Your Community Builder
Your Community Builder
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Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, a recent devotional suggested that we be bold to intercede, asking on somebody’s behalf, for answer to their special needs and prayers, based not on our worthiness, but only on You, Lord. Residents in the ‘Pear Tree’ subdivision were accustomed to the sight of their neighbor, ‘Mr. Bartholomew,’ taking his daily walk. They didn’t know that he was not walking for his health, he walked for others. As he walked by each house, he prayed for the family who lived within. The nurses in a M...
Everything has a life expectancy, from vegetation to animals, humans included, to mechanical devices. Two of our electrical appliances reached the end of their lives. The first was our dishwasher. It died last fall, and our daughter told us to replace it before Thanksgiving. We did; we just never had it installed. It sat in our shop and Brice washed dishes every morning; in a little over an hour everything was sparkling. If we host a holiday meal, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, or Easter, our daughter and her hu...
Hello, A few days ago we celebrated Veterans Day, to honor those who served. It signified a war that ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. I hope you gave our veterans a little of your time on that sacred day. Whether it be with a prayer, a silent salute, a phone call, or maybe just a moment of silence. Veterans Day is about more than buying a mattress on sale. That is really dumb. My column is going to be just a little different this week. I guess maybe it is the time of the year. But, with Thanksgiving...
Hello God, it’s me, Mara: You know, Lord, as we’re out and about enjoying lovely weather, we can’t help but notice that the season of autumn is changing. The weather is a bit chillier, snow ‘might’ be on the near horizon, but meanwhile, we become aware of falling leaves and notice that our grass is dying! That just might remind us once again of how short our lives are. Several friends are computer experts and they certainly like to remind some of us older folks that there are advancements in technology that ‘beat’ anything an...
Hello, As you are aware, Thanksgiving is getting closer. That’s the holiday where all the relatives come and you compare families. You admire the others’ kids and grandkids and comment on how much they’ve grown. You take out pictures of your grandkids that couldn’t be there and compare them to other grandkids. Oh, you don’t need to wait until Thanksgiving. With the advent of smartphones, we all have pictures of our kids or grandkids. We have pictures of their first step. We share pictures of their first horseback ride or v...
As a very little girl, I remember my mom listening to baseball games on the radio. She would be doing the dishes while the radio sat on the refrigerator. Didn’t everyone’s radio reside on the refrigerator? I only started following baseball after our move to Ekalaka and my meeting Dave Williams and Marshall Shelden. During baseball season they always had small wagers on the fate of the Chicago Cubs; Williams backed the Cubs, Shelden backed their opposition. Marshall Sheldon won more often, but once a Cubs fan always a Cub...
Hello, To many of my readers, this time of the year is a great time. Pheasant hunting is open, you can blast those ducks that are heading south, and deer season is right around the corner. Coyotes are nearing prime and prairie dogs are enjoying wrecking the prairie and standing above their dens and bragging about it. But, thinking of hunting, reminds me of a couple of stories. One involves a good friend who passed away a several years ago. Jerry Linseth. He had a ranch west of Grassy Butte on the Little Missouri. He loved...
I will continue this week with memories of our neighbors, Frank and Clara Nies. My last article told of them getting a years supply of coal and wood from their own place, taking a month to fill the coal house. One day while uncovering the coal Clara had this experience to tell about. “Frank was handling the scrapper while I drove the horses. I stood on the double trees and this one time the scraper caught on something with a sudden stop and the first thing I knew I was flying through the air over the horses. Frank thought i...
I have not submitted articles to The Ekalaka Eagle for a couple of weeks. What’s that old saying? “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” That’s my excuse. I just had nothing to say. Last week was our first use of the Carter Charter. Brice had checked it out to see that the wheelchair could load easily. And it did. In addition, the driver helped guide and secure the wheelchair in the van. We traveled to Miles City for my 12:30 p.m. appointment. The visit took 45 minutes, then we picked up two Subway sand...
Hello, Last week I told you about a few of the bucking horses and how many of them were given their names. I had a lot of comments, well two, from readers. One from my daughter and one from my current wife, Shirley. So with that kind of response I’d like to visit with you about a couple others. Oh, and by the way, if you are calling to buy my donkey or my mules, you are too late. They are gone. No, they didn’t run away. Shirley and her sister, Rose, delivered them to Montana over the weekend. All I had to do was spread the...
Hello, They had a bucking horse contest in Watford a couple of days ago. I wasn’t there. I wish I had been. They bucked nearly a hundred young horses out. Putting a dummy on them. No, a real dummy. It’s a deal rigged up to come off a young horse after a few seconds. Gives you a chance to see how these colts are going to perform as they get older. It’s a contest between stock contractors and bucking horse breeders. I’ve always had a soft spot for bucking horses. Unless they are saddle horses that buck. Over the years I’ve go...
Sorry it has been a long time since I have written a “memories” article, but it has been a busy fall with lots of activities. A short “rabbit trail” before I get back to writing about those old time special neighbors. The Days of ‘85 have come and gone, but in my last article I mentioned our graduating class of 1948 was hoping to get together during that time. I also remember that during the days several other CCHS year classes did. Those years were 1953, 1955, 1958, 1968, 1988 and 2008, and I so enjoyed seeing and having a...
Hello, I am writing this at 4 in the morning. On Monday. A snowy Monday. It’s not that I like to get up and write at 4 in the morning. It’s just that I can’t sleep. Maybe that is because I went to bed at 7:30. Shirley says that is why I can’t sleep in the morning. I always tell her that you should go to bed when you are tired, not at a certain time. Anyway, after going to bed early the past few nights, I now find myself getting up around three. By the time it is light enough to work, I’m ready for a nap. Or maybe it is the...
I’m not accustomed to making excuses, but the dog didn’t exactly eat my homework. I was busy wrestling with jaw pain. I did learn how to work through pain, but it wasn’t fun. My meals were liquid or soft, taken only on the left side of my mouth. If my husband weren’t such a marvelous chef, we might have opened more cans of Campbell’s Soup. As it was, we only opened one and added fresh mushroom slices to it: cream of mushroom soup. We had smooth cream of tomato bisque made with ripe, homegrown tomatoes. There was cream of...
Hello, We were working calves over the weekend. Giving fall vaccinations. I suppose it is a lot like the H1N1 flu shot. Some people give them. Some don’t. Everyone argues whether it is worth it or not. Except the calves. They don’t seem to like it, but they never say anything. Now Shirley is about as good of help as you can get. She doesn’t need to look at the numbers to know if a calf belongs to a certain cow. She can ride a pretty big circle and pen up a pretty spooky cow. But the amazing thing is dinner. I don’t miss ma...
Feeling strong? Recently, I watched a Cooper's hawk take off from a rural, gravel road, clutching a dead meadowlark in its talons. An adult Cooper's hawk might weigh one pound. An adult meadowlark probably tips the scale at 3 ounces. To compare that to a human, a 200-pound person would have to lift almost 40 pounds, then run away. Extra points if you can fly. Perhaps you are physically fit. Maybe you are the strongest at the gym, ran a marathon recently or reupped for advanced...
Hello, I can’t recall a fall with so many beautiful days. I know I will not have my fall work done when the first snows hit, but it dang sure won’t be Mother Nature’s fault. She is giving me plenty of opportunity. I’m a believer in climate change. And I’m thinking again this morning that maybe for our part of the country that is not all bad. Please remind me of this again this winter when Shirley’s face is frostbitten and the tractor won’t start. On Saturday we moved a bunch of cows to the harvested cornfields. My ideas of b...
It’s that time of year… time to get your flu shot! Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. Respiratory means it’s an issue with lungs and breathing. Influenza (sometimes called the Flu) symptoms can be mild or severe. Symptoms start abruptly, not gradually. A person infected with the influenza virus could experience fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, severe body or muscle aches, headache, and extreme fatigue. Some people may experience vomiting and diarrhea, this is more common...
Hello, You know, I am not a real big radio person. Oh, I listen to the markets, maybe listen to the news once a day, catch part of a ball game once in awhile, but mostly I just drive and think. Don’t ask me what I think about. I can’t recall most of the time. When I was a hotshot driver I could go to Houston and back and maybe listen to the radio an hour a day. Get the morning news, catch the game scores, and listen to a song or two. Sometimes I can get public radio and let classical music play while my mind drifts, but tha...
I like to sleep with the window open in our bedroom. Fresh air, right? It can also bring in cold air. And our bedroom window opens just behind my head. If my husband slept on my side of the bed, he’d need a bed cap to protect his bald head! I have thick hair on one side of my head and thinner hair on the other side, so I like to pull the quilt over my head and keep it warm all night. Unlike cities with all their paved streets and tall buildings, our outdoor temperature can get very cool, even in summer. I remember many y...
In 2016 suicide was the 8th leading cause of death in Montana; 267 deaths were attributed to suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This ranks Montana FIRST out of all the United States in suicide rates (25.9 suicide deaths out of 100,000 people)! This is one time where we DO NOT want to come in first. Alaska and Wyoming are 2nd and 3rd; whereas New Jersey comes in last at 7.2 deaths out of 100,000 people. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States! Suicide is defined as the...
I heard it on the news, “People who play tennis live nine years longer.” I tried playing tennis once with three Australian women who claimed these outings were just to “hit and giggle.” First, I made myself a white tennis outfit, and we bought a cheap tennis racket. It didn’t take long to realize my poor playing was dragging down the levity of the outings, and I threatened to be depressed by the experience. I excused myself and abandoned the sport. But I enjoy watching the sport. My mother-in-law also enjoyed watching...
Hello, Football season is here. I’m not real excited about it. I suffer from attention disorder, or however you say it. I can’t watch an entire game. Unless is involves the Ranchers, or maybe the Bison. I am what many would consider elderly. And football tires me out. Especially when you have grandchildren involved. Because for them, football isn’t just for Friday nights, it’s a 24-hour deal. Two of the boys play junior high football. It’s a big deal. Getting your own helmet, your own pads and a jersey with a number on it. Ga...
It comes as no surprise to local residents that my husband enjoys his vegetable garden. It is fenced to protect from hungry deer, although we haven’t seen many deer this year. His rows are straight, and rain keeps the plants watered, or we have a well when rain needs to be supplemented. While seed catalogs arrive in January and February, Brice forgot to order seeds this year; he was forced to use seeds left over for a year or two. They all produced in spite of age. We have been enjoying the tastes of garden plants, the f...
Hello, I don’t know why we celebrate Labor Day. We should have a day to celebrate not working. Maybe it’s because if you are involved in animal agriculture, every day is labor day. Oh, sometimes you can sneak away for a few days. If you have family or friends that will come over and let the dog out, feed the bum calves, grain the saddle horses, check the water tanks, put out a little hay, go around the fences, repair the fence the bulls tore down, give the sick pen a little medicated feed, feed the fat cattle, pick up the...
