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Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, one really never understands some things in life until they experience it themselves. Like that old saying, “One has to walk a mile in another’s shoes” to know the feeling – to get it! Take for instance the job of being a care-taker [care-giver]; folks usually are more concerned for the one being cared for, rather than the care-taker; that is, until they’ve walked that path themselves. The situation ain’t easy, be it a parent, spouse or child. One can love them with all their whole he...
Loyd and Phyllis Townsend reached their 74th wedding anniversary on August 30th! They were married in Miles City on August 30th, 1948. Loyd, age 92, was born in Camp Crook, South Dakota and “Phyl,” 91, was born in Ekalaka. Both graduated from Carter COunty High School, Loyd in 1948 and Phyl in 1949. They have two children. Jerome Townsend is an electrical engineer and lives in Penrose, Colorado. Arlene Sabala is a registered nurse, still working part-time and living in Twin Falls, Idaho. Loyd’s parents were George and Jessi...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, sometimes our thinking gets mixed up, we think the quality of our life is based on what happens to us, but - we’re forgetting that the quality of our life is how we respond. We probably know someone - including ourselves, who’ve become bitter instead of becoming better, when tragedy befalls us. No matter what, we need to remember that You, Lord, have secured our victory. We’re to take hold of that truth, internalizing Your gospel gift and live it out amid our broken world. In other w...
Everyone can remember where they were and what they were doing on September 11, 2001. I was ironing my shirt to wear to school that morning and feeding the kids their breakfast when on the radio it said that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. In my mind, I envisioned a little airplane slamming into a big building killing the pilot and others onboard. As we hustled out the door to school, I did not have time to think much about it until I arrived at school and all of the staff members were...
For many years, my husband has been saying that he was not going to own a cow when he was 65 years old. His sixty-fifth birthday is looming up, and yet I have heard nothing about dispersing our cow herd. Of course, there are a couple auctions this week, but I don't think we could get them in and get trucks lined up that quickly, so I guess we are going to remain in the cow business after all. Still it is interesting to think about what our lives would be like without cows. As I thought about it, I came up with several life...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, occasionally humorous ‘things’ have a bit of logic; since some months have a few wacky holidays about food, this one seemed appropriate for August. Author unknown, titled: To a friend: “How come you order rich desserts, while I feel I must be sensible? He laughed and said ‘I’m tasting all that is Possible. I try to eat the food I need, and do the things I should. But life’s so short, my friend, I hate missing out on something good. This year I realized how old I was. (He grinned)...
With the downturn in the economy, it is suddenly fashionable to be frugal. I grew up frugal, because my parents were 40 years old when they got around to having me, so they were children during the Great Depression. I think the definition of frugality has changed a lot as I watch college students head off to college this week. When I went off to college in the fall of 1977, I felt I was pretty well versed in frugality. However, my roommate was the undisputed Queen of Frugality. I can honestly say I could not have drawn a...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, encouragement is like oxygen – we can’t live without it. It was lovely watching two little kids the other day. They were probably both about 3 years old. Little Ricky was trying hard to get the wrapper off of a stick of gun. His friend, Emmy, was watching him, and suggested he watch how she did it. He watched his little neighbor girl slowly unwarp her stick of gum. Then he tried again as she encouraged him, step by step, to unwarp it from the side, not from the top. She chuckled as sh...
I have written a number of things in the past about my history in or near Ekalaka and the editor was gracious enough to publish them. I have kind of run out of things that will make a good story. So today I will attempt to write a story consisting of several things that happened. The first thing that happened, I call the most memorable day of my life. It was August, 1945. I was playing in the yard and all of a sudden my Mother burst out of the house saying, “The war is over, the war is over". She had two brothers in harm's w...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, sometimes we need to have some encouragement and tips on how to enjoy life. Found this to share: TIPS ON ENJOYING LIFE: “Say something positive as early in the day as possible. Believe in miracles, but don’t depend on them. Seek respect rather than popularity; quality rather than luxury. If your mom says “you’ll regret it” you probably will. Be happy with what you have while working on what you want. Celebrate even small victories. When in doubt, smile. Spend time with people who are...
This week, I will go back to school for the fifty-eighth first day of school of my life, and it is bitter sweet that it will be my last first day of school. I am retiring this year after seventeen first days as a student, twenty-five first days as a teacher, and 16 first days as an administrator. My hat goes off to all the teachers and other working moms who must hit the ground running every day to keep all of the gears turning. I never had an opportunity to be a stay at home mom even though I think I would have loved it. We...
Over my years of writing this column, many people have told me that they have learned about ranching through reading my column. I laugh and explain that would likely be the equivalent of feeling that one could break a colt because he/she has watched RFDTV horse training shows. Although shows like "Yellowstone" glamorize ranching, there are a lot of ranching tasks that are not very glamorous. This column should effectively debunk the romantic portrayal of cattle ranching.. Megan Cremer, who is the sweetest cutest territory...
You know, Lord, years ago, Selma Robinson wrote a poem named “Summer Shower,” beginning it by saying that a poem used words like colors from a paintbox. Ahead of the poem she wrote: “Your eyes see color, and your ears hear music.” Then she wrote the poem: “Thundering, shimmering, silver gray, it’s raining today. Shining and slanting, spears, such a shower as we’ve been wanting. Freesia and fuchsia and mignonette and Violet and golden glow, And blue delphinium, row on row. And morning glory and hollyhock, and four-o’clock...
My best horse, Tinkerbelle, died the other day, and my heart is broken. I sat down to write a tribute poem to her, but it was still too soon, so I started horse shopping instead. I have bought many great horses for $500 to $1000 so it is really hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I will have to spend more for a horse than we spent for our first house if I want to get a dead broke bombproof horse befitting my age group. Long ago I learned that I can no longer get bucked off. In fact, this guest column was written...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, sometimes ‘things’ come in bunches like good things, bad things, happy things, sad things – even hurtful things. It’s the hurtful things that are hardest to deal with. We don’t want the attitude of one ‘lady’ who, as she spoke in an unforgiving voice said, “I forgive you but I’ll never forget!” We’ve probably all heard about the ‘lady’ who knew she had a bad gossiping problem. She went to her Pastor and confessed that she knew she gossiped – so, what could she do about it? The Pa...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, sometimes Charity does not involve money/cash. More or less, it helps if a person is in a giving mood to give many different things, maybe like clothes, blankets, even art, a stove, maybe even an automobile [we’ve even seen THAT happen - how special, right?]; or how about some stocks or bonds? Recently someone even gave some real estate [‘twas OUT of state, but we learned about it!] and then there is giving of our time. Probably the most important part of giving is being in the right...
When there is work to be done there is work to be done. The tasks that farmers and ranchers are faced with are pressing, time-sensitive, and rarely can be done from inside a climate-controlled room. Add in unpredictable weather and already challenging tasks can become difficult, not to mention unpleasant. Help beat the heat with these summer safety reminders. Water. Rest. Shade. Prevention is the key to reducing heat-related illnesses. While it is not always possible to avoid working during the period of most intense heat dur...
The 4-H Fair is this week in our county. I hope all moms and dads remember there is a fine line between extremely supportive and downright crazy! Having been a 4-H mom, I can tell you it is much less stressful to be a 4-H grandma! 4-H and FFA 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 loved the...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, the month of July has wind, thunder, lightning, and some think July is a wonderful time for us to lie on our backs and watch thunder heads lift, suggesting snow peaks range upon range. White clouds sail along, reminiscent of a fleet of merchant sailing ships from long ago paintings. They sail where the wind wills, across the summer sky. Lord, You have made the summer skies more beautiful to see beyond the telling. Could one say the winds hunt us up as if we were hiding? One gets t...
Sorry it has been some time since my last article, but I will continue with old businesses and individuals who owned and operated them. The last article was about Pickards Market, later Main Street Market. The building is still there but vacant. Next door and to the east was a business I only kind of remember because it was many, many years ago. The name was Schnapps Cafe. I was in the building but don’t remember eating there. Well let’s go to “Shifting Scenes” for more information which can be found in Vol. II, page 780. The...
I know many people are dealing with the tragic aftermath of unprecedented flooding along the Yellowstone river and many of its tributaries last month. I remember our experience with disaster agencies during our last flood in 2011. Fortunately, we were not negatively affected by flooding this year, but I remember well when our house was declared uninhabitable, and I was delighted and relieved, because it meant we would receive federal disaster aid! My heart goes out to all of the flood victims who will not be lucky enough to...
Western movies often portrayed the camp cook as a cranky drunk. I think this stereotype evolved for a darn good reason... they had to be cranky and/or drunk to survive! Camp cooking is such a fine and pleasant misery that I'd probably do it for free gratis just for the adventure. However, that does not prohibit me from complaining about the job--especially now that I have retired from wilderness camp cooking. The only job description for a back country camp cook I was ever given came from a packer/guide, whom I will refer to...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know Lord, it was precious to see a gentleman help a young lady gather her two little kids and help them into church while she carried a baby. He helped them cross the parking lot, helped keep them together, while their Daddy parked the car. The gentleman asked the little girl where she was going; she said, “…to church and Sunday school, ‘cause the teacher is going to tell us how to Shine for Jesus.” He smiled, took her hand, as she was headed in the wrong direction; Mama smiled. Then Daddy arriv...
Since the 500 year flood we just experienced, most rivers and creeks are running high and muddy, which makes all of us happy--except those planning a fishing trip. These summers of social distancing made camping and fishing the ideal pastime, especially because the fly fisherman has been glamorized and romanticized almost as much as the Gary Cooper/Marlboro cowboy image. Movies like “A River Runs Through It” have made fly fishing a huge industry in our part of the country, and I am glad because it provides me with a lot of...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know Lord, it is so great to see Sunflowers – they sprout in a carefree manner all over the world. Pollinated by bees, the plants spring up on the sides of highways, under bird feeders, and across fields, in meadows, and also in prairies. If we plant the seeds to produce a harvest, however, sunflowers need good soil. Well-drained, slightly acidic, nutrient-rich soil “with organic matter or composed,” says the “Farmer’s Almanac,” finally produces tasty sunflower seeds, pure oil, and also a liveli...
