There was a big old full moon this week, April’s “Pink Moon,” and we went looking for a spot for watching the moonrise, but as luck would have it, it was cloudy and the moon was mostly obscured for a couple of hours after it rose. As we were driving home, though, we saw it … Continue reading Full Moons, Good Friday and Easter

As construction season approaches, albeit a little bit delayed by Mother Nature this week, we’ll be watching closely to see if any work begins at the Meridian Energy Group’s Davis Refinery site next door to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I’ve been doing a little digging myself, not of the physical nature, but I encountered a … Continue reading ‘Every Penny Out Of My 401(k)’

Some politics today. Caucuses, conventions, initiated measures and great PR work. Caucuses and Conventions A letter writer in The Forum this morning expressed his displeasure with Tuesday’s North Dakota caucuses, saying “I can remember when we voted in a primary election by using one side or the other of the ballot to vote our party … Continue reading Elections and Things

Every once in a while, something pops up on your computer screen that just punches you in the gut, leaving you breathless for a few moments. That happened to me this morning. One of my early morning routines is to scan the state’s newspapers online to see what’s going on around the state. If you … Continue reading C.V.M.

In honor of my friend Clay Jenkinson’s 65th birthday today, I’m going to share a story I wrote five years ago with a little bit of an update. First, let me say that it is hard to believe that my young friend Clay is 65 years old. I remember his 18th birthday, Feb. 4, 1973. … Continue reading Birthdays And Tomatoes

  Summarizing,  once more, where we are with the proposed bridge across the Little Missouri State Scenic River--reprinted from the January 2020 issue of Dakota Country Magazine.    I’m going to keep writing about this stupid, harebrained, boneheaded, senseless, vacuous, selfish, destructive, egomaniacal, (insert your own adjective here), idea of the Billings County Commissioners to … Continue reading “We Will Get That Project Stopped”

Amidst all the talk of refugees and immigrants, and the mean-spirited people who want to stand in their way as they seek to become Americans, I thought I might just repeat here part of an article I posted about five years ago. I wish these people had known my mother. And two friends of hers, … Continue reading He Is Already An American

Some things you just take for granted. Like opposable thumbs. When you lose the use of one (temporarily, I hope), you realize what a great invention they are. Here’s the rest of the story. I got a new recliner a couple weeks ago, replacing a ten-year-old one that had served its duty. It was host … Continue reading Thumbs, Knives, And Recliners

In a surprising twist of fortune—or misfortune, I suppose, depending on your point of view—the company hired by Meridian Energy Group to design and build its oil refinery beside Theodore Roosevelt National Park is likely to file bankruptcy this week. Bloomberg reported over the weekend “McDermott International Inc. is preparing to file for bankruptcy as … Continue reading Birds Of A Feather . . .

Last month I began reporting on the apparent financial troubles besetting Meridian Energy Group, the company planning to build an oil refinery near the boundary of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the North Dakota Bad Lands. Since then I’ve received more information on the company which I feel holds much merit and credit. I’m going … Continue reading Enter The Whistleblowers