The Line Reawakens

     Wow! much has changed since my last blog, and much has stayed the same out on the line.  Over the past few years there hasn't been much activity since the Alliance project.  It was there where I met my longtime friend and confidant Jose Carlos Jimenez.

     While Jose was transitioning across the country in political activism and sorting out his Ojibwe and South American global ancestry, I, in the meantime, have been kept busy by Local 49 and the fellas at Minnesota Limited.  Technically speaking we have been doing oilfield roustabout work out here in the patch, putting in gathering systems and oil pad work.  And the day finally came in the slowdown where my number was up.  My guys were going to Indiana.  And the hall has other plans for me.

     Nevertheless, Penguin Lodge is thriving and will continue to thrive.  We have a sign now.  We began to add wildlife food plots for deer and turkey and grouse and deer, and ducks and geese and deer.  We acquired an old tractor, and resurrected some farm implements.  Reloading ammunition has become a new topic around the dinner table, and the boys continue to do extensive work on the rifle range.

     So they day came and I had to leave, but it wasn't like really leaving because Williston is like going to another home.   Nevertheless I felt anxious.  So I get to leave the forest and explore the the Great Plains and the Wild West once again.  And fate landed me back in Williston with my lovely wife and amazing Brenda. Along with our two almost and wannabe dogs JoJo and Java who greet my at the door everyday when I come home with the enthusiasm of Fred's but not enough size to knock me down,  A routine has been established, and I sure feel blessed to be in the situation I'm in.  I'm safe, comfortable, and not getting and smaller around the belly.

    Sign up day came.  I orientated into the Dakota Access Pipeline Project.   One that will go down in the books.  I ran into some old friends, Butch, Mardy, Tony.Sent on the front end this time, mowing brush.  Got a call from some other old friends.  They're working on different spreads.

     I got to machine, checked everything out,
I noticed something familiar out on the road, It was too windy to hear a voice, or sense an aroma.  Everyone wears a white hardhat and green vest. but it was a person, an unforgettable smile from someone that you have shared a special kind of connection with.  Then the smile walked over because he knew it was me. And when we got close enough to remove all doubt, he spoke.

     "Buenos Dias senor Thomas,!  I'm already sick of these stinking cold burritos."
     I replied, "I'm tired of the warm baloney on white bread too."  It was 12:08.  We exchanged our lunches, and caught up as much as we could before he had to grab his signs and flag me across the road.
     Jose Carlos Jimenez is back in North Dakota.  We are working the same spread once again.  I am an operator he is a laborer.  And I knew he was alright, And I was alright,  For I know not my bosses on this new job with this new company and because Jose was there with his smile and out normal friendly exchange that not much has really changed

Philippians 4:6-7English Standard Version (ESV)

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Song

     Christmas season came fast and furious out on the line this year.  And we had vacation plans.  Fortunately  the the outcome wasn't planned.
     The beautiful Brenda had time planned in Cody, Wyoming.  Our plan was to spend six days there and visit her kids and take in the sights, and laugh celebrate Christmas, and listen to the bumps and bruises of grand kids, and eat good food,  and then say goodbye, and plan for it again.
    Then we were going to spend about the same time up in Penguin Lodge via Middle River, MN.  And spend some time in the woods, and play with the kids, and fish, and eat and laugh and have a little gift exchange, you know the whole Christmas new years shebang!
   But my work had different plans and i had to cut Wyoming short by a few days, zip up to Minnesota for only a few days, and head back out on the line near Tioga, ND on the 29th. Listened to lots of holiday music  in the 25 hours on the road.   It could have been worse.
   So during our time in Cody, we took in the Cody Museum.  Wow!  I enjoyed the gun collection and the Buffalo Bill stuff.  Then I heard the song of the wolf and was particularly drawn to the museum of natural history and the wolves in the Yellowstone section.   It seems the debate in the mountains is the same as the one in Minnesota.   The wolves (designed to hunt and kill) are struggling to share space with sportsmen and ranchers.    The wolves actually don't get a say in the situation.  It;s actually people (naturalists and conservationists) taking the side of the wolf claiming they restore balance in pristine wild places fighting with sportsmen and and ranchers trying to raise livestock for profit and hunters claiming not enough game to hunt creating a polarizing debate.
     So the news in the Rockies is the same as it is in the flat lands.  But that's not the good news.   Better news came later in the week when my daughter Gracei came out west to the Patch to spend the rest of her vacation with us.  Hunter and Mom came out on Friday to spend the weekend with us too.   And it all worked out better than I could have planned it, and perhaps even better than Brenda the planner could have planned.
     I got to spend a day on the lake with my Thomas and Dakota, and they claim the fishing is good, and will keep an eye out on my fish shack for me.  Skylar and Haley came for dinner too.  What a blessing.   All good news from the line.  Still no word from Jose Jimenez, last I heard he was on a project in Africa. I did see him in the background of a reporter coming off a plane  in a Fox News Ebola scare story.  Passing news.
      But I can't top the Good News, the reason for the season.  And Yes! Joy to the world!  And even with all the sacred and secular joys and songs I attempt to sing during the holidays,  nothing more moves me than the song of the wolf.  Nothing more stands the hair on my arms and neck or gives me goosebumps than their songs and harmonies.   First one, then another then the others.  In the pines and over the next hill and river valley,  heard and not seen, like us designed for a reason.  Perhaps they were here before us, like it says in the Bible, maybe; the evolutionists claim is true then the wolves did come first. Another polarizing debate which unarguably come to the same conclusion that they did come before man,  And if that is true, I can not help but emphatically add that the wolf was like man was designed to make a joyful noise and lift their voice to Heaven. Man thinks. Animals just do what they are designed to do.  And perhaps maybe it was the wolf who taught man to sing.  For the song of the wolf is so beautiful and deep and has stood the test of time,  and in its song words and melodies so intense that the snowy headwaters of the the Mississippi weep, the invisible walls of the arctic tundra not fathom, nor the Rockies baffle thier resonance.   Of all the creatures whomelse's song is worthy of imitating?  Perhaps that howl was first song. Maybe we stole their song and are too jealous and prideful to give something back or share credit? The Good news is we are who we are and all belong to God.  And the only question is what would God have us do about it.

Beyond Borders and Fences

     Is it good or bad that only an average of 150 children crossed the U.S. Mexican border today to turn themselves in to authorities to only find themselves in the process of being deported back to central- America where they will likely again face the inhumanities  and crimes against humanity in the forms of human-trafficking and drug cartel thug totalitarianism?  Last month over 500 a day was the average.  In the midst of political polarization, Christian America watches CNN and Fox news channels to get the right take on the situation.  Some scream secure our borders call in the troops while others beg for mercy at any cost.  Mostly all emotional appeals on both sides of the fence.  What does the Bible say?

Leviticus 19:33-34?
"When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God."

Yeah OK! Its old testament. I know.  Out with the old and in with the new.  That's what the right would say.  We have a much higher standard to live by now.

How about the words then of Jesus?


Matt 25: 35-45
Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’

  Well maybe Jesus was too liberal and too perfect for our tribe of haves..
     There was one of Jesus' disciples who pointed out that we are to be obedient, and that our forefathers too were exiles and fled lands for many reasons: some righteous,some selfish.  We as Americans must not forget where it is where we came from.

"1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

     These are refugees-alien invaders are not a commodity to place a monetary value on such as the SS did on Jews during the holocaust ultimately weighed against the cost of termination in bullets and gas.  This a complicated issue and God is testing us.
    Romans 13 challenges us and commands us to " be subject to governing authorities."  God bless these people turning themselves over to the authorities as soon as they cross.  God bless the border agents submitting to the authority of our own laws to follow due process in these matters. God bless the President and Congress to try create a way to deal with the challenge of immigration.
  I ask myself and others...  what is the problem?   The problem is fear.  Fear of change.  Fear of the unknown.   What will our neighborhoods look like in 20 years?  What will our schools and sports teams look like in 10 years?  What will our kids after coming home from school sound like in 5 years?  How will this affect my own financial security and job situation in 5 years?    Yes I believe all of this will change, and part of me cries, "What about me, Lord?"
   But I think a bigger question, a more important question looms.  Will the history books a hundred years from now say that Christian America acted out of fear?
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
    Or will God delight in our work and our hearts?


      Last night my wife woke me up in Williston.  "Lets go see the fire!" she exclaimed.  I don't know all the details about the place that was burning, but I could smell smoke in my yard, and the fire was over a mile away.  We drove toward the smoky glow, gradually weaving around incoming fire trucks and other on-lookers.  The sky was bright with no clouds and star lit.  I could see many of the constellations.  I thought of these issues on our borders.  I thought of my friend Jose Jimenez and his adventures.  And I wondered about space travelers and aliens, constellations and distant galaxies.
      I had this thought. Since the beginning of mankind men have been engaged in tribal warfare sometimes most gruesome and deadly in many forms.  We want to identify with something anything; so we make our little camps.  And shame on us Christians including me for doing the same.  If God is infinite and we are finite, why are we, since the beginning of man, still engaged in this primitive behavior?  What would Jesus  if he were to come back today say about the mess of things that we have created; when, through His Grace we are made better to do so much more?  Have we not learned or taught or handed down anything?
     We are all God's children.  We must start acting like brothers and sisters.  And tap that flowing grand power of Love that is with all the Authority beyond borders and fences.

Walleye Adventures

John 21:3 ESV / 

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

  It all started a few days before Christmas.  Fish house... check.   Auger ... check.   Game on! Me and the boys were going fishing.  We were up at the butt crack of dawn.  One stop for minnows.  Lunch was packed.  We are living in Minnesota, and we are going fishing- 26 below.  It don't matter.  We are having fun.
     Hmmm!  here is how it really went.  When we stopped to buy minnows, and gas,  it took an extra half hour because the computer was down at the bait shop.  Finally we got out on the ice.  hook the fuel canister to the new auger, and "pshhhh!" propane leaking all over.  No big deal just a hose.  8:00 back in Warroad MN .  9:00 back out on ice.   9:05 auger won't start.  9:10 Auger is broke.  9:15  boys having a caniption fit.  9:20 Strangers help us get fishing. 9:30  getting lines in water.  10:00 no fish 12:00 no fish 2:00 5 fish 4:00 no more fish and time to get home.
     It's good doing business in small towns.  The next day, I returned the auger and got one that works.  Just in time to head up to Lake Kabetogema near International Falls.    Fishing with my new bride.  My luck has changed I think.  Day one of fishing... 1 perch and 2 pike.  Baby's feet got a little cool.      Day 2 no fish... Baby decides to stay in cabin.   Hmmmm.
      So after a vacation and a honeymoon in a winter wonderland, its good bye land of 10,000 lakes and home to the Missouri flats near Williston.    I had this thought.
     I was thinking that maybe if I built a little fish house and tried fishing the great Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea, my walleye luck might change.  So I built it.  And I geared up and and tried my hand at fishing in North Dakota yesterday.  I went out to a place called Lund's Landing.  I fished.   I moved around a little and low and behold I got into some 5 lb pike.  Not a bad day.  Left early because of the storm that didn't come. Anyway I am still here to write about it.
     So today, I went back to the bait shop to pick the brains of some local fisherman, and brag a little about my adventure.   A guy said ,  "Hey! if you want to catch walleye and sauger, follw me and I will point you in the general direction."  So I did.  I went out to Lake Jenny,   a flat on the Missouri complex, a general area of Sakakawea.    We get out on the lake.  The reader will notice how I did not give directions to this sweet new fishing hole.    It would break all fisherman code to reveal such a location.   And we drive up to this guys fish shack.  It has satellite dish.  light generator, solar panels, alarms, motion lights, bath tub, couch, wi-fi.   Its like a mini-Radisson on ice complete with pole dancers and a wet bar.   Just as I was getting out of my truck to introduce myself,  the dark haired brown skinned grinning familiar smile of none other than Jose Jimenez popped his face out the window.   "Come on in and have a burrito Tomas."
     It seems i.t was his brother-in-law I met at the bait shop.   Little did I know before today Jose's sister lives near Williston.  Cool!  I fished until 7:00  had a bite.  Jose showed me his walleye, and a burbot (they call them ling here).    When I got home I had waiting for me a fresh batch of  fish patties from the northern I caught.  How wonderful she is  Williston is feeling a little more like home, and I feel my luck has changed for the better.   The walleyes will be jumping into my bucket tomorrow.

Christmas Message to My Kids: Keeping it Simple

    John  3:16 "For God So loved the world,  He gave His only begotten Son."

     Some times in my life I havent' been able to give much.  And some times I go overboard.  Balance?  Me?  It used to be a struggle for me at Christmas time.  How much should i give this one or that one.  What does this person or that person need?  Sometimes my Christmas giving has been stymied by feelings of guilt or by feelings of trying to prove I was better than I was or competing with another parent or grandparent wanting you all to think that I was something other than I really am.    

     Sometimes I wish I could wrap things up and make things look like they belong on the floor room showcase at Macy's in the mall.   I wanted things to be perfect and even paid for people to help me out in that department sometimes.   I did these things because I wanted your growing up to at least have Christmas be O.K. and somewhat "normal".  The devil, tries to tell us that you need this or that in your life to be alright.  The deceiver, wants us to think that in order to be a respectable human you better chase it, pursue it, because if you don't you can't be loved.  I one time had a thought that I should cancel the big day all together because couldn't possibly live up to the grandiose idea of what my intentions were for you guys.  Sometimes I just got drunk. 

   In the book of Matthew 7:12  Jesus charges his disciples to go to every town and not bring any stuff with them to spread the message of love.  He asks them to bring themselves, that they are all the equipment they need.    God has a plan and a design for each and everyone of us.   He gave us Jesus to rescue us from our sins and give us everlasting life, and  we can catch a glimpse of it day by day.  He loves us that much.  

      The enemy wants us to look at our family dynamics and tell us, things are screwed up,  we aren't as good as other Christians.  Maybe we have heard others in meanness utter those words to our ears.  Maybe because of our own selfish sinful ways we expect too much from each other and live in a spirit of envy and want, and jealousy.  After all we all want something we see on t.v. or the internet or maybe even on someones feet.    No one is perfect.   My life has been a living testimony of that.   

      Here is the good news.  Things are different for me today and still not perfect.  I was wrapping a few gifts tonight to get ready for our big day.  I was thinking about my Christmases past and present, even ones when I was a kid, and memories of you guys.   I was flooded with a feeling of peace and happiness and joy. God put His great Christmas gift to us all in one package.  In a week or so we will all get together to celebrate our Christmas.  God's message is simple. He chose.  He chose us.  He loves.  He loves us. He gives.  He gives to us. Unconditionally!   He chose to give His Love to us.  He wants us to try love. Just as he chose to give through His love for us; He want us to choose to give love.   Jesus came from a blended family too, and it was perfect and good because it had Love.  I can't wait to have all of you at Penguin Lodge together as a family.  Our family dynamic has changed for each of us and all in different ways. It may not be perfect to the eyes of the world, but it is ours, and I wouldn't trade it for any other. There is single  simple package for everyone waiting for you when you come.  So come and come often.  You are all the equipment we need.

  

     

Domesticati

     To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds. (Ephesians 4:22-23)




      When I studied Shakespeare I specifically remember Professor O'Kelly form the University of North Dakota telling me that the words , "king", "kin", and "kind" were like warning signs that something dreadful was about to happen in one of his plays.   I am nowhere in the league of Shakespeare, but my ego would like to give it a try at warning the reader about, my warning words.   So if you come across my words, or in conversation with me hear , "I had this thought," you can be assured that something is about to happen.
     I had the good fortune one time to spend a couple years trapping fur in northern MN.   It was a good time in my life.  Although physically demanding and forcing me to be mentally tough,  I gained a lot of satisfaction pursuing the man vs. nature thing.   I would spend my days out in sloughs working muskrat huts, and nights up until midnight putting up fur pelts.  I had managed to put a little heat in a shed out back. and the fur began to pile up.  And as Winter progressed it became harder keeping the little shed warm.
     One day I had this thought that if I moved my pelting operation into my kitchen I could save a few cold nights in the skinning shed.   So I did.   It worked out pretty good for awhile.   Then I had this other thought that if I took a few muskrats that were frozen solid and placed them in my shower to thaw out, that maybe I could get a few more done during my skinning session.  So I did.  And that too seemed to work.
    Then one day after taking regular showers in the springtime the drain became clogged, and upon further investigation by someone who tried to unclog it found all sorts of muskrat hair as the culprit to the dilemma of clogged plumbing.   Not a happy day.  And today I am grateful those wild adventures are behind me.
    Lately,  I have spending time in Williston.,  and planning a short honeymoon with my beautiful new bride.  I don't know a whole lot of people.  And the adventurer in me has found a little satisfaction in getting to know a few people.  So yesterday I wandered over to the pawn shop across the street.   Nice guys.   A pail of ice-fishing rods caught my eye and at a bargain price they sold them to me.   Baby will need some ice poles when we take our little adventure to Lake Kabetogema.   So I bought them.   Then I had this thought.  I thought that Lake Sacajawea must have some walleyes in it, and that maybe one day i should want to fish there.  So I drove down to Scenic Sports, the local sports and bait shop.   I picked out some pretty lures,  some new line,  inquired about the rules, asked where to go fishing, you know, all the stuff  guys needs to have and know about fishing in a strange new and wonderful land.
     A hundred bucks later I had this thought,  that If I told my plight to the beautiful Brenda, she would see and understand my strange and wonderful dilemma, that in winter in the northern  tier of the U.S., a guy should probably have a fish shanty, and that the cost of buying one may not be in the budget, but the cost of building may be.   She agreed.
      So this morning,  after doing what I needed to do, I picked up the material to build a humble little ice-fishing shanty.  No big deal.
     Then I had this thought, that maybe I could get building on it today while Brenda was at school.   Then reality hit me and said, "Dude! It's -15!  It's cold outside.  It's too cold to build it in the garage today."  And Reality was right.
     Then I had this thought, that if I cut out all the pieces in the garage and brought them into the house to assemble this fine inspiration, and completed it,  I would have the shanty dilemma solved.   So I pursued the thought into the kitchen.  I noticed that Brenda's floors were real nice and shiny and clean and made out of wood.  They might get scratched.   So I pursued the thought into the living room.  The floors were the same there.  So I pursued the thought down into the basement on the carpet where nothing would get scratched and then realized that it would be hard to get the assembled product up the stairs.   But that didn't stop me.
I bargained, justified, plead with myself,  "Just how Bunky are you going to get this done?"
     Then I had this thought of Brenda coming home to an unfinished or finished ice house inside her house.   I came to realize that it would probably resemble something  to the precise extent of "The Bonny Incident" from the movie Pulp Fiction,.    And that maybe after only 5 days of marital bliss it would abruptly come to an end. And that also I really enjoy peace and tolerance way more than i can bare chaos and turmoil.   And also it being minus 25 over the next couple days i would just be lying to myself and the reader to pretend that I would actually go out fishing out in this weather.
     So as of right now, the material can just sit in the back of my truck for a warmer day.   And I can giggle at the committee in my head that forms these strange wonderful ideas.  Look forward to an evening cuddling up to my beautiful wife and just listening about her days adventures.   And know in my heart that if I can take the next beautiful thought that comes into my mind captive, I might get to do it again tomorrow.

Oilfield Trash? HMMMMM

    James 1:10  But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position because he will pass away like a wild flower.

 I watched her walk down the aisle, escorted kindly by her son, Bob, and Duane, her dad.   Instead of carrying cookies or a pan of hot dish she was carrying a bouquet of pink roses and daisies.  Instead of wearing slacks and a sweater, she wore a knock out white dress, and white stilettos on her feet which no way came close to elevating her stature to the size of her character.  Brenda and I got together in front of God and our families in Fairview, Montana on Saturday and got married.
     The night before I was visiting with 3 of my sons.   They were proud to be in Williston.  They were awed by the traffic and sights.   In many ways it wasn't so much different than the home they are used to, but they sort of came to an understanding of what is happening out here, with the fracking of oil shale, the jobs and the economy it is creating.  My son Dakota proudly and humorously displayed a hoody and sweatpants touting "North Dakota....  Bakken.... Oilfield Trash."
      It was right after many laughs, we went down to the pool for a quick splash.   When I opened the door to the pool, I was instantly greeted buy the sound of Mariachi music, the smell of cumin infused food, and the unmistakable laugh of an old friend.   "Buenos Noches mi amigo," exclaimed the unique familiar voice of no other than Jose Jimenez.  We exchanged a few handshaking formalities.  I offered him pizza and he gave me one of his delicious burritos.   I never did quite understand how or why he was at the hotel, the same as mine.  It was just good to say hi.   Go figure!
    Today, i dropped Brenda off at the school where he works, and I will soon go to pick her up.   I worked on the laundry, some business, and finally got a chance to blog a few thoughts.
     Today I was thinking about the first time I had left for Williston this fall.  I specifically remember the wild daisies by my mail box.  How quiet it was when I left... and when i returned both to Penguin Lodge this Fall and to Penguin Terrace this Winter in my new home.   A lot is happening.  Domestication... Life.  A lot is happening here too out in the patch and on the line...  families are still getting together for celebrations, still going to work,  still worrying about grandmas,  still coming together before God and following Him.
      The daisies in the bouquet may wither, and the ones by the mailbox may be dormant,  but the last I heard Jesus is not on the cross anymore because He is alive and with us.     To others we may be oilfield trash, but to people like me we are all just a bunch of God's children  trying to be in the Bakken.