Revitalize Cheyenne's downtown with a Plesiosaur and a Hesperornis or two

Hesperornis regalis, also known as "western bird." This flightless bird reached six feet long and roamed Wyoming's inland seas 100 million years ago. A few Hesperornis skeletons would add some pizzaz to downtown Cheyenne.

Take a stroll around your local mall. Notice that the place has large anchor stores surrounded by specialty shops. The types of shops near J.C. Penney’s are different from the ones around Sears are different from the ones near Dillards. These shops have uniform storefronts of 20 feet. You know why? That used to be the width of storefronts in traditional downtowns, back when their mainstays were mom and pop stores selling groceries, clothes and bric-a-brac, back when there was a market for bric-a-brac.

Mall developers were smart. They took what was good about our downtowns, covered them with a roof, threw in some air-conditioning and acres of parking and voila, the past was reborn as the future.

Downtowns now are looking back to the future for revitalization.

Cheyenne’s central business district is 75 square blocks. Did you know that? I didn’t, not until Monday night when I attended a meeting sponsored by the Downtown Development Authority at the Historic Plains Hotel. The speaker was Todd Barman from the national Main Street program. He’s toured and studied hundreds of American downtowns. They share similar problems and some successes. Yet each is distinctive in its approach to revitalization. In fact, the ability to highlight your downtown’s unique characteristics and stories is crucial to its success.

Barman challenged us: “What do you think about when you think about downtown?”

Depot Plaza. The Hole. Atlas Theatre. Frontier Days parades. Parking hassles. Government offices. Empty buildings. Summer concerts. Farmers’ markets. The Hole.

Always with The Hole.

What about “a cool place to be” or “a wonderful shopping district” or a “dining mecca.”

We’re not there yet. We need to think of downtown as a destination, to consider it as a whole. But since our downtown is so large, we need to break it down into smaller districts that emphasize a certain personality.

The area around the Historic Depot and its outdoor plaza and the surrounding railroads could be the anchor to a district that represents the city’s history as a transportation corridor. Cheyenne’s downtown parking structure boasts a display about that history. Lincolnway is so named because it was part of the Lincoln Highway, the cross-country route that predated the interstate system. Two major interstates intersect in Cheyenne – I-25 and I-80. And before the roads and rail lines, the Native tribes camped in Cheyenne before heading up and over The Gangplank of the Laramie Range. Before humans took over, some large animals trooped through these parts. In the recent past, woolly mammoth and saber-tooth tigers roamed my neighborhood. At about 65 million years ago, it was home to the allosaurus and triceratops.

More than 100 million years ago, Wyoming was under 2,500 feet of water in the Western Interior Seaway. To the east was Appalachia. To the west, Laramidia named for the Laramide Orogeny which produced the precursors of the Rocky Mountains and the Laramie Range which I can see from my yard on a clear day. We are famous in geological circles. Cheyenne was home to Squalicorax (an ancient shark) and plesiosaurs and mosasaurs and Xiphactinus and Hesperornis ("western bird"), a flightless bird whose body structure supported swimming rather than flying. Its small wing-like appendages were used for steering while it’s stout legs could propel it through the water.

How to parlay that into a lively downtown district? That’s the trick, isn’t it? We have to talk to one another (bummer!) and plan and volunteer and encourage entrepreneurs and rethink parking and city ordinances. Not easy, but necessary.

Barman said that one of the drawbacks of our central business district is its size. We may have to tackle it one district at a time. He cautioned us not the label these districts with a “theme,” as that could end up looking like a gaudy downtown theme park. That approach has been tried unsuccessfully, leading to ersatz Swiss villages or fake Old West towns that look like Hollywood sets.

A rail history district could easily arise out of the city’s origins as a tent camp for the Union Pacific and later a railroad hub for the West. We have the Depot and the Depot Museum and Plaza, the roundhouse, old railroad hotels such as the Plains, and many other structures. There are train buffs all over the world who would love to arrive in Cheyenne by rail, but passenger trains don’t stop here anymore. The exception is the annual Frontier Days special from Denver to Cheyenne, bearing the Colorado governor and Denver mayor and scores of pols and celebs in town to view the first CFD parade and the rodeo. But barring any future choos choos, this part of downtown still could play up its railroad past with walking tours, festivals, films, street performers, etc. One thing is certain – it has to arise out of the city’s story and be genuine.

“How do we tell these stories?” asked Barman. “People love overlapping stories told about a place.”

First you do the research to find out what they are. At the same time, you build interest and gather residents eager to enliven downtown. All of this activity centers on the DDA/Main Street organization, which provides direction and grant money.

Cheyenne has made progress, Barman said, but there is much more left to do. I’ll explore some of the options in a future post.

Surfer Patrol sez: "Let the Gay Scouts in!" w/update

I can't speak for the rest of Surfer Patrol, but Patrol Leader Mike Shay says it's OK with him if openly Gay Boy Scouts are allowed into our hallowed fraternity. LGBT leaders, too, although that's a long shot -- for now.

I can't remember the number of our troop, but we met in a church in Ormond Beach, Fla, in the 1960s. While the troop's other patrols bore names of Florida's wild animals such as Panther, Rattlesnake and Gator, my brother Dan and Bobby C. and I all voted to become the Surfer Patrol. As usually happens with surfers, our patrol was typecast as the troublemakers, which rarely happened in real life. Yes, we almost got out troop kicked out of Camp Lanochee. And yes, we did teepee another patrol's tent. And yes, our patrol members were much better surfers than we were Boy Scouts. We could shred, and did. But we were loveable. And we rarely caused any real damage.

When I hear reports that some church congregations have gathered together this evening to pray for continuing a policy of a non-Gay Boy Scouts of America, I say: "Bring it on!" Or maybe "Cowabunga!" Make all troops welcoming to all people, gay or straight. The Mormons say it's OK with them -- and hardly any of them surf. The United Methodists and the Unitarian Universalists and national Jewish leaders say its OK with them. As always, the Catholic Church is a problem. My brother Dan and I were Catholic school boys, outcasts in Baptist-heavy Florida. We all grew up in a time of vicious names, "queer" as a nasty slur, and "faggot." I don't think I used them, but I may have. I was a jock in the South before it became the New South. Let's face it -- even in the 21st century, gay-bashing still exists in Dixie. And in surfless Wyoming.

Let the sun shine in, B.S.A.! Surfer Patrol would dig that.

Update: Boy Scouts of America sez yes to admitting openly gay youth. Fundies freak out.

Bitchin'!

NPR Health Blog: Childhood ADHD can lead to adulthood obesity

The title of this blog comes from a quote by hypertext inventor Ted Nelson who once told Wired Magazine that having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was like having a "hummingbird mind." I wrote an essay for the late lamented Northern Lights magazine about rock climbing with my son who has ADHD. I used Nelson's quote in the article and the editor used it for the headline. So, in 2005. I decided to use it for the name of the blog as my initial idea was to blog about ADHD, as blogging and hyperactivity seemed to go together. I was sidetracked by politics and various other topics so my blog is a lot more wide-ranging than anticipated.

That brings me to today's post about ADHD. I came across it via a Facebook post from renowned ADHD expert Dr. Edward "Ned" Hallowell. The good doctor wrote the intro to an anthology that featured some of my writing, Easy to Love but Hard to Raise: Real Parents, Challenging Kids, True Stories. He writes on his site today about the fact that childhood ADHD can lead to adult obesity. He quoted an article about a recent study featured on the NPR Health blog. Overeating releases dopamine which is what human nervous systems crave. A pint of Ben & Jerry's at midnight is just what the impulsive person ordered. But not the cardiologist. Read more here.

National Main Street rep Todd Barman speaks about Cheyenne's downtown on May 20

Local visionaries continue to drag Cheyenne's downtown kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Hats off to those businesses with the chutzpah to inhabit downtown. You can see a list on the Downtown Development Association web site. Some of my faves are Ernie November for music, Freedom's Edge for handmade brews, The Albany for lunch and the Paramount Cafe for coffee, music and open mic nights. Alan O'Hashi and architect Glen Garrett have been trying to get the Hynds Building whipped into shape through the LightsOn! Project and Alan's effort to work with Laramie County Community College to bring student housing downtown.

I just write about it. I spend some of my money downtown, but it's just a drop in the bucket to my overall expenditures. Most of my food budget goes to King Soopers on Dell Range, Safeway on the South Greeley Highway and Albertson's on Yellowstone (and the Osco Pharmacy therein). There is no downtown grocery store since the closure of the old Safeway. The state owns the building. Hospital construction crews use the lot for parking.

This weekend, downtown is alive with a number of cool events. Railroad Days is being held at the Depot. I wandered in yesterday to see the massive model train set up in the lobby. The place was filled with vendors and train buffs and the merely curious such as myself. This is the only weekend when you can get a guided tour of the historic roundhouse. I bought my tomato plants yesterday at the Master Gardeners Sale. Chris and I attended the "Long Stories, Short Films' Session yesterday at at the Cheyenne International Film Festival at the Atlas Theatre. I'm always curious about the ways of storytellers since I am one. The CIFF continues through tonight. Today we're wandering over to the Yiddish Food Festival at Mt. Sinai Synagogue next to the old Safeway.

So there's lot to do. But downtown still has a lot of empty buildings and The Big Hole where Mary's Bake Shoppe once stood along Lincolnway. You could write a book on the many ideas generated to fill the hole. I may just do that....

This week, the DDA "invites you to come support downtown" with a presentation by Todd Barman, a representative from the national Main Street organization. Wyoming Main Street will be hosting a public meeting with Barman Monday, May 20, 5-7:30 p.m., at the Historic Plains Hotel. According to a display ad in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

"He will be preparing an analysis of the community, and will be meeting with community representatives and downtown stakeholders to discuss future economic development activities for downtown."

Sounds good to me. My notebook and I plan on attending Monday's meeting. I would expect a a fair number of visionaries along with some naysayers who think that "planning" is a dirty word. They also think that "creative placemaking" and "the future" are dirty words. They may have a point about "creative placemaking." Such a weird term. Maybe "creative economy" is better.

For previous posts on Cheyenne's downtown revitalization efforts, go here and here. 

Return to the Victory Garden

I expect to harvest at least a double handful of tomatoes from my Victory Garden this summer.

Feels good to be back in the garden letting the dirt flow through my fingers and get caught under my fingernails. I let the patch go fallow last year as I was healing from a bout with depression. You'd think that gardening would be good for melancholia and maybe it is for some people. I just looked at my modest plot and saw a weed-choked north 40 spread out in front of me. Seemed like too much work instead of fun, which is how I usually look at it.

I dug out the weeds this week. This is the least fun part of the exercise but it didn't seem that way. I hauled the weeds to my garden recycling bin. I do all of this while hooked up to my LifeVest, which is an external defibrillator. I get my implanted one in June. Can't say I'll miss the vest, although I've worn it since January. I gardened all week without it beeping. Sometimes I can't walk out to my car without alarms sounding. "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! Your ticker's about to blow!" I loved that robot...

About half of my strawberries made it through the winter, and my perennial flowers are coming up. This morning, I drove down to the annual Master Gardeners Plant Sale at Depot Plaza downtown. I was there a bit early. They thought that I was a volunteer but I bugged out before they put me to work. I meandered over to a nearby vendor's tent that belonged to Dawn Thiesen and her Thrive Nursery. She gardens up neat Horse Creek with the help of a greenhouse. I lingered mainly because she had some healthy looking plants and they had cool names. This is a failing of mine, as I tend to buy things more by name and description than by looks or price. These plants were all made in Wyoming, USA, which is always another selling point for me. Local! Local! Local!

As for tomatoes, I bought a Tolstoi, a German Extreme, Ailsa Craig, Silver Tree and Early Cherry. Dawn has a mini-catalog that has a paragraph written about each variety. I didn't read about the Tolstoi but figured it is a very literary plant that will grow to War and Peace size by the end of the summer. I expect fruits the size of the master's head, which reportedly was quite large.

I planted the German Extreme in a large pot. Dawn said it only grows about a foot high but spreads out with maturity. I suppose it's best it's in a pot as anything German does tend to encroach on neighboring territory. The Ailsa Craig is a Scottish blend named after an island in the Clyde of Firth, no doubt a single malt tomato. I bought some broccoli plants. One if called Packman which I imagined a Pac Man -- hope it doesn't gobble up the rest of the garden. If it does, I should get a free game out of it.

As the day progresses, I feel my muscles revolting from the bending and stooping and raking and digging and watering. I hear a beer calling my name.

FoCo, NoCo vs. Chy-town, SeWy -- which one is the winner?

Old Town in Fort Collins boasts a new arts space. Here's the lowdown on The Artery from CSU's Rocky Mountain Collegian:

This past Friday the missing piece to the art scene here in NoCo moved into Old Town. A set of 17 art studios that were designed to stimulate the creativity of artists across a wide range will celebrate and showcase art in Fort Collins in a whole new way.

The Artery, which you will find in a historic building on the corner of Linden and College, has been beautifully renovated into a unique art gallery, art studios and events venue. It will rent studios to visual artists and creative businesses, host concerts and gallery walks, teach classes and workshops on all sorts of mediums and much more.

There's an added bonus for this new space.

Fort Collins Brewing Company has also joined the fun by renting a studio for their very own ‘art brewer.’ FCB will be holding a contest that selects two artists of their choosing to share a rented studio at The Artery to create pieces for both themselves and the brewery.

This aging writer is jealous of these young artists populating one of the best downtowns in one of the best communities in the country. I'm a CSU grad so I do bring a bias to the discussion. Fort Collins has been building its creative infrastructure for decades. CSU renovated the old high school (Go FC Lambkins!) into a state-of-the-art arts center. Old Town is thriving with shops and bistros and one of the finest brewpubs in Coopersmiths. The Beet Street arts org has moved in to the old FoCo Carnegie Library and is rehabbing it for its Arts Incubator of the Rockies (AIR). And speaking of craft breweries -- FoCo is the hotspot of Colorado and possibly the nation. I don't quaff the craft brews like I used to, but right now have an Odell 90 Shilling in my hand. I love summer.

As you may recall, I'm a resident of Cheyenne which is 45 short minutes from Fort Collins. We are in different states and different worlds. Our downtown has been struggling for years. We have a fantastic Historic Depot and its plaza that features bands and beer all summer long. We have the Historic Atlas Theatre and Freedom's Edge Brewery and the new Dinneen Building and the Hynds Building Project and the Paramount Cafe and Ruby Juice and several galleries and a great music store in Ernie November. But what I count on two hands, Fort Collins counts on many hands.

It's possible that Cheyenne and Southeast Wyoming just lack interesting acronyms. Cheyenne may be too short of a title for abbreviation. Chey? Cheyne? Do an acrostic with these letters and you get Cheney (God forbid). I have heard people label my place Chy-town, which isn't bad. Our region could easily be SeWy. Chy-town in SeWy! I'll have to test it out on a focus group of hipsters, if I can find any.

Cheyenne has come a long way in the 22 years that my family has called it home. This morning I was talking to Bill Lindstrom, director of Arts Cheyenne, the local arts council. It wasn't too long ago that the capital city had no arts council. That's real progress. And there's more to do all of the time.

Still, we're a long way from establishing a place like The Artery. The grand opening will be on Friday, June 7, starting at 6:30 p.m. I'll be at the Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference in Laramie, but please feel free to tool on down the road to FoCo. The opening will include an exhibition of art along with the artists behind it, food, beer by Fort Collins Brewery and music. It's free!

Republicans say it loud and scary: BENGHAZI!

As a fiction writer, I enjoy e-mails from Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis. The Republican from Cheyenne never ceases to amaze with her fabrications and half-truths and spin -- can't forget the spin. As a member in good standing of the Republican cabal in the House that gives gridlock new meaning, she can be trusted to always be on the FAR RIGHT side of each issue. This time, she is even asking questions at one of the many hearings that House Republicans are holding on BENGHAZI! I capitalize and emphasize the Libyan city's name because that's how the Republicans do it. BENGHAZI! Or like this: 

BENGHAZI!

It was funny to read today that 39 percent of those Americans polled who believe, as does Rep. Lummis, that BENGHAZI is a cover-up, don't know what country it's in. From Public Policy Polling's latest national survey (thanks to Crooks & Liars):

"One interesting thing about the voters who think Benghazi is the biggest political scandal in American history is that 39% of them don't actually know where it is. 10% think it's in Egypt, 9% in Iran, 6% in Cuba, 5% in Syria, 4% in Iraq, and 1% each in North Korea and Liberia with 4% not willing to venture a guess."

BENGHAZI!

Wherever the hell it is.  

Oogalee Boogalee! Are you scared now?

Here's Rep. Lummis's e-mail (the links are hers):

Dear Friends, This past Wednesday the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee heard from three men, all of whom are public servants and all of whom have firsthand experience with the Benghazi attacks of September 11th, 2012 that claimed the lives of four Americans.

From the testimony we heard it’s clear there was a conscious effort to provide misleading and conflicting information on the Benghazi attacks. The question now is how far up in the administration did this cover up go?

People died. There are four deaths. Concealing the facts and impeding efforts on behalf of Congress to investigate this situation is simply deplorable.

Wednesday’s witnesses had illustrious careers. But when they had the gumption to correct the inaccuracies being spread about this attack some of their careers became fodder for revenge. It is inexcusable what this administration has done to these citizens, particularly in light of what these men have done for our country.

I walked away from this week’s hearing with more questions, more rabbit holes and without concrete answers for the families of these victims. Clearly it was the tip of the iceberg, but I’m glad to hear truth being shed on this unfortunate situation. The Committee will continue our investigation until concrete answers can be delivered.

I want to thank witnesses Gregory Hicks, Mark Thompson and Eric Nordstrom, for having the courage and strength to come forward and set the record straight on these horrific attacks.

Watch my questions HERE.

Sincerely, Representative Cynthia M. Lummis 

Interesting to note that Republicans in the House have yet to convene numerous committees to investigate how George W. Bush and Dick Cheney lied us into the Iraq War. Or the many diplomats and embassy staffers who were killed during the Bush presidency. After all, PEOPLE DIED!

"Who do they say I am? Interfaith perspectives on Jesus" begins May 23

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

My Mom, Anna Marie Hett, as she became Anna Marie Shay on Feb. 18, 1950, in Denver.

It's been a long time since I could wish my Mom a happy Mother's Day in person. Anna Marie (Hett) Shay died in April 1986, just a month shy of her 60th birthday and her 35th Mother's Day. She died from ovarian cancer, still a killer although early detection has prolonged patients' lives well past the 18 months that my Mom had. It was already well advanced when the docs detected it.

Mom got to meet her first male grandson, my son Kevin, who was born in Denver (also my Mom's birthplace) on February 14, 1985. Kevin and I travelled to Daytona Beach for a family reunion and my brother Dan's annual Fourth of July bash. I flew alone with Kevin because my wife had to work and would follow us a few days later. She was going to attend her 10th high school reunion of the Seabreeze Sandcrabs. 

I wasn't prepared to fly with a four-month-old. I got all sorts of advice before take-off. Make sure he sucks on a bottle or a binky during take-off so his ears won't clog. Keep him awake before you leave so he naps on the plane. Don't freak out if he cries and annoys the other hundred passengers.   

As you might guess, the trip was a disaster. I had to feed Kevin in the airport so he stared wide-eyed at me as the plane rose out of Denver. His head didn't explode and he didn't cry, though, not right away. And changing a baby in a 727 restroom is not the easiest thing in the world. One thing, though. Women took pity on me. Oh, what a cutie. Let me hold him. Oh, what a good dad you are. I filed that bit of info away for future reference.

When I greeted my mother, she wore a turban. It was an odd look for her. I had seen her wearing nurse's caps and Easter bonnets and rain gear and even winter caps when I was little and we lived in snowy places. The turban, of course, covered her bald head. I've seen lots of them since on cancer patients. But in the summer of 1985, it took me awhile to get used to it.

She was crazy about Kevin. She held him for hours. She had two grandkids already, both girls, so she took extra time with Kevin. And she knew that he wouldn't be in Daytona very long. And she was probably guessing that she wouldn't be around very long -- and she was right.

I did get to visit with her one more time before she passed. And she got to hold Kevin again. I worked for the Gates Rubber Company in Denver as a publications editor. Gates decided to get into the NASCAR sponsorship game. The corporate honchos had recruited a driver to wear the Gates colors and plaster decals all over his car. The company needed one of its editors to go to Daytona and do a story. I lobbied hard for the assignment. Other staffers were anxious to desert Denver for Daytona in February but, in the end, I won the sweepstakes. I took my family too.

I hung out at the race track for three days, waiting for our driver to show up. Several of our sales people were there, fretting about our mystery driver. His truck broke down in North Carolina. A storm had held him up. He was stuck in Georgia.

While I hung out at the speedway talking to drivers and crews and taking lots of photos, Chris and Kevin visited family. My Mom got lots of holding time. Chris's mom had passed away from cancer in 1984 but Chris's father lived nearby. They visited while I waited.

Our driver never showed up. To this day, I'm unsure why. The company decided to rethink its NASCAR sponsorship policy. I got a tremendous trip out of it. We held Kevin's first birthday at my brother Dan's house in Ormond Beach. We still have pictures of that Valentine's Day evening. The toddlers were tearing around the house and having a fine time. Mom was there for awhile but grew tired and my father took her home early. All of our kids were young then, and most of Kevin's cousins (and his sister) had yet to be born.

Not that long ago. But it seems like ages.

Twenty-seven years later, two of my mother's children now are undergoing treatment for cancer. Time and scientific research have brought many improvements to cancer diagnosis and treatment. My sister Mary's carcinoid cancer was caught in its early stages. My brother Dan's leukemia was diagnosed during routine blood tests. My sister Molly will donate her bone marrow to Dan in a routine that is light years ahead of the old invasive marrow harvesting procedures. All of them will be treated at the fantastic MD Anderson medical complex in Houston.

I miss you, Mom. Thanks for showing us the way. Happy Mother's Day.

As the song says, "Let the sunshine in!"

I don't personally know the two presenters at the May 16 library workshop entitled "Letting the Sunshine in." But it's one of six mental health sessions sponsored by the Wyoming Department of Health, Stop Suicide Cheyenne, Grace for 2 Brothers and the Jason Foundation under the header of "From Just Surviving to Thriving!" Great organizations all!

Here's a tip from someone who's struggled with depression for most of his adult life. If you are depressed, don't think it will go away if you just think good thoughts or watch cheery movies. They may help. But real depression is not a passing sadness. Watching "The Sound of Music" 20 times will not banish it to the deepest reaches of your reptilian brain. The flyer for the session, led by Jonna Hilzer-Dickie (M.A., L.P.C.) and Jon Baillie (M.A., P.P.C.) sums it up pretty well:

Depression is a serious biological disease that affects millions of people each year. The encouraging news is that it can often be successfully treated. Learn ways to stop the dark cloud of depression and anxiety and let your sunshine in!

"Letting the Sunshine In" will be held on Thursday, May 16, 5:30-6:30 p.m., in the Laramie County Public Library's Sunflower Room on the third floor. It's free, and you may learn a lot. There are two more sessions. On June 20, local musician and founder of Rock for Life James Ednie will address his own near brush with suicide via words and music. He also will "offer some tools to cope with tough situations." James will provide tips "on how to not only deal with sadness, but how to celebrate it."

It is true. You can celebrate sadness but acknowledging that it's a normal part of life. I speak not only as someone with depression but as a writer who often spends time with the gloomy thoughts of his characters. Maybe that's why I write in the vein of tragicomedy. LIfe often is like that, isn't it? It's one thing when it happens in fiction. Yet another thing when it happens in real life.

The final session, "Save a Life," takes on the serious topic of suicide prevention. As you probably know, Wyoming is home to the second-most completed suicides, and WY teen suicides lead the nation. The Jason Foundations has this alarming stat on its web site: "Each day in our nation, there are an average of over 5,400 attempts by young people grades 7-12." And don't forget our veterans. Last fall at the Equality State Book Festival in Casper, soldier-poet Brian Turner noted that each day the U.S. loses an average of 18 active duty and retired military to suicides. During the course of a three-day weekend, suicides wipe out the entire platoon that he led in Iraq.

The "Save a Life" training session will go from 5:30-8 p.m. as Stop Suicide Cheyenne presents the Jason Foundation's suicide prevention program for parents. 

Blowing in the Wyoming Wind: Cattle Kate could’ve told Meg what was coming

I always look forward to Rodger McDaniel's Saturday posts on Blowing in the Wyoming Wind. They also used to appear in our local paper, but since I don't get the paper any more I can neither confirm or deny their appearance on the op-ed pages. Rodger is part of our ragtag band of progressive bloggers in southeast Wyoming. I guess I shouldn't call Rodger ragtag, as he has plenty of creds as an attorney, minister, historian, author and one-time head of the state's mental health and substance abuse division. But anyone who blatantly proclaims a liberal stance in conservative Wyoming exists on the fringe.

This morning, Rodger blogged about two Wyoming women who were the subject of lynch mobs. Ellen Watson, also known as "Cattle Kate," had the temerity to challenge the cattle barons in 1885 Wyoming Territory. She was physically lynched. Meg Lanker-Simons has had the temerity to challenge UW and Wyoming's powers-that-be, most of whom happen to be conservatives. Now she's getting lynched on-line. Go read Rodger's post here.

Meg graduates from the University of Wyoming today. Congratulations, Meg. We keep urging her to write a book. Maybe she will, although law school figures in her immediate plans. Once she gets law school out of the way and publishes her book, I hope she keeps us in mind for the book-signing tour. Laramie should be her first stop.

UPDATE: Rodger's column is in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (I sneaked a look at a copy at my friend D's house). It's on the op-ed pages in the sports section and is headlined "UW choosing to hang before the facts are in."

Ya'll come down to the ranch for a little Western Swing (we love you, Bob Wills)

Alicia Padilla with Wheel Ruts Productions and Ernie November are sponsoring another boffo local concert May 17 at Terry Bison Ranch south of Cheyenne. And we just heard that the Wyomericana Caravan will be coming to Terry Bison Ranch on June 9 to wrap of the four-state swing of three Wyoming bands. Things are looking up around here music-wise. Interesting thing about these concerts showcasing Americana music is that they are more country than the nouveau-country acts that are showcased at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Register now for the Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference in Laramie June 7-9

I'm one of the faculty this year, but don't let that stop you from registering for the conference at www.wyowriters.org. Deadline for early registration is Friday, May 10. 

Wyoming Equality's "An Evening with the Arts" features artwork, books and music

Wyoming Equality is hosting “An Evening with the Arts" on Saturday, May 11, 6-10 p.m., at Suite 1901, 1901 Central Ave., Cheyenne.

We’re expanding on the art show we held last year and adding more entertainment, unique items and speakers! Reverend Rodger McDaniel will be there signing his new book, “Dying for Joe McCarthy’s Sins.” This is the fascinating true story of Wyoming’s U.S. Senator, Lester Hunt, being blackmailed by Senator Joe McCarthy over his son’s arrest for soliciting homosexual sex. The blackmail ultimately drove Senator Hunt to commit suicide. Rodger will be talking about his book and signing copies for anyone who would like to purchase the book. He has graciously agreed to donate half the proceeds to Wyoming Equality.

In addition to the book, W.E. will have beautiful works of art, jewelry, pottery, and so much more available for purchase. Several local musicians will also be in attendance sharing their talents with the group. This is a great opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled night with unique items for sale all supporting your favorite advocacy group! 

RSVP at the Facebook event page.

Do women feel safe from online threats in The Equality State?

Wyoming's small community of liberal bloggers has been challenged by the controversy surrounding one of our own, Meg Lanker-Simons of Cognitive Dissonance. We are challenged to stand up for our friend and colleague as she is viciously attacked by those on the right. But we also are perplexed by he reports from the University if Wyoming campus police alleging that Meg has perpetrated a hoax regarding a hateful post on the UW Crushes Facebook site. After a quick investigation of Meg's computer and a two-hour grilling, they charged her with interfering with a police investigation. It carries a penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Meg hired a lawyer and said she will plead not guilty when the case goes to court May 13.

Wyoming liberal bloggess Sarah Zacharias wrote a piece for The Big Slice that sums up some of the tangled feelings being experienced by progressives in our conservative state. Go here: "My Friend Meg-Lanker-Simons -- Not Who the Right Thinks She is." 

One of Sarah's key points is whether women in The Equality State feel safe from threats and violence, especially the online variety. This is how she sums it up:

It isn’t ok to bully Wyoming women. It isn’t ok to harass them online. It isn’t ok to threaten them. It isn’t ok to shame them with their own sense of self. It isn’t ok that my community heard the cry of a victim and the first thing we did was feed the dog that bit her.

That is not and never will be the Wyoming way.

As a fourth generation Wyomingite and a determined voice for Wyoming Women, I proudly stand by Meg. I stand between her and anyone who would disparage a woman who is bold and independent and vocal. This is not how we treat people. Not even women like Meg that some find distasteful, no matter her opinions or her reputation.

Very well said, Sarah.

Welcome to the coal state -- and our cool, energy-efficient welcome center

Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center

Join the Wyoming Office of Tourism, the Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources and the Wyoming Arts Council at a ceremony to dedicate WIND CODE, a sculpture by Laramie artist Stan Dolega, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center, north entrance, exit 4 off I-25.

Stan’s sculpture was funded through the Wyoming Art in Public Buildings. It's a great addition to the very cool Welcome Center building, which uses alternative energy sources to supply most of its power. According to its architectural firm:

The design team harnessed sunlight and wind to deliver nearly 40 kW of zero-emissions power—enough to offset more than half of the building's electrical demand. Photovoltaic (solar) panels on the roof and walls of the building generate approximately 27 kW of electricity, while five on-site wind turbines provide the balance of renewable power.

The welcome center's HVAC system was built around a ground source heat pump (geo-exchange) system that utilizes the relatively constant temperature of the earth to provide efficient building heating and cooling and features more than 11 miles of heat-transferring geo-exchange coils buried beneath the 26.6-acre project site. Thermal displacement ventilation—a low-energy-use air distribution system in which incoming air originates low in the space and rises in thermal plumes to exhaust outlets at the ceiling—was implemented for the public and office portions of the facility. In addition to saving energy, thermal displacement ventilation enhances indoor air quality and thermal comfort for building occupants.

Daylight harvesting, which optimizes the amount of healthy natural light brought into building spaces while limiting the use of electric lighting, was enhanced by the welcome center's long axis and relatively narrow width. High-efficiency electric lighting supplements natural daylight when necessary.

Stan Dolega's "Wind Code" sculpture

This ceremony will be part of a 9 a.m.-3 p.m. open house at the Welcome Center celebrating the beginning of National Travel and Tourism Week in Wyoming. Visit the many interactive displays inside which highlights Wyoming's culture, history and energy sources. Interesting to note that this week Gov. Matt Mead announced that Wyoming will mine its ten billionth ton of coal in May. More and more of our coal is destined for China although Washington and Oregon are in a snit about letting thousands of coal trains travel through their bobo urban neighborhoods. Hey, what's not to like about a spritz of coal dust on your mocha latte?

Last Winter Farmers' Market of the season set for Saturday

The Cheyenne Winter Farmers’ Market is held inside the sunny and cozy lobby of the Historic Train Depot Museum in downtown Cheyenne. It features farm and hand-crafted products from Wyoming and the local region. The last one of the season is this Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Acoustic Celtic and folk music will be provided by Dave Kramer and Steve Scott. 

What's on tap for Saturday?

• Gourmet local mushrooms
• Farm-fresh eggs, goat and sheep cheese
• Locally roasted fair-trade coffee and herbal teas
• Fresh breads and home-baked treats
• Fresh, local salsa
• Locally made chocolates and candies
• Grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison, free-range chickens, pork, goat's meat
• Locally produced jams, honey, and Amish-style peanut butter
• Take-home BBQ, bratwurst, cabbage burgers, chowders and bisque, smoked wild-caught salmon
• Soup mixes, rubs, and dip mixes
• Natural, locally-produced body care products
• Hand-crafted jewelry, cutting boards, cards, and other hand-made crafts

I've bought a little bit of everything at the market. Last time I went heavy on the pasta from Fort Collins. This time, it's hard to say. I'm so ready for fresh fruits and veggies, but we're still a few months away from that. I grow some of my own but not nearly enough.                  

For more information about the market, please contact Kim Porter, kim.porter@wyo.gov, or Cindy Ridenour, cindyr@meadowmaidfoods.com.     

Update on UW Crushes and Meg Lanker-Simons story

There have been new developments in the story I blogged about on Saturday. What had seemingly been clear has become complicated. This was in today's Laramie Boomerang:

The University of Wyoming Police Department issued a citation Monday afternoon in Albany County Circuit Court for Meg Lanker-Simons, a woman allegedly threatened last week in a social media post.

Authorities allege the post was a hoax.

Lanker-Simons was cited for interference, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and $1,000 fine.

“Subject admitted to making a controversial post on UW Crushes webpage and then lied about not doing it,” according to the citation.

Lanker-Simons is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. May 13 in Circuit Court. 

Read the rest here.

Meg has publicly denied making this controversial post. This was in today's Casper Star-Tribune:

The UW senior told the Star-Tribune on Tuesday that the police accusations were untrue. Lanker-Simons said she retained legal counsel and filed an entry-of-appearance plea of not guilty. The citation set a court date for May 13. Charles Pelkey, Lanker-Simons’ attorney, declined to comment.

So what's going on here? Stay tuned for more...

Maybe Ponce de Leon had it wrong, and the Fountain of Youth was in Wyoming

Which way to the Fountain of Youth -- and the gold! Painting of Agueybana greeting Juan Ponce de León from the U.S. Military website:www.bragg.army.mil/ 1-295INF/images/MSG%20Pedr... Painting by Puerto Rican artist Agustin Anavitate.

Florida is 500 years old!

Happy birthday, Sunshine State.

This isn’t a real birthday. It marks the year that Juan Ponce de Leon came ashore with his well-armed entourage. So, it celebrates five centuries of conquest. Some 350,000 people were living on the peninsula at the time. They didn’t last long once they were invested with musket balls and European microbes. 

Florida’s peninsula arose from the ancient ocean about 2.5 million years ago. People arrived about 14,000 years ago, riding dinosaurs from Michigan on a spring break trip. Florida was bigger then, as sea levels were lower due to a lot of water being locked up in glaciers. 
   

Population was 4.9 million in 1960. When our family moved there in 1964, the state probably had more than 5 million souls, making it the 10^th most populous state in the U.S.

These days, it boasts almost 20 million souls, most of whom can be found at Disney World the day that I decide to take my family there. It is now the fourth most populous state, right behind California, Texas and New York. I currently live in the least populous state, Wyoming, right behind North Dakota, Alaska and Vermont. 

The New York Times reviewed a new book about Florida by reporter T.D. Allman. It’s called “Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State.” Here’s what one fantastic Florida-based author, Bob Shacochis (“The Immaculate Invasion”), says about the book:

"I loved Allman's extraordinary book. … Almost every county in Florida bears the name of a butcher, a slavedriver, a madman, a scoundrel or a thief, in a state where for half a millennium the governing mandate seems to be Defeat the Truth, Triumph over Reality. T.D. Allman's counter-narrative to all the pretty lies is a scouring hurricane of research, investigation, and soul-cleansing wrath, and I doubt there has ever been a better, or more important, book written about the Sunshine State, the birthplace of imperial hubris, American-style."

And here’s another Florida writer, Les Standiford (“Last Train to Paradise” and the excellent John Deal series):

"Equal parts social analysis, historical review, and jeremiad, Finding Florida is a passionate, often scathing, and remarkably comprehensive encounter with a confounding, contradictory, and ever-elusive place. If your idea of hell is being chained to a galley oar between a politician and a Chamber of Commerce exec, then you are likely to love this book."

Some customer reviews on Amazon weren’t as effusive: “50% Bluster, 50% Politics,” said one. “A tirade masquerading as history,” said another.

Still, I have to put it on my reading list. I lived in Florida from 1964-78 (with time away for two years of college in South Carolina), which were incredible growth years for me and for the state. Those were my formative years, ages 13 to 27. I went to a high school named after a priest who accompanied Ponce de Leon on his strange quest to find the Fountain of Youth. I graduated from a university that trained most of the state’s politicos, the good (Walkin’ Lawton Chiles) and the bad (UF’s massive football stadium is named after Katherine Harris’s grandfather – yes, that Katherine Harris), which makes me wonder what they were teaching in those poli sci classes. Disney World arose from the dense woodlands and swamps of Central Florida. Miami became the capital of vice and cocaine. Millions of northerners moved into massive developments such as Palm Coast and The Villages. 

And I moved West to Denver, my birthplace, and eventually to Wyoming. The state celebrates its quasquicentennial as a state in 2015, although it is quite a bit older to judge by those dino skeletons I keep unearthing in my yard. I recently dug up a skeletal horse-like creature with a horn on his snout. My daughter says it’s a unicorn but I’m skeptical. Didn’t horned creatures roam the Wyoming savannahs way back when?

I’m part southerner and part westerner. Color me confused. Most of my writing used to take place in the South. Now it’s set in Wyoming and Colorado. I’ve been in Wyoming for 22 years (with two years in D.C. in the mid-90s). But it’s all about people, isn’t it? They are incredibly complicated no matter where you go.

As a helpful guide to my readers, I will put two of my stories on this blog's pages section in a few days. One is set in Florida. One is set in Wyoming. Read them and see what you think. Critiques are welcomed. 

Meanwhile, I must get back to my reading. Latest book is the startling memoir, “When Katie Awakes,” by Florida writer Connie May Fowler. Connie will travel to Wyoming in the fall. More about that later. 

Leukemia is a family affair

My brother Dan found a match.

I wrote over the weekend about Dan’s search for a bone marrow donor. Millions of people are on the donor registry, but very few have just the right qualities to match Dan’s metabolism.

Dan was diagnosed with leukemia just before the 2012 holidays. The holidays, it seems, are a dangerous time for the Shay family. I celebrated them by having a heart attack. My brother Dan celebrated them by going into the hospital for a gall bladder surgery that turned into a diagnosis for acute myeloid leukemia. Five of my other siblings spent Yuletide swabbing the inside of their cheeks and spending the swabs off to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Our sister Molly did not return a swab kit because the Italian post office was on strike, or maybe it was the railroads or the airlines.  Anyway, she finally located her kit at the P.O. and sent it off to Houston.

The first almost-perfect match for Dan was our sister Mary, who is the youngest. It’s better to have a match among family members, as the rejection rate is lower. Mary was excited to be the chosen one. My sister Maureen thought she was going to be the chosen one, as she and Dan have a lot in common.  But Maureen was not a match.

I was not tested. My recent heart attack and my advancing age left me out. Age, it seems, is not as big an obstacle as my medical condition. Donating marrow takes a toll on the body. The docs prefer to have donors between the ages of 18-44, although they will use those in the 45-60 range. Once you reach 60, though, the strain on the donor’s body is higher and the quality of marrow is lower. Since I’ve already had one heart attack, I could easily have another.

My sister Mary is afraid to fly. So, she drove from Tallahassee to Houston with Maureen and Dan. A few days after arrival, Mary went in for a battery of tests while Dan underwent another round of chemo. Complications arose. Not with Dan but with Mary. X-rays detected a spot on her right lung. More pictures were taken. The docs decided to do a biopsy. Results showed cancer. The docs decided to remove the middle lobe of Mary’s lung and the take a look at the lymph nodes while they were at it. Mary, of course, is stunned by this turn of events. People tell her that she’s lucky to be at MD Anderson, the best place in the world for cancer treatment. She agrees, but can’t help asking, “Why me?” She wonders why she’s the only one crying in a hospital filled with cancer patients from all over the globe. Her answer: “They knew they had cancer before they came here. I didn’t.”

Mary had cancer and Dan no longer had a donor, as current cancer patients are not good risks. Mary will be operated on at MD Anderson on May 28. Dan returned to Florida to find a new donor. Local fund-raisers and donor sign-ups were held for him in Daytona and Ormond Beach. News finally came last week that Dan had a 20-year-old donor that fit the bill.

Then came a surprise. The long-delayed kit from our sister Molly landed at MD Anderson. The preliminary test showed promise. When the final results came in, Molly was as good a match as Mary, although slightly older. Apparently, a 57-year-old sibling is a better prospect than a 20-year-old stranger.

There’s a catch. Molly is finishing up a stint as a lactation specialist at Aviano AFB in Italy. She’s been over there for more than a year. She likes her job and, on days off, is learning a lot about fine Italian wines and food. She has traveled to the Vatican and to Venice and Croatia. But she still needs to wrap things up before arrivederci. She’ll be back in the states in late May, make her donation and head back to her home in Tallahassee. She will have to rest up from jet lag and marrow lag.

Dan will receive his transplant of cells and will be in Houston recovering for 100-some days. His body will be vulnerable after the infusion of our sister’s cells. Infections can occur. I’ll probably fly down to see him for a week. I’ll be recuperating from surgery to implant an ICD which will keep my heart beating regularly – and prevent catastrophic heart failure. Just call it the rhythm method. I got rhythm, who could ask for anything more?

The rhythm method? That was my parents birth control process, which is one reason they had nine kids. But if they had used another more trustworthy method, Dan would not have all of these wonderful siblings and their transplant-friendly bone marrow. My wife Chris and I used to joke around with our son and daughter. When they were fighting, we’d caution them: “You may need a kidney someday.” We didn’t realize the truth in that statement.  You may need a kidney someday, or a batch of bone marrow. 

On the Cheyenne Day of Giving May 10, the person you save may be your brother -- or mine

Every four minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia. A few months ago, my brother Dan in Florida was one of them, and he's looking for a bone marrow donor. Watch this video and find your local donation program. In Cheyenne, you can register to be a bone marrow donor at the annual Day of Giving, Friday, May 10, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park. See you there! The person you save may be my brother -- or yours.

UW Crushes Facebook site goes dark after hateful post targets Laramie prog-blogger

My friend and fellow prog-blogger Meg Lanker-Simons in Laramie was attacked online this week. Here's what an unidentified person said on the Facebook page UW Crushes:

I want to hatefuck Meg Lanker-Simons so hard. That chick that runs her liberal mouth all the time and doesn't care who knows it. I think its hot and makes me angry. One night with me and shes gonna be a good Republican bitch.

This is verbatim. There are so many things wrong with this that it's hard to know where to start. Would this person countenance someone saying this about his sister, wife, girlfriend or mother? If not, why is he saying this about someone else in public? He must think that such comments are OK. Where did he learn that? At home? From his UW pals? Talk radio? These attitudes are in plentiful supply on the web and on conservative talk radio. Sure, some of these words are not allowed on the airwaves. But hateful anti-women messages spew regularly from the big mouths of Limbaugh and Hannity and even women commentators such as Ann Coulter.

The UW Crushes site no longer exists on Facebook. The attitudes, alas, continue. After the story broke, Meg received a barrage of hateful anonymous comments on her Tumblr site, Cognitive Dissonance. I won't repeat any of them here. For the first time ever, Meg had to block anonymous posts. That's saying something for the most outspoken liberal blogger in the most conservative state in the U.S.

We always want to know who's to blame when these things happen. UW Crushes was not an official UW web site, although it carried the university's name and featured its logo. The UW administration had distanced itself from the site that posted "crushes" involving university students. That made it a throwback to the original Facebook at Harvard, if the "Social Network" film can be believed. It seems a stretch to blame UW for the transgressions of one person who may not even be a student. The site's administrators confessed to being engineering students too busy to monitor every status update. One wonders if they will be too busy to monitor the computer systems, nuclear plants and bridges they will be building after graduation.

We could blame Wyoming's conservative culture. Conservatives have had a particularly tough time keeping their prejudicial attitudes to themselves. Remember all of the dumb things Republicans said in the most recent election cycle? Remember Akin's "legitimate rape" and Romney's "47 percent?" Even big-time conservatives like Bobby Jindal have told their colleagues to quit being so dumb in public. That didn't stop some of our Republican legislators for saying stupidisms about the LGBT community during the civil unions debate at the 2013 session. Women in the Equality State continue to experience inequality in the workplace. And they continue to be slapped around at an alarming rate by their menfolk. Violence, alas, is an American as apple pie and is served up often to women.

Wyoming is not the only place in the world where some men profess a need to rape women into docile, compliant serfs. But it's the place I call home and this kind of attitude must stop. I have a wife and a daughter and some day will have grandchildren and I don't want any of them to be subjected to violence.

Simpson's Plaza at the University of Wyoming is the site of a demonstration against UW Crushes and rape culture in Wyoming. It will be held on Monday, April 29, 11 a.m.

Graduation day at cardiac rehab

I graduated from cardiac rehab. After 36 sessions, I'm a new man. Call me Bob.

I entered cardiac rehab a shadow of my former self. I had a heart attack at Christmas and congestive heart failure to greet the new year. The docs inserted a stent on Jan. 4, and I was a hospital guest for a week. I started cardiac rehab in late January following several weeks at home of bad TV and bad juju.

I worked my way up from performing a few puny exercises into a super-colossus doing a whole bunch of puny exercises. The nurses and exercise physiologists shouted encouragement at every turn. "Don't hurt yourself with those two-pound barbells!" "You're not supposed to lie down on the treadmill!" Stuff like that.

I now move over to a 12-session regimen at the CRMC Exercise Center. It's staffed by the same nursing staff. Rumor has it that they really make you sweat over there. They use new and ingenious exercise devices to make your heart wake up and smell the coffee. I hear they even have coffee.

But no doughnuts.

Wish me luck.

Wyoming Dems plan ballot referendum to repeal Republican unpaid wages bill

Good! 

This comes from the Casper Star-Tribune:

The state Democratic party’s Central Committee will push a ballot referendum to repeal a new law on payment of unpaid wages on grounds it is detrimental to Wyoming employees. House Bill 79 was sponsored by Rep. Tim Stubson, R-Casper, and is known as the “Collection of Unpaid Wages” bill. 

The bill changed the statute that authorized the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services to determine and collect claims for unpaid wages on behalf of employees. 

It changed the definition of wages to exclude the value of vacation time accrued at the time of an employee’s termination if the employer’s written policies provide for forfeiture of accrued vacation upon termination, and those policies are acknowledged in writing by the employee. 

The bill passed the House 45-14 and the Senate 19-11, with Democrats in both houses voting no. 

Republican Gov. Matt Mead signed the bill into law. It goes into effect July 1.

Read the rest here.

Wyoming Young Writer's Camp finds a new home

My son Kevin attended the Young Writers Camp for five of his teen years. The camp, geared to secondary school students ages 15-18, was held at the Thorne-Rider Youth Camp near the appropriately-named Story for a dozen years. Before that, YWC was held on the grounds of the Ucross Artist Residency Program. Poet Jane Wohl ran the show until she started teaching full time at Sheridan College. YWC alum Micah Wyatt then took over the reins, with assistance from his sister Danica, California poet Jesse Loesberg, and some guest writers, such as me, who dropped in to teach a workshop around the campfire in 2006.

Kevin was still in junior high the first time he went to camp. He loved it. During his checkered high school career, when he regularly skipped algebra and science to board at the adjacent skate park, he never missed camp. Ten years later, he keeps in touch with a whole group of YWC alums. 

After a hiatus of several years, the camp will be held July 27-August 2 at the Northern Wyoming Community College District Spear-O-Wigwam Mountain Campus in the Big Horns. Instructors are poet/attorney/musician Micah Wyatt, fiction writer Christine Fadden and Kara Bacon. Registration fee is $300. To register, go to http://www.sheridan.edu/site/spearowigwam/register-now/

According to the NWCCD web site, the Spear-O-Wigwam grounds is the site of a literary landmark. During the summer of 1928, Ernest Hemingway wrote the first draft of "A Farewell to Arms" in one of the Spear-O-Wigwam cabins. The semi-autobiographical novel was serialized in Scribner’s magazine from May to October 1929, bringing Hemingway international acclaim as the Great Depression began. Even today, the book is recognized as an emblematic narrative of the World War I generation.

Hemingway's old stomping grounds may be a pretty good place for a 16-year-old to find his/her Muse.