Big Sky Blog

Just did some “pruning” of the Big Sky Blogroll - removing deleted or inactive blogs. The general rule on what qualifies as “inactive” is usually six months or longer without an entry. Others have been deleted by the owners, and therefore removed from the blogroll. Thanks to Randy at the Billings Free Press for helping me out! But on a more positive note, there are some recent additions to the roster; here’s a few of them:

- Manly Thoughts: yep, genuine manly thoughts from the manly man behind the Manly Man Candle Company. There - did I work the word “man” in enough?

- The Travels of Nancy Chalmers: including some great pix!
-
Eat/Drink Great Falls: from Epicuria comes an honest account of her culinary adventures in Great Falls.

- Problem Bear: among the recent topics are paper wasps, Seeley Lake, and poetry.

- Running On Empty: the near-daily journal of a runner, with occasional pix.

- Livingston Weekly: find out what’s going on in (duh) Livingston!

As always, please let me know of any new blogs in Montana…and remember, the Big Sky Blogroll is always open if you’re looking for some “Last, Best Place” blogging!

Attention, residents of the Magic City! There is a new community blog devoted to all things BILLINGS called the Billings Free Press.

This is a blog dedicated to the greatest city in Montana. Some would say the only city in Montana but I’m not one of them…I’ll be the first to admit that Billings may not be perfect but it IS the best city in the best state in the greatest country in the world. A little jingoism never hurts. Does it?

Nope - nothing wrong with civic pride! The Billings Free Press is just getting started, with entries about movies filmed in/around Billings and Pictograph State Park. The creator of the site is none other than SFO Randy, one of the true grey-beard veterans of the Big Sky Blogosphere. If you’re interested in contributing, check out the About Page. Keep an eye on this new blog — I predict very good things!

The roster of all of the Big Sky Bloggers! Please let me know of anyone that I have missed, and keep me posted of new bloggers. If you ever run out of blogs to read, come on over here and just start clicking!

How many of you got snow yesterday? We did in Great Falls - nearly seven inches! On the other side of the Divide, Tall Pines saw a dusting, too.
A husband and wife blogging team.
Want to know who is Twittering in your vicinity? Try Twitter Local.
If you like “Ghost Hunters,” then you might enjoy learning more about the Montana Association of Paranormal Studies.
Scan Montana allows you to listen to police and fire radio channels; only Billings so far, but maybe they will offer other communities soon.

First up is a site called the Daily Yonder; it focuses on rural America, and this week turned its attention to the Presidential campaign stops in Great Falls.

Audrey Sholtey, the 2008 Miss Rodeo Montana, has a blog! Related Montana beauty pageant entries: Miss Montana 2007; Miss Teen USA; Miss Montana 2006; and Miss Montana 2005.

Sad: Ed Kemmick, one of the forces at The Billings Gazette and one of the first journalists in Montana to grok the world of blogging, is hanging up (at least for a while) his most awesome “City Lights” blog. We’ll miss ya, Ed - but you know the door is always open for a return!

And before you complain about higher gas prices, take a look at the Gas Temperature Map. Here in Montana, we’re not doing too bad compared to most of the rest of the country.

Remember back in February the Big Sky Blog got hacked? And I had to start from scratch, because I wasn’t able to import all of the old entries from the backup? Well, the good news is that I was finally able to do it! So everything is back, going all the way back to the beginning in August 2004. The bad news is that everything from late February 2008 until May 2008 is gone, but that’s a small price to pay to have just about everything else back.

Here’s a list of the blogs that I’m pretty sure were new to the Big Sky Blogroll since February:

Oro Y Plata: from Maleesha, who recently returned to her Montana roots after exploring life outside Big Sky Country.
Lamnidae: a lefty political blog.
Roots & Leaves: from Beatrix, a massage therapist and herbal specialist in Great Falls.
Fancy Rants: pop-culture observations and rants from Miss Fancy Rants.
Livingston Weekly: happenings in and around Livingston.
From The Front Porch: Another returning Montana native!
Charming My Life: this one is brand-spankin’ new!

If you haven’t already, go say hi to our newest blog-neighbors!

One of the most prominent on-line communities, MetaFilter, featured a post about the “chicken issue” in Missoula. Montana doesn’t often come into play in such communities, so this is pretty cool. My favorite part of this whole thing is the Radwood Chicken Experiment blog, which features the amazingly whimsical line: “I, along with my husband, am highly entertained by the idea of having our own tiny flock of chickens.” And the RCE blog has now been added to the roster of Big Sky Bloggers!

Big Mike in Bozeman has links to two videos to celebrate Valentine’s Day; one is sweet, and the other is…um…funny. Sarpy Sam has some thoughts about the so-called “holiday” that I’m sure many people share. And I’ve got some links to some last-minute (and thrifty) gift ideas.

Time once again for another round of “Moving To Montana!” Today’s entry comes from Mark, a legal secretary living in Chicago:

I am seriously considering moving to Montana. Either Butte, Kalispell, Livingston or Bozeman. I love the mountains. I was raised in Pittsburg but left when I was 18, over 30 years ago and have lived most of that time in Chicago. I want a simpler life, less hectic than the fast paced city. I am looking for a friendlier, simpler, slower life. I have been back to MT many times and will never be able to get it out of my system, but at the same time am a bit trepidatious about a move like this. I have over 30 years experience as a legal secretary in many different types of law. I know I won’t be earning the amount of money I earn now but I do need to make a “livable” salary. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have. I would like to do this move this spring or summer at the latest. Thank you for your input, it is much appreciated.

I’m no expert on the four places that Mark listed, but I don’t think he could go wrong with Kalispell or Bozeman (although of course I am partial to Great Falls)! If any of my fellow Montanans have some location-specific advice for Mark, please drop a comment here - thanks!

Yep - after more than seven years at Better Living Thru Blogging, I’ve finally made the move and set up housekeeping over at GreaterFalls.com, using a sub-blog titles “Better Living Thru Blogging!” Catchy title, eh?

Visit “Better Living Thru Blogging!”

Come on over and say hi!