Happiness is a Warm Basement

I am down in our basement, listening to the footsteps and voices above me, and it reminds me of Grandma and Grandpa A.'s house...basement sounds always will. The hide-a-bed was down there, pulled out and tucked in with 5 or so blankets. Shell and I would snuggle in and listen to the adults' muffled voices, punctuated with laughter, and guess who was walking from room to room, following the creaking floors. Grandma would come down and start a load of laundry and we would fall asleep to the rhythm of the washing machine swish. Now, my kids are cleaning up the dishes after dinner, singing, laughing, teasing, yelling to each other (or at each other), and generally being happy while they work. These sounds, I like. They evoke feelings of coziness.
Speaking of cozy, we had a cold front come through and had to turn the heat on. Fall is now in the air, and it is 7:30 and getting dark. I am ready! I am anxious to pull out the sweaters and Maren's winter clothes and fill the front closet with coats! Jacob went out back, briefly, in his shorts and t-shirt he threw on after church, and proclaimed as he came back in, "We need a firepit!" I happened to agree and we will look into that. We went to Braeden's first football game last Thursday and snuggled and cheered. Knowing the weather was turning, I got to painting our front door tomato red (a project I had been wanting to do) before it got too cold to paint. I think the shutters (black) may have to wait. We will see. There is plenty to do inside, as we have a full basement to finish. I will be busy all winter long. This weekend I tackled the boys' room, the only finished room in the basement. They love being down here, but their room is all pink, from the previous owner. The trim, ceiling, closet, everything, pale, Pepto-Bismal PINK. I think they must have set a paint bomb in there and run. SO, I have been promising them I would remedy it. I spent most of Saturday painting the closet and trim white. Two coats. Maren helped with a little sponge brush and painted "MAREN DJGNRISOSHN" on the wall, which she translated to "MAREN CAN COME IN". Obviously, she loves the basement, too. Her room will be next door when it is finished. She just came by with an empty plastic bowl and a clean paint brush, "painting" the house. I must have made an impression. Well, we aren't done yet, as those pink walls and Maren's grafitti will need to become a pale gray blue. I love having plenty to do, and time to do it! Something about Fall..the Ants and the Grasshopper... getting ready and storing up, there is a busy-ness and purpose, an urgency that thrills me. A goal to be cozy as the winter hastens. There is so much coldness in the world, of all kinds. The least I can do is provide a haven, a warm, safe respite for my family. And a blue bedroom for my boys.

Sunlight Basin

On Labor Day we took a day trip to Sunlight Basin, about 40 miles NW of Cody. These pictures are taken from Dead Indian Summit, a viewpoint and historical marker. These pictures don't even compare to the breathtaking expanse of this area. It has the most diverse altitude changes I have seen in one area, and when you think you are at the bottom, you look over and see a deep, snakey crevace carved though the valley, and when you think you are at the top, you see a higher towering shadow of a mountain emerge around the corner. It is emerald green in the early summer. The significance is this:
The Nez Perce lived in this area, and as the army came to round them up, they used the gorges, valleys and creeks to backtrack and circle, so that the army could not track them. They made their way up and out of the basin by this road we are on, and at this summit, had to leave behind a dying member if the tribe. When the army reached him, they killed him. In the picture with the gold grasses in the foreground, you can see the main thoroughfare of the basin in the top right corner. We drove through there. Millions of buffalo, along with elk, deer and antelope, migrated through here every year. This was the place of Buffalo Bill Cody's last big game hunt, with the Prince of Monaco. In the picture with the fenceposts in the foreground, there is a huge table butte, and Maren insisted that one day we go there to have a picnic.
The thing that struck me most about this place, was that it was so well hidden and remote, yet teeming with life and sustenance. I would imagine that any people who called this home would be very proud of it, and very heartbroken to ever leave it. There are several ranches and cabins, a ranger station, and campgrounds there, and the fishing is incredible. It is a special place and we will make a trip to see it in all seasons.

Recover Post

There is a button above the window I am typing this in called "Recover post". I thought that was a good title for this entry. This is my "Recover Post". Six weeks after moving to Wyoming, we are now hooked up to the rest of the world via cable. We have television, computer, and phone. Cable, cable, cable. I am not sure why, but they were running a special and my husband said, "this is what we want", and my response was something like, "I don't give a hoo-haa, just get me the internet." I know, its very sad. I did not miss T.V. one dot. But we have moved from a bunch of people who mean a lot to me, and the internet allows me to feel a great deal closer to them. Not to mention I can now look up what kind of bedding Target has on sale.
The last few weeks have put my previous entry, and my rantings about hope, faith, and works, and my very sanity, to the test. I will take greater care in preaching on this site, as the powers that be apparently think I should practice what I preach. As we were buying and moving into the house we are now in, the sale of our previous home fell through, not softly or with apology, it fell with shattering, in-your-face, exploding bombardment. To put it in a few words, the buyers lied and lied and lied some more and it finally all came out in the underwriting, and they still want the earnest money. Somebody get me a dictionary, I want to look up the word 'earnest'. But, we have done what we could with what we have been given, and we are loving our new home, and our new realtor, who is showing our old house and being very positive. Who would have thought the need to ask, "Are they U.S. citizens?", when that offer arrived back in July? Guess what... we will be asking it now. Hooray for the western folk of Cody, WY and their hospitality, concern, and generosity. It was a huge support when the bottom fell out. We love this town! Check out the link to Cody Chamber of Commerce. It is great! Recover Post complete.
www.codychamber.org