Your Community Builder
Your Community Builder
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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...
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.................................
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...
