Here is the Christmas letter from my cousin's wife in South Dakota. I haven't read the whole thing, just skimmed over the weather recap looking for family news. Yes, she actually signed it Mrs. Barb ____, as if she's mailing it to strangers.

This is the family from a tiny town. The sons are brilliant like their dad. The older one who is currently working as an actuary has a Master's Degree in computer science and is going to go back to school for a pHD. The other one was bored in college so now he is a professional poker player and won $57,000 in this year's World Series of Poker. I don't know what will become of him, but so far he's having fun. I guess it's not much worse than being a cowboy, neither job comes with health benefits or company matching for the 401K plan.





"It is that time of the year to wish friends and relatives a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I'm starting the letter out with the highlights mostly of 2009:

Our youngest son Wes flew home on December 23 morning to spend till December 27, 08 morning with his folks. On December 27 mid-morning I had the misfortune of my buck knocking me down by the walk-in gate. I forgot to take my security stick with me. I received a left black and blue knee and black and blue spot behind my left shoulder and sore spot on top of my head. Which led to a headache for two to four days. Now I always take my faithful 13 year old border collie dog “blue” by my side morning and night to do my chores.

Then on January 12, 09 afternoon, I picked out my heaviest traction overshoes (I thought) to get the mail at the post office when I slipped and fell on the ice. I was being very careful on the snow packed icy condition, but still I went down and hurt my middle and right side of my tail bone.

Our oldest son, Chester had accepted a college teaching job in January 2009. But on December 15, 08, Chester had a change of plans to accept an actuary job near Phoenix, Arizona. He started the actuary job on January 5, 2009.

I did my tenth year of night lambing for a total of 21 nights for neighbors to the southeast of us this spring. They had plans to sell their ewes however a series of three blizzards in three weeks time prevented them from selling their sheep this spring. Jarvis and Janet Follette did sell all their ewes this fall!

Wes arrived home on May 2 forenoon at Rapid City Regional Airport. Norm picked him up because I was night lambing and I needed my rest. Wes left the following Saturday forenoon, May 9 for his home of Tempe, Ariz. Wes moved there on February 28,09.

Chester arrived in Rapid City on July 25,09 to attend a wedding. Chester and his friend Trevor Schmelz also picked out tuxedos for Trevor upcoming marriage on November 28, 09. Chester arrived home on July 28 evening and left the following morning after breakfast with his folks at a cafe in Sturgis.

Chester and Wes flew home on November 21 to spend Thanksgiving with their folks. Chester and Wes also visited some friends and other relatives while in S. D. Wes flew back to his three level townhouse at Tempe on November 28. Chester flew back to his new apartment at Scottsdale, Ariz. the next day. Chester moved to his present location at Scottsdale on March 1, 09.

My three year old ewe had a set of twin lambs (bucks) born on May 28, 09. the lambs were born around 8 A.M. in the morning. I was off to work. We just separated my mean buck away from the small herd of three ewes the day before. I sold the wether lambs on November 5,09. My two two year old ewes didn't have lambs last spring. If they don't lamb this spring. I'll have to sell them!

I'm ending the letter with the eventful or uneventful weather pattern for 2009:
January- January thaw happened from January 15 till January 22. It took most of the ice, snow from November and December 2008 to bare muddy ground. It shrunk the snowdrifts to half or one third there size. Last winter I wore my face mask to get the mail and do my chores plus break or broke a lot of ice for our few livestock and pets. I also wore my leggings and wool socks all winter and into the springs of March till some of May. Also the past winter had a lot of cloudy or partly cloudy days and hardly any sun. It was such a long winter from November 2008 clear till May 2009. Finally had spring in June, but a extremely cool July and August, one month of summer that was September, back to winter or no more growing season in October, and back to mostly a cool November. January and February had snow but thankful not a huge amount. February had only five days in the 50's.
February through April had more sunny days.

The first week of February our neighbors to the north moved into an apartment at Grand Valley apartments in Newell due to their health. The end of April got new neighbors.

March was a pretty cold month. On March 19-21 had beautiful spring days in the 60's which only lasted those three days. As of March 23 and 24 was our first blizzard of 20” snow with 5 to 10 foot drifts. There was two to three feet snow on the level in Vale. March 30 had our second blizzard. April 4 had our third blizzard of 10 to 12” snow. April 1 and 7 awoke to +7 degrees. April 13 and 14 the highs were in the 60's. So the Belle Fourche and Horse Creek rivers were flooding over their banks. April 15 and 18, 24-26 had rain, which didn't need due to all the snow during the winter and the three weeks apart of blizzards, making a lake everywhere in the yard, outside buildings, roads, and road ditches. In May the leaves didn't come on the trees till around my birthday, May 23rd, due to the cold nights. Also had only .60” rain on May 24 for the month of May. Actually we had more summer type high temperatures in April and May than June-August.

The June through September mornings were mostly in the 40's or 50's to a few 60's making it good sleeping conditions but not good growing weather for most gardening produce. Our ten heads of cabbage plus kohlrabies and the volunteer lettuce did well again this year. We had a fair crop of tomatoes but only the first and second pickings ripened on the vine. We had poor crops of broccoli, cucumbers, and buttercup squash, and honeydew. This year in all it was our poorest garden due to the cool nights all summer. My husband faithfully sprayed to keep the grasshoppers out of the garden. They were real bad this spring and summer.

October had twelve days of either rain or snow or both, but thankful no big amount of white stuff which left November in a dry weather pattern. This October was the coldest month on record for Rapid City and I'd say mostly all of South Dakota. November was mostly in the 50's or 40's during the days. Now we have December and winter to look forward to.

I keep busy working my usual two days a week (Thursday and Friday) and also as fill-in Housekeeper when needed at Edgewood Vista Assisted Living of Spearfish, plus do my news for the local paper mostly on Monday and Tuesday of each week.

Norm has had a mostly steady year with upholstery work.
Wish you all the best in 2010.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Barb ____