February 12, 2004
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in this issue
-- Pronghorn Antelope
-- President's Birthdays
-- This Week's Guest Ezine
-- When I was a girl
-- In the Kitchen
-- Reader Contribution (The answer)
-- Schulze Enterprises
-- Bunny Sings Wolf
-- I am proud to be an American
-- Until next week,

Hello Friends,

Welcome to another edition. I hope you had a great week. I am truly enjoying the e-mail notes you send. Thank you, everybody.

I had an unexpected and enjoyable phone call on Saturday evening. My cousin Ida Mae from Oregon called. I would love to go visit her, along with my other relatives and friends in the beautiful state of Oregon.

Pronghorn Antelope
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The American Pronghorn is the only animal of its kind left. The last surviving member of the Antilocapridae family, it is found only in North America. During the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs there were at least 13 different pronghorn genera on this continent; today there is only a single species. ~~~ Most scientists believe the Pronghorn is not an antelope and is unrelated to the African antelope. There is some evidence that they may be related to the goat, but many scientists believe them to be a species unrelated to any other. ~~~ Pronghorn are known for their great speed and their ability to see great distances. They can sprint up to 70 miles per hour for a few minutes, making them the fastest animal in North America. I have seen them race alongside a car, slowing down and speeding up in order to remain right with the vehicle. They can keep this up for several miles. Deep snow seems to be the only thing that can slow them down. ~~~ They can see for as far as four miles and prefer to inhabit areas that are wide open, giving them a better view and escape, but they are also found in forested areas. ~~~ When startled, the animal raises the white hair on its rump to warn others , then flees at great speed. ~~~ Today, the Pronghorn Antelope lives in parts of 14 western states. Of those 14 states, only 3 have antelope throughout the entire area of the state _ New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, with Wyoming having the largest antelope population. ~~~ Tourists and other visitors to our area call them "Pronghorn Antelope," which of course is correct, but local folks just call them "antelope." ~~~ The antelope is naturally curious. After fleeing from danger, they often return to see what it was, a fatal mistake during hunting season. I have seen hunters hang a plastic bag on a fence post, then wait within shooting distance. After while, the antelope move in closer to see what it is.Thousands of hunters come to Wyoming every year hoping to bag one of these unique animals. Locals hunt them too, often referring to them as "goats." ~~~ Nature equipped the Pronghorn Antelope to live on burning deserts as well as frigid plateaus. Their hair is hollow and by flexing certain muscles, the animal can hold its hair at different angles; flat and overlapping to keep out the cold, or erect to allow circulation of air when it is hot. ~~~ In Wyoming, antelope give birth to their young in May or June. After the doe's first season, twins are common. Weighing only four or five pounds, the first day of their life finds the fawns wobbly on their legs. but they develop rapidly. When they are born, the mother hides the fawn and only returns to feed and clean it. When there are twins, they are born about 500 yards from each other and hidden separately. The fawns have little or no scent and they are safer this way. ~~~ They mature fast and within a month are running with their mother and the rest of the herd. ~~~ In the fall, the antelope gather in larger herds for the breeding season. The dominant males usually have a harem of about 20 to 30 does. I enjoy watching their displays. The larger bucks make sudden sideways jumps from a standing position, either to the left or right. This is to show their rank and strength. The bucks do some head butting, but few ever get hurt because the smaller buck withdraws when he sees he can't win. When he withdraws, the victor chases him for a while, but returns quickly to guard his harem. ~~~ The Pronghorn Antelope is the only animal that has both a horn and an antler. Unlike deer and elk, where only the males have antlers, both the Pronghorn bucks and does have antler/horns. There is an outer sheath-like antler that has two pints. Unlike cows and bison, which grow horns that are never shed, after the breeding season is finished, the Pronghorn lose the outer part of the antler. A short horn that was under the antler remains. The next year another antler will grow back over the remaining bony shaft. ~~~ A big problem for antelope is fences; the antelope, unlike a deer, cannot jump a fence. Because of this many animals die when they are unable to reach areas where food can be found. In the days when Wyoming was being settled, the pioneers often built fences to keep them out because they were eating the grass that they wanted for their cattle.~~~ At one time, like the bison, the Pronghorn population was well over 40 million, but by the beginning of the twentieth century, there may have been as few as 20,000.

I consider it such a privilege to live in this beautiful state of Wyoming with its abundant plant and animal life, fossils, mountains and plains, rivers and lakes and rich history everywhere. ~~~ I have deer and cottontail rabbits in my yard almost every day and although some people would not be thrilled about that, I am. I see antelope nearly every day at the end of my street near some open fields. ~~~ Tourists sometimes drive past dozens of antelope herds without ever seeing an antelope, they blend in so well with their environment. You learn to spot them by the snow- white patch of hair on their rump, which stands out in sharp contrast to the grass and sagebrush where they are usually found. ~~~ I have spent some time studying these remarkable animals and I soon realized that each one is unique in looks. If you spent much time around a particular group of antelope, you would be able to recognize each individual. Some have a broader forehead or a thinner face and some have a wide, heavy stripe of black hair that goes from behind their ear all the way around their throat. Others have shorter or narrower patches of black on their face. They all have those beautiful big black eyes with the long black eyelashes. ~~~ I hope to have the time this summer to spend with some of them. I have found that if you return often, they will eventually accept your presence and come closer to get a better look at you, which in turn gives you a closer look at them.

President's Birthdays
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Abraham Lincoln's birthday is today. February 22 is George Washington's birthday. Of course, they are both celebrated on February 16, the day known as "President's Day

When I was a girl
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Anthony Perkins was "Tony Perkins"

Tab Hunter was a popular leading man in movies.

In the Kitchen
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COPPER PENNY SALAD: 2 lb carrots, sliced, 1 small green pepper, sliced, 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, 1 can tomato soup, 1/2 cup salad oil, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup vinegar, 1 tsp prepared mustard, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, Salt and pepper. ~~~ Boil carrots in salted water until tender. Cool. Put carrots, onion and peppers in a dish. Combine the other ingredients; beat until well blended. Pour mixture over vegetables and refrigerate overnight. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator.

FIVE CUP SALAD: 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup mandarin oranges, 1 cup miniature marshmallows, 1 cup drained pineapple.~~~ Combine all ingredients and mix well; chill thoroughly. For variety of color or taste add 1/2 small package dry Jello. (Cherry or orange is best.)

visit the Sagerose store today!

Reader Contribution (The answer)
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"G'day Rosie, I'm an Aussie and happy to join your club. You know we Aussies and you have a lot in common, it's just that you are 15 times bigger than us in population. I was born in 1937 in a small gold mining town here in Western Australia named Gwalia. It just so happens that way back in 1898 a mining engineer came to Western Australia and travelled 600 miles out into the desert to look at a just-discovered gold mine named "Sons of Gwalia." He looked and liked what he saw and the mine was bought and he moved in as the first manager and the town named Gwalia grew up around him. He only stayed long enough to get things running smoothly and then he was off to China to look at a goldmine there and then back to the States. Why am I telling you this? well he eventually became President of the United States of America! It's true and here's the rub-- who was he?? I think someone will know but I'll tell you later in case no one does. Regards from Down Under--summer here and 90 to 105 every day. John Sheridan"

THE ANSWER: There was only one correct answer. Congratulations to Mary and Randy Dixon from Newcastle, Wyoming for sending in the correct answer, which is Herbert Hoover. Thank you to everybody who took a guess. It was fun. ~~~ I will do an article on Herbert Hoover and his wife in the near future.~~~ If you would like John Sheridan's e-mail address, let me know and I will send it to you.

Schulze Enterprises
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 Where the customer is number one! If you need a web site for your business or just want a place to share pictures with friends and family, Schulze Enterprises can create a web presence that you will be proud of, at a reasonable price.

Visit Schulze Enterprises today. You will enjoy their "Black Hills Traveler" site.

Affordable website design and digital imaging

I am proud to be an American
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"In God we trust"

Feel free to send anything you want, from a comment to a story or poem that you have written. Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share? A question? A handy hint? I will be happy to include them.

Until next week,
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Stay warm (or cool, depending on where you are) and have a nice Valentine's Day! Rosie

If you like this publication and know somebody else who would, feel free to send it on. You will find a link at the bottom for that purpose. I ask only that you send the entire letter and not parts of it.**(c) 2004 Rosie Cooley; all rights reserved**


Contact Information
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email: rosiec@rtconnect.net
voice: (307)746-3345
web: http://www.rtconnect.net/~rosiec/
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