Depressed? Get over it, cowboy!

Wyoming teens still engage in risky behavior.

That’s not really news for teens living anywhere or at any time. I must admit that I engaged in some risky behaviors as a lad. Lived to tell the tale and to lament the fact that we don’t seem to be making any progress on this front.

In its Kids Count report, the Annie E. Casey Foundation says this:

Wyoming’s death rate among people 15 to 19 years old, based on accidents, suicides, homicides and other causes, was 86 per 100,000. Only seven other states had a higher rate.

In 2000, Wyoming’s teen death rate was 81 per 100,000.

For our teens, things are getting worse, not better.

And this happening during boom times, a time of budget surpluses and increases in state spending on education and, to a certain extent, health care. This includes boosts in funding for mental health care, too.

So, if throwing money at a problem fixes it, we should all have happy and productive and living teens.

Some of us do not. In 2008, six percent of the state’s teens were not attending school and had not graduated from high school. That’s better than 2000 when that figure was 10 percent. Teen pregnancy is up. Fifty-one births were recorded in 2007 for every 1,000 females 15-19 years old. That was 42 per 1,000 in 2000.

Lots of bad news sprinkled with some good news.

These are more than boring stats for those of us with teen children. Our 17-year-old daughter Annie has engaged in some risky behavior. I’m sure that Chris and I know only some of it. The war on drugs has failed us and our country. Teens seem to get booze any time they want. Annie seems to know more high school drop-outs than kids still in school. There’s a batch of homeless teens in Cheyenne who roam from one friend’s house to another and occasionally sleep under bridges. One only has to wander through the mall to see our town’s array of teen mothers.

One could write a book on this subject, but someone else will have to do that. I just want to explore one factor that underlies all of these problems.

Wyoming.

A conservative state with a frontier mentality. If you live here, you get to enjoy some incredible scenery and outdoor activities. Peace and quiet and low crime rates. In exchange, you will be underpaid and have access to second-rate health care and third-rate amenities in the arts and culture. Mental health care is almost nonexistent. This is a state without a single child psychiatrist and only one drug and alcohol treatment center for teens. The reigning attitude is that you can tough it out, no matter what the “it” is? Drunk? Quit drinking. Depressed? Get over it, boy, and get to work. Suicidal? If you want to shoot yourself, please do it outside.

This is all tied in with the rugged individualism that made Wyoming great. That’s the myth, anyway. Our State Legislature actually spent time during the past session on an official code based on some pretend cowboy past. I blogged about during the session (http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2010/02/wyomings-new-code-of-west.html) and last spring http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2010/04/uw-panel-discusses-wyomings-new-code-of.html.

The Legislature is representative of Wyoming in that it is overwhelmingly Republican and more conservative that most of the Wyomingites I know. It has many more members from the ranching and agricultural fields than is represented in the population as a whole. The part-time Wyoming House and Senate should be made up of mainly of those from the extractive industries, tourism and government – local, state and federal. A columnist once postulated that if Wyoming had a logo that better represented its population, it would replace the bucking horse with a bureaucrat carrying a briefcase. Just imagine that image on state letterhead.

We hate gubment. We are the gubment. Wyomingites get more back in funding from Uncle Sam then they pay in taxes.

We hate gubment.

Back to our teenagers. We have some fine teens in this town. Smart, energetic, talented. In a few years, they’ll be of to college and exciting careers in places other than Wyoming. Some will had for the military, and still others for the oil patch.

Many others will be left behind. Pregnant at 16, or working fast-food jobs while something better opens up. Others will die while driving drunk.

And we’ll sit back, watch the unfolding chaos, and ponder the wonders of the Cowboy Code.

THE MAN IN ( MOSTLY) BLACK

Most of us break out our Western duds only during Cheyenne Frontier Days. The cast in this city-wide spectacle has to look the part. Question: Can you tell by my outfit that I'm a fake cowboy?

What health care reform looks like for people with mental illness

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provides fact sheets on the huge new health care reform law and what it means for those of us struggling with depression and bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and behavior health issues. Mental health parity is finally becoming a reality. I just discovered that my health insurance has caught up with the times, removing caps on mental health treatment, both out-patient and long-term hospitalization. Change! And hope!

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Issue_Spotlights&template=%2FContentManagement%2FContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=100489

National Geo Geotourism Map worth a look

Atlantic City Mercantile, Dark Horse Books and 7D Dude Ranch all part of the National Geographic's Yellowstone Region Geotourism Map at http://www.yellowstonegeotourism.org/map.php.


The region emcompasses quite a distance, further than most of us in Wyoming consider the Yellowstone ecosystem. For instance, the Little Bighorn Battlefield on Montana's Crow Reservation is on the map. It's worthy, no doubt, but so far away from the old Yellowstone caldera at around 150 road miles.


Entirely possible that National Geo knows more than I do.

U.S. Army stats: Discharges for mental disorders increase by 64 percent

Disturbing news from a USA Today story as reported in The (Pakistan) Nation on the Web:

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking a toll on minds as well as bodies, statistics released by the U.S. Army indicate.

The Army said the number of U.S. soldiers forced to leave the military because of mental disorders increased by 64 percent from 2005 to 2009, USA Today reported.

Last year 1,224 soldiers received a medical discharge for mental illness such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

The number accounts for one in nine medical discharges.

Army Lt. Col. Rebecca Porter, a behavioural health official, said research shows "a clear relationship between multiple deployments and increased symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD."

The Pentagon reported in May that mental health disorders caused more hospitalizations among U.S. troops in 2009 than any other medical condition.

Joe Davis, a spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the military is excellent at treating visible wounds but not wounds to the mind.

ANTICIPATION

These beauties from one of my Silvery Fir Tree tomato plants are not bound for the ketchup bottle. These will be the first to ripen and will no doubt be bound for glory as I snatch them right off the vine to eat. That is summer!

Hot music on a cool night in Cheyenne

Backyard concert July 22 in Cheyenne with Jeff Finlin of Fort Collins and Cory McDaniel and Amy Geiske of Casper. Photo by Linda Coatney. Cross-posted on wyomingarts blog.

Military seeks out new advice for Afghan quandary

Greg Mortenson, the Bozeman, Mont., mountain climber turned activist turned author, is in the news for his unique approach to winning the war in Afghanistan.

NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/world/asia/18tea.html?src=me&ref=homepage

My garden becoming picturesque

Homegrown bounty.

The fence keeps out our mutt and two new kittens, who like to munch on greenery. Also the occasional rabbit that wanders into the yard.

Kathleen Parker: "Good Golly Ms. Molly"

Columnist Kathleen Parker writes today about a new Islamic fatwa, this one issued against Molly Norris, a Seattle cartoonist.

The Islamic fundies have issued a fatwa against Morris for attempting to draw the prophet Muhammed. Islamists says that thou shalt not draw or even attempt to draw or talk about drawing the prophet Muhammed. I should add that not all Islamic scholars agree that such a prohibition exists.

...In support of Norris and others, 19 Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists have signed a petition condemning threats and attacks against cartoonists. The petition is posted on the Cartoonists Rights Network International website (http://www.cartoonistrights.com/). It hasn't enough signatures.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign. I did.

Community volunteering, Cheyenne style

Why do people volunteer?

There isn’t much glory in picking up trash along the city’s greenway. Sure, your organization gets a sign: “This section of the Greenway sponsored by the Old Timey Choo-Choo Train Collectors Club” – something like that. People see it every day as they walk or skate or bike by. But is that all there is?

People like to help. They like to hang around with like-minded people. As you pluck candy bar rappers from a patch of nettles, you are with other people who like what you do. And you’re performing a public service.

You get bragging rights, too.

“Have you ever been on the quarter-mile stretch of Greenway between Chattanooga Road and Rock Island Lane? Ever notice how the nettles are free of Snickers wrappers? Our club did that. All aboard!”

Scientists tell us that humans may be hard-wired for empathy and philanthropy and community service. We may even come equipped with an “empathy gene.” We could all be do-gooders at heart. This may come as a shock to Ayn Rand fans, who believe that greed and self-preservation are the only hard-wired human virtues. It may shock others who love to point out that only humans and our chimp cousins kill their own kind for the thrill of killing. That kind of attitude gets us off the hook in so many ways.

But if we are hard-wired for empathy and social interaction, it doesn’t let us off the hook in so many ways.

I’ve been thinking about this lately because Chris and I are volunteer coordinators for Cheyenne’s Old-Fashioned Summer Melodrama, now in its 54th year. It’s a production of the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players, now 80 years old and counting. As with all community theatres, the CLTP depends on volunteers. The melodrama is an all-volunteer show – directors, cast, backstage crew, olio acts, bartenders, ushers, and all the rest. It takes a lot of volunteers to run 28 shows, especially when this one is the organization’s largest annual fund-raiser. And the most fun.

Most people I know aren’t anxious to staff the old-fashioned (and very hot) popcorn maker in our historic (non-air-conditioned theatre) just for the joy of sweating. Jeanne knows the popcorn maker frontward and backward and is one of the few people who can get it to behave. She takes a joy in that, and in teaching the rest of us rookies. She divvies up the extra popcorn, and takes some home for her family. Small physical reward for five hours of hard work.

I was house manager for last night’s show. My job is to look important and handle the money. During one of my frequent breaks, I looked around the lobby and could see the following: behind the bar was a tee totaling Mormon and former Miss Wyoming contestant, a writer who sometimes takes care of her twin boy grandkids and a retired sheriff. Jeanne was disciplining the popcorn machine, ably assisted by 16-year-old Erica, whose grandma (a former school librarian) was backstage helping her granddaughter get dressed for a performance. Selling raffle tickets were mother and daughter, both long-time volunteers. My wife Chris was taking care of the box office and Joyce was sitting at the “will call” table – she was in melodrama performances back in the 1960s. She contends that she’s too old for acting but still loves to help out.

Waiting on tables were an Air Force NCO and his wife, who also supervises the theatre’s craft shop. There was Lew, an 82-year-old Air Force veteran and American Legion volunteer and Mark, a twenty-something guy who also volunteers backstage. Barb, too, who auditioned for the melodrama but didn’t get a call-back. So I called her up for duty in the lobby.

On stage were college kids, high school kids, state government employees, teachers, entrepreneurs, realtors and even one person who is looking for work and still found the time and energy to volunteer.

Signed up for volunteering later is the county clerk, several attorneys, government types, retirees, day-care providers, police officers, homemakers, men and women from Warren AFB, college kids, and several people running for public office.

None of these people are being paid, although waitrons get to keep their tips.

So they get something else out of it. Some of the young people are looking for experience that can lead them into careers in theatre or film. One of the card girls this year is back from college for the summer and working as the tech person for the local TV station’s morning show. The honoree at this year’s Cheyenne Film Festival was a former melodrama volunteer, Daniel Junge, who has gone on to make documentaries nominated for Academy Awards. My son Kevin runs the sound and lights for his community college theatre program. He was waiting tables at the melodrama last year.

Others who spent part of their childhood at the theatre are now volunteering with their kids. Some are in show biz, but most are teachers, bureaucrats, serving in the military, working at carwashes, ranching, or maybe just ne’er-do-wells. Never know how people are going to turn out.

I’m an arts bureaucrat and writer. My wife runs the arts programs at the local YMCA.

Volunteering makes us feel good. We also know it’s part of being an active member of the community. It’s part of valuing our community, even creating community where it didn't exist before.

Where did we pick up such crazy ideas? Our families, for one, and growing up Catholic. We were also influenced by hippe values, which were a strange amalgam of "love thy neighbor" and "me-me-me!" All of us Baby Boomers seem to still be struggling with this issue.
Community is what it’s all about. You may not have a single empathy gene in your body. But almost everyone agrees that there is such a thing as “community values.”

A bit of French DNA makes me nostalgic on Bastille Day

Not much singing in my grandfather's house on Bastille Day.

Martin Hett was born on July 14 inside a thatched hut in County Roscommon, Ireland, either in 1899 or 1900 -- there always seemed to be some confusion about the year. My sister Molly had to dig up his birth certificate in order to apply for dual Irish/U.S. citizenship. Maybe she knows the year.

Martin had many siblings -- and step-siblings. An evil stepmother, too. If it was a nice day in Roscommon on that Bastille Day so long ago, he might have been born outside to avoid the crowds. A few hundred miles away in Paris, fireworks were erupting, illuminating the Eiffel Tower and the wine-flushed faces of thousands of French citoyens. By 1918, a lot of them would be dead in the mud of their homeland.

And Ireland would be a free state. And Martin Hett would be in America not singing "La Marseillaise." He'd be working, though. A hard worker, not much for singing, even though he came from Irish and French stock. De la Hett was the family name, according to one family geneologist. The name brought to Ireland with a Frenchman intent on kicking Brit ass but probably winding up hanged from a gibbet, or just hanged, which was more economical.

But not before he gave a Roscommon lass his Gallic seed and part of his name.

"Let's storm the Bastille!"

"Fine, but let's make some time for a pint."

The French were many times unsuccessful in dislodging the British from Ireland, which was then part of the globe-spanning British Empire. Not clear how many French soldiers survived to mate. At least one.

And here I am, contemplating Bastille Day on a Wyoming afternoon.

I don't feel French. But I do like "La Marseillaise." A rousing anthem about revolution. Remember the scene from "Casablanca" when Victor Laszlo leads the patrons in "La Marseillaise?" One of my favorite movie moments.

During the U.S. invasion of Iraq, many American super-patriots hated the French, who would not cooperate in our misadventure. You recall the whole "freedom fries" fiasco? I do. So stupid. The French have been with us in Afghanistan. The last time I checked icasualties.org, 45 French soldiers had died in the fighting.

I have DNA ties to Ireland and France, although I've never visited either country.

Now, let's celebrate with a pint (or maybe a hometown microbrew) and then storm the Bastille.

Vertical Orchestra concert promises to be very moving

A very creative idea (cross-posted from wyomingarts):

Jackson's Bland Hoke not only has a colorful name but a colorful job title: Public Art Ambasador for the Center of Wonder. He's designed a public art project that combines ski area chairlifts, musicians, and fans relaxing in hammocks -- all on a summer Sunday afternoon.

I'll let Bland describe it:

Vertical Orchestra will transform the Teewinot chairlift at Teton Village into a collaborative instrument on Sunday, July 25. Musicians will ride the chairlift, playing music with each other as the lift slowly mixes the sounds of individual instruments into an auditory environment that spans the length of the ski slope. Meanwhile, hammockers, suspended in the trees below, will listen to their chords waft by.

Custom printed hammocks will be available at the base of the Teewinot lift for $20 before the event on July 25, 1-3 p.m. The hammocks are made from industrial surplus so you can feel good about reducing waste while supporting the event! Proceeds from hammock sales will be used for an artist grant.

Some very interesting volunteer opportunities await anyone that is interested in making the event spectacular:

-Helping print 3,000 feet of artwork on the hammocks with sponge stamps
-Creating the worlds first mobile amplification system on 5 chairlift chairs
-Hanging free hammocks in public places to advertise the event (where will you sling one...?)

Feel free to call or email Bland Hoke if you are interested in volunteering.

FMI: 307-690-0097 or blandhoke@gmail.com

So that's what gives the Vegas Strip its unusual glow...

Just finished reading John D'Agata's book, "About a Mountain." It's a nonfiction account of the on-again, off-again status of Yucca Mountain, where the U.S. wants to store its nuclear waste.

But, in the tradition of creative nonfiction, D'Agata combined this journalistic journey with his own Las Vegas story -- and that of a young man who committed suicide by jumping from the observation deck of the Stratosphere Hotel.

Seems like an odd juxtaposition of subjects. But the author ties it together neatly with facts and speculation.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid comes off looking like a bad guy. It's odd that Reid recently faulted Pres. Obama for not being tough enough against Republicans, especially when it came to the battle over health care reform.

Burying tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste under Nevada rock won't impart many health-giving properties to Nevadans. It will bring jobs, no doubt about that. Those jobs will have health insurance, which is a good thing. There will be accidents in shipping and handling, which won't cost you any extra but could cost you your life.

Sen. Reid did a pretty nifty job of rolling over for the nuclear power conglomerates and home-state cheerleaders for Yucca Mountain.

But Harry has enough problems, what with Nevada Tea Party types hounding him at every turn.

The book's most compelling sections are these:

1. What happens when a truck carrying radioactive waste wrecks on the overcrowded Vegas freeways and catches fire?
2. How do you make signage for a nuclear repository, a sign that will be understood by humans 10,000 years in the future.

The answer to number one is: Shitstorm.

The answer to number two is a thoughtful treatise on human communication. A panel of artists and linguists and teachers and scientists were asked to come up with effective signage. The challenge was a huge one. Where was humankind 10,000 years ago? Battling sabre-tooth tigers in caves and trying to stay warm during the Ice Age. They weren't doing much recreational reading -- nor consulting any signs.

In 10,000 years, we may be back in caves. That cave may be in what used to be Nevada. There will be a sign that warns of terrible danger if you go any further into the cave but humans may not understand the sign. They may say to themselves, "Hey, this cool sign says there's a nifty surprise at the bottom of this cave." "Great -- I love surprises."

John D'Agata's book comes at a good time. The U.S. is now contemplating building more nuke plants. Uranium is being mined again in Wyoming and Colorado. Turck and rail shipments from the East Coast will have to come through either Wyoming or Colorado.

Read the book for its angst-producing sections. Read it for its fine writing.

"About a Mountain" is published by W.W. Norton, 236 pages, $23.95.

To read the L.A. Times review of the book, go to http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/14/entertainment/la-ca-john-dagata14-2010feb14

Got those old non-profit blues?

Non-profit. Nonprofit. Not-for-profit.

No matter your preferred term -- working at a non-profit organization can be challenging.

I work with them every day. I'm also on the board of a big social service non-profit, UPLIFT, and I'm a member and/or supporter of others.

Always need funding, they do. Yet often people running non-profits first got involved because they had a passion for the cause. Actors audition for a local play and the next thing they know, they're the development director for the community theatre group. I'm a board member of UPLIFT because the organization was the only one in the state addressing the needs of children with ADHD and other behavioral problems. I came in seeking advice and the next thing I know, I'm duly sworn in as a board member. That was twelve years ago and I'm now board president, term ending in October.

Volunteers and interns become employees and then specialists and maybe directors and are always learning on the run, never having time to stop and ask, "What's this all about?" They also ask this question: "How do I tell people what we do?"

The 2010 Snowy Range Nonprofit Institute may be just the right thing for you.

Here's some info from a University of Wyoming press release:

Communicating nonprofits' ultimate community value clearly, cohesively, consistently and compellingly is the focus of the 2010 Snowy Range Nonprofit Institute (SRNI) keynote, "Crafting Messages of Value."

Denver-based consultant Richard Male leads the session Monday, Aug. 2. SRNI, now in its ninth year, is scheduled for Aug. 1-3 at the University of Wyoming Conference Center/Hilton Garden Inn in Laramie. Male is a recognized leader in the fields of leadership development, fundraising, community organizing and public policy -- conducting training sessions, consulting, facilitating and speaking on each topic.

Male has served as executive director of nonprofits in Colorado, Missouri and Utah. One of those organizations, the Community Resource Center (CRC), has provided training, consulting and leadership services to more than 3,000 organizations in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. While at CRC, he received a Kellogg Foundation grant to organize a public policy institute and a statewide organization devoted to grassroots leadership at the local and state levels.

Following his talk, Male will lead a hands-on workshop extending upon the themes of his talk. That session, titled "Connecting with the Community," will provide participants with opportunities to apply what they learn to their individual organizations.

This year's institute theme is "Nonprofit Management: Moving from Surviving to Thriving." Tracks are "Living Your Values" (internal processes) and "Walking the Talk" (external interactions).

For more information on this year's Snowy Range Nonprofit Institute, including the curriculum, an electronic copy of the brochure and access to the online registration system, visit the SRNI Web site: http://www.uwyo.edu/srni.

The Parkman Family Foundation has provided a limited number of full-registration sponsorships for first-time attendees. Sponsorships (scholarships) covering the $175 registration fee are on a first-come, first-served basis, available through the online registration process.

Eat some ice cream, meet Leslie Peterson

From the Laramie County Democrats:

Mike and Amy Bell are having an Ice Cream Social for Leslie Peterson, Democratic Party Candidate for Governor, on Thursday, July 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend this social/fundraiser. The address is 7419 Daniel Court which is located in The Point neighborhood.

What does the Fourth of July mean to me?

In 1,000 words or less...

I'm looking out at the high prairie clouds. They drift east, as always, toward Pine Bluffs and Kimball. The people out there will get some fireworks this afternoon -- lightning and thunder and maybe golfball-sized hail. I should be able to see the light show from my backyard. Happy Third of July!

There will be store-bought fireworks in the neighborhood tonight. Already heard some the last two nights. Things that go boom are illegal in the city. Thing is, Cheyenne is ringed by sellers of fireworks. It would be a darn shame to have access to star shell cannons and flaming mortars and not be able to shoot them off. The law seems to stop very few except old law-abiding me.

I respect the law. I've broken a few in my time. Just the usual -- speed limits, marijuana prohibitions (a long time ago!), drinking laws (a very, very long time ago!) and I once watered my lawn on the wrong day. Nothing serious. I've tried to teach my children well, as the song goes.

Some very smart people drafted the laws that went into the U.S. Constitution that was codified 234 years ago. This document is allegedly why we celebrate the holiday, although visiting space aliens (let's see some I.D., you four-headed lizard!) might think the holiday is for blowing things up, burning meat on backyard grills and buying furniture at deep discounts. Also fighting Coloradans for camping spots at Glendo and Guernsey.

The Constitution has been in the news a lot lately. Some people think that the Constitution is just fine the way it is. Others want to change it so the freedoms in the document can be protected from Obama. Not sure how changing it will protect it. But many people talk about the Constitution but few seem to know what's actually in it. God and guns are in there. If you listen to Sen. Coburn of Oklahoma, God actually invented gun rights so it doesn't matter what the Constitution says about it.

Tea Partiers seem to be of two minds about the Constitution. Some want to wrap it in concrete (or Glenn Beck's gold) so it can't be touched. Others want to change some of its amendments in order to protect it from that darn Obama. Either way, they're mad as hell. Freedoms! Nobody gets to mess with the Constitution except us!

The odd thing about the Tea Party is they are religious about the purity of the Constitution but they aren't all religious.

But some are.

Writing in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle's Religion section, Sunnyside Baptist Church Pastor Max Janzen wrote about freedoms:

"Despite revisions historians' attempts to dismiss it, the Founding Fathers of this great and blessed nation clearly stated what did, would, could, can and hopefully will keep us from our loss of freedom: faith in God. It is on our money, in our pledge and in the second stanza of our national anthem."

And on our bumper stickers and in newspaper ads and on Fox TV, don't forget those. And at NASCAR races.

"Our freedom, most of the general public agrees, is a gift. Gifts require givers, and those who crafted, protected and granted us those liberties have for the far greater part acknowledged they were not the givers, but that God was and is."

Most of the general public agrees with this. However, there is a part of the general public which does not. As a prog-blogger I am probably part of this minority, as are Liberals such as Rachel Maddow and Al Franken, most poets, atheists (of course), skeptics and New Dealers. We hate freedoms! We are cursed.

"So in order to really celebrate liberty, be unabashedly thankful to the God who created you, in this time, allowing you to live in this place.

"And if you don't believe in God, get to work providing freedom for other people who do. Otherwise, you believe in the slavery of others to your own opinions."

Now I've probably broken my own law and written more than 1,000 words. But I'm free to do so. The Constitution protects my right to say anything I want, even if it exceeds the word limit or makes me sound crazy as a loon. The Constitution also gives me the right to shoot off fireworks any darn place I want to. Says so right there in the 234th amendment.

Happy Fourth of July!

Freedoms!

Don't miss Cheyenne Backyard Concert with Jeff Finlin Band July 20

Everyone in Cheyenne is getting cranked up for Cheyenne Frontier Days (only three weeks and counting!). But before we get there, a few other events are in the works. Here's one (courtesy of fellow writer and music fan Linda C):

A yard concert is a casual event that brings together friends, family, neighbors and co-workers in a warm and intimate setting. It’s almost like a command performance and everyone has preferred seating!

Everyone who comes is asked to bring a favorite potluck dish, a lawn chair/s or a blanket, and BYOB. Because the band is coming without any kind of formal contract, a donation of $10 per adult is suggested as a way for them to cover expenses and make a little money, as all artists should. 100% of all contributions go to the band members.

Plates, cutlery, tea, lemonade, and water will be provided. Enjoy food beginning around 5:30 p.m. Music will start around 6:30 p.m. and go until around 9:00 p.m.

Jeff Finlin Band is Amy Gieske on bass and vocals and Jeff, a singer/songwriter/guitarist described by the Chicago Sun Times as writing “with the minimalist grit of Sam Shepard and Raymond Carver.” Jeff’s song, “Sugar Blue” was chosen for the 2005 Cameron Crowe movie Elizabethtown.

Cory McDaniel, Casper native, singer/songwriter/guitarist, a member of The Tremors, “Wyoming’s only 2-piece trio,” with Dale Bohren, now also has his “Crew” — Amy, Jody Taylor and Larry Neff— toured with Spenser Bohren, and performed solo at the Mettman Blues Festival in Germany.

Where: Hacienda del Sol — 5419 Ridge Road

When: Tuesday, July 20

Time: 5:30-9 (or so) p.m

FMI: Linda @ 307-421-6549

Home blogging -- Off and on and off again...

Blogging has been sporadic during the past few weeks. First, the home PC is on the blink. Can't get the PC and the Broadband to talk to one another. IP address seems to be missing. Replaced the Bresnan modem and I got connected a few times, but then it was the same old miscommunicating. Any of you IT geniuses out there know what's going on?

Meanwhile, I hit the library's bank of computers sporadically. I love libraries. I used to just love them for the books but now I love them for all kinds of reasons.

More later...

Getting Melodramatic...

Old-fashioned Melodrama can can dancers and cast gather with Director Andy Dennis at Superday.