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Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, there are as many ideas and thoughts about anything as there are unique individuals! If ten people were discussing firecrackers, 4th of July, picnics, America, freedom of speech, war, you name it, and there would be ten different strong feelings about any one of those topics. Your word, (1 Peter 2:17) tell us to ‘…Fear God and honor the government (king, ruler, emperor).’ May America continue to be a country in which everyone has an equal opportunity to be what they desire to become....
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, some time ago, Ivan Doig wrote: “These strange beings, ourselves, need the night but sometimes are entirely at odds with it.” We could ‘name’ a few of us who may also have times when we are at odds with the night, so to expand on that thought, did You, Lord, want our attention? Is there a matter that we need to bring to You? Did we forget to pray for another, or are You trying to get our attention so You can talk with us? It seems there is a trough in the dark (as well as in the bed!)...
Hello, Lynn is my brother in law. He’s getting a little long in the tooth and has been down in the dumps a little lately. That got me thinking about some of the things we’ve done together over the years. Some I can write about. Some I had better wait. I’m not sure about that statute of limitations-thing. Years ago we were looking at a barn a guy had for sale. It had to be moved. They also had a house for sale. Now this house was a big thing. And pretty new. It was huge. With a big rock fireplace and rock wall down the middle....
Hello God, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, here’s a thought about the Wilderness, the Boondocks, and the Backcountry. While we’re all busy traveling life’s demanding way, we can’t help but notice where the forest fires have ravaged the countryside; we notice that there are no lovely flowers, we see dead pine and fir trees, we also see a few other trees that are just standing there with lifeless limbs outstretched for help. However, we look around – there is no help – no birds – no green grass, it’s all been consumed, all t...
I think that I might have written before about my mother’s garden when we were growing up in Ekalaka. In a recent Eagle, I saw Lois Lambert’s story about their garden and how it was so late getting in so I decided to write something else. I am sure that in the years we were there we had late springs and early springs. I do remember snow in May, June and even on July 3rd on one occasion. It didn’t amount to much as I recall. It seems as if they talked about getting potatoes in on Washington’s birthday Isn’t that awful ear...
Hello, We started cutting hay over the weekend. I believe we are the first ones in the field again this year. I just do it to upset Russ, one of my neighbors. The forecast is for rain later in the week. Most ranchers are going to wait until this weather “event” is past. I figure if it rains, it won’t hurt the hay. We need to rake it before we bale anyway. And when I feed in the winter, the cows eat what I put out, whether it has been rained on or not. I’ve often said that North Dakota has only two seasons. “Feeding hay seaso...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, spiritually significant men in our lives bless us in countless ways. First, is my father; because of his type of work, we were able to begin our day together at breakfast as he led in our family altar. We weren’t SENT to church; we went as a family. My father’s life bears testimony to You, Lord. Grandpa lived out of state, but the few times he came to visit, he told a little girl wonderful stories of heaven, streets of purest gold, many mansions, and of Grandma waiting up there for hi...
This article is not about marijuana, often called “grass”, no, it’s about ground covers. Town property owners are required to maintain their lawns with grass mowed to acceptable levels. And most try to do that, mowing between rains sometimes. We have more weeds than grass in some areas, but at least it’s green. But how long have residents been mowing properties, didn’t they have animals grazing close to cabins? Was it only in town people were required to clear areas or keep ground cover short? And what were those native gr...
Hello, I suppose you’ve learned over the years that I like kids and horses. I grew up in a family that liked kids and horses. We would trim horses up and go to the races in Kenmare, or the Fourth of July parade in Berthold. We went to play days in Stanley or Blaisdell. You learned to saddle up and check cows after school and to leave a horse tied up during calving. You learned that you had chores to do in the morning and in the evening. And you had chores to do tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. You l...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, here’s a cute one on Love and Marriage – as it seems that June is sometimes THE month couples pick to marry, right? So – here’s’ some ’Food for Thought’! Man: How much is this sparkling diamond? Jeweler: That one is $1,000.00. Man: (Whistles) And this one? Jeweler: that one is two whistles. Our June calendar is filled with birthdays and anniversaries of family, friends and loved ones. As we think about dear ones, how about some ‘gardening thoughts’, which was a poem written for a Vale...
Hello, We branded a few days ago. Branding is one of the jobs that you kind of dread, but you kind of love. The two hardest parts of a branding bee are preparing food, and lining up the day. It begins with lining up a crew. You need several people. But not too many. And not too few. I don’t know which is worse. First off you need cowboys and cowgirls that can gather the herd and get them in the working pens. You need people that can read a cow or calf’s mind, know when to push them, and know when to ease them along. When you...
We’ve all been waiting too long for spring to arrive, for overnight lows to stay above freezing, for lilacs to bloom and fruit bearing bushes to flower, be pollinated, with the promise of wonderful tastes to come. Luckily that held off long enough to avoid May 28 frost, where everything was covered with a delicate white blanket in the early morning. Rain continued to fall, three inches in a five day stretch. Farmers couldn’t get into their fields; my gardener couldn’t till his garden. All anyone could do was wait, patie...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, an occasion arose recently where ‘people watching’ was the order of the day. Sitting in the waiting room we were waiting for our friend to be called in to see her doctor. You know, Lord, one really can combine knitting with waiting and watching: knit one, purl one, knit two together. One patient is called in to see the doctor as a lady re-enters the waiting room, having just seen the doctor. Her head is bowed as if she has a heavy heart. Oops – a mistake made in knitting; now it must...
Hello, I learned many decades ago to never complain about the rain. And we’ve had our fair share of it lately. Rains for a day or two. Then dries for a day. Then rain again. Now for Memorial Day weekend it is more of the same. Writing this on Friday morning. Didn’t rain yesterday. Half inch last night and raining good this morning. Forecast is dry tomorrow. Then rain Sunday and Monday. I suppose we’ve had two to three inches past couple weeks. My son in South Dakota has had over 4 the last week. This, my friends, will make a...
Monday was Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was originally known, meant to honor soldiers lost in the Civil War. But when the country found itself in another war, World War I, the holiday was changed to honor all fallen soldiers. Memorials to soldiers and family graves are decorated with flowers. Here, early in the morning on Memorial Day, local veterans placed small American flags on the graves of deceased veterans at Beaver Lodge cemetery. At 11 a.m. a special military service was held where VFW and American Legion...
Ekalaka Public Library has received several new books recently. Some of these are: "The Cornwalls Are Gone" by James Patterson, "That Churchill Woman" by Stephanie Barron, "The Forest Lover" by Susan Vreeland, "House of Thieves" by Charles Belfoure, and "The 18th Abduction" by James Patterson. The library is receiving lots of books from community members and Mr. Ed Solace. Solace lives near Kalispell. Last week he brought the library several boxes of books. Along with the new...
We have waited for weeks for our garden to dry enough to till, only to have more rainfall. Lawns were mowed quickly between showers. Yes, it is nice to have the moisture, but when can we plant? Our forecast for the week was warmer and drier. On a Monday, Brice planned to till the garden; he cleaned the tiller, getting it ready to go to work. He pulled the rope to start the engine and it remained silent. Additional pulls did nothing. After nearly thirty years of reliable service, it deserved retirement. Brice purchased a repla...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, here’s an interesting thought: what we are is more important that what we do! No matter what, there is always going to be someone in our ‘class/group’, with as much “smarts” and education as we have, doing what we want to do – only they are doing it better. That’s life. That part isn’t the important thing, though. One’s life is not a cold resume of facts. One must build character, a life, learning that we are NOT the center of the universe. Our job is to show up, to really listen, t...
To continue the Mumedy family history, I will move on to Leona as she was well qualified as clerk for the different attorneys in Carter County and went on to Missoula, Montana to work for an attorney and also for the CCCs. She reported that in 1941 she was transferred to San Bernardino, California to be secretary to the Commanding General of the Mira Loma Quartermaster Depot. Remember, World War II was in progress and this base supplied all the merchandise for the Los Angeles port serving China, Burma, India, and other...
Hello, A lot of ranchers have gone to May calving. Calf your cows out on green grass. Like the deer and the antelope do. It will be fun they said. You won’t have to fight through the mud and the snow. It will be fun they said. Your calves won’t get scours. You won’t have wet, cold calves in the house. It will be fun they said. Last week on Tuesday it was 82 above. It was hot and windy. On Saturday it was in the low thirties and a blizzard. You couldn’t see a quarter of a mile. Cows and baby calves were bunched up along t...
Hello, Shirley and I attended our oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation this past weekend. I don’t feel old enough to have a granddaughter that will be going off to college next fall. I’m sure many of you have had, or will have, that same feeling. Harding County is always about the kids. I’ve told you that before. From the local newspaper to the county fair. The kids come first. And that is the way it should be. The graduation ceremony was wonderful. Carrol Comes was the keynote speaker. She was injured in a horse w...
Hello Dog, it's me, Mara: You know, Lord, reading about Psalms 23, written by Philip Keller (long years ago) along with a peaceful picture of sheep, suggested several subjects. That lovely picturesque country scene reminded a friend of her growing up years near her grandfather’s sheep ranch. She shared with us all about shearing and lambing, herding and shipping. She even told us about some of the peculiar personalities of several of their sheep herders and, of course, all about the pet bum lambs that she loved. She also r...
I bought calendars late in December for my husband and a friend featuring hot peppers. What would I get for myself? I decided on herbs, assuming they would be familiar herbs we grow outside our back door. Some were: rosemary, sage, chives, oregano, thyme, and garlic. Some of these have appeared, but I was surprised by others. The month of April featured dandelions. My grandmother collected tender leaves from first dandelions of the season. Of course she was teased mercilessly, but that didn’t phase her. The recipe the c...
Hello, Happy seis de Mayo! Seis de Mayo is the day after Cinco de Mayo. Not many people celebrate it, but I do. It is one day closer to the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo. They don’t celebrate it much in Mexico. It’s a minor holiday. But here in the states, it gives you an opportunity to drink margaritas and eat heartburn food. Last year we branded on Cinco de Mayo. This year it snowed all day and by evening the ground was white. This morning, on seis de Mayo, it is 32 with a wind chill of 28. Sno...
Sunday was Cinco de Mayo (May 5), a holiday meant to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, fought between the Mexican and French armies in 1862. In Mexico’s history, it’s generally considered a minor event. But a century and a half later, it is still celebrated in the United States (even when people don’t know why they’re celebrating). I just think it’s a good day to eat our version of Mexican food! One thing my husband does is make chorizo, Mexican sausage. I remember being in Kansas years ago, at my aunt’s house, when the answe...
