We lost our Cyndie Lou yesterday. Our hearts are hurting, but we have many wonderful memories of the twelves years we were blessed to have her in our lives. She even helped write some of the blogs.

Hi MG readers! My name is Cyndie Lou, and I’m going to tell you about the first few days of our epic RV trip from a dog’s eye view. I don’t intend to take over the blog or anything. That would make MG’s eye start twitching, and that’s not a “good girl” thing.

These are my sisters Pattie and Sammie. They’re sleeping on our couch at home. Kip and MG made us get up at 4:00 o’clock Monday morning, so they were still tired.

I like to sleep on that couch too.

“Sammie! Pattie!…the cat is eating your food!”

They fall for that one every time…

Kip and I sitting in the RV waiting to pull out of our driveway. My sisters and the cat are in the RV too. MG is going to follow us down the street with the jeep so we can hook it up and tow it.

Here I am riding in the RV. It was a long day. It wore me out. I like to use Pattie’s head for a pillow.

We left our house around 7:00 a.m. and drove 479 miles to Palo Duro Canyon which is in the Texas panhandle. We drove through miles and miles of flatness where you can see farther than anywhere and still see nothing.

We pulled into Palo Duro State Park at 5:00 p.m. and it was pouring down rain. There were flash flood warnings which worried me.

This is me looking worried. I don’t know if I can swim.

Sammie gets worried too. Kip is hooking us up outside. MG is doing stuff to get the inside ready for us to live in.

“Shouldn’t Kip come inside, MG?”

He’ll be fine Pattie.

It’s finally bone time!

Dollie can’t go outside when we’re camping so she sits in the window.

The Palo Duro Canyon musical, Texas, was incredible. It was also armed services night. The service men and women were honored with a flag presentation, which included the songs and flags representing each branch of the service. At the end of the musical, which tells the story of how Texas came to be, there was a patriotic finale complete with fireworks and a water show.

The talent was outstanding and so was the choreography.

Except for the rain the night we got there, we were blessed with perfect weather the remainder of our stay.

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The Red River wars ended in much the same way as the Indian wars of the western plains. In the battle of Palo Duro, the cavalry killed most of the buffalo and eleven hundred of the tribe’s horses which forced the surrender of the Indians whose settlement was in the Palo Duro Canyon.

Palo Duro is Spanish for hard wood. I don’t think Kip and MG would have taken us to see a place called Hard Wood Canyon.

If you haven’t read about Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped by the Comanche when she was nine…you should.It’s a fascinating story. Her son, Quahna Parker, was a prominant leader and successful businessman.

Another tidbit of information.

Did you know General George Armstrong Custer graduated from West Point? He was at the very bottom of his class.

The Red River War…the battle of Palo Duro described on utube.

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We are planning to stay tonight at a KOA campground between Pueblo and Colorado Springs. We should be there soon which is good, because I really need a walk and a bone.

MG was without internet and phone service while we were at the bottom of the canyon. She’s not used to being unplugged, but she survived and enjoyed herself immensely.

Tomorrow, we’ll be off to Laramie, WY.

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Tomorrow Kip and I will be taking off on another epic journey in the motor home. I should say Kip and I, three dogs, and the cat will be visiting old stomping grounds, parts unknown, and of course, family and friends. I will for the most part, be switching into travel blog mode, and as anyone who has followed us on our travels knows, we have some “experiences.”

Poor Dollie at the vets getting her shots so she can go on the trip.

I did promise the Cowboy, (who is in the road trip gang stories), the gang would visit the Badlands. He has shared many wonderful pictures with me, and as it happens, Kip and I will be going through the Badlands in a couple of weeks, so I will write that story when we’re there. I’m sure I will be inspired.

We will be traveling through Kadoka, so I will say hi to your water tower KK. We might even stop at the Prairie Pizza. If we do, I will order what must now be a local favorite… the one pepperoni pizza.

Before we are run out of town, I will visit the red convertible at the Pioneer Auto Museum. Sorry you won’t be there Lav. I will sit in it as long as Ruben and Kip will let me.

Alas, I am getting ahead of myself. We are going to Kip’s 55th high school reunion in Laramie, Wyoming. I love, love, love, high school reunions. Thankfully I had some time to go crown shopping, and I found some folding gold cardboard crowns. They come five to a package. They’re easy to pack and very versatile. I can go casual or dressy depending on the occasion. The other plus is I can quickly put it on when I deem it to be appropriate, and take it off quickly and stick it in my purse, because it folds, when Kip deems it to be inappropriate. After all, it’s his reunion. I don’t want to seem ungrateful that he is allowing me to go.

When I go on trips, I always imagine someone needing to come into our house, so I clean out stuff. Today, I ran across a card Kip gave me almost twenty years ago when I was going through a particularly tough time. It was in a very unlikely place, which tells me… it was meant to be that I run across it today. We all have bumps or in some cases hills to surmount in our lives. This card spoke to me today and I’m back on track.

In every journey, there is meaning. In every conflict, there is growth. In every action there is purpose. In every moment of doubt, remember there is my belief in you.

That card… along with some time spent with some people who mean the world to me, makes me appreciate all that is important and good in my life.

We will miss our wonderful friends. You are all like none other, but we will have an “experience,” that I can’t wait to share with all of you.

 

 

It hardly ever happens to me, but I got embarrassed the other day, and I only have myself to blame. You see, I panicked. Kids in Murdo are never ever supposed to be out past 10:00 o’clock at night. And I hardly ever am. Wouldn’t you know it, the first time I did such a thing, I got caught.

 Murdo’s water tower in the wintertime

It all started when Mom had to go buy flowers for her planters. She always goes to Pierre and I usually go too, but I have begged off  the last couple of years. This year, I was tied down taking care of Pearl the dog. It is a responsibility I take very seriously, and that’s what I told Mom. The truth be known, I don’t like to go to Pierre unless it’s for something more fun than buying flowers. I don’t mind that so much, but Mom likes to stay overnight so she can visit with her friend Betty, who doesn’t have any kids, which is why there aren’t any kid things to do at her house, unless you count eating your TV dinner in the living room.

Mom and Betty let me eat in the living room and watch TV, because if I eat with them in the kitchen, I sit there and complain about all of the smoke they blow in my face. They talk for hours and the faster they talk, the more they smoke. Once I asked them why they didn’t smoke fake air cigarettes like Pearl the human. They both stopped talking over each other when I added, “It was already too late when she quit because she already had those road map wrinkles on her face, and once you have a face that looks like a road map, there’s no going back.”

Me after the perm….Mom’s friend Betty

That was the time they started letting me eat my Swanson’s fried chicken and corn TV dinner in the living room. It was also the last time Mom made me go with her.

This time she “arranged” for me to stay above Sanderson’s Store with Miss Pearl and Miss Grace. Everything was going along all fine until it didn’t. I walked Pearl the dog after supper, which I had to eat in Pearl’s kitchen which is fine, because she only watches TV when Dave Dedrick is on. All he does is the weather and some news, then he signs off. I went on to bed about 9:00 which is my normal bedtime. I was still laying there awake at 10:00 o’clock when something came to me like a flash. I  forgot to bring my school clothes with me.

I thought about how early I was going to have to wake up to get home and get my clothes on in time to get to school. The other negative was I forgot my saxophone too. I had what I thought was a good idea. I put on the clothes I had taken off, sneaked down the stairs and out the door. Then, I went to my house and got my stuff. I had just closed the front door when I saw the lights from the Sheriff’s car. Thank you God, he didn’t turn the siren on, but he got out of his car and asked me what I was doing. I said, “nothing much.”

What a dumb thing to say. He thought I was being all smart with him, so he said to go get my mom. I said, “My mom isn’t home.” I was going to tell him that I was on my way to Sanderson’s Store to stay with Grace and Pearl, but he didn’t let me finish. He was in a mood, I tell ya.

When we got to the jail, he took me inside and told me to sit in the chair by his desk. He sat there forever filling out some paperwork until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I said, “Do you know Pearl the human who lives above Sanderson’s Store?”

He said, “Are you talking about that mean old bird who wears the Red Owl glasses that make her look like an Owl?”

I said, “I don’t think she would appreciate what you just said, but I’m supposed to be staying with her all night. I sneaked out because I forgot to bring my clothes and my saxophone to her house, and I didn’t want to worry all night that I wouldn’t wake up early enough in the morning to go to my house and get changed and ready in time to get to school. Add to that the fact that I would have to lug this heavy horn back and forth, which would slow me down, when I was already pretty sure I was going to be late for school.”

He thought I was lying through my teeth. He marched me out to the car, and took me right over to Sanderson’s Store and up those stairs we went and he knocked on Pearl’s door. I was slightly horrified when she opened the door immediately and she looked like she could bite the tail end out of a skunk!

The Sheriff said, “Is this young lady supposed to be staying with you?”

Pearl said that yes I was and she had just checked on me and I was gone from my bed. I knew I couldn’t let all this boil up anymore, so I butted in and very quickly explained my dilemma.

Pearl said, “Well Essie, I agree with the Sheriff…I don’t believe what you’re saying.”

The Sheriff smiled a cock-eyed smile at me and said, “You had better tell us what you were really up to.”

I said, “Huh?”

Miss Pearl said, “Tomorrow is Saturday.”

“Sheesh.”

Get a load of Pearls pants. I haven’t told her what the Sheriff said about her. I might need some “insurance” some day if I ever have another dilemma.

 

 

Well, the road trip gang is off and running again. They liked Crazy Horse so much they decided to visit Mt. Rushmore. Thankfully, as long as they can pull together enough money to eat and put gas in the van coach, they are good to go because they got to stay at Grandpa Sanderson’s Nemo cabin. Lucky just loves it there. He gets to swim in the creek and chase chipmunks. Everybody is at the cabin now getting ready to head to Mt. Rushmore.

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Murdo Girl: I’m glad I didn’t listen to myself when I said I was sick of the Black Hills and wanted to go to the Corn Palace. I guess when you’ve seen Bob Hope once there’s really no point in going back to see him again. Besides…everyone seems to be having fun and we haven’t gotten into any trouble since Yram interviewed Crazy Horse.

Lav: Yeah…I can’t believe he went back to Murdo and said we were all crazier than any horse he had ever seen. What kind of mother would call their kid Crazy anyway?

Don’t worry Crazy Mom…I forgave you many moons ago

MG: Well, I just hope Yram lays off the Presidents. She wears people out.

Sherri the photographic drawer comes in the cabin kitchen, pours herself a gigantic cup of coffee and sits down at the table with Lav and MG.

Sherri: I don’t think I’ll go to Mt. Rushmore. I think I’ll stay around here and relax. Hey…aren’t you going to make your Grandpa’s fried cornmeal mush again MG? I love that stuff.

Lav: Jeez Sherri, we have had cornmeal mush for every meal since we’ve been here. Can’t we have something that doesn’t have the word mush in it? I’ve been kind of hungry for corn on the cobb. Corn dogs sound good too.

The Queen comes in: I’m so excited today. I get to meet four more Presidents. I have outlasted eleven so far. Now I get to knock out four more in one day. Now then, Who has the pounds to gas up the van coach. We were running on perfumes yesterday.

TC enters: Don’t you mean fumes Queen E? Boy, do I ever have a pounding headache.

Queen E: No I don’t mean fumes. I poured all of my Channel #5 perfume in the gas tank. The van ran like a charm bracelet.

TC: Well no wonder I have a massive headache. I’m allergic to Channel #5. That’s just crazy. Since I’m the Tattler Cowboy, I’m going to have to tell someone as soon as I get to feeling better. You go have your picture drawn all you want Queen E. I’m staying here.

I’m telling….We made corncakes…We made coffee…It’s my birthday…I’m seven

Sherri: You better make sure Kodak Kadoka is going Queen E. I’m staying here. I’m tired of drawing colorless rocks. I need some purple or periwinkle in my life. I know, I’ll draw pictures of sunrises and sunsets.

Hi Sherri…Hi Cowboy…Hey Lucky…those aren’t chipmunks.

Kodak enters: Oh no you won’t Sherri…that’s my gig and you know it. There has to be some benefits to having a name like Kodak Kadoka. Besides, my mother told me there was a sunrise and a sunset on the day I was born.

Lav: Is Bob Hope really at the Corn Palace? I bet I could get some corn nuts there. I like the ranch flavored corn nuts.

MG: My right eye is starting to twitch. You all have no idea how a mind is supposed to work do you? Every day is a new day to you. I take that back…about fifteen minutes into it, it’s usually pretty cobb..led up. See now you have me cracklin corn!! I’m going to the woods to pick up acorns!

The Goods…The Woods…somebody who has had enough cake…More coffee??

AC: (She’s been there the whole time, but with her dark glasses on, it’s hard to tell if she’s awake unless she says something.) So are we going to see the Presidents or not? MG, exactly what are my responsibilities at a venue like Mt. Rushmore? I hate to sound corny, but I have never been clear about my new job responsibilities as an Aggressive Cowboy? I feel like I’m flying blind and I might wreck my airplane.

Yram: AC, Murdo Girl just made up Aggressive Cowboy because she had to have Cowboy in your name and she thought AC sounded cool. You can probably take those sunglasses off now. You’ll probably see a cornucopia of things you haven’t really seen before.

AC: Even though being able to see comes in handy when you’re flying an airplane. I can’t Yram. Your frizzy, cornstalk, yellow hair is too hard on my eyes.

DM and Pico come running in the back porch door…You are not going to believe who we just saw up on the hill over there across the road. All heads are turned. All voices are muted. All ears of corn, (just kidding), all ears are strained. (Pico and DM saunter over to the coffee pot and frown at the empty coffee pot. They say nothing…not one word. Finally, they both sit down at the table with a glass of warm tea. (There is no refrigerator in Grandpa’s cabin.)

Everybody seated at the table:  Well? Well? Well? Well? Well?

DM: We saw the silhouette of a bunch of cowboys and Indians. They must still be fighting over who owns the Black Hills. Where are you going Yram?

Yram: I’m going over there to interview them. This could be my lucky break. Just think…Crack up reporter from Gun Barrel City, where our motto is, “We shoot straight,” gets exclusive interview with Geronimo and Wild Bill Hickock., or is it Chief Jerome and Billy the Kid? Come on Sherri. You can draw them.

Sherri: Ah, no. I think I will let everybody draw their own conclusions.

This can’t end well.

 

 

I’m Ellie…My favorite thing to eat is cotton candy. I love the taste of cotton candy melting in my mouth. On the other hand, I hate Cracker Jacks. I like caramel corn and peanuts separately, but not together. When I tell people that, they say it’s nonsense. If they keep bugging me, then I tell them I don’t like very many foods mixed together. I usually eat what’s on my plate one thing at a time.

You might be wondering what started me on this train of thought. They’re setting up a carnival in Murdo on a vacant lot south of Highway 16. I only get to eat cotton candy when I go to carnivals, but carnivals take money, and I don’t have very much of that right now. I spent what I had saved rather foolishly. I bought a fake ponytail. I had to get a fake one, because my mom made me get my hair cut too short and I can’t get it into a ponytail like I used to. She said she wanted the beauty operator to give me a permanent, but I finally cried hard enough that she decided we would wait a while and see how it goes. She said she made me get my hair cut because it’s too hard to corner me to wash my hair and put all those pink curlers in it. What makes her the maddest is that I don’t always remember to brush my hair and I go around looking like a rag muffin six days out of seven.

Our moms did the same thing…no more pony tails

I’m thinking about all of this while I’m walking over to Miss Pearl and Miss Grace’s apartments above Sanderson’s Store. I’m trying to think of what I can do for them besides walk Pearl the dog. I get some money for that, but it would take too many times walking to earn enough carnival money in time. Bucky Anderson told me they already have the Ferris wheel and the Freak Stand up. He can’t wait either. He is really outstanding at shooting the moving yellow ducks with a pop gun. I’m pretty sure the guy that runs the duck shooting hates to see Bucky coming because he wins too many teddy bears and the guy has to keep all the spaces full of teddy bears. He can’t be making any money at all on Bucky.

I’m here now, wish me luck.

“Hi Miss Pearl, I see you heard me coming. May I ask you something?”

“Why do you always ask me if you can ask me something Essie? Why don’t you just say, Hello Miss Pearl, and then ask the question. Now, what is your question?”

I realized right then that I should have thought it through. How can I ask her my question now, when she’s pretty likely to be in an irritated way. Oh well, it’s too late now.

“I need to earn some real money fast. There is a carnival in town.”

“I don’t hear a question, Essie. Are you going to make me stand here all day, while you get to the question?”

“Is there something I can do to earn $5.00 off of you.?”

“Finally…Go ahead and take Pearl the dog for a walk and I will meet with Grace and have an answer for you when you return.”

Well, I’m on my way home now with my $5.00. I earned it too. I had to lick S & H Green Stamps and put them in little books. Miss Pearl and Miss Grace want to trade them for some Finger-hut blankets and a set of TV trays. They had more stamps than I could even believe.

Now I only have two more things to worry about. I feel kind of sick from all that glue. Cotton candy doesn’t even sound good right now. If I don’t feel better by the time they get the bullet ride set up, then I just as well forget even going.

The other thing I have to deal with is they paid me in pennies they’d been saving. I sure hope they don’t have long lines for the carnival stuff, because you can about imagine how embarrassed I will be standing there counting out pennies for every ride plus cotton candy, if I feel right by then.

carnival people..girl with pony tail and cotton candy…carnival people

All that and I don’t even have a stupid pony tail that looks decent. I swear people are just trying to ruin my life!

 

Only half of this story is a rerun.

I’ve talked with some of my family and friends, and they all say they remember very little of their childhood.  One day, the little Murdo Girl, will be happy she had this opportunity to write about the many things she experienced as she was growing up in Murdo. Her children and grandchildren will know what life in Murdo was like during this time in history. It’s been said that God gives us memories so that we might have roses in December. This little girl will have dozens of bouquets, thanks to the good people of Murdo, South Dakota.  

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The last time I was in California, I stayed with our Aunt Vava, and Uncle Bob Bowers. One day, Billy came and got me. He said he was going to take me to dinner, but we had to stop by his house first. Billy is going to college, and he lives in a house with a bunch of other guys. Bob Brewer, Earl Rada, Jim Judd, and Denny Dominicak, are some I know. Everyone except Bob Brewer is from Murdo. They kind of come and go, so I don’t think all of them live there now. Anyway, I hadn’t seen the house they rent before, so I looked around a little. In the front window, they have a pyramid made out of beer cans. That’s about it, for decorations. I was talking to Bob, and I absent-mindlessly (I like that word) ran my finger across the furniture. When I started to write my name in the dust, Bob said, “Is there a problem?”

Next, I walked into my brother and Earl’s room. Billy came in and said, “I want you to clean the house before we go to dinner.”

I said,”Are you kidding? It would take me two hours to find your bed underneath all the stuff piled on it.” Earl’s was just as bad. He gave me his, you’re really just a bratty little sister, look. “Besides,” I said. “It’s way past dinnertime and I’m hungry.” Then he got his, I’m the boss of you, smile on his face. “In California, dinner is supper,” he said.

I did his stupid pile of dishes, and hung up some clothes. Finally, we got in his car to go eat. He said, “How do you feel about the Golden Arches?” It sounded pretty nice to me. The next thing I knew, we were at McDonalds. Murdo doesn’t have McDonalds, so I didn’t know what to expect. I loved it!! I think Billy knew I would.

I should have remembered people in California call dinner lunch, and supper dinner.

Once, My cousin Valerie and I stayed with my Aunt Margarete, and Uncle Bill Turner. They have a swimming pool in the backyard, so Valerie and I loved it there. On the first day, we swam all morning. I came in the house for a minute, and I smelled something really good cooking. Aunt Margarete said we were having spaghetti for dinner. Around noon, she called us inside to eat. I looked at my plate, and there was a cold minced ham sandwich on it. I don’t like sandwiches much, and I hate minced ham. I said, “I thought we were having spaghetti for dinner.” She said, “We are.” That was the first time I’d heard anybody call their supper dinner, and to me, lunch is a snack.

My Uncle showed us how to eat cheese. You’re supposed to roll it around in your mouth, and kind of mush it up. Then you close your eyes so you can get the full flavor all over inside your mouth. I was with him right up to the part where you clean your palate. Since I didn’t know what that meant, I swallowed the mushed up cheese with almost a whole glass of milk. I only like that kind of cheese a little better than minced ham. It was the kind of experience you only have once.

We also got to go with Walt Disney’s brother, Roy to the premier of a new movie called Moon Spinners, with Haley Mills. We had to dress up and everything, but it was worth it.

I’ve been thinking about lunch, dinner, and supper. I think when I’m back in California, I will say, “Aunt Margarete…what’s for noon dinner? That should be pretty easy to understand. I don’t know what I’m going to do to get my big meal at noon dinner though. Maybe I could say, “Aunt Margarete…can I have my supper for noon dinner? Or, can I have my lunch for supper?” No…then I wouldn’t get a big meal because I didn’t say anything about dinner.

Then I’ll say, “Can I have leftovers for supper? Because I don’t like sandwiches… and I’ll have my desert for my afternoon snack, and maybe some popcorn before I go to bed.”

I hope I don’t get all mixed up when I go back to Murdo.

Aunt Elna Miller, Grandma Sanderson and Mom. They all talk like me.

1) My Cousin Valerie and Aunt Elna Miller at the 1880 Town.

2) Stephanie, Mark, Valerie, Mary, Greg, and Andrea

1) Valerie, Aunt Elna, Andrea, Uncle Jerry    2) Aunt Irma and Valerie

I should have named this…Valerie gets around

Anyway, this is my life story so far. In December, I will be twelve.

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