Karbon Kounty Moos

Pronunciation:
\ri-mis\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French remis, Latin remissus, from past participle of remittere to send back, relax
Date:
15th century

1 : negligent in the performance of work or duty : careless

2 : showing neglect or inattention : lax
synonyms see negligent

— re-miss-ly adverb
— re-miss-ness noun

I don’t think it’s neglect, inattention - perhaps. I have been busy, so this little blog of mine doesn’t shine. Honestly, everything internet and computer related has suffered. My iMac died after six months. It wasn’t sick, didn’t have an accident, it simply crashed. Can anyone explain that? Why does Apple only have a 90 day warranty? Inquiring minds want to know. I was not overworking it. I am using my old Dell now. I use the internet when my modem works. Which is about half the time lately. Forget about printing. Oh Brother, it works as a copier, but I was using it with the mac and can’t find the installation cd. What made me cry about this? Six months of photos gone with the wind. I know, I didn’t put them anywhere except iPhoto. Yes, some of them made it to flickr, but you know how many photos I take. Too many.

January was hectic. Sugar and I traveled to Casper. I used cruise control, so we met no law enforcement officers. The toaster behaved very well. I would have liked to have visited Casper, but my time was limited. I saw my room, a takeout window, a gas station and the hotel that the meeting was at. It was business, no pleasure whatsoever. I probably wasted my time and breath.

My home is known as ” the place where vacuums come to die.” This has something to do with three dogs, one cat, a lot of dirt, and a woman who does not enjoy cleaning. I used to call it bad vacuum karma - but it goes beyond vacuums. My two year old washing machine was out of commission for a couple of weeks. I even went to the laundromat. Finally, the plumber had some time. Right after that, the thirteen year old dryer quit. I don’t find clothes frozen solid on the line amusing. Then I decided to give a water softener a try. The water is incredibly hard here, which creates unique problems. When the tech came out to put the softener in, he found that needed some plumbing installed before he could. Another job for the elusive plumber. That was done and the water softener was installed. The next morning my basement was under water. That’s the fourth time since June. At least this was soft clean water, not mud or the usual irrigation ditch water. Another tech came out and helped cleaned up the basement.

The following morning I went into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. I had heard the airplane. Coffee makers are traditionally short-lived here. They die messy deaths. I took one look at the counter, and made myself a cup of tea. It was too early for bourbon.

I replaced the solar fencer last winter. It was ancient. No matter how new the battery was, it had seen enough sun. It was at the company for weeks before they determined it was time to let it go. I paid dearly for the young one, and it worked well. Until I hooked it up this year. Dead as the proverbial doornail, they just don’t make them like they used to. I put the electric fencer out with an extension cord. I knew that it was working, once I got it grounded properly. The brand new fence tester I bought wasn’t working, so I used the time-tested-testing method. Snap! Then the power went out. When did this happen? The day after the Cuisinart cratered. I lit some candles, found a flashlight, opened a bottle of beer and feasted on crackers and canned cheese. Didn’t want to keep opening the refrigerator.

Even though this has become “the post that Word Press and my browser kept chewing up” and it took me two days to complete -

Life is good.

The Sunday before Christmas, a friend and I went to Cody. As soon as I crossed the state line, I said to Nada, “I have to remember that I’m in the Cowboy State.” We were talking, and I wasn’t paying attention to the speedometer. Not long after, I saw the cruiser lights behind me. I pulled over, fumbling for my license, registration and insurance card. Actually, I couldn’t get my license out of my wallet, it was in there so tight. The police officer was very young and very serious. He asked, “Do you know why I stopped you?” I said, “How fast was I going?” Apparently 47 in a 35 is not a good thing. The officer went back to his car with my papers. I had never been pulled over before. Oh, I’ve been a passenger in vehicles that were pulled over more times that I care to admit, but I was never stopped while driving. I was wishing that I hadn’t recently viewed Super Troopers. The thought of the movie was making me laugh. When he came back to my car, he wished me a Merry Christmas and asked me to slow down. I apologized again for not paying attention, thanked him and also wished him Merry Christmas.

Not long after, Sugar and I traveled to Billings. I was just getting up to speed out of Bridger, singing along with the radio. I noticed a Carbon County sheriff vehicle make a u-turn. I was being pulled over. Once again, I got my papers together as the law enforcement vehicle sat behind me with lights blazing. Deja vu. The serious young deputy asked, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” I asked, “How fast was I going?” He replied, “You were going eighty, and the speed limit is seventy.” I said, “Oh. I’m sorry, I was singing with the radio, I was not paying attention to my speed, and I was only keeping up with the rest of the traffic.” He shook his head and took my documents. He sat in his vehicle behind me for what seemed like a long time. When he came back he handed me a written warning and told me sternly, “Slow down!”.

So, if you are passed by a toaster in Montana, I swear that it isn’t me. I have been re-introduced to my cruise control.

As usual, I find the time for photos. Haven’t had the time or ambition for writing, sorry. . .

I’ve driven by this field a few times this year. I finally stopped to photograph it.

Click on the photo for a better view.

South central Montana has been having August weather since May.
Global warming or not?

There have been fires all around us. I’ve been irrigating, with little time for the computer.

My friend, Linda is here - all the way from New Brunswick.

We have taken some time to do the tourist thing. It’s been wonderful. I live in such an incredible place, and I’ve been happy to share its beauty.

Since the Old Faithful Webcam is temporarily out of service, you can view these old postcards instead. Click on the postcards to view them larger. The above card is an unused Haynes postcard. The back reads:
Old Faithful Geyser, 150 Ft., Yellowstone Park, is not the highest geyser, but it is by far the favorite one. Its eruptions occuring every hour last about four minutes.

This unused “Phostint” card was published by Detroit Publishing Co.

This unused HHT Co. card reads:
In plain sight from Old Faithful Inn, and every 63 minutes without variation, winter and summer, day and night, gives its exhibition. Eruptions by moonlight, sunrise or sunset are most brilliant.

An unused Haynes card of the Old Faithful Inn Office. Here’s an article about the renovation of the Old Faithful Inn
by Ruffin Prevost of the Billings Gazette.
Here’s Ruffin’s blog - Basin Beat Blues

An unused HHT Co Card. The back reads:

BEARS NEAR OLD FAITHFUL

The animals of the Park are objects of peculiar interest. No sounds of growl or bark of dog is ever heard, and the animals, though wild, roam at wil through the Park. Almost any evening or morning one may see from one to twenty bears eating in the vicinity of the hotel.

Here’s an article about those bears and their feeding grounds.

Two taken from the passenger’s window on the way to Lovell, Wyoming - yesterday afternoon.

Farewell forsythia. . .

Poor plum. . .

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. . .

The Sugar Beet Baron tries to take off a few hours once every summer. Yes, once. We’ll take a drive to Cooke City. Usually we’ll take the Chief Joseph Highway and return through Red Lodge on the Beartooth Highway. I was able to take my Mom when she was here last summer, but the Baron wasn’t able to stop at that time. Even just for a couple of hours. This year he was determined to go.

This is what we did on Sunday:

The Baron took Highway 308 south to Wyoming 120 then west to the Chief Joseph Highway 296. We found a dog friendly place for lunch.

Sugar was able to sit out on the deck with us.

What a lucky dog! She was well behaved in the car. She was frustrated with her first leash experience. I suppose we’ll have to practice. After we ate I drove to Highway 212 and then through Cooke City to Silvergate.

I turned around and we came back the same way, since the Beartooth Highway out of Red Lodge is under repair. Since I was driving I did stop a couple of times to take photos. All were taken from the side of the road.

You can see more at my flick’r site.

We were home in time to change water again.

Actually, it was a trip to Powell, Wyoming.
As close to a commute as I’ll get.
You can view these photos (larger) and more on
my Flick’r site.
Here are some of the views -
which will open in a larger window when clicked on: