CAPITOLETTER

December 2, 2024

Thanksgiving week was a chilly one, and stayed below freezing at Capitol and on Tie Creek, but the sunshine was happy and bright.

Erma Albert needed work on her glasses, so on Monday, Dick took her to the Hills to the eye doctor. They stopped to get groceries and already had a turkey in the freezer for Thanksgiving. The Senior Citizen Thanksgiving dinner was last week. Dick and Erma stayed home and feasted on Thanksgiving with turkey and dressing. On Sunday, they went to church at the Catholic church in Buffalo. Then they had lunch at Saloon Number Three with the Erk family.

Rod Bisgaard had come out to Alvin and Marlee Cordell's last Friday, and stayed over the weekend. On Monday, Alvin rode back to Belle Fourche with him to meet Marlee. Marlee had gone with Ashley and Wade Pearson to basketball and football games in Wyoming. Marlee went to see Gavin and his friends, while Alvin went to the Celia Welch funeral in Belle Fourche. They went to basketball games in Buffalo on Monday.

On Tuesday Kynlee played basketball and they got to see her play. Jay Cordell came out to the ranch for Thanksgiving, and the three of them went in to Camp Crook for the community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Community hall. Debbie Long organized the dinner, and there were lots of people there to visit with. Wade and Gavin Pearson came out, on Saturday, and stayed overnight to have time to sort calves. Marlee went in to Camp Crook for church, on Sunday morning, at the Methodist Church.

At Doug and Julia Davis's they were preg-testing on Monday. A vet from Belle Fourche came out to do the testing. On Thanksgiving, Darla Hammel rode to Belle Fourche with Doug and Julia. Darla spent Thanksgiving in town with her daughter and family. Doug and Julia went on to Glen and Patty Tetrault's for a big Thanksgiving dinner. Their kids and grandkids were there, and all the women brought their special dishes to add to the dinner. The cold weather kept Jake from his work at home, so on Saturday, Jake, Kellan and Keaton came out to help Doug get some work done, and have lunch at the ranch.

Shirley and Junior Melum had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. There had been hunters visiting last week, from Billings, and they stopped to visit with them. Ernie, Rachel and Tommy went to the Baptist Church in Baker on Thanksgiving. It had become a tradition for the church to have a big Thanksgiving dinner together.

On Saturday evening, Ernie, Rachel and Tommy picked up Cody, Kellan, Carson and Karen Odell and took them to supper in Buffalo at Saloon Number Three. Then on Sunday, they went back to Baker for the church service.

Kevin and Lisa Olmsted came to visit Dorothy Padden, last Sunday, and stayed until this Sunday. Brian Olmsted and his boys came from Rapid City, to visit, too. Then Brian went back to Rapid City on Wednesday to get Kelly Ann and bring her out to join the others at Dorothy's.

On Thanksgiving, Raymond and Wayne Lee's families and Bryce and Dawn Padden joined in the celebration. Some of the kids had the whole week for vacation, and the Harding County kids did not have school on Wednesday or Friday, either, but there still was practice time for the wrestlers. Soon the basketball season will be in full swing.

Last Monday, Ronda Cordell traveled to Buffalo to wire payment to Texas for a used pick-up that will be used for feeding. Curt Zolnoski will receive delivery of the vehicle and have a hydro-bed put on it. Ronda caller Curt on Thursday to wish him a 'Happy Birthday'. On Friday she went shopping in Bowman, got tractor batteries, and took care of hay deliveries. She went to the Ekalaka Holiday Fair, last Saturday.

Karen Odell had a busy week. Cody, Kellan and Carson Odell came from Mitchell, on Tuesday, to visit over Thanksgiving. All three went hunting and all got a nice buck. They love making deer jerky and will make it for the coming year. Kellan is a senior and has been visiting colleges and deciding what courses to take next year. Carson is in middle school wrestling, plays French horn, and sings in the choir. Carson was first to get his deer, so didn't have to get up early after that. Cody and Kellan always started with the sun. Cody and Kellan visited with George Oleson, one day, and visited with Ernie Melum another day.

On Saturday Tommy Melum came down to Karen's to visit with Carson Odell in the afternoon. Cody, Kellan, Carson and Tommy went to visit at Chancey Odell's for a while. That evening, Ernie Melum invited the group to have supper at Saloon Number Three in Buffalo, and he picked them up for the ride over. The place was packed, when they arrived. Hywel had enjoyed lots of attention during the week, while the boys were here.

On Sunday, Chancey came over to photograph the successful hunters, and give a memento to Cody. Before noon, Cody, Kellan and Carson headed east for home, and Hywel took an afternoon nap after the excitement of so many attentive visitors. Karen may have napped, too, and then, she went to church on YouTube at Marietta, Georgia. Micki and Mollie had made beautiful holly and evergreen decorations in Washington and Minnesota. Jeff, got home to Iowa, after a visit to Amanda's family in Sioux Falls, and Cody and the boys got back to Mitchell. It was a thankful day and a thankful week.

Some bosses don't allow personal calls at work. That doesn't seem fair, because it wouldn't be much of a conversation without another person in it.