13 Years Ago Today

Thirteen years ago this month I got my first ideas about what living in Jackson Wyoming would be like. I loved that town. I loved living with all the seasons. I loved seeing and having animals being part of the environment. I loved the way snow could decorate the town and make everything look so special. That is why I took this picture of the stairs outside the place we were staying at the time.

I do like my life in Arizona now but Jackson was special. At this time of year, you may think I am crazy but I miss snow.

What about you? Love life with four seasons or sunshine all the time?

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Take care and stay cozy! 

 

This Day 12 Years Ago, A Photo

On this day 12 years ago, I was in Jackson Wyoming. I would live there for another 10 years. On this day 12 years ago and at about the same early morning time as I am writing this post right now I saw a beautiful sunrise out my windows. This picture captures that time while looking out to Sleeping Indian Mountain. You can see why it has this name if you look for the tip of his nose and see the headdress on the right and his crossed arms over his chest on the left. The house we lived in then had 30 trees on the lot, so it was hard to get a picture without including some of them too.

On some days like this in Wyoming the air would sparkle. The moisture in the air would freeze and when the sun shone it made those frozen bits look like tiny diamonds floating in the air. Have you ever seen this? I almost didn't mind the cold to see something that gave me joy to see.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

Jackson Hole Podcast

Searching for something new to listen to the other day I stumbled upon a podcast about my home town in Wyoming, Jackson.

The Jackson Hole Connection is an interview style podcast by Stephan Abrams. Released every Thursday, with 42 episodes as of this writing, you will hear the voices of those who live, work and love the town and area known as Jackson Hole.

Jackson, is surrounded by national parks, national forests and wilderness, and is home to outdoor enthusiasts, ranchers, business leaders, artists and other creative types. Winter and summer this little town of about 10,000 plays host to the world. Here you can be fed, sheltered, sold souvenirs, entertained and sent on your way to explore Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Behind the scenes is a "Forever West" Wyoming town that loves its local music, restaurants, brew pubs and farmers markets. Nonprofits are very active here from those that focus on and support the local hospital, child care, the arts and conservation groups.

The people Stephan interviews on his podcast touch all these parts of life in this not so typical mountain town. He talks to natives as well as transplants who felt called to stay or come back to make a life in this special place.

Tim Harland is a very good example of a transplant who found his place here. From the show notes of Episode 1 - Putting Down New Roots with Tim Harland.

For the first episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan sat down with Tim Harland, the  Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Grand Teton Distillery, a husband, father, volunteer fire fighter and chamber board chairman.

An Oregon native, Tim rode into Jackson Hole on his motorcycle site unseen back in 1993 and never looked back. Stephan and Tim dive into the importance of volunteering, what it was like growing up with exchange students, having kids in Jackson and building a Jackson Hole family.

Episode 6 - A Climber's Perspective: The Evolution of Jackson Hole with Bill Johnson has seen this area change over 50 years with some fascinating insight.

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan sits down with Bill Johnson. Bill began writing his story about Jackson Hole in 1961 when he arrived for a two week climbing trip.  When Bill first started coming to the valley, the local economy only provided for summer employment. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had not opened, winter tourism did not exist, and only the old time locals would remain through the winter. Bill used the winter off season to venture back to California to work for his friend Yvon Chouinard, surf and sail. In this episode Bill talks about how Jackson has changed in 50 years, helping build Teton Village and how to have the ultimate work/life balance.

Bill does not have email or other gadgets, just an old fashioned flip phone.

A Jackson native is interviewed in Episode 10 - Six Generations of a Jackson Hole Family with Betty Karns Terrill

In this episode of The Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Betty Karns Terrill, a Jackson Hole native, born in 1934 in a log cabin at the base of Leeks Canyon. At the age of 84, Betty is still very active in the community. Betty plays the saxophone in the Jackson Hole Community Band and is part of the Jackson Hole Quilt Guild. As Betty likes to say, “that cabin is still standing and so am I”.

Betty is a 29 year member of the Rotary club, former president of the Chamber of Commerce and a former employee of the original Jackson Drug (making 50 cents an hour!). Betty is part of the 3rd generation family with the 6th generation living in the valley today. Betty’s grandfather was the first family member to homestead in Jackson as a hunting guide in 1897.

Stephan and Betty talk about what it was like growing up in Jackson, how the valley has changed from the 30s up until now, the cutter races on the town square, owning one of the first motels in Jackson and why Betty never felt the need to leave our beautiful mountain town.

Above is just a quick sample of three interviews and there are so many more from a film maker, an artist, a buffalo rancher, local politicians, doctors, architects and .......

                           

.........well just subscribe or go to the website already and listen for yourself.

The background noise of my days comes from podcasts. The music I sleep to comes from a podcast. I use an app called Podcast Addict to listen to all of these things. I know there are more popular apps to use but I like and recommend this one. It has lots of sorting and organizing options that I use to listen to whatever I am in the mood for as well as to keep me informed on the news of the day without needing to be stuck to whatever room the tv is playing in. Podcasts can be downloaded and that means I always have something to listen to and learn from whenever I go for a walk too. Between Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and my subscriptions on Podcast Addict I get to be in control of the when how what and why of the entertainment I choose to spend my time on and I like that very much.

Do you have a favorite podcast? 

What about a podcast about where you live that you would recommend? 

I like to learn about new places, please share!

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Wednesday not Wordless

Taken on a day that we first got up close and personal with bison in Jackson in 2011. We were safely watching from inside a vehicle. I recently moved to this open air natural zoo and was in love and in awe. The animals, the mountains, the lakes and waterways, I love it all.

I was going to make this wordles and failed.

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Amazon Handmade, Cozy on Etsy, Photo of the Day

What's on my mind?

I have been an Amazon Associate for a long time. For that long time I never really did much about that association. Since Amazon has started their Handmade on Amazon department it seemed like a good time to see if I can start collecting a few commissions for showing off handmade things that I love.

There really are some beautiful things. I did a search for fall decor and found perfect decorations and other items for this time of year. A few examples and then you can go find your own!

Pictures are clickable.Feel free to shop as desired : )

Cozy on Etsy Shop News

Not a lot of shop excitement this week. My coupon has ended. I really hoped that someone, anyone, everyone would take advantage of 20% off.

I did add a new scarf, the one you see here on the right, to the shop. It is a lovely deep purple and the yarn is very light although it has the chunky look that seems to be so trendy these days. I love this scarf and if someone else doesn't take it soon I may pull it and keep it for myself. Don't snooze and loose if you like it.

Photo of the Day

This one is from my first November in Jackson. My granddaughter trying to fit in the Wyoming motto of "Forever West" came to visit in boots and a hat from Salt Lake. She took them off when playing in the grass and leaves. It was a lovely day and a lovely time and this image captures that for me.

I put this image in a pinned tweet for this month. If you are interested you can follow me on Twitter @CozyAtoZ.

Dinner Last Night

I love it when I get to go to Nani's for dinner. It is a great place for Italian food in Jackson just off the busy sidewalks filled with summer visitors around Town Square. If you have a group to feed with a lot of different styles of eating this place can serve you well. Vegetarian, gluten free, children's menu, and traditional and new favorites fill the menu.

I like to try something different every time I go to a restaurant. My husband on the other hand finds one thing he likes and orders that over and over. His favorite is made with house made sausage and includes tomatoes, bell peppers, mozzarella cheese and penne pasta.

Last night I had a vegetarian dish from the menu called Checca. You can see a picture of it on the left. For the first time I ordered a dish with the house made pasta. It costs a bit extra for that but it was so worth it. I could taste the difference and loved the chewiness of the fresh pasta. No matter what I decide to eat at Nani's from now on I will be taking advantage of that option.

You can see the menu by clicking here.



I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus and on Twitter .

New Home

Well we made it! We had help from a son in law and two wonderful grandkids. I got us packed and ready for the truck. Kevon and Jim loaded and unloaded. I got us out of boxes in a couple days. We all finished with sore muscles and exhaustion but it is all done now.

I don't have to worry anymore about Jim and Teton Pass all winter. He can now walk to work if he wants to in about 5 minutes. I am really looking forward to being in town especially this summer because Jackson is celebrating it's centennial this year.

Those cups I talked about being 40 years old made it to the new place and have a new place too.

I have new views out my windows. I almost feels like Snow King is in my backyard.

I sell - Zibbet
I blog - A Cozy Life and Group2020
I tumble - CozyAtoZ
I pin - cozyatoz
I socialize - on Google Plus and on Twitter .

Snow Machines in Jackson

I have had Flat Stanley with me for awhile now. This video is to share one of the coolest and most exciting things he has got to do since he has been with me. We all liked the flips best and you can watch for that on the second trick. Full screen makes it easier to see.

A Quiet Day

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a quiet one around here but it was nice. I had a couple phone calls and some birthday wishes from family and friends on Facebook. Even though DH was on a business trip I had some company. The morning was peaceful and beautiful and I posted some pictures on it on an album on Facebook. You can see that by clicking here.

Later in the day the elk came close to the house again so I spent more time with the camera in the sunshine. There are always birds around too. I see a lot of crows and magpies. Earlier in the spring I had a lot of robins around the house hunting for worms in the bark of the flower beds and around the trees. I have seen some mountain bluebirds too but these white ones, which are new to me, were chirping at me from the roof while I sat on the deck. I don't know what they are but if you do leave a comment please as I would love to know.

As I come out of the house I try to move slow and quiet so I don't spook the animals. Getting pictures of the south end of a running elk is not what I want. Being careful I still get looked over. When I see I am getting some attention I freeze so that I don't appear to be any kind of threat.

After awhile they seem to relax and just watch me now and then while they browse or lay down wait to get hungry again. You can see fast growing antlers covered in velvet on the males. What I keep hoping to spot are babies but they either hide them so well in the grasses I have not spotted any or there are no babies in the groups around our house even though a good part of the groups are female.

I suppose at every party, not that I go to many, there is always the rowdy, fun loving guest and I had one of those too. Below you see this elk splashing in the water. He did this for a couple minutes reminding me of a little boy jumping in puddles. He stopped and jumped over the fence into the field when a pickup truck drove by.

So I am 56 now. When I was a silly teenager folks in their 50's seemed to old and I guess that is normal. But 56 don't feel so bad and I suppose there are alternatives that are not so fun to think about.

Moose and a Surprise

I said yesterday I had some things to share about my weekend. Well here goes...

Jim and I attended the 52nd annual Spring Fling put on by the St. John's Hospital Auxiliary. The event was held in a lodge on Jackson Lake in Teton National Park. My outside pictures did not turn out so great because the days were rather cloudy and even snowy at times.

As we left home we had someone to wish us a good time.

All the way to the lodge you could see animals, mostly buffalo and elk. Where ever there were cars stopped to take pictures, and there were a lot since the visitors have started to arrive, I wanted to say,

"Take your pictures on the road folks but I have actually had those guys in my own backyard and how cool is that, huh?".

I can understand why they do it though. There is no place on earth like Jackson Hole. I am lucky to be here and I know that.

The Spring Fling was a fundraiser that included dinner, a dance and a silent auction. My surprise was that Jim bid on a necklace I liked and had the winning bid. I don't usually wear pieces this big but I love the colors and the wire work. The necklace was made by Bev Hoffman who works at St. John's Hospital.

Yesterday's Surprise

It was a quiet rainy day around here yesterday. In the late afternoon I was on the computer that has windows to the front of our house checking email, forums and reading blogs. That is what I do before I start fixing dinner and while waiting for Jim to get home from work. I heard the garage door and then my name. Actually he said "Homer". He calls me Homer and I call him George. Silly I know but back to what happened. He asked how long the buffalo had been in the backyard and I had no clue they were even there but there were about 8 of them. Of course I grabbed a camera. See-

After taking pictures we just watched. The buffalo slowly wandered across the street to another house that had some good strong scratching trees.

You know winter may be long here, very long in fact, spring may not exist and summer is short but where else on Earth will you ever see the beauty and animal life that is so common in Jackson Wyoming? I hope the newness and my sense of wonder about it all never wears off.

Saddles to Sushi

I went to the local library book sale last Friday. I picked up about a dozen books to share between Cindy and me. One of the first I finished reading was Saddles to Sushi. I liked some of the stories so much that I read them out loud to anyone I could get to stand still over the weekend. I may have been a bit of a pest.

The book is a collections of newspaper columns written by Mike Bressler in the character of Clyde Thornhill. Poor Clyde is surrounded by cowboys, granola and big money. He is a simple man who just wants a beer and a date.

Saddles to Sushi by Michael Bressler a.k.a. Clyde Thornhill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Loved this book. It helped me see my new home town in a new way. For those who know me from Utah this is a bit like Robert Kirby for Jackson Hole. The author pokes fun at everybody including himself.



View all my reviews

I had a wonderful time

It was a nice weekend and even a nice Monday around here. Over the weekend I got to see a granddaughter graduate from preschool. The cutest thing was that the ceremony was at a local community college. She told everyone she was graduating from college. We all had pizza and chocolate cake to celebrate.

I came home on Sunday to an order in my Artfire shop for this headband.

I took the envelope to the Post Office this morning to send the headband on its way to Vermont. On the way home I saw buffalo grazing along the road not far from where I live.

As I was getting some lunch I looked out the window and saw some elk. You can see in this picture that new antlers are growing and covered in velvet. Sorry about getting the south end of the animals but they are a bit fussy about posing for the camera.

I hope your weekends were just as nice and this is the start of a great week for you all as well.

March 21, 2011

The first day of Spring. Really?

I will tell you that most of that snow has fallen off the trees and the snow on the roof is melting so much that it sounds like rain but there is still a couple feet of snow on the ground. I heard Jackson does not have spring and maybe the person who told me that was right. Still pretty though.

A little more than a month...

Yes it has been more than a month since I moved to Jackson and what an interesting month it has been. Lots has happened starting with the mundane moving tasks of unpacking boxes and deciding where every thing goes in the new spaces. We had our taxes done which came out a bit different than we were expecting and not really in a good way. One cheerful time was Valentine's Day when I was presented with the bouquet of roses you see here. Actually they came the day after because the florist was swamped with orders and did not get to my house until the 15th but that is okay. I am not the type to get upset but such things.

Of course there were animals around. Remember this visitor? We saw our first moose very up close. This mom and calf washed the truck one day and came back to do the trailer the next. They seemed to like the salt from Utah roads that was in the dirt or that is what we figure. They also spent some time chewing on the lower branches of our trees. I also saw an elk cow tumble down a hill in a snow slide coming home from the grocery store.

We had company over Presidents Day Weekend. Animals, lots of snow, four wheeler rides, trying out a new snow blower, card games, sewing projects and a trip to Town Square to see the snow sculptures kept us all busy and happy.

I have watched from my living room window as the clouds build over these mountains. It seems to snow here every day at least a little bit. When the clouds clear and the sun is shining in a beautiful blue sky it takes my breath away. At night since there is no big city light pollution the stars in the sky on a clear night are without number. The sheer beauty of this place makes the long winters bearable. I do admit however that I want to see what our yards look like and how big the deck on the back of the house really is. That mystery is covered by about 3 feet of snow.

One last bit of the ordinary, I rediscovered how much I like to bake, especially bread. I also actually made a very tender pot roast the other day after having a few flops.

Don't know when I will blog again. I make grand plans but always seem to go off track. You never know, it may be tomorrow or it may be next month. However to all my readers thanks for stopping by and hope you are all doing well with whatever life has in store for you these days.

One last personal note. Bill, I wish you and the lady of the house well in your downsizing and moving adventures. I will be waiting to see your stories about becoming an Okie.