The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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"It is impossible to please all the world and one's father." Jean de La Fontaine Fables (1668) Family owned ranches and farms demand a familial unity not found in most professions and trades. The quantity of work requires help from everyone, and hired labor is expensive. Decades back it was always the father/son who performed most of the jobs, but over time, women assumed a larger role in the operations. They still held themselves responsible for domestic work, they just...
Dear Readers, Now that we are getting settled into the new year, many of us are working on getting healthier. There is so much information about diets, sometimes it's hard to know what is really good for you. U.S. News rated 35 diets, and coming in first for overall health (not just weight loss) was the Mediterranean Diet; the Flexitarian and DASH Diets tied for second place. A panel of nutrition experts ranked the diets based on seven categories: how easy it is to follow,...
My father and two of his brothers spent their entire lives on the ranch. Two served in WWII, but the other never left the property. They were adequate when working cattle, but never had any experience on other ranches to see how they handled cows. And they never had any decent horses. In the 1930's, I think, my grandfather owned a big Shire stallion, and used his offspring on the ranch. His practice was to ride them until they got too big, then put them in a harness. Every...
Dear Readers, Another year is behind us, and now it's time to get back to our normal routines. Many of us, including myself, have overeaten during the holidays; it's just part of it. It's a great time with family, close friends, and homemade desserts. Every year a family friend bakes a homemade pecan pie using fresh pecans from her own property, and believe me, it is a slice of paradise! Special occasions aside, Americans eat a lot of sugar, with some estimates totaling 57...
Just wanted to send out a little Hey Howdy Hey of thanks to the fellows who run the Lincoln Transfer Site. Doug Cousins, who has been there 15 years and Dan Thomas who is under a month shy of three years. There is much work that is done at the site, along with many miles to cover with the truck. They travel east as far as the Montana Department of Transportation lot. West, they go out to Lone Point Rd and do the loop. South up Dalton Mountain and up Stemple Pas to McDunn’s, a...
Unearned suffering is redemptive. - Martin Luther King I had been in Barra do Bugres for about six months when a stranger knocked at my door. I could tell he was American by the sensible shoes he wore. The man lived in Paraguay but owned a tract of land about 40 miles from town. With his wife and son, he had come to take a look at it and to see what he had for squatters. My Brazilian counterpart had told him that I would go along. So the next morning we left, knowing only the...
Lately I have found great contentment in some areas that have caused me much stress. However, as I write this column, I find that some of those "areas" have come back. I am feeling some anger and uncertainty and I do not like that. I do not want to feel stressed and angry at any person or situation. But guess what, I do! That is not good. I am letting some circumstances rob me of my joy in the Lord. I am trying to control a situation that is not my responsibility, or maybe...
Dear Readers, The New Year is upon us, and along with it, come those resolutions. There is room for improvement in all our lives, right? As many as 70% of Americans will resolve to eat healthier in 2020. Others will set a goal to exercise on a regular basis. And of course, many will seek to lose weight. Eating healthier is a lifestyle change; it’s as simple as that. There is no such thing as magic. There are no pills to melt fat away and no diets to trick your body into burnin...
For the most part, the physical and social geography of Southwest Montana has changed little with the passage of time. Ranching and agriculture are the major lifestyles, and the Bitterroot and Gallatin valleys still draw the most folks. Water, which played a significant role in the past, is still important today. Here in this quadrant of the state is the gathering place for the rivers forming the three forks of the big Missouri. The Jefferson and Gallatin both get their start...
While in Barra do Bugres during my third year in the Peace Corps, Sr. René stopped by my house and asked me to attend a churrasco at his place on the upcoming Jan. 1st. René was the biggest rancher in the area, running about 20,000 cows. He said that his son-in-law was going to make a circle of the ranch that day, and if I wanted, I should arrive in the early morning and go along. I accepted. I got there about 7 a.m., and we caught our horses. As I finished saddling my h...
Dear Readers, I thought it would be good to end 2019 on a positive note, and according to an analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), American diets are getting healthier! The overall Healthy Eating Index increased from 55.7 to 57.7 (1). This may not seem like much, but scientists found it statistically significant. A synopsis of the findings is below: • Americans decreased energy intake of low-quality carbohydrates by 3.25 percent (2). E...
Fur trappers, followed quickly on the heels of Lewis and Clark into the new frontier. Searching for beaver to satisfy the latest fashion demands of Europeans, they wandered to what would become Montana Territory and particularly to the southwest sector of the state. But they were not settlers, just passers-through, and they left behind a mostly negative legacy that included degradation of the natives and a depletion of resources that saw the profits flow to only a few....
Hi, and welcome to the first edition of a new column I've been working on called "From my Perspective." I mean let's face it, everyone has an opinion, so why not share it, but I'm pretty sure my perspective is generally different than most. See, I have this knack of seeing the good in almost every situation, and if I don't see it, I try to find it. Some people call that being optimistic. Others call it having my head in the clouds, and yet, even others have a nickname for me....
Father Time just keeps moving along doesn't He? Here we are facing 2020 in just another week. Over the past few years I have found it a bit harder to keep moving along. My knees and hips hurt, arthritis is in my neck, lung capacity is not what it used to be, yes, this aging thing is a challenge! But Father Time, well He keeps running strong every year, and in fact it seems to me He is getting faster and faster. I imagine many of you reading this feel the same way. For those wh...
Dear Dietitian, My husband has been diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. His doctor told him to lose weight, and he tries, but he ends up getting discouraged and goes off his diet. I'm worried about his health, but what can I do? Lauren Dear Lauren, One of the most difficult things in life is watching someone struggle with a health condition. It is perhaps more difficult than when we struggle ourselves. Of course, you worry about your husband's health, and you...
The Brazilians don't trade many presents during Christmas, preferring to have family/friends gatherings centered around "churrascos," or meat roasted on a spit. Some will offer huge churrascos, like Sr. Joaquim Miranda, one of the old coronels who took possession of thousands of acres of land around Barra do Bugres back in the late 1940's and early 50's. Sr. Joaquim had two churrascos a year – Christmas and Easter. At one of his Easter parties, his help came to him to say that...
Well Christmas isn’t just around the corner anymore. It’s here. People are still out shopping until the very last minute and taking “extreme measure” trying to find the latest high-tech gadgets, phones, and toys for their loved ones and friends, etc. This will never change, but I can’t complain myself though, for I too have been very blessed already this season. So, I would like to send out a big Hey Howdy Hey of thanks to “The Big Guy In The Sky”. Because without the b...
Work and pray, live on hay, You'll get a pie in the sky when you die. - Joe Hill (Joseph Hillstrom) The Preacher and the Slave I've written a number of times about the changes in ranching that I've seen. The most dramatic is the sophistication of the mechanics involved in putting up the hay. The introduction of the round and big square balers, plus the swathers changed the summer ritual of haying from 30 – 60 days of frenetic activity by eight men or more to just a few w...
Dear Dietitian, This past weekend, a friend encouraged me to try a meatless burger. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was delicious and tasted like meat! Are these meatless substitutes healthier than meat? Thanks, Josh Dear Josh, When it comes to consumer satisfaction, burgers made with meat substitutes taste like meat, look like meat, and have a similar texture. An increased number of consumers are switching to plant-based diets for many reasons, including...
An important portion of The Corps of Discovery's journey occurred in southwest Montana. On July 19, 1805, Lewis and his men were struggling up the Missouri between present-day Upper and Lower Holter lakes. "from the singular appearance of this place I called it the gates of the rocky mountains." The next day, searching for "the three forks of the Missouri," they entered the first of southwest Montana's big valleys – Helena's Prickly Pear Valley. Arriving at the meeting of t...
Defining a province like Southwest Montana is subjective. For us, an imaginary line commences at Lolo Pass west of Missoula and moves east along Interstate 90 and the Clark Fork River to Garrison Junction. Then it follows Highway 12 over McDonald Pass to Helena. From there, our boundary extends slightly in a southeasterly direction, taking in the Big Belt Mountains before heading to Bozeman and then along the Gallatin Range crest to West Yellowstone. The south and west line of...
As I think back about the way Congress has failed to address some major issues, I cannot help but scratch my head and wonder “What do they think their job is?” I mean we have put up with some of the most unproductive politicians I can remember. We have a large segment trying to legislate with no regard for the Constitution. They want us to become as destitute as Venezuela in fiscal and social integrity. We have some who think fiscal restraint is only spending say 4 per...
Dear Dietitian, I have irritable bowel syndrome and appreciated your column on a high fiber diet to manage IBS. My symptoms are usually pretty well-controlled, thank goodness. I've been reading about the low FODMAP diet, and it seems pretty detailed. Should I try it? Thanks, Katie Dear Katie, The low FODMAP diet was created by a research team at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia as a treatment for irritable bowel disease (IBS) (1). As you know, IBS is an...
Bless me father for I have sinned. My last elk hunt was several years ago. In Montana, elk hunting is akin to religion. You don't have to be a true believer, but a day spent chasing elk, following tracks in the snow, or even sitting in the woods and watching the natural world unfold can be as beautiful as time spent in a cathedral. Why, then, would someone renounce that? Good question. This is not to belittle anyone's beliefs in an afterlife, a Creator or sacred writings. Rath...
Dear Dietitian, I was recently hospitalized overnight for irritable bowel syndrome. The abdominal pain was treated, then I was released the next morning. I was not given any information on what diet I should follow. Can you help? Julie Dear Julie, A flare-up of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be very painful, but the good news is it can be well-managed with diet and lifestyle changes. IBS is a common intestinal disorder that affects 25-45 million Americans. It requires a...
