Meet Hissy, the barn cat who has turned our North Idaho homestead into her personal kingdom.

Discovered beneath the hay with Tiger and Bash, this once wild kitten now climbs buildings, tunnels under gates, intimidates our dog Lilly, and considers the birdfeeders her private hunting preserve.

Fences invite engineering challenges, bells mysteriously disappear, and her quieter companions follow her questionable example.

What’s a retired teacher turned reluctant cat security specialist supposed to do? Put her on trial, naturally!

Join Ted for a Monday Morning Brew featuring barnyard adventures, courtroom foolishness, and a defendant whose innocent eyes and purring threaten to derail justice.

Along the way, we reflect on caring responsibly for God’s creatures—even when one furry troublemaker seems determined to overturn the entire chain of command, one fence at a time.

Can you really go home again? After spending a week in Wamego, Kansas, visiting family and friends, Ted discovers that the answer is yes—but things are never quite the same.

In this personal and lighthearted episode of Almost Paradise in North Idaho, Ted reflects on raising three children in Kansas, watching four grandchildren grow up, and the memories that connect generations. From chasing little grandchildren as the infamous Shaving Cream Monster to watching one order his first beer, the years seem to have flown by.

There are stories of childhood mishaps, softball games, angry hornets, Halloween trick-or-treaters, and a frustrating Kansas City Chiefs football game that may have expanded a few young vocabularies!

Ted also compares the wide-open Kansas prairie with the forests and mountains of North Idaho, shares the challenges of traveling 1,500 miles to visit family, and reflects on the changing meaning of home.

Along the way, he discovers that growing older doesn't mean leaving the past behind. It means treasuring memories, maintaining family connections, and making new memories while we still can.

Because home isn't simply a place on a map. It's the people we love and the memories we share.

An old hotel. A room at the top of the stairs. And a woman named Maggie who may never have checked out.

In this Halloween edition of Almost Paradise in North Idaho, Ted Ludlum visits the history and unsettling legends surrounding the Jameson Hotel in Wallace, Idaho. Nestled in the Silver Valley, this historic establishment has inspired stories of mysterious footsteps, unexplained perfume, unexpected visitors, and nighttime encounters that leave even skeptics reaching for the light switch.

Who was Maggie? A woman waiting for a sweetheart who never returned? A traveler whose final train journey ended in tragedy? Or a young woman whose visit to Missoula became her last? The legends disagree—but perhaps that disagreement opens the door to an even stranger possibility.

Blending published accounts, local folklore, imaginative storytelling, humor, and atmospheric sound effects, Ted introduces a chilling adventure involving his friend Terry, a whispered confession, and a secret that others were too frightened to reveal.

Could telling the truth finally release those who have waited so long? And what happens to the person brave enough to tell it?

Settle into your chair, turn on another light, and join us for a North Idaho tale with an unsettling finish.

After a challenging month, Ted and Joy set out for a quiet Sunday morning in the Selkirk Mountains. Their destination: the beautiful Roman Nose Lakes near Bonners Ferry.

Beneath a clear blue sky, surrounded by fall colors and mountain scenery, they found a place to pause, pray, hold hands, and spend some peaceful time with God.

In this personal Morning Brew, Ted reflects on the comfort that can come from stepping away from life’s noise and finding a little solitude in God’s creation.

Sometimes the troubles are still there when we return home, but our hearts feel a little lighter.

Idaho voters have some serious decisions to make—but choosing an official state gun offers an opportunity for a little laughter.

In this Morning Brew, Ted introduces six historic firearms as candidates campaigning for the job, each with its own personality, qualifications, and imaginary slogan.

From the Winchester that “won the West” to the aptly debatable “Peacemaker,” nobody escapes a little good-natured ribbing. There’s even a neglected Gatling gun demanding recognition.

Along the way, Ted considers how firearms connect us to family memories, military service, and history—and reminds us that thoughtful voting and neighborly kindness still matter beyond Election Day.

Trapped inside an old mine tunnel near Wallace, Idaho, more than forty firefighters face a terrifying question: Has their refuge become their tomb? Outside, the Great Fire of 1910 roars through the mountains. Inside, smoke, heat, and fear threaten to overwhelm them. Ranger Ed Pulaski must hold his men together while fighting to keep the tunnel entrance from burning.

In Part 2 of “When the Mountains Roared,” we follow that desperate night through Pulaski’s own recollections, including his famous revolver warning and the exhausting struggle to survive until morning. Meanwhile, Wallace burns, families flee aboard evacuation trains, and railroad crews help carry frightened residents toward safety.

Morning brings survival, heartbreaking losses, and a painful journey home. For Pulaski, reaching town is only part of the ordeal: injured and temporarily unable to see, he still needs to find his wife and daughter.

We also consider the fire’s lasting effects on forest management, the tool that carries Pulaski’s name, and the human cost behind a legendary rescue.

With moments of humor, history, and faith, this episode honors those who served and those who died—and reflects on the enduring importance of bearing one another’s burdens when the road home becomes too difficult to walk alone.

Sources and further reading

1. E. C. Pulaski, “Surrounded by Forest Fires: My Most Exciting Experience as a Forest Ranger,” American Forestry, August 1923, pp. 485–486. First-person retrospective account; public-domain original. https://foresthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Surrounded-by-Forest-Firest-By-E.C.-Pulaski.pdf
2. Elers Koch, “History of the 1910 Forest Fires—Idaho & Western Montana,” reproduced in the Forest Service's When the Mountains Roared: Stories of the 1910 Fire (1978). https://npshistory.com/publications/usfs/region/1/idaho-panhandle/r1-78-30/sec1.htm
3. Forest History Society, “The 1910 Fires.” Regional totals, other participants, and the complicated policy legacy. https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/us-forest-service-history/policy-and-law/fire-u-s-forest-service/famous-fires/the-1910-fires/
4. Joe B. Halm, “The Big Fire,” reproduced in When the Mountains Roared. https://npshistory.com/publications/usfs/region/1/idaho-panhandle/r1-78-30/sec2.htm
5. Smithsonian, “Timothy Egan on The Big Burn,” September 16, 2009; author interview describing the book's larger scope. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/timothy-egan-on-the-big-burn-141529464/
6. U.S. Forest Service, “The True Story of the Pulaski Fire Tool,” Fire Management Notes 47, no. 3 (1986). Historical discussion of the tool's antecedents and development; see also the Forest History Society overview in source 3.

A campfire warms your hands. But what happens when the whole mountain catches fire?

In August 1910, the people of Wallace, Idaho, were about to discover the terrifying answer. Their bustling mining town of three thousand residents sat among forested slopes that had become dangerously dry. Smoke filled the skies, firefighters struggled in the hills, and everyone hoped the worst would pass them by.

Then the wind arrived.

In Part 1 of “When the Mountains Roared,” we step into the summer that became the Big Burn, following forest ranger Ed Pulaski as a battle to protect the woods becomes a desperate struggle to save lives. With more than forty men depending on him, Pulaski must draw on his knowledge of the mountains when fire cuts off their escape toward Wallace.

Somewhere ahead lies an old mine tunnel. But can they reach it? And will going underground offer safety—or something far worse?

Join Ted for a Northwest campfire story filled with courage, mounting suspense, a little humor, and a thoughtful look at trust when the path ahead disappears.

Pull your chair closer, pour some coffee, and discover why this chapter of North Idaho history still commands our attention more than a century later.

Sources for editing

1. Elers Koch, When the Mountains Roared: Stories of the 1910 Fire, USDA Forest Service historical account, especially “Wallace burns” and “Pulaski's Crew—Placer Creek,” the latter reproducing Supervisor W. G. Weigle's June 24, 1911 report. https://npshistory.com/publications/usfs/region/1/idaho-panhandle/r1-78-30/sec1.htm
2. Forest History Society, “The 1910 Fires,” regional context and Pulaski overview. https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/us-forest-service-history/policy-and-law/fire-u-s-forest-service/famous-fires/the-1910-fires/
3. USDA Forest Service, “The Great Fire of 1910,” regional extent and August 20–21 chronology. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5444731.pdf
4. USDA Forest Service, “2013 Script for the 1910 Fire,” Pulaski household and historical overview. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5444735.pdf
5. University of Idaho Library, Big Burn Collection, “Emma (Mrs. Edward C.) Pulaski and Child.” https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/bigburn/items/bigburn60.html

When did having fun become a test we have to pass?

In this Morning Brew, Ted reflects on tennis, sky-high expectations, and the frustration of knowing you can play better—even when you’ve made it to the championship.

With humor and honesty, he explores how the pressure to perform can squeeze the enjoyment out of something we love. Whether you struggle on the tennis court, in the workshop, or with everyday mistakes, this conversation offers a reminder about patience, perspective, and grace.

Winning matters, but so does enjoying the game—and learning to forgive the imperfect person holding the racket.