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Summer is nearly gone, and I cannot say I will miss much of it. I was dealing with back pain most of the summer, which definitely puts a damper on gardening and doing the work I usually enjoy. Generally, we have an enjoyable summer, busy working, but still having time to stop and smell the roses. Nevertheless, this summer, it seems the wind blew more, the grasshoppers were overwhelming, and irrigating and watering was never done; we just went from one field or garden to another. The respites were not there from an occasional rain shower or...
Harvest and haying time is always a stressful time. It's hot, sweltering, equipment breaks down, and everyone is exhausted! We have little time to take a break, little time to get a good night's sleep. This year is more stressful than most. We have poor prices, and grass hopers by the millions! The political bickering is getting out of hand. Political maneuvering is more than outspoken. It's downright ugly. And then you add COVID, not necessarily massive in our area, but it affects food and...
I love Johnny Cash. I think my all time favorite Cash song is “A Boy Named Sue.” The song was a huge hit for Cash, but was actually written by Shel Silverstein, who is famous for writing books of children’s poetry. In the song, a young man is named “Sue” by his drunken no-account father before he is abandoned. The name results in extended misery for the boy, who is hounded and teased by everyone he encounters. Through the torments, he learns to be tough, mainly because he fights everyone who ever gives him a hard time. Eventually, Sue resolves...
My brother lives in Northern California. For the last 6 months, he and his family have been living with some of the strictest lockdown regulations in the country. My little brother is very active and a bit of a gym nut. The lockdown has eliminated his ability to go to the gym at all, though he maintained his membership for some time. For several months, he was able to proudly say “I am a member of a gym,” but was not able to go to it. Over the years, I’ve known a few people who had gym memberships, but never went. There’s a strange truth a...
In his fictional book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote a collection of letters from a senior demon to a novice tempter. The book explores the various ways people are led astray, tempted, tricked, and manipulated from their faith in God. The opening chapter describes the most powerful tool the devil uses to keep people from ever asking themselves important questions in life: the ordinary. Everyday life and the boring details that occupy our attention keep us from looking at our lives and dealing with issues that matter in the long term....
Those words cause a person to feel slighted, irritated and sometimes surprised. The Canadian/U.S. border is now closed, except for essential travel. Essential travel is commercial products being taken back and forth to each country. There are feelings on each side of the border concerning the closing, but this article will deal with what this means for the U.S. side. Big Sandy, for the most part, appears unperturbed and unaffected. However, these are early days. As time goes on, more problems may emerge. Traveling, of course, in Canada by an...
Talk is always cheap, but it seems even cheaper when it comes from the lips of Senator Steve Daines. Daines claims to be an advocate for Montana producers so much that he sounds like a broken record, but when push comes to shove, is he really there for us? The question is worth asking because last year Senator Daines had a prime opportunity to stand up for Montana’s farmers, but he failed. Senator Tester fought hard to change the WHIP+ (Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus) program so as to unlock $1.5 billion in disaster relief for Mo...
I learned basic car repair in college after buying a beat up old car for $250. Armed with a repair manual and a basic tool set from Sears, I took on all manner of simple repairs. Along the way, I learned quite a few lessons. One of the most important happened when I was replacing a corroded set of battery cables that weren’t able to maintain a good connection any longer. When the time came to reconnect the battery, I put the cables on and was greeted with huge sparks as my cables melted off. After disconnecting the cables, I ran to the store a...
When I was a lad, there were a few people around Big Sandy who always seemed to be somewhere nearby. On the one hand, they were like the buttons on an old coat, maybe a little bit frayed, maybe the stitching was a little loose, but if it got cold out, if you felt a chill, you could count on them to close the gap for you. On the other hand, they were kind of like the fleas on a dog's back – always there, totally reliable in a sense, but you also knew they might haul off and bite you. You just d...
My son has recently asked me, “why do people say the expression ‘uncertain times’ when they talk?” I explained to him that we have a new normal...and we may never go back to the way it used to be. These “uncertain times” have everyone asking so many questions. I recently asked someone how their fitness journey was going, and their response was, “horrible because the school won’t let people in the community go to the gym.” Well, I thought this week’s article, we could talk about fitness and nutrition during these “uncertain times....
I thought I would share “Lighting Up the World” by Tyler Perry, instead of trying to rewrite the subject and doing it poorly. Enjoy! “I’VE BEEN DOING a lot of building over the past few years. I’ve learned that, according to the commercial codes across the country, before you can construct a building, plans must first be reviewed by a board, and they have to pass a “life safety review.” In order to pass that review, the building must meet certain requirements: It must have fire exits, sprinklers, and exit signs, as well as lights with emergenc...
One of my favorite books by C.S. Lewis is The Screwtape Letters, which is written from the perspective of a demon named Screwtape instructing another demon on how to tempt a young man into hell. It’s one of my favorites, because Lewis has a keen understanding of human people and does a terrific job of observing the habits we fall into that weaken us spiritually. In one particular letter, Screwtape talks about using pleasures to tempt the young man. He explains that all people experience a restlessness that comes from their spiritual state. B...
This weekend, I will have been married to my wife for 22 years. I am happy and cannot imagine sharing my life with any other person. However, I can honestly say that our lives together have not gone anything like what I thought it would when I said “I do” so many years ago. We’ve had more than a couple of years that were not happy and extended times when we barely spoke except to fight. We’ve also had times that were filled with mourning and uncertainty as to how we’d get through the next day. Don’t get me wrong, our marriage has been the be...
I have three ways to renew myself during these crazy times. It's challenging to stay positive without jumping on the bandwagon and criticize everything that is going on. I am determined to live above these circumstances and remain joyful and positive. The most important of the three is to spend time reading my bible, doing devotions, and finding time for solitude just to breathe and find peace. The second way is to think about other people. Prioritize the day so that we can find the time and a...
We are climbing on the wings of summer and will soon be in full flight to hot days, warm nights, and delicious garden produce. Thankfully, we have had some pleasant rains giving us much needed moisture, which brightens the countryside with shimmers of green and abundant flowers. The yucca plants are in full bloom as well as cactus and other wildflowers. Our yard looks great, all green and lush with flowers blooming in my flower gardens; my rose garden is so beautiful with many different colors...
Letter to the Editor, I’d like to thank you with love Zoe for the very special poster size pictures honoring our awesome 2020 Seniors, displayed in our businesses along main street. A very thoughtful gift in this dark confusing time to lift our seniors. Also, thanks to all the businesses for letting you hang them all. Thank you to for the spotlight recognition of our awesome Class of 2020 in your Mountaineer. To our Special Principal Wolery, and great teacher, How well you know our kids, all of them. The Senior Spotlights, a wonderful gift t...
Nearly 15 years ago, I read a book on management by Peter Drucker. I remember that it was excellent, but I only recall one clear lesson from it: The more decisions you make, the more likely you are to make a mistake, so make a decision once and apply that decision over and over and over again. Ideally, you should make your one decision when there is no pressure or emotional stress to taint your reasoning. The idea here is that we tend to make poor decisions when we’re excited or emotional, so we should make our decisions when we are calm. When...
A few years ago, before my daughter learned to read, I read her the book “Alice in Wonderland”. In the book, Alice sort of wanders from encounter to encounter without a strong purpose. The plot is summed up well when she asks the Cheshire Cat which way she should go. The cat responds by asking where she is trying to go. Alice explains that she doesn’t care where she is going. This prompts the cat to explain that it doesn’t matter which way she goes, because it doesn’t matter where she ends up. He goes on to tell her that she’s bound to en...
I was sitting outside the Mountaineer on the new bench, working on writing on what it means to be from a rural community. I smile because it means something precious. Three senior citizens were putting away this year's Rotary prizes because they couldn't hold the Rotary Banquet this year because of COVID-19. Sponsors were supportive, however, and told them to keep what they had donated till next year. They see me halfway down the block and yelled, "there is no story here!" I walked to them and l...
Daryl Davis is a blues musician who, for the last 30 years, has been collecting KKK robes. He has over 200 in his home, which he saves as a reminder of the work he has been doing. Mr. Davis is an African American man whose uses his spare time to befriend members of the KKK. He visits them in prison, drives their families to visits and appointments, and does what ever else he can to show love to folks who have built their lives around hating him and people like him. His 200 robes have been given to him by 200 men he befriended and converted...
I’ve spent the last few months studying the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. Most people are familiar with the story of Daniel being tossed into the lion’s den as a death sentence, only to be saved by God. That’s really just a minor episode in the story of Daniel, who was a Jewish man living in Babylon during the exile. The exile was a period of 70 years where the nation of Israel was decimated by the Babylonian empire. The majority of the population was carted off as captives to serve in Babylon when Daniel was a young man. He was press...
Summer 2020 Challenge One of my favorite songs, because my mom and brother, both gone now because of cancer, loved it: Summertime, an' the livin' is easy.Fish are jumpin' an' the cotton is high. Oh, yo' daddy's rich and yo' ma is good-lookin'.So hush, little baby, don' you cry. One of these mornin's you goin' to rise up singin' Then you'll spread yo' wings an' you'll take the sky. But till that mornin', there's a nothin' can harm you With Daddy an' Mammy standin' by. But summer is also a busy...
A couple of decades ago I graduated from high school and went off to college. I had a straight path in mind regarding what I was going to do with my life. I had intended on finishing a pre-seminary degree from a little private college I was attending. I would then attend seminary, which I had already picked out before arriving at college. At the end of my first semester, I found that the ancient language requirements to complete my degree were not going to be something I was going to manage (I squeaked through Biblical Greek with a very low...
The country is taking steps to open our doors. I believe it is a good decision and necessary to help us get over the changes we have lived through. Change can be a good thing under the right circumstances, but experiencing so many changes in just a few months certainly creates questions for what the future will hold. We as a ranching/farming family have not noticed a great deal of change in our daily lives, mostly we question what our crops and livestock's value will be in the Fall. Today we...
During the lockdown, one of the weirdest challenges I have taken on has been keeping my kids from eating nothing but junk food. If they had their way breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, supper, dinner, and every snack in-between would consist purely of processed sugar, corn syrup, chocolate covered, and deep fried stuff. I use the word “stuff” because most of what they would prefer to eat never qualified as actual food at any point so it requires a label that reflects the artificial nature of their foods of choice. There is a reason that the...
