April 2023
Googley Girls
29/04/23 08:53 Filed in: Family
The girls just finished up another round of swim lessons this week. They are trying out their "Googley Glasses" as I call them.
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Playground Structure Fun
28/04/23 20:43 Filed in: Family
| Today got up to a record 91 degrees F. This was about the second or third at least 70 degree day so far in 2023. It has been a cool and wet spring so far. It felt wonderful to soak up some sun and heat for a change. We got the playground structure completed just in time for this nice weather. The girls already enjoy it. |
About Glasgow Montana
22/04/23 16:21 Filed in: Travel
What is it about Glasgow, Montana? Not a well-known place though I had a roommate in veterinary school at Washington State University who was from Glasgow, Montana. Read about what makes it unique yet less known and most isolated town in the contiguous United States.
"The American West is known for its wide open spaces, but nowhere is quite as wide open as the area around Glasgow, Montana. Crunching some numbers back in 2018 in an effort to definitively define “the middle of nowhere,” The Washington Post found that a whopping 98% of Americans in the contiguous U.S. live within an hour of some kind of urban center (that is, a metropolitan area with at least 75,000 people). But Glasgow, located in the northeast corner of the state, is an estimated 4.5 hours from the nearest urban center, making it the most isolated town (with a population of 1,000 or more) in the Lower 48.
"The American West is known for its wide open spaces, but nowhere is quite as wide open as the area around Glasgow, Montana. Crunching some numbers back in 2018 in an effort to definitively define “the middle of nowhere,” The Washington Post found that a whopping 98% of Americans in the contiguous U.S. live within an hour of some kind of urban center (that is, a metropolitan area with at least 75,000 people). But Glasgow, located in the northeast corner of the state, is an estimated 4.5 hours from the nearest urban center, making it the most isolated town (with a population of 1,000 or more) in the Lower 48.
Mt. Rushmore Facts
17/04/23 11:38 Filed in: Photography | Travel
And now it is the opportunity to give some background on Mt. Rushmore. We were able to see Mt. Rushmore on a beautiful sunny morning for a short time. It was awe-inspiring. I would go there again in a heart beat. The Black Hills of South Dakota are spectacular and I can see why the Native Americans revered that geographical area as part of their history and culture.
"The iconic mountain that bears the giant stone faces of four U.S. Presidents is named after a lawyer from New York. In 1884, Charles E. Rushmore was sent to the Black Hills in South Dakota to secure land for tin mining (on lands considered sacred by the Lakota Sioux). He spent many weeks exploring the area with guides, and at one point, he inquired as to the name of an impressive peak nearby. Since the mountain had no name, a prospector with him replied, “We will name it now, and name it Rushmore Peak.” From then on, it was referred to as Rushmore Peak, Rushmore Mountain, or Rushmore Rock. When the national memorial was finished in 1927, it officially became known as Mount Rushmore."
"The iconic mountain that bears the giant stone faces of four U.S. Presidents is named after a lawyer from New York. In 1884, Charles E. Rushmore was sent to the Black Hills in South Dakota to secure land for tin mining (on lands considered sacred by the Lakota Sioux). He spent many weeks exploring the area with guides, and at one point, he inquired as to the name of an impressive peak nearby. Since the mountain had no name, a prospector with him replied, “We will name it now, and name it Rushmore Peak.” From then on, it was referred to as Rushmore Peak, Rushmore Mountain, or Rushmore Rock. When the national memorial was finished in 1927, it officially became known as Mount Rushmore."
Devils Tower
16/04/23 09:56 Filed in: Travel | Photography
Last October, we drove to South Dakota. On our way back to the Pacific Northwest, we took a side trip up into Northeast Wyoming to drive by Devils Tower. It was a geographical sight featured in the movie,
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
I came across a site that describes how such sights came by their name. This is what is listed for Devils Tower.
Devils Tower is an impressive rock formation that stands 867 feet high above the Black Hills of northwestern Wyoming, considered sacred by Indigenous cultures. When settlers first arrived in this part of the country, the rock was labeled on maps as “Bear Lodge,” a translation for the common Lakota name Mato Tipila. However, the name changed when Colonel Richard Irving Dodge led a geology and mapmaking expedition to the site. Dodge wrote that the Indigenous people called the place “bad god’s tower,” which eventually led to the adoption of the name Devils Tower. However, this is believed to be a bad translation, as no records have ever shown that Native Americans considered the tower to be associated with evil spirits.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
I came across a site that describes how such sights came by their name. This is what is listed for Devils Tower.
Devils Tower is an impressive rock formation that stands 867 feet high above the Black Hills of northwestern Wyoming, considered sacred by Indigenous cultures. When settlers first arrived in this part of the country, the rock was labeled on maps as “Bear Lodge,” a translation for the common Lakota name Mato Tipila. However, the name changed when Colonel Richard Irving Dodge led a geology and mapmaking expedition to the site. Dodge wrote that the Indigenous people called the place “bad god’s tower,” which eventually led to the adoption of the name Devils Tower. However, this is believed to be a bad translation, as no records have ever shown that Native Americans considered the tower to be associated with evil spirits.
Easter and The Bunny
Today is one of our religious holidays, Easter. Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion on this day about 2000 years ago. May all see peace and have a blessed Easter.
Along with Jesus has risen, we also look for the Easter Bunny to shed some cheer to the children. Vada and Victoria found their hidden Easter baskets fairly quickly. Along with chocolate bunnies they had a small stuffed cat and a stuffed unicorn to enjoy. More family relations will come shortly this afternoon.
Along with Jesus has risen, we also look for the Easter Bunny to shed some cheer to the children. Vada and Victoria found their hidden Easter baskets fairly quickly. Along with chocolate bunnies they had a small stuffed cat and a stuffed unicorn to enjoy. More family relations will come shortly this afternoon.
Use of Horses In America
08/04/23 13:16 Filed in: History | Animal Kingdom
A recent study published in Science Magazine indicates horses were first used by Native Americans earlier than previously believed. The theory before was that horses were more widespread by the late 1600s but different factors indicate they were widespread by the early 1600s.
"Native American people integrated horses into their communities much earlier than European colonial records suggest, according to an innovative study Thursday that combined archaeological and genetic analysis with Indigenous oral traditions. The study is the first using both Western science and traditional knowledge to be published in the prestigious Science journal, the researchers said.
Based on European records from colonial times, historians have long contended that Native American people did not interact much with horses in the American West until the late 1600s.
Scholars often say the turning point was the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when Indigenous people staged an uprising against Spanish colonizers in what is now New Mexico, releasing many European horses in the process.
However, the new research, which traces the spread of horses from the American Southwest into the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains regions, contradicts this widely accepted theory."
Original post on regarding this time.
"Native American people integrated horses into their communities much earlier than European colonial records suggest, according to an innovative study Thursday that combined archaeological and genetic analysis with Indigenous oral traditions. The study is the first using both Western science and traditional knowledge to be published in the prestigious Science journal, the researchers said.
Based on European records from colonial times, historians have long contended that Native American people did not interact much with horses in the American West until the late 1600s.
Scholars often say the turning point was the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when Indigenous people staged an uprising against Spanish colonizers in what is now New Mexico, releasing many European horses in the process.
However, the new research, which traces the spread of horses from the American Southwest into the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains regions, contradicts this widely accepted theory."
Original post on regarding this time.
Cat Rug Hooking
07/04/23 07:33 Filed in: Personal
I am trying to catch up on various craft projects I have purchased and stashed over the years. One such kit was bought through Facebook and was an inexpensive rug hooking project of a tabby cat in a curled, laying position. The kitty image is much like the grand girls DSH cat named Spice. Vada encouraged me on to complete it with "When are you going to be done, Gramma?" Maybe since I had promised to give her this rug hooking for her own (and Victoria's) room.
Take a look at Vada and her spiced kitty rug.
The Spice cat look-a-like though she is not amewsed.
Take a look at Vada and her spiced kitty rug.
The Spice cat look-a-like though she is not amewsed.
Sunset In Spring
06/04/23 15:27 Filed in: Berlin Community
We get the loveliest view of sunrises and sunsets here. The weather has been a mix of rain, hail, sleet, and sun through the days recently. I was able to catch this colorful sunset off to the West.
