Most Hustle & Desire

When Lewis and Clark set out to explore west of the Mississippi nearly 200 years ago, there were still buffalo trails running over the mountains of Virginia. When they reached the upper Missouri River in April 1805, Lewis described the country as “covered with herds of Buffalo, Elk & Antelopes…. [They] are so gentle that we pass near them while feeding, without appearing to excite any alarm among them, and when we attract their attention, they frequently approach us more nearly to discover what we are.” Buffalo, or more correctly, American bison herds once ranged from Canada to Mexico and from the Rockies to the Atlantic Coast. An estimated 30 to 75 million buffalo once roamed North America. “The moving multitude … darkened the whole plains,” noted Clark after seeing a herd along the White River, South Dakota in 1806. The expedition members killed what they consumed, but setters who followed in their wake destroyed the bison population. While most of the small herd...

Got up this morning, Sunday, Nov. 18 at 3:45 because I heard something about a meteor shower around 4 due to passing comet debris. I looked out the window to see if the sky was clear but couldn’t really tell with orange halogens shining up and down the street. So I put on my shoes and jacket. As soon as I walked out the door I saw my first shooting star. Not bad, I thought. It was a beautiful night. The early morning air was warm, a memory of the 70-degree temperatures of yesterday. To see as much of the heavens as possible, I laid on the lawn where usually there is a half foot of snow by now. Ducks quacked and geese honked on North Lake. Semi tires screamed on I-94. I started counting. Two. Three. Waited. Four. Waited. Five six. Soon I was up to 25, then 50, 75 and 100. Wow, I thought, 100 shooting stars way surpasses the most I’ve seen in one sitting, and was tempted to call it quits with that perfect number. Besides I was starting to shiver. But they continued to ...