Moos Week
Saturday, October 30th, 2004I can’t believe it. I got more blogging done during beet harvest. Our “busiest” time in a hectic life . . . I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. I miss blogging, blog visiting and commenting. I’m looking forward to getting back in the swing of things.
In case you were wondering - this is what’s been happening. You’ll have to excuse me. This may not be in chronological order - since it seems that many of my days go by in a blur. Not unlike my mind.
Last Saturday it was cold and rainy. I spent most of the day digging spuds from the garden. Possession by one of my Irish famine ancestors during the planting of these potatoes is a definite possibility. There are enough for a small army. Today, a week later, I still haven’t finished digging them.
Sunday was Funday! My husband and I got off the place for a while. We met Bonnie and her husband in Billings for lunch. Excellent meal and excellent company. It was great to meet for “real”. We already “knew” each other from commenting, blogging, e-mail and phone conversations. Our husbands hit it off, too. We spent quite a bit of time getting to know each other and catching up. Farmers love “visiting”. Hope to see you Cowboy Staters soon! Later on we drove out to Blue Creek to visit relatives. It was a welcome change to have a relaxing day.
Wednesday, I went to Red Lodge and met the woman behind
Greetings From Red Lodge.
We had lunch at the Café Regis - very nice. While “visiting” we discovered that we have more in common than post card mania and names. Hope to see you again soon, Karen! Then I stopped at both the courthouse and museum for a bit of research. I scared a museum employee that I’d never met before. When she asked if she could help me, I told her, “I seek dead people”. She thought that I had said, “I see dead people.” Anyhow, I ended up explaining myself.
At home there was a book waiting for me.
In the Shadow of the Beartooth by Art Kidwell. I didn’t know who had left it. I emailed three likely suspects. Turns out that it was our friend, Ed. Thanks Ed! I haven’t been able to get it out of my husband’s grasp for more than a few minutes yet. It’s a history of the Clark, Wyoming area. Art Kidwell will be at the Red Lodge Carnegie Library on Monday, Nov.1st at 7:00 pm to present “Clark, Wyoming: A Journey Back in Time”. If you’re nearby and interested in local history do try to attend. We’re planning on it!
Thursday we worked cattle - an all day affair.
Friday morning we had an inch and a quarter in the rain gauge. That’s a big WOW here. We noticed that Silvertip Creek was ripping high and muddy. The ditch has already been turned off, so this was only water from the rain. Silvertip Creek is not a perennial stream, there’s usually no water in the winter - unless the oil fields south of us release it. There’s a window above my kitchen sink, so I have a scenic view while washing dishes. I happened to look down the pasture and saw that the water was almost at top of the bank. I called my husband to the window. I said, “Maybe we’d better go check that dam.”
To make a long story short: (Ha! You know me better than that!) Last July 4th there was an oil spill in the basin. The oil made its way to the creek.
The oil company started a cleanup operation. They reinstalled a dam that had failed in 1991.
Apparently, they were shut off by the EPA and the BLM. Somewhere along the way the Army Corp of Engineers got involved. Did anyone notify neighbors downstream (including us)? No, the only reason we found out was when one of the County road crew mentioned an oil spill a few days later. On one of my treks to Powell I came upon the new dam.
When I came home and told the guys, they thought I was kidding.
So we drove out there yesterday to find the dam washed out. Took photos - but you know that I’m using an antique OM-1, so who knows when they’ll be developed. I know, I need a digital camera… How many times does this have to happen before they realize that this dam is not going to work? We happened upon an oil field employee, driving the pickup that had come up and down our lane several times earlier, stopping on the bridge to watch the water. He was “keeping an eye on it.” Gee, that makes us feel better. . .
Today we had a little rodeo. A friend came to take his horses to their new home. The mares didn’t want to leave such a nice place. Our ranch motto: Nobody’s getting thin around here. We finally got the knuckleheads loaded without loss of life or limb. Makes me appreciate our horses.
Other than that, it’s been the usual day to day stuff. What did I do on Monday and Tuesday? I sure don’t remember… Feeding - critters and folks; working in the yard and garden; painting (no, I’m never finished); working on corrals, fences and equipment; trying to keep up with the laundry and have meals on the table. But no, I still don’t have a real job - at least not one that pays.
