Wyoming Breezes

This is a repost from 2014. Spring always brings back memories of the geese Mom raised on the farm.  Nesting Goose approx. 1977 My mother loved her geese, and the numbers grew steadily every year. It was common to see the flock (gaggle) parade around the yard and even across the County road to swim in the irrigation ditch. One year the ditch rider complained about the geese in the ditch, but his complaints fell on deaf ears because the geese kept the algae in the ditch under control. Mom's flock of geese grew to nearly 50 in 1977 Mom's geese got a bit territorial in the spring, and it was wise to give them a wide berth, especially near their nests. The goose and gander took turns sitting on the large eggs, and they both would extend their necks and hiss if someone got too close to the nest. It was common to see the ganders chase the dogs across the yard if they got too close to the flock or to the goslings. I've also seen the geese as well as the ganders chase people who go...

cutting alfalfa with a sickle bar mower early 1960s Before my brother purchased a windrow (aka a swather), he and my Dad cut hay with a sickle bar mower behind the John Deere B. The mower cut the alfalfa about four inches from the ground and it fell flat. Before the hay could be baled, it had to be raked. I don't have a photo of a rake, but it is pulled behind the tractor and off to the side over the cut alfalfa. It has long, thin teeth that fluff the cut alfalfa into windrows In the mid 1960s my brother bought a windrower (a piece machine that is a mower and a rake in one). You can see the difference in the appearance of the cut alfalfa from a windrower in this 2013 post .  The sickle bar mower was not put into permanent retirement as it was often used to cut weeds along the ditches in the fields.  No matter if it's cut with an old fashioned sickle bar mower or a fancy windrower, the alfalfa smells wonderful right after it is cut. It's even better smelling that freshly plo...

close up of an abandoned threshing machine This old threshing machine was located on my brother's farm. I can't remember if it was there when he bought the farm or was moved there afterwards. It sat on a windswept hill surrounded by other abandoned farm machinery abandoned threshing machine Many of you may not know the purpose of this large machine, but it was the predecessor of the modern combine. The crew who worked with the thresher was large, and it was a dusty/dirty physical job.  Mom told me that Dad travelled for a couple of years with a threshing crew before they were married.  an old family photo of a thresher at work. separating the grain from the straw

Nancy and Rosa S. mid 1980s I'm pretty sure my brother, Rich took this photo of Mom and me at the kitchen sink. It looks like we are peeling potatoes and preparing for the next meal. Since the Christmas salt and pepper shakers are on the shelves, I'd say the photo was taken in November or December.  Several generations of babies were bathed in the sink, and numerous stacks of dishes and pot/pans were washed in it over the years. 

John Deere "G" approximately mid to late 1950s It's difficult to tell what implement is hooked up to the tractor; however with the weights on the tractor's back wheels, I'd guess it is a plow, but I could be wrong. The wheel weights added traction. The canvas cover (heat housing) around the tractor tells me this photo was taken in the Spring or Fall. The cover helped keep the driver somewhat warm since the tractor had no cab. The cover was not used in the Summer. I can still "hear" the distinctive putt-putt of the tractor as it idled. Dad (shown in the first photo) usually topped off the tractor's gasoline before heading out to the field. The fuel tanks were in the middle of the yard under a dim yard light that was switched on and off in the house. Later, the incandescent light was replaced with an automatic mercury light with a light sensitive control.  When my brothers were young, they played basketball under the yard light. A hoop was hung on the ...

dealing with the leaves approx. 1982 The trees around the farmhouse were huge and dropped truckloads of leaves every Fall. Before my Mom got a riding lawnmower that picked up the leaves, it was my job to rake them up every Fall. I didn't really mind the job, but it sometimes seemed never-ending. I often wish I had a penny for each leaf I raked.  Sometimes the leaves were raked into the ditch next to the house and burned, but often they were loaded into the pickup or the manure spreader and unloaded in the fields. Once my Mom started mowing up the leaves, she burned them near the front gate away from any buildings.  To this day, I love the smell of Fall and the sound of leaves crunching underfoot. Do you like raking leaves?

image from Google images Perhaps you noticed that I didn't have any posts last week. I used the time for annual appointments and for getting my "ducks in a row" to update my will, trust, and other important documents. If you don't have a will, advanced care directive (living will), organ donation authorization, or a trust, I encourage you to seriously consider preparing the documents. Yes, the attorney fees may be considerable, but not having the documents may cost your family more than money - I know from experience. I've been through an ugly struggle twice - once after my mother died and the second after my brother died. "Things" and money carry different weight with individuals, and those family members you think you know will turn into completely different people when property and money are involved. Don't risk having an estranged family after your death: get your ducks in a row!

Weighted blankets are currently popular and are being touted as improving the quality of sleep; but in my opinion this is not a new idea. I remember sleeping under several heavy wool quilts when I was growing up, and to this day, I prefer to have one or more quilts on the bed. I also sleep better when I have a folded quilt at the foot of the bed. The weight of the bedding keeps me from tossing and turning; thus, providing a better night's sleep. What are your thoughts about weighted blankets?

Marilyn & Evelyn (sisters) approximately 1948 or 1949 I love my sisters' silhouettes on the car in this old photo. If the photo was taken in 1948, Marilyn would have been three years old, and Evelyn (Sis) would have been seven years old. Don't you love the matching posing stances and their outfits - right down to the shoes and anklets.

Mom heads to the vehicle with someone's overshoes date unknown - probably mid-1940s My parents purchased a farm in the Pavillion area in the late 1930s. They developed the farm, and all of the buildings were constructed by my Dad. original farmhouse approximately 1940 The house started as a simple shack and additions were added as needed. The exterior of the house was tar paper until the mid-1960s when pink aluminum siding was installed (see post below). A cement walk and patio was added in the early 1960s. A white pipe clothesline pole is just visible over Mom's right shoulder, and two more poles were further to the right. The clothesline was large enough to hang all the family laundry. In the late 1960s a garage was built to the right of where Mom is located in this photo. Note the Wind River mountains can barely be seen on the horizon. The trees in back of the house grew considerably over the years and blocked some of the view. Behind the row of trees was a...

picking up milk from the dairy barn approx. 1956 or 1957 My dad and mom started selling milk commercially in 1957 to the Morning Star Dairy based in Riverton, WY. Note that the driver is holding milk cans. The cows were milked in a two stanchion barn. A new barn was built in 1963 with six stanchions (three on each side) and the a glass pipeline from the stanchions to the large refrigerated, stainless steel, bulk milk tank that held hundreds of gallons of raw milk. Later, another bulk tank was added to the barn and was used occasionally. milk being pumped into the milk truck in August 1958 Manford Marlow (driver), Jay McFarland (Morning Star Dairy manager), and my dad, Art Stearns In the mid-1960s, the dairy farmers joined the Mountain Empire Dairy Association (MEDA) and the milk was trucked to Denver, Colorado for processing. MEDA milk truck approximately 1978 When I was growing up, there were ten dairies within a ten mile radius. Gradually, the cost of trucking became ...

Chris M. and Nancy S making sugar cookies approximately 1991 or 1992 It's time to make a batch of Marilyn's sugar cookies. It makes a big batch, so I plan to use my Valentine and St. Patrick's Day cookie cutters, too. Those cookies will be frozen until it's time to thaw and frost. Note : this a a recipe from the early 60s when lard was a common ingredient - just substitute with Crisco.  You will have to experiment with your preferred thickness of the rolled dough to result in the perfect sugar cookie.

puzzle in progress December 2017 My love for jigsaw puzzles started at an early age. Every winter, my Mom pulled out the card table and placed it in front of the drafty door in the living room. Covering the table were puzzles with colorful images from around the world. Sometimes, the puzzles had been assembled one, two, or three years earlier: some had pieces missing, but we still enjoyed working on them. Winter and puzzles go well together. I enjoy the challenge of puzzles, especially ones that purposefully provide a twist. Impossibles are puzzles that have no edge pieces, and they also include five extra puzzle pieces. Usually, I begin a puzzle by turning all the pieces face up and separate the straight-edged pieces to build the frame. With Impossibles by Bepuzzled, my strategy has to change, and I begin with color and build from there. Luckily the photo on the box of Roses Are Red . . . matched the puzzle (often times with Impossibles it doesn't) Roses are Red . . is t...

John S. and farm cat South Dakota approximately 1934 This photo makes me wonder what happened next - did my oldest brother pet the cat? Did the cat run away or stand its ground? Were there tears? When I was teaching, I often used photographs as prompts for writing assignments. One observation can ignite a story.

John Stearns Plowing "Over North" west field Spring 1989 When the sun begins to warm the soil, farmers get the itch to work in the fields. My brother rotated his crops between alfalfa, oats, and corn to build up the soil, so plowing was only done between alfalfa and corn and then from corn to oats. Rich seeded alfalfa with the oats, so the following year the alfalfa would be established and ready to produce. A field was left in alfalfa for several years. In these photos, alfalfa was being plowed under so the field can be prepared for the next crop (corn). I love the feel and smell of freshly plowed earth, and recently seeing plows in the fields brought back a lot of memories. It was common, especially on the home place for seagulls from Ocean Lake to follow the plow and gobble up worms from the turned soil. Other birds joined the gulls in the feeding frenzy. nearing the end of the field My oldest brother often helped Rich in the spring and during harvest....

John S. collapsing cellar approx. 1984 I don't know when my parents built the cellar on the farm, but I'm guessing it was in the late 1940s. The cellar walls were dirt and almost smooth. On the west side of the narrow path down the middle was an open area to store potatoes, hard-shelled squash (acorn and huge hubbard), gourds, onions, and other root vegetables from the field and garden. Other items were also stored in the northwest corner, like empty lard buckets and empty wicker baskets and wire potato baskets. The east wall had narrow shelves to store numerous Mason jars, filled with tomatoes, tomato juice, corn and creamed corn, green beans, apples and apple sauce, sauerkraut, pickles (sweet and dill), peaches, pears, cherries, jams and jellies, apple butter and other fruits and vegetables if they were available. What we didn't eat out the garden was canned and taken to the cellar. The steps into the cellar were wide and deep and cut from the earth. In the spring, ...

Standing: Oscar Lund, Nils Gabrielsen, Barbara and Bob Rohn, my Mom, Harold and Alma Schmidt, Linda Keldsen, Art Rohn. Seated: Karen Gabrielsen, Naomi Lund, and Lydia Rohn December 1970 or 1971 Last week, I posted a photo and some memories of the Circle K Extension club . Today, I'm sharing a more recent photo (probably from the early 1970s) of a Christmas dinner the group held at a local restaurant. These couples were neighbors and friends for many years. Oscar and Naomi Lund owned the grocery store in Kinnear for many years. At the rear of the store was the local post office, and Oscar was the postmaster. Naomi worked at the store and also gave piano lessons. Oscar was quite a jokester and had a booming laugh. Nils and Karen Gabrielsen lived down the hill from my Mom and also had a dairy farm. Nils parents Gabe and Mary lived there before Nils and Karen took over the farm. Both Gabe and Mary were deaf, but Mary and my Mom visited often by "finger writing" on ...

Circle K Extension Club late 1950s or early 1960s Mom was a member of the Circle K Extension Club for many years. The group met monthly in the members' homes: the photo was taken at our house (my mom is seated with her arms crossed). The group had a program booklet that had a reusable cover - purple with a large, gold circle with a large "K" in the middle that intersected with the circle. The pages (one for each month) were secured with a leather lace, tied with a knot. The program booklet listed the monthly hostesses, the monthly program and presenters; additional pages listed the officers and contact information (phone numbers) for the members. It was a social group, but they also had various lessons and programs at their meetings, and once a year, they prepared a display booth for the County Extension Day. The booths were judged, and the groups were awarded certificates accordingly. The event was usually held in a school gymnasium, and in addition to the booth ...