Sunday, February 9, 2025
Book News

The US Review of Books (USRB) highly commended “Ron’s Ramblings: Characters, Critters, and Us Cantankerous Rednecks” by Ron Garwood

Barbara Bamberger Scott of the US Review of Books reviewed and commended the masterpiece written by Ron Garwood, “Ron’s Ramblings: Characters, Critters, and Us Cantankerous Rednecks.”

The author, Ron Garwood, was born on a cold winter night, or so his mother told him. He was raised on a farm in south Nashua, Montana, near the confluence of the Milk and Missouri Rivers in rural Valley County. The farm started with a homestead in 1920, and the next year, his grandparents migrated from Ohio and planted roots in northeastern Montana. The farm was added to many times over the years, and the operation was continued by his own parents and still remains an active family operation.

Along with his own farmland, which he has acquired over the years, Ron is active in local conservation groups. Besides a love of farming and ranching, he has an interest in wildlife, is an outdoorsman, and explores the countryside right out his back door. He has an interest in the history of the area and the characters that have called this area of rural northeastern Montana home.

In “Ron’s Ramblings: Characters, Critters, and Us Cantankerous Rednecks,” the author presents the story of the character who grew up in Valley County, Montana, which borders Canada and is divided by the Milk River. 

There, in the exceedingly harsh winters, Garwood learned early to harvest ice blocks from the river to be stored in wood shavings to cool the houses in the heat of summer. Parents and grandparents taught the youngster to hunt, farm, and operate a variety of home-rigged equipment. His grandpa played mandolin until a finger was mangled, performing one of the many tasks needed to keep their homestead—a portion of land granted by the federal government—secure and prosperous. 

Garwood’s first date with his wife of forty-nine years was a jackrabbit hunt. One of his notable “Redneck” abilities involves cycling water to his house by burying lines securely under straw bales. Surviving a serious fire, he notes that housefires were prevalent among earlier homesteaders with unenclosed heat sources inside their simple abodes. But, as he also relates, most persisted in improving their farms, surviving like his forebears by “living off the land.”

Here’s an excerpt from the US Review of Books that highlights:

“Author and family historian Garwood has collected chronicles, ecological and naturalistic data, and a bevy of memories to construct this enjoyable narrative about past and present life in northern Montana. He has been an active participant in local conservation groups, projecting a genuine concern for the lands he and his family still inhabit. His work projects enthusiasm for preserving the historical and scientific facts supporting his loyalty to Valley County and the sometimes amusing, moral-infused folksy tales that touched the people he has known personally, some of whom have contributed their own reflections and recollections to this dynamic effort. Garwood’s engaging collection offers enlightenment for those outside the are awanting to learn more, as well as entertaining lore for fireside chats among those who live in and are committed to the region.”

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