Michael K and the Old West

I adore my grandchildren and have wonderful memories of them as children and now as adults.  This is my oldest grandchild, Michael K Flindt, in 2007.  

 

This is Michael this year, with his wife, Rebekah.  When my grandchildren return from missions or exciting trips, I often fix a Sunday dinner with food from the area they visited.  After dinner, the grandchild tell us a bit about that place.  

I once told Michael K that we are all Westerners, but that, since he served his mission in Wyoming, he is more of a Westerner than any of the rest of us!  Michael also served in Ft. Collins, Colorado, but that spot doesn't seem nearly as exotic as Cheyenne and Laramie.  Michael has been home from his mission for several years, but we have never had a party for him.  

On May 16, 2021, we had a Wyoming dinner.  We ate steak because Michael K said that is typical of Wyoming.  "If you can get deer meat, Grandma, that would be even better," he said.  We sliced potatoes into wedges, baked them, and served them with ketchup, for an all-American meal.  I spread the tables with red and white checked tablecloths and put bottles of A-1 sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup on each table.

Michael says that people in Wyoming eat lots of asparagus, since that is one of the vegetables that grows well at Wyoming's high elevation and in its cold climate.  We added asparagus to the menu.

Michael said that people in Wyoming preserve food from their gardens.  I drained several quarts of  frozen peaches I preserved myself, mixed them with raspberries, and added a crumbly topping, for peach crisp.  

After dinner, Michael K showed photos of Wyoming and told us about his experiences there.  There were lots of photos of horses—jumping in rodeos and trotting across ranches.  

As a missionary, Michael helped out at the famous Cheyenne rodeo as community service.  Not bad duty!

Michael also showed photos of the beautiful rock formations near Cheyenne and of long, dry, Western vistas.