Caryn
The 19th Amendment states that the right to vote “shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” In theory, this language guaranteed that all women in the United States could not be prevented from voting because of their gender. Of course, these days, no one really gives that a second thought, because…well, of course, women can vote. Who dared to think otherwise? Nevertheless, women were not always given the right to vote. In fact, for many years, men thought that politics was something that women could not possible begin to understand, and that it was a subject that was simply too harsh for the fragile female mind. Hahahaha!! We can laugh at such a thought now, because it is completely absurd, but that is what everyone thought back then…before the 19th Amendment was passed, following a fierce battle between the women suffragists and the men who ruled the nation.
Nevertheless, in the midst of that fierce battle for the right to vote, an odd event took place in the form of the election of a US Congress member, Jeanette Rankin somehow being elected to Congress!! She was elected to 
the US House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940. Rankin was a woman, so how could this have possibly happened. She couldn’t even vote, and yet she won the election. That’s crazy. If her “fragile” mind could not be expected to understand how to vote for the office, how would she ever be able to function in the office. I mean, after all, she would be dealing with the same politics that her fellow members of congress had deemed her too fragile to understand. In fact, Jeanette Rankin would not be able to vote in an election until August 18, 1820. Her term in office ran from March 4, 1917 to March 3, 1919…during which time she was the only woman in the United States who could vote. Rankin would serve again from January 3, 1941 to January 3, 1943. Oddly, each of Rankin’s Congressional terms coincided with initiation of US military intervention in the two World Wars. A lifelong pacifist, she was one of 50 House members who opposed the declaration of war on Germany in 1917. In 1941, she was the only member of Congress to vote against the declaration of war on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Jeanette Rankin was born on June 11, 1880, near Missoula in Montana Territory. Montana would not become a 
state for another nine years. Her parents were, schoolteacher Olive (née Pickering) and Scottish-Canadian immigrant John Rankin, a wealthy mill owner. She was the eldest of seven children, including five sisters (one of whom died in childhood), and a brother, Wellington, who became Montana’s attorney general, and later a Montana Supreme Court justice. One of her sisters, Edna Rankin McKinnon, became the first Montana-born woman to pass the bar exam in Montana and was an early social activist for access to birth control. With all that, it’s little wonder that she became a congresswoman. Apparently, politics ran in the family, and was likely an often-debated subject in the family home.
While Rankin was in her first term in office, it would seem to me that she must have felt a very strong sense of responsibility, because she was at that time the voice of all women…at least as it applied to government and politics. I can’t say that I would have agreed with all of her votes in office, especially where it applied to the two world wars, which I feel the United States needed to be involved in. Perhaps it is that aspect of being in office that the men didn’t think women were very well equipped to handle…war being such an emotional issue and all. I still think that there are many women who might struggle with the idea of sending our men into war, but then there are men who feel the same way, so I guess it is just a matter of where people stand concerning war. To date, Rankin remains the only woman ever elected to Congress from Montana.
We seldom, if ever, think of a flamethrower as a weapon of warfare, but in the year 672, it was very much the weapon of choice for naval warfare by the the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantines). The weapon called Greek Fire was used in ship-mounted flamethrowers. This weapon was so unique and deadly due to the fact that throwing water onto the solution would only feed the fire. That really left nothing to do but abandon ship and try to swim as far away as you could and as fast as you could. Imagine the shock as the first victim of this weapon tried to throw water on the flames, only to have them explode in their faces. These days, Firefighters understand that some chemical fires require a different form of attack than other chemical fires. It the case of something like the Greek Fire, used by the Eastern Roman Empire, modern firefighters would use a foam solution or a dry powder, usually found in a fire extinguisher. Unfortunately, those things were not available in 672.
The Greek Fire was mostly used in naval warfare, because the required large flamethrowers to send its projectile across the water to the enemy ships. Ships could be better accommodated such a large piece of equipment. The infantry would be unable to carry such a weapon, although they probably wished they could, as it would effectively annihilate the enemy. The Greek Fire consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. It is believed that it could be ignited on contact with water, and was probably based on naphtha and quicklime. The Byzantines typically used the Greek Fire in naval battles with great results, as it could supposedly continue burning while floating on water. This technological advantage provided the Byzantines with military victories, including the salvation of Constantinople during the first and second Arab sieges. The Empire couldn’t have survived without it.
The impression made by Greek fire on the western European Crusaders was such that the name was applied to 
any sort of incendiary weapon, including those used by Arabs, the Chinese, and the Mongols, even though the formulas were different from that of Byzantine Greek Fire, which was a closely guarded state secret. The Byzantines also used pressurized nozzles to project the liquid onto the enemy, in a manner resembling a modern flamethrower. The usage of the term Greek fire has even been general in English and most other languages since the Crusades. The solution had a number of other names over the centuries. including sea fire, Roman fire, war fire, liquid fire, sticky fire, or manufactured fire, but none stuck quite like Greek Fire.
My grandfather, Allen Luther Spencer, was a man who lived a hard life. Early in his first marriage, he and his wife, Edna Stanton Spencer, lost their daughter, Dorothy Spencer, who was my half-great aunt. She was just over 5 months old. It was a devastating loss for them, and the beginning of the end of their marriage. They were either pregnant then or got pregnant shortly after Dorothy’s passing, because my half-uncle, Norman Spencer was born just 9 months after Dorothy’s passing. Unfortunately, that was not enough to hold the marriage together, and the couple divorced a short time later. My grandfather married my grandmother, Anna Schumacher Spencer, and they had four wonderful children together, which is, of course, why I exist. My dad was Allen Lewis Spencer, one of those four children. I have always felt sad at what my grandfather went through in his life.
Grandpa struggled with some things in his life, but his children loved him. He was a stern parent, but that was truly a part of the times. Many stern parents came out of that era, and while some of the children didn’t like it, they turned out to be great adults, and I suppose that they would have to say that in part their dad had something to do with that. Their mom, my grandma, was a much more gentle person, but make no mistake, she could be stern too if the situation warranted it. Grandma was a gentle person, but she was also a very strong person…physically and emotionally. She ran the family farm while grandpa was away working on the Great Northern Railway as a carpenter, and she did an excellent job.
I never really knew either of these grandparents, because my grandfather passed away October 19, 1951, about a year and a half before my parents were married, and 4½ years before I was born. My grandmother passed away 6 months after I was born. I will have to get to know them when I go to Heaven, but when I look at their pictures, I see people who lived during hard years in our nation’s history, and came through it successfully to raise the wonderful children I now call my dad, aunts and uncles. Sadly, they too have all gone to Heaven now. I can imagine the happy times they are all having up there…no more sadness, loss, or tears. 
They can spend time together, getting to know their half-sister too, and there is no distance to cross. Today is the 142nd anniversary of my grandfather’s birth. How could it possibly be that many. Nevertheless, it is, and I know the party is on up there. Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandpa Spencer. We all love you very much, and can’t wait to meet you in Heaven one day.
My grand-niece, Jala Satterwhite graduated this past year, and immediately embarked on an adventurous lifestyle. Jala got a job at the Bill Cody Ranch…a guest ranch not too far from the Yellowstone National Park entrance. Jala loves horses, and wants nothing more than to have a job involving horses. During high school, and really even before that, Jala would spend hours riding horses, caring for horses, and thinking about horses. She and her step-dad, Josh Griffith loved to head into the hill on a trail ride as often as possible, and the family loved camping and trail riding on the Big Horn Mountains.
Jala has always struck me as a glamorous kind of girl growing up, and that part is true. When Jala wants to be glamorous, she certainly can do so, and she can “wow” anyone who sees her, but Jala is not snobby or stuffy. Then, Jala got into horses when her family bought a place and moved outside of Powell. It is a really pretty place, and has plenty of room for horses. That really changed Jala’s life forever, and for the great…not just better or good…great!! Jala was living on cloud nine. She was in her element, and life was good. Who would have thought that all that would have set the course for Jala’s new adventure as a trail guide on a guest ranch.
Jala applied, and was immediately chosen for one of the positions available. She’s been there a couple months now and absolutely loves it. From what I hear, Jala is the only Wyoming hire there, and so she’s met all kinds of new people. She ben able to work with people from all over the county. Jala’s job is perfect for her. She takes people on trail rides every day. They take groups of 10 to 20 people on rides every day. Did they say this was work? I suppose there is a lot of work to it, because she takes care of about 65 horses, and of course, she saddles all those horses up for the people who are going on the trail rides. Imagine the toned arms that girl will have. Wow!! Maybe I should saddle horses for a living…probably not.
This is a summer job, of course, because the guest ranch is a tourist attraction, meaning that at the end of the 
summer, Jala will have to decide what her next move will be. She has a plan in mind, and her current job is a good source of leads into the nest one, which she hopes will involve working with an outfitter on pack trips. Sounds exciting to me!! The cool part of this job is that she makes really good money, and they provide room and board, so she has no expenses!! As Jala’s mom, Susan Griffith says, “What a life!!”
My niece, Michelle Stevens and her husband…as of today, Matt Miller, have known each other since they were kids in the 8th grade. They have always been best friends, but at some point, it became more than just a friendship, and they knew this would be their forever love. Michelle and Matt wanted to get married last year in a destination wedding in Florida, but like many 2020 weddings, plans got changed because of Covid-19. So instead, they decided to have an intimate little wedding on Casper Mountain followed by a reception at the Nicolaysen Art Museum, where Michelle works. It may not be what they had dreamed of, but it will beautiful.
For al long time, Michelle and Matt didn’t want to take their relationship to the level of being a couple, because they didn’t want to lose the friendship, is things didn’t work out. Nevertheless, at some point, they knew that they couldn’t leave their relationship as just friends either. Once they made the decision to go to the next level, they knew it was the right decision. They weren’t just friends. They were and always will be soulmates. They knew that together they were a complete couple, and they knew that they would be happy forever.
Today, they made took their relationship to yet another level…that of husband and wife, and their families couldn’t be happier. Having been together for a long time, these two are already fixtures in each other’s family, and both sides consider these two their children. That is a phenomenon that occurs when two people have been together so long that they tend to act like each other. My own mother told me once that my husband and I 
acted a lot alike and that we even look alike. I don’t see that, but she did. Michelle and Matt’s parents might see that in them one day, because they are well on their way to being together long term, and I thing that in many ways, they do act alike already. Both of them have a great sense of humor. They like to do the same things, and they seem to be going in the same direction in life. Those are things that make for a good marriage. I believe that is exactly what Michelle and Matt will have. Congratulations on your marriage Michelle and Matt. May God richly bless your marriage in every way. We love you both.
My grand-nephew Jaxon Killinger is a sweet little boy, who is shy and timid…until he gets to know you, then he is very outgoing and very silly. He is like my niece, Lacey Stevens in that way. Jax loves to make Lacey and his dad, Chris Killinger laugh by dancing and being goofy, and I’m sure he has great success in his endeavors. Lacey first met this sweet little guy when she began dating his daddy, and she fell in love almost immediately with him and his big sister, Brooklyn Killinger.
This has been an exciting summer for Jax, because it is the first summer he has been able to ride his bicycle without training wheels. He is so excited!! It is a new-found form of freedom, even if he isn’t allowed to go very far just yet. Jax and Brooklyn 
finally talked their dad into letting them ride around the block, and while Chris was nervous about it, they did great and now they want to go for bike rides around the block all the time. They keep asking to ride further and further too. Typical for kids when they start to spread their wings a little bit. I’m sure that his daddy will have bigger worries, because its obvious to me that little Jaxon is looking to drive soon…at least in boats!!
The family has been doing some camping this summer too. Jax and Brooklyn totally love it especially is their cousin, Elliott is going along. Elliott is Lacey’s brother Garrett 
and his wife, Kayla Stevens’ daughter, and Elliott is totally taken with Jax. I can’t say that I’m surprised about that, Jax is a little cutie. Elliott just turned three, and had a big party. Jax and Brooklyn were there with their daddy and Lacey, and Elliott wanted Jax’s total attention. She didn’t think that he should be paying attention to anyone or anything but her. Even at three, Elliott has good taste, because Jaxon is a handsome little boy, and while he is three years older than Elliott, that doesn’t matter to her one bit. In her opinion, he is her cousin, and hers alone, hahahaha!! Can’t wait to see what shenanigans these two will get into in the future. Today is Jaxon’s 6th birthday. Happy birthday Jaxon!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My grand-nephew, Matt Masterson is the only son of his parents, Rob and Dustie Masterson, and rather sees himself as the second “man of the house” and the protector of all who are in it. Matt especially like to be helpful to his mom, so he’s been going places with her and has been trying to do things to take care of himself so she doesn’t have to worry about him. Most kids of just 16 years don’t think much about putting the minds of their parents at ease, much less doing things to help their parents around the house and on errands, but I suppose Matt isn’t your typical 16-year-old kid. His parents work very hard, and he wants to show them just how much he appreciates all they do for the family.
Matt has decided to go to Roosevelt High School in Casper, along with his sister, Raelynn Masterson, a move that will make things easier on his parents, because they won’t have to take kids to two high schools. Not that they will have to drive for very long, because I think that Matt will decide to get his driver’s license very soon, 
rather than wait a while like his older sisters, Christina and Raelynn, did. Guys want to get behind the wheel pretty quickly it seems, while girls don’t always see the urgency…at least some of the girls don’t. I couldn’t wait to get my license. That thing means freedom, and that’s important!!
One of the best parts about the summer for Matt is that his best friend is moving back to Casper, after years of living in Laramie, Wyoming. Laramie isn’t so far away, but it is too far to hang out on any kind of a regular basis, so the return to his best friend is something Matt is really excited about. Matt is such a protective brother and his sister, Raelynn tells me that he is really growing into a wonderful person. He might pick on Raelynn and their younger sister, Anna, but nobody else better do so, because he is their protector. Matt doesn’t like when the girls don’t tell him about things that upset them. He will do everything he can to fix whatever is going wrong. Last year when Raelynn went to camp, there were those who were not nice, 
so Matt tried to convince her not to go this year. In the end, he respected her decision, knowing that she would be ok on her own. It’s hard for him not to be the protector, and he didn’t want Raelynn to deal with stuff when he couldn’t be there to help. He’s got a big heart even if he doesn’t show it. Still, I think I would hate to be the person who picked on Matt Masterson’s sisters. Love is a strong emotion, and he loves his sisters. Today is Matt’s 16th birthday. Happy birthday Matt!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My great grand-niece, Alice Green is such a sweet girl. I love her personality, because she is so loving and caring. For the early part of her life, Alice was an only child. Then her mom, Melanie Harman met her step-dad, Jake Harman and her life changed forever. Before long Alice had a little sister named Izabella, and soon after, a little brother named Jaxx. Siblings was one thing Alice had wanted for a long time. The good news was she only had to wait until she was a little past three to get her first sibling. The lonely days without a sibling were almost over. As soon as Belle could play, Alice was set. She is such a fun-loving girl, and the giggling in the Harman household runs wild…especially with the added kid stuff from Jake, who is a kid at heart.
These days, Alice is growing up quite quickly. At nine years old, Alice is already acting like a teenager. Some kids mature quickly in that way. She is definitely growing up! Alice has her own views and opinions about things these days. In the past, she cared more about her toys and getting dirty as much as she possibly could. Maybe a little bit of a tomboy in her there. These days, her sister and brother are very much her top priority. She loves them very much and enjoys being with them and entertaining them. I suppose there could come a day when Alice will wish her siblings would leave her alone, but that is pretty normal. I think that as the years go by these three will grow closer and closer. They fight, even now, but that is totally common among siblings too. Nevertheless, Alice feels totally blessed to have her sister and brother in her life.
Alice and her step-dad, Jake also have a special relationship. Jake was never one to exclude Alice in any way. 
When he married Melanie, he accepted Alice as his own daughter. They love to tease each other, and as is common in the Harman household, “random rudeness” is just part of the daily activities. Alice has embraced “random rudeness” and can dish it out as effectively as the next guy. She also loves to just randomly tackle Jake and this give him hugs. He has proven to be a real dad to her, and she loves him very much, and he considers Alice his own child. You don’t have to be related by blood, to be related by love. Today is Alice’s 9th birthday. Happy birthday Alice!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Dave Balcerzak absolutely loves his hot rod. It must be a guy thing…well, ok girls like hot cars too. Anyway, Dave loves his hot rod, which is the muscle car he has dreamed of since he got his driver’s license. Personally, I don’t think Dave thought he would ever get such a car. Then to make matters worse, Dave is a trained computer programmer, not a mechanic, so working on such a car…well, it’s not really in his wheelhouse. Nevertheless, this story does have a happy ending, because dreams really do come true.
A few years back, when they were living on Coffman Avenue in Casper, Wyoming, Dave came home and told my niece, Chantel Balcerzak, his wife that he had found the car of his dreams, and begged her to come and see it. They didn’t have the money for a new car, but Chantel went with him. The car wasn’t far away…parked just a block over and down from their house. When Chantel saw the car she thought, “Are you kidding? It’s junk!!” Nevertheless, she kindly did the “Maybe someday, Honey” speech. I have a feeling Dave saw right through that and with a sinking feeling, saw his dream car sinking into the abyss. Dave and Chantel lived on Coffman for 4 years and Dave drove out of his way, at least every other day just to look at that car and mentioned it often. Finally, I asked him if he had ever asked the owner if they were even interested in selling, but he said he would when they had the money.
Five years and two houses later, Chantel decided, to go and ask the man if he wanted to sell. She tells me that she can’t remember the occasion, but remembers thinking it would make the perfect gift. The car was gone, and now it was Chantel who had a sinking feeling. She told Dave and he, rather “dramatically” told her that he was “giving up then!! That was the only one that he wanted!!” Dave didn’t mention the car again, but he did try finding one that might be close…even though he was “giving up” on the whole dream car idea. Unfortunately, every car he looked at was never “right.”
Chantel decided to take a different approach, because she really wanted to make her husband happy. So, she asked the Lord to make it available somehow and then pretty much forgot it. About six months after “giving up,” Chantel was driving to her mom, my sister, Cheryl Masterson’s house. To get there Chantel always take the road past Highland Cemetery, through the light, and up the hill. As she was heading up the hill, there it was!! And incredibly, with a for sale sign!! Chantel pulled over and called the number listed. For an absolute steal, she bought the car for Dave for Christmas. Oh, and it ran!! Chantel was definitely impressed with that part!! The car is a 1967 or 1968 Pontiac Lemans. Funny that she bought it, and still doesn’t know the year!! 
Hahahaha!! Chantel is not a car girl, that’s for sure!! As I said, Dave never really trained as a mechanic, so apparently he spends more time cussing it than driving it, but he still says it’s “his favorite” next to Chantel, of course. Chantel says that he has to say that to her, but I think it’s the truth, because Dave has loved Chantel since they were kids. Today is Dave’s birthday. Happy birthday Dave!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, JD Parmely is a very busy guy. He is a mechanic by trade, but in reality he is a mechanic for life. I can’t say that I know of anyone who spends as many hours in a garage as JD does. I thought my husband, Bob Schulenberg, who is JD’s uncle spent a lot of hours in the garage, but he doesn’t even come close to JD’s time in the garage. JD owns at least 15 vehicles. Some are classics some are daily drivers, and he is always tinkering on one or the other of them…that is when he isn’t working on someone else’s car.
JD has many friends who need work done on their cars, and JD is their go-to guy. JD’s specialty is Hondas, but he can work on most types of vehicles. He also has two uncles, Bob and Ron Schulenberg, and two brothers, Barry Schulenberg and Eric Parmely, all of whom help each other on jobs needing a second set of hands. They also share information when one or the other has a difficult job. Sometimes a job needs two minds to get it done…a fact that every mechanic knows.
While JD loves mechanic work, there is one thing that he just might love more…yep, I think he loves his nieces, Reagan, Hattie, and Maeve Parmely; and nephew, Bowen Parmely more. JD doesn’t mind rough housing with them, swinging them around, riding bikes with them, and whatever else they might dream up to play with their Uncle JD. In most ways, JD is a kid at heart. He can totally relate to his nieces and nephew, and doesn’t mind playing with them one bit. They love hanging out with him and hanging on him…another thing JD doesn’t mind.
JD can always be counted on to help with any job, from mechanics to loading and splitting wood. The boys 
have cut a lot of wood in their lifetimes. A couple of weeks ago, while having a family picnic on Casper Mountain, at JD’s mom, Jennifer Parmely and her partner, Brian Cratty’s cabin, the boys loaded a trailer full of wood for Eric and his wife, Ashley’s house. It works out well that the landowners on the mountain need to mitigate the downfall to protect to mountain from fire. It gives the guys wood for fires, and also something to do while loading it, hahahaha!! They all need something to do with themselves when they are not “mechanic-ing.” Today is JD’s birthday!! Happy birthday JD!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
