Camp Food

   My old friend Windy sure was a great outdoorsman. We paddled, rowed and sailed most of the water in Northern Minnesota and had a great time doing it. We hunted deer, grouse, ducks, geese, cranes and a bunch of critters I still can't spell.
   His wife was a great woman and with each trip, she packed an extra sandwich for me. What a nice thing for a man who would otherwise have starved to death.
   On one trip to Canada for giant Lake Trout, we started to run out of food. That woman made a meal that was fit for a king. She called it "Pipestone Stew".
   That woman was my all time favorite campfire cook. i miss her every time I cook over a campfire.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often.
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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North

    From an early age, people that lived on the Bigfork River were taught how not to get lost and if they did get turned around, how to get home.
   I used to hear how you could tell which way was north by watching the moss on the north side of a tree. But that sometimes was wrong and just got you in deeper trouble.
   Another way was to watch the North Star after dark. Just draw a line across the two end stars of the Big Dipper. It points to the North Star all the time every time.
   My last pearl of wisdom is to put a small stick in the ground, about twelve inches. Mark where the stick's shadow is. In about 30-45 minutes, mark where the shadow is again. Then draw a line between the points. It is always a perfect north south line.
   So if this doesn't work, watch the street signs or ask someone.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often.
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Unemployment Insurance

   It wasn't that long ago that there wasn't anything called unemployment insurance. If a man lost his job, he found another one right away. The numbers of jobless were very low. The law of the land was that if a man didn't work, he didn't eat.
   Today if a man doesn't want to work, there are apps for that. Someone will feed him and his family until he gets tired of doing nothing and goes back to work. Did our country benefit from this program. Not a chance. The number of jobless is being paid by those that are working. That's a terrible burden for those with a job. The world has always had poor, but most of them are poor by choice. They just refuse to get out of bed and work.
   Back in the time of "A River of Seasons" everyone worked and our country was strong. 
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often.
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Poverty? What poverty?

   The earliest settlers on the Bigfork River had a tough time making it from year to year. There rarely was any extra money. One item that was always in need was clothes. Children wore patched hand me downs and Dad's clothes sometimes had more patches than whole cloth.
   But happiness wasn't judged by the clothes you wore, it came from the heart. Laughter came easy for nearly everyone.
   The first time anyone even thought of their financial condition was when they went to school. An old friend once told me that he didn't know he was poor until someone told him.
   Work was plentiful on the river even from a young age. Most kids started by feeding the chickens and gathering eggs. Then they graduated to larger animals or hoeing the garden.
   Poor? I don't think so. They were rich of spirit, and that's what really counts.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often.
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Early School Marms

   In my book "A River of Seasons" I write about the schools and how tough it was to keep a teacher. The requirements were many. First she had to be single and stay that way. She couldn't keep company with male friends. Her demeanor was above reproach. her pay was next to nothing and she was expected to save half of it for her old age.... if she didn't starve to death first.

   She was expected to keep the firewood piled high and keep the school house warm. It was a tough life.

   The teacher must be a High School graduate and needed to have good grades.

   With all these requirements there were few that wanted the job and finding a good teacher was a challenge for the community.

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Duck Season

   It's not long now until duck hunting will be in full swing. it's time to check over your decoys and perhaps give them a new coat of paint. Most times it's just a touchup.

   Home made decoys are by far the best. Some hunters make them out of cork but in reality, almost anything works.

   So opening day comes and you haven't slept now for a couple days. Today it's raining and the sky is really black. The sun is trying to lighten the sky, but is having a hard time gaining on the clouds.

   You have almost two dozen decoys out in front of you and a good dog shivering with excitement on your left hip.Shhhhh. Did you hear that? I think some Wood Ducks just flew over.

   And then you wake up still in bed with six weeks to go.

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Mushrooms

   One of the best parts of having a steak is the mushrooms and onions that go with it. But mushrooms didn't come in cans back in the time of Wil Morgan. You had to go out and find your own.

   Picking mushrooms wasn't for the faint of heart. It was pretty easy to bring home a pan full of poison. The difference between mushrooms with a great flavor and ones that could kill you is very small. Some folks said that if you cooked bad mushrooms, they would make a silver spoon turn black. Not so! 

   An area that produced good mushrooms could be depended upon to produce year after year. These locations were a closely guarded secret.

   So in the spring, the appearance of mushrooms was a time to celebrate with a steak, with fried mushrooms and onions. How could life get any better?

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Post Office

   In Northern Minnesota, mail service was slow in arriving. Sometimes it took several weeks for mail to travel across the country. Mail traveled by any means available. Trains, planes, automobiles and even boats were used. The price was quite high at 2 cents for a three page letter or 1 cent for a postcard. Post offices were few and far between but general stores would do postal work for a small yearly fee.

   Mail delivery to rural homes was slow in arriving in Northern Minnesota. At first it was a once a week service usually done on horseback or by mule. On some of the bigger lakes mail was delivered weekly by boat. That service is still available today on Lake Vermillion. The mailboxes are attached to the boat dock. 

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Snow

   In my book "A River of Seasons" I write about the weather that defined the northern part of Minnesota. The hardest time was winter. The cold, the wolves, the boredom of long nights all played a part in the harshness of winter.

   It wasn't all cold and gloom though. You could watch a young child dress and go out to play when it was twenty below. He'd look around and within just a few minutes he was having fun, throwing snowballs or sliding down a big hill on a sled. 

   So you see, winter was just as much fun as summer, you just had to dress warmer.

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Montana Timber

   In the book 'A River of Seasons" I talk about the timber industry in Montana a long time ago. Compared to Minnesota logging, those trees were mere matchsticks. The high altitude kept most things pretty small, even the chipmunks. Men still worked hard, and put up great piles of timber. Instead of floating the timber to the sawmills, they sawed the timber right near the camps.

   The lumberjacks were still a wide variety of Scandinavians, Finlander and Swedes. A lot of the men were new to the English language but in reality, all they needed was to be able to handle an ax or saw.     

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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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.

     My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com.

   The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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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.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com.
   The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Log Homes

   Back in the time of the big timber camps construction was mostly done with White Pine logs. There weren't many lumber yards in this area. Some of these creations still stand today, but most rotted from the bottom and went back to the soil.

   Some of the best log cabin builders came from the Scandanavian countries, mostly Sweden. These were actually master craftsmen. A team of four men and one good horse could put up a house in a week and a half. There was always work for them to do,

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com.
   The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Rendezvous

   In my book "A River of Seasons" I write about the Rendezvous an event where all trappers gathered each year. Some were gatherings of several hundred trappers and others were just a chance for the men to let off a little steam.
   The years furs weren't worth much if there wasn't someone to buy them. Hudson's Bay Company always had buyers no matter what the size of the gathering. For many years, beaver were the mainstay of the trapping industry. Most of those were shipped by sail to England. The gentry had a love of beaver felt top hats and paid well.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com.
   The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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The River

   

   During the hot days of summer, the Bigfork river was a gathering place for folks to cool off. All up and down the river, people had a favorite spot to swim. It was usually a small area of calm water with a tree hanging out over the water. There was always a heavy rope tied to the tree.

   Kids would grab the rope and swing out over the water and as it got quite high, let go and splash into the cool river. Over and over, taking turns, they would play until it got late and then walk home, smiling. Life was good then. Nobody talked politics, murder or the cost of new clothes. But their life there on the Bigfork River shielded them from wars and troubles around the globe. Thanks to our river, we grew up with a great attitude about our fellow man.

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well aspeaceriverbooks.com
   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 "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Dinner time....

   When the cook says it's time to eat, the herd comes running. As the lumberjacks head for the tables, they notice that there is a lot of food waiting for them. Most times there is roasted meat of one kind or other, big bowls of potatoes, lots of gravy and stacks of fresh bread.
   Now what in the world is bread without butter! Right in the middle of the tables is a bowl of butter shaped like a baseball. The first guy to try to get some, finds that it's frozen solid. Each time he tries to stab it, the ball rolls in the bowl. To get some butter, you need to be a bit creative. If you have a knife, you stab it so it will hold still.
   Then after the meal, comes dessert, most times pie. Coffee was the drink of choice.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well aspeaceriverbooks.com
   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 "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Well....

   Have you ever tried your hand at digging or pounding a well? Well, take it from someone who gave it a good try and came up dry.

   I started by learning how to witch a well. Green forks of maple, brass rods bent into the shape of an "L".  Then I tried my hand at witching. I found the water right away, but it was a ways down..

   I purchased a sand point and some pipe, Then I built a big tripod with a railroad car wheel that would fit over the pipe. Then the work began.

   I'd lift and drop the weight and then do it over and over again. After 24 feet of pipe and an aching back, the pipe just quit going down. I mean it really quit, no progress for two days of work. Then I decided to just quit for a while and heal up. Two days later I started again. Nothin!

   I pounded until I just couldn't go any more. I was pooped, really pooped. I sat on a rock and thought about it for a while, then I lifted off the weight and broke off the pipe even with the ground.

   That's all I know about wells other than the idea that paying someone to do it isn't such a bad idea.

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well aspeaceriverbooks.com
   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 "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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