Montana Rambler

2009-05-09T18:13:00.001-06:00

So, I’ve been wondering why I have felt like the aftermath of a truck wreck for the past number of years, like 20 or 30. After trying a number of things, I decided to try a food sensitivity test, Turns out that I’m sensitive -- have a subtle but consistently adverse reaction to a very limited, but interesting, list of foods.

For years I considered pop corn the staff of life. Turns out that I can’t eat corn, or peanuts. I’ve had my last PBJ !! (Because I also am sensitive to yeast mix -- leaven bread and beer :o(

It gets worse, I love to BBQ -- not GRILL -- BBQ slowly smoking a beef brisket and then serving it up with rich, spicy sauce. No more, no more beef, no more chicken or lamb or turkey. Luckily I can still turn a Boston Butt into pulled pork!

I can eat all the fish I want, I really don’t each much fish now except tuna -- and I can have all the tuna I want. Guess I’ll have to find a good cioppino recipe.

Tuna, but no pintos, no lintels and no garbonzo’s. One of my soul food favorites is pintos over cornbread, with catsup -- never again. I’ve heard for years that lintels and hummus are best foods, but not for me !!

Oh, with corn syrup every where, I will have fewer and fewer choices. Then again, since I respond to cola nut, Coke is out, and forget diet anything -- aspartame rates highest on my cannot eat ever again list. Then again, if I can’t have Frito’s or beans, what is the use of Coke or beer or . .

2008-11-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The South That's a Southern accent you've got there. You may love it, you may hate it, you may swear you don't have it, but whatever the case, we can hear it.
Philadelphia
The Midland
The Inland North
The Northeast
The West
North Central
Boston
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

2008-11-17T21:31:00.001-07:00

The National Christmas Tree comes from Montana this year. Mike Logan is a Cowboy poet from Helena. He taught school for many years and was on the radio show I produced in the 1980's

Montana Treasure

By Mike Logan, Montana Cowboy Poet
Helena, MT November 2008

Way up in the misting Sapphires
There grew a wonderous tree.
A hundred years it stood there
In a range high, wild and free.

Tall and straight as an arrow
It pierced high country skies,
Gained symmetry and beauty
And grace and shape and size.

As though through mountain magic,
Some forest wizadry
All things beneath and around it
Came to be a part of that tree.

Its limbs felt the prowl of the cougar,
Heard the bugle of a phantom bull,
Watched the waddle of a porcupine,
And a moon that was almost full.

It knew the white hot lightning
And thunder of a long gone storm,
The velvet touch of the sunrise
When the air was sweet and warm.

Enduring the fury of the blizzard,
It bowed ‘neath the weight of the snow,
Looked down on the track of the mule deer
As the gray wolf passed below.

It fed and sheltered the pine squirrel,
Saw the blue grouse mating dance,
And the ambling gait of the grizzly
As he grazed on the new-green plants.

The ghostly hoot of the owl at night
The haunting yodel of the loon,
The howl of the lonesome coyote
Gave voice to its mystic rune.

All these gifts together
Formed the soul of this shining tree
A glowing Sapphired jewel
For all the world to see.

This Christmas all Montanans,
In honor of The Christ Child’s birth,
Send, along with this mountain treasure,
Our wish for “PEACE ON EARTH”.

2008-11-08T18:57:00.002-07:00

So, is anyone but me amused by those who oppose the teaching of evolution but preach social Darwinism?

And, what about the call to bailout the auto industry? What will we, the taxpayers, get for helping the last America auto companies out of their predicament? Over the past 30 to 40 years anyone who was paying attention knew they were leading us to the dustbin of history with too big a car and too inefficient an engine. Now, when the natural consequences of those poor choices lead the industry to fall down around our heads and shoulders . . .

Sounds like they want to be nationalized, but not have to be responsible.

Surely these are dangerous days and we must be careful of letting the fools who got us this far take us the rest of the way !!

2008-09-13T15:54:00.001-06:00

Don't know if many of you stay up late enough to watch Craig Ferguson. I do -- but typically watch Charlie Rose. I did watch this, and thought it was worth sharing:

It's a great day for America. Why? It just is. Did you just watch Barack Obama on David Letterman? The Presidential election is heating up. All sorts of controversy. Obama said, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." Then Republicans said, "Did you call Sarah Palin a pig? That means you hate America." And then the Democrats said, "No, no, no. Republicans you don't love pigs. It's a pigs right to wear lipstick," blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!

What I don't understand is this: Why is Barack Obama talking about lipstick on a pig? Why are we talking about animals and cosmetics? There is another thing I don't understand: Why is John McCain hanging around while his VP candidate is campaigning to be President? What is going on?

If you watch the news you would think that Sarah Palin is running for President. Spoiler alert! You're not! What happens is the media focuses on the best looking candidates from either side. The most "TV-friendly" people. The way this election is being covered is like TMZ or something. It's like they're covering Paris and Nicole. I'm watching this. "Look at her hair and hat." If Walter Cronkite could see these brain-dead morons yapping about flag pins & hairstyles, he'd turn over in his grave. Which is weird because cause Cronkite is still alive and well and lives in Martha's Vineyard. If he were dead he would be furious!

Here is my hope for this election. My belief and my hope is that the American people are smarter than the media that are meant to be serving them. This is unbelievable to me. I think people want to see real solutions to real problems; and they don't really care if they come from the right or left.

I like all 4 of these candidates a lot. For comedy reasons they you can't be beat. Grizzled old veteran trying to win one last campaign. The brash rookie who inspires millions. The hockey mom, who is governor by day, naughty librarian by night. You've got Biden, who's all "Biden-y" there.

The point I'm trying to get is: this is a very important election this one, but you would never know it from the way it's being reported. On the Today Show this morning: "Which candidate would you rather have dinner with?" Here's an easy answer: None. They're politicians. I don't want dinner with you and I don't want your friendship. Here is what I want to know, what are you going to do for the country, pal? What are you going to do?

Do you know what bothers me is every election year you get the voter registration drives aimed at the young people. "Rock the Vote" or "The Vote is Crackalackin" or "Think the Vote," "Music the Vote" "The Vote, The Vote, The Vote!" Are we so lost we have to be sold our own democratic right? What the hell is wrong with us? What is going on? We have to sexy-up the vote for young people? Remember 4 Years ago Puff Diddly had that group called "Vote or Die." Then turned out he didn't even vote himself. Maybe he forgot which name he was registered under.

Here is what I am saying to you: If you don't vote, you're a moron. "Not voting is a vote" - no it isn't!! Not voting is just being stupid. Voting is not sexy. Voting is not hip. It is not fashionable. It is not a movie. It is not a videogame. Frankly, voting is a pain in the ass. But here is a word, look it up, it's your duty to vote!

Listen. I am an American. This country is at war right now! Americans in foreign lands wearing uniform representing this country are losing their lives. Americans here in this country are losing their homes. We have two patriotic candidates. Both love this country, but have different ideas what to do with it. Learn about them. Read about them. Question them. Listen to them. Then on Election Day, exercise your sacred right as American and listen to yourself. We'll be right back.

2008-09-03T20:09:00.002-06:00

Oh, I know I shouldn't. and I know it isn't fair, but why, oh, why, as I listen to the Republican National Convention do I get these sickening flashes of Nuremberg, in 1935.

Our constitution is insulted, our intelligence is insulted, and our history is insulted. It wasn't the Democrats that brought us K Street. It wasn't the Democrats that wasted 40 years stalling on the development of energy alternatives. And, it wasn't the workers that killed the American auto industry.

Ben Franklin said we would loose our liberties, if we didn't protect them. But, the R's are willing to throw away constitutional protections at any challenging moment and replace them with the wisdom of the president. Damn, did I get my history wrong?? I thought we fought a revolution over this one.

Now, I may have missed something, but the housing crises wasn't caused by home owners, it was caused by sleazy lending practices in an unregulated industry.

Oh, these guys are too much !! And, I'm afraid it will just get worse.

2008-09-02T13:37:00.002-06:00

So, here is the list of who is in the picture:

Nikki (Barer) Fink, behind her is her husband Tom. Nikki was married to Neal Perkins, who died of cancer in 1986. Nikki and Tom live in Bozeman.

Michael LaGaly, who is now living in Seattle and working in the software industry. Mike stayed with me and with Dad while we were making the trip.

Garry Waddingham, who is an Episcopal Priest in Billings. He has the downtown church.

Kim (Thompson) Irons and behind her is Ralph. They are living in Virginia where Ralph is teaching math and physics in a magnet school. Kim is a Nurse.

Kit Muller is besides me and Bob Mackin is standing on the end. Kit has been back in DC for close to 30 years. Bob and his father build bridges in rural Montana.

Family will recognize Mark and Rosanna and me.

2008-08-11T14:14:00.004-06:00

Well, it happened! I had a mmmmm High School Reunion. All and all it was great fun! Here is a picture of the folks that I was really close to through those years. See who you can recognize!!

2008-07-08T20:06:00.001-06:00

A while back I got tagged by Louise, here is my set of responses. (I didn't tag anyone cause it seemed like everyone likely to see this has already been tagged.) Oh, and if you are wondering, there are a whole range of features that don't work with this in Safari !!

4 Jobs I've Held:
1. book store sales
2. Teaching Assistant
3. DJ
4. Bureaucrat

4 Movies I've Watched Over and Over Again:
1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (the entire thing)
2. Eddie and the Cruisers
3. Michael Collins
4. Round Midnight

4 Places I've Been:
1. Jack Kennedy Rally in Jersey City
2. A Carmen McRae Concert (2)
3. Viet Nam Memorial
4. Back Road to Billings Highway 12

4 Places I've Lived:
1. Montana
2. Minneapolis
3. Jersey City
4. Woodville MA

4 TV Shows I Watch:
1. Shark
2. Crossing Jordan
3. Numbers
4. Law & Order -- at least some of the franchise

4 Radio Shows I Listen To:
1. Morning Edition
2. Jazz @ Lincoln Center
3. Marian McPartland
4. All Things Considered

4 Things I Look Forward To:
1. Playing Music
2. Tango
3. Reading
4. Good Food

4 People I email regularly:
1.Family
2. Work
3.
4.

4 People to Tag:

2008-03-09T22:18:00.003-06:00

We went over to Anaconda for their St. Patrick's Day Ceili. As you can see from the pictures, it was great fun!

2008-03-05T22:05:00.003-07:00

I got tagged: "what would you buy with $100 in a record store?"

I really like the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis big band, they werre very happening in the late 60's. Mosiac has put out a boxed set for just over $100. So, that is what I'd get!

I tag Cos Russ, Cos Mark, Rosanna, and Cos Dennis.

2008-01-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

So, I got tagged by Cos Trudy. Here is the assignment:

The Rules:-
Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

The first book I grabbed was "street strategies: a survival guide for motorcyclists." If you ride, it is a pretty useful text, but on page 123 there are only 5 sentences, all about the importance of breaking.

So, I grabbed another book, K C Constantine's "Always a body to trade." Constantine is a mystery writer that I've enjoyed for may years. Here are the 3 sentences:

"Chief Balzic, is that you?"
"Uh-Huh, yeah"
"Okay. Sorry to call you so early, but I got a prisoner here . . ."

Actually, Constantine is a good writer, and this is one of my favorites of his work, to know why you'll just have to read "Always a Body to Trade."

I will now tag brother Dave, Nephews Nathan and Chris, sister-in law Louise, and an old friend, Sharon.

2007-12-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

A Merry Christmas to One and all.

And wtih 15 more degree' we could actually ride !!

I'll split my new years between Tango and jazz, it sould be fun!

2007-11-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

Tango, Tango Tango :o)

2007-09-22T23:59:00.000-06:00

Just spent an evening watching tango!

Actually, I also danced a little.

What an amazing dance is tango. Grace, passion, subtle control! And, music that sings!

It is not the workout that Irish Ceili dancing is, nor the work out that swing dancing can be, but, it is subtle and sensuous!

I'll still be an A # 1 jazz guy, but, I'll be adding tango to my list :-)

2007-09-17T19:31:00.000-06:00

Greeting to each of you who remember the Perkins and the Baers.

I was at Rachel Perkin's wedding this weekend. Rachel is the oldest of Nikki and Neal Perkins three kids; Rachel, Daniel and Laura. Most of my family will remember Nikki and Neal as we were friends in middle school and high school. We were part of the group that stayed in touch all these years. Neal was the first of us to passed over, after a 4 year battle with cancer in 1985. Nikki re-married and moved to Bozeman.

I think that each of the Perkins' kids knew one or another of you as class mates. Bob Phillips married Priscilla Perkins. When I saw her, the first thing she did was ask how Annie was! Joanie Perkins was wondering about David and his crew.

The wedding was up on the Bridger mountain sky hill. What a beautiful, dramatic setting. The first Jewish wedding I attended was Nikki's. The second was her daughter's. It was a service done with a light and friendly touch. The Rebbe was Nikki's Rebbe from Bozeman -- a lay Rebbe.

Even on this joyous day there were reminders of our mortality and the events that shake our souls. Only a month earlier, Bob and Priscilla's daughter was married. Three days before Rachel's wedding, Emily lost her father-in-law in a plane crash. The week before, Laura's fiance lost his father. Joy and sadness, promise and sorrow, beginnings and endings, a life woven with transitions.

Mazel Tov!

2007-07-26T23:02:00.000-06:00

I was mistake about the size of the flames!

They were, at their highest, only 200 feet!

It is an amazing experience to taste the air in the morning!

There is the real taste of pine. We were actually at a breathing alert at some point in the day.

This evening, when we did the Capital City Band, we were actually able to see the hills that surround the city. Most of the day those were obscured by smoke.

I'm planning to ride the MC to work, mostly because I can. From a health perspective, with all the smoke, it doesn't make sense.

Oh, and we haven't had any rain since some time in the middle of June!! By the middle of August Montana will be that deadly shade of brown that bespeaks FIRE!!

2007-07-25T23:00:00.000-06:00

Harry Potter:

One of my great failings is that when I start to read a book I find it next to impossible to put it down until I'm finished. So, at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning I finished reading HP7! OK, I'd cheated and read how it ended. But, what gets me about the HP books is how well they move. There are slow parts; the interest flags just a bit -- then BANG! Some happens and you're off again.

I've been reading some of the critics and commentators. I really wonder what they are talking about! They want this or that question answered, as if 700 plus pages isn't enough of a story!

It was a great story, the characters were all complex. You couldn't predict what Snape would do, or, more importantly why he would do any thing. The revelation that he was a long term friend of Harry's Mother filled in some gaps!

On another front, we are having a GREAT BIG FIRE north of here. If you've read "Young Men and Fire -- the Story of the Mann Gulch Fire," that area is on fire again. We could see smoke and big cloud formations in the north when we took a break from City Band. A local meteorologist -- not a TV Weather guy -- was pointing to this huge cloud that looked like a thunder boomer, but was white and saying, there are flames 300 feet high under that cloud! At least that is what I remember him saying.

Off to bed!

2007-07-09T17:52:00.000-06:00

Must be a family curse!

I tried to answer like a garlic. I wanted to be spicy like cinnamon or nutmeg. But, I too am a sage!

2007-06-25T17:46:00.000-06:00

Well, according to the punctuation test, I'm quotation marks:

You scored 61% Sociability and 70% Sophistication!

There is a lot more to you than meets the eye. You certainly get plenty of "action," but you'd be happier if those who lusted after you were more selective. You hate being used as a general intensifier; haven't these people ever heard of underlining? Italics? And yes, you remember the cruel words Mr. Joyce directed at you. But you let none of this get you down; those who abuse you are destined for a "special" reward, sooner or later. You feel particularly warm toward periods, commas, exclamation points, and question marks, and usually wish to have them next to you. Parenthesis can sometimes trouble you.
My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 92% on Sociability

You scored higher than 74% on Sophistication

For what it's worth!

Oh, the car continues to delight! And, Summer Band starts this week!

2007-06-16T21:27:00.000-06:00

New Car!!

Well, after hanging around with a robin's egg blue 1980 Volvo Wagon for most of the 90's and well into the new Century, I've traded up!

I traveled close to 400 miles today in pursuit of a Volvo 940 wagon, 1994 model. She's got close to 260,000 miles. But, she handles like a dream. The 940 / 960 series was the top of the line at the time. She has electronic everything, a sun roof that needs an adjustment, AC and airbags. Oh, and a 12 disk CD player!

The ride down from Dayton, up by Kalispell was really smooth! The car is a deep teal green, a rather dignified color! Most importantly, it looks like she'll hold a set of drums in the cargo bay!

Needless to say, I'm pleased :o) Oh, and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. Part of a leg maybe, but since there is cruise control I might be able to "sit back" on the leg :o)

2007-06-14T21:19:00.000-06:00

while I've been lurking around, I havn't been up to mcuh posting lately. Seems that it is taking a bit longer to wake up than I realized. Oh, and I've been playing a little music and traveling a bit.

This weekend I'll get to travel to Wisdom, a little town near the Big Hole Battle Field. Should be a fun ride! And the company will be good with good food as well.

More so, or perhaps not so soon :o)

2007-02-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

You know the Bible 92%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

And a good guesser who listened to Handel more that once :o)

2007-02-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a month!!

The circus is in town -- the legislature! They are always full of . . .
But, I keep reminding myself that Churchill was right: Democracy is a terrible form of government, except when compared to any other form of government. (Or, something to that effect)

And, the sleep saga continues. They still havn't found a setting that works :o( I missed two days of work this week. That makes about four in the past two months. But, the new setting seems to make a little difference in the two days that I've been trying it. We'll see where I am by Monday !#$!^$%^&$%&^&*)

I know many folks for whom the machine seems to work and make all the difference, with only a little fussing. It is so nice to be exceptional! I don't know which end of the bell curve I'm on, but I know I'm out on the edge somewhere! It has been close to ten years of trying to get relief.

Oh, and after several days of weather in the oughts and teens, it is all of a sudden 45 outside!!

This Sunday I get to play a little dixieland for the Methodists as we head into Fat Tuesday! With clashing cymbals!

2006-12-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

Montana Rambler

Well, the sleep adventure continues!

I just got back from having my sleep machine reset. It went up 4 units from the last time -- many years ago. Now I know why I drive an old car. All my spare cash seems to got to slumber land. The RT said I should trade out masks every 4 months and hoses every 6, Oh, and a new machine every 5 years, with updates. And, the oral device is only good for about 2 years -- if you're lucky! Oh, and the sleep studies are quite a bit, the copay is $260. I just had two of them in the past 40 days. Seems my sleep was too disrupted the first time to get a good reading.

Oh, and the new mask seems a better fit than the one from 4-5 years ago.

Of course, if I finally get some sleep it will be worth it!! Seems that I do OK until I drop into REM sleep, then I return to the land of the not sleeping at all.

So, wish me luck!

2006-12-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Montana Rambler

Boy, have they change this around or what?!?!?!?

Tried to drop a note on some of the family blogs, and I have to sign in with information that I've sort of forgotten. Getting old, having a cold, don't write enough!

so, lets see if this works? if it does, I might actually write something :o)

2006-11-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

Took the same test as did Dad. Who'd a thunk:

Your IQ score is: 126

Your Intellectual Type Is: Word Warrior

You are equipped with a verbal arsenal that enables you to understand complex issues and communicate on a particularly high level. These talents make you a Word Warrior.

Whether or not you recognize it, your vocabulary is your strongest suit—use it whenever you can. Since your command of words is so great, you are also a terrific communicator — able to articulate big ideas to just about anyone. Your wordsmithing prowess will also help in artistic and creative pursuits. The power of words translates to fresh ideas off paper too. Since you have so many words at your disposal, you are in a unique position to describe things in an original way, as well as see the future in your mind's eye.

In short, your strengths allow you to be a visionary — able to extrapolate and come up with a multitude of fresh ideas. And you are in good company — bask in the brilliance of Word Warriors who have walked before you. William Shakespeare let loose the power of his pen. His ability to articulate the most subtle nuances of human nature and to create colorful characters are why his stories still have a major impact — even 400 years after he first wrote them. Whether you put pen to paper or use your understanding of the words around you to come up with creative approaches to problems, your potential as a Word Warrior is terrific.

Linguistic Intelligence
Your Linguistic Percentile: 100th percentile
You scored in the 100th percentile on the linguistic intelligence scale.
This means that you scored higher than 90% - 100% of people who took the test and that 0% - 10% scored higher than you did.

Linguistic abilities include reading, writing and communicating with words. Tickle's test measures knowledge of vocabulary, ease in completing word analogies and the ability to think critically about a statement based on its semantic structure. Your score was relatively high, which could mean you know your way around a bookstore and maybe like to bandy about the occasional 25-cent word to impress friends.

All and all this is good thing, since on the other scales I’m a dim bulb! Unmathematical and illogical, or logically impared.

2006-10-26T21:47:00.000-06:00

HAPPY B'DAY PETE!!

2006-10-26T21:40:00.000-06:00

So, here are the first early returns from the sleep study.

With the oral device, I had only 9 incidents the whole evening!

That is GREAT NEWS!!

Of course, it doesn't explain why I'm tired all the time?? But, there are other factors they will be looking at in the study. So???

I should have a "reading" in the next couple of weeks.

2006-10-24T19:28:00.000-06:00

Off to a sleep study this evening -- hope I don't flunk!

I've come from over 140 incidents an hour to @ 43. I've been trying an oral device for about 2.5 years. It is now time to replace the device. Since I've not been thrilled with the results, I figured I see just how much good it was doing before I spend the $$$$ ($) to get a new one.

Also, there is a new sleep Doc here in town, we'll see if he's any better than the one he replaced?!?!?

I really like the Doc in Billings, but that is a bit of a trip. Of course, it would mean sourdough!

I should know something unofficial tomorrow and something official in two weeks. It gives me something to look forward to other than the election-!!

And, after listening to Denny Rehberg on the radio this evening, I have yet more reasons to vote against him. What an arrogant twit!

2006-10-22T21:30:00.000-06:00

It has been many days since my last blog, hear now my words.

During the early part of September I had a visit from one of the members of the BMW Riders group. Dave is a pilot and spends the Spring and Summer on post up in northern Manitoba. By the time the Summer is over, he is ready to see the world!

Thankfully my supervisor at work is also a rider, so I was able to take Monday off. Dave and I did a scenic loop of about 180 miles. There is a great little stretch of road north of town that is off the freeway. it leads into Wolf Creek, a little town that is in the middle of some of the truly beautiful part of the state. for those of you who know Montana, Wolf Creek is between Helena and Great Falls -- Lewis and Clark came through there and Charlie Russell painted those hills.

From Wolf Creek, we cut across west to Lincoln going up Rogers pass. This is partially plains and partially riverbed country with aspen. The colors were glorious!

On a musical note, I’m playing with a local group of belly dancers! I’ve gone more places with music than anyone would have thought possible. Looks like I’ll need to get serious about practicing again!!

This next Saturday is our 1st performance. We’ll be doing four numbers as part of the intermission entertainment at a Halloween dance. should be good fun!

2006-08-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

I suppose I can’t kevetch about the rest of youse not posting if I don’t So, here goes. This last week I was up in Polson, by Flathead Lake, for work. The program I was visiting is being run by a first time director. Fortunately she is a fairly bright woman and takes getting it right seriously. So, the work part went well.

The best part was that I got to ride my bike up and back. The return trip was through the Swan River Valley, a truly scenic part of Montana. It is somewhat isolated country, so I was glad to get out the the forest before dusk, when the deer start grazing. Actually, I stopped about 4:30 and closed the vents in my jacket. A little later, about 50 miles or so, I put on a sweater. When it gets down to 70 degrees, it can be a lot colder at 70 mph.

The week before that, the week of the 18th, the pipe band participated in a military tattoo for the First Special Service Force. This is a W.W.II unit that trained outside of Helena. They are considered the precursors of the Green Berets, the Rangers, and Airborne. It was a lot of work getting the performance down. We played with a Canadian Band, the Edmonton Police Service Pipe Band, so there were some changes that needed to be made in how we started our tunes. All and all, it worked pretty well. We have been receiving complement from many quarters on the event and our role in it.

Of course, we had to play the heavy drums!! So, It took a few days to recover from that!

The past couple of times I’ve been out on long rides, I try to picture Mom and Jimmie riding with me. I think they enjoy the feeling of freedom. Of course, they are both in their 30’s and feeling adventurous.

2006-08-13T10:16:00.000-06:00

It seems like the only way to come to grips with Jimmies passing is to try and write. That is how I collect my thoughts. But, all I get are random images and feelings.

When I rode up to the house on Harvard, where Jimmie came of age, I felt that a lot of the joy was gone from our home. With Jimmie and Mom together again, we are left to our own devices and memories.

Jimmie was my first little brother, one of many. My real memories of him begin in New Jersey. As the big brother, I would walk him to school, at least a good part of the time. We, Annie, Jimmie, and I would sometimes go to the house of one of the women from church for lunch on a rainy day. It could really rain in New Jersey.

Another memory was of an accident that Jimmie had when we were living on faculty circle. There was a big bunch of us kids that would play the day away. Somehow, I think he stepped on a nail, Jimmie got hurt. What could a big brother do but carry him home.

Pretty soon it got to be that if any one was going to do the carrying, it would be Jimmie. During High school he came into his own, and part of that was weight lifting. It took him many different places, and it seemed that his younger brothers thought those were cool places to go, both Willie and Paul joined Jim in the weight room and lifted for many years.

I don’t think any of the rest us would get Dad out for Harvey Wallbangers!

It seemed like right out of college, Jimmie left for North Dakota, and a life we would only catch in glimpses, a bride, a family and a community that knew him as well and perhaps better than we did.

I never ceased to be amazed by his good sense and solid presence.

Long ago Jimmie didn’t need a big brother to try to protect him. Then he began to walk in his own way and show us all he could handle himself. In the end, he found that God could stand with him in the most difficult time.

Bye Jimmie, love you,

2006-07-08T16:01:00.000-06:00

Slow news day!

When we came back to work after the 4th of July we found out there had been a break-in and a computer had been stolen. Yesterday, Friday, there were a passel of press talking to our Department's public information officer outside our building. Seems like there was a miscommunication and some one forgot to tell the IT security what had happened.

So, there was a great commotion because no one could definitively say that no confidential client information had not been stolen. And, since we don’t have crazy encryption to keep unauthorized parties from reading our hard drives, it could happen. It seemed the local press were trying to create their own computer scandal.

But, if we are doing what we are directed to do, saving all documents to our sector of the mainframe, there is nothing to worry about. Of course, I have a colleague who thinks he is smarter than the system, about every thing. It is a good thing that it wasn’t his computer! Oh, and i never save anything to the local computer at work -- I figured out long ago that drive doesn’t get backed up!

Went on the Lincoln to Avon loop again! What beautiful country! And, still green. Now that I’m a little more familiar with that road, I could go on parts of it swiftly! Not to say that I still don’t have a deep respect for how fast I’m going and how close to the ground I could get.

2006-06-21T21:08:00.000-06:00

Too much fun!

Just got back from riding my motorcycle. It was too much fun. There really is something about going 60 to 75 MPH on the blacktop and taking long turns one after another! It is just a kick, a thrill, and a challenge.

When I first started riding, the best advice I got was ride your own ride. Ride at a speed and in those areas of traffic and highway where you are comfortable. If you have to "walk" your bike around a tight corner, do it. The next time, you can take that corner a little faster, and, in a couple of years, you can take it much faster.

Several weeks ago I put 320 miles in the bike. There was a trip down to Phillipsburg and a trip to Lincoln for lunch. It was just fun to see the country, to be out with some folks who have a love of riding and to just ride!

This past weekend I went down to Billings to see Uncle Lee, Dad, and the gang. I had been thinking about riding. it is close to 220 miles one way. But, there were some things I wanted to bring back that just would not fit on a bike.

I've got some road trips to take for work this summer. I'd really like to ride, we'll see what they say. I can get milage. But, the riding would be the reward.

It was good to see all the folks in Billings. It was especially good to see brother Jim and his family. He was looking better than I remember him looking at the wedding. And there was some of that sparkle there. Natalie sure has that twinkle in her eyes as well.

And, Cecilia looked more relaxed than I remember her being on the trip to MPLS.

All and all, not a bad couple of days!

2006-05-22T21:04:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been about a month since my last posting. I'm pretty much in the new digs. And, it is pretty much Summer here in Montana!!

Being on the second floor has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is the terriffic views of Mount Helena and the north valley. The disadvantage is that heat rises. Even with decent circulation, heat rises.

I can't say that I've made more than a beginning on settling into this place. I can cook, sleep, read, watch TV and play on the computer. But, it is yet to be homey. Of course, it will take a while, and I still can't believe the junk I have collected.

This weekend was a pleasant distraction. The pipeband played for the race for the cure, our larget audience of the year. The best part of this is they all come to us. Then, I road about 40 miles south of Helena for our monthly BMW riders meeting. It was a great day for a ride, even if the last 8 miles were in rain, with a bit of thunder and lightening thrown in to jazz up the ride. Two wheels don't like slick roads!

The only disappointment was missing Mark and Rosanna, they'd called about 40 minutes before I got home. Out for a little joy ride, they all most made the 4 hours to Helena. Perhaps soon.

This weekend we'll play for the parade in East Helena and perhaps drink a little beer!

2006-04-27T22:06:00.000-06:00

So, it's been a great week! I went out to Stephanie's wedding. It was a good time. We, Pete & I, traveled out to Dickenson and then traveled with Jim and his crew the rest of the way. It was a nice trip. I got to see a play rehersal for a play Natalie was in -- she really lights up the stage.

The Wedding was in a beautiful Chapel. And, the party afterwards was fun, in a low key way. John's family are a nice bunch of folks -- and the community of friends that Stephanie and John have in the TC's are all good caring people!

I got back to Helena late Monday and have spent the time since moving -- I hate moving!!

I really don't know where all this junk comes from!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I know, I bought it :o)

Well, now I'm buying a condo! I'll post a few pictures later, after I get done moving in!

There are two really great things about this place -- it has a wonderful view of the north hills! And, it will cost me all of $35 a month to heat!!!!!!!

It is kind of rtizy -- it was build in 1976, so it has that feel. I'll miss the bay windows, TALL ceilings, and big back yard of the Dearborn place.

But, with a south facing garage -- I'll be able to ride any day it is warm enough to ride. No more waiting for the sun to melt the ice on a north facing garage!!! With luck, I'll ride every month in the next 12 :o)

2006-03-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is pretty good music, but I've been listening to some other things since then. We had a busy St. Patrick's Day, The pipe band played a number of events for the Hibernians -- pan celtic support. We march and they buy the beer. Works out pretty good. We also played on a local radio station, not a bad sound. Of course, this year there were more than a few people were overly interested in what is worn under the kilt.

The big news is that I'm looking at buying a property, It all started when my landlord decided to sell this place -- my home of the last 16 years. I looked into buying the property, but I couldn't affort the rent if I bought the place!

So, after figuring out how much I spend in rent, I decided that equity made more sense that continuing to pay rent. Instead of a life of continual rent increases, at least I'll get the cost of the mortgage as a fixed expense! Plus, it will make is easier to do the house cleaning that I need to do.

It is amazing how little you can buy for almost $100,000! The house I grew up in cost only $15,000. Of course, that was close to 40 years ago!

2006-02-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Montana Rambler

I'm sitting here listening to Ray Barreto, the great latin percussionist. He pasted over recently. So, it seems fitting to be immersed in his greatness.

I was reading a friends blog lately. There is apparently an internet version of Cameron's The Artist's Way. One of the exercises is about not "consuming" art for a week, about creating and paying attention.

That is what I "should" be doing right now, working on my playing. But, it is too easy to listen, and by listening pretend to be doing something -- looking for inspiration.

Of course, I have done a bit today. And, the pipe band played last night. It was a good performance. Still, it was something that challenged me to "get back to the woodshed." My wrists were stiffening up when we started the second set. That should never happen!

2006-01-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

So, all I really wanted to do post a comment on one of my cousin's blogs, and here I am!

Actually, I wonder what effect we can have with all the noise we make in the blogisphere?

But, I'll ruminate on that another day! Back to the chores of the hour.