In the Clear

Well, maybe I was a bit worked up last week. The situation, while not totally resolved, is at least at rest for now. My boss backed me up and it was awesome! It is really incredible to work for someone that has your back and doesn't make any "bones" about it. Coming to Montana from an Extension system where the administrators not only didn't back the agents but helped deride them it truly is a "breath of fresh air".

Moving on... This weekend was a busy one that began with a meeting at Pretty Eagle Catholic School regarding a grant that I am on to introduce science and filmmaking to elementary school kids. This project is really cool; the plan is to introduce the topic of ethnobotany (how and which plants were and are used in traditional Crow culture) and then have the kids make a movie about it! How cool is that? I had to cut the meeting a little short and leave for Baker, MT (it's not the end of the earth, but you can see it from there...a little shot at North Dakota!!!) for shooting sports leader training. I helped teach shotgun and got to go through the new cowboy action training. Cowboy action shooting is a pilot project this year and is going to be a really cool project that introduces 4-Hers to the history of the west (clothing, firearms, customs) and melds it with a fast-paced shooting experience! During our training we were instructed on the basic "rules" of the game which were to use the revolver and shoot five round targets, then move to the repeating rifle and shoot the five back targets, and finally move to the shotgun and shoot the "fall down" target, all while being timed! When fully implemented, the kids will dress in period clothing and shoot more targets. This is going to be a really great project; one that I hope that I can bring to my county at some point.

Sunday I did not work. I went on a "poker run" with some friends. I had never been on one and it is a pretty neat way to raise money for, in this case, one of the VFW posts in Billings. The weather was cold and I realized that I don't particuarly care to ride in cold, rainy weather but it was still an enjoyable day. It was nice to get the motorcycle out one more time before the cold sets in for good!