CAPITOLETTER

August 26, 2024

We returned to the hotter days at the end of this week, at Capitol and on Tie Creek, but no rain was in sight.

Pete Anderson has been busy working out at the ranch. On Friday, Pete went to the Little Missouri Church to mow around the church and cemetery. On Saturday, there was a memorial service for Edward Bonefield at the Little Missouri Cemetery at the church. Edward had not lived here for many years, but he was the son of Richard Bonefield. Bruce Gustafson has been doing mostly regular work, this week. Lynn has been cooking dishes ahead, for when she will be gone to visit her family. That is nice, so that Bruce doesn’t have to eat his own cooking, and lose too much weight.

Doug Davis had a big fair week. He hurried to town early, each day, to open the fair building and get things ready. Julia was in charge of the bouncy house for the kids. She kept water available for kids and parents in case the weather was very hot, and she visited some of the fair events. This week, Julia went to Ekalaka for a baby shower for Eva Grimes. It was a fun time, and great to see everyone. Julia and Eva’s mother, Shelly were the same age and grew up together. Then, the crop adjuster came by this week to see that their hay crop was a disaster.

Dick and Erma Albert had been to the Senior Citizen dinner, on Friday. Jack Ovitz brought his grill and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone. Linda Stephens brought some potato salad, and they had a great meal. On Saturday evening, Dick and Erma’s son, Richard, and daughter-in-law came from Texas for a visit. They brought an aged smoked brisket for supper, so they have been eating quite well, this week. On Sunday, the four of them went to church at the Catholic Church, and then went to Saloon Number Three, where they joined the Helms family for lunch. This will be another great week with family.

Ronda Cordell went in to Camp Crook, on Tuesday, to mail a parcel, and then went on to Buffalo to have lunch at the Blossoms & Brew. When she got home, she picked a few cucumbers, sugar snap peas, and lettuce to make the first garden salad from the late-planted garden. Ronda hadn’t gotten it planted until right at the end of June, and the first day of July, but has it ever grown fast. The squash vines are going to take the whole garden over, when it’s said and done. The beans are just getting ready, so it’s time for a stir-fry soon. The summer squash is feeding both the people, and the chickens. On Wednesday, Dr. Rhett Scoggins came to ultra-sound yearling heifers. Diane Wear came out to help Ronda and Clint and Denise Zolnoski with the job. Darby started school that day, so she missed out, but Abby was on the job, and quite interested in seeing the babies on the ultra-scan screen. She asked Dr. Scoggins lots of questions, and I think she gathered a wealth of information from Rhett. Clint took a partial trailer load of dries to the St. Onge sale, on Friday. Ross Phelps stopped briefly, on his way to the Buck Ranch. In the afternoon, Ronda drove up to Hannah’s to say “hello” to Toney who had come from Alaska.

On Saturday, Clint Zolnoski’s family stopped by. They were headed to the Long Pines. Each girl filled Ronda in on her first couple days of school. Darby is a second grader, and Abby is in kindergarten this year, so she’ll only go on certain days. Summer seemed to fly by. School, nowadays, is so busy with all the extra-curricular activities, that they love to be home on their days off.

Curt Zolnoski began therapy in Rapid City, on Monday, after having been released from Custer’s physical therapy over a week ago. He thinks he has had slight progress with his left ankle, but the right one is still pretty much immobile.

Karen Odell made a trip to Buffalo, and a couple of trips to Camp Crook during the week. On Saturday evening a skunk came to call. Karen was relaxing on the porch in the cool evening air, and discovered a skunk was enjoying the porch, and the air also. She told the skunk off, and he meandered into the darkness, so she went back to reading her book. Her dog, Hywel hadn’t said a word, when she looked up and there was that skunk coming right up to the porch again. This time Karen used a more dramatic voice, and the startled skunk just turned around and waddled away into the darkness again. Karen kept a look-out, but it didn’t come back a third time. She decided it may have been looking for crumbs of cat food that might have been left behind. Maybe it would be best to feed the cats farther from the house. The school year has started again, and Karen’s two oldest grandsons will both be seniors. Rowan Hinds will not start school until after Labor Day in Washington. Kellan Odell has already started his senior year in Mitchell. He was chosen as one of the three senior captains for their football team, and they already had a Gatorade scrimmage game on Friday night.

Chancey Odell visited Mike and Elizabeth Odell in Nebraska this weekend, and came home with a couple of horses.

Please keep Curt Zolnoski in your prayers, for healing, and add the Melum family to your prayers also, for the loss of Rachel’s mother on Sunday. We will miss a wonderful person.

Keep in mind, that if you believe politicians, you can be absolutely sure that soap operas and wrestling matches are real.