Your Community Builder
Your Community Builder
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July 8, 2024 Last week, Karen Odell got word that a storm might be on the way with large hail. She and Hywel looked out to the north, and watched the thermometer beside the window drop twenty degrees in three minutes. Then, when she heard a roar of wind, she looked out to see huge tree limbs circling high in the air, but before she and Hywel got through the kitchen, the roar stopped. When she looked out north again, a pile of limbs had landed, and the power line to the well house was under all those limbs. She finally...
Julie Kinsey was one of my teaching colleagues for 25 of the 30 years she taught at Big Timber Grade School. She and her husband Don were known for raising Columbia sheep on their place north of Big Timber, Montana. Julie lost her second battle with cancer on April 25, 2024. She was a good friend, remarkable teacher, and she loved to card, spin, and knit fleeces from their flock into beautiful creations. One of her many community services was knitting soft hats for cancer vict...
School security is a concern for everyone, no matter the size of the school or its location, whether in a bustling city or a small town. One of the most common reasons parents cite is wanting their students to have cell phones during the school day "just in case." Let's explore what a catastrophic day might look like. An event happens, perhaps an attack or natural disaster. Parents immediately want to know if THEIR child is okay. We want to know their location and, most...
The technology behind creating active brain responses has been cultivated for years. Consider gambling: the "near miss" phenomenon has been well-researched and discussed. This phenomenon was the precursor to many elements we see in today's cell phone technology Think back to a game where you battled back and forth, narrowly losing in the final seconds. What details can you remember about that day, the game, and afterward? Now compare it to a moment where you or your team crush...
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 the trail. Jerry Yoder was one of the packers for the K Lazy 3 when it was owned by Brett and Julie Todd, and I was always really nice to Jerry (just ask him), because he was responsible for the eggs and other valuables that I...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, just sharing what a friend shared about John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. President, in 1837, at the age of 69, in delivering a Fourth of July speech at Newburyport, Massachusetts. Here is a copy of what Adams said: "Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day (the Fourth of July)? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the...
June 24, 2024 Last week, Ronda Cordell went to the Southeast Electric Meeting in Ekalaka, and was lucky enough to win a door prize. On Saturday, on the way to Buffalo, she stopped by at Gardner Lake to see some of the Fishing Derby. At Buffalo, she attended the Stuart and Renee Guptil Fiftieth Anniversary party. Then, in Camp Crook she stopped to visit with Lisa Koranda. Ronda had a dental appointment in Rapid City on Monday. Diane Wear came on Sunday night to do chores for her. Ronda stayed with Cristen and Jayda Westling...
May, 2024 The Merry month of May! Do you remember the tradition of having a basket of goodies or an arrangement of flowers placed on your front step? You would hear a knock on the door and before you could answer the giver was gone? Or as a small child dancing around the May Day Pole? Tuesday, May 7 the weather was cool and wet. There was thunder and lightning along with rain. The moisture is so welcome in this area, hope to see more. Tuesday afternoon Bingo was on the agenda, Madlon was the top Bingo player. Sarah Reynolds o...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, us four gals buzzed along, heading to a meeting, several shared a surprising thought. Patty said 'I'm not sure how HE got there, but Jesus is in my car, well, not Jesus Himself, but a card with His picture on it. Hubby thought that maybe a worker may have put it there during my car inspection. I don't care how He got there, actually, having Jesus riding on my console has changed my life!' Sally spoke up, said she also has a picture;...
We live on a beary creek under a big beary hill, so we often see black bears wandering through the yard. The other night we decided to have bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches for dinner. Of course I overcooked--well, technically burned--the bacon, so I threw the sliding glass door in the kitchen wide open. A few minutes later as we sat down to eat our slightly smoky crunchy sandwiches in our smoke hazed kitchen, one of our resident black bears wandered past our porch.. The...
Summer's Here, School's Not Far Behind! With the sun shining and summer in full swing, the new school year is already on our minds at Ekalaka Schools. We're gearing up for an exciting year and have some important updates to share with you! Athletics Program Updates: Running our athletics program is a significant investment, much like feeding students, which alone costs $12,000 annually for our athletes. With rising costs for officials and the challenges of bringing officials...
If you live along a creek, you have to co-exist with beavers, and that is not always easy. It seems that they do not share the same vision for property management as most landowners do. Living with beavers, who are remarkably persistent, focused, and motivated, is a constant struggle that is not funny, What is funny is this (allegedly) actual letter sent by the Pennsylvania DEQ to Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property and Ryan's ingenius response to the letter: Dear...
June 17, 2024 The drought lives on, and so do the grasshoppers, at Capitol and on Tie Creek. We had hoped for a little rain, on Sunday morning, after the 100 degrees on Saturday, but even with no moisture, the cooling off was a great relief. Buffalo had gotten some hail, and we were wishing some of that hail had landed on our grasshoppers, but no luck. Dick Albert was picked up for a fishing trip, on Tuesday, by a friend and his son. It was a good trip but the fishing was not very good. Erma had a physical therapy...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, several gals shared about their June calendars, they giggled and said, 'Would you believe that some of my family and friends, dated in June and some married in June.' Sadie added; 'My June calendar looks almost like you says yours looks, but mine also has birthdays of family, friends and neighbors. I'd not paid any attention to that, before'! They giggled, then shared about dating: 'Remember, Judy, that WE double dated a few times,...
June 10, 2024 There was a tiny shower of rain near Tie Creek on Sunday morning. The multitude of grasshoppers at least calmed down a little, and the morning was very cool. Last week, Ronda Cordell took time out to go to the Quilt Show in Buffalo. There were many outstanding quilted items filling the Rec Center, and a good lunch, also. Last Monday, Mindy Yates and Kendall Shepherd came to Ronda’s to do bull testing. It’s always a question as to how those critters will be, to bring in and have in the corral. Diane Wear, Gen...
This week marks the third anniversary of the grand opening of our main street boutique that uniquely sells food. Honestly, it does not seem that long, perhaps because we have been too busy to count the days. Owning a restaurant that sells gifts has been fun and exhausting. To make it even more interesting, we also cater special events, so there is literally not a dull moment. However, there is something I need to get off my chest. I decided to look back on this column that I...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, Father's Day is next Sunday, it was special to watch the younger and older guys being 'Father's'. Before the church service began, one guy sat with several little girls; their mommy was off tending to, 'whatever'. They were in the front row, but he carefully lifted the little one, maybe 3 years old, way up, holding tightly to her legs – she 'stood' straight and tall, waved her arms, smiled; once back down, hugged her daddy tightly. A...
This will be my last "Library Corner" for a while, as Patricia Kalstrom will be back in action (with her brand-new hip) as library director starting June 4th. Welcome back Pat! In other exciting news, congratulations to library board trustee, Krista Kerr, and her husband Justin on their recent wedding. We wish you all the best! I need to back up a little bit to April 8th and our Solar Eclipse Party. Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favor for a viewing of the partial...
June 3, 2024 Memorial Day was a little windy, but pretty nice for outdoor programs at Buffalo and Ekalaka. Spring at Capitol, and on Tie Creek, has been fairly cool, and even in the first days of June the night-time temperature dropped into the low thirties. Karen Odell spent the holiday at home. On Tuesday, Jack Ovitz came to check out, and do some electrical work. That night, Tyler Wolff came with a new mower battery, and to take back a mower tire to be worked on. Then, Karen got a little mowing done, before the mower quit...
April, 2024 Help me remember, April shower brings May flowers, right? Looking back on the month of April, lots of wind but no showers! Monday was the first day of the week as well as the first day of the month. The morning consisted of exercises and after lunch the ladies’ played cards. The afternoon winner was Marty Carroll. Tuesday, April 9 Virginia took time for 1 on 1 s with different residents who do not participate in the general activity program. The afternoon was spent playing Po-Ke-No, with Madlon winning most of t...
Summer is the time when I decide to roll up my sleeves and clean out some junk. However, my parents were children of the Great Depression, so I can still hear their voices ringing in my ears when I think about pitching stuff that could potentially have some use in the future--even though it has received no usage within the last 25 years. Marilee Robinson of Billings, Montana sent me her delightful book East Meets West, and one of her essays, which I have abridged this week is...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, while casually going through some papers, this one popped up, so, just sharing a bit: Psalm 23: "He restoreth my soul." One just assumes that belonging to You, Lord, and being in Your care, we'd never become so disserted in soul as to need any sort of restoration, but, low and behold - such is not the case. When we start thinking that we have "arrived", that is when we're most susceptible to become cast (the verb form), like a sheep....
May 27, 2024 Alvin and Ryan Cordell, and Charlie Casteel, have been busy sorting cows, and moving them to summer pasture. Marlee went to an appointment in Spearfish, on Tuesday. Then, on Saturday, she went down to the wedding of her cousin, Kelly West’s, son. Paul O’Toole stopped in for a visit with Alvin. Paul has a hunting cabin in Camp Crook, and has been coming out this way for hunting for nearly fifty years. On Thursday, Alvin got thirty-five hundredths of rain, and then another three-tenths on Saturday. It had been ter...
School wrapped up this week, and I am proud to say I survived my first year of teaching Family Consumer Science at the high school level. Fortunately, all of my culinary students survived, and no one got cut, burned, or came down with a foodborne illness. In case anyone is wondering, I did not get fired, but I will be leaving the position in Debbie Hathaway's capable hands and returning to my County Superintendent position to embark on my 43rd year in education. What is wrong...
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, it's interesting to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather. A friend, a few hours south of here, wrote that she'd grabbed her favorite glass of Cranberry Iced tea, deciding to stretch out in their back yard, pretending to relax. She mentioned that she had a lounge chair - so spreadeagled there, soaking in the air, soft and sweet having her eyes closed. She mentioned that she laid there for several minutes, surround by the...
