Wyoming Breezes

British phone booth in front of Mimi"s Consignment shop Laramie, WY August 2018 I didn't expect to see an authentic British phone booth in Laramie.

baby hat in progress August 2018 Yes, I still know how to knit. . . I just haven't picked up my needles much in the last month. Currently, I am working on two projects: a shawl and a scrap yarn, baby hat. It's been fun to knit with the group that meets at the Eppson Center (senior center) on Wednesday afternoons: conversation flows easily as we work on projects.

sculpture at Reynolds Crossing Business Plaza Laramie, WY August 2018 Seeing this sculpture made me smile. The kids expressions are full of excitement. I love that the little girl is driving and appears to be honking the horn, and the little boy is hanging on for dear life. I can almost hear their squeals as they race down the street.

Little Library on the corner of S. 5th and E. Garfield Streets Laramie, WY August 2018 I'm learning which streets to use to avoid university traffic and which streets have stop lights for easier turning. I've discovered which grocery stores have inflated prices and which ones have good produce. Laramie has a multitude of restaurants and is woefully lacking variety stores. It appears that Walmart is the only store in town that sells household goods. I've managed to find a dentist, an optometrist, a primary care doctor, and a hair stylist. I've registered to vote and obtained a recycling bin. My "To Do List" is getting smaller. The little library pictured above was not registered on the Free Little Library website, but it was packed with books. I saw it out of the corner of my eye as I was looking for another address.

flowering cabbage/kale Riverside, WY August 2018 I spotted these gorgeous blooms across the street from the park where we stopped for lunch a week ago. The blooms were huge (about 10 inches in diameter), and the colors were vibrant. Have you grown flowering cabbage/kale in your flower garden?

mural on the side of the Fox theater Laramie, WY August 2018

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.

Little Free Library Laramie, WY August 2018 Saturday was such a beautiful day that I explored the neighborhood. I found a Little Free Library all decked out with solar, decorative lights at the intersection of Plains Street and Bath Avenue.

August 2018 My sewing machine hasn't been used for over a month, but on Friday, I moved the pile of "stuff" around it to sew a couple of curtain hems. Most of the windows in my new apartment are covered with vertical blinds. When I bought my previous home 25 years ago, all the windows had vertical blinds, and I grew to detest them because they do not provide a lot of privacy. To my dismay, vertical blinds haven't improved much. The master bedroom in my new apartment has a patio with a sliding door that faces a sidewalk, and outside the door is a flood light that has a motion sensor. For the first week in the apartment, I struggled getting adequate sleep, as the flood light came on frequently (there a tree near the sensor), and the vertical blinds did little to darken the room. The only solution (other than unscrewing the bulb) was to add curtains to darken the room. I found a pair of curtain panels at a local thrift shop for $5 that I thought would block the l...

thirteen bikes participated in the Eagles Charity Poker Run August 2018 My friends, Sue and Bert came to Laramie for a charity Poker Run, sponsored by the Laramie Eagles Aerie. Sue invited me to ride along as she followed the bikers in her vehicle, and I jumped at the chance to visit with her for a full day. The group planned stops along the route where participants drew cards to create a poker hand. We drew cards in Laramie, Woods Landing, Riverside, Centennial, and again in Laramie. It was a gorgeous day with very little wildfire smoke visible. bikers stopped for a group photo on the Snowy Range overlook August 2018 Sue and I saw two moose getting ready to cross the road as we began to descend toward Centennial, and we pondered whether moose have antlers or horns. As we suspected, several of the bikers at the rest stop told us that moose have antlers. The shed antlers are rarely seen since they typically fall off in the high country or in water. one of the bikers dr...

crab apples Washington Park Laramie, WY August 2018 If I hadn't given all of my canning jars away, I might have been tempted to pick some of these apples to make crab apple jelly. Several years ago, I picked crab apples from the trees surrounding the parking lot at Central Wyoming College (CWC). They made the best jelly. Have you picked fruit from trees in public areas that was going to waste?

USB charger in Laramie motel August 2018 I was pleasantly surprised to find USB charging receptacles easily accessible at the two motels that I stayed in recently. One was on the wall above the night stand, and the other was on top of the alarm clock. alarm clock with USB charger August 2018 Have you seen these in your area?

library knitting August 2018 All the boxes are unpacked, most of the items have been put away, and life is starting to settle into a new routine. Now, I plan to venture out and find individuals who share some of my interests. I found some local knitting opportunities. On Wednesday afternoon, I knit with some ladies at the senior center; on Saturday afternoon, I went to the local library for the weekly "Sit and Knit," but I was the only one who showed up. The librarian told me that attendance is sporadic, so I'll go a couple more times to see if others attend. Cowgirl Yarns, the local yarn shop, also hosts a knitting group on Mondays. I am confident that between these three groups I will be able to connect with other knitters. Laramie also has two quilt shops, and one of them hosts a Quilt of Valor group. I plan to attend some of their organized QOV sew-ins to meet some quilters.

As I get closer to moving day, I'm feeling more like the bug. While I haven't experienced any large obstacles or detours, I'm tired exhausted. I'm ready to be surrounded by my possessions instead of boxes, tubs, and bins. Today, the movers will be here to pack and load my things. Once the truck is loaded, I'll give the house a good cleaning (vacuuming and/or mopping the floors) and cleaning the hall bathroom. The refrigerator and oven have already been scrubbed, and the master bathroom has been cleaned (the door is securely closed and a sign taped on the door to use the hall bathroom). The garage needs to be swept when everything is loaded. The moving truck will depart Riverton early Friday morning and drive to Laramie which is four hours or approximately 221 miles away. Marilyn and Brenda are driving up from Colorado to help with unpacking. By Sunday maybe I'll feel a bit more "normal."

Brenda's vehicle loaded with "stuff" July 2018 Several of you have asked if the move is going smoothly, and I'm happy to report that everything is on schedule. Brenda was here for the balloon rally, and she helped me start the purging and packing phase. She climbed on a step tool and cleared the top shelves in the garage. She helped me lug items out of the backyard shed. She advised me on what papers to put aside for shredding. She assisted in packing my fabric stash. We loaded her vehicle with "stuff" for donation and then loaded it with items that she wanted to take home. Some aunt I am: she came to see me for a vacation, and I put her to work. I honestly could not have managed without her help. Thanks, Brenda! two extra rollouts from the city July 2018 I requested two large rollout dumpsters from the city, and for a few bucks they obliged. I packed them to the gills, not once, not twice, but three times! items designated for the Senior Cente...

In the coming weeks, please expect delays in my posts, as I will be distracted - busy preparing to move. After living in the Wind River Basin for 55 years (25 years in my present house), I am moving to Laramie, WY to be a bit closer to Colorado where my sister and niece live. I've been searching for an appropriate "senior" apartment complex for several months and toured three sites. I was completely surprised to get a call on Thursday, that an apartment would be available on August 1st. It's located in a lovely area with mature trees, has an attached garage, and is a corner unit. I couldn't be happier: no more snow shoveling or yard work for me. I've got a lot of things to do in the next two/three weeks, so please don't be surprised if I fall off the radar for a while. I'll try to post random photos when I can.

Love Birds balloon Riverton Rendezvous Balloon Rally July 2018 The 38th Rendezvous Balloon Rally was held last weekend. My niece, Brenda drove up from Denver again this year to see the balloons. Last year, I ambled among the gentle giants with a cane, as it was less than a month following my knee surgery. This year only 19 balloons were featured because Casper's rally was moved to the same weekend because of a scheduling snag with their launch field. Reportedly, half the original balloons went to the Casper balloon rally. Even though the launch field at CWC had fewer balloons, it was a fun event. I was surprised three of the balloons were from Canada: they proudly flew the Maple Leaf. The "character" balloon this year was the adorable love birds, shown above. It was massive. While waiting for the love birds to be inflated, Brenda and I watched two gentleman playing frisbee with some young boys. It wasn't so much the game that caught our eye, but what the m...

mug mat, pin cushion, quilt, wide back fabric, and a fun fat quarter July 2018 A package arrived last week from JulieK Quilts . In exchange for the Seven Year Socks , she sent a bundle of wide back fabric she purchased at a quilt show, a fun circus-themed fat quarter, a mug mat, and a scrappy pin cushion. Thank you, Julie for a fun swap!