Milk bottles

 

The gate to Camp Jack west of Cheyenne, East of Laramie, Wyoming

When I was growing up in the 1950's, we would have our milk delivered to the house.  The milk man would deliver the milk early in the morning.  He would place it in a box by the back door.  The milk was delivered in a glass bottle with a paper cap on the top.  The color of the cap would indicate what was in the bottle.  We would drink the milk, wash the bottle and return it to the box.  The milk man would visit us once a week.

The dairy came up with a unique way to let the milk man know what kind of milk we wanted to order.  It was a device that you would put into the top of an empty bottle.  It had rotating colored tabs.  The color of the tab would represent the different kinds of milk or dairy products.  If we needed two quarts of milk, would put up two white tabs marked "1 Qt. Milk:.  If we needed a 1/2 pint of cream, we would put up the yellow tab marked "1/2 pint cream".

Every now and then, I would I would put up the brown one marked "1 Qt. Chocolate Milk".  I don't think Mom ever figured out which of us three boys did it.

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Morning walk

Greetings,  Milo and I had a good walk.  It's been cold and dry.  Milo "bounced"down the driveway and chased imaginary bunny rabbits.  We raised the flag.  Bob passed Milo TWO treats from the school bus window as all the kids watched. 

As we walked to the fork, I told Milo a story about the first year Janice and I were married.  Jan's birthday was approaching and I wanted to do something special for her.  Money was more than a little tight.  I pondered for a while and then came up with an idea.  I went to the drug store and purchased a bunch of candles and some bubble bath.  I made a stop at the liquor store and purchased a bottle of Matrini & Ross, Asti, and two flute glasses.  Now,  I have never professed to be much of a cook, but I can fix a few things.  I fixed her dinner.  It was ready when she arrived home from work.  It was a very good evening.

Morning walk

 

In reference to yesterday's post, The Sunshine School house today.  Both out houses are still there.

Milo,  and I had a great walk this morning.  Our older dog, Malcom, joined us.  There is still snow and ice on the ground.  It warmed up to 40 degrees so some of the snow melted, and then froze last night.  Our driveway was a little slick in spots.  We ran into Don at the bottom of the driveway.  He walks 5 miles every day and waves to everyone that passes.  Dr. Paul and his dog, Silka met us as we were about to raise the American flag.  The school bus stopped.  Bob had a treat for Milo and Malcom.  By that time Steve and Julie's dogs were up on the road.  Five dogs, all looking for a treat!

Dr. Paul is excited.  He just signed a lease and is opening his own clinic.  I am going to join him this evening for cigars and champagne.  Dr. Paul specializes in Holistic medicine.

The dogs and I made our way to the fork, stopped for a treat and then made our way back.  Don greeted us as he made his return trip.  We had a nice chat about the bears.  Ruby lives in the house at the fork.  Before her husband, Bob, passed away, he would feed the bears.  He only did it during the drought years, but the bears learn fast when it comes to an easy meal.  We all know that almost every evening, during the summer and fall, the bears will cross the road at Ruby's house.  A lot of the neighbors walk along that road!  Don was telling me about a time last fall when Ruby called him over to her door.  There, in her back yard, was a bear, rolling around in the grass.  Just like her dogs, who BTW ,were right there in the grass next to it.

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Monday Photo shoot (on Tuesday)

 

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Share some of your favorite black and white photos. Older pictures are good, but what you also might think about is seeing how some of your favorite color pictures look in black and white -- most computer photo editors will let you make a photo black and white (or sepia-toned -- that's monochromatic, too). This is an opportunity to look at some of your best photos in a new way. Then mosey on over to John's Journal and leave your link so he will know that you did this!!  

The famous Sunshine School house.  This is where Milo and I stop every weekday morning and raise the American Flag.  Built in 1900, the community of Sunshine still uses the building for many community events.  It is now surrounded by Ponderosa Pine trees.

 

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Do you have a "Smiles" file

 

Columbines from my garden last summer

I have been fortunate enough to sit in on several Eagle Scout boards of review.  That is a group of adults that review the accomplishments of a Boy Scout to make sure he has earned his Eagle Scout Rank.  It is the last step before he is given the award.  Part of the process is to read the letters of recommendation sent to the board.  At the end of the interview, I have started suggesting that the young man start a "smiles file", or to simply put the letters in a file folder.

Each of of has "one of those days" when we would like to start all over and hope the new day is a lot better than old one.  Sometimes, I feel that way in the middle of the day!  Well, I pull out my smiles file and start reading.  I have added about 45 - 50 letters to my "smiles file".  These are letters of accommodation, awards  I have received, prizes and trips I have won, nice letters from friends; all positive, up lifting stuff.   I don't have to read them all, just enough to turn my attitude around.  Somehow, after reading them, the day is a little brighter.

I have heard that my recommendation to start a "smiles file" is catching on at all the boards of review.

Thanks to you too, Dad.

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Milo in the snow

Milo and I took our morning walk at noon today.  It's snowing.  We really need the moisture.  I don't like going to the Wash-O-Mat to do the laundry.  We have two washers and two dryers, just no water.   Milo was so funny.  He was chasing the snow flakes!

 

Here's the front yard.

 

To answer Deb's question before it is asked, 2" at 1PM

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Fire fighting

I have been asked several times to talk about my fire-fighting experience.  I have been very hesitant because so much of it involves the personal lives of the people involved. 

 

 

John McColgan's Bitterroot fire picture

My first experience was in 1968.  I was hired by the National Forest Service to ferry fire fighters in and out of a forest fire in southeastern Wyoming.  It was a very hot and dry summer.  The fire was south of Elk Mountain.  I was the back-up driver of an Army "duce and a half" (2 1/2 ton) truck.  There was a lot of activity  moving the brave men in and out of the burn area.  The images of the blackened forest of dead trees and, sadly, dead animals still haunts me.

When I was given the opportunity to join the Sunshine Fire Protection District , I did.  It is our local volunteer fire company.  A group of my friends and neighbors.  There are only two calls I will share.  The first is typical of many of the calls we receive.  Sunshine is a mountain community, 2000 feet above and 6 miles west of Boulder, Colorado.  The road up to Sunshine is very steep and winds through a canyon.  We are often called to respond to roll-over accidents. 

 I was driving up the canyon one night around 9PM and everything was normal.  When I returned around 11PM there was debris all over the road.  I took a quick survey and did not see any damaged vehicles.  Upon a closer look, I saw a truck, overturned in the trees below the road.  The area was secure so I drove up the hill to a location where my cell phone would work.  I called 911 and returned to the site of the roll-over.  I  walked down the hill and looked into the truck, expecting to see a body.  At this point, I was hoping I could remember all of my first-aid training.  There was nobody around.  Dougy was the next on the scene, followed by two sheriff's cars and then three fire trucks.  We looked all over for the body.  Dougy thought there was a possibility that the driver may have been thrown out of the truck so we started checking the trees.  About that time, one of the sheriff's officers noticed that the keys were missing.  The truck was registered to a resident in our fire district.  We sent one of our trucks to his house.  He was home, passed out drunk!

The other one I wish to mention is still difficult for me to deal with.  We received a call for a "possible code BLACK" (dead on arrival).  It is hard when it is one of your neighbors ,a very good friend and a fellow member of the fire department.  Later that day, Milo and I lowered the flag to half-staff.

Our fire department, fortunately, does not respond to many fires in our district (we don't have many fires).  From time to time we get a call on "smoke in the area".  It usually turns out to be someone's fireplace or, on damp cloudy days, fog.  We do have a well trained team that will respond, out of district, to forest fires in Colorado and Wyoming.

I have mentioned Wyoming  twice.  It's a big state with a small population.  I would be surprised if there were more than 495,000 people in the whole state.  It's where I was born and raised.  And that is another story.

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