Wyoming Breezes

Recently, I’ve been surrounded by a lot of activity. First the roof was replaced on all the buildings in the complex, and this week, the trim and soffits were painted on all the buildings. One thing that attracted me to this complex was the condition of the buildings and grounds. The management team has been stellar!  In the lower right, you can see my tiny garden plot. Compared to Valerie’s garden  mine is pretty pathetic, but I like the color that it provides to my entryway.  Classes at the University of Wyoming start next week, so students are moving back into town. Last Saturday was “move in” day at the dorms, and this week students are moving into off campus apartments. I live on a corner, so I’ve noticed a considerable increase in both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Soon, everyone will fall into a routine, and it will be less chaotic.

Mule deer doe and her two fawns September 2022 Imagine my surprise to look out my patio door and find this doe and her fawns nibbling berries off of the shrubs. This doe basically lives on the Grand Villa grounds. finding shelter on the eastern edge of the property near the privacy fence. That area provides her with protection, plenty of grazing, and access to water. I rarely see her near my apartment because it is next to two busy streets, but I'm glad she decided to share her family with me for a few minutes. 

Pat C. and Kathleen B. add the final pieces to the puzzle January 2022 I invited some friends over on Saturday afternoon to assemble a puzzle, and the three of us visited and worked on the difficult puzzle all afternoon.  Pat and Kathleen also play Mexican Train Dominoes at my apartment and at the Eppson Center. In the three and a half years I’ve lived in Laramie, I’ve been fortunate to find individuals who enjoy many of the same activities that I do and to build friendships with them. 

cutting down Grand Villa trees June 2021 This week chainsaws  and cracking wood can be heard on the morning air -- more trees are being cut down. I was very sad to see the two trees to the west of my front door come down last week. The trees supplied wonderful shade, and I was able to sit on the bench to knit, visit, or read. With the trees felled, it is too uncomfortable to sit in the sun.  both trees were felled in short order I was told the insurance company strongly suggested the trees come down and be replaced with types that did not get as tall.  The Aspen and pine trees will be spared the chainsaw, but all the other species will be felled.  The tree that was planted recently on the south side of my apartment is a Buckeye , and the replacement for  my shade trees will be Hawthorns .

ready to be planted May 2021 Even though Arbor Day is officially the last Monday in April in Wyoming, it can be quite cold then to be planting trees. Thus, almost a month later, the maintenance crew took advantage of the nice weather and planted several young trees along Binford Street.  You may remember the snow storm that hit this area last June and all the damage that occurred to the trees . Many of the trees in my apartment complex were damaged in that storm, and numerous trees were marked for removal. Since last June, maintenance has removed the problematic trees and their stumps in preparation for the new trees.  It will be fun to watch the trees put down roots and mature. 

antique ice cream scoop collection September 2018 The owner of Grand Villa hosts an ice cream social every year for the tenants. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet some of my new "neighbors." A tenant directory (each person had to sign a waiver to be included in the booklet) was distributed. I spoke to the owner briefly as I examined the scoops. He told me he used to collect Civil War pistols until they became too expensive, so he switched to a more affordable hobby of collecting antique ice cream scoops/dippers. He brought about half of his collection to display at the ice cream social. The variety of designs was interesting. 

my new home August 2018 One of the maintenance guys came by on Friday to hang my pendulum clocks, fix a window crank, and attach my flag holder. With that all done, my apartment now "feels like home." I am very impressed with how helpful the manager and maintenance crew are in this complex. The maintenance guys even hauled some of my "purged" items to a local church for a yard sale. All of the residents that I've talked to (some have lived here from 5 - 10 years) are pleased with how quickly their requests are handled. I'm happy that I found an apartment that is well maintained and the people are friendly.