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As a mother of both a son and daughter who loved sports, I can honestly say I don't think there is anything that tests the bonds of motherhood more than high school football! It has been beautiful weather for the boys of fall this year, but there is one game that many Big Timber Herder fans will never forget. It was a game that tested my mental and physical endurance as a mother, and it took place when our son Bret was a junior in high school. While looking through his...
September 23, 2024 Tie Creek got about a half inch of rain this week. That is a good amount in a drought summer like this. Capitol got less in this storm, but they had regularly gotten more during previous rains, so it somewhat evened out. Alvin and Marlee Cordell were glad to get a half-inch of rain, on Tuesday. They had bow hunters, this week, from Pennsylvania. They got two antelope, two deer and a cow elk, before going home. On Thursday, Marlee went to the cross country meet at Custer to see Rhys Pearson run. Alvin...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, a friend shared something 'sweet', like chocolate. Emmy stopped over the other day, saying that she'd been craving something sweet; then remembered the delicious handmade chocolate bar several of her coworkers had given her for her birthday, last week. She'd only eaten part of it, went to retrieve if from the kitchen table where she'd last seen it. Oh! It wasn't there! She began to look everywhere for it – the refrigerator, c...
September 16, 2024 The summer weather has come back to Capitol and Tie Creek. The mornings are cool and productive, but by noon things have heated up. Diane Wear came to Ronda Cordell’s on Monday, and Ronda rode with her to Buffalo, where they had lunch at Blossoms N Brew. Diane went back home with an assortment of vegetables from Ronda’s garden. Ronda took Sophie to the Belle Fourche Vet Clinic for a check-up. Then, Ronda went on to Walmart and the Pizza Ranch until Sophie was finished at the clinic. She stopped to vis...
My heart goes out to those affected by the Remington Fire that burned up 190,000 acres in eastern Montana and Wyoming. 224,000 head of cattle were affected by the fire on countless ranches. Miles of fence have been destroyed, I have evacuated from six fires and a three floods, so I know the indescribable feeling of fear and helplessness natural disasters evoke. The good part is that years later, I can look back on those experiences and see the silver lining. We have had four...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, sometimes something we see reminds us of something we heard, a LONG-AGO; time, place and author, unknown. Seeing deer in the yard brought to mind this story about deer fillings. The author, a retired pastor, couldn't handle retirement so he volunteered at various places, doing various jobs because he knew that 'Old Folks Saying': "Old preachers never die, they just go out to 'pastor.'" He worked an afternoon shift at a retirement...
September has been a whirlwind of activity at Ekalaka Public Schools. We've had an incredible start, filled with community spirit and exciting events. It might just be you humming ...."Do you remember, that night in September." One of our highlights was the overwhelming community response to the Remington Fire fundraiser. Together with Plentywood School District, we raised a remarkable $10,000 for those affected. Special Bulldog Nation shoutout to -T7 Cattle, Jitt Schnieder,...
Owning a ranch and a restaurant does not leave much time for family vacations. Our oldest grandson will graduate from high school this spring, and we are realizing that we have not taken him very many places. In fact, the last place we took him was to Disney World in November of 2019, and the most memorable thing about the trip was that we came home with Coronavirus before it was even fashionable in the United Sates. It had been rumored in Wuhan, China, but it sure traveled...
September 9, 2024 It was another hot, dry week at Capitol and on Tie Creek. Early mornings were pleasant and beautiful, but afternoons got hot. The sunflowers are a beautiful addition to the landscape, and they have bloomed in profusion since our last rain. The Black Hills have gotten lots of rain, but the clouds seem to pass us by to both north and south. Dick and Erma Albert made a shopping trip to the Hills, on Thursday. On Friday, they joined the senior citizens for a spaghetti dinner. They went to the Catholic Church ser...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, sometimes it's pleasing to read HOW some folks got together and did things together, some years BACK. No author was given but the writer mentioned how their family loved going to grandparents' house as grandma's favorite words were: "Take it easy!" Twins were mentioned – no age given, but they told grandma that they were going to learn how to swim: 'It's going to happen Friday!' Well, grandma touched her heart, took a deep breath and s...
September 1, 2024 Dick and Erma Albert had a fun week; especially because their son and daughter-in-law were visiting from Texas. On Tuesday, they went to the Hills, where two hiked up Spearfish Canyon, while the other two did some shopping. On Friday, they all went to the Senior Citizen chicken dinner. Then the four visited the Slim Buttes, and did some hiking there. They stopped at the Reva Store on the way home, to get a snack. The kids left very early on Saturday, and had gotten back home in Texas by Sunday evening. Dick...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, some friends reminded us that it is harvest time, so, just checking into and investigating some 'saved' papers, it was amazing to come across a page entitled, 'Fruit For All Season!' It's just the right time of year when crops have yielded their fruit and vegetables abundantly and steadily throughout the summer. So, just had to stop a moment to remember all about our family growing gardens, way back when, plus the several neighbors...
When September rolls around, our thoughts turn to wondering what kind of winter we are facing. For our region, which is region 12 that stretches from the Canadian border down into Texas, the “Old Farmer’s Almanac” predicts the following: Winter will be warmer than normal in the north and colder than normal in the south, with the coldest periods in early and mid-January and early and late February. Precipitation will be near normal, with near- to above-normal snowfall. The s...
A fear that almost every ranch mother has felt is when she discovers her child is "missing." Tami Jo Arvik Blake was a former editor of the Western Ag Reporter who recently had that harrowing experience that turned out to have a happy ending. Her story reminded me of when my grandson Alex was four and being "watched" by his grandfather and his uncle. They left him napping after lunch while they went out to quickly tag a few calves. No one is sure how long that took, but when...
August 26, 2024 We returned to the hotter days at the end of this week, at Capitol and on Tie Creek, but no rain was in sight. Pete Anderson has been busy working out at the ranch. On Friday, Pete went to the Little Missouri Church to mow around the church and cemetery. On Saturday, there was a memorial service for Edward Bonefield at the Little Missouri Cemetery at the church. Edward had not lived here for many years, but he was the son of Richard Bonefield. Bruce Gustafson has been doing mostly regular work, this week....
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, several of us girls were together, enjoying our time when 'Alyson' spoke: "My grandmother emigrated from England in the early 1900's with her husband and two little girls. Their home was a simple bungalow. Water came from a cistern, the toilet was at the end of the garden, and the heat was a wood stove." We 'perked' up our ears: Alyson sighed and continued: "The family had little by today's standards. They lived on my grandfather's...
"... I feel tears wellin' up cold, deep inside Like my heart's sprung a big break And a stab of excitement,, sharp and glaring That I may never shake" The Bulldog Fitness center will be open to the public starting September 1. We are so excited to welcome the public back. We are currently accepting submissions for a new logo to coincide with the grand opening. You might say we're taking this excitement to heart since we've been working on this for a while, but don't forget to...
August 19, 2024 The weather was a little cooler, this week at Capitol and Tie Creek. It was a break from the hundred-degree weather, with highs in the eighties most days. We even got a pretty good rain, on Friday. Dick and Erma Albert had enjoyed having their daughter visit. She and her family left on Wednesday to head home. On Thursday, Dick and Erma went to Spearfish and Belle Fourche to do some shopping. They attend the Old Timer’s Picnic, on Friday, and the free barbecue on Saturday night at the fairgrounds. Alvin and Mar...
The most challenging cooking jobs I have ever had were in my many year of cooking in the Scapegoat Wilderness for Brett and Julie Todd. Every time I rode out of camp, I would marvel that I had kept all those people fed under extreme conditions for a week with no opportunity to restock supplies. You see, at home I am one of those people who goes to the grocery store every day. One morning while I was cooking biscuits and gravy in the Meadow Creek Camp, one of the guides...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, Cindy shared how her grandma sometimes grumbled; "Hey! It's Family Reunion Time. I'm ready for some hugs, cake and ice cream." Cindy added: 'Our family would giggle and wonder, Grandma, where were YOU last month when we have a fun time with a meal and laughter. We didn't say that out loud but, we all thought it, I'm sure.' Ginger commented that Auntie Beth always loved Reunion time because she'd be introduced to some young guys who...
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...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, while thumbing through a pile of 'old' papers, one could come across some interesting items. One that was found was called 'Day Brighteners' listed like this: Ah! August................................. Harvest....................................... Heat.......................................... Wheat........................................ Vacation's over........................... Girls are back.................................
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...
