By Bill Sniffin
With just six people per square mile, it has been argued Wyoming has been practicing “social distancing” since 1890.
Is there a group for us hypochondriacs? Call it hypochondriacs Anonymous or Feverish Folks or Itching to get Sick Club?
Once in a while, it seems like my wife has too little compassion for me as I fret over my latest sniffle, or scratchy throat, or slight headache. And during nervous coronavirus times like these, I am bad about imagining that I am getting sick. I wonder how many other husbands hear this refrain from their wives: “Hey buddy, I am your wife. I am NOT your mother!” Actually, Nancy treats me great but if I linger too long then I get reminded about how well I really am.
Not sure how she did it, but my mom always babied us when we were sick as kids. We would stay home from school, drink chicken soup, gobble up ice cream and watch lots of TV. And we got lots of attention. Love those memories, ha! When I am sick, I admit I miss my mom. She is 96 and confined with no visitors in a Denver-area nursing home. As I write this, luckily, we are feeling fine.
Two of my favorite items on Facebook right now are my old friend Chuck Coon singing the song “Yellowstone Winds” and Annie and Amy Smith singing “Wyoming Where I Belong.” Coon was a PR specialist for the Wyoming Division of Tourism for years but I did not realize he was a crooner.
The Smith twins wrote their song 20 years ago and performed it all over the world. It was a way for them to recall their home, while being away so much. It was voted an official Wyoming state song in 2018.
Also, I get goosebumps when I hear Wyoming native son, the late Chris LeDoux, singing “Song of Wyoming” on YouTube. It’s great.
Funny guy Tim Mandese of Casper said on his Quarantine Diary that he’s thinking about writing a novel about a Chinese guy who eats a bat. He gets a virus that infects the entire world. “Nah, probably too far-fetched,” he concluded.
My kids are watching a show called Tiger King on Netflix. There seems to be some truth to the story that the main character of the series, Joe Exotic, grew up in Laramie. It is truly a crazy show.
Bob Waits, known as Wyoming’s Bear Guy because he has carved 3,000 wooden bear statues, says children born 9 months from now will be known as “Children of the Quarn.”
A recent police report from Casper, which reflects the rest of the state, stated:
Robberies 0
Speeding 0
Burglaries 0
Domestic squabbles 1,435
Sorry, I just made these stats up.
