Train Whistles...

When I first moved in, I was soothed by the train whistles as the trains passed through the area.  I began to notice, however, there sure seemed to be an awful lot of trains, and they seemed all around me, except for east.  When X and I took our tour, I mentioned all the trains.  He had a puzzled look and said “there aren’t any trains around here, the closest tracks would be Pierre” (one hour away).  This started some questioning to figure out what I was hearing.  As it turns out, it’s school buses!   Apparently here the kids don’t wait outside (in the cold…), but when the bus comes to their area it blares it’s horn for a considerably long time, and they do sound like a train whistle (to my defense).   Heaven help the people who may not have children and happen to live near where the bus stops…no sleeping in for them during the week…

Saturday of this week-end past Phoebe and I trekked into Chamberlain for her to meet her new vet.  She was all excited not knowing, of course, where she was headed.  Now Phoebe has two major neuroses:  heights and being on her back.  When we first arrived, I plunked Phoebe on the highest exam table I’d ever seen, or Phoebe either.  She shivered and shook like it was below zero.  Next, since our primary purpose was to examine some growth on her stomach, well, you guessed it, onto her back did she have to go.  She was a wreck.  After it was all over, and a diagnosis of a benign cyst, some discussion about tick and flea prevention…we prepared to leave. 

We had rain for about 24 hours so everything was wet, and muddy, very muddy.  The vet receptionist carried out our food and put it, as I requested, on the floor of the passenger seat.  She asked “do you have another dog?”  “No, why?”  “I hear one”.  Me too…sounding like the whimpering was under the hood (note I had just driven 25 minutes at high speed to town).  The receptionist went in to get the vet, while I took to calling to whatever was under there, which may not have been the brightest idea come to think of it, not knowing what it was.  I localized the sound as close to the passenger tire, but still couldn’t see anything.  I kept calling, and after a short while a tiny little nose appeared, then the upper third of a very wet, bedraggled, scared little black and white puppy.  By this time, the vet had come out with towel in hand.  The pup wasn’t going to come out further for a while, so the vet grasped the pup by the scruff, picked it up and wrapped it in the towel.  She wondered if I had brought it with me – don’t think so, my car’s been in the garage for days, etc.  Then she recalled someone calling the day before about an injured pup, and wondered if that someone had just come and left it at the vets.  Likely last night from the bedraggled look of it.  Well, at least they left it in the right place, but couldn’t they have created a box with cover or something?  Anyway, I hope it will be ok and find a good home.  It was hard to not adopt it myself, but if I start adopting every needy animal living here, I’ll have hundreds…

After that adventure, I shopped for groceries and then went to try out the little coffee shop on Main Street that I had seen.  As I arrived some fellow was out  front cooking something on a grill.  “What’re ya doin’?” sez I.  Grilling flatbreads, every Saturday between 11:30 and 1:30.  Cool, and they looked good too, will have to put that on my return list.  Anyway, I went in and ordered my cappuccino (of course) and a blueberry scone.  I spent some time chatting with the lady behind the counter, mother of the owner and told her I was new in these them parts...   We got to talking about my buffalo burger and she told me in hunting season they have prime rib of buffalo!  And they inject butter and jalapenos into it before cooking.  Yum – so when’s hunting season???  Oh, October to January or something like that – well, I’ll come try it.  They also grill steaks on Friday and Saturday nights when they stay open until 9PM.  Guess I’ll do another return visit. I plunked down to enjoy my scone too– lots of big, plump blueberries and she warmed it all up for me too.  While I was relaxing there, the griller-guy brought me some buttered bread thing:  “try it”.  Turned out it was bread swirled with cheese and jalapeno and butter – good!  Ah, small town life!  Back in Madison it’s quite customary to be an unknown, not so here…shall have to keep my nose clean, as they used to say.

With the rain I was worried I couldn’t line dry my sheets again.  I tell you – that is heaven!!!  Many of you probably have never had line-dried sheets, and if you ever have the chance to do it, you must.  They are crisp, almost like they’re ironed, and do they smell good!!!!!  Ahhh, it’s the little things in life!

BTW, dear readers, I learned this week-end that some of you have been nicely making notes that I didn’t know to find.  Well, now I know and will be better about watching for them now.  I even have a very kind reader from around these parts!  I have no idea how she found me – but thank you too for all your tips!

Most of my unpacking is now done in the main part of the house, although there’s lots to do in the basement, but I can take time for that.  Just have some pictures to get up yet!  Hooray!  And TV on Tuesday – wow!  I’ll really be modern!

Well, Mother Nature is now starting to kick up a storm, looks like – the wind is blowing and it’s nice to be tucked in all warm and nice.  And that’s it again from…little house on the reservation!