CAPITOLETTER

October 21, 2024

Last week, when Ronda Cordell was coming home from the Methodist Bazaar in Camp Crook, she noticed a car on the Exie Road, but it never came out. Denise had noticed a guy and two dogs that were walking in her pasture. It appeared they were bird hunting since the guy was carrying a gun. Denise had assumed that Ronda had given someone permission to hunt, but she hadn’t. Ronda doesn’t like archery hunting, especially because many animals are hit, but are found later having suffered lingering deaths. She has found many elk that had been wounded with arrows and left. Last Tuesday, Ronda cut and piled her squash and pumpkins. Steve and Annette Ryerson came by to visit, as she was finishing. 

In Ekalaka, she took the Can-Am tires to Fruit’s to get mounted, and drove out to Justin and Krista Kerr’s new house. It was a beautiful day with the Fall colors and scenery in that area. Diane Wear came to help with weaning calves at the Desert. Tod Dague and Clint Zolnoski hauled calves back to the ranch, while Ronda and Diane searched for three missing pairs. After corralling a few escapee calves on Friday, Ronda headed to Belle Fourche to pick up meds. The next day, Lisa Koranda, who spent the weekend in Camp Crook, rode to Buffalo with Ronda, and had lunch at Saloon Number Three.

Ronda went Camp Crook for the Methodist Church bazaar on Sunday. There was a large crowd in attendance and great food. The Clint Zolnoski family, and Clint’s Aunt Lil who was visiting, also went to the bazaar.

Dick and Erma Albert went to Rapid City on Tuesday. The cardiologist said they were in good shape. They had to get their car serviced in Belle Fourche, so Alfreda Davis met them and they had lunch at Jumping Jacks. It was good to visit with her. They stayed over in Rapid City, and then did some shopping on their way home the next day. On Friday, they went to the Senior Citizen dinner. They went to church on Sunday, and then had lunch with the Erks at Saloon Number Three.

Wade Pearson came out to Alvin and Marlee Cordells on Tuesday. He has been combining alfalfa seed, and finished that up. Alvin and Marlee had archery hunters from Virginia. They left on Tuesday. Wade and Gavin Pearson have been hauling hay down from the Kent Williams place in the Sheep Mountains. On Friday, Alvin and Marlee went to Belle Fourche to watch Gavin play football on the high school team. Cody Celting and Richy Cordell came, on Saturday, to pour cement for their new patio. On Sunday, Dana and Cody came again, to put an acid coating to the cement that gives it a beautiful color. Then, a sealer will be added. Marlee went to church in Camp Crook, on Sunday. Then, Alvin met her and they went on to the Ladner Church Dinner and Bazaar.

Bruce and Lynn Gustafson made a trip to the Hills on Thursday. They got the pick-up serviced, had a doctor’s appointment in Spearfish, and picked up some groceries. Lynn went to church at the Little Missouri Church, on Sunday.

Last week Bryce and Dawn Padden had hunters visiting. Wayne Luening and his three sons had come from ‘East River.’ Last Friday, Brayden drove Dawn to the football game in Faith. Bryce, Dawn and Dorothy Padden went to the high school volleyball games in Buffalo on Tuesday. Buffalo was playing the Ekalaka team. Dawn got lots of good pictures. On Thursday, dawn went with B J, to Phillip for the cross country meet. On the trip home, she used BJ’s laptop to prepare all the pictures she had taken. Lorraine Chin came from Texas on Thursday. On Friday, Bryce, Dawn, Dorothy, Lorraine and all the family went to Spearfish for the wedding of Wayne Lei’s daughter, Maudy. The reception was at a beautiful place just outside of Deadwood. There was some rain on Thursday and Friday, and the road to town was actually not dusty for the first time in many months. They came home the next day, and relatives, Romela Heady, and her son Eric, who had been at the wedding, too, came out to the ranch to stay and to help work cows next week.

Last week, Karen Odell and Hywel, headed south to Alzada, on their way to Mitchell. The Norwegian Cut Off is very rocky, and rough, or it might cause you to spin-out in the deep sandy gravel, so they headed south instead. They had learned that they must creep across most of the cattle guards on the Little Missouri Road, but the road was much easier to drive. Remember that the cattle guards (all but two) have large holes beside them. Even with the cattle guard warning, the south road was a pleasure to drive. It was a good, cool weekend to travel. In Mitchell, Karen got to see grandson, Kellan Odell, in his last home football game, for Senior Night. Kellan is a team captain, and as a senior, he got to present a rose to his mother and father, Kylie and Cody Odell, before the game. The game was a tough one. His double-A team was competing against one of the top two triple-A teams, but Kellan had a good game. Karen also got to see Carson Odell’s eighth grade marching band in the Dakota Wesleyan University homecoming parade. Three especially great bands were in the parade. Mitchell High School Marching Band (has won many state and national awards), Aberdeen Central Marching Band (has won many competitions), and Mitchell Eighth-Grade Band marched in the parade along with Miss South Dakota, and many good floats. Karen and Hywel always like to stop at the Dignity Statue on their way home. It is wonderful art. Chancey Odell and Megan Reedy did chores for Karen while she was gone. On Tuesday, Chancey picked Karen up at Wolffy’s in Camp Crook, and they went to Buffalo to watch the Harding County-Carter County girls’ volleyball games. They were very good, and fun to watch. Karen got to visit with the Humbracht ladies in Wolffy’s on Wednesday. On Friday, she got to watch Kellan Odell play football again, on the computer. This was a very close game, and exciting to the end. Kellan has only one more game scheduled for this, his senior, year. It is wonderful to get to see the games on YouTube. Karen had a phone business appointment on Saturday morning. On Sunday, she went to church at the Methodist Church in Camp Crook. She had to skip writing the news last week, so this week’s news may be extra exciting and informative, and if not, that may be a good thing.

Remember that the Little Missouri Church Ethnic Dinner will be held in Camp Crook (not the church) on Sunday, November 11, 2024, beginning at five o’clock in the evening.

Our differences are a gift. God made us all different for a reason. Only the most inappropriately self-righteous among us can feel all should be like them.