It could be anywhere, just a weathered cabin in the woods, the only running water a spring that bubbles up from the rocks, makes its merry way a mile or two, its existence determined by the weather and spring snowmelt until it casually drifts back underground. Life is governed by the rise and fall of the sun, the seasons of the year and the daily tasks required for survival. Nothing is taken for granted. The first pasque flowers pushing through the spring snows are greeted with joy, and rain all through the night without turning to snow is a sign that the long winter is drawing to an end. Patches of wild strawberries are savored, the summer sun hot on my shoulders as rich flavors burst in my mouth, the bounty of nature rich and fruitful. Dream filled meadows lying soft and sleepy below mountain peaks, with snow still crowning their rocky brows. Beauty and perfection, barely touched by mans hand, as it has existed for thousands of years, reminding me of how short our human life really is.

The wild is out there today, calling me, and it feels like home.

Well, I have been following a couple discussions of different sites. Gee, over on Mt Politics had a discussion on non-partisan judges break down into – something. I was a bit disappointed, since it looked like a good discussion for awhile. I think a couple of commenters need to put on gloves and get in the ring. (Insert G-n-R lyrics here)
Seen this happen on a couple of sites. It is sad that normally intelligent people who I like to read can cause me to ditch a comment thread and ignore the whole thing. Can’t we be adults? Justin had the same problem with a guy on his site. It is interesting to read the comments some people make and your thinking, Dude, do you read that before you hit post? See, I have this thing about making my self look stupid. I don’t like it. So I try not to. If I have nothing to say, I say nothing. Simple, huh. One of the reasons I always read Dave. He reminds me there is nothing as important as enjoying life. Everything else is just stress.
On another subject most of you likely care nothing about, Northern Pike really stink. And slime. Like a bulldog watching you eat steak. Or an irate bull, slinging snot and saliva in convoluted slime trails as he lines up the poker playing clown. The O.H. brought some home, (pike, not bulls) and they must be cleaned before they can become food. My policy- If I didn’t catch it, I don’t clean it. Nasty smelly things polluted my whole house. They taste good though. With some melted butter, nummy. Ha, spell check says that’s not a real word! O.K., enough for now. Have a great day!

A personality disorder.

I am a smart-ass. When confronted with a stupid question, my inclination is to respond in kind.
I was visiting a local bar, since the Other Half was off in the great wet wild, and was asked if I was Native American. My response - Why yes, born and raised here. Next question- what tribe? Oh, no I am not American Indian. (You should understand, my patience was wearing thin-he had already introduced himself and asked this same question several times.) Next question- If you are not Indian, where did you get black hair? (What, only Indians get to have dark hair?) My response- From a bottle. This man, who is an Indian, became quite miffed, and accused me of being unkind. Guess what, that's fine, go sit at your end of the bar and bitch about the girl who won't answer your questions. I did answer his questions, and quite honestly, just not the way he expected. I had dark reddish brown hair, (with a bit of silver) until last week.
But I digress, I do have a point to this post. I have never, to my recollection, cared much about skin color or race. If you are cool, cool. If you are an idiot, well I will tolerate it to a point, and then I will tell you. Hopefully, in a way you can understand, so you will leave me alone. I have the same narrowminded view on politics. I don't care if you are Democrat or Republican or something in between. I refuse to be classified as either, and will impartially argue both sides given my Personal Feelings. I have spent years trying not to insult people I think are idiots, but the older I get, the less I care.
Anyway. I have been trying to get a feel for this blogging thing, and have come to the conclusion I have been being a bit- well, nice. Which, for the most part I am. However, I have strong feelings on some subjects where I have not posted because, well, I was being nice. I think I may change that in the future. Don't expect it to all come out at once though.

WhooHoo

I got a digital camera! Off to take pictures!

Robert Service-The Shooting of Dan McGrew

A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the
Malamute saloon’
The kid that handles the music-box was hitting
a jag-time tune;
Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous
Dan McGrew,
And watching his luck was his light-o’-love, the
lady that’s known as Lou.

When out of the night, which was fifty below,
and into the din and the glare,
There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks,
dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.
He looked like a man with a foot in the grave
and scarcely the strength of a louse,
Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar, and he
called for drinks for the house.

There was none could place the stranger’s face,
though we searched ourselves for a clue;
But we drank his health, and the last to drink
was Dangerous Dan McGrew.

There’s men that somehow just grip your eyes,
and hold them hard like a spell;
And such was he, and he looked to me like a
man who had lived in hell;
With a face most hair, and the dreary stare of
a dog whose day is done,
Then I got to figgering who he was, and won-
dering what he’d do,
And I turned my head-and there watching
him was the lady that’s known as Lou.

His eyes went rubbering round the room, and
he seemed in a kind of daze,
Till at last that old piano fell in the way of his
wandering gaze.
The rag-time kid was having a drink; there
was no one else on the stool,
So the stranger stumbles across the room, and
flops down there like a fool.
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt
he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then he clutched the keys with his talon hands
-my God! But that man could play.

Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the
moon was awful clear,
And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a
silence you most could hear;
With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you
camped there in the cold,
A half-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean
mad for the muck called gold;
While high overhead, green,yellowand red,
the Northern Lights swept in bars?-
Then you’ve a hunch what the music meant
. . . hunger and night and the stars.

And hunger not of the belly kind, that’s ban-
ished with bacon and beans,
But the gnawing huger of lonely men for a
home and all that it means;
For a fireside far from the cares that are, four
walls and a roof above;
But oh! So cramful of cozy joy, and crowned
with a woman’s love-
A woman dearer than all the world, and true
as Heaven is true-
(God! How ghastly she looks through her
rouge,-the lady that’s known as Lou.)

Then on a sudden the music changed, so soft
that you scarce could hear;
But you felt that your life had been looted clean
of all that it once held dear;
That someone had stolen the woman you loved;
that her love was a devils lie;
That your guts were gone, and the best for you
was to crawl away and die.
'Twas the crowning cry of a hearts despair,
and it thrilled you through and through-
“I guess I’ll make it a spread misere” said
Dangerous Dan McGrew.

Shall I continue?

Once again, I have been using my few moments of free computer time to read instead of post. I can't help myself.
Speaking of reading, I just read Robert Parkers Perchance to Dream, sequel to Chandlers The Big Sleep. Cool book.
And reading another blog made me start thinking of re-reading Rogers Zelaznys Amber series. Justin over at What I Think made reference to one of my favorite poets, Robert Service. See, it is like an obsession! Now I am going to have to fight the compulsion to visit the library or a bookstore, because if I do, I will never post! Or wash dishes, clean house or get dinner ready, not to mention the design work I am not doing RIGHT NOW!
Over at Greater Falls an obscure band name has made me ponder how many bands are named things that have no meaning to anyone but the band. I heard of a band named Duronotic. Any Ideas? I know Duronotic is the vinyl color that Great Falls Clinic uses for its directory, but is there another meaning? When chosing a name the band REM pointed to a random entry in the dictionary. Oh, the way the mind works!

Ha!

Ran across this and had to put it up.
In Naked Women the harmonica has been replaced by the sax, which is very pretty. (Naked Women was also on the first album.) The original harp player, on their first album (Mambo Sauce) was very good, and gave this guy lessons. Now this guy gives that guy sax lessons. The bass and harp players went on to a band called Mood Iguana. They had one most excellent album (Lapis) and were then driven into obscurity by the arrogance of the singer. Too much info? No-one made you read it!:)

Thanks to Dave for fixing my template!

Here is a cute pict for you.
http://www.montanaoutdoor.com/

Guide fined $10,000
A Townsend man accused of illegally taking clients big-game hunting in the Lewis and Clark National Forest was sentenced to probation and fined $10,000. He plead guilty to five counts of conducting service or work activity which was not authorized by federal law. He was expressly denied permission by the Forest Service to perform such services.
Court documents say he provided outfitting and guiding services to 20 clients, and received at least $56,590 for his services.

Billings man sentenced for embezzling
A former executive who embezzled more than $23,000 from an oil co. was given a three year suspended sentence. He pled guilty to felony theft and has made restitution of $21,425.

Case #1.
Violated federal law.
Fined $10,000 so he still MADE at least $46,000 for violating Federal law.
What happened to his outfitting privileges?
Were any game animals harvested? Why no poaching charges?
Why is he only being required to pay back less than 1/5 of the money he made while knowingly breaking federal law?
Was this a felony conviction?
How long is he on probation?

Case #2
Embezzled from a private co.
Paid restitution of close to the amount taken, and most likely some court costs.
Lost his job and will have a tough time getting another, with a felony theft conviction and three year suspended sentence.

Hmm, who would you steal from?

Ok folks, let me know which one you like best, and maybe someday it will be where it is supposed to be! I need to get my sidebar back up where it was too!

new header

I was downtown yesterday, at 600 Central Plaza and as I returned to my car I looked up and there was the Montana Bar sign, nicely decorated with bird droppings and such. As those of you who read this blog know, I have mentioned this sign a few times in the past. This is because it bothers me. This bar has been closed for years. Why is the sign still up? We have a nice new sign code, with a whole section on signs that advertise a defunct business. Passed by our City Commission, despite… well we won’t go there. Now I do not know who owns the building, but I know who used to own the business, and I think someone should stand up and follow the rules. I know for a fact that a local sign shop, licensed, bonded & insured, offered to remove this sign free of charge. All he wanted was the sign, because it is old and unique. His offer was turned down, because there was a plan in place to remove the sign and install it inside another downtown business. (Because it is old and unique.) This all took place last year. So. Why is this sign still up? Anyone have any info?

Well, I have been busy, and not reading our illustrious newspaper much. I am rather disgusted with politics/politicians, and related new stories. Things I hear around town make me more so. People should make some effort to find out what the h**l they are talking about before they spout off. Oh well, freedom of speech and all that. Any way, I have a few things I am working on so I"ll be back soon.

City Manager John Lawton reported that the financial analysis showed that the Golf Courses Fund would not be able to meet operating costs, pay debt service, and maintain bond coverage ratios any time in the near future with this additional internal debt. The action requested on item 11 would write off the golf courses loan. He explained that the golf courses were losing money and the deficit had to be made up somewhere. He added that it didn't make sense to continue these loans expecting the General Fund to cover the short fall.
Mr. Lawton added that the City golf course operations were experiencing many of the same declining net revenue trends as other courses throughout the nation. The City was committed to continued operation of our municipal golf courses. Mr. Lawton explained that cash transfers were approved from the General Fund in the amount of $185,000 and $120,000 in FY 2003 and FY 2004 respectively. While these transfers and the proposed forgiveness of interfund debts do not meet the bond covenant definition of revenue, they provide evidence of the City's commitment to the golf courses. Staff continues to explore long term solutions to the financial health of the municipal golf courses fund. At the time of all three of these interfund loans, it was believed that the golf courses fund was experiencing a short-term cash flow problem.
http://www.ci.great-falls.mt.us/records/minutes/yr2004/111604_11.pdf
http://www.ci.great-falls.mt.us/records/minutes/yr2004/m11162004.htm


Trying to find what happened to Morony Natatoriums pool liner money for Aaron, I ran across this. Funny how things change. All emphasis is mine.

As for the pool money, I have found some evidence that money was intended for the pool, but not what happened with it.

It was barely light as we crept out of the sleeping house, the rising sun nothing more than streaks of color to the east. The morning was rich with smells of summer, warm and redolent with the promise of the day to come. As we went down the path the birds clucked and peeped at our passing, not quite ready to rouse themselves yet, but aware of their world. We paused at the edge of the meadow, the monochromatic landscape seeming to wait with indrawn breath for the life the sun would bring. We settled on the damp grass, not noticing the dew soaking our jeans. My Mother whispered “This is perfect for fairies; they come to drink the dew out of the flowers and must hurry before the sun dries it.” And then color and life swept over the horizon, the sun rising like a conquering hero, bathing the meadow of wildflowers with all the colors of the world, and the dewdrops, sparkling like a king’s ransom of precious jewels on every flower and leaf. “Here they come” she whispered, and the beauty and absolute perfection of the moment caused the breath to catch in my chest. A tiny sparkle on a nearby blossom, I could make out the gossamer wings, and as she dipped to the dew caught in the petals I could see the perfect beauty of her tiny features. And then the joy turned to horror as a terrible noise ripped apart the serenity of the meadow, and as the shreds of the tattered dream dissolved around me I tried desperately to hang on to the magic. But it was gone, and as I sat up to turn off the alarm, I could feel the tears on my face, and mourned for the death of a child’s imagination, overrun by the realities of life.
My daughter walked into my room just then, and as she smiled at me - a little of the magic came back.

Shades of Gray...

I am having trouble with this one. I want to post about it, but every time I try, I start stammering and foaming at the mouth. I am sincerely happy that this man is no longer the Mayor. I find it rather shameful that 1: The Tribune had no problem printing his article 2: He wished the Tribune to print his article. Usually when I spew copious amounts of drivel and insult people, I hope no one heard or remembered what I said. Cuz I was drunk!