Winter in Wy

 It is hard to believe that two weeks have passed since the last post, but it is also hard to believe that we have had so much snow this past week.  Roads closed for two whole days for the most part and we were headed south to a quilt show and weekend with a friend.  NOT POSSIBLE!  Crazy weather.  It snowed for two days constantly, but the snow was so wet and we need the moisture so maybe next year we will make it.  Above, the quilt made from my scrap stash for the bed.  This is where my furbabies sleep when they nap during the day.  Now the furbaby below is a small breed of the critter which lives mostly under the pine tree out front and munches on the lawn.  He doesn't eat much.

We did make it in to Rawlins Saturday for our health fair results, but the interstate was closed and since we were local, we were allowed to go through to come home.  Our intent was to see a movie but our better judgement told us to come home.  Another movie now playing is The Diviner.  Probably most don't really know what one is today, but I remember my grandmother was a diviner.
I saw her more than once with a forked branch trying to locate water.  I have mentioned it before, but I felt doubt from those I told.  She was born in the late 1800's and before modern methods of locating water for wells, it was common for one to divine for water. Apparently not just anyone had this skill, but from old newspaper clippings and stories retold, my grandmother was a remarkable woman.  I remember my uncles telling me that she knew when she would get a letter from a son who was overseas during WWII and send someone for the mail. Although she was a "lefty" she could do anything equally with both hands. I remember her singing the alphabet back words to me and she was a tiny lady, wearing a size 4 shoe. She died when I was only about 10, but every once in a while I hear something that stirs up an old memory of this wonderful pioneer woman.

Cute and cuddly..NOT!

 This is a side window next to my front door and this critter was taking refuge from the cold and wind one morning this week.  As I came downstairs, I came face to face with this strange looking creature.
Now I have lived most of my life in rural Colorado and Wyoming, but had actually never encountered this large rodent.  It is a pack-rat, or wood rat as they are sometimes called.  This window sits about 3 feet up from the ground and is about 12 inches wide to give you perspective. The Mr., with assistance from the dogs was able to do away with it and it became Magpie food, but this rat could jump.  He or she even jumped into the living room window sill outside before meeting his end.  They are terribly destructive and carry lice, fleas etc.  UGLY!

On the other hand, these are cute and cuddly. Although the little grey guy is not much bigger than Coalette, together they keep the mice away as much as possible.  (Don't think they would be much of a match for the rat though). She catches them and if he can get out to help her, he paws at them and "helps" her keep her prey. Understand that where we live, on 4.5 acres of prairie and sagebrush and near the river, we share our turf with all kinds of nature's critters.  We have bear, elk, moose, antelope and deer as well as the cuter but destructive rabbits, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, weasels, and the uglier badger, mice, rats, moles, and we have osprey, cranes and the bald and golden eagles.  We also have most of the other birds..the doves, robins, swallows, bluebirds, red-winged back bird, chickadees, and the hummers of course.  We just don't choose to live with some like the pack-rat above.  We have not seen another here and have no idea from whence he came, but he did not bring an Easter Basket so....gone, gone, gone.

Today our quilt group meets to exchange our 2nd rows.  It has been so much fun to do these and we all get so many good ideas from each exchange.  Although we have had some sunny days with more of it each day, the wind has blown so much and we are in for another batch of snow later this week, so it will be a good time to huddle up and quilt I think!