Before Katrina, there was Hurricane Betsy. After doing her famous loop to loop, off of Florida in the Atlantic, she headed into the Gulf of Mexico. She then slammed into the Louisiana coast at Grand Isle. Wind gusts of 160 miles per hour were clocked at Grand Isle’s Coast Guard station. Almost every building in the resort […]
Facts About Pennies
Last week, a Twitter follower said that he had found a 1948 wheat penny in his pocket. My daughter asked me what a wheat penny was, so we headed to my wallet to look for some. I thumbed through the coin section of my wallet, looking through the quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. I didn’t […]
Labor Day Poem
This is one of those perfect Montana days, late in summer when warm sunshine lifts our soul as the spirit of autumn surrounds us. Shorter days and cooler nights, Soon the lovely birds take flight. One last picnic to end it all. Before you know it, It will be fall. Green and heat, Mosquitoes and Deet, […]
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?
“Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans”, I asked David as he listened to a video performance by Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. He answered in the affirmative and I responded with “I don’t miss it at all”. I don’t miss the heat, the crime, big city life, or Mardi Gras. I’m […]
Marlene’s Easy Creole Red Beans and Rice Recipe
It’s a tradition to make a slow simmering pot of red beans on Mondays. At my house, if it’s Monday, more than likely, it’s red beans and rice for dinner. I may have moved thousands of miles away from my New Orleans roots, but my cooking habits have changed very little. Buffalo has been added to my menu, […]
Wisdom, Montana – A Cold Place and the Battle of Big Hole
Not only is Wisdom, Montana one of the coldest places in the country, it is also the place of one of the most tragic battles this country has ever seen, the Battle of Big Hole. Each day, my husband David checks the weather forecast around the country. He checks the temperatures in Anchorage, Boise, New Orleans, […]
This Year at the NW Montana Fair
The fairgrounds are quiet and the Northwest Montana Fair is over signaling the end of summer. Folks from miles around came to traipse around animal barns that smelled of poop and urine. White mules shine brightly in the sunshine. Youngsters paid to wrestle with pigs in sloppy wet mud. The teams competed for prizes. As […]
Homemade Fireweed Honey Recipe
I made some fireweed honey, just like the Alaskan homesteaders used to do. As you can imagine, living on the frontier and away from civilization was tough. Foodstuffs normally found in stores were difficult to get. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. The homesteaders got creative and used what was readily available. […]
Attack of the Marmots?
I Wanted to be Attacked by Marmots This may sound strange but I was actually looking forward to being attacked by marmots at Piegan Pass. Fending off these furry little critters can be kind of scary, though. They are just so darn fearless and their teeth are huge. I’m never quite sure if they are […]
The Tent People
The campground bathroom is a gathering place for the tent people. From pop up campers with comfy cots to tiny one person tents, there is a certain sense of community among the users of the campground bathroom. When my parents got married, Mom insisted that if she were to go camping, there must be […]
