Hobson Montana

Cattle country along the Judith River.

The Judith was named by William Clark.

She was his teen aged sweetheart back home.

He and Merriweather Lewis returned to St. Louis in 1806 with their scalps intact.

Clark soon married young Julia Hancock.

How Bout Them Colts

I've been seeing some nasty remarks about the Colt's skipper.
Some say he was bought; I don't know, he's not a Senator
Some say the owner/owners sent word down stairs and sold'em out.
Some are saying Vegas betting was involved.
And these weren't Colts fans.

I don't have an opinion, but I'm disappointed.

You know-------

My great grandmother had an old dog named U-no (You Know)
People would ask her the dog's name
She would say "U-no"
They'd say "no I don't know, what's his name?"

Farmin'

This is plow point is called a buzzard wing. It is attached to a plow stock much like the middle buster. This plow sweeps the middles between the rows but unlike the middle buster, it makes a shallow cut as it uproots all the weeds.

Mule ran away

This contraption is called a middle buster. You just bust down between the rows of corn, cotton or whatever ripping up the grass and weeds. A plow that turns the soil to one side only, it would be a breaking plow.

For those under age forty.

Has no handles

Please Come To Boston

Taken one windy night in Nashville; time lapse

Three states of Tennessee

Love my native state but the Mississippi flag is more attractive

We're outta hot water Martha

As most of you know, the Romans brought their water into the city through aqueducts and used lead pipe to disburse it to homes and baths etc.
The Latin word for lead is "plumbum"
Thus the word plumbing
The chemical symbol for lead is "Pb"

I Wanna Be Meeeeee

My house is that one near the center.

I refuse to be like everyone else.

My door is red.

Dihydrogen Oxide

South of Cutbank------east of Missoula------North of Helena----

West of Hobson

Hum up Doc

This seat came from some mule drawn implement down in Mississippi. Then it was given some legs of its own. You can lead it to water but - - -

Christmas

Many people get the blues during Christmas season.

Long ago when a ship's Captain died at sea, the ship sailed into port under a blue flag.
This is said to be the origin of the term.

Common Sense

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."

Mark Twain

Never Heard of Him

Who was George Mifflin Dallas?
Well, it seems he was Vice President of the United States.
James K. Polk from Tennessee needed a running mate from the north so Dallas was chosen.
Yes, there is a city in Texas named for him.
Who'd-a thunk it?

Epitaph

Epitaph of Milt MacPhail

"A victim of fast women and slow horses"

The Law

"In the United States as well as in Europe one branch of the legislature is authorized to impeach and the other to judge: the House of Representatives arraigns the offender, and the Senate punishes him. But the Senate can try only such persons as are brought before it by the House of Representatives, and those persons must belong to the class of public functionaries."

De Tocqueville

Patriotism

"Do what you may, there is no true power among men except in the free union of their will; and patriotism and religion are the only two motives in the world that can long urge all the people towards the same end."

De Tocqueville

Social Justice

"There is , in fact, a manly and lawful passion for equality that incites men to wish all to be powerful and honored. This passion tends to elevate the humble to the rank of the great; but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom."

De Tocqueville

Who Gives Liberty

"Liberty regards religion (American Christianity) as its companion in all its battles and its triumphs, as the cradle of its infancy and the divine sources of its claims. It considers religion as the safeguard of morality, and morality as the best security of law and the surest pledge of the duration of freedom."

De Tocqueville writing "Democracy in America"

Speaking of citizens in a free society:

"Education, as well as charity, has become in most countries at the present day a national concern. The state receives, and often takes, the child from the arms of the mother to hand it over to official agents; the state undertakes to train the heart and to instruct the mind of each generation. Uniformity prevails in the courses of public instruction as in everything else; diversity as well as freedom is disappearing day by day."

Alexis De Tocqueville circa 1850

Congratulations Montana Grizz

What a ballgame; that was a slug fest on the banks of the Clark Fork River. These boys beat a tough team, but then a dog is meaner in his own yard. Good luck in Chattanooga.

Second Hand Store

Ahh, there's nothing like going to the junk store on a rainy Saturday and prowling through the book section. It's even cheaper than Half.com and I do a lot of business with them. You would be surprised how many old classics are waiting there to be read again. I like the old hardcovers with a signature of a soul who is long departed. My eyes and imagination will trace the same lines as the previous owner, hopefully with as much enjoyment. I wish I had known years earlier what good friends books can be.

Lets Build a Tower

I was thinking of that old Bible story about the Tower of Babble. Now, Fred, Bob, and Jim are minding their own business, just building a tower to heaven with a couple hundred other guys and several cases of beer. The Big Guy in the sky doesn't like it. All of a sudden Fred begins to crave fried rice. His name is now Ping Lu Cho. Bob who is now Pierre turns to him and says"hand me another brick, sil vous plait."
Cho replies, "what did your call me?"
Then everyone on the scaffolding erupts in screaming epithets that no one else understands and no one likes the other's tone.
Jim, who is now Van der Hoot throws a wooden shoe at some cat named Juan and heads north to do something practical like build a dike to hold back the ocean.

We think about this story and may believe it is more outrageous than Jack And The Bean Stalk or
It could be that they were building an observatory "A Tower To Heaven" Astrology if you will.
We think to ourselves, "what a bunch of dummies," to believe in the magic of the Cosmos. Then we as Christians, meet someone and exchange signs. "I'm an Ares" he says, never thinking that astrology has crept into his life. I'm not throwing rocks at anyone, I've done it myself years ago.
My daughter ran into some church ladies the other day. They wanted to start a new Bible class. She asked "What's The Study? One answered " Social Justice'
She knew immediately that she had no business in a class using a Communist Theme.
Just say'n. Keep your guard up. Stuff is creeping in like a leaking boat.
I don't get on this religious stuff too often, but like Van der Hoot, I give a dam.

Come Fly With Me

Before you jump on the next airline you may want to Google "Flight 297" and the intimidation of passengers by, how do you say, people of other national origin and religion.
Just be nice and they won't hurt you or bring charges.
I caught this on American Family Radio this week.
Why haven't you heard about it?

The American Mind

Americans refuse to admit that another is more intelligent, a better leader, higher bred and so forth. He will not defer to the other man's ability. Instead he consoles himself by asserting that he is equal. "We are all equal!"
Our Government leaders love these words, encourage these words, then under the guise of equality they pass more laws and take away more freedom.

From De Tocqueville

Rising Son

At the top of the Washington Monument 555', there is an inscription that faces the rising sun each morning. It reads "Laus Deo" Glory to God.
That stone mason probably didn't know about separation of Church and State.

Inalienable Rights

Some earlier versions of the Declaration of Independence used the word "inalienable." The final version used the word "unalienable." These words have identical meaning. Our National Administration, House, and Senate have forgotten its definition.
The founders made it clear that our freedoms are not allowed to us by some law, but by an Almighty Creator.

But Rett, what will I do?

Jamie and I stopped at an old farmstead near the Scapegoat Wilderness, Montana. This fence or lattice on an old hay barn reminded me of a fan some fair lass back in the antebellum era. The fan is across her face. She flirts with her eyes only.

Trees Are Interesting

Someone gave me some acorns a few years ago. I was told that they were Swamp White Oak

Quercus bicolor.

I sprouted a few of them and now have one in my front yard, nine feet tall. It's cool to have an oak that you don't run across so often.

By the way it is a Swamp White Oak.

Now that A.C.O.R.N is a dirty name, I am using the Old English pronounciation aecern. Southerners never stopped using it.

Santa, I want a Trike

Saw a brand new Harley Trike in the showroom. Maroon, big, nice with storage trunk, all the bells and flutes. A mere $ 29,000.00

Pelham Harley Davidson

I stopped in to visit the Harley Store In Pelham Alabama yesterday. Most of these stores are happy to serve their customers. These folks went out of their way to help me. The service guy took me around and introduced me to another fellow who promptly came out with a 2006 service Manuel.
I have to think a long time before I drop $ 60.00 for a how to book, but it is true that if we are treated well, we will be much more likely to spend our money in their store.

Whether you sell hamburgers or Harleys, if customers are special, then you are special.

Help I'm Melting

Hey, check out the Manhattan Declaration