The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

A couple months ago, my Facebook feed showed me a handful of videos of of baby skunks wandering around town. I’m sure I didn’t see all of them, but I’ve heard stories of folks filming themselves feeding the babies and heard all sorts of...

Dear friends and neighbors, I have placed an ad in the Mountaineer promoting what I have called an “America Rally” in Big Sandy on Friday evening, September 18th. Let me explain my rationale. First, the public health restrictions imposed by the p...

Importance of Vaccination for Influenza 2020 By Dr. Ann Rudinger (Editor’s note- Dr. Rudinger is the wife of Ed Blazek, Class of BSHS ’72) With all the attention given to COVID-19, it is easy to overlook a basic health care step- the annual FLU...

“Wealth should be like a light coat on a cool day. It should bring us comfort while we have it, but it can throw off at any moment without worry.” I read this line years ago in school, but I can’t find the name of the speaker. At the time, it...

For the past 3 years, I have maintained a fairly rigid morning routine that began at 4 AM, when I would get out of bed, read for an hour, walk to the gym, and exercise. 6 months ago, the Covid lockdowns began and my carefully established routine fell...

Summer is nearly gone, and I cannot say I will miss much of it. I was dealing with back pain most of the summer, which definitely puts a damper on gardening and doing the work I usually enjoy. Generally, we have an enjoyable summer, busy working,...

I love Johnny Cash. I think my all time favorite Cash song is “A Boy Named Sue.” The song was a huge hit for Cash, but was actually written by Shel Silverstein, who is famous for writing books of children’s poetry. In the song, a young man is n...

My brother lives in Northern California. For the last 6 months, he and his family have been living with some of the strictest lockdown regulations in the country. My little brother is very active and a bit of a gym nut. The lockdown has eliminated...

In his fictional book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote a collection of letters from a senior demon to a novice tempter. The book explores the various ways people are led astray, tempted, tricked, and manipulated from their faith in God. The o...

Talk is always cheap, but it seems even cheaper when it comes from the lips of Senator Steve Daines. Daines claims to be an advocate for Montana producers so much that he sounds like a broken record, but when push comes to shove, is he really there f...

I learned basic car repair in college after buying a beat up old car for $250. Armed with a repair manual and a basic tool set from Sears, I took on all manner of simple repairs. Along the way, I learned quite a few lessons. One of the most...

My son has recently asked me, “why do people say the expression ‘uncertain times’ when they talk?” I explained to him that we have a new normal...and we may never go back to the way it used to be. These “uncertain times” have everyone...

I thought I would share “Lighting Up the World” by Tyler Perry, instead of trying to rewrite the subject and doing it poorly. Enjoy! “I’VE BEEN DOING a lot of building over the past few years. I’ve learned that, according to the commercial...

One of my favorite books by C.S. Lewis is The Screwtape Letters, which is written from the perspective of a demon named Screwtape instructing another demon on how to tempt a young man into hell. It’s one of my favorites, because Lewis has a keen...

This weekend, I will have been married to my wife for 22 years. I am happy and cannot imagine sharing my life with any other person. However, I can honestly say that our lives together have not gone anything like what I thought it would when I said...

Letter to the Editor, I’d like to thank you with love Zoe for the very special poster size pictures honoring our awesome 2020 Seniors, displayed in our businesses along main street. A very thoughtful gift in this dark confusing time to lift our...

Nearly 15 years ago, I read a book on management by Peter Drucker. I remember that it was excellent, but I only recall one clear lesson from it: The more decisions you make, the more likely you are to make a mistake, so make a decision once and apply...

A few years ago, before my daughter learned to read, I read her the book “Alice in Wonderland”. In the book, Alice sort of wanders from encounter to encounter without a strong purpose. The plot is summed up well when she asks the Cheshire Cat...