Sorry for yesterday but my computer was having fits and it took me all day and a couple phone calls to our repair man to get it up and running again. I'm not complaining because I didn't have to make the long, long trip to his store. What I was aching all day yesterday to write to you about and show you was the continual confusion over what time of the year it is. Look how much snow there is, wow. This is the Big Horn Mountains on Friday. Excuse the slightly blurry picture but I was taking it as I drove. I know, I know, I should have stopped but there weren't very many places to do so because of all the snow so I just rolled down the window and held my hand out to the side as I watched the road and snapped away, hoping one of the pictures was decent.
When I was coming off the mountain on the other side, I stopped very briefly to snap another picture of the creek. I thought for sure it would be boiling from large volumes of water rushing downward, nope. It hasn't bee warm enough to melt snow. This morning there was ice on our car's windshield. It's what day? I think mother nature is confused. But when she does figure out what time of year it is some better be ready. I see there were sand bags beginning to pile up by the houses at the base of the mountain near the creek. They know what's coming and it won't be pretty.
Even the deer at the base of the mountain in the lush pastures are still in their winter coats. I'm not sure I'd shed my either if I were them. We are still often in the thirties at night and it is probably even colder this close to the mountain. 
When I took my favorite cut-a-cross through ranch country, I stopped briefly to take a picture of No Wood. Don't know if No Wood is a creek or river. It's rather confusing here since a creek can be small enough to jump across or fairly good sized and that isn't very big by most's standards but the same size as some of our rivers. Don't know how we categorize the two here in Wyoming. I looked up the difference once and it said it was a local decision. That was a lot of help but that was a world wide site, maybe Wyoming has posted their rules. I'll just have take a peek. 
Disturbing was the two dead snakes I saw this past weekend. Ever since I came within six inches of being bit from a coiled rattler two Augusts ago, snakes give me the heeby geebies. I don't think they are on the move in this county yet but over the mountain they are quite a bit ahead of us and have a much longer summer. I can't say I felt sad to see this one dead on the road. The other was under a blooming lilac bush at the Basin ccemetery. Their lilacs and fruit trees are in bloom. My lilac is still trying to get her leaves and my apple blossoms are too cold to peek their heads out, and only my hardy plum's blossoms have started to open. 
My three sibling, and my oldest sister's husband, my mom and step-dad, and my father, all met in Greybull to visit and clean up graves in preparation for Memorial Day on Monday. 
This is my dad on the right and my brother on the left. My brother and I look quite a bit alike. Including our husky legs. My dad measured his and mine when we were in sports in high school. Yeah, I won't tell you how closely they compared. Let's just say I have calves that ranchers love. (hint big ones) My sister's and I spent a couple days at mom's visiting and visiting. You know how it is and my grand daughters were envious. You see they call my sisters the Aunt Grandmas because they may be their Aunts but they act more like Grandma and they love being with them. Too bad they live so far away in Utah.
Though the other two cemeteries are beautiful. This one is by far my favorite. There is something about being very very small and out away from town, in the middle of farm and ranch country, with a view of the mountains, that strikes a warm cord in my soul. Most of the relative in this cemetery have had handcrafted coffins of beautiful woods without all the lead lining and paraphernalia. I like that, simple. As I reflect on the day, it wasn't the putting of flowers on the graves that meant anything to me but the scraping with the shovel to clear the over run grass, the cleaning of the stones, and the general sprucing up of the area that spoke of respect for our family who's physical remains rest below. It was a nice time to reflect and remember them.
On the way home Sunday evening, this is what met me on the mountain. It was snowing to beat the band. Wasn't so bad driving through several inches of snow but three-fourths of the way over, I entered a partially cleared area where the snow plow had just gone. It left a bit of slush and road as slick as well, we say snot. Though I drove really slow, between 20 and 30 mph, I still fish tailed mildly a couple times, rather disconcerting coming off a mountain. I guess I was lucky that I went over Sunday evening for a young couple I know said they came back over Sunday morning with twelve new inches of snow capping the fence posts and deep snow on the road. They said it was scary harry traveling.
Oh when, oh when, will spring really be here? I'm anxious for some warm weather and to quit sloshing in ankle deep muck in my mare's corral and many other areas around it. But warmth on my back will surely mean water in basements and houses as the mountains quickly shed their white coats and rivers and creeks over flow their banks. There are benefits of living in a rather dry county as their won't be much flooding here.
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