CAPITOLETTER

March 4, 2024

March came in like a lion cub, or a protective ewe, at Capitol and on Tie Creek. First it was sunny and warm, but soon a fierce wind came, and then the snow came drifting down again. The accumulation was small and melted fast.

On Monday, Ronda Cordell took a water sample to Ekalaka, to catch the mail to Billings by 2:00 p.m. Then, she joined some of the coffee crowd at the Wagon Whee,l for a ‘sit down and visit’ session. The weather was making a change as she headed home. Tuesday morning was four degrees, after being forty-four degrees on Monday. Wednesday was even chillier, at four below zero, but by Thursday the temperature made it into the 60’s again. The barn crew had bowed out, on Tuesday, mostly due to the wind. They were working at tinning of the sidewalls this week, but they came on Wednesday morning, planning to try to finish on Thursday; and they did. Ronda was up bright and early, Tuesday, to do chores. Then, in spite of the cold and wind, she headed to Spearfish for a 9 a.m. appointment. Diane Wear came to let dogs out, and stayed overnight. She did chores on Wednesday morning, before heading to Ekalaka.

Ronda has been sorting through the inventory in the storage unit that came from Bergstrom’s, and also sorting through lumber scraps for ‘keep or burn.’ On Friday, she went to Buffalo and ate at the Blossoms & Brew. On Saturday, Ronda took two hours to watched the Done Right Linhart Bull Sale being held in Leon, Iowa, on the internet. Her bulls will be delivered when deliveries are made near Rapid City, and then on to Idaho. On Sunday afternoon, Ronda drove to the Bullock Hall to see the play, ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blonds.’ The actors had the audience in stitches of laughter throughout the play. “Well done,” to all the individuals that took part in making it happen. 

Dick and Erma Albert made a trip to Bowman, on Wednesday, to deliver tax papers and do some shopping. There is a new ‘dollar’ store there and a new grocery. On Friday, they went to the Senior Citizen dinner in Buffalo. On Sunday, they went to church at the Catholic Church, and then stayed for a pot luck lunch and Bible study in the afternoon

Alvin Cordell made a trip to Ekalaka on Monday. Ryan and Tawni Cordell have been checking heifers at night, so their family has been using the hunting cabin to be near by. The heifers are calving right along, now. Bobby Cordell came out on Thursday, to help Alvin cut a few trees to saw at their sawmill up at the Horton place. On Friday, Alvin met a man from the Glendive headstone company, to help place a headstone in the Camp Crook cemetery. He stopped by the Corner Bar, to watch the Buffalo boys’ team play Faith, on TV. Marlee went to Spearfish, that night, to watch the Black Hills State basketball games.

On Saturday, Marlee watched grandchildren play basketball in Belle Fourche. Then, Alvin came down to watch Black Hills play against Chadron, on Saturday night. Both the women’s and the men’s teams won in exciting contests.

Bruce and Lynn Gustafson decided to take a trip to the Hills, on Friday, just to get away and see some new scenery. They attended church at the Little Missouri Church on Sunday.

Junior and Shirley Melum had guests for dinner on Thursday. Rachel Melum’s brother and his family from Washington had come for a visit, and her mother, Carol Kalbach was there, too. Ernie, Rachel and Tommy Melum completed the group. It was a fun day. Then on Saturday, Dave and Lynette Donahey stopped by for coffee, too, so they enjoyed another visit.

Bryce, Dawn and Dorothy Padden were among many that made the trip to Timber Lake on Thursday, where the Harding County girls’ team played against Northwestern to see who would go to the state tournament. Harding County won, so they will play again next Thursday in Rapid City. Relatives at Summerset will be expecting many visitors on Thursday, and Dorothy has already been promised a place to stay for the night. On Sunday, Dawn and Dorothy went up to the Bullock Hall for the annual play, and it was again a great performance.

Karen Odell made a couple of calls to her Ohio high school classmate, Bill Foulkes, this week. He had newly become a widower, and Karen was glad they had kept in touch all these years. On Tuesday, Karen got to watch her grandson, Carson Odell’s, band concert in Mitchell, on YouTube. Carson plays the French horn, just like his dad, aunt and his Grandma had in high school and college. His middle school concert was very good, and Karen was glad she could watch it on YouTube. The family all sent birthday wishes to Micki Odell, who had missed being a ‘leap-year’ baby by a few hours, and missed being a St. David’s Day baby, by being born on the 28th.

Karen celebrated St. David’s Day, March first, on Friday, by making a trip to the Hills to do some shopping, and pick up some cats that had been visiting Metzger-Holcomb Vet in Spearfish. It was a warm, beautiful day. Just getting light bulbs and trash bags cost her thirty dollars, so shopping was very limited and fast. She had planned to eat lunch in town, but the places were so busy, that she just came on home instead. The cats were glad to get home.

Ernie and Tommy Melum stopped by, on Friday evening, for a visit. St. David’s Day is also her brother, Ron Evans’s birthday, so Karen called to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him, in Ohio, too. He had not been named ‘David’ in honor of his birthday, because there were already too many David Evans’s, and even Ron later named one of his own sons, David Evans, bringing up that total again.

It seems that winter is not quite over, but the snow moisture is needed.

When the speaker comes to the podium, and begins with ‘I’m no speech-maker’, he should let it go at that, instead of giving an in-depth demonstration.