CAPITOLETTER

September 9, 2024

It was another hot, dry week at Capitol and on Tie Creek. Early mornings were pleasant and beautiful, but afternoons got hot. The sunflowers are a beautiful addition to the landscape, and they have bloomed in profusion since our last rain. The Black Hills have gotten lots of rain, but the clouds seem to pass us by to both north and south.

Dick and Erma Albert made a shopping trip to the Hills, on Thursday. On Friday, they joined the senior citizens for a spaghetti dinner. They went to the Catholic Church service, on Sunday, and then had their usual lunch at Saloon Number Three.

Doug Davis helped work cows for Clark Blake and Secrests, on Wednesday. Doug had a dentist appointment, on Thursday, in Belle Fourche. Julia had a doctor’s appointment in Rapid City, on Friday, and then, she had lunch with Sandy and Quinn at Summerset. She did some shopping, on the way home through Belle Fourche. Doug went up to help George Davis and Bobby Cordell work cows, on Friday. Julia took Darla Hammel to Belle Fourche on Sunday, where they joined in a reception for her daughter, Selena’s, recent wedding. It was at a shelter house at the park in Belle Fourche, and the shade and breeze made it a pleasant day for the family gathering.

Ashley Padden took Dorothy to Buffalo on for a doctor’s appointment. On Tuesday, Dorothy watched the grandkids’ game on the computer. Dawn went to watch the Harding County High School volleyball games, on Thursday. Bryce had antelope hunters during the week. They had gotten their antelope by Thursday, but stayed on Friday just to relax and rest up. On Sunday, Dawn and Bryce were invited to supper at BJ and Michelle Padden’s. Next week will be homecoming at Buffalo, and that will keep Dawn very busy taking pictures of all the events. Brenton is a senior this year, so Dawn and Bryce got a special invitation to be there for the skit competition.

Ronda Cordell’s mail has been very late again, so she didn’t have the paper with the Labor Day schedule. She called Jack Ovitz to learn the scheduled time for the Labor Day parade in Buffalo. She is wondering if the Montana address makes the mail go to Billings. Since the paper and Pioneer Bank have begun using the Capitol Rock Township, Montana address with the Camp Crook zip code, she is not sure where the mail goes any more. Ronda went over for the parade with the many surrounding community’s fire trucks. It is amazing that our surrounding community has some phenomenal fire units and volunteers, and it makes a person feel a lot safer in a year as dry as this. She went to the museum to drop off two separate years of bound Range Gazettes that had been given to her by Beverly Townsend Herdman many years ago. She had gone to the museum, a while back, for information out of the Range Gazettes that were there, and realized volumes fifteen and sixteen were missing. Now the full set is back together. Ronda joined the large crowd at the barbeque, and ate before heading home. On Tuesday, she drove in to Camp Crook to mail letters, and stopped briefly at Janet Odell’s, and at Wolffy’s. On Thursday morning, Cheryl Burghduff and Rueben Baldarez came by Ronda’s to pick up seven head of cows to take to Belle Fourche Livestock Exchange. Soon afterward, Ross Phelps came from Ekalaka, to get lined with re-siding and putting windows in their calving trailer house. Ronda has spent much time picking garden produce, and getting rid of rag weed and kochia around the yard and barn, where the mower can’t go.

Clint and Denise Zolnoski’s family has spent the last two weekends camping with family and friends. Last week they were at Iron Creek, and this week they were at Angostura, where they celebrated Curt’s wife, Krista’s, fiftieth birthday.

Karen Odell watched Flagstock in North Carolina on Labor Day. She made trips Camp Crook and Buffalo, this week, and visited at Chancey Odell and Megan’s on Wednesday and Thursday. She did some rearranging in the house. On Thursday, Mollie Smith came for a visit, after a business meeting in Bismarck. She had planned on taking home a yellow kitten, but could not find it until the next morning. On Friday, Karen, Mollie, and the kitten, made a trip to Spearfish to visit the vet at the Metzger-Holcomb Clinic. As it turned out, Sandra needed to keep the kitten, so it could receive medication. Karen and Mollie stopped at Lueders, and Mollie ran in to get a couple of things. When she came back, Karen was gone, but not far. She was part of a group discussion of sheep, with Julia Davis and Madge Pilster. Karen hadn’t had sheep for many years, so she mostly did the listening.

On Saturday, Karen helped Mollie put a roof on the side-by-side, and they moved the freeze-dryer downstairs. The freeze-dryer project was a dangerous one, and at times, they wondered about their own safety, but they got the heavy thing moved. Karen cooked lunch, and Mollie cooked supper, which was good because they got to eat each other’s cooking. Mollie met Sandra Holcomb at Buffalo, on Sunday, to pick up her kitten. Sandra is a wonder with animals. The sick kitten had a new lease on life for the long trip back to Minnesota.

If the first bumper sticker you see says, “Have a good day,” it sometimes feels really good to see the second bumper sticker that says, “Don’t tell me what to do.”