The 4th

Tho’ it’s only the 3rd, I have some thoughts on our celebration of Independence Day.

This spring a distant friend contacted me and told me her niece and family were traveling thru’ this area and wanted to spend a little time on a real ranch and see some of the Black Hills and wondered if we could put them up for a night or two? Cindy and I discussed it and decided that this particular family would work as if need be, they could stay in  a tent or teepee in case the house wasn’t quite far enough along to have guests in it. We said yes.. it was just the impetus we needed to go hard to get the house livable, tho’ not done by a long shot. Beth, Jon and girls arrived before dark on the 1st and we  shoveled a path thru’ the mess and stowed their gear and sat up too late visiting! But we had a great visit, as far as I was concerned. Yesterday morning I took them around the cattle and some of the pasture, as I had to do some gate shutting and turn on a well and other odds and ends. When we got back we went back to the house and remembered we had a tool we had rented that needed returned and some items that were wrong and needed returned and few more pieces of flooring to finish up one of the bathrooms.. so they all loaded up in the Nitro with me, we hauled the stuff back, got the new items and headed for Mount Rushmore and Crazyhorse mountain. Then we drove thru’ the Needles hiway and stopped south of Hermosa for  Lintz Bro’s pizza.. yes, by the way, it is really great pizza! I of course, kept up a running commentary about everything we saw and answered the questions they had about this area and our type of life. We got home about dark and sat again and visited into the wee hours as we knew they were leaving this morning for the rest of their trip.

While at Mt Rushmore, I was reminded about this nation. Rushmore is known as the “Shrine of Democracy”. And it showed it. Lots of people of every color and creed, all there to look at what man had done to remind us of some of our past leaders who did their best to help this country and freedom. Made me proud. Both it and Crazyhorse took a lot of effort and vision and will be here for many years, unless some catastrophe happens. And millions of people gaze upon both.

And marvel.

And hopefully think and go away with a renewed energy to take up the task of making and keeping this nation the best on the earth. Yes, we are not there yet, but please show me a country where there is more freedom for the people who live there, in every way. Yes, we have lost many freedoms we used to enjoy and perhaps we need to reflect on that and remind ourselves of all who have given so much so we can have what we do have, and strengthen our resolve to fix the problems we have for the best for the many. And make ourselves more free than we are now.

Hope you all have a great, safe 4th of July. I am so far and making new wonderful people as friends is a very large part of that. Thanks for stopping in Jon and Beth and letting us get to meet you and your lovely daughters. Hurry back, soon. And thanks Anne for asking us to allow people we had never met to become part of our lives, even for a short while.