I realize it’s been over a week since I last posted. Time for a catch up! Rebekah and I got together quite a few times to talk about their upcoming board retreat and other matters. She had me make a couple of videos to use at that retreat as a way to get board members to think about their role as well as what they needed from the directors in order to support the organization. I’m always so self-conscious when making videos, I don’t feel like I’m natural compared to when I’m just speaking one on one with somebody. I’m glad that is done! I also looked after Abigail one evening so Rebekah and Rob could get out. I spent the majority of the time reading books to her while she jumped up and down on her trampoline. That girl has so much energy!
I had a brief visit to the Buffalo Bill Center for the Arts then took another walk on the Paul Stock trail. On my way home I stopped at the Little Free Library near the Rec Center – there was deep snow getting up to it, I am so thankful for my snow boots! I was in a playful mood when I got home and made patterns in the snow on the driveway. 😝
On Thursday evening, we put on a dinner for Executive Directors of local nonprofits. That was a ton of fun and I met some wonderful folks.
I went back to Beck Lake for a walk saw lots of people ice fishing, and some high school boys out for a run in their shorts – yes the weather was warmer, but it was still only 38°! Saw a dad and his son making use of the snow covered mountain bike track to go sledding. At first, I thought the little boy didn’t want to be there because he was crying ‘no no no’ and I was getting annoyed at his dad for making him go sledding when he didn’t want to. Well, it turns out he was saying ‘no no no’ because he didn’t want to go home! I should have known better.
Later, I drove out to the Heart Mountain memorial. It’s such a heart wrenching place. I was in my warm clothes and warm car, thinking about all the Japanese Americans who were incarcerated there. Most of whom were not used to the freezing cold Wyoming winters. Whew.
That night I got to go back to the Chamberlin Inn to listen to live music. The musician was good, though not as good as the one last Friday night. I treated myself to another spiced up hot chocolate, enjoying the cozy warmth before heading back to TAC. That ended up being the last time I was able to leave because of snow drifts on the driveway.
On Sunday afternoon we hosted a ladies tea. The wind from Friday and Saturday created more snow drifts on the upper part of the driveway so Rebekah and I had to walk the food and serving utensils down the driveway. We were able to clear a path for cars to get to Daphne‘s house where the tea was being held. The wind was crazy – over 40 miles an hour. I joked I felt like we were on an episode of Little House on the Prairie! The tea went really well, delicious food, and lots of good conversation. That is the perfect spot for a cozy gathering.
I’ve had many more walks around the labyrinth, at times it’s been impossible to see the guiding stones because of how deep the snow is, though after a couple of days of warm weather, they became more and more apparent.
This morning I planned to walk to Daphne’s to do my morning routine. but when I got there, the doors were locked. I wanted to spend a little time there to see the sunrise. I did my morning meditation on the back porch since the glider rocker was devoid of snow, and there wasn’t much wind. I was dressed warmly, more than adequate for the 40 degree weather if I was moving, but not enough to keep me warm sitting for long stretches. I saw the beautiful sliver of a moon, so I climbed up to the rise behind the house where I could get a better view and enjoyed the dawn while listening to a poetry podcast. I thought about walking the back trail home because a lot of the snow had blown away and melted on the trail. I decided against it because I knew there were some pretty big snow drifts by the main house and I wanted to go to the labyrinth. I was glad I did because I was treated to a beautiful sunrise, much better than I expected given the cloudy morning. I’m actually glad it turned out I couldn’t get into Daphne’s because I saw a lot more than if I had been comfy and warm inside. I might not have wanted to put my boots back on and go outside. I heard coyotes, an owl and a sandhill crane as I sat by Daphne’s – things I wouldn’t have heard if I’d been inside. So more reasons to be glad for the way it turned out.
The labyrinth was gorgeous, almost all of the guiding stones were uncovered and the red brown rocks against the snow with was breathtaking. I could see a lot of the snow had melted around the area I’d been digging the last week or so in an attempt to find my lost AirPod. Pro tip – don’t wear white AirPods when walking in the snow! I dug around a little more, didn’t see anything and thought I’d work on it some more on my way back and maybe in the afternoon once things had warmed up again. Hopefully, I’d be able to find it. I stepped back on the path, looked down and there was my AirPod hooray!! Wherever I stepped, except for some of the outer edges that had lots of snowpiled up still, my foot would sink down to where I could see the ground. I suspect when I walk it again this afternoon quite a bit of the path will be melted. It was relatively warm last night. It got up to 45 after midnight then went down to 40 and it is supposed to climb to 52 today.
I’m thinking of doing an evening walk around the labyrinth after dinner. I love it if I could get a candle going, but doubtful with the wind, though maybe if I made a barrier with the stones I’ve placed there? I’ll see. My hope is to walk at one last time tomorrow morning at 6:30 am then scatter my stones below the pedestal. I can’t believe I’m leaving tomorrow.
I’m hoping to hike up the hill this afternoon. If it’s not too bad in the evening, I’ll go up to the top and watch the sunset. Maybe I’ll leave my window open tonight if it’s going to be if it’s going to be as warm as last night. I didn’t have to put the heat on upstairs last, which is such a change from before. I’m so glad I decided to try sleeping upstairs. It’s wonderful because I can look out at the stars.
As I write this, I am sitting by the picture window in my living room, the landscape looks almost the same as when I arrived, especially on the mountains and plains where the wind and the sun have blown and melted off lots of the snow. It’s still very deep in some spots on site, but I wonder if a couple days you’ll be barely able to see the snow. It’s amazing, considering how much there’s been. I can only imagine how slushy and dirty everything is in town. I have no need to go there, just going to enjoy my last day here.
