Rock and Rain and Smoke and a Library Card!

 

We have had near daily rains, as a summer monsoon has taken position sending rain after rain crashing into the mountains and valleys. It’s so unusual, out west, and so welcome to see such moisture.  Now if the welcome rain would only move a little further north and west it could douse the fires in Idaho and Southern Montana.

Our skies have been pristine, until a few days ago, when the wind shifted from the south west to the north by north west. That brought heavy smoke from the fires and reduced visibility but today’s precipitation has washed the skies and so we have the clean air that is the norm.

So we have spent our time indoors, grinding rock in the studio, packing and stowing our stuff in the fifth wheel and deciding what to take and what to leave as we head out for repairs and our winter journey to the south. It’s been nice to be able to make so many cabochons and even to work more mammoth tusk.

Our mammoth tusk is no longer for sale online as the company we list at has decided to ban all ivory products regardless of the source. I pointed out in my heated email that walrus tusk and elk’s teeth are also ivory and should be likewise banned. I further mentioned that whale bone and baleen were a heck of a lot more objectionable then fossil jewelry, but it was to no avail, (being Irish I have little patience when dealing with fools). Regardless our store is still open but minus the fossil carvings.

On a bright note we finally went to the local branch library and got library cards. There we made a great discovery, namely that the local library and the Wyoming State wide library system has a vast collection of online bestsellers! Now we can use our computer, smart phone and Kindle to check them out. So I have been catching up and have read four books in the last four days.

So all is well here and we even have two more visits from friends and family. We look forward to seeing our friends Bob and Sue and then our own nice nurse, Jenny. The leaves are starting to turn and it won’t be long before we resume our travels. Clear skies