local to local

Daily observations at or near Two Dot Spot, written by hand on the backs of postcards that record with ink and coffee a few minutes of the earth's orbit around the sun. The cards are physically mailed from Two Dot, Montana to those who have requested them...local to local. Ruth Marie Tomlinson

6.28.12... cloudless, windless

The wind stopped after dinner last night. I am not sure it happened in an instant, but I noticed it quite suddenly. It was quiet and still. We walked outside just to feel it. Everything was warm. Taking advantage, we looked for the survey markers on our property. I recently got a copy of the latest survey from the Wheatland County Courthouse which is a large sandstone building shaded by huge trees. I was shown a hundred-year-old map of Two Dot with owners names penciled in on the properties. Some names have been whited out and re-written as ownerships have changed. After establishing who my neighbors are, I was sent to the Clerk and Records office where deputy clerk Gwen Brown was entering data into a massive red leather bound ledger. She took me to the stacks. Hundreds of these ledgers are stored on shelves, making a physical presence of county history. My property's survey is part of this monumental collection, making me feel my particular part in a much larger whole.