I recently passed the cusp of middle age

and turned 60. My children say they’re

pretty sure that number should be doubled.

What a bunch of punks. I’d like to say I’ve

learned some lessons in my first 60 years

but I have my doubts.

Looking back, I realize I was always

on my way to Gar and marrying him was

the smartest decision I ever made. When

it comes to my man, there’s no shoddy

workmanship. He’s clever, kind, smart

and totally my hero. Obviously, opposites

attract.

When he met me, imagine that bad luck,

it didn’t take a long conversation for him

to wonder, if my head was cracked open,

would there be anything to scoop out?

Yes, and it rattles around like a pea in a

whistle. The first time he saw me irate, he

realized I’d batten down the hatches and

go down with the ship, whether I was right

or wrong. That should have been a clue to

never upset me, but no, from time to time

he voluntarily does. When asked if my husband

had ever went to war, I replied, “Only

with me.” Gar knows he’ll never read by

the light of my halo so why does he stick

it out? It’s a head-scratcher; maybe he’s

psycho too. I just want you to understand,

no matter how difficult you think life’s

circumstances are, know it’s always more

cursed for Gar. I swear I’m not proud of

this but I’m a little like Benjamin Ferencz,

the chief prosecutor and investigator of the

Nazi war crimes. When asked if he was occasionally

insubordinate, he replied, “No,

I’m usually insubordinate.”

I’m borderline OCD, which is a blessing

and a curse and, according to my children,

is another term for bossy. In the morning

before leaving for work I like my house put

together and again before I lay my head on

the pillow at night. I have a friend who,

get this, after dinner, leaves her dishes in

the kitchen sink all night. All night. Apparently,

nobody dies. I’m trying to calm that

inner drive for perfection and my pool boy,

who helps with chores, wishes I’d start

applying it for his sake. I give Gar much

more leeway, mostly because I’m a partial,

but not complete, blockhead. When he

pitches in around the place, I never point

out he’s doing it wrong, even if I have to

bite my tongue off and sew it back on with

dental floss later. I want the help. I said I

was OCD, I didn’t say I wasn’t lazy.

I carry a purse that contains adequate

paraphernalia to start a small business,

thus it’s hefty enough to be placed in the

anvil category. While this is hard on my

back, it’s good in that, when it’s hanging

on the hook inside a bathroom stall, I never

worry about a hand reaching over the door

and pilfering it. The person who could

snag that heavy weight would be easy to

spot; she’d be the one with the dislocated

elbow.

There are two things I’m convinced of;

when we’re shopping and see something

we love but fear there’s no place to wear it,

buy it and if need be, wear it to bed. And of

all the things not to do, don’t smoke. When

asked if I’ve ever smoked, I always reply,

“No, I use too much hairspray.”

For as long as I can remember, I’ve

canned hundreds of jars of food, but I

saw the light. I used to think it was my

duty, but that’s ridiculous. My duty is

to annoy my children. Now, each fall I

make one thing. Last year it was apple

butter, this year it’s dill pickles. Not one

jar of syrup, jam, jelly, apples, pears,

plums, peaches, sweet pickles, pie filling,

beans, beets, corn, potatoes, tomatoes,

meat or fish. I’m too busy, it takes

too long and I’m far too messy. Nothing

says, don’t be dumb, like bare feet on a

sticky floor at 5 a.m.

I’ve decided, when I grow up, I’d like

to be like Vanna White. She’s only a couple

of years older than me and has done

Wheel of Fortune for 37 years. She’s a size

2, has worn more than 6,700 gowns, never

the same one twice, makes $10 million a

year and only films four days per month.

I was misty, wondering how I could get a

gig like that. Then I clearly remembered

why I couldn’t get a gig like that. Vanna

has to smile all-four-days.

Trena Eiden at trenaid@hotmail.com

Courtesy photo

Eagle Bronze Foundry workers in

Lander are dwarfed by these two giant

bronze horses recently created here in

Wyoming and destined for Sicily.

In a state where the cowboy culture of

horses is almost a religion, it was fitting that

two of the largest horses in the world were

created here.

Artist Arturo Di Modica, one of the

world’s greatest living sculptors, has been

using the Eagle Bronze Foundry in Lander

for many of his gigantic works.

The first efforts on this project started 13

years ago. In terms of all the projects undertaken

by Eagle Bronze, this one might have

set the record for its long time in their shop.

But first a person is impressed by the gigantic

size of these horses. They are 26 feet

tall. They dwarf the workmen who have

been putting the finishing touches to the

huge bronze work of art.

It is not certain how the horses will be

placed in Di Modica’s native Sicily, but they

will sure create a stir when installed.

Monte and Bev Paddleford founded Eagle

Bronze in 1985 when Bev wanted to return

to her hometown to sculpt and to create a

small foundry to cast bronzes made by her

late father, artist Bud Boller.

They formed the business with the vision

of being a Christian company. In the next

decades it exploded into the largest bronze

foundry in the country specializing in huge

bronze monuments.

Work from the foundry can be found all

over the world. Some of the more famous include

the huge black panthers at the Carolina

Panthers football stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

The largest bronze monument in Texas

was created in Lander – it shows a bronze

cattle drive through Pioneer Park in downtown

Dallas. It features 40 cows and three

Lander. Buffalo and Thermopolis have lots

of bronzes, too.

Monte tells their story on their web page:

“We decided to move back to our hometown

so that we could start a small foundry and

for me to pastor a Vineyard Church. I guess

the Lord had slightly other plans. Having

redesigned the way we build and engineer

monuments, we have been told that we are

the largest producer of monuments in the

world, and can do them quicker than most,

keeping the integrity that the artist had originally

produced.

“Beverly also started sculpting along the

way and is a very gifted and talented artist.

Her ability to create softness and life in everything

she sculpts is truly a gift from the

Lord. Her work has kept our vision of ministry

going. I may not be the pastor I thought I

was called to be, but I have been able to see

the impact Bev’s art has had and been able to

use this as a tool to minister to people along

the way. God was calling me to ministry,

just not how I had seen it!

“Along the way, we added some additional

help to our facility. In 1999, our oldest

daughter Heather and her husband Matt

decided to help run our business. Heather

studied accounting in college and is now our

controller. Matt, having studied structural

and mechanical engineering in college, is

now our vice president. With the addition of

these two, we now have the ability to expand

our operations and move in directions we

never would have if they were not present.

Monte continues: “We have rebranded

Eagle Bronze to move in a direction that has

made us more than just a fine art foundry.

We have become an art marketing group

that can take conception to completion, help

our artists find and place projects, and much

more.

“Above all, it has always been about the

relationships we have made over the years.

It is about our everlasting friendships we

have built and hope to continue to build.”

Check out additional columns at www.

billsniffin.com.

cowboys.

The Paddlefords worked with a local

committee in Lander to use three of those

steers plus a cowboy to create what is called

The Bronze Roundup – which might be the

largest bronze monument in all of Wyoming.

It was the millennium project for the

community of Lander.

For years, Lander has been known as the

City of Bronze because of all the bronze

monuments that line the town’s Main Street.

Most of this effort was spearheaded by the

Paddlefords. The first bronze sculpture

on Main Street was by Bev’s father, Bud

Boller, sponsored by the local Ambassador’s

Club in the 1980s.

In recent years, both Casper and Sheridan

have placed tremendous numbers of

beautiful bronze statues in their cities. But

there are not so many smaller towns that

have as many statues as are featured as in