With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, I have theorized that apparently the clothes dryer has been shrinking my jeans. It could not be my penchant for eggnog and Christmas cookies, so it must be the dryer. The realization that my diet should...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, it’s been a long time ago, but way back when, ‘we’ viewed a beautiful painting done by William Hollman Hunt titled “The Light of the World.” It pictures Jesus standing outside a cottage door,...

Being a recipe columnist implies a huge responsibility. One year many years ago, one of my infamous fan letters in the “Agri-News” complained, “The plum cake in Susan’s column was so bad my dog wouldn’t even eat it.” Turns out I had left...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, when it seems that there’s no hope, things aren’t going according to our plans, or maybe just going askew, it’s then that we must remember that You are faithful, You hear our prayers and intervene in...

This time of year is like accidentally grabbing the electric fence, In its way of making memories flash within our minds - the shortly lit days of our holidays - memories which are often intense, I think back upon my Carter County Thanksgivings and...

For all but eight years of my life, I have lived on the east slopes of the Rocky Mountain front range out of Augusta and Big Timber, Montana. For the half century (approximately in case you are doing the math) that I have lived in the wind, I have tr...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, sometimes we ‘need’ a bit of help to understand all about God’s creation and His gift of ‘wisdom’ for us. Several of us stood on the side-line, ‘observing’ some incidents, as JoeJoe ...

Alzada Area | We are looking into the interest of doing another Flu Clinic in Alzada. If you are interested in having us come down to your area, call us at 775-6332. We need your help to determine when is the best time to hold one. Currently we are...

One of the nicest compliments I receive is when readers tell me that they have hung my column on their refrigerator or mailed it to someone (often anonymously) to try to make a point humorously and semi-tactfully. Since we are going into the holiday...

As Veteran’s Day approaches, my heartfelt gratitude goes out to all Veterans, but I especially feel deep sadness for those who served in Afghanistan who are feeling betrayed by their leaders who botched the exit and effectively erased all of their...

We have entertained a lot of international guests at our ranch over the years, and I am always amazed at how much they know about the United States--especially in comparison to what I know about their countries. We recently had guests from Toronto...

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...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, it’s been a long time ago, but just thinking about it as we watch the falling leaves, brought back some special memories when we were on a trip visiting kin, out of state. Several of us decided to go...

Many readers commiserated with me in my pack rat war that I recently recounted, but to be honest, the pack rat war was not the most fierce battle I ever fought as a camp cook. Now, hunting camp cooking is ordinarily a delightful experience! You get u...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: The joy of living beautifully is special every day; what turns our ‘crank’ this Autumn time? Kids say, “Let’s play with clay!” We’ve families, feasts, flowers, and friends - that makes this month really great....

Every time I read a Baxter Black poem, I am inspired to become a cowboy poet, but "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service is my favorite inspirational poem. It was his signature poem that launched his career. He got the idea from a story he...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, living near cattle ranches, one’s noticed how some cows are prone to wander while grazing. A cow just keeps on moving, always looking for the “greener grasses”. Near the edge of the property, the cow...

Seems like most battles these days are fought on social media where keyboard warriors try to change our perceptions, if not our lives, and it just might have the power to change the course of history. Everything we do now is chronicled on social medi...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, big, little, old or young, sometimes we get frightened right out of our socks and we want our Mama. We always felt safe when we could snuggle in Mama’s arms. Watching tiny ‘Tatiana’ struggling to...

by Susan Metcalf I spent Labor Day weekend in Burlington, Colorado helping my sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Shawn Bellows, host a national Iron Horsemen event. The amount of work involved in feeding three meals to approximately 400...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, cloud formations are breathtaking – mostly when we’re on top of a hill, especially when we need rain. One minute it looks like rain clouds bounding over the horizon and a bit later, the sun comes...

I was born in my Grandpa and Grandma Coons’ house near Boxelder Creek and about a half a mile from the Bell tower store and post office. My parents lived at various places around Ekalaka and even briefly in Washington as I was growing up. In 1944...

The bull elk are starting to bugle, and this is the week that hunters are packing into the wilderness for the opening of early rifle season. One of the best things about working in the outfitting industry is helping clients fulfill lifelong dreams su...

Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know Lord, when people mention the word ‘treasure’ one right away thinks about jewels, diamonds, rubies, precious stones, riches, money, wealth, a pot of gold, a cache of silver, but there are other things one...