The Old Feeder in Ames, Iowa

Typical ISU Students - 1972

There have been some changes in the old feeder's plan to escape to the desert. I have acquired a traveling companion. This has required me to move my base of operations to Ames, Iowa, where I am going to stay until my adventurous partner, (who also happens to be an ex-wife) gets her house sold and her household goods secured. I have no idea how long this will take. I lived in Ames from 1965 to 1972.

In the meantime, I'm living out of a suitcase at her house. The feedlot, home for the last 12 years, is abandoned for good. We will get to the high desert in New Mexico soon enough, but for now I will be busy doing the same tasks I have just finished at the feedlot: throwing things away, putting stuff in storage and tying up loose ends. So much for plans.

If any Plains Feeder readers are interested in following my activities, I have been pretty good at keeping a current account on my FaceBook page. Otherwise, I plan to resume regular blogging here as soon as things shake out a bit. I'm still using an old laptop, there being no place to set up anything else.
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Now that I am safely out of the Omaha, Nebraska area, I plan to give up much of the anonymity that has kept me from getting to know my readers personally. I expect to do this slowly; I've been living in undisclosed locations under assumed names for so many decades that it will be difficult to give up the practice.

I think I'll start by asking you to guess where the feedlot really is. Some of you already know, so please don't spoil the fun. I'd like to see if anyone has guessed the actual location. Clue:

‘And what will ye do wi’ your tow’rs and your ha’,
Edward, Edward?
And what will ye do wi’ your tow’rs and your ha’,
That were sae fair to see, O?’—
‘I’ll let them stand till they doun fa’,
Mither, mither;
I’ll let them stand till they doun fa’,
For here never mair maun I be, O.’

The feedlot has 'towers' and a 'hall' that can be seen for miles. More clues to follow.

Forget? Never!

Screen grab from a 9/11 video

Take a few minutes today to remember and reflect upon the 9/11 attacks. Never forget.

A Plains Pilgrim's Progress

Placitas, New Mexico

The old feeder is but a couple of weeks away from quitting the feedlot. Notices have been given, services set to be disconnected, and forwarding arrangements made. I have moved many of my earthly possessions to a storage shed; that which remains here I am kissing goodbye. It is nearly time to move into my car and head off to the New Mexico desert.

The plan is locate temporary living accommodations for the winter somewhere in the high desert. During the Winter, I'll look for better digs if the first place I land isn't entirely suitable. Come springtime, when the Nebraska snows have melted and the grass shows it's green face on the Great Plains again, I will return to arrange for shipment of my books and papers.

I'm taking a laptop computer with me on my pilgrimage, perhaps I'll be able to contribute travel reports to the Plains Feeder. Once situated, I expect to resume regular blogging. No matter where I settle, I will always be a Plainsman at heart.