Haystackology

McClelland-Stafford Ferry Journey A Poem By: Troy McGillivray Driving fast down the Lloyd road, hold onto your hats, here we go. Everyone watching for critters as we rode, a boy in the back getting ready to shoot and reload. Safely hugging the right side of the road, avoiding travelers with a truckload. We waved to the farmer as we drove, harvest season was a go go go. Our pace was eventually slowed, a cattle guard was just ahead in the road. Read the open range sign a reflective glow, watch out for livestock on the go. The last part of the journey cannot be forgoed, the road is going to be steep and narrow. The bighorn sheep began their show, we were content to watch and take a photo. Time to shift gears into low, now is the moment to take it slow. The shadowed winding road was full of gumbo, the mud started flying as we rode. We looked out our windows, welcome to the dirt clump rodeo. The slope of the road leveled to zero, the Missouri River trib...

Tilly McGillivray AKA Tilly Two Treats was born a English Springer Spaniel dog on September 8, 2017 to Sir Wyatt and Paris in western Montana. She was the first female of a litter of seven. Sir Wyatt was no where to be found when the litter was born. Paris was left to raise the seven puppies as a single mother. About 60 days after being born, Paris's puppies were mature enough to be adopted. That is when Becky and I were lucky enough to adopt Tilly and she quickly became our furry addition to our budding family. The first day with Tilly was a long day for all of us. Tilly met an Aunt, Uncle and two furry cousins, Lilo and Luna, in Montana and another Aunt, Uncle and furry cousin, Penny, in Idaho. Lilo (dog) immediately became a mentor to Tilly and Luna (cat) avoided the new puppy like the plague. Penny (dog) and Tilly like to "ruff"house together. Tilly loved meeting all the new people and "fur"iends. She was also introduced to long car rides as we made...

I have never felt so nervous about something. There was a lot of planning and secrecy that needed to happen to pull off the surprise. What do I say? Where do I say it? When do I say it? This is the story of how I proposed to my wife Becky and the engagement ring buying process. I had done a lot of research on the 4 C's (cut, color, clarity, and carat) of a diamond.  I investigated the pros and cons of the different ring metals available.  I read articles about the whole ring shopping experience. What to do and what not to do while you are shopping for a ring.  I searched on Google to find the most highly rated jewelers in town.   I listened to advice from friends and family that have gone through the same process.   I read articles on whether or not to include Becky during the ring shopping experience. From what I remember most people suggested to not include your spouse because you lose a lot of the surprise factor. I also remember reading somewhere that th...

In light of Valentine's Day being just around the corner I decided to write about my wedding vows. My wife Becky and I got married June 2018 in Billings, MT. We both wrote our own vows. I had no idea what I was getting myself into...in a good way! It was a hot summer day in southeastern Montana on the banks of the Yellowstone River. There was not a cloud in the sky and a light breeze. All of our friends and family had come to support us while we made our forever companionship official.  We had a great outline to our ceremony created by our officiant. The vows would be exchanged after my dad and my wife's father gave their speeches. It was time, the moment of truth, did we get our speeches in order? During the planning period of the wedding both my wife and I had been working on writing our vows for quite a long time. Asking friends and family for advice along with looking up examples online to put together something worthy of our love. After deliberating for a while I d...