Build a Supreme Pizza - District R.S. Meeting in Pierre

Last Saturday (August 15), I attended the District Relief Society Women's Conference and Social in Pierre. The theme was "Build a Supreme Pizza."

The choices we make as we "build our own pizza" influence whether we end up with a supreme (quality or celestial) pizza or one that is less desirable (worldly).

I had been asked to lead a class in music appreciation with a focus on "Hymns & Primary Songs in our Lives." Although I am not a music expert, I enjoy music in my life and this was a fairly easy class for me to do. As I told the ladies in the two discussion groups, I like a wide range of music from country to classical and especially love our hymns and Primary songs.

I am glad I have had the opportunity to teach my grandchildren in Primary and to learn with them the songs for the Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation. These are such nice songs and most are new since our children were in Primary years ago. (By the way, my recent assignment to serve in the church is Primary teacher for children ages 3 to 7 with seven-year-old Weston in the class.)

A dear friend, Phyllis Rogers, is the district Relief Society president; and my former counselor when I was district Relief Society president, Darlene Olsen, is her counselor. Shirley Davis and the Miller Branch Relief Society were in charge of the other discussion group with the title, "Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things." Florence Hill from Eagle Butte Branch was the speaker who addressed the theme using a visual of a crust (the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the foundation upon which to build) and adding a variety of toppings with input from the sisters according to "tastes," talents, and preferences. It was an effective presentation; and, yes, we were served pizza for lunch.

Before heading for home, I stopped at Wal-Mart for some ruby red juice and walked through the mall. In Penneys I saw something I had never seen before. They had fancy shoes with a two-inch heel that would fit a small preschooler but looked like they were for an older teenager or adult. Of course, I have seen clothing for little girls imitating a Brittney Spears look, which I also do not favor.

This morning, I read an article from a Colorado news source and was pleased that it reported on two mothers (one LDS and one not LDS) who were helping their daughters shop for modest back-to-school clothes. The LDS family had a steadfast rule when it came to clothes: "head, shoulders, and knees rule." "Basically, if you raise your hands, it has to cover your stomach. And if you bend over," the mother of five daughters said, "I don't want to see anything hanging out."

"You don't wear anything that somebody could look at and take the wrong way," said the other mom. And one of the teenagers told her sister, "If a guy only notices you for how you look, he's not gonna be worth it."

Granddaughters in casual attire for playing.

Dressed in Sunday best.


Performing "High School Musical" for family.


And don't these grandsons look handsome!

As a grandmother, I am very pleased to see the good choices for "toppings" that our granddaughters and grandsons are making. :-)

Oh, we love our grandchildren - all 30 of them!

Dakotafest, First Day of School, and a Small Explosion

Dakotafest is held annually in Mitchell where equipment and products related to agriculture are exhibited by nearly 500 vendors. I went along with Sam and Brent even though it is not my kind of comparison shopping.

It is interesting, however, to see the variety of farm machinery and think about the expense involved. We met some other Martin residents there, and they were trying to estimate how many millions of dollars were represented in the exhibits.

This was the first day of Dakotafest which started at 9:00 a.m. We left Martin at 5:00 that morning getting there shortly after it started and staying until about 5:00 that afternoon.

There are some products not necessarily farm related, and I bought some shoe inserts that are supposed to provide a natural balance for healthy feet. We also got an electronic massager. I like kettle corn and enjoy that each time we go to Dakotafest.

We had a short visit with Marla's family and had supper with them. It was the first day of school for their family. Haley had tennis practice after school but came home in time to eat with us, and Maggie had to leave to be on the field by 6:00 p.m. for marching band practice. We didn't get to see Sarah, as she was still working at the water park.

The day before (Monday, August 17), Brent's children started school in Martin. Rachel and Weston are going to Martin to school this year instead of Long Valley. Rachel came over when she got home, and she had good things to say about her first day back to school.

Rachel's first day of school this year.
(17 August 2009)

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Earlier this month, I started trash burning in the burn barrels and then went to the garden to do some weeding. I made a couple of trips past the barrels as I watered the flowers, went into the garage for my garden gloves, and came for the hoe. Fortunately, I was not by the burn barrels when one exploded.

Burn barrel after it exploded.

I went to see what it was, as it sounded like a gun shot; and I was surprised to see pieces of blackened ash thrown all over the back side of the house and sidewalk with a dent in the siding where a can of pineapple juice had apparently hit it. When we came home from our mission, the lid on a can of pineapple juice was bulging, so it had been discarded. Usually, cans are put in a separate barrel; but this one was in with the paper trash.

Sam loaded the burn barrels to discard the
ruined one and empty the other.


We will be more careful in the future to
not burn a can filled with food or juice.

Harvey & Helen's Visit

We were so pleased to have Harvey & Helen Bauss from Ann Arbor, Michigan, come for a visit on their way to their grandson's wedding in California. They got to the farm Monday afternoon, August 10, and continued on their way Friday morning. We had such a nice visit renewing our friendship that began when Sam was working on his doctorate at the University of Michigan and teaching at Green Hills School during 1969-1973.

Since his retirement, Harvey has had a home-based business repairing computers, and he generously worked on our PC while he was here. In fact, they extended their stay because it took more time to repair than expected. We were glad for the extra time together, but regretted that it was such a problem to fix.

Helen & Harvey got here in time for Harvey to ride around in the combine visiting with Sam while they finished with this year's spring wheat harvest. It is always a good feeling to have the wheat harvest completed.

Wheat field ready to harvest.


Sam running one combine; and our
grandson Seth (age 15) was in a second combine.


The wheat is being dumped into the grain cart.


Our grandson Sam (age 12) driving the tractor,
which pulls the grain cart.

On Tuesday, Helen & Harvey went to Rapid City with us where Sam kept his appointment for a stress test (which we are grateful turned out "normal"), and we came home via the Badlands.

Harvey & Helen and Sam in the Badlands.


Showing a deep ravine.


A castle-like formation.


Showing two "windows."


Another view of the South Dakota Badlands.

Before entering the Badlands, we stopped at the famous Wall Drug, which has 76,000 square feet featuring free attractions and photo props as well as merchandise and souvenirs for sale.

Narene & Helen with Annie Oakley.
One of the shops in the background.


Harvey, Sam & Narene in the backyard
playground area of Wall Drug.


Choreographed jumping jets to splash in
for those wanting to get wet.


Helen & Harvey taking advantage
of one of the photo props.

Taking a tour of the farm with Helen & Harvey, we stopped for a closer look at sunflowers and corn, which are crops yet to be harvested.

Harvey & Helen and Narene posing in
a field of sunflowers on the farm.

Helen pointing to a large sunflower.


Sam checking the maturity of the field corn
as Helen looks on.


Cows and calves

It was a treat to have Harvey and Helen visit us. We really appreciate our friends and enjoy having them in our home.

Bennett County Fair

In rural communities, a county fair tends to be a major event before school starts again. Prior to the entry day, 4-H families have been busy getting exhibits completed and their animals ready to show. I remember well those days. This year, after finding the exhibits made by our grandchildren, our time was spent visiting with other community members and attending the calf show and auction and other fair events.

Three of Brent & Tauna's children had 4-H market steers this year. As a petite 9-year-old, it was Rachel's first year to have a calf.

At entry time when the calves are weighed, the weight is adjusted by a uniform percentage to what is referred to as their "shrink weight," so buyers at the auction are not paying for water the calves may have drunk just prior to weigh-ins. The 21 calves this year were then divided into several groups for judging according to their entered weight.

Seth is combing his 1208-pound market steer
with a curry comb after washing it,
as it is almost time for the judging.

Sam's calf is ready to show. His market steer
at 1130 pounds shrink weight was in the
class below Seth and Rachel's group.

Rachel's calf weighed 1217 pounds.
Although she could not see over her calf's
back, he was very gentle; and Rachel was able
to show him in the ring for judging
without any problems.

Sam's calf received a purple ribbon.
The judge found him a close contender to
the calf that ended up the Reserve Champion.
At the auction that evening, he sold for
$1.32 per pound.

The judge is looking over Seth's calf.
He was awarded a blue ribbon
and brought $1.24 per pound at the auction.

Rachel's blue-ribbon calf's ending bid at
the auction was also $1.24 per pound.

Weston entered a decorated "Candy Land"
cake at the auction, which went for $300!
Half of that amount goes to the fund to
send a 4-H award winner to Washington, D.C.;
and the other half is Weston's share.
Grandpa bid on it, but Martin Farm had the
winning bid; so we bought a different cake.

The grandchildren had several exhibits in the fair that earned purple and blue ribbons. They each got purple ribbons on their version of a painting they entered.

Weston's purple-ribbon painting (age 7).

Rachel included a cabin in her lake scene.
This was one of several purple ribbons
Rachel earned at the fair (age 9).

Sam added this purple ribbon
to others he earned (age 12).

A purple ribbon was awarded to Seth's painting
(age 15).

Saturday there was a parade at noon followed by a free lunch at the fairground. We also went to the community barbecue and talent show that evening. We didn't stay for the rodeo, but Brent & Tauna and children did.

The following photos are from the parade which included vintage cars that later were entered at a car show in the park.

Jack & Garnet Audiss, Parade Marshals,
came behind the Color Guard.

There were several parade entries featuring Native Americans in costume.

A fair parade is not complete without the horseback riders, and there were many toward the end of the parade.

The fair was August 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 with events for young and old to enjoy and included a rodeo, a "Wild Horse Butte Pow Wow," a carnival, and a dance.

Visit from Marla and Girls

Marla, Maggie, Haley, and Maren came to the farm Thursday for a visit and returned home Saturday evening. We certainly enjoyed having them here, although we missed Curtis and Sarah who had commitments at home. Sarah did call to share her exciting news with us that she and Derek are engaged. Congratulations and best wishes to both of them!

Derek and Sarah
(Sarah, I hope it is okay to use this picture.)

Marla helped me with a project to move books from two long shelves in the office to the bookshelf in the guest bedroom where pictures of the grandchildren had been displayed. Now those pictures in their 5" x 7" frames (30 of them!) are in the office on the vacated shelves where we will be able to enjoy them several times a day. We have frames waiting for the latest pictures of Kate and Isaac.

Saturday afternoon, Maggie gave us a little scare when she fell from the four-wheeler and got a slight concussion. At first, she seemed only shaken up with a bump on the back of her head and some skinned places; but when she began throwing up several times, Marla took her to the hospital to have her checked. They gave her a shot to stop the nausea, and she was able to travel home to Mitchell. We called Sunday after church to see how she was feeling, and she assured us she was okay and had been able to go to church.

I have been called to teach the younger children in the Rosebud branch (ages 4 to 7), but there weren't any children that age at church Sunday; so I guess I have my lesson prepared for next time. The Allens had gone to Provo to take their son to the MTC before he leaves to serve a mission in Guatemala, so I substituted as the accompanist for sacrament meeting.

It seems hard to believe that the grandchildren will be back in school in less than two weeks. This summer has gone by quickly. When we returned home from our mission in Russia the end of April, it seemed there would be a lot of time to work on waiting projects this summer. Well, it seems I have plenty left to do in the next season! Time flies when you are having fun - or getting slower. :-)

Bus Tour to Medora

We thought we would not be able to join Sam's sister and her husband and a cousin and his wife on a bus tour on July 29 and 30 to Medora, North Dakota, because of the wheat harvest; but it turned out to not be combining weather due to the moisture, so we called to see if they had seats still available. The tour director, Mary Mooney, checked on the seat availability and called back to say, "Pack your bags!" It was only a two-day trip, although we stayed overnight in Rapid City on Tuesday night, so we could be on the bus at 7:00 the next morning (July 29).

Motorcycle riders come from all over for the
Sturgis Rally that officially began August 1.
These were passing past our motel in
Rapid City the evening of July 28.

Our tour bus and driver (Dan dressed in black).

Medora is in the valley of the Little Missouri
and the North Dakota Badlands.

The city of Medora was named after the wife of a French nobleman, the Marquis de Mores, who founded the town in 1883 with financial backing from his father-in-law, a wealthy New York City banker. He built a large home that is a museum today, a brick plant, a hotel, stores; and he built a meat packing plant and shipped the refrigerated meat to Chicago by train. Unfortunately, all his enterprises failed financially by the fall of 1886; and he and his family returned to France.

Chimney Park
This chimney is what remains of the Marquis's
meat packing plant from the 1880's.

Theodore Roosevelt first came to Medora to hunt buffalo in 1883. He loved the land and invested in cattle raising, eventually owning two large ranches in the area. According to the visitor's guide, he called his years in the North Dakota Badlands "the romance of my life;" and he is quoted as saying, "I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota."

North Dakota Badlands

Rough Riders Hotel and Dining Room.
The first phase of a major renovation was
completed this year.

Roosevelt became concerned about conserving the land and its wildlife, and this influenced his presidency (1901-1909). He established the U.S. Forest Service, proclaimed 18 national monuments, received Congressional approval for the establishment of five national parks and 51 wild-life refuges and set aside land as national forests. In this area, visitors are welcome at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years day.

North Dakota Badlands

We went to a one-act play called "Bully" in the Old Town Hall Theater. Jim France was the sole actor who played the role of Theodore Roosevelt and cleverly portrayed different times in Roosevelt's life by changing jackets and hats.

St. Mary's Catholic Church is the oldest
Catholic church still in use in North Dakota.
It is also refered to as a Community Center.

In 1962, Harold Schafer, the businessman who founded the Gold Seal Company, began a restoration and modernization of Medora. Today, Medora is a popular family entertainment destination.

Do you remember "Glass Wax" in the pink
can? It launched Harold Schafer's successful
Gold Seal Company.

This was Harold Schafer's desk in his office.

Site of the Pitchfork Steak Fondue.

A closer look at the flags at the
Pitchfork Steak Fondue location.
We listened to this band while we
waited for the steaks to be ready.

Putting the steaks on the pitchforks.

Cooking the steaks in the vats of sunflower oil.

The steaks are ready.
Long lines move along and are served coleslaw,
fresh vegetables and dip, baked potatoes,
baked beans, brownies, and lemonade.
It started to rain while we were standing in
line to be served our steaks, so we hurried
to get under the roofed eating area.
Afterward there was a pretty rainbow.

Our tour director, Mary Mooney, stopping
to chat at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue.
(Gladys, Mary, and Bill)

The best part of this trip was being with
Bill & Karen, Jerry & Gladys, and
Bud & Peggy. (Karen is Sam's sister and
Jerry and Bud are his cousins. We actually
didn't know Bud & Peggy were part of the
group until we got on the bus.)
Burning Hills Amphitheater and Stage

We came to see the Medora Musical here.

They had mopped up the stage from the earlier
rain prior to the start of the musical, and
paper towels had been passed out for us
to wipe off the seats;
but the show had only gone for about half
an hour when the rain began again in earnest.
They announced the show was closing and
that our money would be refunded.

We were disappointed to not get to see
the entire musical, but we still enjoyed our
visit to Medora.
(Narene & Sam with the Badlandsin the background.)
Chuckwagon Buffet
where we had breakfast the next morning.

After breakfast, we watched the
Boy Scouts do a flag raising ceremony.

The bus took us on a tour of the town
and past the Chateau de Mores,
the home of the French nobleman who
founded Medora. The home is now a
museum, and this scene is nearby.

We also had time to walk around to
shop or sightsee on our own.
This is a picture of the new court house
and transportation for sightseeing for
those wanting to pay the fare.

Bill & Karen in a picturesque setting.


A craft store where we looked but didn't buy.


The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame
opened at 10:00 a.m., but we
didn't go inside.

Dan, our bus driver, was
friendly and accommodating.
Leaving Medora, we traveled to the
Enchanted Highway.

The Enchanted Highway leads to the small town of Regent, North Dakota. A former school teacher has constructed large metal sculptures along this highway which have become a tourist attraction free to enjoy.

"The Geese in Flight" - 2001
According to the brochure, this is in the
Guinness World Book of Records as the
largest scrap metal sculpture in the world.
It was built of used oil well pipe and oil tanks
and weighs over 75 tons.
The sun ray is 156 feet long and 110 feet tall.
The largest goose has a 30-foot wing span
and is 19 feet long.
(Narene & Karen look small beside it.)

These numerous metal geese on posts
line the road that leaves the main highway
going to the large geese sculpture.

"The Deer Family" - 2002
It was made from old oil well tanks cut apartand welded to form the shadow design.

"Grasshoppers in the Field" - 1999
Dan, our bus driver, is posing with a
fly swatter for this photo.
The sculpture was welded from old fuel
and oil well tanks. The large grasshopper
is 50 feet long and 40 feet tall.
Looking from a different angle showing
the wheat and baby grasshoppers.

A closer look at the baby grasshoppers.

"Fisherman's Dream" - 2006
The fish "under the water" include a
small mouth bass, walleye, catfish, northern,
salmon, and bluegill. The one jumping out
of the water is a 70-foot long rainbow trout.
They are three dimensional
and made out of tin.

"Pheasants on the Prairie" - 1996
Made of wire mesh, the rooster stands
40 feet high and 70 feet long.
The hen is 35 feet tall and 60 feet long,
and the chicks are 15 feet tall
and 20 feet long.

"Teddy Rides Again" - 1993
This is a tribute to Theodore Roosevelt.
It is built of used well pipe.
His favorite horse "Mulley" stands 51 feet tall
and weighs over 9,000 pounds.

The "Teddy Rides Again" sculpture is
just south of Black Butte, which is
3112 feet above sea levelas the sign indicates in this photo.

"Tin Family" - 1991
This was the first of these sculptures made andis the closest to the town of Regent.
It is built of used farm equipment.
The Pa stands 45 feet and is held up by
16 telephone poles.

The crops looked good along the
Enchanted Highway.

This wheat may be a month away from harvest.


This whirly gig display is in the town of
Regent, where the man who did the
sculptures lives. Mary, our tour
director, is walking past the fence on her
way to pick up brochures for us.

We had never been to Medora or on the Enchanted Highway, and the group we traveled with were congenial; so in spite of the rain, we enjoyed this trip. We are glad it worked out that we could go.

Marla, Maggie, Haley, and Maren were at the farm when we got home, and we were happy they could come for a visit before school starts again. The next blog will tell about their visit.