All along the Bigfork River at this time of year, the corn is setting on ears and the local coon population is putting a pot of water on the stove in preparation for the big feed. It's always amazed me how you can look at a garden full of almost ripe corn in just the same way a raccoon does. Who wants to eat corn that isn't quite ripe, not even coons.
So we plot and plan on how we can beat the coons to the corn. Aside from staying awake all night sitting in the garden with a shotgun, there's just not much we can do. Sometimes we'd just like them to take what they want if they'd just save us a little.
At this time of year on a hot day, you can stand in a corn field and actually hear it growing. It makes a kind of rustling sound and farmers say it sounds like "Money". I guess it does.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Farm Families
This past weekend I had the rare pleasure of attending a family reunion in southern Minnesota. By the time I returned home, I had been hugged, squeezed, kissed by a sweet older lady and even adopted into a family of truly fine folks.
Most of this grand group originated in Minnesota’s farming areas and spent many hours playing in the hay mow. What can be more fun than that!
Some of that bunch migrated out west where the sky seems a lot bigger. One gentleman said that his new combine doesn’t even need a driver. You just sit in the cab and read the newspaper.
In case I made it all sound a bit too easy, consider these things. A hail storm can take you from riches to rags in an hour. A good rain can make you a half a million dollars. The stock market can be pretty tough on farmers.
So thank you to those fine folks the Habbens and Williams. I had more fun than a man my age is entitled to.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Neighborhood Bully
Well, the neighborhood bully paid a visit to our little place in the woods last night. The bird feeder is in a shambles and the fence around the chickens looks a little worse for wear. Bears do whatever they want, whenever they want.
WWBD. Yes that's the main question. What would a bear do. If you were a bear strolling through the woods and you smelled a big juicy cheeseburger, you'd do whatever you could to get it. That's the way bears are about bird feeders. There are no limits on them.
After having this one uprooted so many times, I just gave up. I put a big ball of concrete on the bottom so that when they tip it over, I can just go outside and stand it up again. The important part is to wait until the bear leaves. You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
WWBD. Yes that's the main question. What would a bear do. If you were a bear strolling through the woods and you smelled a big juicy cheeseburger, you'd do whatever you could to get it. That's the way bears are about bird feeders. There are no limits on them.
After having this one uprooted so many times, I just gave up. I put a big ball of concrete on the bottom so that when they tip it over, I can just go outside and stand it up again. The important part is to wait until the bear leaves. You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Rice Buyers
In the book "The River Calls" Wil tells of his experiences with wild rice. Most of the families on the Bigfork River harvested wild rice. The extra was sold at the General Store to rice buyers.
Most of buyers were tight with their money and never gave a fair price. The local indian families put rocks and sand in their rice to pump up the weight. Sometimes they put snapping turtles in the sacks.
The buyers got used to such tactics and started taking samples from the sacks. If it crunched when he bit into it, he refused to buy it.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Hot Season
Well, it's here at last, the time of year that you just can't escape, hot and humid. Out in the barn, the critters are suffering like we are. We make sure they have fresh air and plenty of cool water.
The deer too have a hard time. They pant trying to cool down and some stand in the lakes to cool off.
The chickens take dust baths and hide in the shade. Some stand in the river, cooling their feet.
The hogs are really susceptible to heat, but most will find a good mud hole to pass the day.
Not so in the house. The little woman turns into a mighty warrior and will bite your head off for no good reason. Must be the heat. But for you, all you can do is go find a cool spot near the water and hide. She'll cool off sooner or later. Maybe...
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Dynamite
In one of the chapters of "The River Calls" we talk about using dynamite to remove tree stumps from the area a new home was being built.
Wil was asked to help with the dynamite, but only after the owner had already tried his hand at it. THey were successful in removing the stump, but ruined the roof on a nearby cabin.
Powder men were in demand in logging camps. Good ones were paid quite handsomely and bad ones never made it back for supper.
A new explosive called nitroglycerine was pretty unstable and was the end of the road for many good powder men. Just a slight twitch of the hand would set it off.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Wil was asked to help with the dynamite, but only after the owner had already tried his hand at it. THey were successful in removing the stump, but ruined the roof on a nearby cabin.
Powder men were in demand in logging camps. Good ones were paid quite handsomely and bad ones never made it back for supper.
A new explosive called nitroglycerine was pretty unstable and was the end of the road for many good powder men. Just a slight twitch of the hand would set it off.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Wil Morgan
In my book "The River Calls" I write about duck hunting on the Bigfork River and how it was such an important part of getting food put up for winter. Wil tells of a rather colorful trip made in late fall.
Some of the best times I've had on the Bigfork were hunting trips. On one of these trips, I invited an old friend to go along. We had a great time, but there just weren't any ducks around. Not a shot was fired.
The next Monday morning at work, I ran into my partner again. He started talking about his hunting trip. He said that they had a great hunt and got a lot of ducks. He had forgotten that it was me he was with and his bragging got him in trouble again. He was one who stretched the truth until even he couldn't recognize it. We had a lot of good hunts, but not nearly as good as the ones in his imagination.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Some of the best times I've had on the Bigfork were hunting trips. On one of these trips, I invited an old friend to go along. We had a great time, but there just weren't any ducks around. Not a shot was fired.
The next Monday morning at work, I ran into my partner again. He started talking about his hunting trip. He said that they had a great hunt and got a lot of ducks. He had forgotten that it was me he was with and his bragging got him in trouble again. He was one who stretched the truth until even he couldn't recognize it. We had a lot of good hunts, but not nearly as good as the ones in his imagination.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Burning Leaves
Do you remember when you were a kid, burning piles of leaves. The smell carried for miles and put a smile on everyones face. We'd always make huge piles of leaves and jump and play in them, 'til they were pretty worn out.
Then we'd rake it all up again and some kindly adult would set it on fire. Those were great days indeed.
Today if you live in a town, smoke from a leaf pile will get you a fire truck, maybe a fire extinguisher, a rescue truck and about four police officers. Then you probably will have to do community service or maybe reform school.
When I think of all the fun we had riding in the back of a pickup truck, i wonder how we survived. And we never even heard of a seat belt. Now you have to ride in a car seat until after you graduate from High School.
How did we live through it!
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Then we'd rake it all up again and some kindly adult would set it on fire. Those were great days indeed.
Today if you live in a town, smoke from a leaf pile will get you a fire truck, maybe a fire extinguisher, a rescue truck and about four police officers. Then you probably will have to do community service or maybe reform school.
When I think of all the fun we had riding in the back of a pickup truck, i wonder how we survived. And we never even heard of a seat belt. Now you have to ride in a car seat until after you graduate from High School.
How did we live through it!
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Tuxedo?
On the Bigfork River, many hunters take really big bucks each year during deer season. Once in a while you'll see a non-typical buck that comes close to a world record.
Sometimes when you stop into the local watering hole after a days hunt, you hear stories that make you perk up. Here's one from my old hunting partner Windy.
Well, I was sitting in my stand about 6 this morning and all of a sudden I heard brush crack. I knew something was coming in so I got my gun ready. There was a lot of snow coming down so it was hard to see. Then I saw a spot of deer hide. By then I was really shaking.
The snow eased up a bit and I saw a guy in a tuxedo standing there looking at me. It was pretty cold so I put my mittens back on. I kept watching that guy but couldn't get a clear picture of what it was. Then it dawned on me. It was a deer that was half albino.
By then everyone in the bar was laughing. Windy was a pretty good liar and everyone thought he was at it again. Windy left the bar with his head hanging low. The whole place was laughing. The next day, Windy stopped in again and said that he saw that deer again. Then the laughing started all over again. This time Windy walked out the front door and when he came back in, he was dragging the tuxedo deer.
Windy had redeemed himself, at least for a few days.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Charlie
He's gotten a bit fiesty lately and wants to do battle with my shoe. He struts right up to it and starts clucking, a sure sign he's ready. Then if I move my foot, he hops up in the air and comes down smartly with a strong peck to my toe. Over and over he goes into contortions that would make Bruce Lee ask for lessons. A high speed camera shows his moves.
I've been around a while and seen a lot of nature, but never have I seen such a thing.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Monday, July 4, 2011
The Fourth of July
So here we are, the Fourth of July, another birthday for our amazing country. All around us we hear of what a horrible country we are. But if that were true, why are so many people from around the world trying to become citizens. We are a great country. Don't ever forget that.
The reason we are a great country is because of our people. We are a diverse nation of many colors, creeds and languages. But if those complainers think this is such a bad place, I invite them to leave. Just go somewhere else you will be more comfortable.
But for today, fly your flag and be proud of our country. Happy Birthday America!
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Friends and Family
In "The River Calls" I write about the importance of friends and family. I remember reading one time that no man can stand alone very long. We all need an arm to lean on at one time or other. So when that time comes, and it always does, you better have some friends around. Wil Morgan was called on to build everything from barns to cabins to canoes.
If your neighbor didn't come a runnin when called, he was never asked again. And on the other side of the coin, if he needed help, nobody came to his aid. He eventually left the river because he betrayed the trust of his friends.
Life back then was tough even under the most ideal of conditions. You had to have friends and be friends.
You can find the EBook Kindle edition of "The River Calls" at Amazon.com and at peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day.
I invite you to visit "The River Calls" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.
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