Wyoming Rural Electric News September 2023

CRUISE CLOSE TO HOME ® along the Columbia & Snake Rivers

Follow Lewis and Clark’s epic 19th-century expedition along the Columbia and Snake Rivers aboard the newest riverboats in the region. Enjoy unique shore excursions, scenic landscapes, and talented onboard experts who bring history to life.

Small Ship Cruising Done Perfectly ®

Out of Reach: The Issue With the Housing Issue

STORY BY ALISON QUINN AND MAGGIE YORK

America’s housing crisis hasn’t passed by Wyoming. In fact, housing costs are rising and the number of affordable homes is decreasing across the state. Read about how this is affecting Wyomingites on page 14.

WE’RE HERE TO SERVE YOU

We’ve all heard this phrase countless times. These words may sound generic, but in the electric co-op world – they mean everything. Rural electric cooperatives were created to serve our members and the communities we live in.

Back in the day, neighbors banded together and formed the co-ops for the common good; it was the only way the community could bring electricity to an area where there was none. In doing so, your electric co-op helped communities thrive. That mission-focused heritage is the golden thread that is woven throughout our history.

While our focus has remained steady on providing reliable energy to our members, today’s energy landscape and consumer expectations are far different than they were decades ago. But co-ops have always adapted to keep pace with changing technology, evolving needs and new expectations, and we will continue to do so.

Serving as your trusted energy advisor means we want to help you save energy (and money) and provide advice and information on a broad range of energy topics. So, the next time you hear your local co-op use the phrase “we’re here to serve you,” we hope you know that we mean it. Service is deeply ingrained into who we are. We continue to evolve with the times, and in return, we’ve found additional ways to serve you and provide more options for you to power your life.

SHAWN TAYLOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

THE WONDER OF AN AUGUST MORNING

THE WREN MAGAZINE WYOMING RURAL ELECTRIC NEWS

The official publication of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association

The WREN Magazine, Wyoming Rural Electric News, volume 69, number 8, September 2023 (ISSN 1098-2876) is published monthly except for January for $22 per year by Linden Press, Inc., Periodicals postage paid at Cheyenne, WY (original entry office) and at additional mailing offices.

WREN Magazine is owned and controlled by rural electric cooperatives in the interest of the economic progress of rural areas specifically and the entire population of Wyoming and the nation generally.

WREN Magazine has a total average monthly paid circulation of 41,346 for 11 months ending September 2022. WREN Magazine is delivered to rural electric member/consumers and other subscribers throughout the entire state of Wyoming and the nation.

Acceptance of advertising by WREN Magazine does not imply endorsement of the product or services advertised by the publisher or Wyoming electric cooperatives.

WREN STAFF

Publisher: Linden Press, Inc.

— Editorial Team — Maggie York

Alison Quinn

Becky Freismuth

— Design Team — Dixie Lira

David Merkley

Shawna Phillips

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

High West Energy, Pine Bluffs –Michael Lerwick, President Big Horn REC, Basin –John Joyce, Vice President

Wheatland REA, Wheatland –Sandra Hranchak, Secretary/Treasurer

Basin Electric, Bismarck, ND – Paul Baker

Bridger Valley Electric, Mountain View – Ruth Rees

Carbon Power, Saratoga – Kenny Curry Garland Light & Power, Powell – Scott Smith

High Plains Power, Riverton – Brett Gardner

Lower Valley Energy, Afton – Scott Anderson

Niobrara Electric, Lusk – J.D. Wasserburger

Powder River Energy, Sundance – Mike Lohse Wyrulec Company, Torrington – Dewey Hageman

Deseret Power, South Jordan, UT – Gary Nix

Tri-State G&T, Westminster, CO – Julie Kilty

SUBSCRIPTION RATES

$22 per year, Single copies $2 each

ADVERTISING

To purchase call (307) 996-6552.

OFFICE OF WREN OWNER 2312 Carey Ave., Cheyenne, WY 82001

ADDRESS CHANGES

Please contact your local cooperative to update your address. Paid subscribers contact publisher.

PUBLISHER 307-286-8140 wren@wyomingrea.org

POSTMASTER

— Send address changes to — The WREN Magazine, Wyoming Rural Electric News, c/o Linden Press, Inc., 121 E Mountain Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524, [970] 221-3232. Include 3-digit co-op code.

PHOTO BY ROB MCINTOSH TORRINGTON, WYOMING

YOUNG CREATIVES

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ADAPTABILITY BASIN ELECTRIC

POWERING THROUGH WHATEVER COMES YOUR WAY

Each day brings its own challenges, and Basin Electric will help you power through all of them. We have the strength and versatility to adapt so you can keep your operation running, your business doors open, and your family safe and sound. Reliable Energy for Our Way of Life.

Golf Tournament Raises Funds for Lineman Scholarship Fund

Every day is filled with classes, discussions and learning activities. They could find themselves bored during the evening hours, but experienced leaders fill some of that time, too, by providing fun for a purpose.

The Lineman Scholarship Golf Tournament takes place on the evening of the opening Monday (August 14 this year).

In addition to providing fun, a round of golf, a meal and a good time for attendees, the annual golf tournament raises money for scholarships that are awarded to linemen by the Wyoming Rural Electric Association.

BY ILENE OLSON

“It gives us an activity for after class, and we’re helping get money for WREA, for the Lineman’s Scholarship,” said Jeremy Fryda of Pine Bluffs. Fryda, an employee of High West Energy, has attended the Cody Hotline School since 1998 as a student or instructor, and now serves as Chairman of the Cody Hotline School Committee.

Deaver Arrants, also a member of the committee and a longtime Cody Hotline School attendee, said the golf tournament was established years ago. It was sponsored by another co-op until Cody Hotline School took it over in 2021, he said.

“We got all the kinks out during the first and second years,” he said. “That first year — that was a learning experience for everybody.”

This year it ran smoothly, and nearly 120 golfers showed up for the event, he said. Arrants, of Torrington, works for Wyrulec.

Twyla Barker, of Niobrara Electric Association, serves as Administrator for the Cody Hotline School. Barker said the golf tournament raised $18,000 in 2021 and again in 2022.

Barker noted that those golf tournaments hosted a maximum of 100 golfers, so this year’s tally was an increase of about 20 participants.

In late September, Barker will write a check to the WREA for the Cody Hotline School’s contribution to this year’s Lineman Scholarship. Much of the amount will come from entrance fees for the tournament, but some additional funds were raised through raffle ticket sales for prizes.

FLEDGLING AND EXPERIENCED LINEMEN HAVE PLENTY TO LEARN AND DO DURING THE FOUR-DAY CODY HOTLINE SCHOOL EACH AUGUST.

Western United Electric Supply/Hubbell team, who is among the vendors who sponsor the golf tournament and the school.

Left to right:

Todd Vogel, Anthony Chic, Jon Tripp and Todd Neville

The golf tournament raised $18,000 in 2021 and again in 2022.

A golfer taking a tee shot off the box.

Powder River Energy 78th Annual Meeting

POWDER RIVER ENERGY CORPORATION (PRECORP) CONDUCTED ITS 78 TH ANNUAL MEETING AT BUFFALO HIGH SCHOOL, SATURDAY, AUGUST 26.

The meeting included a free wellness fair, cooperative updates from officers, and free lunch and door prizes. Attendees took home a variety of gifts including a 2024 PRECorp calendar, and other useful items.

Cooperative members cast ballots for four director seats, re-electing Clay Branscom, Philip Habeck and Mike Helvey. Dustin Martinson was also elected to the Campbell County seat after incumbent Alison Gee did not seek re-election after two terms.

Special guests who spoke during the meeting included U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Wyoming Rural Electric Association (WREA) Executive Director Shawn Taylor. Basin Electric interim CEO Todd Brickhouse and Basin VP of Member Services Chris Baumgartner were also guests of PRECorp.

The 2024 PRECorp annual meeting will be held Saturday, August 24, at Upton Middle School.

Greybull Greybull Greybull

PRECorp Board

President Jim

Purdy

addresses the cooperative members at the 78th Annual Meeting at Buffalo High School August 26. There were nearly 200 people present for the event.

Welcome to Greybull, where everyone is greeted with a smile. We have a wide variety of shops and boutiques

COMMUNITIES WIN WITH REBATES

“I’ll be honest. I didn’t know very much about heat pumps, but it came down to that they were economical.” – Kevin Clark

When small business owners Kevin and Emily Clark set out to restore an old campground in their community, they were able to rely on their local electric cooperative for support. As they restored aging infrastructure, the Clarks took advantage of $1,800 in rebates available from Tri-State and Big Horn Rural Electric Company to install new energy-efficient heat pump water heaters.

The heat pumps help them save on their monthly electric bill, and keep the cabins on their campground comfortable, all while reducing emissions. Finding win-wins, that’s the cooperative way.

Read the full story at www.tristate.coop/communitieswin

Tri-State is a not-for-profit power supplier to cooperatives and public power districts in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming.

BENEFITS OF COOPERATIVE SERVICE

“Rebates are such a great way to give back to our members.”

– Heather Lawrence, Big Horn REA Office Manager

Because the Clarks’ home and businesses are powered by cooperative lines, they have access to cost-saving incentives when it comes to efficient energy upgrades. Whether it’s updating your outdoor tools to electric or battery operated models or purchasing new kitchen appliances, your co-op may be able to help you save.

To learn more about rebates and incentives for electrification programs, contact your local electric co-op or public power district.

Visit us at www.tristate.coop/electrify-and-save

Housing costs are rising in Wyoming, especially in resort towns, but also in rural areas and in our cities, making it difficult for residents to rent or buy a home. In a survey conducted by the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, 90% of responding communities said they were experiencing some sort of housing shortage, including lack of affordable housing, lack of workforce housing and lack of housing for seniors.

According to the Annual Housing Supply Plan report released by Jackson/Teton County Affordable Housing in April 2023, there are over 1,300 households seeking housing through Housing Department programs. Furthermore, more than half of all Sheriff and Lower Valley Energy employees commute from outside Teton County, and more than a quarter of all Teton County School District, St. John’s Health, Town Police and JH Fire/EMS employees are commuting.

BY ALISON QUINN AND MAGGIE YORK

AMERICA’S HOUSING CRISIS HASN’T PASSED BY THE STATE OF WYOMING.

WORKFORCE

In recent years, Teton County has been a major part of the housing crisis discussion in Wyoming.

“We face immense pressure from folks who do not live or work here coming in and buying homes, driving home prices up and disaggregating them from local wages,” Teton County Housing Authority Executive Director April Norton said.

Lower Valley Energy’s General Manager Jim Webb has been especially active in the housing conversation and says the cooperative is doing what they can to try to combat this issue from a utility perspective.

“We’re trying to create as much workforce housing as we can because it’s gotten to where property has gotten so expensive that no one can afford to live there,” Webb said. “If you don’t have workforce housing you’re going to have a county of billionaires and no one to do the work.”

There are two major commuting roads into Jackson – Teton County Idaho from Victor and Snake River Canyon that comes up from Lincoln County. “In the morning it’s amazing, it’s just solid cars on the pass and a stream of white lights coming down the mountain, and in the evening it’s a stream of red lights going up and over to Driggs and Victor,” Webb said. “It’s a huge issue.”

“When we interview people they all want to move here but then they

get looking for housing and they can’t find anything,” Webb said.

Lower Valley recently ran into this issue when they hired an engineer. On the hunt for a place to land with his family, the engineer couldn’t find an affordable home to purchase and found there wasn’t even anything available to rent.

“So I took a chance and said ‘you pack up and come and I’ll find a rental.’ Luckily, through the grapevine, I heard of a house and he was able to find longterm housing within a year,” Webb said.

Norton’s Jackson housing story includes moving eight times in seven years.

“I was only able to secure my rental because a friend knew a guy who knew a guy who owned the place,” she said.

Webb said the cheapest rental houses you can find in Star Valley start at $2,000 per month, and if you’re lucky enough to find a house, it’s likely starting around $1.5 million to purchase.

“It is a big problem for us and we’re trying to tackle it,” Webb said.

Lower Valley Energy has purchased 7 acres of land next door to their office in Jackson, which over the last three years has been subdivided into 17 lots. The intent is to provide temporary or permanent housing for not just Lower Valley employees, but other employers confronting the same issue, including hospitals and people working for the county or town.

Lower Valley Energy also has three condos in Jackson that house on-call linemen during the week. In addition, they have purchased three houses for workers to rent or buy, and they own two vacant lots in the lower part of Star Valley.

A STATEWIDE ISSUE

This isn’t just affecting Teton County. These same experiences are being had by communities all over Wyoming. “Teton County has a unique set of circumstances, but so does Laramie,” My Front Door Executive Director Brenda Birkle said. “There are a number of different catalytic reasons that there are issues in every community.”

“I would pick on any small town anywhere in Wyoming and I would bet that with the housing issues, they don’t also have the skilled capacity to help address it in the same way perhaps some of the anchor communities in Wyoming do,” Birkle said. “So while the issues are different there is still the common denominator that housing in the most common price point, the housing that folks really need, is an issue in every community.”

" we can't say we want you to stay but we don't have room.

Many involved in the housing discussion can agree that while some counties may appear to be more strapped for housing than others, every community is confronted with this issue.

Birkle said, “I think the results can be the same but the problems are not ubiquitous.”

The Wyoming Community Development Authority is currently working on a statewide housing needs assessment to learn more about the overall housing need in all localities of the state. Executive Director Scott Hoversland said the assessment will cover 99 cities and towns in Wyoming

district he can look up the cities in his area and see what that need is.”

Hoverland said the plan from there, once there is baseline data, is to develop a statewide housing plan, which would determine what Wyoming as a state has to do to meet its continuing needs.

“If we don’t do something now, then it’s just going to get worse. I think we can look back five years and say ‘Boy, we should’ve started something back then,’ so we need to get that information and start on a statewide plan [now].”

Hoversland also emphasized the importance of helping the younger generation build equity as soon as they can. “If we start now, I hope that in five

Jim Webb says the typical model for younger people in the Jackson area is for them to stay for maybe five years and then move out when they’re ready to settle down, simply because they can’t afford to stay. “Even with the rent, I don’t know how they would afford it. Unless they’re living with their parents or [their parents] help them get settled somehow, I don’t know how they do it,” Webb said.

“We’re active in trying to provide housing,” Webb said. “When we hire a lineman our history is they tend to stay for 30 years.” Lower Valley Energy prides themselves on hiring and keeping their employees for several years.

“I’ve got one lineman that’s been here for 53 years and he’s still not talking about retirement,” Webb said.

Lower Valley Energy is also very active with their apprentice program and scholarships for high school students. They are strong supporters of the Powerline Technology Program through Western Wyoming Community College as well as the Northwest Lineman College in Idaho.

and will look at varying sizes to come up with a solution that is right for that particular community.

“I think everybody knows and feels there’s a housing shortage statewide. But as far as to pinpoint numbers in each of the communities, we don’t have all of that information,” Hoversland said. “And then we can see if there are different regions that have more need, or if it really is a statewide issue.”

“We should have numbers back by the end of the year so hopefully when the legislative session comes in we’ll have some new information on what the need is around the state. And then if a legislator is interested in his [or her]

years we’re really tackling this issue and getting more affordable housing out there so that people coming out of school can actually afford to start their careers,” Hoversland said.

GENERATIONAL DISPARITY

The housing crisis is arguably creating a generational disparity, simply because younger generations are unable to afford the purchase of a home the way their parents did.

In regards to the common narrative that it’s so difficult to keep young people in the state of Wyoming, Brenda Brinkle suggests that there are many communities across the U.S. where this is true. “If that’s the case, it’s part of a larger narrative that will not be solved in the state of Wyoming, but with a larger cultural movement,” she said.

“I do think housing is part of it,” Brinkle said. “We can’t say we want you to stay but we don’t have room for you. It’s not just the emotional piece of young people having wanderlust, it’s also about the utilitarian side of them finding a job that pays them enough, allows them to pay on their student loan, drive a reliable vehicle and have a place to lay their head at night.”

If we don't do something now, then it's just going to get worse.

Norton thinks the lack of affordable homes will “continue to fuel the loss of our homegrown youth and talent to other places where housing and amenities are cheaper. I hope I’m wrong because Wyoming is a wonderful place to live.”

ADDRESSING THE ISSUE

Through the Housing Department, the Town of Jackson and Teton County partner with private developers to build affordable workforce housing. Norton said that since 2017, they have partnered to build or are in the process of building 250 homes for locals. She said a diverse approach including new zoning and incentives for developers to build affordable housing are also working.

In Cheyenne, nonprofit My Front Door aims to empower Wyoming working families to achieve successful home ownership.

“We are a financial literacy and home buyer preparedness course,” Birkle said. “We have a three-phase core program model which includes 12 weeks of financial literacy, 18-24 months of preparing families to be homeowners, and then once they purchase a home we work with them for five additional years to make sure they are successful.”

Birkle explained that providing safe, adequate and affordable housing to families benefits the children as well.

“By providing that stability for the kids, they are less likely to engage in risky behavior, they have fewer interactions with law enforcement, they are healthier over their lifetime, they have higher academic achievement, you name it,” she said.

“When we work with our families during those five years, we really

teach them how to manage a long-term asset and how to maintain and improve the value of their home,” Birkle said. “We teach them how to view their home as a place to make memories, but also as the investment that it is.”

Birkle says the Cheyenne Housing Authority currently has 1,365 people on the waiting list for housing. Casper also has a waiting list.

“So, it’s not only a Teton County issue, it’s not a Laramie County only issue, it’s not a Natrona County only issue. The fact of the matter is that we have to find a way to say welcome home to our workforce or we’re going to have to find a way to say goodbye.”

Recognizing that this is not a simple problem to solve, My Front Door and Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins helped form The Affordable Housing Task Force to begin researching the needs in the state. “It is going to be a very intricately woven tapestry of solutions before it’s all said and done,” Birkle said.

“If we don’t remember that everything we do is in service to people that live in those homes, then we will never get to a solution that is all encompassing.” W

When housing is “affordable,” a household can pay for the cost of their rent or their mortgage, plus their utility bills, and still have money left over for things like food, transportation and health care services. If their housing costs require more than 30% of their income, the household becomes “cost burdened,” which can be a dangerous way to live. Cost-burdened households are more likely to experience food insecurity, failure to pay a bill or to forgo necessary medical care.

In Wyoming, the Fair Market Rent for a twobedroom apartment is $933 per month. To pay this amount for rent and utilities, without paying more than 30% of their income, a household must earn $3,110 monthly or $37,318 annually. This translates to a wage of $17.94/hour for a 40-hour work week. But the minimum wage in Wyoming is $7.25, and the average wage of renters in Wyoming is $17.04. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that anyone working at minimum wage in Wyoming needs to work at least 80 hours a week to afford a modest one-bedroom home at Fair Market Rent, estimated to be $750 per month.

Affordable housing is designed to provide people places to live that don’t cost more than they can afford, preventing them from becoming cost burdened and experiencing other hardships.

But housing can’t be just affordable. It must also be available, safe and inclusive. These qualities together help create a stable home, which directly affects the health and well-being of its residents, the economy and the state of Wyoming.

Alison Quinn is a Colorado writer with great love and appreciation for Wyoming’s people and places.

Maggie York is a sixth-generation Wyoming native. She grew up in Lander and has family roots across the state.

“We want to hear from you”

The more you know.

Did you know we start planning the next year of WREN while we are still writing and creating for the current year? It’s true. We start with a theme and then ideas for articles that fit into the theme, or we

go the other way around and start with interesting article topics, then develop the annual theme.

But this year, as we prepare for the upcoming issues of WREN, we want to hear from you, our readers!

We take our readers’ feedback seriously at WREN, and we would love your input on what you would like to see covered in upcoming issues of the magazine. Do you have a great idea for the 2024 annual theme? Are there specific topics you think we should dive into for our feature articles? Let us know!

Use the next page to write out your ideas!

Thank you for your participation, your thoughts and, as always, thank you for reading!

Cut this page out and send it to:

WREN MAGAZINE

214 W. LINCOLNWAY SUITE 21C

CHEYENNE, WY 82001

Or, take a picture of it and email to:

WREN@WYOMINGREA.ORG

Or, you can take this survey online!

BIT.LY/WREN2024

MIGRATION IS A FAMILY TRADITION MULEYS ON THE MOVE

Migrating isn’t easy, and deer need to know where and when to go to be able to get the best grass and avoid dangers. At just 3 months old, deer make their migratory journey with their mother, and they never forget where she took them – for the rest of their life! In fact, as they grow up, they will mother their own young right next to where their mother gave birth to them, and even eat where she showed them.

Each spring, North America goes through an amazing transformation. Out of the recently snow-covered ground, green grass and flowering plants emerge. Spring begins first in the lowlands and then moves up into the mountains. For mule deer, spring is a time of bounty, but it isn’t without challenge. And the first step is knowing where to go to find the best grass as spring progresses.

THAT’S ONE BIG AFTERNOON STROLL!

Mule deer migrate the furthest of any land animal in the lower-48 states. They leave the desert lowlands, where winter temperatures are mild, for the mountains, and they eat grasses and flowering plants along the way. After the summer, deer migrate all the way back to the deserts and lowland prairies to wait out the winter. Unlike some animals, deer hardly stay put and many are on the move half of their year!

MULE DEER GET THEIR NAME BECAUSE OF THEIR:

Rope-like tail with a black tip, just like a donkey’s LARGE fluffy ears

DEER MEMORIES

Mule deer follow their mom and the other adults, learning how she migrates and what kinds of food to eat so they can, too. But once they are older, what happens to all that information? Amazingly, after just one full migration, they know the route perfectly and they will continue to walk it for the rest of their lives. Mule deer have incredible memories, and in some cases, they can walk in the same exact steps they made weeks earlier for more than 25 miles, without getting lost once. This ability is important because so much of their survival depends on where they spend the winter and summer, and that they make the most of migration.

LITTLE WYOMING

BUT GOOD LUCK PINNING A TAIL ON ONE OF THESE SEASONED TRAVELERS!

The Morgan Silver Dollar—originally minted from 1878 to 1904, then again in 1921—is the most popular vintage Silver Dollar in the world. Coin experts estimate that as few as 15% of all vintage Morgans still exist, due to the ravages of time, along with mass-meltings by the U.S. Government.

The entire market was thrilled when the U.S. Mint brought the Morgan Silver Dollar back in 2021, in honor of the popular, vintage coin’s 100th anniversary.

Legal Tender, Struck in 99.9% Fine Silver

The program was a huge success, and the relatively small mintage instantly sold out at the mint. Buyers loved the fact that these new coins were the first legal-tender Morgans in 100 years, and that they were struck in 99.9% fine silver— instead of the 90% silver/10% copper alloy of the originals. But with only 175,000 coins struck, many buyers were left empty-handed, and frustrated by the instant sell-out. If you were able to acquire a 2021 for the 100th anniversary— congratulations!

Then—An Unplanned One-Year Hiatus

Then last year, the entire market was left empty-handed because—although these modern Morgans were intended to be an annual release—the U.S. Mint was caught off-guard by the global shortage of the silver blanks required to strike the coins, and cancelled the 2022 release! No silver? No Morgans!

NOW for 2023—Legal-Tender Morgan Silver Dollars Are Back. But Mintages Are Low!

Now this year, 99.9% silver, legal-tender Morgan Silver Dollars are once again available to silver buyers, Morgan enthusiasts and collectors—while they last! Though somewhat larger than last year, this year’s 275,000 authorized mintage is still a crazy low number—especially when you consider all the pent-up anticipation and demand caused by the quick sell-out of the 2021 Morgans, and the fact the program was cancelled last year.

Very Limited. Don’t Miss Out!

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BY DR. BRUCE CONNALLY

A Couple Coggins Tests

Ineed a couple Coggins tests.” The woman’s voice crackling in my ear reminded me of my grandmother after age had entered her vocal cords. “Got two colts going to Kansas next week.”

“Yes ma’am, I can do that,” I answered. “It will take about a week to get the results back from the lab so we better do it pretty soon.”

“I’ll have them at my place in Mills tomorrow. The brand inspector will be there after lunch and he can help you.” She set the time without asking if that would work for me. It did work so I wrote down the address she gave me.

“What’s your name?” I asked before she could hang up the phone.

“Bessie.” She answered as if that was a stupid question. “Everybody around here knows me.”

I thought I might have written the address down wrong when I drove up to the tiny green house with white trim in the middle of Mills. I could not see a place to keep a horse, let alone two. But I saw the white brand inspector’s pickup parked by the perpetually open door of an old garage behind the house, so I grabbed my syringes and tubes and walked over.

Bessie and the brand inspector were watching two pretty buckskin yearling stallions in a tiny pen attached to the side of the garage. The colts were pressed against the back side of the pen, which was composed of 6-foot-tall wooden shipping pallets stood on end and wired together. The front of the pen had two

bent metal panels and a large wooden gate hinged to the reclaimed base of an old rural electric pole.

“They look a little nervous,” I observed as the two horses eyed the three humans suspiciously. “How did you get them in here?”

“Yep, they ain’t ever had a halter on,” Bessie announced proudly, ignoring my query. “I keep the horses on my property out past the airport. Nobody can steal ‘em from me out there if they can’t catch ‘em.”

“So how did you catch them to get them here?” I asked, a little puzzled.

“I ain’t tellin’!” Bessie replied. “Don’t want you stealin’ my horses either.”

I wasn’t sure how to answer since I had never been called a horse thief before. Eventually the brand inspector broke the silence.

“How do you want to do this?” he asked. “You need a blood sample, right?”

“That’s right. Do you think we can squeeze them against the garage wall with that big gate?” I was getting into the challenge. “Both colts should fit there. They might be a little quieter together.”

“Yep, I think that will work.” The brand inspector was becoming more animated as adrenaline started kicking in. “I have a rope in my pickup that we can use to hold their heads still while you get a needle in the jugular vein. We just need something to hook the gate to so the colts can’t push their way out.”

“See that chain sticking through the first panel?” Bessie piped up.

“I done this before.”

The brand inspector just shook his head and went to get his rope. We eased the colts into the trap behind the gate and hooked the chain. I hurried for my needles as the brand inspector slipped his rope over the first colt’s

head. It took two tries but I was able to find the jugular vein in the colt’s neck between the second and third board of the gate.

“Ouch!” The brand inspector cried out behind me as I was placing the precious sample into a plastic tube with a red stopper. “The son of a gun bit me when I was taking the rope off.”

“That will make you more careful on the second one,” Bessie crowed.

He was more careful on the second one but I wasn’t. The colt jumped around, breaking my first syringe, and then stepped on my foot before I got the blood sample collected and safely into a red-top tube.

Bessie seemed to enjoy the whole show. “The colts didn’t get skinned up a bit, but you boys need a little practice.” She chuckled as we unhooked the chain and retreated from the pen.

Suddenly I had a thought. How did those Kansas buyers pick these colts?

Did they just see an ad somewhere with a picture of the stallion? Maybe the pedigree was what attracted them. It was possible Bessie had shown the herd to them from a pickup window driving through the pasture, but I was betting she didn’t catch the colts for them to inspect. Bessie would not have wanted them to know how to steal her horses.

“Do those folks from Kansas know these colts are wild as Wyoming pronghorns?” I asked Bessie as we watched the colts settle down after their first interaction with man.

Bessie watched the colts for a minute or two before she answered. “They will when they get here.” W

Dr. Bruce Connally practices equine medicine in central Wyoming and northern Colorado from his home in Berthoud, Colorado.

Ouch! The son of a gun bit me when I was taking the rope off.

The Civilian Conservation Corps Cookbook

BY AMY BIZZARRI

Started in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps was a voluntary government work relief program that offered nearly 3 million unemployed, unmarried men the job of restoring and conserving America’s public lands, forests and parks. The wages weren’t the only draw—the program also threw in three square meals a day served in the camp mess hall. “The Civilian Conservation Corps Cookbook” features the recipes that sustained not only the CCC during the Great Depression but also our grandparents and great-grandparents. Budget friendly, with ingredients that can easily be found—if not in your very own pantry then at your local grocer—these recipes reflect the “make do” attitude of Depression-era home cooks.

The book features over 80 historic recipes including:

• Moonstruck Toast

• Corn Oysters

• American Chop Suey

• Brunswick Soup

• Porcupine Meatballs

• Mock Apple Pie

• Rice Crispy Macaroons

• Wacky Cake

ORDERING INFORMATION:

2023 | 176p. | $23.99 paperback

ISBN: 1467153265

Publisher: The History Press

Available to purchase on Amazon.

Name: Phone: Address:

ENTRIES DUE BY BY OCTOBER 15 One entry per household, please.

BY KENDRA SPANJER

( 1 ) a first name

This month’s puzzle is more of a game than a brain teaser: fill each empty box below with the type of word specified. Then turn to page 37 and use the number key to populate the chosen words into the short story. Grab a friend or do it yourself… the sillier and more random the words you choose, the better your story will be!

( 2 ) noun (person, place or thing)

( 3 ) type of pet, plural

( 4 ) adjective (descriptive word)

( 5 ) type of vehicle

( 6 ) adjective (descriptive word)

( 7 ) type of animal

( 8 ) type of food

( 9 ) an emotion

( 10 ) verb (way of moving, ending in -ed)

( 11 ) body of water

( 12 ) adverb (way of doing something, ending in -ly)

( 13 ) a number

( 14 ) a unit of time

( 15 ) adjective (descriptive word)

( 16 ) noun (thing)

( 17 ) a condiment

( 18 ) noun (thing)

( 19 ) noun (thing)

( 20 ) liquid

( 21 ) natural landmark

( 22 ) place in Wyoming

( 23 ) type of animal

( 24 ) woman’s name

( 25 ) name for a pet

( 26 ) something found at a home

( 27 ) type of food

( 28 ) adjective (descriptive word)

( 29 ) type of body covering on an animal

BY NEVA BODIN

BLAME IT ON

Roy Rogers

His first experience on a horse was when he was “just a pup,” Snidecor said, hanging on to his sister while riding bareback. He “hung on like a monkey,” as she raced her girlfriends where they grew up in California. He borrowed horses to ride after that, until age 15 when he bought his own horse for $150.

“I wore out a couple of saddles! Always had a riding job,” said Kent Snidecor, 2022 inductee into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame. He’s cowboyed in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and of course Wyoming, where he spent much of his career.

The day he graduated from high school, Snidecor started hitchhiking to Alaska but halted in Idaho to work on a ranch, and thereafter, hitchhiked to cowboy jobs carrying a bedroll and saddle—summers in Wyoming and winters in warmer climes. He was a “California boy,” he said. However, in New Mexico at the Mescalero Cattle Growers Association,

he remembers, “My feet got so cold, I thought I was going to die.” The other cowboys had a tent to sleep in; he had a tarp. “I’d wake up in the morning and toss the snow off the tarp.”

“They gave me a string of horses and said, ‘shoe them.’ I’d never shod a horse. This old Texan sat there and smoked a cigarette and told me how to do it.

Kent Snedicor mothering up cows.

It’s funny the horses weren’t all crippled,” he laughed.

From 1972-1978 on the James ranch near Daniel, Wyoming, he sometimes fed cattle with horse teams during the winter, feeling the cold then too. “It got 65 below zero on New Year’s Eve one night. We had a burn barrel on the back of the sled full of twine and diesel, that’s how you warmed your hands. It stayed 60 below for three days,” he said.

Snidecor punched cattle in the Hoback Basin in Wyoming for 16 years total, breaking it up with other riding jobs. During those years, an author/ photographer named Jay Dusard spent time in the area and published a book titled “The American Cowboy: A Portrait,” with a picture of Snidecor and fellow cowboys Kevin Campbell and Tom Felkins in it.

Since riding jobs weren’t always easy to come by, he often supplemented his income by “shoeing horses and riding colts.” Snidecor has exercised racehorses, worked as a plantation rider for the Forest Service keeping cattle out of seedling trees, packed bear boxes, dynamite, and tools for a trail crew in Grand Teton National Park, and trained young horses while also “punching cattle,” saying he always felt better about himself when on a horse. He worked as packer and guide at Mary Faler’s Hunting Camp in Wyoming, then managed it for four years after she sold out.

Snidecor also taught school. “I took correspondence courses during calving and finished my degree in college. Taught in Jeffrey City, Wyoming the first year, then Bondurant— in a one-room schoolhouse. Went to California, took tests to get my certificate, and taught there two years. I admire anybody who can teach,” he said.

The movie “The Legend of Earl Durand,” filmed in Wyoming and based on a true story, released in 1975. “We supplied all the posse, horses and free beer, and packed a lot of camera gear up into the mountains,” Snidecor said. He met Slim Pickens, an actor in the movie. “I got to be good friends with him. He was quite a character. Took him deer, bird and elk hunting.”

A good cowboy needs a good horse, and the conversation with Snidecor frequently turns to training horses. His way of “breaking” horses changed as he learned the methods of noted horse trainer Wil Howe. “He was a good friend of mine,” Snidecor said. He worked for Howe one winter in Arizona.

Also influenced by trainers Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance, Buck Brannaman, Steve James, Les Voight and Dick Hardy, always adhering to the California style of riding, Snidecor learned how to “develop a really nice horse, not out of fear and intimidation, but of kindness,” he said. “I worked for some good trainers into my 60s.”

YOU CAN’T BAG BIG BUCKS & BULLS FROM BEHIND BARS

Sitting on his horse Monkey while working for the Hoback Stock Association in 1982.

He’s 80 now. “I ride once in a while still,” this semi-retired cowboy said. “I’m kind of into hotrods and making leather holsters and stuff like that.” He also crafts gun belts, knife scabbards, repairs saddles and fixes “stuff” for his son, who cares for 6,000 head of cattle. “I like to read a lot … love history. I got a 36 Ford pickup that’s pretty neat.”

He and his wife live at 7,200 feet elevation in Wyoming. “This was one of the last places to be homesteaded,” he said. “It was a tough place to live. You got to be self-sufficient and tough.”

PEDIATRIC CARE Anywhere,

Cheyenne Regional Medical Group’s SmartExam has the pediatric care your family needs without the waiting room!

• Use your computer or smart device to answer questions about your child’s non-life threatening symptoms, anywhere, anytime!

• Get a diagnosis and a recommended treatment plan from a CRMG provider within an hour.*

• SmartExam can be used for children ages four and older!

*During business hours M-F, 7 a.m – 9 p.m., Sat, Sun & Holidays, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Seeing Roy Rogers looking at boots at a swap meet in California one time, Snidecor walked up to Rogers and said, “You are the reason I am not worth a damn—because of you and your Saturday matinee, I got the bug to be a cowboy at an early age and have been doing it ever since! When I was a kid, I used to go to all your matinees and watch you and Trigger, and I always wanted to be a cowboy after that.” Snidecor said Rogers laughed.

Kent Snidecor has ridden a lot of trails since he saw those matinees. And one of those trails led to the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame. W

Neva Bodin is a Casper-based freelance writer, author, artist and poet.

You are the reason...I got the bug to be a cowboy at an early age and have been doing it ever since!

WYOMING COWBOY HALL OF FAME CO-OP SPOTLIGHT

UN-STUFFED EGG ROLL STIR FRY EASY WORK NIGHT CHICKEN STIR FRY

1 LB GROUND PORK SALT AND PEPPER

2-3 CLOVES FRESH GARLIC, MINCED

1 TBS FRESH GINGER, GRATED

1 PKG BROCCOLI SLAW (MIX OF SHREDDED BROCCOLI, CABBAGE AND CARROT)

SOY SAUCE OR COCONUT AMINOS

Cook pork in large, deep skillet until no longer pink, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broccoli slaw package. Add a splash of water to create steam and cover pan with lid. Cook until slaw reaches desired doneness. Stir in a few splashes of soy sauce or coconut aminos to taste.

ANNA LAMBERT GILLETTE

LEFTOVER PORK CHOP STIR-FRY WRAPS

Sauté pork in skillet with soy sauce and siracha, to taste. Add coleslaw mix and sauté until softened. Put in wrap with Chinese noodles for an extra crunch!

WREN STAFF

PORK CHOPS, THINLY SLICED

SOY SAUCE

SIRACHA

COLESLAW MIX

WHEAT WRAP

CHINESE NOODLES

1-2 LBS CHICKEN (SKINLESS/BONELESS THIGHS OR BREAST, ABOUT 4 PIECES), SLICED INTO BITE SIZE PIECES

1 LARGE YELLOW ONION, PEELED AND SLICED INTO BITE SIZE PIECES

1 RED BELL PEPPER, SLICED INTO BITE SIZE PIECES, SEEDS REMOVED

1 GREEN BELL PEPPER, SLICED INTO BITE SIZE PIECES, SEEDS REMOVED

2 CARROTS, SLICED INTO THIN ROUNDS

4 CLOVES GARLIC, PEELED AND MINCED

1 TBS OLIVE OIL

SALT AND PEPPER

3 TBS SOY SAUCE

Add oil to a large pan and heat over medium heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper to taste and sauté chicken until just cooked. Remove chicken and set aside. Add the onion to the pan (add more oil if needed) and cook for about 5 minutes (adjusting heat as needed). Add the garlic, carrots and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes and return the chicken to the pan. Add soy sauce and mix. Simmer the meat and veggies in the sauce for about 5 minutes until well combined. Adjust salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste. Serve over rice.

DEBRA DOWELL GUERNSEY

 wren@wyomingrea.org

 214 W. Lincolnway Ste. 21C Cheyenne, WY 82001

 wyomingrea.org/wren-submissions

Please include your name, hometown and a title.

Please submit high-quality digital files* or an original we can scan, as well as details about the artwork, the artist’s name, and the co-op. *Use the highest quality setting on your camera, or save digital artwork as a .jpg or .tif file with at least 300 dpi resolution.

If you would like your work returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

FEATURED EVENT

01 | SOUTHEAST

CENTENNIAL

ONGOING

Nici Self Historical Museum: Museum grounds and exhibits open Thu-Mon 12-4p. Free. Info niciselfmuseum.com.

CHUGWATER

THURSDAYS

Acoustic Jam Session: Stampede Saloon & Eatery music venue open for Thursday night jam session. Info 307-422-3200, stampedefun@aol.com.

ONGOING

Live Music: Stampede Saloon & Eatery music venue open for Thursday night jam session and weekend performances. Info 307-422-3200, stampedefun@aol.com.

ENCAMPMENT

ONGOING

Grand Encampment Museum: Main Gallery and GEM store open Tue-Sat 10a-4p. Info 307-327-5308.

LUSK

SEPTEMBER 30

Elks Lodge Hunter Ranchers Feed: 6pm. Elks Lodge. Open to the public. $10 per person. Info 1-800-223-LUSK.

OCTOBER 28

HALLOWEEN NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

LANDER  OCTOBER 13-14

This evening is filled with frighteningly cool decorations, spooky stories, crafts, hay rides, hot cocoa, treats and a campfire for roasting. Costumes are encouraged; children of all ages are welcome.

Location: Pioneer Museum

Time: 6:00-9:00p • Cost: $5 per person

Part of the Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series.

Info 307-332-3339.

NORTHWEST

Son of A Gun Banquet: 6p. Niobrara County Fairgrounds. Info 1-800-223-LUSK

WRIGHT

SEPTEMBER 30

Hunter/Rancher Chili Feed: 5-8p. Community Center. Suggested $10 donation at door. This fundraiser includes live gun and other auction items. Info 307-464-1222, 307-680-1606.

02

NORTHEAST

BUFFALO

THURSDAYS Bluegrass Jam Session: 6:30p. Occidental Saloon. Free. Info 307-6840451.

GILLETTE ONGOING (THROUGH 2023)

No Time For Tears: The Life & Art of Dixie Lynne Reece Exhibit: Campbell County Rockpile Museum. Features nearly 70 works of art from Campbell County artist Dixie Reece (1936-2018). Info 307-682-5723, rockpilemuseum.com.

Ava Community Art Center: Info 307-682-9133, avacenter.org

HULETT

SEPTEMBER 22-24

Museum Quilt Show: 9a-4p on 22nd; 12-4p on 23rd; 12-4p on 24th. Hulett Museum. Free. A sprinkling of historic and modern quilts will be on display so stop by to enjoy what our crafty community has to offer! Info 307-4675292.

OCTOBER 5

Mike Madler Program (Axelbee Gang’s Gunfight at Stoneville): 1:30p. Hulett Branch Library. Info 307-467-5292.

OCTOBER 25

Soup Cook-off: Hulett Branch Library. Info 307-467-5676.

THURSDAYS

OCTOBER 31

Spook Days: Costume contest and trick or treating at the hospital and 4-H carnival at the Niobrara County Fairgrounds. Info 1-800-223-LUSK.

MEDICINE BOW

ONGOING

Museum and Gift Shop: Open daily 8:30a-4:30p. 405 Lincoln Highway. Info 307-379-2383.

Storytime: 3p. Hulett Library. First group ages 0-7, second group ages 8-12. Info 307-467-5676.

ONGOING

Hulett Museum and Art Gallery: 8a-4p Mon-Fri. Free. Info 307-467-5292.

ONGOING

Senior Center Events: 145 Main Street. Carry-in dinner 12:30p third Sun. Rolls and coffee 9a Thu. Info 307-467-5743.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PIONEER MUSEUM

MOORCROFT

WEDNESDAYS

Moorcroft Branch Library

Activities: Storytime 10a. Afterschool Craft 4p. AA meetings 7p. Please use downstairs entrance. Info 307-756-3232.

THIRD THURSDAY OF MONTH

Adult Book Club: 1p. Moorcroft Branch Library. New book each month. Stop by the library for your copy. Info 307-756-3232.

ONGOING

West Texas Trail Museum: Now open year-round 9a-5p Mon-Fri. Info 307-756-9300.

ONGOING

Senior Center Events: Coffee and rolls 9a Wed. Toenail clinic 9a fourth Thu, dinner 6p fourth Thu. Info 307-756-9550.

NEWCASTLE

THIRD SATURDAYS

Weston County Democrats: 4p. Weston County Library. Info 307-941-1822.

FRIDAYS

Bingo: 7:30p. VFW Hall. Free.

SECOND AND FOURTH WEDNESDAYS

Gigi’s Closet: 9a-1:30p. First United Methodist Church. Gently loved clothing available for babies to adults. Info 307-746-4119.

SHERIDAN

SATURDAYS

Landon’s Farmers Market: 9a-12p. Landon’s Greenhouse, 505 College Meadows Dr. Info 307-672-8340, info@landonsgreenhouse.com, landonsgreenhouse.com.

SUNDANCE

OCTOBER 20

Oddities of Crook County: 7p. Crook County Library meeting room. Free. Hear Rocky Courchaine tell his tantalizing tales of odd happenings from locations all around Crook County.

WEDNESDAYS

Storytime: 10:30a. Crook County Public Library. Info Tonia 307-283-1008.

UPTON

FIRST AND THIRD WEDNESDAYS

Bingo at Senior Center: 6:30p, $10 for 10 cards. Info 307-468-9262.

ONGOING

Senior Center Activities: 1113 2nd St. Lunch is served at noon Mon-Fri for $4. Call for reservation before 9a at 307-468-2422 or 712-400-9056. Coffee and treats at 9a on Tues. Exercise program at 9a every Tue and Fri. Card elimination and potluck every third Mon at 5:30p. Ask about medical equipment loans. Info 307-468-9262.

03

CODY

NORTHWEST

ONGOING

Cody Country Art League Gallery: 9a-5p Mon-Sat. 836 Sheridan Ave. Info 307-587-3597.

Send

Please send events occurring in the month of December by October 15, and January by November 15 for inclusion in the WREN.

GREYBULL

OCTOBER 31

Main Street Trick or Treat: Info townofgreybull.com/visit-greybull.

SECOND SATURDAYS

Greybull Ladies Coffee: Greybull Library. Info 307-765-2100.

LANDER

SATURDAYS

Acoustic Music Jam: 11a-1p. Lander Bake Shop. Info 307-332-3237.

ONGOING

First Friday: New artist and local musician each month. Art show reception 5p, music 6p. Middle Fork Restaurant. Info 307-335-5035, facebook.com/MiddleForkCafe.

RIVERTON

OCTOBER 4

Fremont Haunts by Alma Law: 6p. Riverton Museum. Free. In this Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speaker Series program local educator and collector of ghost stories, Alma Law, presents some of the most eerie and entertaining stories and urban legends from Riverton and the surrounding areas! Info 307-856-2665, fremontcountymuseums.com/events.

DUBOIS

OCTOBER 28

Halloween at the Museum: 3-5p. Dubois Museum. Free. Friends of the Dubois Museum and the Kiwanis of Dubois will host. Get your family (or just kids) all dressed up and come for games, stories, treats and fun! Info 307-455-2284.

THIRD WEDNESDAYS

Wyoming Health Fairs Monthly Wellness Screen/Blood Draw: 7-10a. Dubois Medical Clinic. Appointments encouraged. Info 307-455-2516, whf.as.me/dubois.

FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAYS

Farmer’s Market: 2:30-4:30p.

Headwaters Arts & Conference Center. Featuring local produce, baked goods and bread, dairy products, jams and jellies, herbs and salves. Info 307-455-2027.

FRIDAYS

Story Time: 11:30a. Dubois Branch Library, 202 N First St. Free. Stretches, story, songs, crafts and fun! Ages birth-5 years. Info 307-455-2992.

Also, be sure to include the date, title, description, time, cost, location, address and contact information for each event.

Photos are always welcome.

Look

QUESTIONS & SUBMISSIONS:

 wren@ wyomingrea.org

 [307] 286-8140

 214 W. Lincolnway Ste. 21C Cheyenne, WY 82001

 wyomingrea.org/ wren-submissions

OCTOBER 14

Pumpkin Trail: 5-8p. Riverton Museum. Free. Look around the museum and enjoy the many carved pumpkins donated by the businesses of Riverton. Pumpkin lighting begins at 5p. Take the opportunity to vote for your favorites! Hot chocolate and popcorn will be available with a donation. Info 307-856-2665, fremontcountymuseums.com/events.

OCTOBER 14

Haunted Downtown Walking Trek: 5:30p. Riverton Museum. $10 per person. In this Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek,

local educator and collector of ghost stories, Alma Law will guide us around downtown Riverton and show us the sites where some of his favorite ghost stories occurred. After the walk, we’ll return to the museum and enjoy cookies and hot cocoa! Info 307-856-2665, fremontcountymuseums.com/events.

OCTOBER 28

9th Annual Fall Fun Fest: 2-4p. Riverton Museum. Free. This is a great day to get out and visit the Museum! We’ll be making harvest and Halloween themed crafts and snacks, and we’ll have some of our classic children’s games! Info 307-856-2665, fremontcountymuseums.com/events.

WEDNESDAYS

Acoustic Music Jam: 6:30-8:30p. Holiday Inn Convention Center. Free. Join in or listen as musicians and dancers perform. Info 307-856-8100.

PreK Tales & Tunes: 10:30a. Riverton Branch Library. Ages 3-5. Free. Info 307-856-3556.

FOR SALE

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Starlight Storytime: 5:30p. Riverton Branch Library. Ages birth-5. Free. Info 307-856-3556.

THURSDAYS

Toddler Move & Groove: 10:30a. Riverton Branch Library. Ages birth-2. Free. Info 307-856-3556.

ONGOING

Library Activities: PreK Tales & Tunes Wed 10:30a; Starlight Storytime for birth-5 Wed 5:30p; Toddler Move & Groove birth-2 Thu 10:30a; LEGO Club grade 2-5 Thu 4-5p. Info 307-856-3556, fclsonline.org.

METEETSEE

MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS

Meeteetse Recreation District: 10:30a yoga. Info 307-899-2698, meetrec.org.

MONDAYS

Toddler Storytime: Mondays after school. Meeteetse Library. All kids grades 1+ not in school. Legos, board games, crafts stories, songs and more. Info 307-868-2248.

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

THERMOPOLIS

SECOND SATURDAYS

Great Until 8!: 4-8p. This event showcases the businesses who are staying open until 8p or later in town. Shop after 5p and enter in for a chance to win $100 gift certificates. The $100 gift certificate will be valid at the business with the winning receipt. Info 917-589-7852, mainstreetthermopolis@gmail.com.

LYMAN

THURSDAYS

Storytime: 11a. Lyman Branch Library. All ages welcome. Free. Info 307-787-6556, uintalibrary.org.

MOUNTAIN VIEW

MONDAYS

Cub Scout Pack 7798 Meeting: 3:45p. Presbyterian Church on 3rd Street. We are always accepting new boys who are in 1st to 5th grades. Info MarNae 307-677-2566.

WEDNESDAYS

Storytime: 11a. Uinta County Library. Info 307-782-3161.

ONGOING

Community Classes: Fitness, computer, workforce and kids’ classes are available. Valley Learning Center. Times and prices vary. Info 307-782-6401, valleylearningcenter. coursestorm.com.

CLASSIFIEDS

WREN CLASSIFIED ADS ARE $0.75 PER SIX CHARACTERS CONTACT:  SHAWNA@GOLINDEN.COM  970-221-3232

WANTED

Aermotor Windmills and parts, cylinders, pipe, rod, submersible pumps, motors, control boxes, Hastings 12 ga. bottomless stock tanks, Shaver Outdoor Wood Boiler Furnaces and more. In business for more than 77 years. Herren Bros., Box 187, Harrison NE. 1-308-668-2582.

New & Used Coal Stokers, parts, service & advice. Available for most makes. Thanks. 307-754-3757.

MISCELLANEOUS

Soon Church/Government uniting, suppressing “Religious Liberty” enforcing “National Sunday Law.” Be Informed! Free materials. TSBM, PO Box 374, Ellijay, GA 30540, tbsmads@yahoo.com, 1-888-211-1715.

We Pay Cash For Mineral & Oil/Gas Interests producing & nonproducing. 800-733-8122.

Frontier Auto Museum Looking For Oil Company Gas Pumps, Globes And Signs Also looking for general antiques for our antique shop. Please go to our website FrontierAutoMuseum.com. Located in Gillette WY, our passion is to preserve Wyoming history and the nostalgia of the past, especially Parco, Sinclair, Frontier, Husky and any car dealership along with all brands. We are also always looking for neon motel or store signs, WY license plates and WY highway signs and State Park signs. Please call Jeff Wandler 307-680-8647 wandlerfrontier@gmail.com or daughter Briana Brewer 307-660-2402 relics@frontierauto.net.

WANTED CJ or Wrangler reasonably priced. Any condition but rusted. 800-316-5337.

Did last month’s puzzle drive you crazy? That’s because the photo with the August puzzle answers was incorrect. We apologize for this error! Please see the image below for the correct puzzle answers.

PUZZLE ANSWERS

MY SUMMER VACATION

By: [ 1 ] Wrenfield

The best part about summer vacation was when we went camping in [ 2 ] National Park. It was my mom, my little sister, my grandpa, our two pet [ 3 ]—Roxie and Moxie—and me. We have a [ 4 ] pop-up camper that we pulled behind our [ 5 ].

The first day, we went hiking up the side of a [ 6 ] mountain. About half-way up, we spotted a wild [ 7 ], grazing on [ 8 ] by the side of the trail. Other hikers gasped in [ 9 ], but my little sister loudly exclaimed, “I WANNA PET IT!”, which must’ve scared the animal because it [ 10 ] off into the distance.

The next day, we took our fishing poles to the [ 11 ]. On her third cast, my mom got a bite! She set the hook and started reeling [ 12 ]. “It’s a fighter!” she grunted. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] later, we saw the end of the line, and on it: a [ 15 ] [ 16 ]! “Let’s get a campfire going and cook that baby up!” my grandpa said. “Who’s got the [ 17 ]?”

On the last day, we packed up camp. We rolled up the [ 18 ] and folded up the [ 19 ]. We poured [ 20 ] into the campfire ring for safety, and took a few last family photos next to the [ 21 ]. Mom loaded us kids, and Grandpa loaded the pets. Halfway back to [ 22 ] where we live, Roxie and Moxie popped their heads up behind the back seat—and between them was a third head we didn’t recognize. “Dad!” my mom shouted. “You loaded a [ 23 ] in the car with our pets?!” “I’m not wearing my glasses, [ 24 ]!” he protested. “I thought we had 3 pets; this one was just as eager to go as the other two.” And that’s the story of how [ 25 ] became part of the family. He loves napping in the [ 26 ], snacking on [ 27 ] and letting us brush his [ 28 ] [ 29 ]. I can’t wait until I bring my new pet for show and tell!

DOGS

BY WALT GASSON

I think a lot of Wyoming folks have dogs that are special. Perhaps this is a reflection of a special people in a special place. Here in the Cowboy State,

The North Laramie branding was over. We turned all the calves out to find their mamas, packed up all the gear and watered the horses. I helped my grandson Connor load the ranch horses in the trailer, then headed for the house. It was time for my favorite part of the entire daydinner. I expected all my favorites: tacos and half a dozen different kinds of salad, with every sort of pie you ever imagined for dessert. I didn’t expect Tilly.

Somehow or another, she had escaped her confinement with the other dogs. She was a lonely little blue merle figure out in the yard. But she was very purposefully checking each truck as they pulled in, looking for Connor. William and James were just ahead of me. She waited for them to get out, made sure Connor wasn’t with them, then moved on. She came over to the truck and saw it was me. I opened the door and she was instantly in my lap. She gave me a million Aussie shepherd kisses (God only knows where that tongue had been - best not to overthink that). Then she perched on the princess seat and said she was ready to go look for Connor together. She’s a sweet, intelligent little bundle of muscle and she’s learning to be a good cow dog, but cows are not her world. Connor is. Dogs have always been a part of our family. All sorts of different breeds, males and females and neutered ones of both genders - they’ve all brought something to our outfit. Curly was the first one. He was a big fella, and my first babysitter. My mom could ground tie me anywhere and know I’d be safe if he was there. Then came Sam, a

smaller dog of uncertain breeding, with a penchant for going on walkabout for days with the neighbor’s dog. Then there was Blaze, a Golden Retriever, back when Golden Retrievers were legitimate hunters. He was my mom’s buddy after my dad died and her constant companion in sorrow. You could say he raised me. Then Buck, a black Lab. He was the alpha male of the litter, and he grew to be 80 pounds of nothing but tough. After Buck came Mollie, the sweetest little soul that ever hunted pheasants. She raised our kids. And then Missy, another black Lab who taught us life lessons about the power of unconditional love. And finally Jora, the enemy of all coyotes, who raised our grandkids and whose death left a gaping hole in my heart. Good dogs, one and all. Dogs who raised me and taught me and loved me as I loved them.

I think a lot of Wyoming folks have dogs that are special. Perhaps this is a reflection of a special people in a special place. Here in the Cowboy State, we love our dogs.

But why? Why the special bond between us and these four-footed compadres of ours? They say that our ancestors and theirs got together over 15,000 years ago. Some hungry young wolf was hanging around our camp, and some joker (I’d bet on a teenage boy) took to feeding it chunks of meat to see how close it would come. Eventually, it became part of the group and demonstrated that it could learn to do useful stuff. It could sound the alarm if it smelled a bear. It could help us catch other animals to eat. It could even drag or carry some of our stuff when we moved camp. Dogs were the first critters we domesticated. As such, we’ve had 150 centuries to get to know one another.

I’m not sure there’s a lot of compelling evidence that we’re any smarter than we were back when that kid fed the wolf some caribou. But the dogs have come a long way. I read recently about a study of two Border Collies. One knew the labels of over 200 different objects. He learned the names of new things by learning what they weren’t, and could do it again a month later without practice. Another Border Collie learned over 1,000 words and could associate each of them with verbal commands. Speaking as a guy who lives in a community where every third person has a PhD., that’s some pretty impressive learning. But I don’t think that’s why people love their Border Collies, or dogs in general.

I think my son Clark gave me the answer to this one. When he got a Bernese Mountain Dog, I asked him why. Like his mother, he can read me like a book, and he could tell I was pretty skeptical about a suburbanite who bought a dog the size of a yearling steer. He said, “Because he loves me. He loves our family. He’s just all about love.” No matter the person or the dog, in the end, it all comes down to that. Somewhere along the line, the relationship changed. It went from the transactional, where the dogs let us know when there’s a bear around and we rewarded them with caribou meat, to something much deeper. We learned to love our dogs and they learned to love us. Tilly wasn’t working the yard on the Quarter Circle K because she was hungry or because she was lost. She was looking for Connor. She loves him, and she knows he loves her. In the end, like all our other relationships, it’s all about love. W

Walt Gasson is a fourth-generation Wyoming native, writer, and son of the sagebrush sea. He lives in Laramie, Wyoming.

ACTIVITIES TO CELEBRATE FALL Easy

Handprint Leaves

Apple Stamps Pumpkin Hammer

This creative activity is great for big little kids! They will also work the fine motor skills in their hands.

This sensory activity is great to do with your baby!

You will need: paint, paper, a marker, a paper plate

Pour some paint on the plate and let your baby play in it, covering the palms of their hands in paint.

Lift your baby’s hands from the paint, then press their hands paint-side down on your paper.

Once dry, use the marker to add a stem and veins to the handprints, creating leaves!

You will need: apples - cut in half with the seeds removed, paint, paper, a paper plate

Pour paint on the plate. This is their artist’s palette!

Have your kids dip the cut-side of an apple into a color, then stamp the color onto their paper.

If you want to get out paint brushes, they can also paint the colors onto the apples. This gives them the opportunity to use two colors on one apple stamp!

What can your kids create from the apples they stamped? Get out some markers and try making an apple tree, or connecting all the apples using just one line, or making apple creatures!

This motor skills activity is great for your toddler! They will also practice concentration and hand-eye coordination.

You will need: a pumpkin, golf tees, a toy hammer

Set up this activity by placing golf tees around the pumpkin first. Stick them in far enough so they will stay upright, but leave most of the tee poking out.

Give your kid the toy hammer and let them hammer away at all the tees!

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We love a change of season! Embrace the transition with these simple activities the whole family can get into.