Spring in Custer State Park/Mothers Day

What a wonderful Mothers Day.  We touristed in the Southern Hills.  The family and extended family started by caravanning to Hot Springs.  The first destination was the Mammoth Site.  It was very cool.  The amount of bones is amazing www.mammothsite.com.    

We took our time and as we had 11 in our group we took up almost half of the tour group.  It was fun to stay after and take it all in at a slower pace.  It was such a nice warm day that we decided to take advantage of our proximity to Cascade Falls.  The water was mild, the day was hot so the kids went in.  We found a cray fish, enjoyed the sound of the creek, kids playing and the beautiful scenery.


Of course on such a warm day ice cream is necessary to cool us all off.  The Dairy Queen was perfect and what a nice surprise to have free Sunday's for all mothers.  Off we then went to Wind Cave Park.  The Buffalo were serene nibbling on the grass and rolling in the dirt.  I was hoping to see some new calves and we were not disappointed.   They were so cute staying close to mama.  Autumn was loving the Prairie Dogs.  The only thing we did not see were elk.  It was fun stopping in the Needles and climbing on the rocks.  We made so many stops, that was what made it fun.  We would all pile out of the cars like a fire drill.  The final stop of the day was Sugar Shack for a big juicy burger.  We were all tired and hungry.


Perfect day for a MOM.

County Ordinance and spring

The work we have been doing for the past 5 months is paying off.  We officially have a committee formed and blessed by the Pennington County Commissioners.  The task of this committee is to formulate a vacation home rental ordinance to address the current overly prohibitive ordinance.
Government wheels turn slow, our first informal meeting - not to be confused with public meetings - is Monday, May 16 at 2:00 pm in the courthouse.  All other meeting will be public and public input is welcome and encouraged.
It will be nice to have our Log Cabin and Boxcar Cabin compliant with county regulations.  Keep tuned for the latest.
On another note.  Spring is here!!  Dandelions are in the yard and the chickens are happy.  Six eggs from six chicks.  The cat is getting fatter and the dog is happily following Tally to the burn pile as he gets pine needles cleaned up from the yards.  I am almost finished with the Cottage spring cleaning.  I have the kitchen floor, table and lower cabinets left.  We finally got the microwave up on a shelf.  It looks great and feels good to take care of our babies (cabins).
Our daughter took up golf this spring and is on the team at her school.  She loves it and is actually improving.  Time for me to get back to work.

April 27, 2011

We started the deep spring cleaning today.  The Cottage is first this year.
We are taking a rest from the kitchen remodel.  The walls are painted, the floor is installed and the cabinets are ordered. Not much to do except enjoy it.  We are loving the dining room.
We had rain off and on all day.  Guess April showers bring May flowers.  The Pasque flowers are coming on strong in the woods and the crocus in our garden are showing their colors.

On another note, the Pennington County Commissioners have started the ball rolling on our ordinance amendment.  The committee has been formed and will be officially designated at their next meeting.  We need to address vacation home rentals in this county in a proactive manner.  The extremely limiting current ordinance just begs to be ignored and it is.  We could not believe how many vacation home rentals within Pennington County are registered with the state of South Dakota.  It will be interesting to see the direction this goes at the first meeting.

March 29, 2011 still cold

We had gentle snow all day yesterday but nothing on the ground.   Thank goodness the ice is melting and green grass is finally showing though, there is still snow where the ground is shaded.  Squirrels are chasing each other in the trees and hiding nuts, rabbits are gathering and the sounds of birds are everywhere.

Tally is sanding the drywall and I should be texturing tomorrow or even this afternoon.  The ordinance amendment we are working on is progressing.   These things take a lot of time but are all worth it in the end.    Short post.

March- is Spring coming to Happy Trails?

The days are longer and with the addition of more snow it actually feels like spring.  Water is running off the roofs and the ice bergs are slowly receding.  It seems so slow this year.  I know it will be soon that we are turning on water in cabins and beginning the deep spring cleaning.  I love when the cabins are freshly deep cleaned.  It is so satisfying.  I love our job.

On to the construction project.  I now have an insulated kitchen/dining area.  The house became so cosy and nice.  I realize there is a lot to do but just the fact of being warmer has made life wonderful.  We have also been experiencing some great Black Hills inversions.   Rapid City has been so cold and overcast while we in Silver City have been in the 40's with nice sunny days.

Now I have a cold

I was complaining awhile back about the cold weather and now I have a cold.  It is miserable.
Seems I am not getting anything truly accomplished these days.   Luckily I was OK on Sunday and we went cross country skiing out our door.  There is a fair amount of snow for Silver City.
On the good side, we are planning on getting our insulation installed next monday.  We are so excited.  There is a bit to get done before they get her on Monday but now with a deadline, we will be in a frenzy of activity.  It will be nice to be warm.

random stump things

The chickens are well and producing.  We get 5 eggs a day from 7 chickens.  They are so friendly and this late in the winter they look fairly ugly.

Tally

Rita

walking on Pactola Lake

Beaver Dam

Nothing really going on and we have too much time to think.

Politics

The first hurdle is done.  We gave our presentation at the County Planning Commission and they voted for it to continue.  We will now give our presentation to the County Commissioners on March 1.  We need everyone to root for us.  It was good to have one dissenter in the room so we can address his concerns in the next presentation.  It is important to let people know that, as this is a conditional use, a potential vacation home rental has to address the neighbors concerns.
On a more fun note.  I found 2 antlers on our hike Monday.  One was found in the yard across the street, the other was from last year.  You can tell the old ones as they look dry and have had mice or squirrels chewing on them.
We have been having such nice weather.  The snow is melting and then freezing so the ice remains.