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The Bear's Ear Peaks are tipped white and the air is crispy
clear - winter has almost arrived. People have Christmas
trees and gifts upon their minds and some almost ruin the
holiday by their rushing about. I think it is better to take
sometime and look to see of the deer have come back to the
cottonwood grove down the road. Deer sentinels on the ridges
and fluffed-up cottontail rabbits in the sagebrush are simple
scenes and memory pictures of nature's gallery. Poetry
abounds in the whisper of t he wind under the eaves and the
sun on the hoar-frosted tree branches of a December morn­
ing.
The card contest sounds real good and I hope everyone
makes a good strong effort for it - think I will start sketching
some pictures.
The Fremont County Cow-Belles put out a new book in Oc­
tober, "Cow-Belles Guide to the Beef Industry". I have some
poems in it and I did the cover drawing. The book is about
local livestock brand histories, beef recipes, poetry and sket­
ches.
Snow Ho-Ho
She: Let's go roll the hoses.
He: It ain't gonna' snow.
She: Let's cover the roses
and watch those leaves blow.
Let's gather the gardenHe: It ain't gonna' snow.
She: There are clouds on the mountain
and they're hanging low.
Let's build the wood fireHe: It ain't gonna' snow.
She: -there's ice on the water
and it barely can flow.
I'll get out the thermalsHe: It ain't gonna' snow.
She: Sometimes after a storm
it gets umpteen belowit's into DecemberHe: It ain't gonna snow.
She: Well, what's that white stuff
That's piling up so?
Get out the shovel.
He: Well, hell, it did snow!
She: Glad that you noticednow shovel and throw!
Jean A. Mathisen
FACTS are the background of all good writing, prose or fic­
tion. Libraries are good hunting grounds. If your local library
doesn't have the book yo u want, the librarian can locate the
book immediately under Wyoming's new library recording
system. It will be mailed to your library from the nearest
source.
There are two other excellent research centers in Wyom­
ing. Write Philip J. Roberts, Wyoming State Archives,
Museums and Historical Department, Barrett Building,
Cheyenne 82002. He will research for you and send you a
photo-copy (perhaps of a newspaper article) on the informa­
tion you want. Or better still, go to Cheyenne, and do the
research yourself from hundreds of sources. Roberts will
help you.
The Hebard Room, Coe Library, University of Wy oming,
Laramie, has thousands of files on Wyoming history. You will
be given the file you asked for, and have a large room in
which to read or copy your research. Gene M. Gressley is in
charge and is a very friendly helper. Years ago Grace
Hebard started research on Wyoming Place names, and
wrote hundreds of l etters. Gene let me reasearch these let­
ters, and started me on writing my WYOMING PLACE
NAMES.
As you research on one subject, you will f ind other ideas
hiding behind pictures and paragraphs. You will get ideas
how to write about Wyoming in a different way than ever told
before.
Mae Urbanek
Calendar
December
15-WYO-WRITER submission deadline for Jan. Newslet­
ter.
18 & 19~Stage III Production of prize-winning one-act plays
by Wyoming authors, Len Sherwin and Bert LaGrange at
West Wind Gallery, Casper.
31-Deadline, California State Poetry Contest (see Nov.
Newsletter).
January
4-Rocky Mountain Writers Guild senior citizens' contest
opens.
15-Deadline, Wyoming Writes Christmas Card Contest. . .
See guidelines in Nov. WYO-WRITER.
31-Wyoming Writers Annual Contest begins, Terry Foster,
Chairman Success Awards competition opens.
February
1-Nominations open for Emmie Mygatt Scholarships.
March
31-Deadline, Wyoming Writers Annual contest.
31-Success Awards competition closes.
April
1-Deadline for Emmie Mygatt Scholarship nominations.
5-Deadline for Rocky Mountain Writers Guild senior
citizens' contest.
May
1-Deadline for workshop pre-registration and free
manuscript reading.
June
4, 5 & 6-Wyoming Writers' Workshop: The Virginian Motel
in Jackson, Wyoming Gene Nowlin, Chairman.