Big Sky Blog

I’m sure many of you are familiar with The Command Post — one of the flagship news sites owned & operated by bloggers. For Election 2004, they invited bloggers from all over the country (and world) to establish an account so that each state can be represented on Tuesday. So on Election Day, I will be posting both here at Big Sky Blog and over at The Command Post with any relevant information & news that I can find (TV, online, radio, etc). If any fellow Big Sky Bloggers have “breaking news” or information about how things are looking at the polling sites, and such, go ahead and post right here at BSB, and I’ll keep things updated over at The Command Post.

Next up: I-149, also known as The Healthy Kids Healthy Montana Tobacco Tax Increase Act. If passed, this initiative will raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes from the current $0.70 cents to $1.70 – one dollar per pack. The revenue raised by this initiative would go to fund state-sponsored health insurance, primarily, with some funds going into the general treasury.

As a relative newcomer to the Big Sky State, I know very little about the state-specific politics. So with the barrage of commercials urging voters to vote YES or NO on I-147, I thought it was about time to learn a little more about it (despite the fact that I am still a registered voter in Texas, where I joined the military). In a nutshell, here’s the basic stuff:

I can’t help but think that this is one of those things that you’ll only see in Montana.

Dawnalee Ellis, 34, was arrested in a yard at 314 Terry Ave. after officers received complaints at about 12:50 p.m. of a partially clothed woman on horseback near Central Avenue and Sixth Street West.

Officer DeWayne Ness said he found the horse and rider a few blocks away on Fourth Street West near Terry Park. The woman was wearing a tight fitting, one-piece skirt that had hiked up to her waist “so she was exposing herself to anyone who wanted to look,” Ness said.

Who Want to Be A Millionaire Farmer?

Have you noticed lately how anyone can be a farmer or rancher? All you need is the money to buy a place and then you just call yourself that. I don’t comprehend this. I come from a long line of short, fat, peasant stock – even if I am several generations removed from the farm. So my ancestors became short fat blue collar workers.

Am I the only one bothered by this phenomena? It’s as if farming/ranching isn’t a real job. Anybody can do this. These folks usually are doing something else. Often that “something else” is where they earned the money to purchase their farm or ranch. They can be a shop owner, a doctor, a movie star, a sports hero, an attorney, a politician, or a recent retiree. Anyone can be a farmer or rancher. They like to remind people that they are a farmer or rancher. They know all about farming/ranching. They can tell you all about LDPs (loan deficiency payments), CRP (conservation reserve program), EQUIP ( environmental incentives program), and how wonderful conservation easements are. When did this lifestyle become so popular? Could it have something to do with government programs, incentives and payments? Maybe it’s because they can dress up in boots, Wranglers and a hat? Why is it that people don’t “become” journalists, barbers, gynecologists, electricians, accountants, plumbers, engineers, pastry chefs, truckers, librarians, sailors, or chauffeurs?
Oh, those are “real” jobs, sorry . . . what was I thinking?

We worked one bunch of cattle today. Sarpy Sam recently explained what that means.

Since we are fortunate to have some good agricultural land, (which we are taxed dearly for) our operation is a bit different from his. Sam’s more a rancher, while we’re more farmers. We feed our calves until the following spring before we sell them – with feed that we raise. We worked some cows, calves and a few bulls today. We worked the cows in the morning, which started off overcast and very cool. After a while we were sweating. The only part of me that wasn’t covered with manure was my cap. I’m not quite sure how I managed that – since I had manure on my face and in my hair when we came in for dinner (that’s lunch for you non-farmers). After dinner we went back out and worked the calves. We had a few late calves to work, which we saved for last – which also coincided with the rain that had been threatening all day. Once that was done, we moved the cows with the fall (late) calves to a pasture. Next we moved the mamas that we weaned the calves off. Then we fed all the cattle. By then it was pouring and we were soaked to the skin. We got in after seven. Time to clean up and clean up equipment. And I needed to get something on the table for supper (that’s farmerspeak for the evening meal).
I wasn’t “to the farm born” – but I am a farmer. I’m not some uptown girl with a trust fund calling myself a farmer. No, I’m definitely a downtown girl who became a farmer. I don’t just call myself one. I am glad to be one. I think that the self-proclaimed farmer/ranchers spending more time playing golf or running around politicking than actually farming or ranching aren’t.

I imagine that my short, fat peasant ancestors would refer to them as “to the manor born,” feudal lords, or maybe simply wealthy landowners. But certainly not farmers.

A few agricultural Links:

USDA
Farm Bureau
Range
Agriculture.com

The Museum of the Rockies is buying Egg Mountain. Egg mountain is arguably one of the most important finds in the history of Paleontology, and it reshaped the way we think of dinosaurs. Before this chunk of ranchland revealed its secrets, dinosaurs were thought of as big lizards, plopping down their eggs and lumbering away. Egg Mountain changed that view and gave us the Good Mother lizard, the Maiasaura. That the Museum of the Rockies is purchasing this land, at a bargain rate, just makes the kid in me all excited. I hope that it offers the same to you.

Two weeks ago, I received a message that a reporter from the New York Times wanted to speak to me about my blog.

Was he interested in my fine, sensitive poems? Or perhaps my incisive political commentary?

No.

He was interested in Friday Cat Blogging.

The article is here. Yes, it requires registration — but you can always make something up, and besides, it’s cats.

I think the reporter, Daniel Terdiman (who also writes for Wired News) did a good job (despite saying I have been blogging for three months, when actually I have been blogging for ten) stressing what is most important to me about Friday Cat Blogging: that it brings together folks from all around the web who otherwise would not connect. And, of course, it offers a little relief from what has lately been a heavy dose of seriousness.

Last night, on KULR-8 TV, Billings bloggers Evangelina Duke (Miss Montana), and Billings Gazette reporter Ed Kemmick were interviewed about blogging.

It was a brief overview of blogging, along with some descriptions of what it’s all about.

You can watch the video here. [~ 13MB]

Psssst! Wanna see a really cool picture of Great Falls?

Since everyone know’s Montana is The Last, Best Place it seems North Dakota wants to cash in by calling their home The Next Best Place.

I suppose we can let them share a little of our “Best” since we do have enough to share.