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I have a love affair with Ekalaka and Carter County. Compared with my entire life I didn’t spend much time there but it is embedded way down deep in my soul. Every time that I go there it is brought back to the forefront of my mind again. What is it about the area that affects me that way? I think that first of all, it is the area itself. We lived in several places near Ekalaka and I really liked all of them. I think that my favorite was what we called the Opechee Park place. Jesse LaBree referred to it once as the Kinsey p...
During this last month before calving begins, we are enjoying normal dinner hours and having an actual bedtime as we count down the days until calving starts and that all changes. I love calving season now, because I am pretty much a second string player in the calving barn. Since we have an adult son as a partner on the ranch, I don’t often get called out in the middle of the night or during a blizzard--unless for some reason they are really hard up for help or really tired. Primarily my function has become providing f...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, sometimes one sees Love being shared. One day, while waiting for an appointment, an older lady was checking out, a gentleman came in, greeted the guy at the desk, who greeted him, ‘Hey, Joe – I’ll be just a moment’. The manager asked the older lady if he should help her out to her car. Joe spoke up, “It’s icy out there, my grandson said to be careful, so I’ll walk her out, I know where the ice is”. The lady prepared to go, took ‘Joe’s’ arm, and whispered, ‘He’s my grandson.’ Off...
I grew up in the Sun River Canyon northwest of Great Falls and thus Malmstrom Air Force Base. All the years I was growing up, a nuclear war with Russia was an ever-present threat. Our friends, the Mergenthals, who lived right by Gibson Dam had a warehouse full of dry food provided by the USDA in the event of a nuclear war. The Glory Hole (dam overflow) was a bomb shelter. I grew up thinking that some day there might be an alarm that sent us into the Glory Hole of Gibson Dam with all that food in the warehouse to keep us...
This time I am going to share some history on a business, its early time owner and some of his family. Some recent phone calls with Gary Roberts triggered my thoughts for this article. The individual was J.G. (June) Olson, his wife Henrietta and the business, Olsen Drug. Their daughter, Beverly (Olsen) Roberts, wrote their story in “Shifting Scenes, Vol. II,” page 648. “J.G. (June) Olsen came to Montana from Iowa in 1895 with his brother Clarence. He was thirteen and his brother fifteen. They started working at the TD Ranch...
I will have been retired for one month this week, and somehow retirement is not working out like I thought it would. Perhaps the reason is that I retired from the only job where I actually received a salary. My bosses at my other jobs have not acknowledged my announcements regarding retirement. In fact, at my County School Superintendent retirement party, my husband gifted me with a state of the art rechargeable high powered LED spotlight so I will be able to illuminate the entire barnyard while night checking the heifers....
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, when we were just little kids out on the ranch, far from town or neighbors, Grandpa, then a widower, lived out of state, made trips out to see us. Grandpa usually brought along a small paper or wooden wall-hanging with one of his favorite Bible verses. Throughout the years, the verses from Grandpa hung in Dad and Mom’s bedroom, several in the room for us girls and one in the living room. We were all pretty little back then but Grandpa would hold little sister or our new baby brother a...
Returning to Carter Co. February 21 and February 22 is the Smiles Across Montana (SAM) team! This is a great opportunity to access local preventative dental care for school aged kids. It is open to all home, country, or public schooled students. Already see a dentist? SAM’s work is a way to enhance not replace a dental care relationship. No dentist yet? No problem! Not required or necessary in order to be seen by the SAM team. It’s just about taking care of oral health for kiddos. Check out important details including the dea...
I have gone on record as a proponent of global warming--especially when the thermometer dips below zero. Following December’s storm dubbed Storm Elliott, which brought record low temperatures to Montana and Wyoming, I am starting to wonder if global warming activists like Greta Thunberg, Al Gore, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are so full of hot air that they have mistaken their core temperatures for global warming. We just survived the coldest December temperatures on record with a record low of negative 50 degrees in Elk Park...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, that word ‘TIME’ -- now that is an appropriate word for another new decade which, more or less, has already begun, right? Checking out the dictionary, we view lists of numerous definitions. No matter what our status is or what our opinion of the word is, an equal amount the “time” is given to each one of us, every single day. People like to speak of time as ‘spending’ it, as though there is an endless reserve of time; and some of us folks simply like to live that way, right! Your w...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, it’s only a few days into the New Year and how fun to snuggle under a nice thick blanket in my quiet-time chair, looking forward to these silent moments with You, Lord, in the wee hours of a, so far, untouched year. The fireplace dances a gentle glow into the room’s darkness. In the dim light, shelves filled with photos, books, mementos and other things, are reminders of an abundant life. Sitting now with You, Lord, it’s interesting to review the year that has just passed. We go over...
This past weekend, I attended a natural cheese making workshop presented by Allison Cooley Agee, and the take-away for me is that cheese making is extremely labor intensive. There are so many steps and so many pitfalls to avoid that my cheeses would have to sell for at least $20.00 per pound to make it a profitable venture. I applaud people like Allison who make amazing raw milk cheeses, but since I am basically lazy, I think I will just stick to buying cheese instead of making it. The experience did remind me of an old...
I am going to continue on the old Ekalaka business places, people and locations. My next business on main street was the Pickard Market owned by Charles and Victoria Pickard. I am going to spend some time on this family which is given in Shifting Scenes Vol. II pages 689-690. If you have this book, read it. Charles was born in England and at age 16 came to the United States. In 1910 he decided to go West and reached Belle Fourche, South Dakota where he found no employment. He...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, even though Christmas has passed, this was thought-provoking; Sarah Young wrote some interesting thoughts, so, just sharing a little bit of what she wrote: “I am leading you along a way that is uniquely right for you. The closer to Me you grow, the more fully you become your true self – the one I designed you to be. Because you are one of a kind, the path you are traveling with Me diverges increasingly from that of other people. However, in My mysterious wisdom and ways, I enabl...
Technology never ceases to amaze me! Not only have they invented cars which drive themselves (something I am going to need very soon, and my family might argue that I need right now), but drones are going to change the way we live and play. They now have drones which will deliver beer from shoreline bars out to ice fishermen in their huts. The beer is ordered and paid for using an app, and quicker than you can burn your bratwurst on the hut barbecue, your cold beer is delivered right to your hut with the aid of GPS! Long...
In my last article, I wrote about the Rowleys teaching and now I am going to step back a little with more interesting information. In 1956, both grade school and high school boards voted to place one person as administrator and Mr. Rowley was employed. He states he remained in that capacity until 1966. The following excerpt comes from "Shifting Scenes, Vol. II." "In November 1966, Ruby and I moved to the Turbiville Brothers Ranch to live in the house that had been vacated by...
Every day a few minutes after we posted the daily lunch special on Facebook, the phone would ring. Caller ID would announce, "Call from Cole Drug," and we would answer the phone by saying, "Hi, Paul!" He would usually order the special, but we knew if he wasn't impressed with the special, he would order a Rustler roast beef sandwich. We would have it ready at 12:30, because it took him a couple minutes to walk from Cole Drug to the Crazy Peak Boutique. Like clockwork, he came through the door every day at 12:32 p.m. almost...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: Lord, You watched two gals enjoying a quiet time in the park. A young fellow stopped and asked: “Are YOU Miss Sue?” Sue smiled and nodded her head. He continued: “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you for a long time, mainly to tell you that you were the best teacher I ever had in School.” Sue looked speechless, but before she spoke, he smiled, “Do you remember once in Middle School, there was some peanut butter spread on the bottom of the slide and some kids, sliding down, got dirty.” Miss...
I would like to share more information on the Rowley family. To follow up, I said Mr. Rowley's first times of teaching was the day after Labor Day in 1920. Now a little bit about Ruby! Ruby Johnson was born on June 16, 1903 at Ridgway, Missouri. Her background was of German immigrants and Ruby lived on a farm, I think. Mr. Rowley and Ruby were married August 10, 1929. She was hired to teach in Ekalaka August of 1926. Two additions to the family came forth: On September 27,...
I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas filled with feasting as part of the celebration. Even though intermittent fasting and the Mediterranean Diet seem to be the rage in diets right now, I hope you will enjoy this little Christmas rhyme I wrote about the Keto Diet. As a special Christmas treat this year, my recipes are contributions from the “Western Ag Reporter” (WAR) staff as they join me in wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas! Special Bulletin From Santa —by Susan Metcalf 'Twas the month before Chris...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, the old is everlastingly new as we anticipate the celebration of Christmas once again. Through that special event, Your gift of Your only begotten Son from heaven, happened over 2000 years ago, it is unendingly a pristine, a new treasured, message each year. Thank You, Lord, for the Christmas story in Luke, chapter two, where the angel said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.” CHRISTMAS MESSAGE - (Luke...
Every year I find myself in the same predicament as I look down the barrel of the Christmas gun. Every year, it is as though Christmas sneaks up on me out of the blue. So with just days left before Christmas, I am in my usual pre-Christmas panic caused mostly by procrastination! I started off the month with the best of intentions, as I made several batches of my favorite fudge, but I made them too early, and we have eaten or given it away already. No problem! All I have to do is go to bed 15 minutes later each night to whip...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas, like preparing for guests and gifts, singing and visiting – it’s all getting a little bit exhausting for all of us, old or young. Generally speaking, that’s probably not what You meant how Christmas should be, right, Lord? One needs to stop a minute, get things into perspective, then prioritize and get a few things in order. While we’re at it, how about savoring life just a little bit. Here are some LifeSavers we all might lik...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know Lord, sometimes when one gives a gift, one gets ‘something’ back. We recall a paper rose given to a dear Aunty quite a long time ago. No matter when or what was given to her, she always sent/gave a ‘thank you’ note; occasionally mentioning Galatians 5:13, emphasizing the latter part of the verse “…but through love, serve one another[1].” Aunty knew the word ‘serve’ could mean many things, for example: wait on, minister to, care for, help and assist’ even to perform. We all have many opportu...
Since I am retiring from my County Superintendent of Schools job at the end of this month, I am trying to clean out file cabinets and computer files. Some days I don't get a lot accomplished, because it is like taking a 41 year trip down memory lane in my career as an educator, and there are a lot of things to read and reminisce about. One of the treasures that I found was this essay that my daughter Brooke wrote for a college "sense of place" essay in an advanced composition class. My father, Glen Roberts, died right after C...
