Meet Gus

The sun's out, the snow is melting...but it has a l-o-n-g way to go to become a distant memory, and the forecast for another storm on Fri. or Sat. is holding steady, though so far just how strong it will be has not been pinned down. The buzz is, this is what the winters here in western SD are "normally" like but, for the past several years, they have been much milder (until now). I don't know whether to be glad we were spared this course in Winter 101 for five whole years, or wish we'd experienced this up front so that milder winters felt a lot more "mild"! I think I'll pick the feelings behind door #1.

Ruben made it home yesterday by 3 pm. He's been stuck at work beyond his normal 24 hr. shifts during two of the three blizzards this winter. Having him here during these storms would be a lot nicer than going it alone, but I just keep donning my big girl panties and manage fine.

Well, at least I've had my haircut and hilights, I'm ready to face the next Arctic blast in style. You betcha!

This is a photo of my favorite wildlife subject, taken in early March in Custer Park, about 35 miles south. It's obvious that the park is my favorite place to visit in this area; I've been there countless times since moving to SD. Not only am I beginning to recognize certain individual buffalo, but I've named one of them Gus (above), in honor of Holly Hunter's tv pet pooch on "Saving Grace". Both critters tend to lounge around slobbering a lot, and aren't exactly the most perfect example of their breed.