Karbon Kounty Moos

I had just sat down this morning. I had a cup of coffee, two rice cakes and the paper. The telephone rang. I went into the dining room to answer it. I wasn’t on the phone for two minutes. Came back to this:

At least she didn’t have her head in my coffee this time.

Right after lunch I realized that Sugar wasn’t underfoot. Uh oh. She wasn’t making a sound with the pork chops. I had fried all of them and planned to have the rest for a second meal. There were seven boneless sirloin chops on the plate cooling. Two are left.

Post Cards Published 1949 by L.H. “Dude” Larsen.
Illustrated by “Hoke” Denetsosie

The corn chopper is down for the second time today. I just returned from Powell, Wyoming on a parts run. I don’t take any photos when it’s a rush job. Come to think of it - it’s always a rush job. The card above shows the type of driving I had to do. I couldn’t believe all the tankers and tourists on the gravel road. The card below? Well, just because. . .

We are not yet chopping corn. You know that if we had been - there surely would have been photos. I do not want to take photos of tired and cranky old farmers banging on iron. I do not want to be in the vicinity of them.
Sorry. . .

I’ve been eating bonbons and watching soap operas. Swatting flies. Canning relish. Feeding the birds. Mowing the meadow - I mean lawn. Wrangling dogs, cat and cattle. Keeping everyone fed, full and fat. Washing filthy farmer clothes. Doing not quite as cruddy other laundry. Entertaining hunters. Yesterday morning a plane circled right over the corn next to the house for about ten minutes. It didn’t bother the elk as much as it upset me and the dogs. I should have thrown rocks. Or come out with a crossbow. . .
If I end up in Deer Lodge or Warm Springs - send bonbons - and cigarettes, please.

I need to get back to the garden. The eggplant needs to be picked, washed, peeled, sliced, salted, dried, egged, breaded, fried, drained, cooled, placed in freezer bags and froze. I only have four plants - with prolific fruit (vegetables?). I’m the only one who eats it. Lucky me. I didn’t know if the freezing would work. I tried it a couple of years ago - and was amazed at the result. Eggplant Parmagiana was never so quick and easy before.

I also need to straighten up the place.
I’ll go get the D4 and a scoop shovel.

It’s a go - there will be a band at Fort Rockvale.
Friday, September 30th, 2005 - we’ll meet there for supper at 7 P.M.

If you don’t show - he’ll be looking for you.

Still on the subject of music, I recently saw this musical meme at a couple of blogs - notably Pandora’s and Sam’s. You can find the top 100 Hits of the years 1960 through 2001 at the Music Outfitters site. Scroll all the way down.

Here are my thoughts on the hits of 1975 - the year I escaped High School. The songs that I like(d) are bold. The red songs I could have lived without. Those in blue I never heard, don’t remember - or have blocked from my mind. The ones that I’m neutral about have been left alone.

1. Love Will Keep Us Together, The Captain and Tennille - WHAT?! #1 - that’s disgusting.
2. Rhinestone Cowboy, Glen Campbell - I did like this song when the strolling Italian guitarist at Ponte’s would play it. As a matter of fact, I requested it all the time. But there was alcohol involved.
3. Philadelphia Freedom, Elton John
4. Before The Next Teardrop Falls, Freddy Fender - please . . .
5. My Eyes Adored You, Frankie Valli - where are the 4 Seasons?
6. Shining Star, Earth, Wind and Fire
7. Fame, David Bowie
8. Laughter In The Rain, Neil Sedaka - please go way, Neil
9. One Of These Nights, Eagles
10. Thank God I’m A Country Boy, John Denver - oh yeehaw!
11. Jive Talkin’, Bee Gees
12. Best Of My Love, Eagles
13. Lovin’ You, Minnie Riperton - I really needed to be reminded of this classic.
14. Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas - oh yeah, 1975 was a great year.
15. Black Water, Doobie Brothers
16. Ballroom Blitz, Sweet
17. (Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song, B.J. Thomas
18. He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You), Tony Orlando and Dawn
19. At Seventeen, Janis Ian
20. Pick Up The Pieces, Average White Band
21. The Hustle, Van McCoy and The Soul City Symphony - Nooooo - make it stop.
22. Lady Marmalade, Labelle
23. Why Can’t We Be Friends?, War
24. Love Wont Let Me Wait, Major Harris
25. Boogie On Reggae Woman, Stevie Wonder
26. Wasted Days And Wasted Nights, Freddy Fender
27. Fight The Power, Pt. 1, Isley Brothers
28. Angie Baby, Helen Reddy - I may have to scream.
29. Jackie Blue, Ozark Mountain Daredevils
30. Fire, Ohio Players
31. Magic, Pilot
32. Please Mr. Postman, Carpenters
33. Sister Golden Hair, America
34. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Elton John
35. Mandy, Barry Manilow
36. Have You Never Been Mellow, Olivia Newton-John - only yellow with Donovan.
37. Could It Be Magic, Barry Manilow
38. Cat’s In The Cradle, Harry Chapin
39. Wildfire Michael Murphy
40. I’m Not Lisa, Jessi Colter
41. Listen To What The Man Said, Paul Mccartney and Wings
42. I’m Not In Love, 10cc
43. I Can Help, Billy Swan
44. Fallin’ In Love, Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds
45. Feelings, Morris Albert - whoah oh oh oh no.
46. Chevy Van, Sammy Johns
47. When Will I Be Loved, Linda Ronstadt
48. You’re The First, The Last, My Everthing, Barry White
49. Please Mr Please, Olivia Newton-John - Please make it stop.
50. You’re No Good, Linda Ronstadt
51. Dynomite, Bazuka - Huh?
52. Walking In Rhythm, Blackbyrds
53. The Way We Were / Try To Remember, Gladys Knight and The Pips
54. Midnight Blue, Melissa Manchester
55. Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You, Sugarloaf
56. Poetry Man, Phoebe Snow
57. How Long, Ace
58. Express, B.T. Express
59. That’s The Way Of The World, Earth, Wind and Fire
60. Lady, Styx
61. Bad Time, Grand Funk
62. Only Women Bleed, Alice Cooper
63. Doctor’s Orders, Carol Douglas
64. Get Down Tonight, K.C. and The Sunshine Band
65. You Are So Beautiful / It’s A Sin When You Love Somebody, Joe Cocker
66. One Man Woman-One Woman Man, Paul Anka and Odia Coates
67. Feel Like Makin’ Love, Bad Company
68. How Sweet It Is, James Taylor
69. Dance With Me, Orleans
70. Cut The Cake, Average White Band
71. Never Can Say Goodbye, Gloria Gaynor
72. I Don’t Like To Sleep Alone, Paul Anka
73. Morning Side Of The Mountain, Donny and Marie Osmond - how did I luck out and miss this one?
74. Some Kind Of Wonderful, Grand Funk
75. When Will I See You Again, Three Degrees
76. Get Down, Get Down (Get On The Floor), Joe Simon
77. I’m Sorry / Calypso, John Denver - not as sorry as I am.
78. Killer Queen, Queen
79. Shoeshine Boy, Eddie Kendricks
80. Do It (Til You’re Satisfied), B.T. Express
81. Can’t Get It Out Of My Head, Electric Light Orchestra
82. Sha-La-La (Makes Me Happy), Al Green
83. Lonely People, America
84. You Got The Love, Rufus
85. The Rockford Files, Mike Pos - if this is the theme - I’m still humming it.
86. It Only Takes A Minute, Tavares
87. No No Song / Snookeroo, Ringo Starr
88. Junior’s Farm / Sally G, Paul McCartney and Wings
89. Bungle In The Jungle, Jethro Tull
90. Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance), Leo Sayer
91. Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Elton John
92. Misty, Ray Stevens
93. Bad Blood, Neil Sedaka
94. Only Yesterday, Carpenters
95. I’m On Fire, Dwight Twilley Band
96. Only You, Ringo Starr
97. Third Rate Romance, Amazing Rhythm Aces
98. You Aint Seen Nothin’ Yet / Free Wheelin’, Bachman-Turner Overdrive Porky Pig song
99. Swearin’ To God, Frankie Valli
100. Get Dancin’, Disco Tex and The Sex-O-lettes

I didn’t realize that I was such a negative person. I also don’t know why Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka and Frankie Valli all chose that year for comebacks. As if disco wasn’t bad enough.

An alert friend of mine from Longuyland named Shannon sent me a link to a NY Times article this morning. I found it fascinating. I know that the Times only archives their articles for a few days before you have to pay for them. I have never paid for an online article, nor do I intend to start.

Even better than the article, is this link:

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Thank you Shannon!

Proving, once again, that you can learn something new every day.

Ty was thrilled to have company on Monday. I brought his bowling ball out of retirement from the shed. These photos were taken yesterday. Before I put the ball away again.

Sugar tries to keep up with the “big dogs” - but a 16 pound bowling ball was a bit too much.

Lucky doesn’t bowl. She’d much rather relax - or go for a ride.

Or the most evil meme in the world. I can’t explain it - but here’s where Sam did. Craig snared me into it here. It’s truly bizarre - and here’s my offering. I know that some of these bloggers were tagged already, but they can breathe a sigh of relief - once is more than enough with this one…

“Have you ever had one of those days? You know where you just want to spank a windmill? Sometimes, you just want to grab your dishtowel and just dance?

I had one of those day some time ago. See, I was just talking to Darth Vader on the telly when I got a knock on the door. It turned out to be a Irish Dance Troupe. I really wasn’t in the mood to be bothered. I asked them what they wanted, when they said, “Are you starting with me?”.

I looked at them and said, “How do you like me now?”. Well, you should have seen the look on their face! They got really irritated and tried to grab me by my elbow. The Kid wasn’t havin’ that, though! I grabbed their tonsils, then I proceeded to put my kestrel in their hair!

While I was doing that, Levi showed up and asked was everything ok. I said that I was trying to handle this. Sarpy Sam asked could they join in and I said, “heck yeah!” Soon, they pulled out a spatula and began to frost the bad guy over the head! Then, Troy, Randy and Pandora showed up and they began to serenade the guy! After twenty minutes of that, we got bored with the whole thing and had a nice, tall glass of thunder. You know, when you have bad days, it’s good to know that you have friends who stick by you.”

Friday was hot - very hot. I traveled to Billings for provisions. I stopped at the hospital and the frame store. I met a friend for lunch. That was great. The company, the conversation, the food, the air conditioning - all made it difficult to leave for the worst part of my journey. The trip to WalMart. Now I know that many folks consider it the root of all evil. My feelings are not that extreme. My paternal grandparents owned a true Mom & Pop grocery. Or more likely, a Pop & Mom grocery. But I’m sorry - there is something to be said for convenience. When I have to drive sixty miles for almost everything, it helps to be able to fill a shopping cart under one roof. I am always pressed for time. I made my Costco stop - which was fruitful. Then I pulled into the parking lot that I dread so much. As I exited my car, I heard an awful sound. Grinding, clunking and clanking - a van drove by me and pulled into a spot. All heads in the lot turned in unison to the source of the dying dinosaur. As we tried not to look. I noticed some greasy nuts on the asphalt. I walked back to the van and inquired about universal joints with its driver. Then I went into the store.

Nothing evil happened inside. Other than my spending a percentage of the operating loan on groceries. With brimming cart I checked out. Once bagged, the WalMart Associate wasn’t able to get everything back in the cart quite the way I had filled it. I was juggling and holding things in as I returned to the car. Halfway there, the beer fell under the wheels, and the box opened. Thank goodness for cans. I scrambled to gather them. One was hissing at me. Well, at least it was cold . At the car, I turned on the AC, unlocked the doors and opened the windows. I popped the trunk and the cooler lid. That’s when I noticed something odd. I use those ice packs - solid white rectangles that I keep in the freezer. I usually grap a clear plastic bag full of them to load the cooler. Well, I had grabbed a clear plastic bag of solid white rectangles from the freezer. But the rectangles were frozen soup bones, not ice packs. Oh well, they were still frozen - and doing the job. Thankfully, not defrosting. . .

I checked the beer. It had stopped foaming. I opened it. It wasn’t even mine - it was my husband’s brand. But it was cold. I drank most of it while I packed the car. By the time the cart was empty, the car had cooled down. So I closed the windows and polished off the beer. Does drinking a beer in the WalMart parking lot make me a redneck?

In honor of HNT
I present a story (what else?!)

I have always been a sun worshipper.
I know, I know. . .
Fortunately, I inherited my Dad’s Greek genes. . .

From my teens on, I would sunbathe in the backyard as soon as possible - usually the first warm days in March. I’ve always loved the beach. I find the combination of sand, sun and surf impossible to resist.

Years later- when I’d get off the 12-8 shift in New York -
I’d drive to Brighton Beach to:
nap in the sun; swim; relax; eat pirozhki; and visit with the Russians.

When I returned to Montana, my sunbathing window of opportunity wasn’t open as wide. I found some deserted places outside of Red Lodge to catch some rays. I would take full advantage of them when I could. It didn’t take long for me to become known as that “nude sunbather”. Red Lodge is a town that thrives on rumor and innuendo. My attitude was to keep ‘em guessing.

My friend, N asked to join me one day. It was springtime, sunny and very warm in town. We stopped at the IGA and picked up some fresh baked French bread, cheeses, and fruit. We packed a cooler and I directed her to one of my favorite spots. When we arrived it was overcast with patches of snow on the ground.

No matter, we spread blankets and uncorked the wine. I had brought some long stemmed wine glasses - no paper cups for extreme sunbathers. This turned out to be a good thing. The wind was whipping from the west and the south. Through chattering teeth we snacked, sipped, giggled and gossiped.

N was telling me a story, wineglass aloft, making a very serious point. The lid from the cooler blew off and smacked her in the head, immediately ending any semblance of seriousness. We were glad for the extra blankets when it began snowing. Too bad we didn’t think of wool caps, snow boots, thermal underwear and scarves. We ate most of the food and polished off the wine. We went back to town and bought another bottle or four. Leaving the car in the drive, we went out to N’s deck. Finally, I was able to shed my motorcycle jacket, but nothing else. A friend dropped by N’s. He was taking an old Willys jeep out for a test drive - did we want to go? I think that we left the wine and glasses on the deck. Next thing I remember is riding down Main Street in this half nekkid (topless) Willys.

N & I were waving at everyone as though we were in a parade. Passersby waved back, amused. The Willys driver got such a kick out of it - that he drove back and forth several times.

A few days later, N & I made another attempt at sunbathing. We ended up on the road east of Bearcreek, trying to rope a calf. I think that there may have been wine involved in that episode, too. But that’s another story.

Okay, this isn’t a good “half nekkid Thursday” photo - but the four of us are showing some skin.

And it’s a strange one at that.