W h e r e M o n ta na G e t s E n g ag e d www.McGoughandCo.com
131 Central Avenue Whitefish, MT 59937 406-862-9199 800-862-9199
Featured Stories 16 Rebecca Farm
History
contents
406
HEALTH 52 Dr. Barnes
56 Save A Sister 58 Detoxify
20 Ellen Baumler
60 Skincare Answers
406 Love
62 Your body as a Tool
26 Patrick & Candice 30 Love Stories
Food & Flavor
Family 64 Rest is not idleness 66 Extra-curricular
36 Fast & Fresh
Art
38 Sweet Onions
68 Kim Shirley
40 Huckleberries
70 Plein Air
44 Oysters and Champagne
74 Art Auction
Fashion 48 Little Black Dress
76 Book Review
Community 80 Columbia Falls
Community Garden
82 GSC League Luncheon
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w o m a n
406 Publisher Cindy Gerrity cindy@montanasky.net
Business Manager Daley McDaniel daley@montanasky.net
Creative Director/Layout&Design Sara Joy Pinnell ayourartisan@yahoo.com
Editor Kristen Pulsifer Kristen@whitefishstudycenter.com
Photographer Rachel Catlett rachel@rachellynnphotography.com
Staff Photographer Daniel Seymour montanasharpeye@gmail.com
Cover Girl
C he l s i B l a c kw e l l
Chelsi Blackwell is the proud Owner/partner of Fifty Seven Boutique located downtown Whitefish and at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. Chelsi and her husband Cole owner of Blackwell Enterprises are both Whitefish natives and after moving to Los angles, CA for almost 4 years they decided it was time to come home to Whitefish. They were married at the lodge in 2006 and now reside in Whitefish full time with their three children Kaydence, Royer and Reese. Photo by: Molly Claridge of Be Still Photography ( w w w . b e s t i l l p h o t o g r a p h y MT . c o m ) Published by Skirts Publishing six times a year 6477 Hwy 93 S Suite 138, Whitefish, MT 59937 406-862-1545 info@406woman.com Copyright©2012 Skirts Publishing
View current and past issues of 406 Woman at w w w . 4 0 6 W o m a n . c o m 406
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contributors
Er i n B l air
licensed Esthetician, is owner of the Skin Therapy Studio. Specializing in the effective treatment of acne and aging, Erin helps people have skin they can be proud of. She has trained with the best Acne Specialists in the country, and now brings world class acne therapy home to the Flathead Valley. Erin resides in Whitefish with her husband and daughter, where they enjoy nine months of winter and three months of company every year. For help with problem skin, visit SkinTherapyStudio.com.
Anna G ordon-Nor by, CP T
Anna is a certified personal trainer, as well as the sales advisor at The Women’s Club in Missoula. She has always believed that exercise should complement an active lifestyle, rather than become a chore. The best kind of fun is the kind that makes you forget that you’re exercising, and the best kind of accomplishment leaves you breathless at the end. Anna is an avid snowboarder and trail runner, and she enjoys hiking, gardening, working in the woods and riding her bike in the sunshine.
Tr ish Schaf
Trish has twenty years of experience in the health and wellness field. She is a University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, premed graduate, certified nutritional consultant and certified colon hydro-therapist. She is currently running her own business, Life and Vitality detox center, specializing in detoxifying the body of accumulated toxins, therefore improving the life and vitality of her clients. She has been raising her four children here in the Flathead since 1989. Living in the beautiful Flathead Valley gives her a great deal of opportunity for skiing, hiking, biking and kayaking with her family. Summertime often finds her in her organic vegetable garden.
Lindsay Becker
works for First Best Place in Columbia Falls as an executive assistant and as the community garden coordinator. She grew up in Columbia Falls, and has enjoyed spending time in the outdoors for as long as she can remember. After two years of working on trails with Montana Conservation Corps, she attended the University of Montana, where she developed a passion for local food and agriculture. Lindsay loves farming and gardening, and has a goal to someday raise her own household's year-round food supply. Contact her at (406) 892-1363 or lindsay@firstbestplace.org.
Br idget Michl ig
Bridget owns and operates Muse – Style to Inspire on Electric Avenue in Bigfork. She has made the commitment to look for items made from organic and cruelty free fibers, produced through fair trade contracts, or produced in the United States.
Gretchen Knuf f ke
Gretchen lives in Kalispell and is the mother of 10 children ranging in age from 1 to 19 years old. She is the owner of Maternal Instincts, a parent education company and writes on motherhood, parenting and homemaking. She also has a Bachelor's degree in Education and is a Love and Logic facilitator. When she is not doing laundry and driving kids around the Flathead, she loves a long run, a good glass of wine, a great book. Her passion in life is to make parenting easier and to help mothers find joy while raising kids, keeping homes and working. She is a motivational speaker and a blogger. You can find her at www.gretchenknuffke.com
Dan V oge l
is a native Pacific Northwest character whose interests and activities range from National Ski Patrol and Flathead Spay & Neuter Task Force to professional Wine and Hospitality Management. Currently the General Manager for the Flathead’s newest destination restaurant, Stillwater Fish House, Vogel has managed a variety of restaurants in the Eastern Washington, Oahu, Hawaii, and Northern Idaho markets. Combining passions for wine, craft beer and artisan spirits with the stories behind the labels he is also a member of the Authors of the Flathead writers group. He also facilitates the Whitefish Lake Institutes’ Wine Auction held in July of each year. Dan’s wife April Dawn Vogel is a well-known theatre professional with Whitefish Theatre Company holding the title of Education Director. After seeing their kids leave Hawaii for mainland colleges the couple chose Whitefish as their final home for the quality of life and deep community values found in the Flathead Valley.
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Nancy Kimbal l
traded pipe dreams of being a research biologist for a solid career in print journalism, clutching tightly her degree in journalism and mass communication from Iowa State University. Now she has a new lease on life at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. After a long run in the news business at papers across Iowa and Montana – Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Whitefish – she now is a marketing communications assistant working to get out the word on health care. When she can extract herself from flower beds and the vegetable garden, she just might be found on a mountain, two-wheeling down a back road, skinny-skiing through the woods, paddling on the water or reading a good book. She’s been in Columbia Falls 20 years and plans on another 20.
note} from the editor
While the rain is still falling, summer is coming. 406 Woman is here to help you prepare with another set of fantastic articles. 406 is here to provide our readers with educated information on everything from how to better care for your feet to how to better care for your skin. We also know how challenging it is to monitor financial situations, so once again we are working to provide knowledgeable information on everything from how to better advertise your business, to how to better manage your taxes. Summer is also a great time to get out and enjoy all that the Flathead Valley has to offer. Once again, Rebecca Farms will be hosting the Event at Rebecca Farms, but this year it is adding on a whole new challenge and message. Make sure to look inside and see what wonderful things The Event will be focusing on this year – it’s not just horses! For the art savvy folks in the Valley, read and find out more about the Plein Air Paint Out and Sale. There is so much to do, so little time.
For the hungry reader, John’s Angels Catering has some wonderful summer recipes and cooking tips to help make this summer a delicious one. Also, Alison Pomerantz says don’t forget the huckleberries. They are offered year around in jellies and jams, but there is nothing like picking the fresh ones that only the summer time brings. Then, there’s the wine and some new tasty treats to go with it – oysters!?! This issue of 406 Woman Magazine is also excited to announce our partnership with Canada Certified. Canada Certified by NXGEN, is an economic development initiative taking place throughout the Northwest to help support the Canadian population that truly works to support our economy. Canada Certified makes it possible for Canadians to use their primary purchasing resource, Interac, in our communities. Look for the Canada Certified decal in various retail windows throughout town. To find out more about what Canada Certified is, visit their Facebook page and see how valuable this initiative truly is. Read on, and again thank you, from all at 406 Woman Magazine, for your support. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Kristen Kristen Pulsifer Editor
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featured} Rebecca Farm
H a l t C a n c e r at X An Initiative That Hits the Heart of The Event at Rebecca Farm Written by Christine Hensleigh
Written by Hilary Shaw and Jenn Punty - Photos by Heidi Long
For the over 500 competitors and 20,000 spectators—The Event at Rebecca Farm brings the sport of Eventing to the heart of the West, giving developing riders a shot at valuable world class competition and allowing American riders much needed experience in their backyard. It’s a legacy that the Event’s founding force, Rebecca Broussard, started ten years ago while she was mounting her own private battle. This year, the excellence and excitement of The Event will also be a platform for breast cancer research. ‘Halt Cancer at X’—an initiative to raise money for cancer research—will launch in memory of The Event’s beloved namesake. Becky passed away last year after a brave battle with breast cancer.
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The initiative takes its name from the first competition and the first station in Eventing. During
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the dressage competition, riders halt at the ‘X’—a spot in the center of the arena—where horse and rider stop before performing their first test movement.
Like the riders that pause their horses before they officially enter into official competition, Becky’s daughter Sarah Broussard Kelly wanted the initiative wrapped into the heart and soul of The Event as a way to bring a larger awareness to a disease that affects so many women, mothers and families. “I felt that The Event was such a wonderful thing for eventers—that it really added to the world of Eventing. I wanted The Event at Rebecca Farm to have more of an affect on a bigger scale…to continue to build on the vision of my mother.” Becky’s first diagnosis of breast cancer came three years before The Event was even created, but in her elegant and determined way, she fought off her first bout and proceeded to build The Event.
Becky passed away December 24, 2010, after a battle that lasted over a decade—but she lived to see her dream turn into reality.
That dream started in the 80s at Flathead equestrian course, Herron Park. When Becky and her husband Jerome realized that the course had limitations on its size and number of competitors, her dream to bring international competition to the Flathead Valley began.
“She wanted to create this platform for equestrians in the Northwest to show off their talents. The Event was her vision…She left behind a legacy that will live on forever,” Kelly observed. In her daughter’s hands, that will-to-leave-alegacy now takes the shape of providing funding for research so that other women can continue to fight breast cancer and have the chance to build their own dreams and legacies. “She wanted to see The Event happen for a very, very long time,” Kelly recalled.
featured} Rebecca Farm
Now Becky Broussard’s vision has another branch— one that reaches into the world of Eventing and beyond.
A $5 parking donation will be collected this summer to help support this campaign. Participating competitors will also raise money through soliciting pledges. A Calcutta at the Saturday evening barbecue will also raise funds.
“We’re thrilled to take this great platform we have created and make it mean something more,” added Kelly. The Event runs July 12-15 and admission for spectators is free. To kick off its 11th year, the Rebecca Farm organizers have decided to turn the course around— completely. Competitors will run clockwise from the design that was originally established on the 4-mile cross-country course that features over 150 obstacles and four water complexes. For more information, visit www.rebeccafarm.org.
Photos From left to righ: A rider performs a "halt" for the judges in the dressage test. "X" is the imaginary letter in the center of the ring (and denoted under the flowers on the side of the ring) and is the first station that a rider performs this test movement at. (photo: Kelly Nelson) -Admission for spectators is free. Guests walk the course or view it from a hillside with a great vantage point of the 600-acre complex, with vast, rolling fields stretching to the Whitefish Range, and snow on the high peaks of Glacier National Park shimmering in the distance. (photo: GravityShots.com) -Last summer, competitors raced through an old western town, complete with a sheriff's office, a school, a church, a hangman's gallows, an old west bank, and a town hall. The final jump of this section of the course sent riders over the front door of an old fashioned saloon. (photo: Kelly Nelson)
DETAILS
July 11 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The USEA Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series.
Cross-Country phase begins at 8 am. National Horse Trials Novice and Training Levels.
July 13 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dressage, all FEI Levels. National Horse Trial Levels Dressage continues.
July 15 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Show Jumping phase, all levels. Awards ceremony at end of each division.
July 12 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dressage, all FEI Levels. Dressage, National Horse Trial Levels.
July 14 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cross-Country phase all day. All FEI Levels. National Horse Trial Levels continue.
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history}Ellen Baumler
W ic k e d, W i l d, a n d Wo n d e r f u l H i s t o ry Written by Christy Goll and Ellen Baumler
Folks at the Montana Historical Society know the purposeful clack of Ellen Baumler’s high heels. She walks fast. She has things to research. Stories are waiting to be uncovered! Ellen works as an interpretive historian at the Montana Historical Society. You’ve seen the National Register signs in front of historic properties? She writes those. But before writing text for a sign, Ellen has to uncover the facts. A line in a newspaper, a census entry, a long-forgotten letter—from these clues she puzzles out what happened in the past.
After more than twenty years of studying Montana history, Ellen has collected some delightfully quirky stories. She shares some of them on her radio show and others on her blog, “Montana Moments”. In 2010, she published an entire book of them called Montana Moments: History on the Go. Now she is publishing More Montana Moments, due out in July. What brought you to Montana?
After ten years of teaching GED and supervising a large adult learning center in Tucson, I came to Montana in 1989 when my archaeologist husband accepted a job at the Montana Historical Society. We felt like pioneers as we packed all our belongings and headed to Helena. Neither of us had ever been to Montana. We have never been sorry!
Photo courtesy Ellen Baumler
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Since then you’ve written seven books on Montana history. Which is your favorite?
I like all my books for different reasons. Dark Spaces: Montana’s Historic Penitentiary at Deer Lodge is probably my favorite because the personal stories I discovered when doing the re-
search still haunt me, especially the women’s terrible experiences in the early court and penal systems. There is still much work to do on their tragic stories. Someday I will write about some of them more completely. Also, it’s a history no one else had comprehensively researched. And finally, collaboration with photographer J. M. Cooper made Dark Spaces a beautiful and distinctive book. What is your biggest challenge as a historian?
I think the biggest challenge is tracing historical information handed down through several generations. Truth often becomes muddled, like playing a game of Gossip. After several generations of muddling, it becomes hard to separate truth from fiction. That’s why I like to write ghost stories which make up three of my books. Finding those original kernals of truth allow me to tell great factual stories. I find that the back story is usually much more interesting than fiction. Your book Montana Moments has a chapter on “Wicked, Wild, and Wonderful Women.” Which woman has influenced our history the most, in your opinion?
It’s often not just one person that makes the difference. They seem to come in pairs. I think the pair—Emma Ingalls and Maggie Hathaway—as the first two women to serve in the Montana Legislature in 1917, are really key and they are not so often mentioned. Jeannette Rankin unfortunately tends to steal the show. But Emma and Maggie made tremendous strides for Montana in our social service and welfare systems and each was a very strong and interesting individual. Certainly there are many other women I could have written about, but I did try to focus on some who were not so well known.
Ellen Baumler’s new book, More Montana Moments, tells the most funny, interesting, and quirky stories she has found in her many years of researching Montana history.
history}Ellen Baumler
Can you tell us about a Montana woman whose story needs to be told?
Mary Ronan is my favorite Montana pioneer because she lived it all and left us such a beautiful, at times even poetic, account of her experiences. Her reminiscence Girl from the Gulches, which I had the privilege of editing, is not so familiar to many. We try to get the word out, and she is becoming better known. The book is a wonderful classroom resource, appropriate for all ages. On a higher level, Mary’s Victorian-era perspective, as the wife of an Indian agent, is a very rare and honest social commentary. What advice would you give readers who want to begin their own research on Montana history?
Always begin your historical research at the Montana Historical Society’s Research Center. It is where all aspects of Montana’s past are preserved. The staff is excellent and willing to help you all along the way. There are a myriad of resources and rich stories—as my work attests—just waiting to be discovered. Tell us about your upcoming book.
The new book is a sequel to Montana Moments that grew from the scripts of the radio show I host five days a week, History on the Go, at KBLL 1240 AM in Helena. The entries in Montana Moments were 90-seconds each. The entries in the new book, More Montana Moments, are slightly longer but each is still a very quick, self-contained, and entertaining read. The vignettes cover a wide range of subjects from people, places, children’s experiences, and favorite animal stories to colorful personalities and bizarre events. Will you share an excerpt? Certainly!
Elizabeth Lochrie The U.S. Treasury Department, the State of Montana, the Ford Motor Company, New York Life Insurance Company, and the First National Bank of Seattle were among the distinguished patrons of Deer Lodge native Elizabeth Lochrie. Formally trained as an artist at the Pratt Institute in New York City, she graduated in 1911 and settled in Butte. From the 1920s to the 1950s, Lochrie established herself as a fine portrait artist. She also painted local rural and urban landscapes and scenes. During 1924 and 1925, Lochrie painted eighteen children’s murals for the Montana State Hospital at Galen. She also created murals for several post office buildings. In 1937 Lochrie won the U.S. Treasury Department’s competition for News from the States at the Dillon Post Office, depicting the historic
arrival of mail in that community. At Glacier National Park, Lochrie studied under Winold Reiss and then served as artist for the Great Northern Railway from 1937 to 1939. While other artists documented the vanishing Indian lifeway, Lochrie did more than that. She immersed herself in Indian culture and learned to converse in various dialects. She traveled the lecture circuit and often used her fees to buy clothing and other items for needy tribal members, especially Blackfeet. In 1932, the Blackfeet Nation adopted her and named her Netchitaki, Woman Alone in Her Way. When she died in 1981, Lochrie left a legacy of more than one thousand paintings, murals, and sculptures. She was one of Montana’s most outstanding twentieth-century artists. 21
history}Ellen Baumler
Hurdy-Gurdy Houses Josephine “Chicago Joe” Airey opened Helena’s first female-owned hurdy-gurdy house in 1867. Hurdy-gurdy houses, dating back to the California gold rush, were named for the hand organ—like an organ grinder used—that originally provided music in such places. For a dollar a miner could buy a dance partner and afterward escort her to the bar for a free drink. By the time the hurdy-gurdies made their appearance in Montana, a piano or a three-piece orchestra had long replaced the hurdy-gurdy organ, but the name stuck. After fire destroyed her first business, Joe’s Red Light Saloon opened in 1875, and she imported ladies from Chicago to work for her. She had a reputation as a good businesswoman, but not everyone approved of her saloon. In fact, territorial legislation prohibited “hurdy gurdy houses and dancing saloons,” but the law was usually ignored. Saloon proprietor Ulm Moller—a neighbor of Joe’s—proved himself not guilty of running a hurdy-gurdy house in 1875 with the aid of Webster’s dictionary. Moller’s attorney proved that the saloon was not a hurdy-gurdy house because no such instrument had ever been seen there, nor was it a dancing saloon. After all, had anyone ever seen a saloon dance? A few 406
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years later, Republican district attorney William Hunt had Chicago Joe arrested and charged under this same law. It was impossible to find an objective jury in Helena, and so with the aid of the dictionary, Joe was also acquitted. Next time elections came around, Hunt didn’t run himself, but Joe campaigned door to door and successfully sabotaged his Republican protégé.
Evelyn Cameron Scandalizes Miles City
Photographer Evelyn Cameron is a recent inductee into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans in the state’s Capitol. Evelyn was born in England and raised to be a proper English lady. But once she created a real scandal. Evelyn’s husband was a noted ornithologist and naturalist, but he didn’t care much for their ranch. That was all right with Evelyn who enjoyed the physical work. Chores and most everything from making bread to milking cows and working the horses fell to her. She took to wearing a divided riding skirt that allowed her to ride astride rather than sidesaddle. The long skirt was much like modern culottes. Victorian women, however, did not wear pants. And when Evelyn first rode into Miles City in the dark blue divided skirt she had ordered from California, oh, the scandal it caused.
Although the skirt was so full it looked like an ordinary dress when she was on foot, on horseback the division was obvious. Law enforcement warned her not to ride on the streets in town or she might be arrested. But town was forty-eight miles from her ranch, and riding sidesaddle could only be done on a very slow and gentle horse. Evelyn would not ride what she called old “dead heads.” She became convinced that riding in a man’s saddle stride-legged was the only safe way for a woman to ride. Before long, other women took to the divided skirt and it became an accepted way of dressing not only for women on the streets of Miles City, but also on homesteads, farms, and ranches across Montana.
More Montana Moments is available at local bookstores, or directly from the Montana Historical Society museum store by calling toll-free 1-800-243-9900 or online at www. montanahistoricalsociety.org.
Photo on left: One of the Buckley sisters of eastern Montana dismounting, wearing an Evelyn Cameron–designed split skirt, 1914 Credit: Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, Helena, PAc 90-87.80-2 Photo on right: Josephine Hensley, known as Chicago Joe, Helena’s first owner of a hurdy-gurdy house Credit: C. W. Carter, photographer, Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, Helena, 944-615
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Wedding
We folded 1000 paper cranes from magazines, giving us a wide variety of colors and textures to use in our wedding décor, and according to a Japanese fable, to bring us prosperity and happiness. Each month, for 10 months leading up to our wedding, we folded 100 cranes.
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Patrick & Candice Photographed by Jacilyn M Photography jacilynm.com
The day Patrick and I met was a day that set in motion the rest of our lives together. Although love followed so quickly, we wouldn’t call it “love-at-first sight”. It was more of a moment we didn’t know we were waiting for, a friendship we had always known, a connection that had always been. Patrick and I bonded instantly, spending all our time together. We decided on hosting our wedding in Missoula, a central location between our hometowns. It was Missoula that brought us together after a year of long distance dating, the University of Montana where we graduated on the same day, and it was the Big Dipper parking lot where Patrick proposed. Missoula had a special place in our hearts, and we wanted to include it our vows. We wanted our wedding to be reflective of us; bright, and full of love.
Patrick designed our wedding programs, invitations, save-the-dates and a typography print with the word ‘Love’, our names, and our wedding date printed on it. Our wedding guests signed the piece and it is now framed and hanging in our home, reminding us daily of the support that we will always have. As guest book, we created recipe cards asking for our guests’ “recipes for love”. Some of the recipes were reflective, a few were silly, but all of them were beautiful, proving to us, that love exists in many different forms. We folded 1000 paper cranes from magazines, giving us a wide variety of colors and textures to use in our wedding décor, and according to a Japanese fable, to bring us prosperity and happiness. Each month, for 10 months leading up to our wedding, we folded 100 cranes. We created chandeliers from the folded cranes hanging them from the lights at our reception and the remaining cranes were spread as table decorations and taken home by our guests. Whenever we happen by paper cranes in Seattle, where we now live, we look at each other and smile, reminding us of our good fortune and happiness. We chose to take the colors from the cranes and mimic them in our flowers, bridal party attire, and decor. We chose to narrow our bridal party colors to four and our florist created color-coded centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnières The girls wore shoes in their respective colors with matching bouquets and we gave each girl crochet earrings to match
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Wedding The doors opened and my heart floated into my head. I started walking towards Patrick; my lower lip caught between my teeth, my eyes fixed on his. With all the planning, I hadn’t taken time to realize how emotional this day would be. their shoes and flowers, and we gave the groomsmen ties in their respective colors. Having a color-coded bridal party was a perfect way to tie in all our colors, keeping everything cohesive and fresh. I found my dress on Etsy and instantly fell in love with the unique details. I was eager for it to arrive. The day it was delivered, I kneeled, delicately opening up the box. Alone in the apartment, with the afternoon sun as the only witness, I pulled the bodice up resting it on my chest. The corner of my lips rose into an excited and effervescent smile, realizing that I was actually marrying Patrick. Before walking down the aisle, I remember hearing “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes, and at that moment our wedding planner pulled the veil (borrowed from Patrick’s sister who wed a year earlier) over my head and said, “Ready?” The doors opened and my heart floated into my head. I started walking towards Patrick; my lower lip caught between my teeth, my eyes fixed on his. With all the planning, I hadn’t taken time to realize how emotional this day would be. Only steps away from the altar, I took a deep breath and the tears began to swell in my eyes. This moment was the happiest I had ever been. After the ceremony, bicycle rickshaws took us to the location where Patrick and I shot our engagement photos only 10 months before. It was surreal to see where we had started and what we had accomplished together with the help of our friends and family. We loved our wedding because it was an extension of who we are. Like every moment before, our wedding was so familiar, a beautiful moment shared between us.
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Story
Randy + Kim Photos by: Kristine Paulsen Photography kristinepaulsenphotography.com
Who are you?
Kimberly Anne Strain and Randy Lee Jones
How did you meet?
Kim: Randy and I attended the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 2010 outdoor concert at the Lumberjack Saloon in Lolo, Montana. The music made me want to swing dance, so I walked up to a pair of strangers that had just finished dancing a song and asked the male partner if he wouldn’t mind dancing a song with me. That was RANDY—he danced with me. Randy: We parted ways that night, but met again at the Sunrise Saloon in November 2010 on the dance floor. We hit it off right away.
The proposal?
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Randy arrived at Kim’s house at 5A.M. and went straight to sleep after a long day and night of travel. (He had been visiting her parents in California to ask her parents’ permission and blessing, and his flights had been delayed.) Kim got up around 9A.M. and let him sleep while doing Yoga and making brunch around 11A.M. After brunch was made, she woke him up and served him breakfast in bed. After taking a few bites of breakfast, Randy cleared his throat and asked Kim, “So, do you want to get hitched?” Surprised, Kim said, “What?!” He said again, “Do you want to get hitched?” Kim was still
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surprised, not knowing if that was a serious proposal or not. She looked dazed and confused so Randy broke the silence, “Well, I know you do, so I guess I’ll just give you your ring!” Needless to say, the ring wasn’t even on him!
Fun facts?
When they first met, the couple tried to make small talk. Kim was looking to buy a horse--- and Randy had one that he tried to sell her! They sold the horse a year later to a man who bought the horse for his little boy. The 6 year old melted their hearts with the joy of having his first horse! Before they started dating, Randy had a horse named Pea and Kim had a horse named Q. They still own these horses and make jokes on the horse trails “to mind their P’s & Q’s”. Randy received his grandparents' rings for him and Kim.
Kim learned how to ride side-saddle for the wedding, as a possibility.
What is love?
Love is a feeling that is not spoken. Love for Kim and Randy is in quality time spent together. It is the sharing of goals and the encouragement to shoot for the stars. It is the everyday companionship, the
riding together, the roping, the chores and the conversation. Randy could build saddles in one room while Kimberly cooks in another— although not in the same room, it is the togetherness that builds their love.
What do you love most about each other? Kim: Randy is thoughtful. He may not buy flowers or write me poems like what is considered “romantic” in movies. Instead he helps me clean, do dishes, build a fence for my garden and even saddles my horse for me. Randy teaches me without arrogance, he is patient without irritability, and he is a good listener with thoughtful insight. He helps me find peace in a fast moving world, and he cherishes me for who I am. Randy: Her ability to encourage me to reach for my goals and the knowledge that she will be there for me through the ups and downs of life. She is a hard worker. She isn’t afraid to get dirty, but likes to clean up and be a woman.
When did you know you were in love?
There never was a specific date. In the spring of 2011 everything seemed to come together. Dating, family, God, and being together became important. Not that our relationship wasn’t important before, but there was a strong, new passion for each other.
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Story
Blake + Shannon
Photos by: Alicia Brown Photography - aliciabrownphotography.com
Who are you?
Blake Balcom, is Studying International Business at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, WA Shannon Thompson, is studying English Literature at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, WA
How did you meet?
Shannon- Blake and I are high school sweethearts. I had a crush on Blake for years in high school, but never really spoke to him until we went on choir tour together to Vancouver, BC. We spent a day skiing together at Whistler Ski Resort, where I was able to impress Blake with my terrain skills.
The proposal?
Blake- I proposed on December 30, 2011. I did it the day before New Year Day, hoping to throw Shannon off, thinking the 31st might be a little cliché. But, as I look back, the sweaty hands, my nervous chatter, and the fact that I took her to a ritzy dinner at The Whitefish Lake Lodge for seemingly no reason at all, might have given it away. After we ate a delicious meal, the manager who seated us came to our table and asked if we would like some dessert. We said yes, and so he led us back to the “dessert bar” where we winded our way into a secluded bay room, separate from the restaurant. The room was filled with hun-
dreds of candles and rose peddles scattered about and near the fireplace a table for two was covered in roses. Shannon simply walked into the room and started crying, and when we sat alone at the table I got down on one knee and asked her to be my wife.
giving up what you want, making a conscious effort to put their desires in front of yours.
What do you love most about each other?
Shannon- Blake is not only jaw-droopingly handsome, but he also has the most genuine and loving heart of anyone I know. He so openly and honestly Fun wedding facts? Photo by: JMK Photography {www.jmkphotography.net} loves me and is never embarrassed to show it. He Shannon- We started dating the summer before always makes me feel adored, and honestly thinks I our senior year of high school and never imagined can do anything I put my mind to. He is my biggest that, the summer before our senior year of college, fan, and I never feel more loved than when I am with him. we would be getting married. It’s also the same summer as my grandparent’s fiftieth wedding anniversaBlake- Shannon has so much that I completely ry. Just like I never thought we would be getting maradore! She is the most beautiful person I have ried four years later, my grandma told me she never ever met, inside and out. She has eyes that will cut imagined that fifty years later she would be attendstraight to any one’s heart, and a laugh that is coming her fifth grandchild’s wedding! We are so blessed pletely contagious. But what I love most is her wonby their example of a loving marriage and honored to derful heart and how loving she is towards everyone be sharing this summer with them. she meets.
What is love?
Shannon- Love is selflessly supporting each other through every season of life. It’s about cherishing and adoring the other person’s spirit, always giving of yourself so that they never know a day without your encouragement. Blake- Love is cherishing every moment you have with your wife through all the ups and downs. It is
Honeymoon plans?
Blake- We are honeymooning on the beaches of Kauai for a week. We’re looking forward to hiking along the Napali Coastline, relaxing in the sand, and paddle boarding together for the first time. More than anything, we cannot wait to begin our life together in a beautiful place filled with adventure. 31
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Story
Kyle + Emily Photos by: Jeremiah & Rachel Photography jeremiahandrachel.com
Who are you?
Emily Emmert, I work for the City of Whitefish as a Billing Clerk Kyle Nace, works for the City of Whitefish as a Firefighter/Paramedic
How did you meet?
The story behind Kyle and me meeting is a pretty unique and funny one, but none the less, perfect! I had actually wanted a bed liner sprayed on my truck for quite some time, but it was so expensive everywhere, that I kept putting it off. I was talking about it at work one day, when another employee, who was a volunteer firefighter, said that he knew of a guy that would do it for me. When he said Kyle's name, I was really excited, but nervous at the same time! He suggested that I go up to the fire hall and talk to Kyle one day, but I was way too shy to do that, so he made Kyle come down to city hall and talk to me about the bed liner. For quite a few months, between both of our schedules, we couldn't set up a time where he could get it done, but we eventually worked out a date. When I went to pick up my truck at Kyle's shop, we ended up talking for 4 hours and realized that we had a lot in common. When I asked him how much it was going to cost for the bed liner (and all of the little extra things he had done for me), he said that he was just going to charge me for the supplies, but I had to go to dinner with him for the rest.... and here we are!!
The proposal?
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Kyle and I had planned a trip to Las Vegas to go to the NFR & to meet his dad, Tony, and his step-mom,
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Terry. Before we left, the ladies at work had been teasing me about getting engaged in Vegas. I acted like I had blocked it out of my mind and it wasn't going to happen, but it really was stuck in my mind that it was a possibility! But after a week of having so much fun and sightseeing in Vegas, I hadn't really had time to think about it, except when we went on our evening helicopter tour...on Wednesday December 7th. But it didn't happen. So, that night after the helicopter tour, we went to meet Tony and Terry for dinner at the Bellagio. Kyle and I were early (since he had a plan in mind). We were standing at a particular, private spot that he had scoped out earlier when he had sent me to a day spa to get a facial and a massage. We were talking about what we would do if we were rich. I said that I would buy a nice house, in a remote area and pay it off with the money. So Kyle asked if he could live there with me....I said only if he married me. Just about that time, the Bellagio water show started and Tony and Terry found us. They started taking pictures of Kyle and I in front of the water show. I noticed Kyle reaching in his coat pocket (it was freezing), and I asked him what he was doing....Tony and Terry walked away and Kyle knelt down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I cried (of course) and said, Yes! (All this time, Tony had been taking pictures of the proposal from the bushes - haha!) After I said yes, Tony and Terry came over and congratulated us. We had an amazing night with them! The ring is very sentimental because the main diamond in it belonged to Kyle's great-grandmother. There is NO better way to be proposed to, and there is no better story behind the ring he gave me! I feel so lucky and blessed to have Kyle, and I can't wait until July 21st!
What is love?
Emily - Love to me means finding your best friend, finding someone that truly completes you and always makes you happy. Love is someone that, no matter what, always puts a smile on your face! It’s someone that makes you want to be a better person and completes your other half! What I love the most about Kyle is that he is all of the above and so much more! You can really second guess what's "meant to be" until you find the one that truly is meant for you, then it's undeniable!
Kyle - Love to me is finally finding that one person that you are supposed to be with and finding your best friend. Love is knowing that she is the one for you, for always. What I love most about Emily, is that it can be either 10 minutes, or 10 days, and I always miss her and want to be with her! I know that my journey of finding that perfect person is over and that in about a month and a half, we get to start a new one together!
Wedding?
We will be married at the church that we both attend, and then have the reception at Kyle's house where we'll be living after we're married. Our colors will be pink, grey & turquoise, with a rustic/country theme. We will have amazing photographers and a great DJ to dance the night away to!
Honeymoon plans?
Our honeymoon will be next March in Hawaii and from there we will fly to Cancun!
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food}
Fresh
Fast & Fresh By Kristen Ledyard Owner/Executive Chef of John’s Angels Catering LLC
Summer is in full bloom, literally! All of your favorite vegetables and produce are attainable. Let’s go shopping locally and pick up a few items for our pantry. Then, we will create some fun, fast, and fresh recipes to showcase summer.
“Grocery” list Cucumbers Heirloom tomatoes Zucchini Yellow squash Colored peppers Sweet onion Fresh herbs= basil (purchase more than you need to add to a fresh herb salad) Cantaloupe Country bread Mozzarella Your favorite Italian dressing
All of the above items are available at your local Farmer’s Markets. Really take the time to check out different markets and take advantage of the freshness. Now, let’s make some fast and fresh recipes to use when unexpected guests come over. These are recipes you can put together in no time with maximum flavor.
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The New Caprese Salad Heirloom tomatoes
Mozzarella (preferably buffalo) Fresh basil
Cantaloupe
Country Bread
Extra Virgin olive oil Aged balsamic
Truffle oil (optional)
Sea salt (good quality)
Slice your tomatoes and mozzarella into thin discs of the same size. Tear the leaves off of your basil and set aside. Cut your cantaloupe in half (store one half for breakfast). Slice it into thin strips and then squares. I prefer to use a small biscuit cutter to create a circle for a wow factor. Lightly salt the cantaloupe. Toast slices of country bread and cut off the crusts. Now slice the bread into like size squares (or circles) of the tomatoes. Assemble the following: bread, basil, cantaloupe, mozzarella, tomato, bread and one more layer. Toothpick and top with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic. You will get your guests attention with the addition of the cantaloupe. It cuts the acid of the tomato and creates a burst of flavor in your mouth. Have all of the items prepared ahead of time to assemble and wow unexpected summer guests or use for a last minute garden party.
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Fresh
Easy Grilled and Chilled Vegetable Kabobs Colored peppers Yellow squash Zucchini Sweet onion Any of your favorite garden vegetables Quality Italian dressing Red pepper flakes (optional) Salt and pepper
Baby Carrot and Fennel Soup 4 tbsp butter
1 small bunch green onion
Fire up your grill! Slice all of your vegetables into like sizes not small enough to fall through the grill. Marinate the vegetables in the Italian dressing for at least an hour. Lightly pat off the excess dressing and grill the vegetables. Keep in mind that different vegetables may take longer than others to grill. They should be soft but still have a little crunch. Let cool. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Put in the refrigerator to assemble later with friends. For an extra flavor boost, put fresh herbs between the layers of vegetables. To turn this into dinner, grill up some steak or chicken cut into cubes and add to the vegetable kabobs.
1 celery stick
1lb. new carrots (grated) ½ tsp ground cumin
5oz new potatoes (diced)
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock Heavy cream
Fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a large pan along with small diced green onions, fennel, celery, carrots and cumin. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 8 minutes or until tender. Add diced potatoes and stock, increasing the temperature to medium high. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Using a hand blender, puree the soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve either warm or chilled. Top with heavy cream (crème fraiche if served chilled) and chopped parsley.
Photo by Alisia Cubberly
Grilling is not only a tasty option, but a healthy way to cook. Remember to always season your food to really bring out the fresh flavor. Be sure to keep track of when you purchase fresh items to get full use and the best taste. Most garden vegetables do not need to be stored in the refrigerator, especially potatoes. The starches change when stored in the cold. Just keep them in a cool dark place. Have fun with your new recipes and keep your grill fired up!
1 fennel bulb
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Sweet Onions
Onion Stuffed Fresh Trout Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 pounds whole trout Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme 1 Walla Walla onion, sliced thinly 4 thin orange slices cut in half 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons white wine 1 orange, juiced Fresh herbs, for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut 3 slashes into trout and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. 3. In a small bowl, combine herbs and onions and use the mixture to stuff the slashes into the trout. Place the trout side-by-side in a buttered shallow baking pan. Top each fish with orange slices. 4. In a small bowl, mix oil, paprika, white wine, orange juice and spoon over trout.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until trout are lightly browned. Garnish with herb sprigs.
Walla Walla Sweet Onions, Ho Yeah You may not think of onions as “comfort food’, but for me nothing’s more soothing than to cook up a skillet of onions simmered with some beef consommé and a polish sausage. So, when the first bag of sweet Walla Walla onions came into my life, I almost wore out a skillet.
Why do they taste so good? Farmers in the Walla Walla valley of southeastern Washington say it’s the soil and climate. The valley’s rich volcanic soil-along with its hot, dry days and cool moist nights-produces onions that are high in water content, which makes them juicy, but low in sulfur, which is why they’re sweet. Scientifically, Walla Walla sweet onions get their sweetness from a unique blending of natural ingredients. First, there’s the low sulphur content. It’s half that of an ordinary yellow onion. Second, Walla Walla Sweets are 90 percent water. Finally, combining those elements with mild climate and rich soil grows an onion that’s wildly acclaimed for all its sweetness. 406
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In recognition of their unique qualities the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1995 issued Marketing Order 956, proclaiming that only those onions grown in the Walla Walla area could be sold by the name Walla Walla Sweet. The only downside is their fleeting availability: because they’re so succulent, they don’t keep for longjust a month or two. So when the bulbs are in season, strike while the bulb is firm.
The story of the Walla Walla Onion began over a century ago on the Island of Corsica, off the coast of Italy. It was there that a French soldier, Peter Pieri, found an Italian sweet onion seed and brought it to the Walla Walla valley. Impressed by the onion’s winter hardiness, Pieri, and Italian immigrant farmers who comprised much of Walla Walla’s gardening industry harvested the seed. The sweet onion developed over several generations through the process of carefully hand selecting onions from each year’s crop, ensuring exceptional sweetness, jumbo size, and
found shape. Today, growers realize they’re not just raising sweet onions, they’re cultivating a tradition.
Walla Walla sweet onions are available midJune through mid-August. No bite, no tears, just exceptional sweetness
Enjoying your Sweets
These summertime Sweets taste best fresh or tossed in salads. They also make wonderful toppings for burgers, pizzas, fillings for quiches, soups and stuffing. Look for round shape, elongated neck, and dry paper-thin skin when buying Walla Walla Sweet Onions. Avoid storing with apples, celery, and pears, as onions will absorb the odors of other vegetables. If kept separate in a cool, ventilated location, the Sweets can be stored for up to six weeks. Or chop the Sweets and place them in sealed bags in the freezer and you’ll be able to enjoy the taste year round.
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food}
Huckleberries
hungry for
Huckleberries
Ah, the huckleberry. In Montana, we just can’t seem to get enough of them. We eat them on ice cream, cereal, in pies and fudge. We flavor syrup, jams and even barbeque sauce with them. Souvenir shops sell more than 100 different huckleberry-related products—from teas to candles and shampoos. Residents and tourists alike will hike for miles in rough terrain with stained fingers and risk run-ins with berry-loving bears just to find a patch or two to dry, can or freeze. We go to great lengths to keep our bonanzas a secret—or fail to admit that we shelled out a small fortune at a roadside stand to take home the delicious fruit. If you are new or visiting the state, you may rightly believe that the obsession with this seemingly benign berry is just shy of crazy. But in Montana, we call it summer. Besides its sweet-tart juiciness, what is it about the elusive huckleberry that leaves us with an insatiable appetite for more? A Brief History While romanticizing the huckleberry as a cultural icon may be a modern-day phenomenon, 406
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Written by Alison Pomerantz
it has long been a sacred symbol of life in the Northwest. Bears, bison and berries were the lifeblood for the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Native American tribes for thousands of years. As pioneers settled in Montana and surrounding states, hunting and gathering continued to provide sustenance for settlers trying to live off the land. In addition, huckleberry gathering provided a unique venue for white settlers to interact with local tribes. Economic shifts and technological advances all but eliminated the necessity for drying and canning berries for nourishment during long winter months. Today, the ritual of harvesting huckleberries is not just a custom for collecting food. It has become a nostalgic social ritual for people—as much about time with family and friends as the actual gathering of berries. When to harvest Depending on elevation, huckleberry season lasts for a little more than three months in the summer. Stake out choice patches in June then
wait for them to ripen in July (lower country) through the first week of September (higher elevations).
Wild hearts can’t be broken The huckleberry, like much of the free-spirited West in which it grows, is wild and refuses to be tamed. Despite desperate attempts, horticulturalists have failed to domesticate the fruit of the forest. “There are a number of wives’ tales floating around as to why it can’t be farmed,” explains Erik Wenum, Bear and Lion Biologist with Montana State Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “One myth says that the only way to grow huckleberries at home is for them to first pass through a bear. However, even after people were running around collecting bear scat and spreading it in their gardens, they discovered they never had much success.” He added that people have tried transplanting full shrubs, playing with the balance
Economic shifts and technological advances all but eliminated the necessity for drying and canning berries for nourishment during long winter months. Today, the ritual of harvesting huckleberries is not just a custom for collecting food. It has become a nostalgic social ritual for people—as much about time with family and friends as the actual gathering of berries. of water and the pH of soil, but still no luck. “It just prefers being wild.”
Where to find them Montanans are very secretive of their mythical patches where the huckleberries grow “as big as grapes.”
Whitefish native, Kathy Thomas and her husband Carl, an equipment operator in Glacier National Park, speak fondly of scattering along the hillside calling to one another, “Over here!” as someone stumbles upon a prolific patch or other times, trying to jerry-rig hats or plastic sandwich bags into containment vessels when they hadn’t planned to go “picking” per se. Carl would warn his friends not to tell anyone where they’d been. “Of course, my fingers and my backside were stained purple, so I don’t think it would have been a big mystery,” he laughs.
Like finding a favorite fishing hole, people often return to the same haunts year after year. Just don’t expect anyone to hand you an “X” marks the spot treasure map to easily locate the mother lode of prized berries. Some of the coveted large, globe huckleberries grow especially well in the mountains at elevations between 3,500 and 7,200 feet in areas where the forest canopy is sparse to allow for plenty of sunlight to help them grow. Burn sites threeto four years after a fire or open ski runs tend to be good bets. “Berry production is often tied to last year’s water since the berries appear on the new stem growth after flowering,” Wenum explains and adds that bees are a huge factor too. “People often don’t think of the role that bees play in wild food production. If bees don’t pollinate, then there are no berries. Bees like warm, dry conditions. In cool, wet years like last summer, berry production was low on north and west facing slopes.”
Bears Not only a favorite of humans, the huckleberry is a main food source for a wide range of animals—most notably, black and grizzly bears. Huckleberries are one of the grizzly’s favorite foods, consisting of up to 30% of their normal caloric intake and up to 80-90% of their diet during the fall when they are fatten-
ing up for hibernation. When they’re eating 20,000-30,000 calories a day, that’s a lot of huckleberries!
“The huckleberry is widespread and abundant in about every elevation. In general, people don’t tend to get too remote in their hunting. They often pick roadside and leave the backcountry for the bears, so the competition for the hucks isn’t as fierce as you might think,” Wenum says. Nevertheless, it is wise to take precautions. He advises carrying pepper spray and making noise when hiking. Conservation Personal consumption pickers generally pick just a gallon or two at a time—not a big threat to overall berry production. In fact, the U.S. Forest Service doesn’t even bother with permits unless you are buying or picking commercially. “I’m like a lot of people,” Wenum admits. “My hands and lips will be purple, but I don’t seem to have many berries in my pail.”
While most of us pick huckleberries one at a time, rakes and contraptions involving wet tenting canvas actually “strip” the bush to collect the berries in mass quantities. Stripping the leaves off the bushes may speed up the picking process, but it kills the bush. Enthusiasts are reminded to be good stewards of the land and be gentle with the plants as it takes five to fifteen years for a huckleberry bush to start producing again.
With the high demand for huckleberries driving prices up to $30 or more a gallon, you may want to grab a pail and head out to the high country. Montana may have derived its nickname, the “Treasure State,” from mining, but huckleberry aficionados believe otherwise.
{Sources: “Huckleberry Hounds” by Ellen Horowitz, Montana Outdoors, 2004; “Native American Foods,” www.nativeamericannetroots.net/diary, retrieved March 2012; “Eating Wild Montana: High-Country Huckleberry Hunting,” by Antonia Malchik, The Perspective Travel Blog, August 21, 2009; Huckleberries—History of Huckleberries by Linda Stradley, What’s Cooking America, 2004.}
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wine
Erotic Friends: Oysters and Champagne by Dan Vogel
The Oyster, usually in the half-shell live condition, carries a crown for the world’s sexiest food. Oysters offer no compromise of opinion. People either like oysters or they don’t. Yet, when paired with a crisp and bracing or sparkling wine, modern food wimps succumb to the allure of this shellfish. What is it about paring exotic food with great wine that allows and even temps us into the realm of food Eros? Simply, this classic pairing mirrors the relationships we experience as people. Historically expressed as Yin & Yang, male & female, sea & land, Shiva & Shakti and thousands of other couplings, the conflict of attractive opposites makes for delicious and juicy tension.
Erotic foods contain a careful recipe of shock, rarity and good flavor. These foods are alarming, as in “I can’t believe that you would eat that.” Here we think of fish eggs, snails and cow glands that become caviar, escargot, and sweet breads. The allure of the touch and the texture of such exotic foods are often on the edge of a person’s tolerance. Dining in a spotlighted public setting provides the stage for eating something we might not normally buy at the store. When combined with a trusted, or provocative, partner the oyster-wine experience offers a recipe for adventure. The power of these couplings comes not from what we bring, literally, to the table; it comes from what is missing. A person can only be half of a pair. The gravity of need draws us to what we lack for completeness. Oysters out of their protective shell are soft, blubbery blobs. It needs, for it’s competition, a structure, a backbone, call it a mate. Here is the magic of wine. Crisp, brightly acidic wines create scaffolding around the ocean water flavors of the mollusk. Just as intimacy involves risk and trust, oysters and a good wine partner energize and enliven our dining experience.
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As the stuff of legend, oysters travel well, are self-contained, and offer inlanders a taste of the wild sea. Historically oysters have fed the earths populations to a surprising scale. Ancient Greeks and later Romans traded tens of thousands of clay amphoras of wine for English oysters. Brought back to Rome by primitive sailing ships they were cultivated in saltwater pools. Prior to the railroads bringing western beef to east coast U.S. cities, oysters
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provided the overwhelming majority of inexpensive protein in the American diet. The volume of oysters eaten by American colonists is staggering, averaging over ten bushels a year per colonist. While North American custom of today is to serve oysters by the six, in Europe the serving is twelve. But, to have ordered oysters on Chesapeake Bay or New York City in 1850, an “order” was considered 144 oysters per serving. This was the go-to party food in the Abraham Lincoln household in Springfield, Illinois prior to his being elected President.
Oysters are versatile, whether hickory smoked, baked with cheese, simmered in chowder or raw on the half shell. Raw oysters, like all uncooked proteins, carry the possibility of food born illness. As such, a tangible sense of exciting danger follows closely behind. Care and treatment is vital to an oysters flavor, so if they taste bad, spit ’em out. Whether the slippery texture, or simply the idea of eating a sea creature alive and whole, makes them an exciting and perhaps titillating experience, oysters provide a very personal and organic connection to food. Wines offered with oysters should exhibit certain traits. Effective oyster wines follow the supermodel physique of sharp and lean, some-
times, razor lean. Big buttery chardonnays and oaky cabernet sauvignons aggravate a raw oyster’s worst behavior. Commonly oysters on the half-shell react with oak tannins in these wines to ignite a bomb of off-flavors. It’s rather like introducing a voluptuous ex-girlfriend to your wife. However, adding the clean textures of Champagne-style or crisp acidic wine makes a perfect Yin to the oyster’s Yang. Champagne– style sparkling wines are always based on lean and dry still wines. The addition of effervescence adds flavor lift and cleansing power. The Romantic element never hurts either. Grape types of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Pinot Blanc are good universal guides for all oysters. Lighter Pinot Noirs that are lean and racy are great with the Olympia oyster from the Puget Sound region.
Without the human imagination we would regard erotic foods as no more than offal and fish eggs. Face it; oysters and wine are all about our love connections. Allure in this sensual world comes not from any one-food ingredient but from your companionship. Eating and drinking dangerously is a titillating experience only when it’s shared with someone whose company you desire. The dog doesn’t count.
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fashion}
Little Black Dress
One Dress, T H R E E W AY S ! Introducing the perfect Little Black Dress! This dress is an excellent choice because it is simple, comfortable, figure flattering and extremely versatile. Check out the three easy options we put together for a few summer activities.
Tami and Melissa The Village Shop
Jersey cotton dress by Michael Stars.
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fashion}
Little Black Dress
Day to night
Weekend wine tasting
AG jeans denim jacket, Ansaldo leather belt, Latico clutch, Frye Boots
Emu Australia leather jacket, Will Leather Goods belt, Sam Edelman sandals, Sorreli bracelets
Wear to work
Timing tie front shirt, Wanted loafers, Latico wallet
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health}
Dr. Barnes
Step Ahead into Summer with
The human foot is made up of 28 bones, 33 joints, of which 20 are actively articulated, and more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Feet are engineering miracles, offering support, a mode of locomotion, and shock absorption. Walking at a moderate speed generates two to three times our body weight in force, and running produces five to seven times our weight. While most of us are mindful of working out our bodies, getting regular physical checkups, caring for the skin on our faces, or manicuring our fingernails, our feet often are paid short shrift. We grumble about the pain that ill-fitting shoes deliver, but make no change in our footwear choices. We are embarrassed about thickened callouses or yellowed nails, and choose to hide inside socks and closed toe shoes rather than get to the bottom of the issue and seek a permanent solution. Few of us actively care about feet. Esther Barnes, DPM is one of those few. She is a podiatrist.
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Dr. Esther Barnes, DPM
by Bridget Michlig - Photo by Rachel Catlett
Got Feet?
The field of podiatry is largely misunderstood and often assumed to be necessary only for the elderly or immobile and infirm. Nothing is further from the truth. The field is all-inclusive, encompassing care of the feet from ankle to sole, and from the skin and nails all the way through to muscle, bone, cartilage and tendon. Even those in the medical field hold erroneous beliefs about podiatry. As Dr. Barnes states, “I do still struggle a bit with the generalized misunderstanding of what podiatrists do. Having trained in a medical community where podiatric surgeons were wellestablished, respected members, and where they held the position of Chief of Medical Staff, it was difficult to come to the Valley and be asked if I was a doctor.” But rather than get mired in frustration, Dr. Barnes kept her eyes on the prize. “I kept focusing on my reasons for practicing medicine, my reasons for being here, the gifts that God gave me, and my love for what I do, no matter my title or the perception of podiatry in the community.”
She pauses, and then continues, “The fact is that I’ve never taken the easy, most obvious, path in life. I left behind friends and scholarships to go to college a year early; I worked unpaid summer “jobs” in high school when I could have traveled; I went to a less-known college when I was accepted into more prestigious ones to pursue the degree in a field that I truly enjoyed; I chose podiatry school over medical school. Ultimately, I chose to set up shop here in Kalispell where podiatrists have been looked down upon. I strive to be a good doctor and do what needs to be done, even if it’s not easy or the most obvious, to provide good care to my patients, which is what I feel I've been called to do.”
A Step Ahead
At Step Ahead, Dr. Barnes pushes traditional podiatry, quite literally a step ahead, offering up services like gait analysis to determine weight distribution and foot strike patterns which might contribute to ankle, knee or back pain; the medical pedicure which combines pampering with serious skin and nail care; and a range of in-office procedures including wound care for those with diabetes and custom
Dr. Barnes By The Numbers: Just how much of an expert is she?
The standard of expertise is often described as intense study over 10,000 hours. Whether you measure in hours invested, or in actual procedures performed, Dr. Barnes is most definitely an expert. How does she measure up? Dr. Barnes has performed More than 400 bunionectomies, with over 150 of them being Lapidus procedures (treatment for more severe bunions). Surgical treatment of more than 85 severe foot infections,
Reconstruction of more than 50 flat feet or high arched feet,
Straightening of more than 500 hammertoes or other toe deformities, Over 75 ankle scopes, which is the arthroscopic treatment of ankle impingement, cartilage defects, or synovitis. She has also undertaken extra training to become certified in performing ankle and foot arthroscopy and to place external fixators (frames) on the foot and ankle. Your feet are in good hands with Dr. Barnes at Step Ahead.
orthotic fitting. Dr. Barnes also maintains surgical privileges at Kalispell Regional Medical Center through the outpatient surgical center, as well as North Valley Hospital.
When visiting Dr. Barnes in her Step Ahead office, one is struck by two things: the magnificent view of the Swan Range seemingly just beyond her windows, and Dr. Barnes' gentle nature. Her conversation is peppered with active listening phrases. Phrases such as - “does that sound right?”, “is that ok?”, and “does that make sense to you?” frequently pop up as she consults with her patients.
The small staff at Dr. Barnes' office is no less personable than Dr. Barnes herself – June Anderson greets you when you check in and manages the front desk, Erin O'Rourke, a radiologic technologist and medical assistant who assists with Dr. Barnes’s surgical scheduling; Maria Hartong, an experienced medical assistant who recently completed coursework to become a credentialed nail technician; and
Joe Brega, pedorthist, shoe fitting and gait analysis specialist all imbue what could be a cold and antiseptic office with warmth and camaraderie. Those lucky enough to work with Joe will immediately feel part of a very happy club – his quick wit and staccato speech are smoothed over by his distinctive Aussie accent. Dr. Barnes says, “In between finishing podiatry school and starting residency, I traveled to Australia. I signed up for a month-long camping and trekking tour through the Outback, and Joe was my tour guide. That was 5 years ago. No one has sacrificed more than Joe has. He understands my dreams and aspirations and has been by my side through working hundred-hour weeks in residency. He knows the importance of providing good foot care first hand and from living by my side and listening to my stories all these years. Joe is a talented craftsman, and it is a relief to have someone I can trust to help with making some of the adjustments to orthotics and shoes that I would love to do, but just don’t have time to. Not everyone understands importance of thinking in 3-D when treating foot
ailments. Joe takes great pride in playing a role in helping people walk more pain-free.” Is the constant togetherness as idyllic as it sounds? True to form, Dr. Barnes answers candidly. “Seriously, it’s challenging sometimes. We’re learning that we function best with our own space - his office is as far as it could possibly be from mine.”
Foot Race to a Career
Dr. Barnes' interest in podiatry grew from her own experiences in foot biomechanics as a runner on her high school track team. That momentum carried her forward to pursue education in the field of biomechanics, which then led to her advanced studies in podiatry. “I was a cross country and track runner in high school. My cross country coach, a retired chemist, was committed to teaching us about different foot types and the importance of different running shoes to accommodate these different foot types. As a teenager, I suffered from knee pain that was treated successfully with orthotics, 53
health}
Dr. Barnes
See a podiatrist if you experience any of the following:
Gender inequality in feet? Yes!
Heel Pain - Bunions - Hammertoes - Flat feet - Forefoot (front of foot) pain Foot burning / numbness - Ankle pain / instability - Achilles tendon pain
and I became fascinated with the biomechanics of the foot as it relates to the rest of the body.” A summer spent interning with an orthotics and prosthetics company further reinforced her fascination with the biomechanics of the foot as it relates to the entire body. Dr. Barnes continues, “At the time, I wanted to either design shoes or prosthetics, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to train with and learn from experts in the field during my undergraduate education. After spending summers interning for Reebok Performance Engineering Laboratory and conducting numerous biomechanics research projects, my plans changed and I realized I wanted to be more involved with people and patient care.” Her foray into applied biomechanics drove Dr. Barnes to choose the perhaps less glamorous path of becoming a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), to becoming an orthopedic surgeon with a specialty in the foot and ankle. “I chose podiatry because of the extent of the training and the resultant expertise in wholistic, not just surgical, care of the foot and ankle. As a surgically-trained DPM, I attended the same number of years of school as a medical doctor, sat in class with the other medical students, and was able to maintain a much greater focus on medicine as it relates to the foot and lower body.” With a Bachelors of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University followed by a four year DPM program at Temple University (she graduated first in her class), Dr. Barnes headed to Denver, Colorado to complete a 3-year Podiatric Medicine and Surgical Residency at St. Luke's Medical Center. “While there, I performed over 2500 foot & ankle surgeries, and gained matchless experience to diagnose and treat foot and ankle problems as well as the skills to perform foot and ankle surgeries. I really wanted to be a specialist, and I chose the career path which provided me with the best skill-set to be a not only a good foot & ankle surgeon, but more importantly an all-around good foot & ankle doctor.”
The Doctor Is In
Dr. Barnes' concern for her patients is evident in the delicacy of her touch on a tender, painful, or ticklish part of the body, and her calm and unhurried manner.
Is she the same in the surgical suite, surrounded by gleaming surfaces and the latest in literal cutting edge technology? “Surgery is a surreal thing. I take what I do in the operating room very seriously and really enjoy teaching those around me why what I’m doing is important, and why I do something the way I do it. I very much enjoy the carpentry side to foot surgeryevery cut, realignment, or shifting of bone affects the rest of the foot in all three dimensions, which in turn affects the alignment of the body since it all starts with the feet. I see it as an honor and a privilege to be trusted by my patients to alleviate their foot pain through surgery once they’ve exhausted all other non-surgical forms of treatment. Trust cannot be emphasized enough, it is critical to healing.”
What drew Barnes and Brega to the Flathead Valley? “We both are from small towns – Susquehanna, PA, has a population of about 2500, and Joe was born and raised in Mansfield, in Victoria, Australia which boasts a mere 2000 residents. We really relish the concept of living in the West, with all that it offers – a more laid-back, less rushed, way of life, open space - space for our Siberian huskies Niko & Zoe, fewer people, and fresh air. Also, all of the outdoor things that we love - hiking, skiing, camping, biking…” She gestures to her window. “These mountains out here – they're just magnificent. And Montanans themselves - people are more genuine than I found in big cities. They're more transparent - there's just less pretense. Montana gives us such ease in our lives, the space and place to just do what we do, do it well, and be happy.”
She continues, “Even though Joe and I are together at the office all day, we don't always really connect with each other. At night we go home and share stories about how we were able to, in different ways and oftentimes with a struggle, help people to walk more pain-free. It confirms that we are doing what we are meant to be doing and what God has given us the talent and has placed us in this world to do. That makes the sacrifices more than worth it.”
Women are more prone to several sports injuries than men due to biomechanical differences. For example, the “Q” (Quadriceps) Angle - the angle at which the femur (upper leg bone) meets the tibia (lower leg bone). On average, this angle is greater in women than in men, which in turn places more stress on the knee joint and can lead to increased foot pronation, also called lowered arches, in women. An increased Q-angle is linked to different knee injuries including patellofemoral pain syndrome, chondromalacia of the knee, and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries. In many cases, custommade orthotics can assist in decreasing the Q-angle by reducing pronation, which in turn places less stress on the knee. This is one example in which paying close attention to one’s feet, and being fitted with orthotics if necessary, can lower stress on the knee and prevent or treat knee pain or pain elsewhere in the body.
A little self-care goes a long way.
Dr. Barnes recommends the following for everyone:
Use good supportive shoes and replace shoes frequently as the supportive insole compresses and offers decreased support and resilience over time. Avoid walking barefoot in public places including the gym, spa, or salon to prevent contracting infections including fungus.
Stretch daily to prevent or ease foot and ankle pain! Simple stretches like the runner's lunge help release tension in the heel cord/Achilles tendon, which helps ease tightness at the front of the shin as well as along the plantar fascia (the muscle covering along the bottom of the foot). To do this, lean against a wall with feet flat on the floor, one in front of the other, and keep the back leg straight as you stretch its heel cord . Keep feet clean and moisturized – heck, give those toes a tug and a massage for good measure. Keep nails trimmed to prevent ingrown nails or skin cuts and abrasions.
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There She Goes, Just Walking Down the Street: What Your Podiatrist Sees By Your Shoe Choice Summer brings sandals and flip-flops. Ever notice how most people walk while wearing those slim soled rubber shower shoes? Like a duck with a dirty diaper. Here's what Dr. Barnes sees when you're out padding around in those Havianas.
“Flip flops, unlike sandals, are far too unsupportive to be considered a true shoe. Such a flat, thin shoe lacks sufficient support and, more importantly, changes the natural gait of the wearer. One has to grip her or his toes to hold on the flip-flop, often doing so unintentionally. Fluidity from ankle to knee to hip is compromised and the foot often begins to angle outward. The gripping action can result in tendonitis in the foot, and the lack of support can lead to a number of other ailments when used to walk for long periods, including heel pain & Achilles tendon pain” What about barefoot? Dr. Barnes is quick to differentiate between barefoot running and just walking around barefoot. “There is validity to the theories in support of barefoot style running and the alterations in running gait that come with it. I agree with the movement’s founders in that it is important to keep the small muscles in your feet (the “intrinsics”) healthy and active, and that perhaps with all our firm-soled shoe and orthotic wearing we’ve essentially spoiled these muscles in a way. However injury can occur barefoot running training is not done appropriately, gradually, and cautiously.” What about walking around barefoot? “Now that’s a different story! The filth, fungus, parasitic infections like ringworm and hook worm, cuts and puncture wounds – you are at risk for all of these when barefoot. Best save this for the privacy and cleanliness of your own home.”
What about heels? While it has been shown that wearing high heeled shoes doesn't necessarily cause the common foot problems primarily experienced by women (like bunions, hammertoes, neuromas and forefoot pain), the angle of a high heel does exacerbate an already existing condition. “One of the predisposing factors for many common foot issues is a tight Achilles tendon (gastroc equinus), which leads to a muscle imbalance when we walk. Persistent high-heeled shoe use can shorten the heel cord, thus predisposing one to these foot problems, particularly forefoot pain and neuromas. Really high heels – which I define as anything over 3.5 inches- make me cringe, especially on a platform shoe. More than the height of the heel itself and its effects on the feet, the effects on the rest of the body and the gait are worrisome.”
Her recommendation – wear a lower heel and a supportive shoe for day to day use. Choose something designed for motion when your day includes lots of walking, change your heel heights during the week, and save the super sexy stilettos and funky platforms for special, seated, occasions. And, one more time, stretch, stretch, stretch. 55
health} Save A Sister
Let’s go out there and Save A Sister! By Nancy Kimball
Listen up, ladies: Quit spending your precious time on needless fretting – just get a mammogram. And if cost is one of your worries, forget it. Save A Sister is here to help.
“Most people are coming in to be told they’re OK,” Bass Breast Center Director Dr. Melissa Hulvat said. “So they are empowered and feel they did something good for themselves. They can go back to their life, their family, their job – and they don’t have to spend more energy worrying about it.” Hulvat is a breast cancer surgery specialist in Kalispell and donates her professional time so Save A Sister’s dollars can stretch further. The local nonprofit collaboration among Northwest Healthcare, North Valley Hospital and the Flathead City-County Health Department pays for screening and diagnostic mammograms and breast ultrasound, as well as certain post-operative supplies. It also offers valuable education. For that, Louise Swisher is forever grateful.
“It saved my life, I imagine,” the Kalispell woman said.
A few years back, Swisher – who holds down a job but does not have insurance – realized it was time to get a mammogram. She paid for it herself, to the tune of over $700 when all was said and done.
“I thought, ‘Oh man, I can’t do this.’ That’s when I called the county health department and they told me about the Montana Breast and Cervical Health Program,” she said. It’s a Cancer Control program of the Montana Public Health and Safety division under the Department of Public Health and Human Services, providing low-cost screenings. Swisher continued with the program until last year, when the county told her about Save A Sister. They said she’d probably get scheduled for a mammogram sooner by applying for funding through the program. “It was very easy,” she said. “All I had to do was call a number (1-877-399-0384, toll free) and they set up the appointment for me … I went in for a routine exam. They said something was showing up on the mammogram so I needed to come back and have an ultrasound.” Results of the ultrasound prompted a recommendation for a biopsy. Save A Sister had covered all Swisher’s expenses up to that point, but could not cover the biopsy. Breast Nurse Navigator Kim Grindrod erased the financial worry by arranging for the state program to pay for the biopsy. When results came back positive for cancer at the beginning of November, Swisher called the Flathead County director of Breast and Cervical Health, Sally Kay Bertelsen.
“I went in to see Sally Kay, who runs the program, and they were just wonderful,” she said. Swisher’s income level and her lack of insurance qualify her for the state program, but her income level just misses qualifying her for Medicaid. Bertelsen, however, had good news. Federal law stipulates that patients who qualify under the Breast and Cervical Health program automatically are Medicaid eligible. Her treatment was covered.
Swisher had a lumpectomy at The HealthCenter on Nov. 28, removing the cancerous lump that could have been detected only through the mammogram and ultrasound. She since has finished her radiation treatments and now is up for her six-month mammogram. 406
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“I’m just really grateful,” Swisher said. “There’s no way I would have been able to pay for this.”
Swisher is not alone. A Commission on Cancer specialist recently tagged the typical outof-pocket cost for a woman going through breast cancer treatment at $35,000.
Finding cancer early through screening mammograms, Dr. Debra Wade said, is a key piece in effective and lower-cost treatment.
“Early detection is very important as it can markedly decrease the morbidity associated with breast cancer,” said the radiologist and women’s imaging specialist at The Imaging Center in Kalispell. “It more often allows cancers to be detected when they are small, so the number of lumpectomies should be increased compared to mastectomy, if the patient so chooses.”
Wade teamed up with breast cancer surgeon Dr. Loren Rourke in 2008 to raise awareness through hosting the inaugural Turn the Flathead Pink effort and bringing in a national speaker.
From their first $35,000 fundraiser that October, to the following year’s Artful Bra reception and eventual auction spearheaded by Susan Kuhlman of Bigfork, to a pair of annual bachelor auctions that raised $106,000, and on to the grants their efforts have attracted, a dedicated army of Save A Sister volunteers is making a real difference in the lives of many local women. Since April 2010, the nonprofit has spent more than $111,000 on breast imaging and lymphedema compression sleeves that help with circulation after surgery. So far in 2012 alone, Grindrod has fielded 150 calls for Save A Sister services and shepherded 51 patients through 62 procedures; 12 were under 40 years of age. In 2011, Save A Sister helped 186 patients with 257 procedures. Since July last year, the organization has provided 71 lymphedema sleeves.
“We can serve as many people as call us because we’ll go out and get the money somewhere,” Hulvat said. Regardless of whether women actually come
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From their first $35,000 fundraiser that October, to the following year’s Artful Bra reception and eventual auction spearheaded by Susan Kuhlman of Bigfork, to a pair of annual bachelor auctions that raised $106,000, and on to the grants their efforts have attracted, a dedicated army of Save A Sister volunteers is making a real difference in the lives of many local women.
for a mammogram, every phone call to the Save A Sister line is worthwhile.
“Kim provides a good first stop,” Hulvat said. “Everybody gets good information.” Some don’t know where to schedule their screening, some need names of doctors, others have questions about their health. Grindrod’s research helped one patient discover that she had insurance through her employer, allowing her to afford treatment for the lump in her breast. It probably was a life-saver.
“There’s a 30 percent less chance of dying from cancer that’s found in a screening mammogram than from one we find after you can feel it,” Hulvat said. Funding those good finds is the mission for Save A Sister, one woman at a time. She drew an analogy to world hunger. It’s an overwhelming problem when looked at en masse, but “you can feed one person if you decide to do something for that person. It’s the do-ers,” the Debbie Wades and the Susan Kuhlmans of the world, Hulvat said, “who say ‘I can’t solve the whole problem but I can do this piece.’”
For women like Swisher, Save A Sister lives up to its name.
“The program truly works. It’s just the best thing ever for women,” Swisher said. “It was a very smooth process working with both” Save A Sister and Breast and Cervical Health. Fund-raising continues within the Flathead Valley initiative. Anyone who is touched by the cause is encouraged to call 751-7524 and get involved in saving another sister.
“I just want women to not be concerned about participating in these programs,” Swisher said. “It’s a little embarrassing to not have insurance and not be able to pay for it, but it’s your life. I want women to be OK with using these programs and getting the help they need.”
To see how Save A Sister can help you or someone you love, call 1-877-399-0384.
health}toxins
Detoxify By Trish Schaf
One of the biggest threats to our health is our environment. There are over 84,000 toxins in our air and water that can’t be avoided. What can you do about it? How can you protect yourself and your family? There is so much that can’t be avoided, but there are many things that you can do to protect yourself and your family. I believe each small thing that you can do, you need to do, because it is your total load of toxins that leads to disease and over all ill health, and because there are so many toxins that can’t be avoided. Toxicity can mimic nearly any disease known to man.
Scientists have done studies that have found 219 chemicals in people of all ages. That is in 100% of all people tested. Even in the umbilical cord blood of unborn babies! Even in the remotest areas of the world in the Inuit Eskimos. PCB’s and dioxins are now found in the polar ice cap. These chemicals are in our clothing, our furniture, our carpets, our homes, our food, air and water.
Thankfully our bodies are amazingly equipped with the ability to detoxify all these 21st century toxins. We just need to be sure our detoxing can keep up the rate we accumulate toxins and that we are getting enough of the nutrients required for this work. We have many detox pathways. One of which is the lungs. Good old fresh air is something we have been blessed with here in Montana. Getting plenty of it is excellent for your health. Good deep belly breathing is a good thing to start practicing if you don’t already. Not only can you breathe out toxins, but it energizes the body and promotes deep relaxation so you can function at a higher level.
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Your skin is your largest detoxifying organ. You are able to remove toxins from your body through your sweat! Skin brushing is a very beneficial practice for
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removing toxins through the skin. The far infrared sauna is the new revolution in detoxifying the body.
Your kidneys are another detox organ. They can easily become overloaded because they can only work so fast. Another major detox organ is the liver. It filters and detoxifies and exits through the colon. If the colon is not healthy this is re-absorbed! The health of your colon is paramount to your overall health! Death begins in the colon! Your colon is the longest muscle in your body – over 5 feet. It is also the most ignored organ. After all, who wants to talk about or even think about poop! But statistics show that the average American colon has a problem. Over $400 million are spent on laxatives in the US per year. Over 70 million Americans have bowel problems in the US. 100,000 colostomies are performed each year in the US. Colon cancer is the #2 leading cancer killer in the US with over 100,000 Americans dying per year from it. These are scary numbers! So what can be done about it? Your nutrition obviously is important, but so is internal cleansing. Internal cleansing should be part of our health routine just like brushing our teeth and exercising. There are many avenues of internal cleansing. You can get some degree of success with various nutritional and herbal preparations that are readily available, some juicing regimens are very helpful and so is colon hydrotherapy or even home applied enemas. Flushing the bowel out with water has been practiced for a very long time. It was first recorded in 1500 BC, is mentioned by the ancient Egyptians and was taught by Hippocrates. The benefits include reducing stagnation and bacterial proliferation in the bowel and helps maintain intestinal flora. The faster waste is eliminated from the body, the less time that waste sits in our intestines spreading toxins to our blood stream. Waste elimination is essential for better health. You should have 1-3 bowel movements a day. If you are having less than this, your body is absorbing toxins that should be eliminated. Another danger that is posed by slow moving waste, is that it
can get stuck to the colon walls and make it more difficult for other waste products to move through. This build up manifests itself in the way you look, feel and act. Toxic bodies are tired bodies. Also, our amazing bodies adapt to toxins that it can’t process and eliminate by storing them in protected storage: fat. Yes, that’s right, your fat. That is one of your toxic waste storage sites. That is also why some people absolutely cannot lose weight. Your body will not release fat cells if they hold stored toxins unless your nutrient levels and detoxifying pathways can swiftly process and eliminate the toxins. So you can see the benefits of internal cleansing include natural healthy weight loss. As your body gets “clean” you no longer need to hold onto those fat cells and your body will release them naturally! Acne and other skin problems are a good sign that you need a colon cleanse. Skin problems often are the result of malnutrition. When the colon is overworked, it isn’t working as efficiently as it should. The small intestines and pancreas end up taking up the extra strain so vitamins and minerals aren’t properly absorbed into the body.
All that advice you keep hearing about drinking lots of good quality clean water, eating lots of leafy greens, raw fruits and vegies, raw nuts and seeds, grass fed beef, organic eggs, organic chicken, wild caught fish, healthy fats, taking probiotics and digestive enzymes and staying away from processed foods, white flour and sugar is excellent advice! I couldn’t agree more! But I’m saving the most important for last. Maybe your mother told you this too. If so, she was right. Attitude is everything!! Your thoughts can actually produce a toxic environment within your body. Filtering out the negative, learning to forgive and forget and seeing the good in everyone is a way to make a very positive impact on your health. Our thoughts create our lives weather we realize it or not. So just remember, “the quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life”!
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health}
Answers
Skincare Answers By Erin Blair, Licensed Esthetician
Q:
I have a red, bumpy breakout around my mouth and nose that showed up about a year ago, shortly after having a baby. It never seems to clear up, and sort of moves around to different spots. It flakes and sometimes itches and the raised bumps were really bad this winter. It feels a lot better when I put my husband’s prescription athlete’s foot medicine on it, but comes back even stronger and itchier if I try to stop using the cream. This makes me think it’s a fungus. Can anything be done about this? Or should I just keep treating my face like a foot?
A:
I’ve got a strong suspicion that what you have is not a fungal infection, but a common (although mysterious) condition called Perioral Dermatitis, which could be diagnosed by a visit to your doctor. Perioral Dermatitis is an often a chronic, rash-like, inflamed condition that can be found on much of the face, but is most common to the area around the mouth and nose, as the name suggests. It’s worse in the cold, dry conditions of winter and is often instigated by stress or irritating skincare products. If such is the case, I can tell you that I’ve had great success treating Perioral Dermatitis by carefully introducing a gentle exfoliating gel and benzoyl peroxide. Meanwhile, I’ve got some ideas you can implement right away to start correcting the problem.
I would suggest that you switch to laundry detergent that’s free of fragrance, dyes and enzyme/oxygen boosters, and immediately stop using fabric softeners of any kind. Yes, that includes dryer sheets. Rewash your sheets and towels with a ‘free and clear’ detergent as soon as possible. 406
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Use only a fragrance-free, sulfate-free gentle facial cleanser, and a non-chemical sunblock formula containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Avoid fragrance and perfumes like the plague. Check your makeup for irritants, including bismuth oxychloride in mineral makeup. Natural hair makeup brushes can also be aggravating.
Switch to an SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) free toothpaste. Replace it with a bland, non-fragrant variety typically available at the health food store, and take care to keep toothpaste in your mouth when brushing. Steer clear of cinnamon flavored chewing gum and candies, and spicy food in general.
I suspect the reason your husband’s foot cream is helping has less to do with fungus and more to do with the itch-soothing hydrocortisone that it likely contains. The way you describe it flaring up when you discontinue the cream tells me that you’ve developed a dependency on the steroid. Your face is addicted to foot cream! To break this addiction, you’ll need to go cold turkey. Stop using the foot cream right away. You’ll need something for the itch though, because it’s going to get worse before it gets better. There is a non-steroidal itch remedy called Lanacane, available at drugstores, which could help get you through this. Emu oil is also a fantastic anti-inflammatory that’s been shown to be more effective than steroidal remedies. Take these everywhere and apply as needed; you might be pretty itchy while you go through the steroid withdrawals, possibly for a couple of weeks. If this condition flares up on you in the future, you’ll have some tools to nip it in the bud! Do you have a question about skin care? Please send it to skintherapystudio@gmail.com.
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health}body
Your body as a Tool By Anna Gordon-Norby, ACE
The sun beat down on us as we clamored across the boulder field of ShastaTrinity granite. It was hot, and the shade at McDonald Lake where we'd eaten lunch seemed a distant memory. Our backpacks were laden down with sleeping bags and food; no tents, we were going to sleep under the stars. As we hiked upward, our sweaty backs stuck to the nylon. When we finally crested the last of what seemed to be a never-ending string of false peaks, we found ourselves looking down at the most magnificent slice of heaven we could have imagined. Holland Lake, nestled in a bowl of stone with one side opening to an expanse of wilderness, was the most refreshing reward I could have hoped for. As we sat on the bank, our backpacks and shirts scattered around us, we began to discuss what this lake and that hellish hike meant to us. Tessa and I had both struggled with our own forms of body issues throughout high school, and varying levels of body dysmorphia. But there, on the sun-heated boulders in the Trinity Alps, I realized what is now, ten years later, my overriding philosophy about physical health.
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“Your body is a tool,” Tessa told me. It is your vehicle through life and will carry you where you want to go. What you want to do determines how you should mold your body to suit your needs.
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If, in the long term, I want to return to Holland Lake in my 70's, I need to prepare my body now. For the shorter term, whether I want to hike a mountain peak this summer, snowboard bell to bell or to live self-sufficiently off the land, my body is what I will need to take me there. Starting a new exercise routine or nutrition plan is hard. For me, knowing that my ultimate goal is to be physically able to reach any number of goals is a much more motivating factor than simply wanting to fit into skinny jeans. Whatever your inspiration, finding that motivation and keying into what is driving you to change is ultimately going to make that change much more enjoyable and attainable.
With your ultimate goal in mind, you will be able to develop a set of smaller, short-term goals that will help you progress to that final and possibly ever-changing endpoint. For example, if your ultimate goal is to run a marathon and you've just purchased your first pair of running shoes, your initial goal could be to jog a mile without stopping to walk. The completion of a progressive goal is much more satisfying than the endless chase of a carrot at the end of an incredibly long stick. As you begin to adapt to a more active lifestyle, and start to look at your body as a tool for how you live your life, there are many factors to consider. To start, you ask a lot of your body each day, so it's important to recognize what you're giving back to it. What kinds of foods do you eat? There are a vast number of nutrition plans available, so do your research. Stick to the plans that focus on unprocessed and real ingredients, home-cooked meals, variety, and
adequate levels of protein to allow your muscles to recover and grow. No one is really going to eat a bowl of Special K cereal every day for the rest of their life. I am very passionate and adamant about what the healthiest choices are for me, but they may not work for you. If you find a diet or activity that looks realistic and interesting to you, try it for a month, and note your level of energy, hunger, and satisfaction. If it doesn't work, try another.
As you trek out on your journey to better health, don't be discouraged if you slip a time or three. A night of drinking on St. Patrick's Day or the overindulgence of Thanksgiving isn't a reason to punish yourself. Think of it as a layover in the shade at McDonald Lake before trudging up the peak to your destination. Keep your motivation in your sights, and remember to keep a balance while working towards that goal. We all need a layover once in a while, and we all need to be able to find enjoyment in the hike, or to at least be able to recognize the feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment when it's over.
One day I'll go back to Holland Lake. If by chance those skinny jeans end up fitting as a result, I'll put them on by the campfire and bask in the warmth of knowing that my body got me there. Anna Gordon-Norby, ACE certified personal trainer and Membership Advisor at The Women’s Club (www.thewomensclub.com/Home) in Missoula, MT. (406) 728-4410.
family}
childhood
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. ~John Lubbock
Rest is not idleness By Gretchen Knuffke
I grew up in a small town in Colorado in the 70’s and early 80’s. There was not a lot to do in our town, we didn’t have a mall, our movie theatre showed one movie at a time, we only had 3 TV channels and there were no computers, internet or video games. My mom did not let us play in the house all summer either, I guess after 8 months of winter she was ready to send us out the screen door and she didn’t want to hear it slam all day. It seemed as though the other moms felt the same way she did. We lived across the street from the same kids for 10 years and I never saw the inside of their house!
For the three months of summer we stayed outside all day. Our moms stayed inside doing whatever moms did in the 70’s. I think it was ironing since permanent press had not yet been invented and my mom spent a lot of time with the iron and her soap operas. Times sure have changed. Last summer I gave my little girls a play ironing board and they used it as a surfboard! Another reason we did not dare tell our mothers that we were bored, is that they would find us something to do. My mother’s idea of a boredom buster always had something to do with cleaning supplies. Personally, I would much rather use my own imagination to find something to do than have my mother use hers! Summers were the things dreams are made of. When I think back on my childhood, I mostly remember moments filled with the smells and feel-
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ings of summer. Our yards were about an acre each and we played across 5 of them. There weren’t any fences and all the yards had gardens that we ate out of anytime we wanted. There were raspberries and blackberries and trees filled with fruit. I remember laying in the fragrant summer clover, looking up at the billowing clouds and eating fruit all afternoon; sweet strawberries, rhubarb so tart your lips would pucker, plump raspberries and little, red crabapples. Then, we would run through the sage brush where grasshoppers would cling to our legs as we ran by. We built forts, rode bikes, played Capture the Flag, and when it got dark, we played Kick the Can and told ghost stories. We fished and swam and hiked. I don’t remember a single overweight child either. We ran all summer.
When darkness fell we would lie in the grass and look up at the stars and tell stories. The Milky Way stretched all the way across the sky and the stars were brilliant, sharp and clear. A couple of months ago I was reading an article in Sunset Magazine and the writer said that she had never seen the Milky Way. Can you imagine a world in which you have never seen the Milky Way? That, to me, is true poverty. As mothers we all hope to give our kids a memorable childhood and have them grow up to be interesting, smart, funny, innovative people. Unlike our
mothers, we have to compete with technology and its addictive hold on our kids. Video games with levels that never end, 500 TV channels, the internet with its social connection, all available without leaving your home. These things draw in our kids and make them lazy. They are losing their ability to think, to create, to imagine. Summer is the perfect time to unplug your kids and see what they can do. Let them use that great imagination builder we call boredom. What could your kids create this summer without TV and internet? What books would they read? What would they imagine?
We are so lucky to live in the Flathead where a childhood like I had is still possible. We still have the Milky Way and wide open spaces. We have hiking, fishing, and swimming. We live at the doorway to the greatest National Park in America. Glacier can be the backdrop to your children’s memories. Unplug yourself and your family this summer and create a memorable childhood built on a little boredom and a lot of imagination.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ~Albert Einstein
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family} Summer
Extra-curricular By Kristen Pulsifer
It’s summer. Our kiddos have one more week of school and then structured five day school weeks come to an end. What to do? Don’t work too hard to figure it out. While a certain amount of structured activity is good for kids, find ways to shake it up.
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This past school year I was fortunate enough to do a fair bit of college prep and counseling. I had the pleasure of working with a wonderful group of students that worked diligently on SAT test prep, college applications and essays. They researched colleges that would suit them and found that colleges had an array of different expectations when it came to GPA’s; but, one thing was consistent. They all wanted students that had shown a strong involvement in extra- curricular activities. Colleges want students that have involved themselves in everything from volunteer work and community service, to sports, music and then throw a paying job in on top of that. The extra-curricular expectations were overwhelming. Students’ eyes would glaze over and the wheels in their brains squeaked and churned as they tried to figure out when to fit in all of the extra stuff! Some students would begin shaking and sweating as they anxiously wondered, “ How can I fit in the sports, the volunteer work and the music between the AP courses and every day tests at school?” The answer: They can’t do it all during the school year, so when to do it? Summer! Summer freedom is nice and needed for kids, but it is a great time to pick up some other activities
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that will help their college resume and extracurricular list.
Summer is a wonderful time for kids to have a job. Whether it is babysitting, landscaping or helping a parent at their office, demonstrating the ability and responsibility to hold down a job shows maturity, commitment and independence. Colleges like to see resourceful applicants that value financial responsibility and real world experience; and, having a job exhibits all of that. It is especially advantageous to have the same job each summer. This shows that employers look forward to this kid returning and value the work and character the person has demonstrated over an extended period of time.
The summer is also a great time to keep up with sports. While most kiddos are a part of their school teams, some kids are not. The summer is a great time to be involved in sport camps or outdoor activities that they cannot have fun with during the school year. We are fortunate to live in a place that offers not only the school athletics such as soccer, tennis and hockey, but outdoor fun such as kayaking, hiking and biking. Even though they are not school sports does not mean that colleges will not highly acknowledge a commitment to these sports. I have worked with one student for two years, who races cars – very seriously. He is completely committed to the sport, and I guarantee colleges will do more than simply acknowledge this activity. He races almost year round, but the sport picks up considerably in the summers. Use the summer to try something unique and different.
Summer is also a wonderful time to participate in volunteer work. Look at hospitals, senior citizen homes or even pre-schools with summer programs. Businesses and organizations truly value diligent students that are willing to volunteer their time.
I have listed several options, and I believe even these will leave a person swimming and stressing. Students’ eyes cross even harder, and their hair often stands on end at the mention of some of these things during their SUMMER! But, I am not suggesting that kids do all of these things. It would be wonderful to simply select even one of these things to focus on. Colleges like a diverse student, but they know their applicants are not bionic wonders… they are human and they are kids. Colleges simply want to see diversity and commitment to whatever it is students choose to do. Summer is a great time to fulfill some of these extra-curricular activities without stressing ourselves too much during the school year. Most importantly, let the things your kids decide to do be their own creation. The independence element to doing this is key in ensuring their commitment to the activity, no matter the age of your child. When you give your children independence, they tend to take ownership over the activities they choose to do, and they therefore value the experience more. Help lead them in making healthy and wise choices, but don’t attempt to control the experience. Remember, freedom is part of the summer experience, so allow them the opportunity to more freely choose what they will enjoy and be successful doing.
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art}
Kim Shirley
Kim Shirley Written by Joyce Walkup
Fine art watercolorist, wedding and landscape photographer, office manager, ice cream
aficionado (and scooper!), runner, hiker, benevolent church volunteer… these diverse talents and attributes are all combined into the exuberant ball of energy that is Kim Shirley.
Her first love is watercolor. Professionally trained in this art form at Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Kim’s technique is masterful and the passion for her craft informs every canvas. The impeccable layering of colors creates her signature style – there’s a softness and mood that are uniquely hers. There are many favorite subjects – horses, landscapes, cowboys, Montana’s wildlife, flowers, people… wherever the inspiration takes her. Kim says that, “Being able to capture and translate images to paper the way I see them and to be able to strike a chord with others is a magical thing. It is a privilege to get to share the beauty I observe and have it acknowledged.” 406
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Capturing the light and essence of people and animals is surely a rare gift and Kim’s canvases are saturated in style, color and feeling all demonstrating this undeniable talent. Kim’s fine art watercolors truly tell the stories of the landscapes, people and animals that they portray.
Watercolor commissions are found around the valley from Kim’s brush. “Mac” the beloved Zignego/Gardner West Highland Terrier graces the wall of the Five Star Rental Office in Whitefish. This commission was a gift from a friend to owner Jill Zignego. If you know Mac, you’ll immediately see his personality and presence in this rendering. Other recent commissions include a precious cabin in the woods (requested by its owner to grace his wall until he can spend more time there), a well loved horse forever
memorialized, sisters caught in a laugh filled moment. Kim truly has the ability to render a sense of wholeness to the page of these animals and people, evoking deep emotions of all kinds. She has a rare gift indeed. The love of light in people and places also informs her photography. Infused with special wonder, these captured moments in time allow her talent another avenue of expression. Wedding photography is a lovely, joyful way of combining these forces. The bride, groom and family members are able to continue to experience the initial moment’s love and joy for years to come as they continue to savor their wedding by way of these photographic memories. This capturing of love and light has created a vast library of Kim’s images, all full of beauty, composition and
art}Kim Shirley
color. The fruits of spending artful hours in our grand valley and in Glacier National Park too have added to this collection. Other passionate pursuits for Kim are running (she is presently training for the Missoula marathon), church activities, social media, hiking, snowshoeing, photography, reading and ice cream! (visit her at Sweet Peaks in Whitefish). You can check out Kim’s watercolors and photography at her website (there are links to her blog, watercolor site and photography site) at, www.kimshirleyoriginals.com. Look for her this art fair season at “Summerfair,” July 14 and 15 in Billings and “River City Roots Festival”, August 25 and 26 in Missoula.
A few more commissions are still available for Christmas, and her fine art watercolors are for sale in galleries throughout the state. 69
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Museum of Art
Plain Fantastic Plein Air Photos by Brian Eklund
Plein Air is a French expression which means “in the open air”, and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. For the past four years, the Hockaday Museum of Art has hosted its Plein Air Paint Out event in and around the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park, areas that inspire visitors from all over the world with their pristine natural beauty. The Plein Air Paint Out attracts Montana’s top artistic talent and artists are juried into the event by a local panel of experts representing diverse art-related backgrounds. Proceeds from the sale of Plein Air Paint Out works support the Hockaday Museum of Art’s mission to “enrich the cultural life of our community and region, and preserve the artistic legacy of Montana and Glacier National Park.”
art}Museum of Art
Photos from right to left: Wanda Mumm on Lake McDonald in the Park, Kenneth Yarus at St. Mary's in the Park- Ron Ukrainetz on the east side of the Park - Mark Ogle just passed Logan Pass in Glacier Park.
This year, the annual Plein Air Paint Out event will be held on Montana Land Reliance conservation properties June 20-22. The Montana Land Reliance’s voluntary conservation easements protect 820,779 acres of ecologically, agriculturally and historically important land. Participating artists will be selecting their inspirational views from a list that includes a wide variety of properties located from the Swan River to the North Fork area. Twenty-nine renowned Montana artists working in media ranging from oil to pastel will have three days to create as many paintings as they can, rain, shine, or snow. The participating artists in the Hockaday’s 5th Annual Plein Air Paint Out event this year include: Rob Akey, Stephanie Barret-Pointer, Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey, James Corwin, Elaine Davis, Marsha Davis, Thomas English, Margaret Graziano, Allen Jimmerson, Mary Kelley, Thomas G. Lewis, Jennifer McClellan, Patrick McClellan, Jeff Manion, Robert Marceau, Dave Mihalic, James Moore, Wanda Mumm, Nicholas Oberling, Mark Ogle, Kyle Paliotto, Robert Spanning, Janet Sullivan, Linda Tippetts, Germaine Trenary, Ron Ukrainetz, Rachel Warner, Shirle Wempner and Kenneth Yarus. Art patrons seeking acquisition of original works featuring local landscapes and scenery are invited to attend the Plein Air Paint Out Party & Sale to be held in the Hockaday’s Centennial Pavilion Tent on
Saturday, June 23, from 5 to 8 PM. Two pieces of artwork from each participating artist created during the Plein Air Paint Out event will be offered for sale at fixed prices. The event is free of admission charge and is open to the public. The Hockaday’s 2012 Plein Air Paint Out Party & Sale will feature some of the valley’s finest cuisine. John’s Angels Catering from Whitefish will be creating irresistible appetizers to complement Lakeside’s Docks Restaurant’s expertly made beverages. To satisfy the most discriminating sweet tooth, Powza! Baking Company serves up gourmet cupcakes and Sweet Peaks Ice Cream brings the taste of summer. The event is also sponsored by Airworks, Inc. and The Towne Printer. Following the Party & Sale on June 23, works from the Plein Air Paint Out event will be placed on exhibit in the Hockaday June 25 through August 25. Available works will remain for sale at fixed prices.
The Hockaday Museum of Art is located in the cultural district of downtown Kalispell at 302 Second Ave East. It is housed in a 1904 Carnegie Library building that appears on the National Register of Historic Places. The Museum is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, open year-round, Tuesday through Saturday from 10am-5pm. A wheelchair accessible entry and elevator are provided. For more information, please visit www.HockadayMuseum. org or call 406-755-5268.
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art} Art Auction
Virtuoso Violins Art Auction By Marti Ebbert Kurth Photos by © John Stalowy Productions
Twelve prominent Montana artists are offering their talents to a Glacier Symphony and Chorale fund-
raiser to celebrate its 30th season. The Virtuoso Violins Art Auction is a traveling exhibit of 11 sculpted
and painted violins that will be displayed during the month of June in the store windows of Glacier Bank in downtown Kalispell, at Bozeman Watch Co. in Whitefish, and at Frame of Reference in Bigfork.
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art} Art Auction
Above Photo of Karen Leigh by Marti Ebbert Kurth
The silent bidding will begin in July when the violins will be displayed at three GSC summer concerts: Pops Night in Bigfork at Harbor Village on July 6; at the Summer Symphony Pops Concert at Rebecca Farm on July 7 and at the Festival Amadeus Open Air Orchestra Concert July 22 in Whitefish Depot Park. The final night of bidding and the awarding of the violin art will be held at a gala Virtuoso Violins and Vino Art Auction at the OShaughnessy Center, Monday July 23. Festivities will include sampling of fine Italian and Austrian wines from Mozarts Cellar and conclude with a live auction, led by a Whitefish personality, Richard Atkinson. Organizing the auction are long time supporters of the GSC, Margene Berry of Lakeside and Kalispell oil painters, Jennifer Li and Nicholas Oberling.
Above Photo of Rochelle
Lombardi who used her skill as
a sculptor to create a bronze cat
on her violin. Photo on left : A
violin painted by Nick Oberling
and Jennifer Li. Both photos by
Š John Stalowy Productions.
This is a great collaboration between our visual arts community and the Glacier Symphony and Chorale. Weve had great support from these 11 valley artists who are donating 100 percent of the proceeds from their creations to the Symphony, explains Berry. She adds that each violin is designed in the artists favorite medium ranging from painting to sculpting offering a diversity of styles that will appeal to a wide audience of art lovers. The artists participating in the Virtuoso Violin Art Auction are Nancy Cawdrey, Karen Leigh, Nick Oberling and Jennifer Li, Rochelle Lombardi, Mark Ogle, Rob Akey, Jeff Manion, Jeffrey Funk, Marla Edmiston, Susan Guthrie and Tara Moore.
Contributing to the auctions success is John Stalowy a Bigfork photographer who provided images of each piece of art to incorporate into a bidding book. The book details each artists concept and provides a comprehensive look at the artwork being offered for sale.
To obtain a copy of the bidding book, call the GSC office at 406 257-3241. Or view the Virtuoso Violin Art online at www.gscmusic.org.
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art} books
Book Review Sponsored by
862-9659 - 242 Central Avenue, Whitefish Below Copperleaf Chocolat Co.
The Weird Sister By: Eleanor Brown BOOK REVIEWS BY JOAN G. SMITH This book is about an eccentric family, comprised of three sisters, their mother and their father (Dr. James Andreas), a professor of Shakespeare at Barnwell College. For starters, all of the girls were named for The Bards heroines – Rosalind, Bianca and Cordelia. The oldest daughter is Rose, the middle one is Bean, and the youngest is Cordy. They are all avid readers, and the father speaks mostly in Shakespearean verse. TV is not a part of their lives and all of life’s problems can be solved with a library card! Rose is the homebody, a college graduate, recently engaged to Jonathan and living at home with a good career.
Bean is a fast living sophisticate in New York spending way beyond her means, and Cordy is a traveling bohemian who finds herself pregnant while on the road. Their mother has just been diagnosed with cancer, which gives everyone an excuse to come home after being away for several years. No one wants to say that things have not turned out as expected, but make up excuses instead… at least at the beginning! As the truth gradually appears, and we are treated to a humorous, thought-provoking display of a family torn apart and stitching its way back together. I didn’t find a single boring page on this journey – the characters are all wonderful.
The girls have a way of describing themselves, and I quote, “See, we love each other. We just don’t like each other very much.” Eleanor Brown has written a novel that pulls you into the lives of a family that makes you feel you are right there with them.
The Innocent By: David Baldacci The Innocent is the very newest Baldacci thriller – just out in April 2012. Will Robie is the hit-man called on to eliminate enemies of the U.S. when all else has failed, including the military, the FBI and the police. His missions take him all over the world, and his life is lonely and secretive at all times. So far he has been successful; otherwise he would be dead. Suddenly his mission is close to home, which is unusual. It’s in Washington D.C. Everything is out of control – and he reacts in an unusual way – he refuses to kill. The person involved is a fourteen year old girl, supposedly a runaway from a foster home. There is something about Julie that makes him want to help her instead of turning her in. She is intelligent, careful and brave, but she desperately needs help 406
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and Robie finds he can’t abandon her. As Julie finally decides to trust him, they are on their own, and Robie finds out her parents, who loved her, have been murdered. The hunt is on and Robie can’t even trust his own people. Somebody is playing him, and the cover-up may involve people in very high places. Robie finds himself being contracted by “Blue Man”, who is from the Bureau in the highest category. Robie is asked to help. Robie agrees, but secretly his first priority is turning out to be Julie, and he has to keep her hidden, for her safety, until he can clear her name. Various characters emerge, such as Agent Vance, a woman from the FBI on duty in the White House.
Then there is Annie Lambert, a resident in Robie’s apartment building, who makes herself available. Robie finds her attractive, much to his surprise. Will Robie finds himself forced to play a different game in order to save Julie and even himself. The action is nonstop, spell bounding and remarkably innovative. The Innocent is a mystery thriller in the here and now.
art} books
Children's BOOK REVIEW By Kristen Pulsifer
Win’s Way: The Story of a Rescue Border Collie Author: Gretchen Finch
Dog lover or not, Win’s Way is a delightful children’s story that will warm the heart of any reader. The story is told from the point of view of Win, a dog left to fend for himself until he is rescued from his feral life in “sage-brush covered hills” and brought to the loving home he deserves. His new owner Dora is patient and kind and gives Win the time he needs to realize that all humans are not out to harm him. Dora’s father has a sheep ranch, and Win spends many a day warming up to his new family and the true instinct all Border Collies have – to herd. One day Win is overcome by his urge to herd the sheep he has been observing from afar. Though fun for Win, this was not fun for Dora’s father. So, when Dora’s father threatens to give Win away if his urge cannot be contained, Dora takes the most logical route and trains Win to do what he so instinctually desires to do, properly. Dora’s family laughs at the thought of training this ‘rescue dog’ to herd sheep correctly, but Dora has faith in Win, and Win, like all Border Collies, desires a job – “It was an important farm, and that’s exactly what I (Win) wanted: important work.” Win’s adventures in learning what it takes to become a true sheep dog, among other heroic acts, make this story a worthy read for children and adults. Author and illustrator, Gretchen Finch, lives in Whitefish with her Welsh Corgi “Owen”, and close to her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. Visit her website, www.gretchenfinch.com, and view more details on her book and beautiful art work. 77
community}
Garden
LOCAL FOOD STRENGTHENS COMMUNITY Columbia Falls Community Garden Looks Back on its Successful First Growing Season by Lindsay Becker
Take a summer stroll through River's Edge Park in Columbia Falls, and along your way to the riparian trails beneath the cottonwood trees, you'll see a vibrant patch of colorful, organic flowers and vegetables. This is the Columbia Falls Community Garden, where gardening space and fresh produce is provided to local residents who would otherwise not be able to enjoy the benefits of gardening. In September 2010, the Columbia Falls City Council voted to dedicate space in River’s Edge Park on the east side of town for the creation of the Columbia Falls Community Garden. First Best Place, a community-based nonprofit, had adopted the community garden as one of its programs a few months earlier, thanks to the efforts of Naomi Morrison and Connie Behe. Their work led to the creation of a volunteer committee that would establish and maintain the garden for the benefit of the community.
The following March, gardeners broke ground with the help of Montana Conservation Corps and the Center for Restorative Youth Justice. By mid-June, the garden's first vegetables were being harvested for weekly veggie subscribers, farmer’s market stand, and the local food bank. The Columbia Falls Community Garden has provided a true community building experience to its participants. Neighboring plot tenants swapped gardening tips, parents and children cared for their plots together, and gardeners shared their home-grown, organic veggies with their friends and families. From the supportive comments of passers-by, to the generous donations from local individuals and businesses, the community embraced the garden with great excitement. Looking back on the season's accomplishments, you can see why.
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Approximately 3,000 lbs of food were grown in the half-acre community garden this season, providing fresh, local produce to an estimated 150 households. The gar-
community}
Garden
Approximately 3,000 lbs of food were grown in the half-acre community garden this season, providing fresh, local produce to an estimated 150 households.
den also provided a unique volunteer opportunity to many gardeners and youth in the community—more than 60 volunteers (36 of them youths) contributed nearly 800 volunteer hours to the garden over the course of the season! Even though there is snow on the ground, there is still work to be done. Winter is a time to make gardening plans, and the plans for the 2012 growing season include installing hose bibs for irrigation, adding apple trees, and planting perennials in the garden. The garden will continue to offer access to fresh, local produce to community members through garden plots, veggie subscriptions, farmer's market produce, food bank donations, and volunteer opportunities for the 2012 season.
It has been an incredible experience watching the garden grow from an idea into a reality—a reality that makes in impact in the community. The First Best Place mission is to improve quality of life amenities in the community, and the Columbia Falls Community Garden has served an important role in that mission. The garden nourishes the community both physically and socially; it allows us to get to know our food and each other, strengthening our ties to the beautiful place in which we live. For more information about the Columbia Falls Community Garden, please call (406) 892-1363 or e-mail lindsay@firstbestplace.org.
By
t he
N u mber s
The Columbia Falls Community Garden served the community through...
Donating produce to the Columbia Falls food bank: 350 lbs during the 2011 season
ñ Providing Volunteer opportunities:
Volunteer contributed 790 hours in total 65 people volunteered in the garden
36 of them are youths from the community
Supplying CSA shares (veggie subscriptions):
9 households received a weekly box of fresh, local produce
A total of 700 lbs were distributed over the course of 18 weeks Offering community garden plots:
18 plots were created for community members to rent 12 plots were actively utilized for the full season
The food from the plots fed 28 people over the summer
Gardeners gathered an estimated total of 1,500 lbs of produce from the plots Bringing high quality produce to the Columbia Falls local farmer's market: Roughly 500 lbs of produce and seedlings were sold 50-100 seed packets were distributed to gardeners
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community} happenings
GSC League Luncheon.....Springtime in the Garden Text by Marti Kurth Photos by Michael Laurino The League of Glacier Symphony and Chorale held its annual "Spring Time in the Garden" fundraising luncheon on April 18 at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Kalispell. The event featured beautiful floral arrangements donated by area florists that were raffled off with proceeds going towards the League's Youth Scholarship fund. Guests accentuated their spring garb with fancy hats and musical entertainment was provided by "The Great Pretenders" a male quartet of singers from the Glacier Chorale.
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