Critter Way
Category: Biography
Author: Don Buelke
Copyright/published Year: 2007 by Stoneydale
ISBN: 1931291632
Binding: Paper
In a sequence of colorful and amusing stories relating to his
new neighbors, their animals, and the characters in the awesome
mountain setting of western Montana's picturesque Bitterroot
Valley, author Don Buelke of Victor, Montana, has written a book
titled Critter Waythat literally and metaphorically takes
the reader along on the life journey of a young veterinarian
thrust by his new practice into a remote and unfamiliar
environment.
The book represents an expanded dimension of themes published
by Stoneydale Press over the past 30 years, including books on
outdoor recreation, regional histories, biographies and warm
reminisces of life experiences in Montana and the Pacific
Northwest. It is the first published work by Buelke, who recently
retired from a long career as a veterinarian in the Bitterroot
Valley.
While the story of Critter Way is set in a fictional
community of Pine Cone, Montana, it represents a continuum of
tales reminiscent of those written by an English veterinarian a
generation ago that evolved into the PBS television series "All
Creatures Great and Small." In Critter Way, Buelke tells
the story of a young veterinarian with a few years' prior
practice experience who has just completed a two-year stint in
the Air Force and packed his family into their station wagon to
move across the country to the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. It
was the spring of 1970 and the young veterinarian was about to
embark on an unknown future where he'd face austere conditions,
cold weather, and a unique culture in a community locked in a
time decades behind.
"This isn't another `heart-string' story about a veterinarian
heroically saving patients, or a `how-to' book on veterinary
care. It's a book focused on rendering refreshing tales about
engaging people involved in enticing situations," publisher Dale
Burk of Stoneydale Press, said. "The author skillfully embroiders
them onto a breathtaking tapestry of a time-locked Montana
wilderness valley with their vernacular, customs, and
down-to-earth personalities in a manner that will compel readers
to relive the situations just as though they were there. It's an
entertaining, lighthearted, and refreshing alternative to the
self-help books, political diatribes, and social critiques
filling bookstore shelves today. Anyone with an interest in
animals, even young readers, will adore these delightful tales
from the not too distant past."
Critter Waystarts with the veterinarian's first
emergency call, an unusual request to repair the broken leg of a
canary whose owner was an aggressive, but softhearted lawyer. It
wasn't long before the "line-shack" that served as his family's
first abode compelled them to undertake a house-hunting adventure
with a savvy old realtor who enlightened them about some of the
cultural characteristics and simple values of the fascinating
people in Pine Cone. When his little girls wanted a pony, he
found himself dealing with an irascible old horse wrangler who
gave him clues not only about horses, but about life in the
Valley as well. Other anecdotes range from assisting a hardy
stockman delivering a calf in a winter storm, to a spectacular
trek with new friends into the vast wilderness outside this
enchanted hamlet. The characters he encounters and the situations
in which they become involved provide chapter after chapter of
colorful reading, interspersed with heartwarming sagas of special
animals and unique people. In every case, the characters and
situations imbue an element of charm to the book. From the
preface through the last sentence, this book compels readers to
seriously await the author's next release. "Critter Way" was
issued in 6x9-inch softcover format. It contains 160 pages, a
number of illustrations by Sean Mallow of Stevensville, Montana,
and a colorful cover design by Neal Wiegert of Missoula, Monana.
Condition Information
This book is new.
Condition Description
2007 Trade Paperback. This new book comes from an independent book store in the United States. Shipped quickly and we provide a USPS tracking number.
