Sheep May Safely Graze

Sheep and lambs are very symbolic at this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of the Lamb of God. We have been involved with sheep for many years and I have collected them in all shapes and sizes. This morning I went out and took pictures of Meredith's sheep across the road as well as other sites of this wintry morning. My hands were aching from the cold by the time I returned. I hope you enjoy this bit of Teton Valley from the warmth of your home.
If technology works, the classical piece by Bach "Sheep May Safely Graze" will be playing on my playlist to add to the ambiance.<

New Nikon D90

 

Okay, we bit the bullet and splurged for a fancy, shmancy camera. I took Dan's advice and went for the best, he said I wouldn't be sorry. So here I am with all the bells and whistles, depth of fields, aperatures, f-stops and a whole lot more that I can even remember. This camera will do everything, including teaching me French and Spanish and can probably even put on my eyeliner if I set it right. The first challenge was learning how to change the different settings and then the challenge was how to change it back. Thanksfully, they put an idiot button, in fact two (because they knew there would be some super idiots) that changes everything back to the original settings. Whew! I could have been in real trouble there. Anyway, for Christmas you are all getting some framed pictures of the cat, Pooh and if you have been really good I will throw in the enlargement of a fence post. Sorry to spoil your surprise but now you can enjoy the anticipation......
I hope you like this picture of the Belgian across Alta North Road from me. I asked him to stand still giving me a profile facing the Grand with his bottom lip on the barb wire fence and he was happy to oblige. I think he thinks that he has illusions that he will be on the cover of the January Western Horseman.

Warm Wishes from the Wyoming Wilsons

The Chase of 2008

This year of 2008 we have been chasing hither, thither and yon.
January-March-Chased off to Mexico to warm up.

May-Chasing back east to visit Sharon, Vermont and the site of Woodstock.

June- Trying to chase off winter.

July- Lorin chasing to keep ahead of the weather and trying to get everyone chasing to his tune. Liza chasing to keep Lorin and the boys fed and chasing for parts. Tav and Tate chasing to keep the crops watered. Our favorite grandson, Garrett, did some chasing with us as he loves to ride in the tractor with Gran while she bales or with Granddad in any truck, tractor, trailer, four-wheeler or farm implement. Grant and Tiffany did some chasing so he could do that.

August- Tav and Tate got their driver’s licenses, now there is less chasing back and forth to town for parents. Tav and Tate turned 16 so now the girls are chasing them and we are chasing the girls off. Liza led a merry chase of women on a 55-mile bike ride. Alesa and Liza chased off into the hills for some great hikes. Alesa did a lot of chasing back and forth to Rexburg to be with Billy while he was chasing all over the valley farming for his dad.

September-November Tav and Tate led the chase for the Teton cross-country team to first place at state. Lorin and Liza just chased around behind them trying to take pictures and cheer them on (this looked like a bit of a wild goose chase).

October-November- We chased off to Utah several times to see Jenna, Merissa, Thayne, Jennifer and Mckaylee (who just got baptized). The whole family joined in the chase at Thanksgiving as we ran a 5K for the Utah Food Bank. (see www.wilsonsofwyoming.blogspot.com)

Parley winds up the chase for his bachelor’s degree as he graduates in April.

But now let me cut to the chase…. Merry Christmas!

Got to go....Lorin is chasing me around the kitchen!

Warm Wishes from the Wyoming Wilsons

Run Like A Turkey!!!

Thanksgiving Morning as a family we ran a 5K, Jeff Bagley was the only one of the cousins who took us up on the invitation to join us. Tav and Tate came in in the top 14 out of 1900 runners. The rest of us placed somewhere between 20th and 1800th. However, if you narrow the field down to who came in first of the 50-55 year old women with eight kids and a scar on the back of their left leg from a motorcycle crash that would have been ME!!!!


At the end of the race I found my cousin Eugene Call with some of his family.

We enjoyed a great breakfast at Merissa's afterwards and Candace and Andrew joined us for that. The next night we went out to Jeff's to visit with Terry and Betty and some of their kids. What fun to get together with cousins. Like Aunt Josephine always said,"It's so nice to be together".

Nike Regional XC

We just returned from the Nike Regional XC finals in Boise. Our team took second overall with Tav and Tate ranking 4th and 18th respectively out of 95 of the top runners in the state. We had a fantastic day!!! What fun for us to chase these boys around.

 

 

 

 

State Cross Country Champions 2008

Psyching up before the race...



I didn't see any wings on their feet before the race, I guess they come out on a "as needed basis".


Team Unity



Teton's first man in, third overall,Tavner Wilson. He passed this red guy in the last 20 feet of the race and came in with a time of 16:55.


Tate, Rico and Ben, Tetons 2nd, 3rd and 4th men. Tate's time 17:44


The Heart of A Champion!




My own PFs (Personal Favorites)

Cross Country for These Country Boys

 

Wow! What a season for the Wilson brothers in cross country this year. The pictures are of the meet at the Targhee Golf Course where our team raked in the seven of the top 10 medals. At District this last week, Tav ran away with first place overall and Tate was close on his heels with the third overall. The two Knight boys were also in the top rankings. They both have spent summers moving pipe for us so we claim them as our own.
We head for State in Boise this weekend. Our team is poised to take the top honors. We will see if our stars align again.

FOF Bike Ride

 

Yesterday, I completed a goal of mine to ride 50 miles. I finished at 55.5 miles (a nice number). It goes on my FOF Firsts After Fifty List (sort of like a bucket list). I invited a bunch of ladies to go with me and ride any part of it that they wanted. I was happy for the company of Tiffany (pulling Garret), Julie Wade, Alesa, Gloria Smith and Anita Cook. Our path took around the valley, Driggs-Victor-Moose Creek-Cedron-Bates-Horseshoe Canyon- Driggs. That was 50 miles. Then I rode back up to Alta. It was a fabulous day, perfect weather and a great ride. I will do it again. Anybody want to come with me?

Favorite Memories

Share one of your favorite memories from your childhood that you hope to give your own children.


Lining up on the stairs to come down for Christmas morning.Please note that my nails were painted, that is why I was holding my hands so they could be seen.

Same Stairs-

Grover House Memories

On the way home from our hike to the intermittent springs up Swift Creek Canyon in Star Valley, Alesa asked if we could stop and see the Grover house where we lived when I was little.
What a walk down memory lane. It looks as though it has been vacant for a number of years, it reminds me of when Christy and I would walk up to the old house that used to be between Wests and us. The kitchen cabinets are still pink and you can see the pink paint on the walls in the dining room under the peeling paint. The candy stripe carpet is still in the bedroom downstairs, however the room itself has shrunk, in fact the whole house has shrunk, in fact the whole yard has shrunk. The basement has changed the least, it is still a scary, dark, damp place and probably still has spiders, frogs and other such slimy things, although I didn't go further than the stairs. I always liked to have the support of Christy when I went down there and she wasn't with me on Saturday.
The best part was going up stairs to the closet in the hall and showing Alesa the "elevator" on the back of the closet door. Christy and I drew buttons for the different floors so we could ride the "elevator". That was a big deal for country girls who only saw an elevator when we went to Idaho Falls or Salt Lake.
It was kind of sad to see the place in such a state of disrepair. I wanted Alesa to feel it as I remembered it, clean and inviting, smelling of homemade bread and rice pudding, with the lawn all mowed, clothes flapping in the breeze and Mom's irises in bloom. I thought it was a happy place to grow up.



Terry Jr. comment:
Your email tugged at my emotions, and I didn’t even grow up in the Grover house. However, I probably spent more time at it than any other grandchild. I always had the impression that the house was larger than it really is! I remember having milk and bread at the kitchen table after a long day riding or working with Granddad, the boys room upstairs, the party line phone, the creepy basement, and the inviting mud room as you entered the house from the back with Granddad’s boots and cowboy hat. I remember the garage with a fuel pump and the buggy upstairs and the big truck that granddad hauled the horses. The swing-set and laundry lines in the yard.



It provides great memories.




Jeff Bagley comment:
Liza: I remember that basement as a little boy. In fact, it was the inspiration for a television campaign I did for a client when I first started my career down in Phoenix for a homebuilder. They were building “livable basements” not the scary ones you knew as a kid. I got a voice talent from LA who did all the scary movie trailers to be the voice on the campaign. It won “Best of Show” in the Addy awards that year.

All those places in that house that you describe I can remember as well. You can imagine how that place felt for a “city slicker” like me.

Thanks for the memories,

Jeff

Korinne Bagley Nelson comment:
Thanks Liza,

Trisha and I walked through the house a year ago and it did strink. We have happy memories there.

Rob Bagley comment:
Fun to hear. I lived in the Grover house for awhile as a child. Neat memories there.

Merissa Comment:
If it appears vacant...why don't we buy it and restore it?! We could use it as a Bagley vacation home that everyone could use. :)

Patsy comment:
Hi, I remember the Grover house also with fond memories as Jerry and I and Korinne and Trisha and John lived there for two winters. I can remember the huge ice cycles that fringed the house during the cold times. Being from California, I couldn't believe the sight. It was pretty when the sun shined through and they sparkled....and dripped. I loved the ward. I was called to be the vollyball coach for the young women. We almost won the stake tournament, but took second. I was totally awed that I could do that, but it was fun and rewarding.

John Bagley Comment:
The Grover house has many good and bad memories for me. Mother had left her home in Etna and that was very hard for her. Dad had the big ranch and he loved it.
The Meadow was wonderful. The barn was not so great. Our horses, Mac – Bobby- Skip great times.
When the Wirthlens were killed and mother couldn’t say family prayer for a couple of months that was hard.
Errol and I with Christy and Liza in the one room up stairs so that Julie could have here own room as a senior was ok.
Errol playing the piano at 5 in the morning was pleasant to wake up to , but know that dad was going to have me do the choirs was not as good.
Family prayer kneeling around the table on the blue floor as a very comforting time.
Living there alone my Sr. year I enjoyed. I don’t advise it for others!
Jerry and Patsy staying there, with Korrine and Trisha sleeping in my room was great times. They were so cute and fun.
Getting of the school bus and knowing what was for supper because you could smell it. Knowing that mom was home.
Knowing how much they cared for us and how hard Dad worked to provide for us.
Worrying when dad was late coming home, afraid that something was wrong. Watching the road for lights.
We have a great heritage. Mom and Dad left us with roots, wings and a testimony of what is right.
It is our lot to live as they lived and to be as honest as they were in all that did.
That my family is a tall order. John

Comment from David Bagley
Unfortunately I only have one memory of that house and that is when I was roughly 5 we were there and Grandad let me ride one of the horses. What a thrill that was and a little scary. All I remember is that the horses were huge and I was a little scared and Grandad just through me on.

I feel jipped that I did not get to grow up knowing Grandad!

Comment from Korinne:
John likes to tell the story of when he lived with my family in the Grover home. For some reason, Trisha, John and I all shared the same bedroom. Trisha and I both slept in cribs and one morning John woke up to an argument between Trisha and I.....

Trisha was saying, "My John!" and then I would correct her by saying, "No! My John!"

John has felt important ever since.

...and Trisha, he really is MY John!

Intermittent Springs Hike

Alesa and I hiked up to the intermitent springs in Star Valley.

Wyoming State Fair

 

The Wilson Families of Alta, Wyoming were honored at the Wyoming State Fair for being a Centennial Farm/Ranch Family. This means that they have been farming on the same ground for over 100 years. We had the priviledge of meeting the govenor and his wife along with our two senators. They are in the picture with us. It made a proud to be part of making Wyoming what it is. It also made us very humbled to think of what great ancestors we had and the hardships that they endured that we might enjoy what we have.

Ponds and Pipemovers

Today was a perfect day. Even though it was cleanup day after having been camping for several days with the camper to clean out, clothes to wash and five men, (no let me correct myself, one man and four teenage boys who eat more than eight men) to feed, I got the wash started and took the dog Beau on a hike. Beau is a great hiking companion, he goes whatever pace I feel like going that day and never complains, although sometimes he drools on my ankles. I returned to bake some whole wheat cinnamon raisen bread, serve a pot roast with trimmings and hang out the clothes.

Then the four pipe moving teenage boys jumped into the back of the pickem-up truck and we joined the neighbors to set off some rockets. Fun for the 16 year olds and 8 year olds alike (the dad's seemed pretty interested too). One of the rockets landed beyond the pond. This drew us in the direction of the pond and the cool, shimmering, enticing water. I can resist anything but temptation and soon I found myself swimming, fully clothed and loving it! Ten year old Belle joined me in like clothing, she said she felt a bit naughty out there with her clothes on. “Heck”, I said, “that’s half the fun of it!”. The pipe movers were not far behind. We piddled around and had the bestest time.

It did give us a late start for my date with my husband of taking a load of hay to the Jackson Rodeo animals and to catch a movie. We were too late for the movie, but we can watch a movie in January, this was the moment to be spontaneous and take an impromptu swim. Seize the moment!

Big Hollow Haying

I don’t consider myself a “tractor driving mama”. When I signed on with Lorin in 1974, I don’t remember seeing that item in the job description anywhere. I do remember on the list: bake bread and ski, which I have accomplished. However, when three sons and three daughters have moved onto other endeavors and there are only the twins left to help on the farm I am, at times, pressed into service.
Today it was baling hay. I climb up into the 12,745 lb. John Deere 4450, 140 horse-power, diesel turbo charged tractor, with a compression ratio of 15:8:1 (I don’t know what that means but it is true and it sounds good) and try and refresh my memory as to how to drive this green monster. Let’s see, brakes, throttle, PTO, hydraulic lift, clutch and shut-off. All of those other gizmos, gauges and gadgets I don’t expect to use. I function best on the KISS program, Keep It Simple Sweetheart. That's what I expect at the end of the day also.
Let me say that on a flat square field I am a really good baler. I can make the baler track those windrows spitting out nice tight bales in nice straight rows and leave a field looking as orderly as my mother’s vegetable garden. But today we are in Big Hollow and true to its name it is anything but flat and square. It gets the prize for being the most irregular piece on the farm. It has stands of quaking aspen, boulders hidden in deep grass, slopes with grades of up to 30% (I checked that on the GPS) and pieces of antique machinery that should be registered with the National Historical Society and hauled off to decorate someone’s yard, someone who likes pieces of rusted, mangled machinery to grow their marigolds around.
Now I surmise that when the big glacier that formed this hollow melted its way down from the Tetons it was thinking more of beauty than ease of farming because beautiful it is, with the Tetons reigning over it on their throne to the east. But as with other beautiful things, they may be pretty to look at but must be handled with care. A farmer has to be very creative in swathing, baling and hauling lest he find himself and his machine rolling from the top to the bottom. Because of this creativity the windrows don’t all just go east and west, they go east and west where it is gently rolling hills but where it gets steep they go up and down the hill north and south and where there is an obstacle to go around they go any which way.
The words of caution I received from my farmer (that’s farmer not former) husband were, “Dear, bale the same direction that it was swathed, keep it in a low gear and don’t put the clutch in when you are going down the hill.”
Keep in mind that the swather that cuts and folds the hay into windrows has a nice tight turning radius, not so with a tractor that has a 106” wheelbase pulling a baler. To compound the challenge, usually the first outside rounds are baled and hauled allowing a place to turn without having to dodge bales as you change directions at the end of the row. But that hadn’t happened yet on this field and the “dear” in the driver’s seat isn’t sure how the “deere” is going to do.
I start out on the easier, top of the hill, back and forth rows to get my “deere legs” so to speak. Here I can bask in the comforts of my air conditioned cab with an unparalleled view of the Tetons and watch a hawk as he dives in on an unsuspecting field mouse and then glides off to enjoy his afternoon snack. But when I move to the slopes I have to have full concentration on controlling this mammoth machine so as not to end up as one more piece of mangled metal to work around. I feel more in control going up the hill than coming down, but what goes up must come down. Oh, dear!!! I decide this is not unlike riding a roller coaster at a slow lumbering speed, but if I did put the clutch in I could throw my hands over my head and yell “Wheeeeeeee!” I soon found out on the next down that even in the lowest gear with the clutch engaged I can get that same “Wheeeeeee” adrenaline rush. All of the sudden that tractor had a mind of its own and it was like a horse heading for the stables after a hard day’s ride. I was hanging on hoping to make it to the bottom, bouncing and jouncing all the way. I baled parts of several different swaths on the way down but only what was in my way because there was no turning to pick and choose. I pretty much had to give the “deere his head”. Whew! I wonder what the G-force of that ride was and how much air I got.
Once at the bottom I had to square myself back in the saddle of that “deere” and go up again, this time coming down a different direction, I had to let that tractor know who was in charge. When my older son showed up on the four-wheeler with the world’s cutest grandson who wanted to ride in the tractor, I invited my son to finish that slope. He said you have to put it into four wheel drive when you go down. Excuse me, did my farmer (getting closer to former) husband tell me that? Oh, that’s what that gizmo is for!!! My son finished the slope and then I climbed back in to finish the field with my grandson by my side. Maybe that makes me a “Tractor Driving Grandma”.

Farm With a View

Fourth of July and still lots of snow just below Table Rock. An exquisite view none the less.

Like Father Like Son

Garrett likes to ride with Granddad on the tractor or in the truck or anywhere as long as it is outside. He will even stand outside in a snowstorm just to be outside. Hmmmm....I remember his dad doing the same thing. Like Father Like Son.

Springtime on the Farm

We have all kinds of new babies this spring like "baby lambs" and chicks and pigs and soon some new kittens.

Springtime on the Farm

We were surprised with several new colts this spring. Merissa's horse that we thought was gelded got promiscuous and ...well hence the new colts. Thus we have fewer ridable Horses for the summer.

Bicycle Handicap

I was born in December, therefore I have a bicycle handicap. How’s that you say? Well because I had a December birthday I could never get a bike for my birthday. I was given a trike that I rode in the basement when I was about three. The basement “track” consisted of only 20’ between the fruit room door and the sump pump. Sump pump? Yes, in the spring our basement filled anywhere from 12 inches to 3 feet with sub water, so it not only was a short track but it was seasonal. Because of the damp conditions there were critters of the slimy variety that lived there. We had numerous tiny frogs and several salamanders at various times that would hide under the make-shift shower that my mom put in for the boys. My mom at times took after scrubbing and cloroxing the basement as if she were having a home show. It was after one of these times that I went down to ride my trike. I hopped on and backed out of my parking spot when a water snake fell off the front wheel and slithered off to hide by the furnace. Now there are few things I like less than snakes, I let out a blood curdling scream and ran upstairs. That ended my riding days in the basement.
When I got old enough to ride a bike there was really no place to ride, the basement 20 feet was too short, we had no garage pad or cement walkway of any kind and the state highway in front of the house in Grover was just too dangerous. So I was deprived of wheels and consequently learning to ride a bike in the formative years of my childhood.
The summer after my second grade my parents started building houses in the “city” of Rexburg, Idaho. I now had access to pavement and friends with bikes. They were not only willing to teach me how to ride but were willing to loan me their bikes as well. You all know it is easier to get started on a bike if you have a bit of a hill to go down. That is all we had was hills and I thought I caught on pretty fast. In fact before I knew it I had ridden all the way down to town which was about six blocks away. Now my mom hadn’t given me any boundaries as to how far I could go, I guess she figured I wouldn’t go any further than I could walk but she didn’t realize that I had wheels. My dad got in his pick-up and came after me, brought me home and I was grounded, I couldn’t go further than a half a block. I still didn’t get a bike until I was in high school when Dad bought Christy and me matching Schwinn bikes. Finally, my own wheels, but by then I ready for four wheels instead of two.
Last summer my daughter, Merissa, thought we should go on a bike ride. She hopped on her new road bike and I mounted her mountain bike with clip-in pedals. She gave me a short course of how to ride while your feet are riveted to the bike. Okay lesson number one, clip one foot in, push off and clip the other foot in, I got it! This is as easy as…well… riding a bike.. or so I thought. I made the first corner in great form and we were off with the breeze blowing through our hair on a perfect summer evening riding in the mountains of the Tetons. We could have been a commercial for hair conditioner or sunglasses or something glamorous like that. When we got to the corner where I had to stop, out of habit I put my left pedal down and went to put my right foot to the ground but it was clipped to its pedal and with no free foot to brace my fall, I went over. This was not glamorous. Lesson number two, the pedal that you want to unclip should be down so you can escape. You know the best thing to do after a fall is just get back on which I did. We had a great ride. I think with a little more practice I might be able to overcome my childhood handicap or I might have to go to four wheels, you know, add the training wheels to the bike.

Grandma Ruth

I am in the process of writing the history of the twins which in turn becomes the history of our family. I found this adorable picture of Grandma Ruth and Tavner and Tate when they were two. I don't know if they really remember Grandma Ruth but my others kids do and I certainly remember her as an angel of mercy when she came to take care of me when Parley was born and when Alesa was born. What a wonderful example to follow. We have been blessed to know her.

Tikal

From the highest piramid looking out over the jungle and to other buildings rising above the tree line.