CAPITOLETTER

May 27, 2024

Alvin and Ryan Cordell, and Charlie Casteel, have been busy sorting cows, and moving them to summer pasture. Marlee went to an appointment in Spearfish, on Tuesday. Then, on Saturday, she went down to the wedding of her cousin, Kelly West’s, son. Paul O’Toole stopped in for a visit with Alvin. Paul has a hunting cabin in Camp Crook, and has been coming out this way for hunting for nearly fifty years. On Thursday, Alvin got thirty-five hundredths of rain, and then another three-tenths on Saturday. It had been terribly dry, and that rain helped things perk up. On Sunday, Alvin and Marlee went to the Camp Crook cemetery and the Ekalaka Cemetery, to decorate graves.

Ronda Cordell has her new rain gauge up and got a total of nearly an inch this week. It’s amazing how so little rain can perk up the countryside. She watched cows grazing in the rain and wondered if they felt like we do after a bath. Ronda drove to Buffalo for an appointment, on Monday, and had a delicious salad at Blossoms n Brew. Later she started on yard work. Weeds can grow without the rain, but it took some watering to pull them. After the rain she made better headway, and hoped to get them pulled before they go to seed. She doesn’t use weed spray because of her pets, but paints it on the cut stem of a sapling to get rid of some chokecherries.

Curt Zolnoski came to help Clint Zolnoski and Gene Secrest haul pairs to the Desert, on Tuesday. Ronda took salad and garlic bread to Clint’s to add to Denise’s lasagna. Denise had gone to work in Camp Crook. There had been a scheduled power outage at home that day. On Wednesday morning, Ronda helped Clint and Gene get cows to the upper corrals. Tod Dague hauled a load to St Onge. The Zolnoski’s went to the cow sale, on Friday, to see the pairs sell at noon, and then, they spent a few days in the Hills with family. Diane Wear came from Ekalaka, on Friday. She rode with Ronda to Buffalo, and treated her to lunch at Blossoms n Brew. Diane had taken her pick-up to Camp Crook, so she could stop to do graves at Fairview Cemetery, and Ronda went on home to pull more weeds.

Lynn Gustafson made a trip to the Hills for an appointment, on Tuesday. Thursday was the Spring Council meeting of the Extension Clubs, and Lynn picked up Dorothy Padden for the day-long meeting at the Ridgeway Hall. Craig Nelson came to visit them on Friday. On Saturday, they went to Piedmont for a graduation reception for a friend. They both went to church at Little Missouri Church on Sunday, and that afternoon, David Douglas, Hannah and Naomi stopped in for a visit.

Erma and Dick Albert had a normal week. Erma had chiropractor and physical therapy appointments, in Buffalo, on Wednesday. Friday was the Senior Citizen dinner. Father Gary was in charge of the Sunday service at the Catholic Church. Then Dick and Erma had lunch with Larry and Sandra Lyons at Saloon Number Three.

Dale Moncur was out to the ranch for the weekend. They had gotten about an inch of rain during the week at the Moncur Ranch, and things were looking greener. Dale got some chores done, and went up to the Capitol Cemetery to do some work for Memorial Day.

Dorothy Padden had ridden with Lynn Gustafson to the Ridgeway Spring Council meeting of the Carter/Fallon Extension Clubs. On Saturday, Dorothy went to the Buffalo Hardware to get some flowers and plants. She stopped at the Camp Crook Cemetery to do some decorating. She also got to listen on the computer, as some of her great-grandchildren competed in the state track meet. Dawn Padden had joined in with some of those traveling to Sioux Falls for the State Track Meet. She got some great pictures of the students, and enjoyed three completely different days.

Thursday was very hot for this time of year. Friday was cold and windy. Saturday turned out to be the best day, but there was a rain shower during the time Kamry was competing in javelin. Still she placed a great sixth at state. Jerett Schuchart had a wonderful time by earning a second and a fourth place in the tournament, and Lexi Rolph earned a fifth. Dawn’s pictures recorded the events, and by Sunday evening she had them all ready for publication.

On Monday, Karen Odell tried to catch some cats to take to Holcomb-Metzger Vet Clinic. The trouble was that they knew enough not to trust her, so she finally had to give up and try another day. Now she feeds the cats in cat carriers, and maybe that will trick them into trusting those carriers the next time. She took a battery to Wolffy’s and ordered a new one, and did some work outside. Karen is still updating Vaughnsville High School books that she compiled for those back in Ohio, where she went to school. She got some flowers planted, and some of her plants outside, even though the night temperatures were still very low.

On Wednesday and Thursday, she visited at Chancey Odell’s to do some chores. Then on Friday, Chancey picked Karen up to go shopping in the Hills. They ended up in Rapid City, and brought home a Honda 700 side by side. Karen can now do some hauling, even though one lawn mower needs a battery, and the other needs a tire put on it. During the week, her grandchildren had a few problems. Kyia Smith opened a can of cat food, and the lid took a big slice out of her thumb that had required three stitches. Kyia declared that the cats must eat pouches of food from now on. Then, Karen learned that Murphy Hinds had broken his arm when playing on the monkey bars at school. Of course it was his left hand, the hand he writes with, so he will have to learn to write with the other hand. A few weeks ago, Kellan Odell had had surgery on his arm from a sports injury, and he is now hoping to be healed up for football next year, as a senior. That was three, so maybe things will improve, now.

On Saturday, Karen got a call from her niece, Martha Nau. Then she called her brother, Jim Evans, in Ohio. There had been trouble with his phone, and they hadn’t talked for a long time, so they talked for a couple of hours. On Saturday, she finally got some rain, and it rained again early on Sunday, to help settle the dust. Karen went to the Harding Church, on Sunday, for the special hymn singing. It was a wonderful time, and so much fun singing four-part harmony. Thanks to the Belle Fourche Mennonite Church for planning the event.

If you are disliked by stupid people; wouldn’t that be a good thing?