Snow Day

Snow day today! It started last night and continued through today. I went out and shoveled a pile of it. It was the light fluffy stuff, beautiful! The wind blew differently this afternoon. Normally, I have drifts across the front yard and in front of the garage, but today, no drifts happened in the front. But in the back along the south side, there was a large drift. Normally, the winds come from the northwest, but today I have no idea where they came from, definitely not the northwest.

We pray for snow so that our "parched lands will receive the moisture they need." Then, when it finally comes and sticks a bit, we complain about the white stuff. What is up with that? I am glad it is here because I know it snowed even harder in the mountains. I am sure the skiers love it, and I am sure the farmers downstream love it, especially when we think of the luscious flora and fauna that will come later this spring and into the summer. There is nothing more beautiful than a bed of flowers, all kinds and all colors. I am looking forward to it.

So, it is still snowing in Cheyenne. More white. More beauty. More shoveling. Isn't it grand?

Happy Birthday, Joanne

It's Joanne's birthday today! She is absolutely incredible and the best thing about my life. Here are some memories/comments--mostly truncated:
The YSA dance in Rexburg, our first meeting—Thanks to Ruth Hathaway for introducing us.
Our first date in Church—Menan 1st Ward.
Our move to Boise and Boise State.
The wonderful Boise 6th Ward—Ice cream raids, floating the Boise River, picking fruit in Emmett, serving the Ward members and them serving us during Joanne’s awful pregnancies.
The long wait for the girls to come and how wonderful they were.
Mountain Home Jr. High School—9th graders, girls basketball (8th B) and a perfect season and pizza in Boise. (What’s a key, Mr. Hammon?) What phenomenal young women.
The move back to Idaho Falls and family.
Templeview Ward and the gorgeous Idaho Falls Temple
The High Council.
The move to Lewiston, Idaho…growing anything.
Lewis-Clark State College
Spokane Temple trips
Move to Miles City, Montana.
Miles Community College
Custer County High School—basketball, volleyball, tennis, speech and drama, graduation
Glendive Stake and lots of travel—Young Men, Young Women, High Council
Martin’s Cove—incredibly spiritual experience
AR’s graduation from high school and Miles Community College
Move to Cheyenne, Wyoming
AR’s wedding
Laramie County Community College
Buffalo Ridge Ward
YSA Branch—lots of activities
AR’s graduation from BYU
Hailey’s graduation from Laramie County Community College
Hailey’s wedding
Missionary couple and YSA.
The many temples we have visited.
H’s wedding
H’s graduation from BYU
And many, many, many more things.
All the happiness, all of the positiveness, all of love—Joanne, my beautiful bride.

October snows

In my previous blog, I told you about the October snow storm. Here are some pictures of our home and the surrounding snow drifts.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

Today is going to be one of those days. The College closed yesterday at 1:00 p.m. because of massive amounts of snow falling and blowing all over the place. True to Wyoming form, the winds have been piling up snow as fast as it can. I shoveled a two-foot drift yesterday morning, just to get out of the driveway. By the time I arrived home, the snow had blown in my hole to the house and then some. My wonderful wife had been out shoveling, and I finished opening up the hole so I could drive back into the house.

This a.m. I awoke early, checked the road reports, etc. Plus, I received a call from the College--too much snow, too much wind, too much blowing the snow back into the roads that they have been trying to keep open since 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. They suggested closure. I called our PR person and closed the Campus. So,anyone reading this blog this a.m., particularly faculty, staff, and students, please stay home and inside today. Please no unnecessary travel. According to the Wyoming road reports, the roads are in terrible shape, and they suggest "no unnecessary travel."

My drift in front of the garage is back and is bigger than yesterday. Yes, everything looks so beautiful, so white--from the inside. I will have to don my winter duds and go outside sometime today to dig another hole, but I shall wait until later when the wind ostensibly dies down.

What is up with all this snow so early in the season? Some people say, "Well, this is the way it used to be." So I guess we can say that global warming has not arrived to Wyoming.

Everyone, take care today. Keep inside. Have fun with your children. Students, get your homework done before you go out and play in the snow.

Have a wonderful day! I'll have pictures later on today.

dlh