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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

Speaking of Seasons

   In My book "A River of Seasons" I go into great detail of how the seasons of the year affect our lives. Spring brought a season of promise and the thoughts of new life, new gardens, new stock. Summer was a time of hard work, Gardens needed tending and stock breeding tended to. Fall was a time of getting ready for hard times winter would bring. If you didn't put up enough food, you and your family suffered greatly. Winter was a time of testing. Those that didn't prepare were left cold and hungry.
   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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

A feast for the senses...

   

   Our senses are what make us the people we are. Our sense of touch helps us define our surroundings. Our sense of taste along with out sense of smell let us know what kind of a meal we have sitting before is. Our sense of sound helps us be more aware of our surroundings. And lastly, our sense of sight gives us knowledge of where we are.
   If we were forced to give up one of these great senses, it would be terribly difficult to choose. But for a while, I think I could give up my sense of taste for a while, but in short order, I'd be relegated to a diet of Alpo or worse.
   But on my trips down the rivers of Minnesota, I sincerely appreciate my sense of sight the very most. When the winds are still and I am floating slowly past a stand of magically colorful maple trees, I realize which of my senses mean most to me. It just has to be my sense of sight. When I see the face of a new grandchild or a flock of migrating geese, I know.
   So if I am ever forced to choose, I think I have it all figured out.... kinda.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.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

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com