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The start of the year is here, and it's got me feeling like a cowboy waitin' for the gate to swing open. Last week, I watched those bronc riders at the fair, hearts pounding, muscles tensed, ready for the ride of their lives. Our staff kickoff on Tuesday was just like that – anticipation, excitement, and a whole lot of teamwork. We've been buckin' ideas around and wranglin' up some commitments tied to our core values. Who we are and where we're headed is as important as a g...
The 2024 Olympics are wrapped up, which is good, because watching them makes us normal people feel inadequate and unworthy. We like to believe we have achieved some level of greatness, and then we compare ourselves to those amazing athletes and feel substandard. I am reminded of a conversation I had back when the Olympics were in Japan. It went like this: "What are you doing here? I thought you would be in Sochi," my friend Judy Vidack greeted me. "Are you worried about...
August 12, 2024 Last Sunday evening, Ronda Cordell was up watching the lightning strikes on the radar map. It was very dry and the fire danger was high. She has finally got to mowing and trying to get the yard in shape. With the hot weather, after several sessions of pushing the mower, it didn’t take long to work up a sweat and need a break. Last Thursday, Clint Zolnoski loaded a two-hundred fifty gallon sprayer pump in a pickup and filled it with water. These ‘during the night’ storms that come rumbling through are prett...
August 5, 2024 This has been another terribly hot week at Capitol and on Tie Creek. Finally, early on Sunday, we got about an eighth of an inch of rain, that instantly soaked up. The grasshoppers have tamed down a little, and we are lucky to have only a few mosquitoes. Erma Albert had an appointment at the clinic in Buffalo, on Monday. She spent the week recovering from the flu. Dick went to church on Sunday, and brought home lunch for Erma afterward. Alvin Cordell had finished haying, a couple of weeks ago. He had two wells...
Seeing all the county fair posts on Facebook brings back a flood of fond memories of my own 4-H years and those of my children. One of my not so fond 4-H memories was Brooke's 4-H cat project. She had already signed up for a horse project and a breeding heifer, so what harm could come from signing up for a cat project? Right! Brooke's herd of cats had grown from the original seed stock cats, Max and Macho, who were both females regardless of their obviously masculine names....
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, some folks have a 'swarm' of friends and kin who have lots to celebrate in August, which means birthdays and anniversaries. One gal has a name and date on every single date on her August calendar! Deaths also are listed; as we are born to die and fly back 'HOME' to heaven to be with Father God... But while down here, how about a party? Mentioning this, friend 'Sue' giggled and asked if she'd be invited to one of our early parties as...
It is a tough year in Montana with heat, drought, grasshoppers, and wildfires. My heart breaks for the affected landowners, because I have been there several times. We have had four major fires burn through our Musselshell ranch in 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2012. I encourage anyone who is able to donate time or money or needed supplies or even food, because that is the most important thing at this time. The only way survivors of natural disasters keep getting up every morning is...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, listening to friends chatting about their Travel Plans is fun. They didn't seem concerned about the cost, travel agent, or where they'd stay! "I like VACTION TIME," Julie said, "The best trip we had was on a ship along the West Coast, not sure of the cities we visited, back then but we liked the entertainment and the food." Lia added, "Dave and I loved the flight to and from Honolulu, Hawaii. We loved the place where we stayed, near th...
July 29, 2024 At Ronda Cordell's, the power was out for a day and half, after the storm. Clint had brought her a generator, on Sunday, to keep the freezers from thawing in the hundred-degree weather. Ronda had seen the TV's severe storm warning of a storm coming from the Jordan, Montana area. Ronda drove up the hill to be able to see the storm clouds to the west. The sun was going down, and the cloud build-up was quite picturesque, with massive, dark, bluish-purple clouds...
It is county fair season. My hope is that all moms and dads remember there is a fine line between extremely supportive and downright crazy! Having been both a 4-H member and a 4-H mom, I can tell you that fairs are a huge success every year due to the hard work of the Extension staff, the FFA advisors, the kids, the parents, the grandparents, and a lot of supportive volunteers. I must admit that I enjoy the fair more now than I used to when my kids were in 4-H. As a 4-H'er, I...
July 22, 2024 Well, last week at Capitol and on Tie Creek, things had gotten more exciting than most people would desire. Karen didn’t write news, couldn’t call neighbors, and couldn’t email the news, because of the storm that came through, on Saturday evening, wiping out the electricity. A bingo night had been planned in Camp Crook for Saturday, and some people enjoyed bingo, but a few had stayed home to avoid the predicted weather. The cool air from the east felt good after the hot day. Then things got completely silen...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, Jonna, shared a 'story' her friend, Sally, told her, which happened a few years back, at the birth of Sally's third baby, when she'd lost her newly born baby girl. It was a cold autumn day when they stood at the graveside service of baby Shenna. Sally recalled the open grave looked like a wound in the ground. Her dad held firstborn Gary, then only four years old. Little eighteen-month-old MaryJo wriggled in her grandma's arms, trying...
Imagine a classroom bursting with chaos. A clown juggles in one corner, balloons twisting into improbable shapes. Students huddle in another, competing in a game of cornhole, beanbags flying through the air. Meanwhile, a student uses a giant whiteboard to broadcast messages, both kind and cruel, to the entire class. In the center, others pose for pictures, their cameras flashing like miniature lightning storms. The teacher, amidst this whirlwind, tries desperately to maintain...
The best job I ever had was working as a camp cook for Brett and Julie Todd of the K Lazy 3. This time of year I get very homesick for those mountain trips, but I also remember how difficult it could be at times. It was a truly fine and pleasant misery at times, but mostly it was an amazing experience that I feel lucky to have had. The only job description I ever received was from Guy Gravert, one of the guides, who told me, "The cook rides in the back and gets two buckets of...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, we're into SUMMER- big time! Some out-of-state company popped in, wanting to view the City Scenes – said their grandparents used to live here – YEARS ago! So, off we went. They'd never been to this town so were surprised to know there was an Airport, even a Train Station, let alone Taxicabs, and more schools than their grandma had mentioned; many years back. More chuckles when they saw several benches along the streets for folks to...
June, 2024 On the 3rd day of June one of our newest residents passed away, Catherine Smith. Catherine lived here only a few short weeks. She is the grandmother of Willow Meyer, one of our nurses. Catherine was a very sweet gracious lady. Extending our deepest sympathy to her family. The 4th and 5th Dahl Memorial hosted a health fair. Overall, it was successful, all the lab work was able to be processed right here in our own lab. In years past everything had to be shipped out to a larger lab. Tuesday afternoon Bingo was on...
July 8, 2024 Last week, Karen Odell got word that a storm might be on the way with large hail. She and Hywel looked out to the north, and watched the thermometer beside the window drop twenty degrees in three minutes. Then, when she heard a roar of wind, she looked out to see huge tree limbs circling high in the air, but before she and Hywel got through the kitchen, the roar stopped. When she looked out north again, a pile of limbs had landed, and the power line to the well house was under all those limbs. She finally...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, fun things sometimes happen, if we notice. We were to meet Lilly at her favorite café in her town. We found the café, a parking spot, then went in, found her, with her back to us but we spotted her red-hair and giggled. Since it was noonish – the café was nearly full. Six folks sat four tables to our right. There was chatter all over, then we noticed a waitress bringing them their salads. The 'grandpa' spoke, "Bow your heads, we need...
Julie Kinsey was one of my teaching colleagues for 25 of the 30 years she taught at Big Timber Grade School. She and her husband Don were known for raising Columbia sheep on their place north of Big Timber, Montana. Julie lost her second battle with cancer on April 25, 2024. She was a good friend, remarkable teacher, and she loved to card, spin, and knit fleeces from their flock into beautiful creations. One of her many community services was knitting soft hats for cancer vict...
School security is a concern for everyone, no matter the size of the school or its location, whether in a bustling city or a small town. One of the most common reasons parents cite is wanting their students to have cell phones during the school day "just in case." Let's explore what a catastrophic day might look like. An event happens, perhaps an attack or natural disaster. Parents immediately want to know if THEIR child is okay. We want to know their location and, most...
The technology behind creating active brain responses has been cultivated for years. Consider gambling: the "near miss" phenomenon has been well-researched and discussed. This phenomenon was the precursor to many elements we see in today's cell phone technology Think back to a game where you battled back and forth, narrowly losing in the final seconds. What details can you remember about that day, the game, and afterward? Now compare it to a moment where you or your team crush...
One of the unsung heroes of the horse world is the horse packer. He has to understand horse anatomy and mule psychology, spend long days in the saddle, have nerves of steel, a strong back, and it helps if he ends up in one piece at the other end of the trail. Jerry Yoder was one of the packers for the K Lazy 3 when it was owned by Brett and Julie Todd, and I was always really nice to Jerry (just ask him), because he was responsible for the eggs and other valuables that I...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, just sharing what a friend shared about John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. President, in 1837, at the age of 69, in delivering a Fourth of July speech at Newburyport, Massachusetts. Here is a copy of what Adams said: "Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day (the Fourth of July)? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, us four gals buzzed along, heading to a meeting, several shared a surprising thought. Patty said 'I'm not sure how HE got there, but Jesus is in my car, well, not Jesus Himself, but a card with His picture on it. Hubby thought that maybe a worker may have put it there during my car inspection. I don't care how He got there, actually, having Jesus riding on my console has changed my life!' Sally spoke up, said she also has a picture;...
We live on a beary creek under a big beary hill, so we often see black bears wandering through the yard. The other night we decided to have bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches for dinner. Of course I overcooked--well, technically burned--the bacon, so I threw the sliding glass door in the kitchen wide open. A few minutes later as we sat down to eat our slightly smoky crunchy sandwiches in our smoke hazed kitchen, one of our resident black bears wandered past our porch.. The...
