ʻO ka minoʻaka, ʻoiai he maʻalea ia, ʻaʻole haʻalele iki i kona home ma lalo pono o ka ʻumiʻumi keʻokeʻo hau o Ed Starkel, kahi e hoʻomaʻamaʻa kino ʻole ʻia. He kāne ʻo ia i hana i kāna mahi ma ke ʻano he māla potato a me ka puʻukū o ka ʻāina me ke koʻikoʻi, akā ʻaʻole hiki ke hoʻopiʻi ʻia no ka hana koʻikoʻi iā ia iho.
"Ua hana nui mākou ma kēia mahiʻai," wahi a Starkel. "Akā he mea nui e hoʻolōʻihi i ka manawa e hoʻolohi a honi iki i nā roses."
ʻOiai, aia ka nui o nā roses metaphorical e honi ʻia a puni ka māla o Starkel kokoke i Polson, Mont. ʻOiai i uhi ʻia i kahi uahi uahi mai kahi ahi ahi nui i ka hopena o ke kauwela ma kahi kokoke i Glacier National Park, ʻo ke awāwa komohana komohana komohana o Montana kahi o nā wahi maikaʻi loa āu e noʻonoʻo ai e kau ana i kahi mahiʻai. He keiki hānau ʻo Starkel i kēia ʻāina, a he ʻāpana like ia nona e like me kona ʻāpana.
Ua ulu ʻo Ed Starkel i ka hiku o nā keiki he 12 i kahi ʻohana mahiʻai ma Ronan, Mont., Ma kahi o ka hapalua hola ka lōʻihi mai kāna mahiʻai i kēia manawa. Ua hoʻomaka ka ʻohana e hānai i kaʻuala ma ka makahiki 1960, a ua loaʻa ka ʻōpio ʻo Ed i ka makala. I ka manawa i loaʻa iā ia kāna kekelē laepua ma 1973, ua hāʻawi kona makuakāne iā ia i kahi hana i ka home home, a ua kāʻili ʻo ia i ka manawa kūpono. ʻOiai ʻo nā keiki kāne ʻehiku a Starkel i pili pili i ka ʻoihana ʻuala ma ke ʻano he mau mākua, ʻo Ed wale nō a me kona kaikaina ʻo Roger-ʻo ko Ed hoanoho ma ke alanui - aia nō i ka ʻoihana.
"Ua ulu aʻe wau i ka ʻoihana spud," wahi a Ed. “I koʻu wā ʻōpio, ʻo kaʻu hoʻolālā mau ia e hoʻi a mahiʻai. Aloha wale wau i ka hānai ʻana i kaʻuala. ”
I ka haʻalele ʻana o ko lākou makuakāne i ka makahiki 1985, ua lawe ʻo Ed lāua ʻo Roger i ka hana mahiʻai. ʻO kēlā makahiki mua ma ka noho o ka luna, e hoʻomālamalama, he ʻaʻa. ʻO ka hapa nui o nā mea kūʻai aku o ka ʻohana ma mua loa - nā mea ulu pāʻoihana ma ka Basin Columbia - e hoʻomaha hoʻi mai ka pāʻani pāʻani, a ua hāʻule kekahi mau mea ma ke ala i ka wā o ka hoʻololi. No laila ua ku ke kaikaina Starkel i ke ala.
"Ua hui pū māua ʻo Roger i kahi puke liʻiliʻi a hele aku i Wakinekona," wahi a Ed. "Ua hoʻomaka wale mākou e kīkēkē ma nā puka, e hōʻike ana i nā mea ulu pāʻoihana kā mākou papahana. Ma mua o ka lōʻihi, loaʻa iā mākou kahi kahua kūʻai aku ponoʻī. ”
ʻAʻole wale ke kūʻai aku ʻana i kā lākou hua hua i hāʻawi i ka Starkels pilikia. Hiki ke maʻalahi ʻo Mother Nature i ka ʻāina Flathead, a he haʻawina kāna e aʻo ai i nā mea ulu ʻōpio.
"Ua haʻi mau ʻo makuakāne iā mākou," E nā keikikāne, he 110 mau lā kāu e ulu nei ma aneʻi, "wahi a Ed me ka minoʻaka maoli. "'Ua loaʻa iā ʻoe ia manawa e kanu, e hoʻāla a hōʻiliʻili ʻia kāu spuds.' ʻAe, ua hau ka hua mua a mākou i ka lepo. Ua iho i 10 degere e Sepatemaba 20. He mea paʻakikī kēia i kēlā me kēia makahiki, akā ʻo ia kahi o nā hauʻi mua loa aʻu i ʻike ai. ”
Ua pale nā kaikunāne i kēlā makahiki paʻakikī mua, a ma hope ua kūleʻa ka ʻoihana. I ka makahiki 1999, me kekahi hanauna e hiki mai ana, ua hoʻokaʻawale lākou i ka hana. Māhele like nā māla ʻelua i ka hapa nui o kā lākou lakohana, ka mea i hōʻoia he maikaʻi i nā mea ʻelua. I kēia lā, ua mahiʻai ʻo Ed a me kāna keiki ʻo Kyle ma kahi o 200 mau eka o Alturas, ʻo Russet Burbank a me Clearwater Russet kaʻuala ma ka huli he ʻelima mau makahiki me ka hapanui o ka palaoa a me ka mauʻu.
ʻAʻole loa ka Starkels e pili ana i ka lumi ʻana i kahi mahiʻai no kekahi lālā o ka ʻohana i mākaukau ʻole e hāʻawi i kahi ʻano kūpono. Ua paʻa kēlā no Kyle, kahi i hala he ʻumi mau makahiki i ka hana ʻana ma ke ʻano he mīkini diesel no Volvo a me Kenworth ma mua o ka hoʻi ʻana i ka mahiʻai i ka makahiki i hala.
"ʻO ka nui o koʻu mau makahiki," wahi a Kyle, "ʻo ka nui o koʻu manaʻo, makemake wau e hāpai i kēia hoʻoilina ʻohana kupaianaha, ma aneʻi ma kēia mahiʻai." "ʻO kekahi o kā mākou mau mea kūʻai aku lōʻihi koʻu mau makahiki a ke hoʻi nei i hope," wahi a Ed. “ʻO kā kā lāua keiki keiki kēia e hana nei me Kyle. Ke hoʻomau nei ka hanauna hou. ”
Ua hilinaʻi ʻo Ed i kona noho a nānā iki i ka puka aniani o ka lumi kuke ma ka ʻāina i maikaʻi loa i nā hanauna ʻehā o Starkels. Aia kēlā ʻakaʻaka ma laila, e hōʻike ana i ka haʻaheo āna i ʻike ai e pili ana i kēia wahi, kēia ʻohana — a me ka hauʻoli leʻaleʻa ʻole i lawe ʻia iā lākou. A laila huli ʻo ia i hope iaʻu.
"ʻAe, ua lawa paha kēlā iā ʻoe?" Nīnau ʻo ia, a guffaws. "He mau moʻolelo hou aʻe kā mākou!"
ʻO ka pane, ʻoiaʻiʻo, makemake wau e noho a hoʻolohe i nā moʻolelo a ka Starkels, a hana wau no kekahi manawa. Ua lawa paha e hoʻopiha i kahi puke nui maikaʻi. Akā e hoʻolohe iā lākou āpau, pono ʻoe e nīnau iā Ed Starkel iho.