Farm Families

   This past weekend I had the rare pleasure of attending a family reunion in southern Minnesota. By the time I returned home, I had been hugged, squeezed, kissed by a sweet older lady and even adopted into a family of truly fine folks.

   Most of this grand group originated in Minnesota’s farming areas and spent many hours playing in the hay mow. What can be more fun than that!

   Some of that bunch migrated out west where the sky seems a lot bigger. One gentleman said that his new combine doesn’t even need a driver. You just sit in the cab and read the newspaper. 

   In case I made it all sound a bit too easy, consider these things. A hail storm can take you from riches to rags in an hour. A good rain can make you a half a million dollars.  The stock market can be pretty tough on farmers.

   So thank you to those fine folks the Habbens and Williams. I had more fun than a man my age is entitled to.

 You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at  Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently.    
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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Neighborhood Bully

     Well, the neighborhood bully paid a visit to our little place in the woods last night. The bird feeder is in a shambles and the fence around the chickens looks a little worse for wear. Bears do whatever they want, whenever they want.

   WWBD. Yes that's the main question. What would a bear do. If you were a bear strolling through the woods and you smelled a big juicy cheeseburger, you'd do whatever you could to get it. That's the way bears are about bird feeders. There are no limits on them.
   After having this one uprooted so many times, I just gave up. I put a big ball of concrete on the bottom so that when they tip it over, I can just go outside and stand it up again. The important part is to wait until the bear leaves.

   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently.    
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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Wild Rice

   As you paddle down the Big White Oak today, you see that the wild rice is starting to lift its head. For the first part of summer, it lies on top of the water. But as it starts to make seed, it lifts up from the water and stands three to four feet high.

   Then as the rice heads develop, the heavy kernels turn a beautiful tan color. This is what the local ricers call "Milk Stage". If you take a head of rice and squeeze it, you'll see that what comes out looks like milk.

   Then as the rice starts to dry, it's ready for harvest. The time for harvest isn't very long.

   The local Anishinaabe families harvested many pounds of rice to use for the winter food supply. What they had left over, they sold to Rice Buyers. The extra money helped too with school supplies for the kids and maybe a new pair of jeans.

   In the 1960's the white man figured out by accident how to plant and harvest wild rice and the price of hand picked rice tumbled. The Anishinaabe felt that the white man had won again.

   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently.    
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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Storms of Summer

  The storms of summer are here. All over Northern Minnesota, you can hear the grumbling of thunder in the distance. Usually you have no trouble reading a book at noon. But today it's so dark, you'd need an oil lamp to see.
   The humidity is nearly 80% and as soon as the rain starts, the humidity will drop significantly. I had considered jumping in the river for a while, but it wouldn't get me any wetter.
   Sometimes we get hail storms that take our gardens and pound them into the ground. All those lovely tomatoes are quickly turned into tomato sauce. So sad.
   But take heart fellow gardeners, soon it will be winter.
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently.    
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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Betas

  
   Betas or Siamese fighting fish have to be one of the most interesting things in Southeast Asia. They are pugnacious and beautiful at the same time. Owners of these beauties are known to put mirrors next to the aquarium just to see them puff and posture.
   But the true beauty of the Siamese fighting fish is their mating.
   As the smaller and dull colored female becomes ready for mating, the male approaches and rubs his body on hers. Then if he isn't chased off, he wraps his body around hers and squeezes the eggs out of her and fertilizes them. Then as the fertilized eggs fall to the bottom, he picks them up in his mouth one at a time. He takes each egg to the surface and blows a bubble around it. The resulting floating nest is cared for by the male until they hatch in a few days.
   If you want a lesson in the beauty of nature, buy a pair of Betas.

 You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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Colorado

   In "Brothers by Fire" we have a chapter on elk hunting in Colorado. If you've never given it a try, that's a good way to get rid of all your extra money. It's become a sport that's only for the rich. It's nothing to spend $5,000 on a three day hunt and that's just for the guide. By the time you're back home with your feet near the fire, you will have spent almost $10,000 and might not have even heard an elk.

   In the book, Gray Wolf takes a trip high in the mountains and has a hunt that changes his life. In reality, any elk trip will change your life. They have a successful hunt and get caught in a Colorado blizzard.

   It's a great story you will enjoy from cover to cover.

   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ro
n

South Dakota Ranches

   In the book "Brothers by Fire" we speak about the ranches in South Dakota and of their massive size. We think of the huge acreage on these ranches and the large herds of cattle.

   Being a rancher is a lot like being a professional gambler. Every time they get a little too much rain they lose many thousands of dollars. When it snows way too much as it usually does, they lose thousands.

   When the price of beef on some foreign market goes down, the South Dakota rancher loses thousands.

   As you can see they walk a fine line between making a profit and losing the ranch. 

   One day I was talking to a rancher who had over two thousand head of Herefords. At first glance you saw a confident man willing to gamble. 

   I asked him what he'd do if he won the big lottery.

   "Oh, I'd probably keep farming until it's gone." he said.

   I guess that tells the whole story.

   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

MASH units

   In my book "Brothers by Fire" I mention the MASH units from Vietnam. With all the injuries seen in that war, many were treated in MASH units. The dedication of all the doctors, nurses and corpsmen brought many home who would not have made it otherwise.

   The corpsmen were affectionately called "Doc". As the injured started to heal, they took note of how much these corpsmen did for them. One such corpsmen told a whole ward of injured that they could go back to the world if their temps were down to normal. One held the thermometer up to a match as a joke. His temp was up to the maximum on the scale. He looked at the thermometer and told the patient he'd have to wait for a different flight.

   "It's just a joke Doc. I held it up to a match."

    He just smiled and said "Maybe next week?

    He was allowed to get on the plane, but there was a while when he figured he'd never see home again.

  You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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s

Floating Bog

     In the book "Brothers by Fire" we talk about the Big White Oak area of Northern Minnesota. One of the key elements that make up such a large area is the floating bog. Time and water combine with floating plants to make a carpet of plants that is sometimes a couple feet deep. In some areas, it can be walked on but occasionally, you sink deeply and wind up swimming.

   An invention perfected here in Minnesota was the bog shoe. It looked almost like putting a small canoe on each foot. They were hard to use and few had them.

  You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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To build a canoe.

   
   A while back, I tried my hand at building a canoe. While it may not been the traditional birch bark style, it was quite similar. The project started by building a form, a place to start laying up the cedar ribs and keel. The keel was laid and bent up fore and aft to make the familiar shape of a canoe. Strips of cedar were cooked in a steam cabinet until they were pliable which took several hours. Then the strips were bent across the form and spaced evenly. The gunwale was built and formed over the cedar strips. It's starting to look a lot like a canoe.
   After a few days of drying, the canoe is removed from the form. The bow and stern were finished and the complete form of the canoe is there to admire.
   Now the canoe is covered with canvas and stretched tightly. Then several coats of lead paint cover the entire project. Light sanding finishes the project and a final coat of marine paint is applied.
   After a further week of dry time, the canoe is set gently into the water. Not even one leak was found. The canoe was a bit heavy compared to birch bark, but it was a sight to behold. It paddled straight as a die. 
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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Campfire and Fish

  
   In the book "Brothers by Fire" I talk about camping by the rivers and cooking a fish dinner over the coals. I've eaten fish prepared in exactly 3,219 different ways, but there's nothing like over a campfire. I don't know if it's the anticipation of a great meal or maybe the company of a good friend, but it sure does taste good.
   As a kid, we cooked many good meals of fish. Sometimes we got real elaborate and used some flour, salt and butter. Sometimes it was just put on a stick and held over the fire.
   We had a favorite place as most kids did. There was an old beaver lodge that we sat on. As quick as the fish was caught, it was being cooked. We had a big cast iron frying pan but nobody knew who it belonged to. When we were done, we scrubbed it out with gravel and hung it on a nail driven into an old pine tree.
   Time has passed and my friends have all gone in different directions. Sometimes I wonder if that old frying pan is still there. I guess way too many years have passed now. I could never get back there without a horse. But some days when the summer winds churn up Hale Lake, I get to wondering.
   Maybe some day.
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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