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Hello, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that I’m getting older. But I can’t remember the wind blowing like it has recently. I mean, every morning, the windows are rattling and snow is moving around the yard. The other day we lost a calf. Well, we didn’t really lose it. The cow lost it. I mean it died. out was that the cow was trying to have that little guy against the wind. If she had only stood up and turned around, would have been all right. Every rancher who has swung a leg over a horse, or saddled up the four-wheeler for a q...
My Father, Lee Lavell, was a most unusual character. Some of you older people in Ekalaka knew him or of him, but I am going to tell you something about him that probably none of you knew. He just did it and never told anybody except his family about it. Numerous times while I was growing up, Dad brought a down and out man home with him. Usually it was Barry Doby, who lived in a tiny house down a ways toward town from us. Barry Doby, I don't know if it was spelled this way or as Bary, used to get drunk once in a while and...
Hello, I’ve told you about my friend that is worse around the house than I? You know, the one that complained because none of the businesses were open on Sunday and he needed his solid oak doors sawed off because he had put in a new carpet and the doors drug on the floor. And since nothing was open, he was upset and sawed the doors off himself. Which would have been all right if he had a carpeted ceiling, because he sawed the top off. He does have a struggle. We were out for supper one night last week with some friends. S...
Good Day to you Laddie, Tis that favorite time of the year again lads, St. Paddy’s Day. The day we all celebrate the wee bit of Irish that we all wish we had. A day with a pint of Guiness or a shot of Jamison. Since I married an Irish/Norwegian lass, I have learned to appreciate the Irish wit and need for celebration. And I have deduced that there are a few things that you know if you are Irish. 1. When you were growing up, much of your food was boiled. 2. After a few beers, you become quite poetic. 3. Not knowing the words t...
As I continued to referee for several years, I was included in the top rating as an official. I was chosen for tournaments — the first being a Class C District A Tournament in Sidney, MT. Almost every referee looks forward to working a tournament. I believe the year was 1961 and the teams were Froid, Culbertson, Bainville, Brockton, Savage, Richey, Frazer, and Lambert. Some of these schools have now combined because of enrollment. A memory from this tourney was that Mr. Kenneth K. Kins was the coach of the Brockton I...
Upon reading the latest Sykes-Belltower history in the Eagle, I am reminded once again about the great debt that we owe to women and how important they are in our history and indeed to our present. Two ladies stood out in this story. One was Marguerite Goeders, standing only 4 ft. 2 inches, she magnificently did all the work required on the homestead while her husband worked in their blacksmith shop. The other was Mrs. Kingsley who walked through the snow and inclement weather to deliver mail just to make a living. I suspect...
Hello, I’ve told you before, and I know you believe me, I’m not the brightest bulb in the closet. I proved it again this morning. I am snowed in at Jamestown. I’m not familiar with Jamestown, although people have suggested there is a place for me here. Being a rather broke person, I searched for the cheapest motel I could find. $39.95 per night. That is reasonable. They don’t know about the Bakken here. I booked the room. There was ice on the toilet. I guess heat is extra. But I slept with my clothes and coat on and by morn...
As time moved on, I decided I would like to work games other than just at Ekalaka. Individuals who worked sports activities belong to an organization called Montana Officials Association (MOA) and had groups in Miles City and Glendive. I decided to take the basketball test and become a member of the organization. I didn’t pass. After much study with the rule book and a book called the “Case” book, I passed. The “Case” book was a wonderful book that had every kind of situation and problem that could come about as a referee w...
Hello, I know most of you in the western Dakotas are familiar with cow cake. For those of you that are neophytes in the cattle industry, I will try to explain. Cows, much like humans, require a certain amount of protein to survive. The protein can come from grass, grain, hay, or wherever. They can graze for protein, or eat it out of a hay feeder or feed bunk. As you drive across ranch country you will see many yards surrounded by big tires. These are placed there to feed chopped hay or silage into. And they make a wonderful...
My Mother remembered birthdays of siblings, parents and cousins. Their birthdays may have been written on the calendar. My Mom remembered my Dad’s siblings’ and parents’ birthdays, and cousins of course. I don’t remember lots of cards being sent, but telephone calls were made. They often were invited for afternoon cake and ice cream, Mom made lots of cakes, box cakes with fudge or caramel icing. Dad and I didn’t care much for cake, but I’d peal off big chunks of fudge or caramel. I was probably more greedy than Dad. Like Mom,...
The morning of February 10, it was -23.2 degrees at the official weather station in Ekalaka, in our back yard. Luckily, Brice doesn’t need to go outside to read temperatures, he or I can just read the numbers on the little screen on the computer counter. The only outside activities associated with the weather are bringing in the large container where snow or rain might have accumulated. Two days in the first part of one week dropped 10 inches of snow which melted down to 1/2 inch of moisture. I haven’t been outside in mon...
Hello, A couple days ago, Slate, our youngest grandson and I were moving some stuff in the barn. I have good barn cats. But they are well fed and will not work real hard at mousing. The mice had them figured out and had built a resort under feedbags that were stacked on a wooden pallet. The mice had eaten holes in the bottom of the sack so were on a wonderful diet of ground corn, distiller’s grain, and wheat mids. They didn’t have to ever come out for food, and the cats couldn’t get under the pallet to get them. It was a lit...
Stress… We all experience it; the amount of stress varies day to day; from situation to situation. Stress comes in different forms; the stress of planning a wedding is very different than the stress of losing a home, but you may experience similar symptoms. Some stress is beneficial; it helps you develop skills to deal with possible threatening situations in life. However, too much stress can have adverse health effects on you. Stress is not helpful when it prevents you from taking care of yourself and your family. You can p...
I was going to continue my articles on old and special neighbors, but decided to go down another rabbit trail this time. There have been a couple of individuals who asked, "Loyd, when are you going to write about your basketball referee days and years?" This may be a good time as basketball season is in full swing. My thoughts here are to bring back memories for people of schools, teams, and special moments during those years. I graduated from high school in the spring of 1948...
Hello, The luge. I think I’ll try the luge. I enjoy watching the winter Olympics. More so than the summer Olympics. I suppose it’s because as a kid I was really slow. I wasn’t a track and field guy. If you see me running, it’s not me. I did run if a cow was after me, or a mouse. But I just couldn’t see running if nothing was chasing you. I picked rock, so I abhorred lifting for fun. But now winter Olympics, they are different. It’s something I can understand. It’s a lot like home. Especially in South Korea. Because it is...
Bananas are a wonderful fruit. They are easy to peel and eat; most people like them although some more so than others, of course. My wife Joanne, usually called Jo, took a notion that she didn't like them some years back. She thought that she saw a worm in one, dropped the peel on the floor, and then threw the whole thing in the trash. I had never heard of a worm in a banana before. I told this story to a friend and he told me that when he spent time in Panama with the National Guard, he had seen worms in bananas. I thought...
For several years Brice has worked as my primary Home Care Aide, bringing home $16 an hour. That’s after everything is taken out. That took the home income up to $1800 a month. Added to my $595 in Social Security, that gave me a healthy income to buy generously. The Home Care Company called earlier this month, telling us the Governor had signed budget cuts that take away salary for family members acting as care givers. I realize the state is trying to balance the budget and everyone has to pitch in; this will be our $1800 c...
Hello, We usually take a little vacation in the winter. You know, four or five days. We kind of do it on the cheap. Look for cheap vacation packages. Like driving to relatives and staying for free in their house and eating their food. But, after decades of this, it is getting harder to find relatives that will make our beds and prepare a nice menu for us to choose from. This year we found a relative of a friend that had a house in Cabo. For my non-traveling friends, that is on the southern tip of the Baja. Which, I am sure...
In the interest of communicating with the community, the Carter County Museum has included a flyer in this week's Eagle to share our economic and educational impact in 2017. First, we would like to thank our visitors, donors and volunteers for helping us make 2017 a record year. Thanks to you all, we increased our attendance by 28 percent for a total of 4,895 people. Local attendance – visitors from Carter County – rose by 10 percent. Of that number, 3,444 came to the cou...
There were a number of colorful characters hanging around Carter County in the early days, probably still are. When I first thought about writing about this I figured that I would have a wealth of persons to talk about but after thinking more didn't come up with many. It is probably because my memory of those days, especially people, is getting weaker. Well, I will do my best. The first person I think about is Ernie Funk; I couldn't come up with his first name but my brother Charles said it was Ernie. He moved from down...
I've been pleasantly surprised with the enthusiastic feedback the museum has received after posting February taxidermy workshops. Since I moved to Ekalaka last March, many of you have come to me with questions about preserving your own specimens. While I'm always happy to meet with you for one-on-one help, we decided that it would be fun for the museum to host some workshops in which we can socialize, share knowledge and ideas, and just have a generally good time working on...
Hello, I’ve a good friend who has lots of stories. They are stories about cows, cowboys, and old pickup trucks. Remember the Peanuts cartoon when Snoopy is writing a book. It always starts out “It was a dark and stormy night..” My friend’s stories always start out, “We was drinking one time, it might have been Cheyenne. Or it could have been Calgary.” And I’ve decided that cows and cowboying are really good for one thing. They are good for stories. That is because I am working on our taxes. I’ve often said, “Income taxes a...
I took off the month of January to deal with health issues, but they weren’t touched in January! On the scheduled date to aim radiation at the nerve in my right jaw, there was horizontal snow and ice to fight through. The bad roads extended all the way to Billings! We stayed home. My jaw pain made a return attack, but medication seemed the only solution. Now I’m scheduled for next Friday and we are scheduled for Arctic cold. Of course. Early settlers were smart enough to stay tucked inside during the winter, only ven...
I was saddened to read in the Eagle about the passing of Tootie Boggs. My brother Charles had already told me about her when he saw it online in the Miles City Star. Tootie was a real friend and fixture in the lives of all of the Lavell children. !thought about writing this as a letter to the editor but decided to make a story about it instead. Tootie was born in 1933, approximately a year before my oldest sister Dorothy. When we moved to Ekalaka from the country in 1944, the Boggs’ lived right down the road from us. T...
Hello, I’ve told you I’m not a real big football fan. I do enjoy the playoffs. It was fun seeing the Jaguars put forth a great effort against the New England Referees. And that’s all I’m going to say about that because I don’t want to incur a fine from the NFL. And I guess there was another game after that. And that’s all I’m going to say about that because…Well, just because. We watched those games at home. I’ve told you about how Shirley is about football. She was devastated when she found out the Minnesota Twins c...
