in the mountains in tipis and camps and ancient tiny campers. We talked about wells, and horses, and grandkids. After a couple of hours Tom and Joanne drove off with the mower in the back of his truck. That was great to get another thing gone out of the shed. Joe had taken it out of the back of the shed yesterday, so they just had to unload the hay and load the mower. And Aubrey and Pat went home to let the weiner dog out of his kennel. We promised to get together again soon.

Saturday June 23 2007

Drifts
20x24 Oil - by Lynn Thomas

This was an old painting that I recently scanned. The reference photo was from a trip to Cody and through Yellowstone Park one May coming back from Sheridan and the WAA convention years ago. Since everyone is whining about how hot they are right now, thought this would be a Good Painting for a Summer Day.

So far very nice here. Its supposed to be 86 today but probably will not get to that. We have less smoke this morning, hopefully they are getting the forest fire under control. But last night was another spectacular sunset through the smoke. Joslyn said: "Lisa called Howard and I in Casper…she could see the fire from Piney. Jacques went and checked it out…did put the horses in, to move them if he had to…and I’m sure didn’t get much sleep last nite. Told Howard it kicked up again this afternoon. Jac said very smoky at the ranch." Is that scary or what! I thought it would be back further in the forest, but can see it would be very close to them. Their ranch is very near Horse Creek and Cottonwood Creek, west of Daniel toward the mounains. Today pinedaleonline says at the last report the burn has grown to 700 acres but no buildings are in danger, so I breathed a sigh of relief at that, but the wind is also supposed to blow today.

I was always worried what I would do with 50 horses at the lodge if we had to get out because of a fire, but would have just got horseback and driven the bunch in a direction away from the fire hopefully. We only had a couple of nearby fires during the time I was there. One above the lake that they parachuted to - and other times helicopters would land in the yard.

Smoke Jumpers Above Mud Lake

in the early 80's

You can just see the far shore of the lake on the bottom left. And that's Warbonnet Peak. I have several photos of the parachutes, some with two or three at a time, but this one was the best to give a feeling of place and what's happening. This was probably the time that we fed about 80 hungry Forest Service firefighters for 3 days, breakfast lunch and dinner. Making them each 2 sandwiches with fruit and cookies and a candy bar first thing in the morning was the worst and all those sacks! The second worst thing was we didn't have enough plates and had to keep washing dishes in between shifts. One of them told me I was the best cook between there and the Continental Divide. What a compliment!!.... I was kind of starry eyed until I realized I was the ONLY cook between there and the Continental Divide.

Joe got his baler and mower out of the shed this morning, so guess he's ready to go to haying at a moment's notice, but has to wait for the irrigation water to be turned off first. He and Tom may be making some kind of deal between them for one of the old mowers Joe has.

Finally found all of the files Judi has given me through the years about history and her inverviews and maps and trips and got them together into one big pile instead of stuffed in lots of obscure places. If I ever want to take a trip into the neverland there is a map for that. Judi makes the neatest maps of their treks and explorations with illustrations and miles to gates or forks in the road, over hills and dales. I need to put it all into a file box so I can find them.

I've been trying to get things a little more organized and have to get the Barn Show going. I've sure been procrastinating about everything, especially "spring" cleaning. Need to really do some deep cleaning and do not want to. This morning I renewed the domain name for my website which is due soon - lynnthomasart.com - at godaddy so will have it again for another 3 years. Irritating .....they are trying to get me to take other domain names which I certainly don't need.

4 p.m. 80 degrees in the shade, got my glass of ice tea. Joe mowed the back yard. My flower potting job is finished, unless I can find some more plants to replace all the ones that froze. Next am going on to getting the yard civilized looking. Will get the weedeater out soon and fire it up and have started digging some beds in front to begin the big plant transfer project. I'm thinking about ordering one of those flatbed garden wagons to haul the loads of stuff around with, rocks and boxes of paintings and flower pots and 50 pound bags of dog food etc. Its getting hard to carry loads back and forth in this yard.

Metal Mesh Garden Cart was $150 for $90. What do you think?