The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

I liked the idea of discussing Thanksgiving by acknowledging what simple pleasures we cherish. Like, “Having a job.” I visited five residents to find what their favorite things were.

“Spending time with grandkids, my kids, and having family close. When my sister moved away, you realize how important it is to spend quality time with them. We need to treasure the people we love.”

“Grandkids. They can get away with anything at my house.”

“I’m really thankful for my friends since I have had my health issues.”

“Glass of wine.”

“Having a slow cup of coffee in the morning.”

“Some of my favorite things? Honestly, just this. I love my job! I’ve been in the bar and restaurant business since I was 16. I love it! The best part of the job, the best perks of the job is harassing people.” And we laughed loudly.

“Anytime I get to spend time with my family, especially my son; it’s perfect. Whether it is camping, teaching him how to work on cars. Especially, I lost both of my parents. Life is short, so you need to do perfect time with the ones you love.”

“My favorite things. I would say, I love being connected to agriculture, I feel very grounded and humbled when I am closer to ag. I love my mom and dad’s ranch. It’s my favorite place in the entire world. I spent 11 years away from Montana, and I’m really glad to be back.”

“I enjoy my kids here in a smaller community, a lot of people say there isn’t as much to do, but if you want to be involved in a small community, you get to be involved.”

“I like the simplicity. The quiet. The peaceful. I try to go out and help my folks like clean the barns; I kind of enjoy it. You feel good about the hard work using a pitchfork.”

“I like the simple things in life. Being in a rural area, and you get to take advantage of that every day. If you ever get a hankering for a faster pace of life, you can always go and visit the city.”