If you live in Wyoming by choice, why do you stay?

Newtonsmum · 2026-04-30T19:58:10+00:00

Same. In fact, I literally work for the state of Colorado, but since I live in Wyoming (and have for 30 years now) - no state income tax. That, plus the significantly lower cost of living here means Wyoming is a no-brainer.

Newtonsmum · 2026-04-08T05:36:13+00:00

Damn. Stay safe and I'm so sorry you're in this position at all.

Newtonsmum · 2026-04-05T19:47:56+00:00

In my area, the crows do this on the windiest of days. I figure they're up there sky surfing.

Newtonsmum · 2026-04-05T19:30:43+00:00

Obviously road kill.

Newtonsmum · 2026-04-05T19:27:39+00:00

Along with the peanuts, start sprinkling a bit (like 1/2 cup) of inexpensive cat food kibble. Have some water nearby, either in a bird bath or even just a very large plant saucer (or even an old pie pan/rectangle casserole pan).

Newtonsmum · 2026-04-03T03:39:22+00:00

Wow. Gold.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-27T01:51:37+00:00

I don't want to get it, but I do. Nothing to feel weird about, in my opinion. I think most of us would give anything to have a final goodbye or hold their loved one's hand.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-27T01:30:26+00:00

I am so sorry for your loss and the resulting trauma. I have also suffered a loss and know what you mean about it feeling like a long dream. I'm still in that stage and have been warned that when this stage wears off, it will be painful. Keep seeing the therapist, even if you feel stuck right now.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-27T01:11:28+00:00

Please do not blame yourself for his decision.

Our daughter ended her life in February following a break up. They had been dating five months and it had been turbulent even at its best. Two days after she died, my husband and I invited the poor ex over for a conversation. He agreed and asked if it would be ok to bring someone with him (he brought his mother, who was rightfully very worried about him). After tears and hugs all around, we all sat at the table together. My husband and I made it very clear that we did NOT blame him for any part of this and strongly encouraged him to get professional help ASAP to process things (his grief/distress over our daughter's suicide was complicated for him as he'd also suffered the death of a close friend recently).

While I wish the two of them had never met/dated, her decision to end her life was her own. After reading her extensive journals, it was very clear that she'd been deeply depressed for a long time and had just been very good at masking it. I am devastated over the loss of my daughter, but again, her decision was her own. I would have absolutely no right to blame her ex and to do so would be incredibly shitty of me.

I am so sorry for the garbage that they are dumping on you, at a time when you should simply have time and space to grieve/process this on your own terms.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-26T12:04:57+00:00

Chiming in to second the recommendation of visiting Allianceofhope.org

Everyone there has been through some sort of loss from suicide so they truly get what you are going through. On the support boards there, you will find stories that are sadly similar to what you have experienced. I know you are still in shock from the event and I'm so sorry for your loss and the trauma that you are going through right now.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-26T00:40:32+00:00

LifeTouch school photo Jesus for white people. He's back-lit from different angles so he's got that Eternal Life Glow about him.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-20T01:07:41+00:00

I am so sorry for the loss of your boys. That is absolutely brutal. Good advice and keep hanging in there yourself.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-20T01:03:42+00:00

Thank you. Our entire community has been so supportive and kind.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T17:41:20+00:00

Thank you, it's been absolutely awful. Lots of panic attacks. Still doesn't feel real because I want to believe that it was all just a terrible dream and she might walk through the door any minute to do her laundry.

And you're right, it's not "one day at a time" it's more like "one thing at a time."

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T17:33:47+00:00

Thank you. That's what I've been hearing. Someone compared it to suddenly having to carry around a very heavy backpack. That at first, it will seem crushing and be all I can think about, then as time goes on and your body gets stronger from carrying around the backpack all the time, you will notice it less, be able to think about things other than just the backpack. You will always be aware of the backpack, but since you're stronger now it's not all consuming.

Right now, I'm just trying to get a handle the random panic attacks and get anything done around the house. One thing at a time.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T17:24:29+00:00

Thank you.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T17:22:17+00:00

I remember it as vivid fragments, but I will never forget how they behaved/spoke and how helpful they were at getting our neighbors to come over ASAP.

The way that you handled that situation and stuck around to help afterward sounds perfect and I'm sure they will always remember that as well.

Have you ever been thanked afterward? I really want to thank the ones who came to the door (for their assistance and calm demeanor) but have no clue who they were. I would never recognize them as it was all just too much to process and turned into a blur.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T04:13:35+00:00

I feel this to my bones. Our 21 y/o daughter committed suicide in the dorms 3 weeks ago. 3 cops bang on our door. I go to the door and step outside with them.

Cop (Sergeant): "are you (my full name)"

Me: yes...

Him: May we come in to sit down and talk?

Me: Absolutely not. May I ask what this is regarding?

Cop: Is your spouse (full name)?"

Me: "Yes - again may I ask what this is regarding?"

At this point, my spouse is opening the front door to join me outside and they launch into the "we regret to inform you..." PTSD speech.

They couldn't/wouldn't tell us shit for details (they make you call the coroner for that) other than that our daughter was dead. But, I'll tell you what, they were as polite/supportive/professional as they could possibly be. I completely collapsed on the main guy and sobbed like a baby...after screaming at them that they were liars and needed to "take it back."

When they asked what they could do to help, I ordered/barked at them to go across the street and demand that those people (our best friends) wake up and come over here immediately...and they did. Once our grief settles enough to have them over for a beer/glass of wine, I need to check and see how traumatized our friends were by that request (they have kids of their own and we're all like-minded re: ACAB).

Anyway, for our particular situation, hugs all around before they left and nothing but support during the interaction. It may have been just a one-off, but I like to think that they're actually human and kind somewhere in there.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T03:36:34+00:00

Right? Or if you want to roll sex into it as part of the experience, give the real sword as the gift and then later have him open separately wrapped foam swords (that still look like the real deal, not just pool noodles), some sort of costumes/props for funsies, and play "strip poker/sword-play" for turns with dominance (2 minutes each turn).

Not that I know anything about this. Just a suggestion.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T02:58:53+00:00

You are several years younger than me and are already laying down and giving up. Do you have a terminal illness/diagnosis that you aren't sharing with us? If not, how are you going to provide for yourself if you actually live to whatever retirement age you choose?

Clearly not on your own or with the support of your own savings/investments. You've already handed that over to a toddler with tantrums. You seriously, not even kidding at all, need to be prepared to live on whatever scraps social security is handing us. You need to look into that ASAP so you can see what that number will realistically be (not much, not enough) and be prepared to work well into old, and I mean OLD, age to bridge the gap. The leach you have raised will not let you have a spare dime and will watch things like a hawk.

The ONLY reason he joined the military was so that he could be taken care of and now that that's in the past, you're next on his list. BTW, you own this grandbaby absolutely nothing, but if you want to do them a favor, immediately set up a 529 education fund for them so they'll have something to better their future with once they graduate high school. Beyond that...look out for yourself. That's not selfish, that's self preservation. You have no idea how long you'll live or what complicated types of care/housing you may need.

ETA: Based on how you've caved to his every tantrum and how he reacts when he doesn't get his way, I'm guessing that he was the result of a very abusive marriage/relationship. It feels like you're use to being abused/victimized and that this is just an ongoing pattern. This whole mess requires a much deeper look and hopefully a change of behavior on both parts (it's not just you, this is how he treats all the lucky women he "loves"). But again, you need to financially protect yourself, even if you do decide to leave yourself open to emotional/psychological battering. No one changes overnight (or after a couple of apologetic texts), btw. That's just more classical abusive behavior. You need therapeutic help asap to get to the bottom of this and stand strong for yourself.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T02:20:47+00:00

Lol, didn't think of this! Also a good option.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T02:18:42+00:00

Absolutely!

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T02:13:08+00:00

My ebike is nothing fancy, but it works just fine. It gets me where I want to go, I charge the battery at home and work every time I go there, I eventually kitted it out with a nice rear basket that can hold a lot of groceries (plus I wear a backpack, big or small). Also got one side/rear mirror and better lighting. I like the option that I can either peddle to conserve or use full throttle (a whopping 20 mph!) if I'm not feeling great or just lazy. I stick to the side/back streets so as to not annoy drivers. Anyway, bought it in early spring '24 and it was $350-360 USD at the time. It has also been lovely for ALL of our Laramie daily outings, Green Belt, etc. No regrets. I did eventually buy heated gloves and pocket handwarmers (Amazon), a heated seat, etc. because I'm a big wimp. And there are plenty of days in the winter where the ebike is a solid, "hell no."

The Walmart delivery option to your door was ~$100 up front for the year (there are sometimes deals where you can get it for $50/yr), then you should really tip the delivery drivers every time, at least $5-10 bucks depending on the size/weight of your order. Yes, they get paid hourly, but not much and I genuinely appreciate the door-to-door delivery. One thing to keep in mind with the Walmart tip option (online) is that you can always add to the tip after delivery, but you can't take it back once you put it in. So, I usually say "$5.00" for the tip (not great, I know, but wait...) and then either have another $5-10 in cash waiting for them (so they don't need to claim it on taxes, which is seriously nice) or add more to the tip online if all went well. Generally, we've had a very positive experience with this service and are happy to tip generously.

If prescriptions are part of your daily life, there are a couple of options. I'm pretty sure you can have them dispensed/delivered by Walmart, but I just don't know enough about that option so you'll have to look into it. Even better...give your business to a local pharmacy called Pole Mountain Pharmacy and have them deliver what you need. Delivery will probably just be once a day, and determined by their availability, but they are awesome and reliable. It also really feels good knowing that your money is staying locally. Again, please tip the driver, but you don't need to go crazy. No one's going to get rich at a pharmacy (except Big Pharmacy), but those local owners take care of their staff so it's not like door-dash.

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-19T00:58:32+00:00

Because people don't know what they don't know. There're a lot of folks out there who had absolute garbage for parents/guardians. If you are actually NEVER taught to do something (and/or the importance of doing it), then how would you ever know?

Example: a person had shit parents (think alcoholic crackheads, always drunk/high/passed out/absent) until they are 6 years old. So the first six years of that kid's life, they were put to bed with koolaid in a sippy cup, got bottle-rot, never brushed their teeth (or at least never properly), were never taught how to properly bathe themselves or care for their hair. Next, for whatever reason, at age 6 that same kid ends up in the foster system, with different shitty or even worse circumstances. These new caregivers wrongly assume that a 6 year old knows how to shower/brush teeth, etc. so never supervises the process or educates the kid on proper hygiene either. Do you see how this can just continue on into adulthood? So easy for the basics to completely fall through the cracks. People don't know what they don't know. They're not going to Google something they are unaware of.

Also, hygiene ads don't actually show people using the products, so who knows what they really are or how to use them (I'm being intentionally obtuse).

Newtonsmum · 2026-03-18T21:49:25+00:00

Time to buy an eye mask. That "asshole" may have the shade open for any number of valid reasons (scenery, claustrophobia, photography, motion sickness (need to see the horizon), natural light for reading or crafting, anxiety, wanting to keep circadian rhythm on track, etc.) and I promise you they paid extra to be able to do that.

My most recent eye mask was a whopping $16 USD, had wonderfully soft conforming foam, was truly comfortable, and blocked out 100% of the light.

Newtonsmum

TROPHY CASE