Awe, Nice!

Maddy Butcher
  • 4.6 (11)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Short interviews from people who work outside, about a moment of wonder they experienced. Wonder at Work.

  1. Aug 1

    Lisa Schmidt, III

    This week, I'm sharing another moment recounted by Lisa Schmidt. Lisa runs A Land of Grass Ranch and writes and records Prairie Ponderings, a regular feature in several newspapers in Montana. Busy woman! I'm guessing many of you can relate to this account of how the mountains help us get out of our own way. It's a nice little message in a bottle for us, when it comes to finding calm amidst our chaos. Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a donate button on our about page. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

  2. Aug 1

    Lisa Schmidt, II

    This week, I'm sharing another moment - two moments on the same day, actually - recounted by Lisa Schmidt. Lisa runs A Land of Grass Ranch and writes and records Prairie Ponderings, a regular feature in several newspapers in Montana.  Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a donate button on our about page. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

  3. Aug 1

    Lisa Schmidt, I

    This week, I'm sharing a moment recounted by Lisa Schmidt. Lisa runs A Land of Grass Ranch and writes and records Prairie Ponderings, a regular feature in several newspapers in Montana. Busy woman!  Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a donate button on our about page. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

  4. Jul 18

    Joe Lanier, II

    This week, I return to my conversation with Joe Lanier. He told me another hunting story. This one unfolded on the very last day of the season on the last week of November. He was with his daughter, who had the hunting licence, and his wife. It was cold, in the evening and fading light.  Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us at here.   Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

  5. Jul 18

    Joe Lanier, I

    This week, I interviewed Joe Lanier. Joe is a nearby farmer and rancher who I interviewed for a Washington Post piece I wrote about the drought.  For Awe, Nice! Joe shared two great stories recounted from time spent hunting in the fall. Hard to believe hunting season starts up in just over a month. For bow hunters, the first week of September. That's during the elk rut. Joe's found that the best hunting at this time of year is during the early morning, when elk start moving back to where they would bed down during the day.  Joe told me that when he guides bow hunters, he wants them taking shots at 50 yards or closer. The New York City visitor got that and then some. Bull elk can weigh upwards of a thousand pounds and this one, Joe said, was basically screaming in his client's face. He could smell his breath.  Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.  Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

  6. Jul 18

    Mini-Awe-Polis 9

    My name is Maddy Butcher and this is another segment of mini-awe-polis. Reflections from thoughts gathered, like hay in my jacket pockets.   This week, the Washington Post published a piece I wrote on the drought. So you might deduce that I've been thinking a lot about drought lately. If you're listening to this on KSJD or other Rocky Mountain radio stations, as many of you do, I bet you have been thinking a lot about it, too.    Mostly, I've been thinking about what I can do to make things better for the plants and animals. Mostly, I've been thinking about how to reduce their stress. I don't have a well and I haul water, so that's challenging, but I'm watering as much as I can afford, that means water for dogs, horses, a few fruit trees, and some trees around the place that I hope will not perish because of no rain. I'm leaving water out for critters, birds and mammals, so they don't have to venture far to find it. I leave a way for them to climb out, if they fall in. I've seen more rattlesnakes and prairie dogs this summer . As I write in the Post: It's a good year for rattlesnakes, prairie dogs, and weeds. I'm not sure which is more stressful, the drought or the nearby Ferris Fire, which as I record this is 63,000 acres and growing. It started about 10 miles from my place. The smoke has been pretty brutal. Again, I find myself thinking of the animals, killed and displaced. I know fire can bring incredible renewal. But at this stage, it's hard.   Awe, Nice! is dedicated to moments told by folks who work outside, but since summer tends to be the most popular outdoor season and since many of you are spending hours gardening or working on outdoor projects, I'd like to open up Awe Nice to those of you who, while you technically may not earn your livelihood outdoors, you're still soaking up the outdoors while you can. Contact us here.          Oh, and AweNice also welcomes your support. You can find a donate button on our about page. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl,. Find more of his terrific music from a link at Awenice.com Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

  7. May 29

    Alex Marienthal, I

    Welcome to Awe, Nice!, where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We're on the radio and we're also on podcast platforms. And you can check us out at awenice.com.  This week, I talked with Alex Marienthal from Montana. After high school, Alex left Boulder, Colorado, for Montana State University where he studied snow science as an undergraduate and then as a graduate student. Before becoming an avalanche forecaster, he worked for the ski patrol at the Bridger Bowl outside of Bozeman. Part of the job was mitigating avalanche risk which often involved setting off explosives, to get the snow headed downhill preemptively. To further set the scene, Bridger Bowl has some spots that are strictly for advanced skiers and it requires those skiers to have avalanche beacons on them if they're going to access those spaces. As a ski patroller, Alex always skied with a beacon, a shovel, and a probe pole.  Every year, Alex told me, at least one person he knows - a backcountry guide, a ski patroller or someone in his professional community - is killed in an avalanche. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, an average of 27 people die in avalanches each winter in the U.S.   Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.  We also welcome your support. You can find a donate button on our about page. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

  8. May 29

    Alex Marienthal, II

    Welcome to Awe, Nice!, where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We're on the radio and we're also on podcast platforms. And you can check us out at here. In this segment, we return to visit with Alex Marienthal, who works in Montana as an avalanche forecaster. Here, Alex shares a near-miss moment. It happened during an intense and extended winter storm which brought more than six feet of heavy, wet snow to the region. It all landed on top of the winter's already developed snowpack. He picks up the account around Cooke City, which is near Yellowstone National Park.  With all the predictability in life these days, I can appreciate how unpredictability lends itself to keen interest and professional fascination. Alex told me that avalanche forecasting lands at what can be a tense intersection of recreationalists, businesses, and, yes, Mother Nature. Sometimes the forecast is dire but nothing happens. Sometimes, as he recounted, the natural phenomenon can be devastating. Last February, despite an avalanche warning ranking of "high", a big group of backcountry skiers near Lake Tahoe, California, headed into the mountains. The weather got worse and ultimately, nine died in an avalanche that was by all accounts considerably smaller than the one Alex described.  Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.  We welcome your support. You can find a donate button on our about page. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

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4.6
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Short interviews from people who work outside, about a moment of wonder they experienced. Wonder at Work.

Information

  • Creator
    Maddy Butcher
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Awe, Nice!

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