The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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Well, the garden season is suddenly upon us. It's already June and our soil is finally dried out a bit from the rain and warmed up a bit from the snow. However, since we live in the mountains, we know that the temperatures drop quickly due to fluctuating air currents and clear nights. Gardeners often have a stash of old sheets and miscellaneous plastic to throw over our tender crops. But there's a product called Row Cover that is lightweight, allows sunlight and water through...
This past week I had to say goodbye to my canine companion and best shotgun road trip partner. It was a tough few days, especially those leading up to her appointment. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to call and cancel that appointment, but that would have been selfish and no way to honor the companion who had given me so much of herself over the last 13 years. I met Baby in 2008. She was three. I was an overnight vet tech in an animal ER. By day, I worked at the a...
Sometimes, circumstances, differing opinions, actions from others and even our own actions, call for conversations in order to clear the air, make things better, and convey our thoughts. Sometimes we have those conversations with ease. Other times, those conversations can be difficult… very difficult. I feel like this past year there have been a lot of difficult conversations, mostly because there have been a lot of difficult circumstances, serious differing opinions, and a d...
If you take a look around, almost anywhere in the state (and likely the country) you’ll notice something in almost every place of business: a “Help Wanted” sign. They are taped to the windows and doors of almost every business and if you’re a social media person, the pleas on Facebook looking for help are endless. Business owners are struggling to find anyone to fill positions, especially in the areas of retail, food service, hospitality, and the like. Getting anyone to appl...
There are several things in life that are personal in nature. Some remain private forever, while others are private things you talk over with close friends and family. Politics, religion, health issues and the like are some of those things I see as personal and often private. So why in the world does everyone think it’s their business whether any of us choose to get, or not to get, a vaccine for COVID? In the last two weeks alone I have been asked more than a dozen times wheth...
As I was visiting with a young man from Illinois recently, the obvious difference between the open space in Montana vs. Illinois came up. He felt like there's much more opportunity for life here, with all the space. I had to agree. Then when I got home I began thinking about the connection to gardening. I still have a few tomato and pepper plants that need to be divided and put into their own pots. Plants have much more opportunity for abundant life and production when they...
Life is too short to live in a negative state of anything. It’s too short to live in pain, it’s too short to live in fear, and t’s definitely too short to keep wishing for time to go by. Believe me, it goes by quickly enough all on its own without wishing the time away. It’s too short to argue about things that don’t matter, and it’s too short to surround yourself with people who don’t see or appreciate your value. It’s also too short to be stuck doing things that don’t bring you joy, or make a difference in this world someho...
If the last couple of weeks kept me busy preparing and this week has been all about recovery, then I’m here to tell you, moving forward has me really coming to terms with things I’m not very good at. Apparently all of my good, hard effort at developing patience has all but flown out the window, along with something else I’m even worse at… asking for and accepting help. While we’re on the subject of things I’m not very good at, let’s throw in being a person who has great ide...
As humans, it seems we're always preparing for something. As children, we're more being prepared for things than actually preparing for ourselves. We're prepared to crawl, walk, talk, go to school, learn to swim and other activities. As we get older, we prepare for tests in school by studying the content, we prepare for sporting activities by going to practice, and we prepare to get our driver's license. Later, we prepare for college, graduation, careers, marriage, or not...
It’s often said gardening clears a person’s mind, puts them in touch with the land and relieves stress. I’ve gardened pretty much since I moved to Montana, but what if gardening is something different, and what if it’s more than what we’d thought it would be? See, my take is that gardening is more like our minds, our energy, than I’d previously thought of in the past. I’m starting to think of it like this quote I read somewhere… probably on Facebook, but unfortunately I...
One day, I’ll get it all together… I say this every year about the time I get ready to file my taxes. And each year, I do have it a little more together than the previous year, but in my mind, still not together enough. I guess what I mean by “getting it all together” is being organized. In terms of taxes, it means all of my receipts in one spot, all of my expenses, all of my income and special documents needed for this purpose, and maybe a spreadsheet that had all of that in...
From the center of the state at Lewistown, it is 262 miles to Sidney and just a few miles further to the Dakota line. At night you can drive 50 miles or more and never see another vehicle. Fly over it at after dark and you rarely notice a light. This far-flung portion of Hwy 200 traverses Montana's loneliest stretch of geography. But that is this huge swath of landscapes greatest asset. For what it lacks in civilization, it makes up for in the grandeur of the prairie and the...
Welcome to Instant Spring, Montana style. Although the sunny days are far from warming the soil, the snow is gradually sinking into the ground and it’s certainly warming my heart and energizing me for some planting. As I peer daily at the seed trays, waiting for that first peek of a green seedling, I am reminded at the wonder of a seed. I’m amazed at what a seed is, and what it does. Seeds are packages of dormant genetic material with spectacular capabilities - a miraculous design waiting to come alive. Henry David Tho...
People have often said that there are always two sides to a story. In actuality, there really are at least three sides to every story, especially in stories containing two people and some sort of disagreement. In my opinion, there is the side from one person’s perspective, the side from the other person’s perspective, and somewhere in the middle lies the closest version to the actual truth. Sometimes it helps to have this perspective, especially when you’re the one with a side...
At any given time, there could be anywhere from three to twenty books that I’m reading. While most people keep their books neatly stacked on their nightstand, mine are, more often than not, scattered on my bed. Most of mine are usually in the realm of self-help or self-improvement. (Let’s face it, we all could use a little self-help and improvement, whether we know and recognize it, or not). I like to have at least one fictional book or novel to help me leave reality for a whi...
As a country, we've just come through easily the worst election of my lifetime and one where obvious weaknesses in our system were exposed. Most Montanans I talk to are eager to put those passions behind them and get back to normal. Turning down the temperature is going to take work from us all, but one thing that is definitely needed is an election process everyone agrees is fair and transparent. We rely on elections to settle disputes over our most closely-held values. We...
I'm not going to lie, last week was a rough one. Two friends came to the end of their lives, another received some discouraging news regarding an ongoing medical issue and yet another was hospitalized. It reminded me how finite life really is. As I've heard other people say, "This is no dress rehearsal. You've only got one life to live, so live it." It struck me like a slap across the face, but there have been little signs of this for the last few months. In December, as I...
This is not something I normally write about, but it is something I believe in. I have recently been reading a book written by Christian writer Joel Olsteen "You Can, You Will". It got me thinking about my brother. I won't say his name, but he is actually now my last remaining brother out of nine kids in my family. We are down to four; two boys, two girls. My dad died when I was fourteen, so my older brothers are who I looked up to for guidance. And this one brother, well, I...
Last week the Montana Senate voted on a crucial measure to address the current fiscal crisis ongoing in Washington, D.C. Informed citizens know U.S. debt is now approaching $28 trillion. This does not count over $220 trillion of unfunded liabilities or the $4 trillion of planned deficit spending over the next 12 months by the current administration. The U.S. government currently borrows, or “prints” 48 cents of every dollar it spends. As a Republican state senator, it is unconscionable that massive deficit spending is now...
When it comes to life, I’m one of those live it to the limit kind of folks. I have things I want to do, places I want to go, dreams and aspirations to attain, and the type of person I want to be and become. I can’t get there by sitting on the sidelines – and I can’t get there by running myself ragged either. Making the most of life and living it to what you consider the fullest is so different for everyone. While I say I like to live it to the limit, I’m not talking about dra...
This past week, as if we need to be reminded, brought about three feet of snow and sub-zero temperatures we haven’t seen in a really long time (probably last year, but it still feels like a really long time). What it also brought were lots of really cool random acts of kindness throughout our little town, and a reminder for me that Lincoln really is the “Last Best Place.” Lincoln truly is a very special place, both in my heart and my daily life. The town and the people in it...
Welcome to the second week in February. Yes, most of you know what that means… Valentine’s Day is approaching. The day of love. Some people believe it’s just another “Hallmark Holiday” brought about to sell cards, flowers, chocolates, dinners for two and on and on, while others truly get into the spirit and show those in their lives how much they are loved and important they are. Personally, I don’t need a holiday to show anyone I love them. I like to think that I, and we a...
This week I thought I would write about control, and if you know me, this is kind of a funny topic. For those who don't know me, the reason this is especially humorous is that it's being written by a known, in-denial, reforming, control freak. It just so happens that over the last week, there have been a lot of discussions by various people in my life about the area of control (control of events, people, things, etc.) and it prompted something within me to take on the topic....
Well, here is a little follow up story on Jim and Trooper’s crusade of good cheer that started here in Lincoln on Dec. 6. It was my very first show and it was great being able to see everyone and kick off the holiday season. The following Sunday I headed up to Phillipsburg to play at the nursing home. Trooper and I got set up outside in the garden area while the residents sat inside and listened. I was not sure if they could hear me, but I did see one of the gals inside f...
This week, I’ll be turning 51. At one point in my life, age was something for me that was difficult to talk about. Now, it’s more of a number that doesn’t have a ton of value in the way I think about it. Twenty years ago, this was not the case. I remember the number, age 30, causing me an incredible amount of anxiety and, believe it or not, a terrible amount of grief. I cried almost the entire year before my 30th birthday. Turns out I was following in my mother’s footste...
