Warm up with Venison Stew and Farmhouse Cookies for desert!

Those familiar with Dougie know him because of one or more of his successful careers – an up-and-coming Saddle Bronc rider, a successful horse trainer, and a motivational speaker.

To honor their baby girl’s memory, Kori and Jeff decided to pay for funerals for other families who have lost babies.

Along the walking trail on the levee fronting the Missouri River in Fort Benton, several bronze statues memorialize characters who brazed a legacy in Montana by foot, hoof, or paw. One of the sculptures is of a Fort Benton sheepdog whose life was a faithful testament to the bond between dog and human. 

With confirmation, it was time to seek treatment, and Lynn believed a service dog might be of help.  So the search began. 

Quickly, we slipped Maggie Oh through the front door and left her by the Christmas tree. Our excited youngsters raced in and stopped in amazement to find a horse in the living room!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and gifts from the heart and home are always appreciated by family and friends. Creating useful and unique gifts prolongs the enjoyment of the Christmas season, and these presents are bound to be favorites people look forward to receiving every year.

Fallon honored that character trait in Cole and as a junior in high school, she began a program through Family Consumer Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) in the hopes that local children who might otherwise go without, be provided with a backpack of food for the weekend.

Like the wafting snow outside, my mind drifts to another cold December nearly 25 years ago when I sat beside another woodstove, visiting my parents in Montana over Christmas.

For the holiday’s dessert and snacks are the two essentials. Both recipes are included this issue!

We think it’s time to simplify in some areas of our lives and be more intentional in other. Perhaps you are feeling that as well. Our stories reflect that. 

Trees literally exploded as fire raced skyward through superheated air as towering plumes of smoke punctuated a clear Montana sky.  The Robertson Draw fire made its presence known on a historic trace called the Meeteetse Trail which runs along the flanks of the Beartooth Mountain Front.  

Weather has always been a main topic of discussion across Montana. This year was no exception.  Old timers are saying it was the hottest, driest summer they remember. Comparisons are being made to conditions in 1988 and 1931. What little snowpack there was melted early, and without June rains, rivers dwindled down to creeks. Farmers harvested 10 to 30% of normal. Ranchers were forced to either downsize their herds, buy expensive hay, or do both.

It was August 4, 1961. Roger was 22, and he and his wife, Rita, had a 2-month-old son, Rodney. On a rotating list of 30 jumpers, he knew he was close to the top and would be jumping again soon. He loved his job. Jumping out of planes and fighting fires lit a fire in him. With a degree in wildlife biology, Roger had yet to secure a job in the field, and being a jumper not only helped him support his family, it also fed his adventurous spirit.

If you see a grizzly sauntering across a wheat field outside of Big Sandy or playing with a flag on the greens of the Marias Valley Golf & Country Club in Shelby, rest assured, you are not crazy. Moving from their long-held mountain stronghold more bears are heading to the eastern plains they once called home. While the recovery of the grizzly bear is one of the great conservation success stories, it’s not without conflict, particularly when cows, sheep, and humans inhabit the same area.

Scott Black, owner of Mark’s In and Out in Livingston says “nostalgia never goes out of style.” For over forty years, he has been in style selling ‘“Famously Fresh”, 100% Pure Beef Burgers out of the landmark 1954 drive in located at the corner of West Park and 8th Streets. The craving for nostalgia is obvious with long lines found in front of the red and white building with neon lighting.

The Richard Spring fire in eastern Montana drew national attention when it roared to life in mid-August. Quickly consuming mountainous terrain and sweeping across prairie grasslands, the fire was vicious in its attack as it greedily devoured entire ranches in its path. 

Tucked within the forested North Moccasin Mountains lies central Montana’s best-preserved ghost town, Kendall. The town site makes a great destination for a scenic drive and a chance to wander through century-old stone buildings. A kiosk at each ruin provides historical information about the building and a picture of it during the town’s boom years.  

We thought 2020 was a hard year but it turns out 2021 has been even more challenging. Across our state, farmers and ranchers facing drought, grasshoppers, and wildfires, are making tough decisions about how to keep their operations afloat. Small businesses across the state are struggling with labor shortages and rising costs.

Long before canning was the go-to preservation method, people preserved foods through drying. I started with dried apples and kale chips. Both barely made it out of the dehydrator before being eaten. Now I use the dehydrator to stay ahead of the zucchini by slicing and seasoning to make a wonderful snack.