Photos: Pat Shay memorial

Site of the memorial service, Fred Lee Park softball fields, Palm Bay

The assembled congregation. Most of these people are family members. The woman with red hair in the front row is my youngest sister, Mary. She shot most of these fine photos.

Patrick Kevin Shay, 1954-2010

My first time serving as emcee of a memorial service at a softball field.

Honor guard from Patrick AFB. Pat served in the Air Force from 1977-81.

Poem as eulogy and celebration of family ties

My Tucson son, Kevin Michael Patrick Shay, the poet and theatre guy, wrote the following poem for his godfather, Patrick Kevin Shay. I read it as part of the memorial service for my brother on Dec. 13.

[Untitled]

We are Shay
We are surfers and fishermen
Captains and sand flea enthusiasts
We are collegiate
We are Navy
We are doctors and nurses
We are bandages in one hand
That covers the wound made by the knife in the other
Sometimes

We aren't always the best
At saying no or goodbye
Pushing whatever it may be
Back across the table and into
The back of our minds
Away with us never means forgotten
Shimmering delicately on the edges
Of our overactive subconscious minds

But we remain warriors
Women and men with blood thick
Like hot pitch cascading over the sides
Of castles
Onto enemies mostly defeated
Some remain
Edging their way in and laying siege
They seem overly capable of finding
The most sensitive parts
And sword-plunging through tearing

We are multitude
Thousands of bright candles floating
Across a crystal pond
Water moccasins shivering away from the heat
Gators meandering to some safer bank
Manatees gliding soft
Edging and urging along our lights
With silent swoops of blue-grey tails

We are singular and stand out
Bellowing pride
In politics and sports and intellect
The young and old cohesive
In family's stalwart and commanding glue

We are one

Dec. 8 a sad day in so many ways

Rarely do I go more than a few days without posting to this site. Now here it is, a week later, and nothing from the writer, editor and sole proprietor of hummingbirdminds.

A week ago I was in Florida zooming down a rainy highway. My sister Molly, brother-in-law Jamie and I were on our way from Tallahassee back to Palm Bay for my brother Pat’s memorial service. Right behind us was my sister Mary, husband Neill and their son Morgan. Along the way, we all stopped in Orlando to have lunch with my sister Eileen and her husband Brian.

That’s what made my week a spiritual one – time with my family. Funerals bring us together when vacations and weddings and graduations cannot. Grieving unites. That’s when you most need the support.

I’ve made many such trips from the Rockies to Florida. A mad dash to Denver’s Stapleton in April 1986. Trying to get a flight out to be at my dying mother’s side in Daytona. Approaching spring storm caused cancellation of one flight after another. Before my flight finally left at midnight, I called my brother and he told me that Mom had passed. I phoned my wife Chris, at home with our toddler son, and choked on the bad news.

Before we took off, the plane had to be de-iced twice. Once airborne, the cabin began to fill with smoke. Tendrils of smoke drifted through the beams of overhead reading lights. At first, I thought it was cigarette smoke (yes, children, you could smoke on airplanes back then). But the smoking lamp wasn’t lit. The plane was still climbing. A flight attendant rushed down the aisle to the cockpit. The smoke thickened. A few minutes later, the captain got on the horn and told us no to worry, that ice had clogged some intake or outtake and that had caused a gizmo to overheat, thus the smoke. We’ll get the air cleared in a jiffy, he promised.

I wasn’t comforted. Smoke was now as thick as it was in my favorite bar. My thoughts turned to gruesome thoughts of death by smoke at 30,000 feet. Mike Shay, 35, Denver, Colo., died while flying to his mother’s funeral in Daytona Beach. We are aware of the irony so don’t go pointing it out.

The cabin air cleared, but not before I contemplated an array of death scenarios. Rosy-fingered dawn crept in from the east as we landed in Atlanta. I was in Daytona by 9 a.m.

For this trip, I made it to my brother’s bedside 24 hours before he passed. We spoke, even though he was in a coma and machines breathed for him. He was surrounded by machines. But we spoke. I put my son Kevin on speaker and he spoke to Pat, his godfather. My daughter Annie did the same. Chris didn’t get a chance because the room began to fill with people again and she felt uncomfortable. She got her chance later.

The following afternoon, the family heard the grim assessment from the ICU physician. Massive infection. Organs failing. Brain damage. 90 percent chance he won’t recover and, if he did, on life support or in a coma.

Pat’s wife Jean and daughters Katie, Maggie and Erin decided. Take Pat off life support and let him go.

We all said our farewells privately. Chris said farewell via cell phone. I bawled out my goodbyes. Family members moved into the vacuum created by the silenced machines. We were all with Pat at 10 that night when he slipped away.

That was Dec. 8. The same day that John Lennon died 30 years before. Someone pointed that out to me, wondering if that had been the inspiration for the header on my Dec. 12 post, “Sunflower fields forever.” Not Strawberry fields, but I heard that song in my head as I contemplated my eulogy. Here’s to you, Pat. Sunflower & strawberry fields. Forever.

On Monday, Dec. 13, we held Pat’s memorial on softball field number three at Fred Lee Park in Palm Bay. More on that next time (with photos).

Sunflower fields forever

We awoke to sunflowers.

Millions of them. The rising sun lit up their golds and bronzes and greens.

Pat and I were in Oklahoma, a few exits south of the Kansas border. We had reached the spot late at night after hitchhiking from Houston the day before.

Now it was time to get our gear and get on our way to the Colorado Rockies.

The sunflowers dazzled the eyes. Trucks roared by, tall flower stalks bowed in their wakes.

On this day when we celebrate Pat's life, I remember that summer day 35 years ago. Two brothers on an adventure. We left behind hot and muggy Florida for a high-country jaunt.

But on this Oklahoma morning, the mountains seemed far away. Someone finally had mercy on us and gave us a ride. Later that day outside Salina, Kansas, we almost were arrested. "Go 50 miles per hour or go to jail," said the burly state patrolman. Pat always liked that quote.

No way we were going 50 miles an hour. So we went into town and found the bus station. The bus we took to Denver barely broke the 50 m.p.h barrier But we did arrive in Denver and eventually the mountains.

Backpacking into wild country. In the evening, I cooked freeze-dried meals on my tiny stove. As night fell, Pat built a fire and I read poems from Gary Snyder's "Turtle Island." As a rule, Pat wasn't into poetry. But Snyder wrote of wide-open skies and wild, unconquered nature. It seemed fitting.

A month passed quickly. Too soon I was back in Gainesville and Pat back in Daytona Beach. In a few months he was off to the Air Force.

We talked many times over the years. Once, two years passed in which we didn't speak. I said some harsh things that he didn't like. We each were too stubborn to make the first call. Pat broke the ice and called me when he became a grandpa for the first time. We talked more when he was in treatment for a month. We wrote letters for the first time in decades.

Pat and I talked about our Colorado trip many times. I wish now that we could have done it again. That we could have spent more time together.

But the 1975 trip was a moment in time. Two brothers waking up in a field of sunflowers.

We saw nothing but a bright future spread out before us.

We saw it together, as brothers.

So I say this to my dear departed backpacking brother Pat, to my Air Force brother, to my Gator-loving brother, to my brother the softball coach, my brother the gardener, the planter of trees and flowers and tomatoes....

Pat, may you always be surrounded by fields of flowers.

Update: This is the eulogy I delivered as part of my brother Pat's memorial service on Monday, Dec. 13, at the Fred Lee Park softball field in Palm Bay, Fla. I will share the full text of the memorial in later posts...

In memoriam: My younger brother, Pat

Obituary for my younger brother, Patrick Kevin Shay...

Patrick Kevin Shay passed away Dec. 8 at Palm Bay (Fla.) Hospital. He was 54.

Pat was born in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 18, 1956. After his family moved to Daytona Beach in 1964, he attended our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School and graduated in 1974 from Seabreeze High School.

He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1977-81, stationed overseas for two years in the Republic of South Korea. He was an avionics senior system specialist.

He married the former Jean Weikel on May 1, 1982, in Daytona Beach. They moved to Palm Bay and he joined the Harris Corp. as an engineering specialist, and worked there for more than 25 years.

Pat was a dedicated husband, father and softball coach. He coached for 15 years in the Palm Bay Little League, winning county championships and traveling to tournaments all over Florida. He never missed a single game or school function.

He is survived by his wife, Jean, his three daughters -- Katie, Palm Bay (Jeremy), Maggie, Davenport, and Erin, Palm Bay; one granddaughter -- Riley Ames of Palm Bay. He is also survived by eight siblings -- Michael Shay, Cheyenne, Wyo. (Chris); Dan Shay, Ormond Beach, (Nancy); Molly Shakar, Tallahassee (Jaime); Eileen Casey, Winter Park (Brian); Tommy Shay, Palm Bay; Tim Shay, Daytona Beach (Jen); Maureen Martinez, Tallahassee (Ralph); and Mary Powell, Tallahassee (Neill); and numerous nieces and nephews. He leaves behind a multitude of friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Tom and Anna Shay, Daytona Beach.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 13, at Fred Lee Park in Palm Bay. Family invites you to a reception at the Shay home immediately following the ceremony. You are encouraged to wear orange and blue, the colors of Pat's favorite sports team, the Florida Gators.

I lieu of flowers, plant a tree in Pat's honor or contribute to the Arbor Day Foundation.

This is the obit I wrote for official announcements. The personal remembrance will come later.

What makes Cheyenne a desireable place to live?

What makes a community a desirable place to live?

That’s the question posed by the Knight Foundation Soul of the Community project.

After interviewing close to 43,000 people in 26 communities over three years, the study has found that three main qualities attach people to place: social offerings, such as entertainment venues and places to meet, openness (how welcoming a place is) and the area’s aesthetics (its physical beauty and green spaces).

--snip--

First, what attaches residents to their communities doesn’t change much from place to place. While we might expect that the drivers of attachment would be different in Miami, Fla., from those in Macon, Ga., in fact, the main drivers of attachment show little difference across communities. In addition, the same drivers have risen to the top in every year of the study.

Second, these main drivers may be surprising. While the economy is obviously the subject of much attention, the study has found that perceptions of the local economy do not have a very strong relationship to resident attachment. Instead, attachment is most closely related to how accepting a community is of diversity, its wealth of social offerings, and its aesthetics. This is not to say that jobs and housing aren’t important. Residents must be able to meet their basic needs in a community in order to stay. However, when it comes to forming an emotional connection with the community, there are other community factors which often are not considered when thinking about economic development. These community factors seem to matter more when it comes to attaching residents to their community.

And finally, while we do see differences in attachment among different demographic groups, demographics generally are not the strongest drivers of attachment. In almost every community, we found that a resident’s perceptions of the community are more strongly linked to their level of community attachment than to that person’s age, ethnicity, work status, etc.

Do I have these types of attachments to my community of Cheyenne, Wyoming?

As far as social offerings, such as entertainment venues and places to meet….

I socialize at arts events. That includes performances by the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players, various music concerts, such as the free Friday concerts at the Depot Plaza, Art Design & Dine gallery walks the second Thursday of the month, author readings at the library, and art openings at museums. My writing group meets twice a month and we do some small-scale socializing before getting down to the dirty work of critiquing manuscripts.

I volunteer for good causes. I meet and schmooze with fellow Democrats at our monthly meetings. I see people I know at Barnes & Noble, the local grocery store and at summer farmers’ markets. I socialize at events sponsored by the YMCA, my wife’s employer. There are always tons of people at the Y.
I’m not a social butterfly, but I’m not a hermit. My job at the Wyoming Arts Council entails lots of socializing.

As a writer, I could be entirely anti-social. But I need some social contact to be able to frame believable characters. And to stay human and at least partially sane.

Many Cheyenne residents socialize at church or in bars or at school functions. Church no longer interests me. I stopped going to Catholic mass during the 2004 elections, when the deacon said in his homily that Kerry supporters were going to hell for their pro-abortion, women’s rights-promoting, liberal-leaning ways. It was sickening. We tried to some other local churches but there wasn’t enough suffering involved. My wife and I no longer go to bars. We’re not against them, especially microbreweries and taverns. But it’s a young people’s pursuit. Our kids are out of school – more PTA, PTO or Halloween Carnivals or volunteering in the classroom. It as fun, but can’t say we made any lasting friendships along the way.

What about the town itself? Family members live in Colorado, Arizona and Florida, mainly. So family roots do not bind us to Cheyenne. My daughter was born at the Cheyenne Medical Center, spending a week in Pediatric ICU. She recovered nicely, and remains the only family member we know (including aunts and uncles and cousins) born in Wyoming. Our blood does not run deep in this place.

Politics, too, play a part. I’m a liberal in a conservative town. This most recent election took it out of me. The 2008 presidential race infused me with – dare I say it – hope. I’ve reported on that election year in this blog so go roam around in the 2008 posts if you like. The 2010 election was depressing nationally. Really depressing in Wyoming. Great Democratic candidates got swamped by the Tea Party tsunami. In the lead-up to polling, I couldn’t go anywhere without hearing slams about Obama and demonic Dems. One audience member at the local community theatre production of “The Sound of Music” commented during the intermission that she would enjoy the play a lot more if the woman playing Maria didn’t look like Nancy Pelosi.

Dumb.

It’s this attitude that irks me. Odd thing is, most of the complainers seem to be pretty well off. Many are retirees living on military pensions, state retirement and/or Social Security. Never understood why so many Tea Partiers showed up at rallies wearing their Vietnam Veteran or Desert Storm caps. As government employees, you’d think they would appreciate and encourage the government that provided a living for them, possibly even a skill they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

So how do I rate my attachment to Cheyenne on a scale of 1 to 10?

Probably a 6. High on the arts and friendliness and livability scale. Our greenway is among the best I've seen. Ditto the public library. And potential -- Cheyenne has lots of that. Low on the political and community involvement scale. The politics here are bizarre and byzantine. And much too conservative for my tastes.

I know, I know. If I don't like it, why don't I go somewhere else? I can hear those cranky crackpots now.

But this objection gets to the heart of the matter. I am involved in my community because I want to make it a better place. I could move, or stay at home and complain full time via letters to the editor and wacky blog comments.

But I choose otherwise.

What about you?

Cheyenne's Tuesday farmers' market moves downtown in June

While spending my allowance Saturday at the Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market at the Depot, I ran into Sara Burlingame-Thomas. Whenever there's a farmers' market or progressive cause, Sara can't be far away. Most of the time she's leading the charge.

Back when Sara was proprietor of the now-defunct Sara's Breads, she started up an alternative market, held each Tuesday in a parking lot on Yellowstone Road just a bit north of Dell Range and about three blocks from my house. The market is sandwiched between Cool River, the neighborhood liquor store, and a chain bread store that makes some nice sweet rolls. It's a small lot, but it's been home to the market for years.

Sara says that in June 2011, the market will move to the Depot Plaza downtown. My neighborhood will miss it, but it will be a big boost to downtown. That means that the plaza will be lively at least three nights a week each summer. There will be the Tuesday market, the Friday evening concerts and the big Saturday market that begins the week after Frontier Days ends. During Frontier Days, the plaza stages nightly concerts. A half-block away is the Atlas Theatre with its nightly melodrama, sometimes featuring yours truly as emcee.

But before and after CFD, tumblin' tumbleweeds are the only things moving downtown on many nights. There are a few bars and restaurants. People come out to see the films at the Lincoln Theater. But there are too many vacant downtown buildings, some that have been empty for decades. And many businesses close at 5, even in summer.

Sara says that the market wants to feature live music and work out some deals with local restaurants to get people to stay downtown to eat after buying their grass-fed beef and lettuce and and bedding plants from vendors. Great ideas.

Now, if we can only come up with a creative idea to fill in downtown's Big Gaping Hole. Just filling it in would be a start. What about a community garden?

I'll plant the first seed.

One surprise after another for Cheyenne's dumpster-diving glass artist

For Beth Rulli, dumpster diving is an art form.

The Cheyenne glass artist gets most of her material at dumpsters at a local window company and various other locales.

She hauls the glass back to her Cheyenne studio. She cleans it, cuts it to size, paints it, places it on a mold and inserts it into the kiln.

Then she waits for the surprises.

"The next day, I get to open the kiln and find out what happened," Beth writes in her brochure. Unexpected colors. Craze lines in the paint. The glass has moved in strange and unexpected ways.

She displayed her distinctive "genuine dumpster glass" Saturday at the Cheyenne Winter Market downtown at the Historic Depot  She occupied the first vendor spot inside the door so had first dibs on all the people streaming into the Depot. She invited me to "dumpster dive" in a large blue plastic bin filled with her glass bowls covered in protective layers of bubble wrap.

While I picked through the bin, she said that she had first labeled her work "trash art."

That didn't go over too well.

"I decided on 'dumpster glass,' " she said. "My husband and daughter were horrified."

She registered the name in Wyoming and Colorado, which is mainly where she sells her work.

I eventually arose from the blue bin clutching a blue bowl with distinctive craze lines. Its rim had some strange bends which might be called imperfections by lesser mortals. Beth described them as "one-of-a-kind charms."

The bowls are food safe but should be washed by hand. And they're breakable since they're made of glass. It will make a wonderful Christmas present for someone less klutzy than I.

That's how it is with handmade goods. They are not made on assembly lines. They are supposed to contain distinctive elements.

Beth Wood is an LCCC student in Pine Bluffs who runs High Country Treasures. She makes her jewelry from an assortment of rocks, precious stones and metals. While she has some tools in her studio, she sometimes has to turn to a local machinist to cut the metal for her pendants.

As a youngster, Beth used to buy rocks at gift shops during family trips. She eventually had more than 400 pounds of a variety of rocks. She decided to make beautiful things with them. While the materials may come from all over, the jewelry is all made in Pine Bluffs.

Some very creative people in this town of 1,153 in eastern Laramie County.

Hard workers, too.

The couple that runs Paisley Farms in Pine Bluffs oversee 250 chickens in a couple little houses. They don't say coops -- they say houses. They look in on all 250 residents daily. That's a claim that definitely can't be made by factory farms.

I bought two dozen eggs from Paisley. I haven't been eating many eggs since the dirty egg epidemic from Iowa factory farms that erupted in September. I will now though. I hope to know each of those 250 hens by this time next year. I see Gertrude and Sally and Philomena and Hortense and Tiffany and....

Anyone heard of a hen called Tiffany?

I worked my way down the line of the Pine Bluffs purveyors. Next stop was High Point Bison. Owners Glen and Jill Klawonn are members of the National Bison Association. I bought some of their fine bison jerky. Next time, I'm claiming some of the steaks.

As it grew closer to noon, I felt drawn to Cheyenne's Pioneer Bar-B-Que. I envisioned beef brisket sandwiches for lunch, so bought a pound of it. At another table, I found some knotty rolls made by Uncle Fred's in -- where else? -- Pine Bluffs.

Goods in hand, I trudged back into the cold and drove home.

The next winter market rolls around Jan. 8. I should be hungry again by then.

Get more info about the Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market at 307-649-2430.

Peach of a winter farmers' market set for Saturday

I know -- it's harder to get worked up about nondescript winter squash than it is fresh, juicy, fragrant peaches. But winter still offers us many opportunities to eat and shop locally.

I posted the following info a few weeks ago. I see that the Wyoming Business Council web site lists the hours as 8 a.m.-3 p.m. But the hours listed below show 10 a.m.-2 p.m. One thing is certain -- if you go to the Depot during lunch, the vendors will be there.

The Wyoming Business Council sponsors the Cheyenne Winter Farmers Market on six Saturdays throughout the winter. The market will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the Historic Train Depot in downtown Cheyenne. Dates are November 6 (missed this one), December 4, January 8, February 5, March 5, and April 2.

Some of the locally raised and produced products are all-natural eggs, meats from free-range animals (beef, lamb, bison, chicken and turkeys), winter vegetables, salsa, soup mixes, local jams and honey, gourmet pasta, mushrooms, natural hand-crafted body care products, and much more.

For further information contact:
Kim Porter, Farmers Market & Education Program Manager
Phone: 307.777.6319
Fax: 307.777.2838

Read an overview of the Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market on the Local Harvest web site at http://www.localharvest.org/cheyenne-winter-farmers-market-M40878

Republican Legislators worried about immigration tidal wave inundating The Equality State

So much for our designation as The Equality State. And I'm sure that anti-gay legislation can't be far behind.

From Wyoming Public Radio:

A number of Wyoming legislators are planning to introduce a bill that would bring Arizona's immigration law to this state. Wyoming Public Radio's Renny MacKay reports.

Arizona's law requires police to check immigration status, if they suspect any person they have detained is in the U-S illegally. The law has been controversial, because many people say it will encourage racial profiling. Representative Pat Childers will co-sponsor the bill in this state. He says he believes the bill is written to avoid racial profiling.

"Sometimes it is difficult to prevent a certain amount of that, but the intent of the law is not to do that."

The primary sponsor of the bill is Representative Pete Illoway, from Cheyenne. He says Wyoming does have an illegal immigration problem, and lawmakers should at least debate the legislation. In a statement to WPR, Governor-elect Matt Mead says he could support a bill similar to Arizona's if it is tailored to Wyoming's specific needs, like restricting employers from hiring illegal immigrants.

Staged reading and music part of Autry's fifth anniversary screening of "Brokeback Mountain"

Cross-posted from the wyomingarts blog:

The Autry in L.A. describes itself as "California’s only museum and cultural center dedicated to the history, art, and stories of the American West. Located in Griffith Park, the Autry features special exhibitions, lively programs, and hands-on activities for kids." While the Autry isn't exactly commuting distance from Wyoming, it is interesting to note that one-time Wyoming resident Annie Proulx wrote the story that started it all. "Brokeback Mountain" was in her collection Close Range: Wyoming Stories, with color illustrations (in the hardcover first edition) by noted Denver artist William Matthews. Annie also shared the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for the film, now celebrating the fifth anniversary of its release. According to Variety mag, New York's City Opera had plans for a "Brokeback Mountain" opera until the 2008 economic collapse -- and the departure of its artistic director -- caused it to shelve the project.

Wyoming wind takes liberties with street signs

When the Wyoming wind blows, it can wreak havoc. It worked over this sign last week. If I was religious, I might take this as a sign.

Ally ASL wins one on the "fair use" front

"The problem is that the various music groups hire zombies and trained monkeys who scour the Internet searching for any use of their licensed material regardless of the context or purpose."

This is an attention-grabbing comment by Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) attorney Cindy Cohn in a Houston Press music blog story. I didn't know that zombies and trained monkeys were scouring the Internet. More about that later...

More importantly, the article focused on Allyson "Ally ASL" Townsend. Using American Sign Language, she interprets popular songs on YouTube videos. I say "interprets" because sign language is more than translation. It's a language unto itself. Anyone who has seen signers at poetry readings and music performances knows what I'm speaking about. Body language and facial gestures are part of it. You can have a demonstrative signer or a laid-back one. You also can have one that censors words or takes other liberties with the language. I am told that language interpreters do this on a regular basis. They have to understand idioms and slang and tone of voice. They try to incorporate all that in their interpretation.

So is Ally ASL translating the songs? Interpreting? Using them fairly or unfairly?

The EFF and Warner and Universal and YouTube all agreed that this was fair use. She is performing a service for the deaf. She has quite a few fans. All interested parties say, "Rock on, Ally ASL."

That's a good thing.

Now back to zombies and trained monkeys. I don't know what they are. I am assuming that record companies have search bots called zombies and trained monkeys that troll the Internet looking for people illegally downloading copyrighted material. But I can't rule out Warner Music actually using actual trained monkeys for this task. Not sure about zombies, but you never know about these music companies.

City boy says: Let food freedom ring!

Today, I'm thinking about food.

No surprise. Yesterday was our annual eating extravaganza. I enjoyed Thanksgiving -- always do -- although I didn't do much beside cook two pies and take them to our friends' house where the rest of the goodies resided.

I didn't ask any annoying foodie questions, such as "were these sweet potatoes raised within 100 miles of Cheyenne?" That's the problem with foodies -- always asking annoying questions while we're trying to eat.

I ate some root crops: sweet potatoes, potatoes and onions. I ate wheat: dinner rolls, gravy and stuffing. I ate nuts: pecan topping on the mashed sweet potatoes. I ate turkey, of course, and cranberries. Green beans from the usual casserole. I ate apples and pumpkin in the pies. Olives.

Most of this could have been grown or raised in the general vicinity. Wyoming is known more for cattle and sheep than for its turkey ranching. But you could do it on a small scale. If not, maybe it's time to switch our local Thanksgivings to beef or lamb or elk or goose. You can get those locally. Alas, turkey is traditional and usually comes from big turkey farms located far away.

According to an article by Keith Goetzman in Utne Reader, more than 50 percent of Thanksgiving turkeys come from the Willmar Poultry Farm in Willmar, Minn. The Humane Society recently screened a video filmed secretly at the plant. Not a pretty picture. If you have the stomach for it, you can see it at http://www.utne.com/Politics/Where-Turkeys-Come-From.aspx.

Goetzman also recounts how meat-eaters and vegetarians square off across the Turkey Day table. He ends his piece by making a case for squash lasagna as a holiday main course.

Sounds good. My 17-year-old daughter, the vegetarian, would like it. So would I. But, alas, my daughter also likes the traditions of the day which include the succulent odors of cooking turkey. Good smells make good memories. And let's face it -- vegetarians have plenty of choices on the traditional table. Turkey and gravy are the only items that they can't eat. Dressing isn't stuffed into the bird any more and, if you don't add giblets to it, it's O.K. for vegetarians.

I strive to eat locally produced foods. My garden provides some during the warm season. It probably could provide more, according to the University of Wyoming Extension Service. And not by expanding my acreage. I could get additional growing time by taking advantage of my yard's microclimates. I also could invest in a small high tunnel or a small greenhouse. These people know their biz. They even have a magazine called Barnyards & Backyards which features farm/ranch/garden tips and interesting articles. You can subscribe by going to http://www.barnyardsandbackyards.com/.

A couple more food-related items. For one, I think it's time to invest in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). We now have a half-dozen farms within 100 miles which offer CSAs. I've been putting off joining because I thought I could grow all of my own but that isn't possible. I was checking out the web page for Meadow Maid Foods in Yoder, which is in Goshen County. The Ridenour family grows natural veggies and raises grass-fed beef. I've bought veggies and beef at the farmer's market and all of it was great. Meadow Maid has also leaped on the agri-tourism bandwagon, with tours of the property and workshops. Some places, such as Grant Farms in Wellington, Colo., bring their CSA customers in to help plant and weed and harvest. Agri-tourism could join the ranks of ranches offering hands-on experiences in trail drives and branding. This trend could eventually be huge in rural Wyoming.

And then there's Wyoming Food Freedom. In its proposed legislation, terms such as agri-tourism and farmers' markets come up often. WFF proposes to do away with onerous state and federal regulations that prevents "informed consumers" buying directly from "trusted producers." I support this. In fact, I find it a place where libertarians and liberals can meet without yelling and screaming. WFF realizes that Big Ag products are making us sick. I want to buy more products from local farmers and ranchers. I want to spend less time at the grocery store. I'm not sure about this whole raw milk thing. That seems to be a big issue -- buying unpasteurized milk directly from small dairies. Some of the rhetoric around this issue harkens back to "poisoning of our precious bodily fluids" days. But there may be some truth in what the raw-milkers say.

Our family bought raw goat's milk from a local producer for years. It was great, but I don't drink much milk so, when our milk-consuming son moved away, we stopped getting it. But there are many who swear by the stuff. We also know that pathogens can breed in milk if it's not handled correctly.

Meanwhile, I'm going to support Rep. Sue Wallis and WFF. On its web site, WFF contends that freeing up food commerce can add a billion dollars worth of stimulation to the state's ag economy. It would really beef up rural areas hit hard in the past few decades. It also might regenerate family farms, which are disappearing fast.

At yesterday's dinner, a man my age -- a local pharmacist -- spoke about the small family farm he grew up in in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, which is just across the border from Goshen County, Wyoming. The family ran the farm until it grew too expensive. His parents both got jobs in town. They sold some of the land to the railroad. They leased out the rest. Pretty soon they weren't farming any more. He said that he loves the way he grew up but that it's almost impossible to do so now.

It should be possible. So says this city boy.

Skip the holiday stuff, buy a goat (or a cow)

Ideas from Sojourners and CRWRC about alternative gift-giving for the holidays: http://www.crwrc.org/pages/crwrc_giftcatalog.cfm?utm_source=Sojourners%2BAd&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=Sojo

Citizens -- gird your loins for upcoming Wyoming Legislature

Know your state legislature.

A good phrase to keep in mind as we face a new batch of legislators and a Republican-dominated government in 2011.

Moderation has been the touchstone of the Wyoming Legislature during my 20 years in the state. Legislators occasionally pass a wacko law, but have spurned attempts during the past several sessions to outlaw gay marriage.

But the new Legislature will be under the sway of Tea Party politics this year. The Equality State Policy Center in Laramie says in its latest newsletter that the 2011 session is likely to bring...

another attack on setting aside Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (provided for under the Environmental Quality Act)

another attempt to change the Wyoming Constitution to outlaw gay marriage and civil unions

a proposal for a Draconian immigration law like Arizona's

at attempt to repeal basic safety requirements for childcare facilities

And I'm sure other weird proposals will rear their ugly heads. Remember last year?

In an effort to increase citizen involvement in the process, the ESPC is sponsoring its annual Citizen Lobbyist Training on Wednesday, January 12, the second day of the general session, starting at 8 a.m. at the Plains Hotel in Cheyenne.

Here are some details:

Participants in the trainings learn how a bill becomes law. Experienced lobbyists who work for ESPC member organizations outline the attributes of an effective lobbyist and teach attendees how to testify before a legislative committee. Other presentations outline how citizens can get the attention of legislators and affect their policy deliberations from home. Sitting and former legislators offer their perspectives on lobbying and discuss approaches that worked – and didn’t work – with them.

The training attracts citizens from all walks of life, including students, representatives of nonprofit groups and people who simply want to learn more about lawmaking in Wyoming.

The Equality State Policy Center offers scholarship funds to help bring individuals and organizational representatives to our Citizen Lobbyist Training.

Scholarship applications will be considered from individuals and all nonprofit organizations, with priority given to groups working with women, people of color, youth, low-income, rural, disabled, Native Americans, immigrants and refugees, and gay, lesbian and transgendered people.

Registration is open until the training is filled.

FMI: E-mail it to Dan Neal at dneal@equalitystate.org.

Creative economy coming to a Cheyenne near you

I pulled this blurb from the Cheyenne International Film Festival site. The film fest is an exciting new event for Cheyenne -- I attended most of the screening at the first one last year. This year, CIFF2 is thinking of new ways to invigorate the community through arts and culture.

Here are the details:

Mark your calendars! The Cheyenne International Film Festival (CIFF) begins with an important pre-festival gathering for anyone wanting to learn about and experience the New Creative Economy. It’s not just about the intrinsic nature of arts and culture as community assets, but also how creative thinking is integrated into day-to-day activities.

So far, Wyoming Community Media (WCM) and Ignite Cheyenne are teaming up to provide a day-long experience. Join the event through facebook by clicking http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142223729161546

The ECE features hands-on seminars presented by experts and practitioners of digital media arts. Students of all ages including businesses owners, their employees and budding entrepreneurs will learn how to tell their stories better: Other ECE partners will be announced as they consent.

Here are some of the topics:
storytelling – scriptwriting, and story arc
basic still and motion pictures – composition, lights, sound and camera operation
digital music production – how to compose your own music
website design – blogging, email marketing
social media – how to maximize networks to increase profits
art integration – how educators can add creating thinking approaches in the classroom

Take away experiences that will enhance existing skills on the job, add new skills if you’re reinventing yourself. There will be a small registration fee, that includes lunch and a ticket voucher for a CIFF film program.

ECE will convene May 20, 2011, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. the Historic Atlas Theatre in Downtown Cheyenne, 211 W. 16th Street. There will be a small registration fee that covers lunch and two ticket vouchers for CIFF movie programs. Half of your registration is tax deductible as a charitable contribution.

Stay tuned for more details about seminars and presenters. Even if you don’t plan to attend, please pass the word to your friends and colleagues.

Making sure that my premiums are spent on health care and not solid-gold Hummers for insurance execs

Local food and local products at Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market

The Wyoming Business Council sponsors the Cheyenne Winter Farmers Market on six Saturdays throughout the winter. The market will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the Historic Train Depot in downtown Cheyenne. Dates are November 6 (missed this one), December 4, January 8, February 5, March 5, and April 2.

Some of the locally raised and produced products are all-natural eggs, meats from free-range animals (beef, lamb,  bison, chicken and turkeys), winter vegetables, salsa, soup mixes, local jams and honey, gourmet pasta, mushrooms, natural hand-crafted body care products, and much more.

For further information contact:
Kim Porter, Farmers Market & Education Program Manager
Phone: 307.777.6319
Fax: 307.777.2838

Connecting culture and agriculture in rural Wisconsin

Fascinating info and video about the Wormfarm Institute in rural Wisconsin. One of the winners of this year's Wisconsin Governor's Awards in Support of the Arts, residencies at the Wormfarm include 15-18 hours per week of growing and cultivating and harvesting in the institute's vegetable garden. The rest of the time, artists can cultivate their own art. Veggies, fruit and art is sold at Roadside Culture Stands. There's also a gallery in the local town.

FMI: Connecting culture and agriculture

Thanks to The Artful Manager's blog for this.

After watching the video about the Wormfarm produced for the awards, I am in love with this place. Although I am a city boy, I've planted my own veggie gardens in three states since 1974, with time off for various reasons. My Cheyenne, Wyoming, garden has been expanding the past three years. I do not have grandiose plans, but prefer to grow my own because it is fun and the results are so tasty. As a writer, I get ideas while gardening -- and sometimes mull over my latest story while plucking weeds from beneath he tomatoes. I'm now working on a gardening story. Wait, don't run away. It's a very exciting story involving sexual hijinks -- and I'm not just talking about botanical pollination, although that can be very stimulating for gardeners. I'll see where it goes...