Yes, I am REALLY at work....

This week we are holding our spring membership meeting at the VeeBar Guest Ranch out of Laramie, Wyoming. The VeeBar is about 30 miles towards the Snowy Range. I have never been there before but from what I hear, it is an awesome place to hold a meeting.

Laramie sits on the high plains of Wyoming. You might remember it from the movie High Plains Drifter. It is a windy grassland along the border of Colorado and east of the Rocky Mountains. If there is going to be a tornado in Wyoming it will be on these plains as the warm air currents move northward and collides with the cold northerly winds from the mountains. It was a hars place to settle in the old west and you can still see skeletons of windmills and homesteads along the interstate. Time and wind has taken its toll on these structures.

I am not sure how much internet access I will have at the ranch but I will attempt to keep in contact this week. If not, then you will know that I am just enjoying myself without the frills of modern day life.

Have a good week everyone!

Jo

Girl Power...

This award came from darling San, in New Mexico. Thank you San, for seeing my inner beauty. I have spent years searching for it and I have recently found it myself!

Even though some of these have received the award from San also, I would like to acknowledge the beautiful girls in my life and pass this on to them:

Rubye Jean
Ellie
Melissa
Lynetta
Annabanna
Chewy
Angel
...and back at you, girlfriend, San!
Love,
Jo

Saturday at Flaming Gorge...

Looking down from Red Canyon.

Looking southward to Utah.


Aren't these Big Horn Sheep ewes cute? They were no further than 10 feet from us and not the least bit spooked. Further down the road we spotted the rams on a cliff and they ran off before we could get any photos of them.


How did this picture get in here?




Looking northward into Wyoming.

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area was established by Congress October 1, 1968. The area contains 207,363 acres of land and water, almost equally divided between Utah and Wyoming.

Flaming Gorge is famous for its trophy lake trout. A good number of 30+ pound fish are caught each year. The Utah record went 51 lb 8 oz, and there may yet be a bigger one swimming in the reservoir. Fishing is also very good for rainbows, brown trout, kokanee salmon and smallmouth bass.

Rising 502 feet above bedrock, Flaming Gorge Dam impounds waters of the Green River to form the reservoir, which extends as far as 91 miles to the north. The reservoir has a total capacity of 3,788,900 acre-feet. At full elevation of 6,045 feet, it has a surface area of 42,020 acres.

Petroglyphs (rock art) and artifacts suggest that Fremont Indians hunted game near Flaming Gorge for many centuries. Later, the Comanche, Shoshoni, and Ute tribes, whose members spread throughout the mountains of present-day Colorado and Utah, visited the Flaming Gorge country.

On a spring day in 1869, John Wesley Powell and nine men boarded small wooden boats at Green River, Wyoming to embark on a daring exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers. Powell and his men slowly worked their way downstream, successfully completing their journey in late summer. It was on May 26, 1869 that Major Powell named the Flaming Gorge after he and his men saw the sun reflecting off of the red rocks.

Within the Ashley National Forest, the forest is thick with evergreen trees, pinyon pines, and junipers that grow down to the clear blue waters of the reservoir.

I love going to the Gorge because it is so beautiful and rugged.

Stepping back in time to go forward...

Yesterday, a friend and I took a ride around the Flaming Gorge. I have posted pictures of the Gorge before. It is a very long drive and hard on my back becuase with all the sideroads and stops it is about a 350 mile roundtrip. We left at 8:30 in the morning and got back to Rock Springs 12 hours later.

I just love the Flaming Gorge because every season brings different colors and sights to the area. In our voyage yesterday we saw buffalo, elk, deer, Big Horn Mtn. Sheep, antelope and even a moose. The sun was out and the sky was blue and clear; it was a glorious traveling day.

One of our first stops was Brown's Park. I posted earlier about this historic place along the Green River where a man named Jarvie started a trading post, ferry and irrigation system back in the mid 1800's. His post on the river was a famous hiding place for Butch Cassidy and the likes of him.

My driver asked me if I had ever seen the pictrographs and I informed him that I didn't know there were any around there. We took a dusty bumpy road back off the main dusty bumpy road about 30 miles east to some rock formations and cliffs. To my delight here is what I saw:













I can not imagine having to live my day around the climate changes, harvest times, hunting days and the hardships which these indigious people did. I enjoyed my day very much but was happy to get home to the comfort of my own dwelling where the water comes hot out of the tap, the ice cubes are already made and at hand and my fire to cook my food with is instant at a flip of a switch not to mention the convenience of my own bathroom. I am very appreciative of how much I have and the love of my family and friends.

I hope you all have a very good weekend.
Jo

Peace Lily

When my husband died two years ago last October, I was given a Peace Lily from my Sheriff who was also the president of my board of directors. It brought me peace in a time of crisis. Since then, it has been a struggle to keep it alive because I am gone so much. I have often been tempted to just throw it out but something inside of me keeps wanting to nurture it and keep it growing and blooming.

This past week, I had a birth and a death in my life and it has me pondering the cycle of life. We are all put here for a reason, a purpose; am I fulfilling my purpose or am I just going through the motions of existence?

There are so many people in history, famous and obscure who have made a mark on my life; they are too numerous to list. I do not want to just merely exist but to make a difference. I do not think I will change the world with an invention, scientific breakthrough or even a literary masterpiece but, I hope to change and improve the world around me, where I am planted.

I can do this by becoming more "Green", by recycling, using less paper products, picking up the litter others have carelessly dropped. I can bring a smile to the grocery clerk who is having a bad day and hand write a note to a lonely Aunt. I can show compassion to others whenever they cross my path and I can be a good citizen by voting and respecting those who are leaders.

I may never be famous and receive the Pulitzer Peace Prize but I can help bring peace to my part of the world by my attitude and deeds. Just like my Peace Lily, I can bloom, if only for a season.

Celebrating life,
Jo

Life Goes On...

Last week while I was in Utah with my daughter, I got word that the husband of a friend of mine had died. His funeral was Tuesday so I made the trip to Kemmerer to console my friend. There were so many people attending the funeral, they had to move it to the High School Auditorium.

I knew Larry and Carolyn from Pinedale, a little town in western Wyoming where I grew up. Larry was a friend of Mike, my first husband and father of my children. I became friends with Carolyn but moved away from Pinedale before Larry became a preacher and was a missionary in Peru for 18 years. I kept in touch with them over the years and received their prayer letters. I have had little contact with other people from Pinedale days.

I estimated that there were over 300 people at the funeral and recognized many Pinedale people. I was amazed at the number of people who recognized me; I chatted with most of them. Others turned their backs to me as if I wore a Scarlet Letter. Some asked me how I found out about the funeral and wondered why I would attend or even travel that far. (For me, traveling 300 miles in one day is like a hop and a skip.)

The funeral was very inspiring and uplifting as Larry had a special way about him to make people feel at ease around him. Everyone who spoke told how Larry's influence had changed their lives. I walked out of there feeling empowered.

On the drive back to Utah, I pondered about what I have accomplished in my life, what legacy I might be leaving behind and what others might say about me when it is my time to be placed in a pine box. I have no answers to these questions but my hope is that people will remember me with kindness and that I have touched them in a positive way.

Life goes on and so must I.
Jo

A New Perspective on Life....

Brooklyn - Two days old.

Brooklyn having a chat with Mom...


Proud big sisters!


Grandma Jo and Brooklyn.

When I became a mother, over 30 years ago, I did not think that I could love anyone more than my own children. I did not think my heart could hold more love than it did for my two children. Now that I am a grandmother of three beautiful little girls, I have come to realize that with each one, my heart grows larger and has the capacity to love them all dearly and equally. I enjoyed my time with my daughter, son-inlaw and daughter. A mother's heart could not be more proud and full!

Stepping Out...Be Back in a Week.

Chuck and I are on our way to Utah for a week. We will not be taking a computer so please be patient for a response. See you on the flipside!

Jo

Celebrating another miracle....

This morning at 8:47 a.m. Mountain time, Brooklyn Caroline Wilson was born. She tipped the scales at 6 lbs. 14 oz. and stretched to 20 inches long. Mother and baby are doing fine.

I will be going down to Utah this week to take care of my other two miracles and to help Laura out.

Isn't life a celebration especially when a new baby is here!
Gramma Jo

I am deeply humbled....

When I started blogging, I wrote to help myself work through my pain, emotional, physical and spiritual. My life path hadn't been going very well and I was fighting depression. I found that taking a positive attitude towards my pain and tribulations helped me become strong so I could drudge through the muck and mire instead of sinking in it. I knew my family and friends would read my blogs but I had no idea how widespread my words would travel.

I have met many wonderful people in Blogland and have become friends with a lot of them. Blogging has helped me in so many ways and the benefits have surpassed my expectations.

This morning, my friend San, gave me this award. Greatfullivin created this award and gave it to San. San's writeup about my blog brought tears to my eyes. Thank you San for recognizing me and thank you for your friendship! You are an inspiration to me.

I guess I am supposed to pass this on to 12 others. I have decided to let the first 12 people who visit this blog get the award and post it on their own blog.

Celebrate life with me! Have a great weekend, everyone!
Jo

I'm Home ....

You Are Bubblegum Flavored Gum

You are friendly, outgoing, and energetic. You love life, and you can always find some reason to smile. You are a bit hyper, and you're always looking for your next challenge. You love getting things done - and you are usually on the go. Your confidence and positive attitude makes you a very attractive person. You can be a little flaky at times, but people are able to overlook that - because you're so fun!

What Flavor Gum Are You?