A New One

Winter Winners

A GROSS OF THESE

Not Too Easy

passes the time

THE JELLY BUG

-------  

.. It's both a blessing and a curse to have our daily 'dark time' end late and, start early. Burning the midnight oil starts at about 5:00 PM. But, then again, there's time for some fly fun.
.. MAKFLIES (LINK) has been cranking out some spiffy offerings. You'll not find these in the bins at the corner feather merchant. Tying a few should be entertaining. Don't do 144 of them unless you have a lot of down time.

..

,, We had a request. Materials are not too cheap. Skill can be acquired. Time flies, (sorry Alice,) when you're having fun. If you have the time and dexterity it might be worth your efforts.

..

 -----

.. Sled heads are increasing. Turons are in-migrating. Ski types are here with their own popcorn. The town is enjoying the cash flow and the fresh white that has enhanced the holiday spirit.

-----

.. While not our preference we managed to distress our standing rib roast. For those that abhor the deep pure pink of a proper joint we managed a tender, medium or medium well, lean roast.
.. Simple formula = dry age + Santa Maria Rub, (usually used on a Tri Tip,) + gentle microwave + oven sear + slow roasting yields a crusty chunk. Once is enough for us.
.

SLOW ROASTING WITH SANTA MARIA RUB

JUICY STILL, VERY TENDER,  JUST A LITTLE PINK

------- 

WALLPAPER:  WE LIKE WHITE BREAD - DONE RIGHT

Messages

SOME THOUGHTS

Affinities ?

take the time

..

AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

..

THE QUEEN'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

-------

.. The lights are bright. The presents enjoyed. It's freshly white up here. Hustle and, bustle and, conviviality abound.

.. It's Christmas in West Yellowstone. It shan't take but a couple minutes to see how leaders want to be viewed. Dare to compare the spirit and messages of the royal families ?

-------  

.

The Eve

STOCKINGS UP ?

Log Lit ?

cookies out ?

-------  

May your day be as joyous and as rewarding as your expectations.

-------  

WALLPAPER: SWEETIES FOR BAKING - YUM !

.

Sacrilegious ??

BENT TRADITION

Small Meal

intimate dinner

WALLPAPER: UNUSUAL 2-BONE SELECT GRADE STANDING RIB ROAST

-------  

.. This year we're having an intimate Christmas with a special request. The normal, full mad-house, with fat laden roast, may be a thing of the past. The special request was for a lean roast.
.. Our butcher has been very accommodating. He cut us a very unusual 'select grade 2-bone' rib roast, (bone tied on.)
.. This chunk is in the process of dry aging. It will be ready in a couple of days and, still moist enough for an excellent roast. The dinner should be magical - if - we can figure out how to properly cook a lean piece of  select grade rib roast.
.. Experiment in progress.

----- 

.. Around here most sport is being done with shotguns this time of year. A few folks are dredging the last open water in the estuaries on Hebgan Reservoir. Leaches and, Woolly Buggers and, San Juan Worms are the choices for those with access to a snowmachine.

------- 

WALLPAPER: TRADITIONAL PRIME GRADE 4-BONE RIB ROAST

The Founding

IS THIS US ?

Time To Read

give it a shot

-------  

.. We thank our lucky stars that, in these modern times, resources are readily and easily available to closely examine and absorb the very foundation of our republic.
.. This is "the holiday season" and,we should remember that the holidays we celebrate have deeply spiritual components - beyond shopping. Unlike many others we encourage honest and civil discussion over the dinner table.

RESOURCES:

>> National Archives = OUR CONSTITUTION
>> National Archives = OUR BILL OF RIGHTS
>> Annotations = WIKIPEDIA - popular input

-----

.. Of course those with a short  memory or lack of an historical perspective need not bother. Just go fishing and call it good. No need to engage our foundation and inherent values?

------- 

WALLPAPER: HAMBURGER STEAK

Ready, Set, Go . . .

SUNDAY DASH

West Entrance Open

over some snow travel

BIG TIRE BUSES READY TO TRAVEL

------- 

.. Ready or not, (low snow and all,) the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park opens tomorrow, (Sunday, December 15, 2019 - at 8:00 AM.)
.. According to informed sources in the tourist industry around town a light booking is in the offing. The Christmas and New Year rush is yet to start. Be here tomorrow for a high quality experience.

-------  

.

WALLPAPER:  SHRIMP AND GRITS

DROUGHT ??

NOT YET BUT . . .

It's Possible

we're low for now

STARTLING DEFICIT OF SNOW STUFF

-------  

.. Given the fisher folks obsession with weather and precipitation, we indulge our readers.
.. Although we can do nothing about the weather we periodically report the current conditions. Right now we, in the Northwest United States, are way down in snow fall and snowpack.
.. The "D" word is being lightly whispered in pubs, grocery stores and, even on the revered pages of NOAA. We are not there yet. However, this is reminiscent of the start of the droughts of the '90's. Our agricultural neighbors are extraordinarily sensitive to current and prevailing weather conditions.
.. One of our neighbors, down in the lowlands, mentioned the "D" word about 6 weeks ago. We noted it and quickly forgot about it. Since 2000, the longest drought in Montana lasted 307 weeks; beginning on May 16, 2000 and ending on March 28, 2006.
.. The weather wizards are cranking up their best pessimistic faces. We'll wait for some time because we live where water flows regularly. Yet, snow is down and temperature is up, (no forecast snow for the next week or so) - AND - diurnal temperatures in the high 20's and low 30's. It's now mid December and counting.
..  Just saying.

-------  

.

WALLPAPER:  BEANS & RICE & SIDE MEAT & CORNBREAD

A Beautiful Story

TAKE FIVE

Take Ten

use all twenty minutes

-------  

.. From the gently savage and mystical islands of NIHON, (日本.) Tread softly and enjoy something far more introspective and, less gonzo than the American Way!

..

------- 

WALLPAPER:  SPIT ROASTED TO PERFECTION

Articles Of Impeachment

READ THEM HERE
. . .
 

>> READ

------- 

WALLPAPER: HOT BEEF, (prime steak) SANDWICH

Winter Fun

FISH FLORIDA . . .

OR STAY HOME  ??

------- 

WALLPAPER:  PRIME AND POTATO

Political Medicine

WE'VE BEEN TOLD

Real Concern

read it now

THE POLITLCS COUNTS

------- 

., A couple of weeks ago we mentioned in passing that one should contact the AMA about political medicine, [[LINK.]] We now have a confirmation - writ large - from our current administration.
.. A couple of local MD's and a nationally respected scientist have sent us the following articles for our perusal. Yours too if you choose.

RESOURCES

>> Blocking Biomedical Research,
>> New NIH requirements,
>> Impact On Medical Research,
>> Fetal Tissue Restrictions.

-------

WALLPAPER:  OUR BUTCHER SURPRISED US - PRIME !

Fowl Holiday

BED IT

Bind It 

bake it

WALLPAPER: GOLDEN AND CRISPY

-------  

.. The bird is done and sundered. The neighbors are pleased and, we'll compensate with a steak tomorrow.

Frugal Repast By Picasso

.. For us this day is about stock taking.We are alive and in relatively good health - (age considered.) We can share a not too frugal repast with friends and other neighbors. The snow has held off long enough for us to properly put the garden to bed and to prep the vehicles for he cold period of our calendar.
.. Our taste for football has diminished as time has passed and the game has changed. The names are mysterious and the penalties are strangely bizarre.
.. In our day we wore aluminum cleats screwed into the soles of split cowhide high top shoes. We remember the introduction of light weight kangaroo low top shoes - my my.
.. Time was when kickers had flat toed shoes and punters could drop kick for 40 yards. The single wing was viable and blocking used no hands, Grass was nurtured to reduce the bare ground that expanded throughout the season. The Super Bowl was an after thought and the Rose Bowl usually hosted the best game on the radio.
.. Those were the days. Thanksgiving often seemed a chore - but a pleasant one. Turkey was mandated and the marshmallows were the worst part. The golden fog of time has not erased the memories of sneaking down to the pond at the park, With small safety pins and scraps of popcorn we would catch 3-inch long sunfish and bring them home to die in a used paper cup.

HEADED DOWN THE BLOCK

.. No "fish pole" was necessary. A bit of precious kite string or some of grandma's floss would work just fine. On rare occasion the fish lasted until we could put them in the sink in the bathroom. They quickly succumbed and did the back stroke in their final minutes.
.. Today we mix beer and, wine and, lies and, laughter. It's just about as pleasant as the past and, our sensibilities are not even ruffled by the use of paper plates.
.. Preparation is less formal, now, in our neighborhood. No lemon juice and baking soda to polish the silver. No fancy napkins to fold. No crocheted table dressing over the white linen tablecloth. No pass the whatever or eat the thirds in the kitchen.
.. Now we just cram cubes of dried bread in the anal orifice of a turkey and call it good. We pretend that this is a holiday for the family and not the beginning of the Christmas season.  $$$$$$

----- 

.. There's a gentle snow predicted for the next few days. We will fish some and visit a pub to catch up. Rumors are rife this time of year - there being so few fish stories and  such. The town has had the Christmas lights up for a full three weeks already. The parade and merchant stroll is making headlines in the local rag. High school football is done and "vacation" looms. 'Tis a fully modern little village that we inhabit. We're thankful.

------- 

WALLPAPER: THREE THIRDS LOAF - RYE, WHEAT, WHITE

Truss It ??

THANKFUL IS GOOD

And . . .

so is history

..

-------  

.. The bare historic bones of the first Thanksgiving are simple enough. A traditional puritan harvest celebration with neighbors. It took 250 years for it to become a national holiday - end of bare bones!
.. Beyond that bare bones history there comes a pile of erroneous mythology and contemporary historiography that amounts to the worst sort of revisionist history - just ask a 6th grader about it.
.. Three historical facts that must be kept in mind: 1) Thanksgiving was not the beginning of a long friendship between the Pilgrims and the indigenous people, 2) The settlers did not respected the indigenous peoples' unique culture or religion, 3) The interlopers learned successful agricultural practices from the indigenous people.

IT'S A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

 -----

.. We are thankful, today, about our present situation in this veil of mortal tears. We are also aware of the ramifications of Europeans entering he Americas.
.. The blood lust for riches and, the myriad underpinnings of competing religiosity swept through the two continents more rapidly and more thoroughly than any wildfire.
.. All told: hundreds of indigenous cultures were destroyed. Over 100,000,000 native Americans were killed in a matter of less than 200 years, -- (it continues to this day.)
.. As a nation we are righteously indignant about the events of 9/11. Rightly so. We are less concerned about the genocide in our history: so much so that the frontier massacres are glorified.
.. We, indeed, are thankful for today. Yet, today we are sad, embarrassed, revolted and, unhappily aware of the dark history of genocide and slavery that our thanksgiving is based on. We can not fix our nation's past sins. We can, on the other hand,  be thankful that we can make our current life one that is informed by the past.

EXCELLENT RESOURCE

>> Teaching a Lot of Misconceptions

-----

..  For the first time in over a decade we are doing a turkey for Thanksgiving. We really prefer ham or a rib roast. But the pressure of the neighborhood and it's residents have prevailed upon our oven. We have all the implements of destruction for the task. We even have a 50 year old speckled porcelain roasting pan. 
.. As the fowl thaws we are in the throes of a crucial debate -- to truss or not to truss, that is the question. More to come.

------- 

THE  SIMPLE ALCHEMY OF TIME AND TECHNIQUE

Special Interests

THAT'S US

That's You

madison river spotlight

WALLPAPER:  ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE

-------  

.. The common phrase "follow the science" is insidious in it's pretense that science is somehow a magic arbitrator of decision making.

COINCIDENT INTERESTS

.. Science is as political as any other human endeavor. Is medicine political? Ask the AMA! Are refereed scientific papers political? Ask the referees! Is particle physics political? Ask Einstein! (oops - Franklin D. Roosevelt.)
.. Special interests of all stripes influence the human existence at all levels. From the personal level, family level, neighborhood level, town level, state level, national level, and international level - all are influenced by competing interests.

SOCIAL FISHING

.. Special interests need not be organized into formal groups of people. In all the the world the success of special interests is directly proportional to the political power and money of the interest. Deny it if you choose but it's how we do things.
.. Politics can be based on personal or,  religious or,  magical or,  transcendental or,  artistic or,  any other internalized human belief system. Alliances with other like minded individuals for political parties: Democrat, Republican, Baptist, Islamist, Dental, Medical, etc. are associations of interests that can and do form political groups.

SOLITARY  FISHING

.. Right now there is a political morality play dancing before our eyes. The concerns, (real or imagined,) about the use of the Madison River are being litigated politically in the press, the state house, the DFWP, and pubs in our neighborhood. Special interest groups, (including the supposed professionals of fish,) are jostling each other for priority positions in rule making about river usage.
.. So far the political clamor has centered around fish and fishing issues. Groups of fishers, guides, outfitters, and such have become amalgamated and disbanded for personal, cultural, social, economic and even religious parameters.

YAK-YAKERS

.. The 'United Kayak Paddlers' have not been heard from - yet! Nor indeed, have the beaver lovers, alfalfa irrigators, tube bobbers, bathers, been heard from in any organized fashion. Probably not enough religiosity or money.
.. We will continue to watch the hi-jinx as the most interested political group, (the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks.) tries to herd the cats into the corral.
.. Our state has agencies and departments that could realistically address the supposed concerns of the interests involved in this business, (LINK.)

MADISON DOG DAY

.. Some of these could probably do a better job than the politically motivated localized one that is trying to tame the current cage of lions. We would suggest the following would do a better job and allow the FWP to be a competing voice rather than a politically vested special interest:
>  Department of Natural Resources and Conservation,
>  Department of Environmental Quality,
>  Department of Labor and Industry.
.. It's time for the locally owned FWP personnel be removed from their pseudo-role of arbitrator. It's time for them to get in line with the other special interests and submit to a more politically sane process to deal with Madison River public usage.

FAMILY FISHING

.. There are more stakeholders in this matter than just a few hundred guides and outfitters. There are more stakeholders than the few thousand local fisher folks. There are more stakeholders than the land owners along this publicly owned water resource. There are more stakeholders than the boaters and tubers. There are more stakeholders than the many thousands of tourists that use the river.
.. The most important stakeholders  in the Madison River are the residents of the State of Montana. These are the folks that pay taxes for the state agencies. These are the folks that matter most. These are our neighbors and they treasure this and all of our waters. These are the people that own the water. It's the law. It is written into the constitution. It's use does not belong to a single interest group - no matter how well organized or, well funded.
.. The Madison River is a Montana treasure. This is the "Treasure State" and the treasure of the Madison River is in its multiple uses and, it's attractive setting: no matter what the fisher folk believe. There may even be room for some science  -- as well as sociology, conservation, visitation,etc.

ON RIVER INSTRUCTION

.. Although the manifestations of competing usage are delivered locally, the real problems are impacting all of the treasures of our state. Our state has the opportunity to address the current situation with a view to the future. The population of Montana is growing. The visitation of folks from around the world is constantly increasing.
.. Broad principles of inclusive use need to be applied. Neither private nor state agency interests should be given priority in the decisions or rule making. It's time for the Governors office and the State Legislature to step in and provide the leadership necessary. All of our state treasures deserve no less.
.. We suggest that the situation be evaluated in the broadest of terms. We take this opportunity to thank MOLDY CHUM, (LINK,) for highlighting an article in the Missoulian, (LINK.)

-------  

WALLPAPER:   BUTTER/GARLIC SHRIMP ON PAPRIKA BROWN RICE

.

Old Tech

VINTAGE ROTISSERIE

Going Strong

just like a perfect leica

WALLPAPER:   BRINED AND SPIT ROASTED

-------  

FRY AS BAIT

 .. If it ain't broke - don't fix it. At our age being trapped in a past century is not all bad. The rotisserie still roasts and the old Hardy reels still catch fish. What's not to like?

-----

.. The cool, (not cold,) weather continues and the lowland Madison River is a perfect destination for catchers of the streamer stripe.
.. Bright overcast and even blue skies yield good fun on both sides of the river. Watch the sun and switch as the shadows move.
.. We like the early afternoon on the west side of the river just as the fish have settled in.

------- 

WALLPAPER:  OLD FRIEND  --  A WORKHORSE

WALLPAPER:  A PAIR OF NEW FRIENDS

In Fact

NOT 3-DAY NORMAL

We Honor Them All

pause for a moment now

-------

WALLPAPER:  COLORS OF FALL