I am re-reading one of the best books about Native American history that I’ve come across: Empire of the Summer Moon. It is a fascinating story in so many ways. Of course, the overall arc is the same as nearly all of the other stories dealing with what happened to Native American tribes when they encountered the European invasion. The tribe encounters the whites, who lie and cheat and murder their way to driving them out of their home territories.
Thus it was with the Comanches. But in their case, the process took 4 decades of extreme violence on both sides. They were a nomadic tribe who had survived in one of the harshest environments in North America, and whose horsemanship and skill with weapons were legendary. Their primary occupation was making war on neighboring tribes, Mexicans, and white settlers when they began to arrive, in order to acquire their horses, whatever other goods were of value, and to take captives.
It’s a story well told, even if sometimes stomach-churning. A Comanche captive was often treated very harshly indeed.
(BTW, that guy on the cover is Quanah Parker, one of the last great war chiefs of the Comanches.)
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From The New Yorker
We are at the Classic Sheepdog Trials, in Meeker CO. They’ve been holding this event for a couple of decades now, and it has become well- known in sheepdog circles. We rendezvoused with Ally and Kyle, who took a day out of their very busy schedule to join us.
Now there are those of you who wonder why a guy who doesn’t own a dog, and who has never shown the slightest interest in sheep would go to such an event, let alone buy a ticket to attend. My answer is the same one given by George Mallory when asked why he climbed Mount Everest: “Because it is there.“
That’s about as far as I care to go in making a comparison because Mallory perished in his attempt in 1924, and if there was any chance that this was a possible outcome of watching a bunch of dogs chase a bunch of not too bright animals around a pasture I wouldn’t be here at all. I may be occasionally unhinged but I’m no fool.
Meeker is one of the towns we pass through on our way to visit Ally and Kyle in Steamboat Springs. I learned about this event a few years ago when I perused a poster in a Meeker cafe. A mental note was made that it might be interesting to come see it some day, and for whatever reason I didn’t instantly forget about it (Forgetting having become one of my major talents).
So here we are. Meeker has a population of 2374 on a good day, but there are quite a few more people here today. You might even say it is bustling.
Ordinarily you wouldn’t travel here in the Fall unless you were one of the brave and intrepid souls who show up with their rifles to shoot at elk grazing in mountain meadows. I wouldn’t drive six feet to watch that sorry sight, but we are assured that nothing of the kind happens at a sheepdog trial.
Ah, but it is Autumn and the air at 6200 feet is bracing and cool, and there is nothing but sunshine promised for the duration of the meet. Life could be a lot worse.
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From The New Yorker
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I was musing this morning about the heyday of MTV when it began in 1981, with its stable of interesting VeeJays and nonstop music videos. When my own children were teenagers MTV was playing in the background all day long (minor exaggeration here), even if no one was watching it. Anytime you passed the television set, you could check out what was current in pop music. It was how a relatively obtuse dude like myself knew a little bit about the popular music of the day.
Sadly, MTV went down the chute into “reality TV” and I never turned it on again. But people still make those videos, and every once in a while I discover one that improves my day. The following offering by Maria BC is one of those.
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Little Home In The Valley 
I often sigh about the good old days of MTV myself 🥲 ‘twas a great era and I’m glad we all shared it
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