Wednesday Near Wyoming - May 6, 2020

Since many of us are unable to travel and might need reminders to smile, I'm featuring an unusual and out-of-the-way destination in this month's posts.

You may have noted that the title says Wednesday NEAR Wyoming rather than Wednesday IN Wyoming. That's because we're heading to Alliance, Nebraska and Carhenge.

As you can tell from both the name and the picture, it's an attempt to recreate  Stonehenge using cars rather than stones.

Did it make you smile? I certainly smiled when I first saw it.

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 29, 2020

Ending our month of smile-inducing pictures from the Laramie County Fair is this one of a teenager getting her sheep ready for the competition. I'm amazed at how much work she put into grooming the sheep and even more amazed at how well behaved it was.

Did you smile at this month's pictures? I hope so!

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 22, 2020

Remember the sheep from mutton busting? Most of them looked like ordinary sheep. This one, however, had a lion cut that made both the announcers and me smile.

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 15, 2020

Mutton busting isn't the only event for children at the county fair. Younger kids enjoy their own version of barrel racing, only instead of real horses, they ride stick horses, and traffic cones replace barrels. What doesn't change is the fun and excitement they have.

Look at this young cowboy. Not only is he wearing a cowboy hat and boots, but he also has chaps. A future rodeo champ in the making.

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 8, 2020

Here's another picture, also from the county fair, that made me smile. Are these alpacas siblings or simply friends? I don't know. All I know is that they're adorable.

Evelyn's Oatmeal Pecan Pie

So many people have asked for the recipe for the oatmeal pecan pie that plays an important role in Out of the Embers that - even though it's a family secret that Evelyn refuses to share with anyone - I'm willing to share it with you.

Isn't the page beautiful? I wish I could take credit for that, but I can't. The creative staff at Revell designed this page and all the others that make up Hill Country Sweets. (In case you're not familiar with it, that's the cookbook we offered along with other freebies to those who preordered Out of the Embers.)

The cookbook itself is easy to read, but I suspect you're having some trouble deciphering the recipe because I had to resize the picture. Here it is in simple text format.

Emmeline Radcliffe’s Oatmeal Pecan Pie

A Polly’s Place Recipe

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine:

½ cup butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup dark corn syrup *

¾ cup quick oats

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup chopped pecans

Pour into unbaked 9 inch pie crust.

Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake 25 minutes.

Uncover edges.

Bake another 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

* Since corn syrup wasn’t available in 1856, Evelyn and her mother would have used molasses. 

I hope you enjoy the pie as much as Evelyn's customers did.

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 1, 2020

In a world that seems filled with unhappy news and dire predictions, we all need reasons to smile. That's why this month's Wednesday in Wyoming posts will  feature pictures that made me smile.

Have you ever seen mutton busting? I was introduced to it the year we moved to Cheyenne when my husband and I attended the county fair.

Who wouldn't smile at the determination of this young cowboy to remain on the sheep's back, even when the sheep had other ideas? I certainly did.