snowed in

My niece, Ashley Parmely has had a very busy year. Most of Ashley’s years are quite busy, so to say she has had a very busy year, is really saying something. Ashley and my nephew, Eric Parmely own a farm west of Casper, where they raise cows, chickens, turkeys, goats, pigs, horses, cats, dogs, and their four kids (three daughters and a son). Ashley is really into healthy living and raises only A2 milk cows. I didn’t know what A2 milk cows were, so I did some checking. A2 milk is a variety of cows’ milk that mostly lacks a form of B-Casein proteins called A1, and instead has mostly the A2 form. The a2 Milk Company Limited (previously known as A2 Corporation) is a dual listed NZX and ASX 50 public listed company that commercializes intellectual property relating to A1 protein-free milk that is sold under the a2 and a2 Milk brands, as well as the milk and related products such as infant formula. B-Casein is a major milk protein, representing 30% of the total protein found in cow milk. It is a member of the casein family of related phosphoproteins, which are commonly found in mammalian milk. B-Casein from bovine milk is an immunoglobulin E (IgE)-binding epitope belonging to the secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein family. It consists of 209 amino acids and five phosphate groups. The a2 Milk Company and some companies producing goats’ milk products claim that milk containing A1 proteins is harmful, but there has been no widely accepted scientific work identifying a direct link between A1 protein and any adverse effect on health. Time will tell, as testing continues, but Ashley tends to agree with the current test results. If you’re like me, you probably don’t understand most of what I just said. Suffice it to say that not everything in our food is necessarily good for us. Ashley now has 2 new A2 milk cows that were both going to calf around the same time, and they birthed a day or two apart. She has been milking and feeding since that time.

Ashley has also started making Ghee. Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from the Indian subcontinent. Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from cream, skimming any impurities from the surface, then pouring and retaining the clear liquid fat while discarding the solid residue that has settled to the bottom. Spices can be added for flavor. The texture, color, and taste of ghee depend on the quality of the butter, the milk used in the process, and the duration of boiling time. Personally, I am not a fan of Ghee, but many people really like it. I guess I’m just a Butter Girl. My sister-in-law, Jennifer Parmely, who is Ashley’s mother-in-law, really likes Ghee and is quite excited about the Ghee making process. She is quite proud of Ashley’s Ghee. Maybe it depends on the person making it or the spices they use. The one I “tasted” was tasteless, so my opinion could be clouded. I might have to try Ashley’s Ghee sometime.

As I said, Ashley and Eric have four kids, and the kids keep her very busy. The oldest two (daughters) are in gymnastics, while their son and youngest daughter are playing Hockey. Her youngest daughter is in pre-school, and Ashley homeschools the older three children. The busy day starts with getting her daughter to pre-school, and later she must go pick her up too. Then, the older kids have homeschooling and field trips as well. All that m eans that Ashley is constantly on the run. Summer was busy helping their oldest daughter with 4H projects. Last winter found the family snowed in several times. While being snowed in cramped Ashley’s busy lifestyle, she is always a good sport about it and took it all in stride. Nevertheless, I’m sure she is hoping that this winter will not be a repeat of last year’s harshness. Today is Ashley’s birthday. Happy birthday Ashley!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

My husband’s aunt, Esther Hein, as a young girl living in the country near Forsyth, Montana, spent some of her school years living in a “boarding house” of sorts. It wasn’t really, but it may have seemed like it to her, except that the owners of the “boarding house” were her half-brother, Walt Schulenberg and sister-in-law, Joann Schulenberg. The problem Esther’s parents, Vina and Walt Hein, faced was that Esther needed to go to school on a regular basis, and the Montana winters had a way of creating a “snowed in” situation for the people who lived in the country. The people living in town could still get their kids to school, but the long country roads could not always be cleared, and when the snow was deep, they mostly couldn’t. So, they often didn’t try. That meant those kids living in the country didn’t get to school when the snow got deep, and as we all know, missing too much school means that the child isn’t going to pass.

So, in what is really one of the sweetest and funniest stories about Aunt Esther that I know, Esther moved in with her brother and sister-in-law. Things usually went smoothly, but you must understand that Esther was a child, with child-like ways at the time. There were times that she didn’t get along with her brother, sister-in-law, and cousins. It was nothing major, just kid stuff and maybe a little sassiness. My future mother-in-law, and Esther’s sister-in-law, Joann sometimes got tired and annoyed. She might have been able to spank her sister-in-law, but she might not have felt comfortable doing that either. That said, when she was annoyed with Esther, her common comment was “Don’t Esther!!” This might seem like it isn’t very funny, but later in life, my mother-in-law had Alzheimer’s Disease…which isn’t exactly funny either.

Nevertheless, my mother-in-law had her “funny” Alzheimer’s moments, as they all do, if you look beyond the disease. She didn’t always like things like going to bed, taking a walk around the house, or especially telling her to stop scratching her itchy skin. Since I was her caregiver quite often, I was the “bad guy” that made her do these things. Her very itchy skin, and the fact that she scratched too hard, caused injury to her skin, so I had to stop her from scratching. Whenever I try to stop her, she would say, “Don’t Esther!!” The first time she said that I was shocked, but once I heard the “Don’t Esther” story, I finally understood that she was mistaking me for Esther in those moments. For me it was liberating. That meant that sometimes when my mother-in-law was mad at me, I could let Esther take the blame. Sorry Esther, but it worked for me. Today is Esther’s 82nd birthday. Happy birthday Esther!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

Sometimes, the “best laid plans” turn into the biggest unplanned event. Bob and I take a trip to Thermopolis, Wyoming each year to celebrate our anniversary. Thermopolis is a dinky little town with very little to do, except that it has amazing hot springs she that adds up to great mineral water soaks that are terrific for the body. We also take wonderful walks along the trail that is set up on the Bighorn River, which flows through town. It is a peaceful tradition that we love to continue. Nevertheless, sometimes life can throw you a curve ball.

Bob and I have both been snowed in during our lifetimes, but this storm was still something new to us, because we are not snowed in. We are snowed out!!! Thermopolis got no snow at all, only a sprinkling of rain, but in Casper, which is home, it is a very different story. I have see n measurements of 18″ to 24″, and I’m sure it could be more by now. The roads in and out of Casper are closed, and since we are in Thermopolis, where there is no snow, we are not snowed in, but we are snowed out of Casper. It is a matter of the fact that you can’t get there from here…at least not today.

I can’t say that I am exactly heartbroken about having to stay at least an extra day in Thermopolis. In fact, I’m hoping that a lot of the snow will melt before we get home. That would simply not hurt my feelings one bit. I have been talking to my sisters, Cheryl Masterson, Alena Stevens, and Allyn Hadlock; and my daughter, Corrie Petersen and grandson, Chris Petersen in Casper; and one sister, Caryl Reed in Rawlins, and they have graciously provided me with what I cannot see here. Tons and tons of snow!! The pictures of all the work trying to dig out, and the futility of such a venture in most cases, are shocking. It’s hard for me to fathom the amount of snow from here, but I can say that it is massive. Even my niece, Lindsay Moore in Laramie, and my nieces, Liz Masterson, and Jenny Spethman in Casper, have added to the amount of pictures that have told the story of this huge snow day. It is truly a kid’s dream, and for those who couldn’t go to work today and won’t be tomorrow, it isn’t the most horrible news either.

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