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Harriet Marble’s Bird Encounters of the Earliest Kind
Harriet Marble of Chester keeps pencil and binoculars at the ready when she runs a breeding bird survey. She has counted birds for the national program for over three decades. [Photo by Liz Larcom]
By Liz Larcom Early one June morning, Harriet Marble of Chester stood on a rural road next to her vehicle’s front fender listening and watching for birds on one of her assigned breeding bird survey routes. She took note of each, and then stopped when her timer sounded. With a schedule running 4-5 hours from before dawn, Harriet encounters few people on her route, but this day a man walked over and asked, “Would you give me a lift to the Agency? I need to catch a ride on the shuttle to get to a doctor’s appointment in Great Falls.” “Sure, but I have to make a lot of bird stops along the way,” she replied. She wasn’t kidding. Only a mail carrier stops more often than Harriet does. In fact, a morning on a breeding bird survey entails 50 stops, each for exactly three minutes and each a half mile apart. That’s what happens when a researcher plans your birding. When biologist Chandler Robbins wanted an accurate way to sample the birds of early summer, he wanted to know how they fared from year to year across the country. With the effects of DDT just becoming clear, he created the method volunteers still use today, giving it a trial run in 1966 in the eastern U.S. In 1979, Harriet got word that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service wanted volunteers with enthusiasm and strong bird identification skills to follow a strict regimen along a road the Service randomly selected. Desiring to use her knowledge even if Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks seemed uninterested in hiring the University of Montana alumnus with the Masters in Wildlife Management, Harriet said, “Yes.” Then she listened to hours and hours of bird tapes to polish her identification skills and headed out. The experience passed muster. “I did one route and I liked it so much, I asked for another,” recalls Harriet, smiling. Getting up early? “Once you’re up, it’s the best time of day,” she says. She doesn’t doubt the value of an early start. When she arrives a halfhour before dawn, “The birds are already going at it.” Later Harriet added two more routes, all of which she must do between Memorial Day and the first week of July. She must choose days with passable roads, little if any rain, and winds less than 13 miles per hour. Thankfully, forecasting accuracy has improved since Harriet began 36 years ago. Now when she awakens, she doublechecks for any changes then sets out with confidence. Much of the time her routes run through wheat, stubble, and rangeland, but at other places, she counts at a prairie, pothole, or creek. Wherever the half-mile mark puts her, she surveys, (Continued on page 63)
PAGE 2 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Preserving The John Clarke Legacy
The Aug/Sep 2015 issue of Montana Senior News has two articles on page 43 – one about the Miracle of America Museum in Polson (of which I am the founder) and the other about the John Clarke Gallery. John’s granddaughter, Dana, has been working to keep the memory of John alive. There are also several museums in the state that exhibit his work and thus keep the public aware of him. Our John Clarke exhibit includes four of his works. Two are of his traditional goat and bear carving to sell to the tourists. Another is a driftwood table lamp with a shade on which he painted bear and cub scenes. I am not aware of another. The focal point is a large gallery carving of an erect Grizzly sow with her foot caught in a trap with two cubs around her, an erect dead tree, and a hunter holding a 95 Winchester carbine levering a round into the chamber and advancing on the bear. For this exhibit, I display those articles that John would have studied in order to carve them to scale, i.e. gun, bear trap, grizzly skull, cartridge belt, hunter’s cap, etc. Indeed, it generates mixed emotions while viewing it. But this display is about more than just the art and articles about John Clarke. Importantly, an attached tag says, “Handicaps can make ordinary
d e t r o f m o C w o d i Montana W y l l u f e c a e P d e s s a P Knowing Husband
“
I’m grateful Erwin – Ethel Byrnes had this option.
”
On a sunny morning in March 2014, Erwin Byrnes’s long battle with cancer and Parkinson’s Disease had come to an end. He sat down in his favorite chair, took some medication prescribed by his doctor, and passed peacefully at home. He was surrounded by his loving wife and grown children. The Montana Supreme Court’s Baxter ruling ensures Montanans can exercise their freedom through the end of life because it authorizes aid in dying for people who are terminally ill. If you support death with dignity, help in the fight to protect your endof-life options. Please fill out and return the petition below.
Ask Your Doctor To Support Death With Dignity! Yes! I support end-of-life options. Name: Mailing Address: Phone:
Email: Mail completed petitions to PO Box 1348 Helena, MT 59624.
PO Box 1348 Helena, MT 59624 800 247 7421
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
people extraordinary.” When I give lectures to schools and other youth groups, I state that most of us have some handicap whether seen or unseen, or may develop one in later life. I then explain that John was a deaf mute from age three, but did not let a handicap hold him back. I stress that if we ever start feeling sorry for ourselves, we should remember this display and that John overcame his handicap through his art! In this way, we are not only displaying his art, but sharing his philosophy as well. I am attaching a photo of this exhibit and I hope you will show it. Gil Mangels Miracle of America Museum Polson
Support Bernie Sanders for President
Montanans for Bernie Sanders is a new and exciting statewide grassroots movement growing in Montana. Bernie Sanders, U. S. Senator from Vermont, is a Democratic candidate for President. He has fought tirelessly over the past three decades while serving as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, a U. S. Congressman, and a U. S. Senator for working families focusing on the shrinking middle class and the growing gap between the rich and all other Americans.
It is difficult to fathom the technological changes that have occurred in the last century. For those in the 100-year age bracket, imagine the transition from horse and buggy to 80 mph freeways, from being ground bound to supersonic and space flight, and from looking at Mars as a tiny red glow in the sky to seeing its surface through a rover’s camera. And these do not reflect the many changes in our daily life such as the internet, email, streaming music and movies, online banking, cell phones, and text messages. This issue’s winning Remember When selection is by Toni Hagener of Havre whose story Grandma and Change reflects the evolution that those born early in the 20th century must have made as technology has advanced exponentially. Thank you, Toni for your contribution. Remember When contains our readers’ personal reflections, contributions describing fictional or non-fictional accounts from the “Good ol’ Days” or reflections on life in general. Contributions may be stories, letters, artwork, poetry, etc. Photos may be included. Each issue of the Montana Senior News features the contributions deemed best by our staff. The contributor of the winning entry receives a $25 cash prize. We look forward to receiving your contributions for our December 2015/January 2016 issue. Mail your correspondence to Montana Senior News,
“Rural yet Refined...life just got easier”
Local community volunteer partner organizations of Montanans for Bernie Sanders have formed in Livingston, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Missoula, Billings, Eastern Montana, and Helena. Bernie’s progressive economic agenda to restore America’s middle class includes rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, addressing climate change, real tax reform, protecting the most vulnerable Americans, taking on Wall Street, making college affordable for all, raising the minimum wage, pay equity for women workers, growing the trade union movement, and health care for all. Recently, the National Nurses Union, the nation’s largest organization of nurses endorsed Senator Sanders for president. RoseAnn Demoro, Executive Director of the 185,000-strong organization stated, “Bernie has a proven track record of uncompromised activism and advocacy for working people and a message that resonates with nurses and tens of thousands of people across the country.” Please join Montanans from all walks of life in supporting Bernie Sanders for President in 2016. His message is clear and authentic. People, not money, power the Bernie Sanders for President 2016 movement. His fight is our fight! Begin by visiting MTforBernie.com or facebook.com/montanansforberniesanders. Roger Ala Helena MSN
P.O. Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403; email to montsrnews@bresnan.net; or call 1-800-672-8477 or 406-761-0305. Also visit us online at montanaseniornews.com.
Grandma and Change By Toni Hagener, Havre It was the 1920s and Grandma was pushing 80 when that young “whippersnapper” of a grandson brought Grandpa and her a car! “Such a contraption!” she exclaimed when he showed it to her. He was so proud of it and so eager to have them try it that she didn’t dare say more then. She had many thoughts but kept them to herself. Grandpa didn’t say much then or ever. He took his time looking the thing over and even tried driving it. Grandma had other things to tend to. She did thank the boy but wasn’t sure she meant it.
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PAGE 4 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Montana Senior News A Barrett-Whitman Publication
P.O. Box 3363 • Great Falls, MT 59403-3363 406-761-0305 or 800-672-8477 FAX 406-761-8358 montanaseniornews.com email: montsrnews@bresnan.net The Montana Senior News is published six times each year in February, April, June, August, October and December at 415 3rd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401 and is distributed free to readers throughout the state of Montana. The mail subscription rate is $10.00 per year (6 issues). The Montana Senior News is written to serve the reading interests of mature Montanans of all ages. Readers are encouraged to contribute interesting material. Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. All copy appearing in the Montana Senior News is protected by copyright and may be reprinted only with the written permission of the publisher. Advertising copy should be received or space reserved by the 5th of the month preceding the month of publication.
Jack W. Love, Jr., Publisher/Editor Colleen Paduano Kathleen McGregor Lisa Gebo Jonathan Rimmel Peter Thornburg Sherrie Smith
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Later that evening, in the barn, she talked to her friend and companion Maude, and said plenty. The mare was a good listener. She always nickered companionably when Grandma talked. “I don’t like that dratted thing with the big wheel right in middle and all those pull things in front and push things on the floor!” Maude shifted her weight. “To get that thing to going, I may have to crank it, open the door, climb in, push a bunch of knobs and pedals, and fiddle with that big wheel. Pshaw! When I want you to go, all I have to do is give you a kick in the ribs. There’s no talking to that contraption. It’s too noisy!” She paused for a breath. “Well, I suppose keeping up on gas, oil, and tires isn’t much worse than keeping you in this barn and feeding you oats and all. That car doesn’t smell very good but neither do you at times – and you both track in dirt!” Maude shook her head. “And, I’ll bet it couldn’t find its way home in a storm!” Grandma added. Maude was pleased at that comment! Sonny said she would get used to it. Grandpa wasn’t so sure. He was a patient man and after a few years he even taught her to drive and she sort of did. Anyone or anything that saw her coming in that car hurried to get out of the way. She jumped many a curb and banged every garage door she tried to drive through. We won’t even mention backing up! She, however, always thought she was in control! About 100 years later another spirited young descendant of that family, brought his Grandma a computer! He put all the parts and pieces – modems, monitors, and printers he called them – and spent some time telling her what they were for. And then there was that little thing called a mouse! Imagine that! He said she could send instant letters to people anywhere and everywhere! Grandma wasn’t impressed. She didn’t know that many people away from here and she liked to talk to them on the phone. She really took to the telephone when it was introduced awhile back. She especially liked the party line. Sonny said she could send letters and even make fancy cards on the computer. Grandma couldn’t imagine doing that on a machine! She made extra effort now, to get just the right card and message to send or take to friends that she thought needed a response from her. She was shocked at the idea people would send condolences on the computer. “So impersonal!” she said. She looked forward to receiving mail and often reread cards or letters or kept them on hand for later reference. She had
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a big Christmas card list and put a letter in every one she sent. Grandma was in control of her own method of correspondence. She wasn’t at all sure of that computer. When Sonny said she had to have a secret password to even get on to the machine Grandma was distressed. How was she going to remember to use a password every time she wanted to use that dratted thing? Sonny said she would be able to get a lot of information on the computer. But, Grandma thought, “I already have a dictionary and an encyclopedia and a very nice helpful library!” She did admit that the printer thing might come in handy sometimes. It was obvious that Sonny was impressed – even enchanted with this thing. She really did thank him but fear and distrust prevailed in her heart. Grandma learned about beginner classes on computers, so she shyly took three different courses. Nobody in them was as much a beginner as she was! She did learn to do some things but not nearly as much as other people. She pretty much kept to the basic routine she had learned. She had friends and relatives that loved their computers so much they quit writing letters or even making telephone calls! They sent terse messages on the computer – nothing chatty or friendly about that! Furthermore, they seemed to be able to buy and operate the new stuff that was always coming out! Grandma couldn’t see spending so much on the updates. But then she figured she wouldn’t know how to use them anyway. She definitely was not in control of all that computer stuff. Grandma got older and so did the computer. In no time at all, it was well over 10 years old and having problems. The man at the computer repair store wasn’t happy to take it in for repair. Grandma half-heartedly looked at the new computers, but new models were coming out every few months. They all had many new features, but she didn’t understand half of what the man said. She just got more confused. Weeks later, she watched a TV news program about past inventions and learned that the computer had been invented more than a thousand years ago! The program said that the people that invented it refused to develop it because they felt they could not control it! Grandma had watched and listened to programs about computers hacking into lots of private accounts and even government ones! “Land a mighty,” Grandma thought. Those ancient people sure knew enough about computers to be afraid of them! They just wanted to be sure they stayed in control! MSN
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Camp Mak-A-Dream Considered a Montana treasure by many, for most, Camp Mak-A-Dream remains a pleasant mystery. In celebration of Camp’s 20th anniversary, it seemed fitting to “open the doors” and let the world in! For children diagnosed with cancer, it’s easy to think they might be the only one. At Camp, participants discover that isn’t true. That others their age face the same looks at school, endure the same treatments, feel the same pain – and they triumph over it! What comes from this realization is confidence and resolve. For the first time since a doctor said, “It’s cancer,” they aren’t alone or different. They are like the kid next to them by the campfire or in the pool.
Since opening in 1995, we have served, cost free, over 6,000 children, teens, young adults, and families from Montana, forty-eight other states, and six countries. Camp isn’t just a retreat; it is an integral part of therapy. It inspires determination, provides hope, and gives campers a network of support. In the words of many, Camp Mak-A-Dream is “part of my cure.” We are honored to be a small part of what makes Montana so special! For more information visit us at campdream. org or call 406-549-5987. MSN
The Montana Historical Society – History Worth Celebrating & Supporting! The Montana Historical Society (MHS) was born on February 2, 1865. Our founders – Granville Stuart, Wilbur Fisk Sanders, and other pioneers – knew that to succeed, the new Montana Territory needed to preserve its history for the future. As MHS celebrates its 150th year, we look back; but we are also looking forward. Limitless opportunities to engage folks in Montana’s rich heritage lie ahead. Over the past 150 years, countless passionate people have supported MHS. Contributions from people like you ensure that our heritage is preserved, that meaningful and real stories are told, and that future generations are inspired by Montana’s fascinating history. You can help honor the legacy of Montana’s past, and meet the challenges of the future by making a gift to MHS. Together we will continue to preserve and share our Montana story. The MHS is not only about preserving history; it’s about joining hands to build the road ahead. It’s about encouraging civic engagement and honoring citizenship. It’s about sharing an appreciation for our rich past today – and for (at least) another 150 years! Get to know your MHS and our plans for the future. Visit montanahistoricalsociety.org, follow us on social media, or call us with your questions and comments at 406-444-2694. MSN
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 5
PAGE 6 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Books To Share With Your Teens
MONTANA HISTORY LOVERS 2 Books by Kalispell Author, Grace Larson
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By Connie Daugherty Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian; Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Griffin, New York, 2014. Joe Henry’s Journey up the Missouri River to the Montana Gold Fields 1862 by Marcia Melton; Raven Publishing, Inc., Norris, MT, 2014. Song of the Summer King by Jess E. Owen; Five Elements Press, Whitefish, MT, 2012. If you are an avid reader, you know that part of the fun is sharing a special book with someone else. For me over the years it has been sharing the reading experience with my grandchildren starting with picture books. It was while reading the Harry Potter, Twilight and Eragon series that I discovered that not only is this a great way to continue the reading bond with my grandchildren, but also that young adult fiction is not just for young adults. When the story is engaging, the characters well developed, and the writing high quality these books are as much for “old” adults. Reading is even more important as electronic and visual media become more and more the norm. There is just something so special about a toddler climbing up into your lap with a favorite book and saying, “Read!” Or a sixteen-year-old-girl saying, “Whenever I read this book I hear Grandma’s voice.” Or a fifteen-year-old boy reading aloud from Twilight as you sit by the lake together or discussing the details of Eragon adventures. So, I am always excited to discover exceptional books for the “tweens” and teens, and Montana has some exceptional authors writing exceptional books. A new author on the scene, Susan Adrian, is receiving national acclaim with Tunnel Vision. “The man is there again: long black coat, pressed pants, spit-shiny shoes… a sore thumb in a parking lot full of kids and beater cars… he stays until I come out, watches me get in my car. Then he drives away.” Jake Lukin is eighteen, and while not exactly socially awkward – he is decent at tennis and Halo – he is not exactly the most popular guy in his se-
nior class. He is different, a bit of a nerd, and gifted (not like his genius sister), or cursed, depending on how you look at it. It’s that unique ability, which he has taken great pains to keep secret that now has him fearing the man in the suit in the school parking lot. “I wasn’t going to go to Caitlyn Timmerman’s party,” but Rachel was going to be at the party, and then once there he “started to get a little drunk,” and then they started playing that silly game and he was just trying to impress Rachel. So, without thinking he “tunneled” right there in front of everybody. When Jake holds a personal object, he has the ability to tunnel – that’s what he calls it – into the owner. “There’s no filter – I say what I see, hear, feel. What that person is experiencing at that moment in time, wherever they are.” It was just a game, at a party, with friends like him in a safe place.” But suddenly, somehow, his secret is out; he senses it. And the government knows about him – the man in the suit in the parking lot is proof. His father warned him. “When I was little it used to happen all the time, accidentally… I learned quickly which things not to touch... certain things.” He also learned how to control the tunneling – to turn it off. Jake Lukin’s life is about to change forever as he encounters the people who are watching him. His ability can be used for good – to help people in danger – or evil. All he knows is that if he doesn’t cooperate his family could be in danger. Tunnel Vision is as unique and as fantastic as Jake’s ability with a bit of a political statement that will resonate with adults. A definite hit, right in there with Divergent and Hunger Games – or even better – and Susan Adrian is a talent to watch. Joe Henry’s Journey by Marcia Melton is set in Montana in 1862-63. Written for middle-school age this is an easy reading, fun way to explore a piece of Montana history. In 1862, gold was being discovered throughout Montana territory and the civil war was threatening families. Joe Henry
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Grummond’s family was no exception. “I was eleven at the time.” For many adult men including Joe Henry’s father, “[ ] it was either go west or go to war…. So, come about the first of May, we lit out for the West.” In St. Louis, Joe Henry and his father boarded a steamboat headed for Fort Benton. “Pa and I found a place under an overhang from the boat’s top deck and beside some barrels of whiskey… we had a spot and it gave us a tiny shred of protection.” Thus begins Joe Henry’s journey. Along the way, he meets kind and helpful people, and mean and greedy people. By the time they reach Fort Benton, they had “been through skin-soaking rain… freezing nights and… hot blistering sun…. On shore we’d seen buffaloes, bears and wolves.” From Fort Benton, they traveled overland to Bannack to meet Joe Henry’s uncle Jake who knew all about searching for gold. Together they staked out a claim. “Jake showed us how to do placer mining,” and “about a method with a wood box called a rocker box… or even a sluice box.” At the claim in Bannack, eleven-year-old Joe Henry works just as hard as his Pa and his uncle. Every day is an adventure. Danger from displaced Indians “who don’t want to give up their land,” and men who would rather steal another miner’s claim than work their own threaten. But there is also kindness and camaraderie as strangers help each other help to settle this new territory. Joe Henry grows and changes quickly just like the territory around him. He learns that some things and some people are not what they appear to be at first. He faces danger on his own and learns to be strong. He comes to love Montana while at the same time missing the sisters and grandparents he left behind. The inclusion of sketched maps and a bibliography make Joe Henry’s Journey a good choice for the classroom as well as for family reading. Joe Henry’s Journey is Marcia Melton’s second book of Montana historical fiction. Telling the story through the perspective of a young person resonates with middle-school readers who can see themselves in the place and time. Song of the Summer King, the first of a fantasy trilogy, by Jess E. Owen takes the reader
into the world of the Silver Isles populated by mystical animals – gryfons, wolves, and ravens. “Fresh morning air lifted clouds and… drew one young gryfon early from his den…. Shard strained against the steep sky… challenging himself to the highest possible dive…. Shard was born to fly if nothing else.” It was the day of the initiation hunt and a single moment’s action could determine his future. “He remained one of the few males in the pride not friend or kin to… the king…. Shard’s blood was fully of the… smaller, conquered pride called the Vanir.” Therefore, it was either be better and stronger than all the rest or face sure exile. In the middle of the great hunt Shard finds himself alone and face-to-face with a wolf. Rather than attack him she offers a riddle and advice on how to kill the wild boar. Shard is not only successful, but a hero of the hunt ensuring his place in the pride, or so it seems. Spring gives way to summer and as Shard sets up a settlement on the Star Isle where the wolves reign and follows his heart into the sky, he stumbles on secrets of his ancestors. He also discovers a secret within himself, a secret he never expected but now must acknowledge. Forced repeatedly to choose between his birth family and his adopted family, Shard’s love and loyalty are tested. One wants revenge another wants power and dominion, and both are eager to fight for it. Shard wants peace and acceptance but he is going to have to understand the past before he can influence the future… that is if he can survive. Jess E Owen’s Song of the Summer King takes readers on an exciting adventure of self and societal discoveries and keeps the pages turning all the way. Sure to be a hit with fantasy followers. These three authors created three very different stories in very different young readers’ genres, but they have one thing in common – providing young readers an opportunity to connect with the written word. In their writing Susan Adrian, Marcia Melton, and Jess E. Owen connect with the readers, just as we as grandparents do every time we share a reading adventure with “the kids.” MSN
Can There Ever Be Too Many Puns?
Submitted by Julie Hollar 1. The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. 2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but he turned out to be an optical Aleutian. 3. She was only the whiskey maker’s daughter, but he loved her still. 4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption. 5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery. 6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering. MSN
Montana Stirrups, Sage and Shenanigans Western Ranch Life in a Forgotten Era Readers Say... • “Action-packed stories” • “Wonderful reading” • “A fascinating time in our history”
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MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 7
PAGE 8 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Bird Watching vs. Football Watching
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By Don Rizzo As another football season approached a few years ago, I happily prepared to settle in front of the TV. I was relishing countless hours watching superhuman behemoths violently collide amidst the exquisite ballet of a perfect spiral sailing 40 yards and coming gently to rest precisely on the fingertips of a speed demon sprinting flat out. But, unfortunately, in the middle of all this ecstasy, a depressing thought seeped into my head. I tried to block it but it was too late I was blindsided. So here’s the thought: if you do the same things over and over year after year, no longer learning and growing, you might as well be dead. Was I really prepared to spend the next several months in a state of semi-consciousness as one game blended into the next? Don’t get me wrong. I love football. It’s a harmless way to channel destructive testosterone surges into an outlet slightly less controversial than punching people who disagree with you. But enough is enough. From 5 year olds decked out in so much protective armor they can hardly move, to 45 year olds on the disabled list while still making 30 million dollars a year, there’s enough football in this country to send the American Orthopedic Association into a state of permanent ecstasy. So once that nasty thought was implanted, I knew there’d be no football for me this season without a depressing cloud of guilt hanging over the stadium. I needed to grow! Find something intellectually stimulating! I pondered my dilemma and kept coming up empty. Take a course – too old. Run a marathon – too lazy. Play an instrument – too talentless. Then I happened to glance out the window. There, sitting on an unpruned shrub, was a bird. I had no idea what kind of bird it was. But it was obviously a messenger. I could see the contemptuous look in its eyes. “You pathetic couch potato,” it said. “I fly, I explore, I travel thousands of miles on my own gas. What do you do?”
An idea struck like a linebacker in an all-out blitz. I’d find out about the life of that bird. In fact, I’d become a birdwatcher! This seemed like a relatively simple, safe, and inexpensive hobby that would get me out of the house and focused on something more intellectually challenging than Alabama’s defense. Off I went, Googling merrily away for the few minutes of research it would take to get me rolling. How complicated could this be? Grab a handy pair of binoculars, a bird book, and hit the backyard, right? Wrong. Let’s start with simplicity. Technology has rained down a torrent of incomprehensible jargon into the trees. Here’s the introduction to a research paper on state-of-the art birding: “In this paper we develop a mobile scaffoldingaid-based bird-watching system, which aims to construct an outdoor mobility-learning activity using up-to-date wireless technology. The proposed Bird-Watching Learning (BWL) System is designed on the wireless mobile ad-hoc network. In the BWL system, each learner’s device has a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) with wi-fi (IEEE 802,1lb) card, with a WLAN environment.” Ah, communing with nature – it’s so basic. Okay, so I have to keep up with 21st century progress. At least it’s safer than auto racing or rock climbing, right? Wrong. Below are some random catastrophes that have befallen birdwatchers. Phoebe Snetsinger turned birdwatching into her passion after being told she had an incurable cancer. She traveled the world and held the record for most bird sightings (8,400!) before dying in a road accident in Madagascar. In March of 2008, three bird researchers and their pilot died in a plane crash in Florida as they flew low over the Everglades to study wading birds. Noted birdwatcher Ted Parker, known for his unique ability to identify thousands of species of birds by sound alone, died in a plane crash in Ecuador. Madagascar? Ecuador? I had the Greenway behind Northpoint Mall in mind as the farthest reaches of my bird-watching quest. Or perhaps the 13th fairway along the Chattahoochee. That way I could kill two birds with one errant hook – rhetorically speaking, of course. So, it ain’t simple and it ain’t safe. I thought it would at least be cheap. But not if you have to travel all over the world! More Googling. Here’s a trip – 14 days in Quito into the wet forests of northwest Ecuador. $2,490 per person. Per person? I have a wife! Hmmm, over 5,000 bucks not includ-
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ing incidentals such as mass quantities of alcohol to quell the boredom in the rain forest waiting for a bird sighting. Well, at least it should be a nice, relaxing vacation, right? Breakfast every morning at 6 a.m. Hmmmm. Temperature can be 50 degrees in the morning and 100 in the afternoon. It all sounds totally soothing to me. Oh, here’s another one: 9 days in San Carlos, Mexico, only $3,600 per person. And I’ll need a few incidentals – too many to list here! And, speaking of incidentals, top of the line Zeiss binoculars will run me about $1,950. And if I get serious and want a “scope” (not sure what that is or does), it will be another $1,000 or so. But at this point, who’s counting? Well, there I was, about to embark on an exciting, inexpensive, simple, safe hobby. Why then, was I so depressed? I started looking at the fall foot-
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 9
ball schedule to see what I’d be missing. Turns out there’s quite a few “must-see’s.” Florida State vs. Oklahoma; Notre Dame vs. Stanford; Alabama vs. Auburn (too good to miss; may be game of the year); Georgia Tech vs. Georgia (our intrastate rivalry game; I may even stay awake); Ohio State vs. Michigan (traditional northern rivals; hope it snows); UCLA vs. USC (maybe the Bruins can finally beat Southern Cal). As I delved farther into the schedule, fewer dates were open for birdwatching. Think of the money I’d be saving. Those 6 a.m. breakfast fests with strangers? No wonder I was getting depressed. Oh well, maybe next year. MSN
That’s Entertainment?
By W.E. Reinka CDs replaced LPs, VHS triumphed over Beta, color over black and white, and now it’s streaming and downloading. It’s hard to keep up with what’s new in entertainment, especially seeing how the old systems worked just fine. I still marvel that, with the nameless (but apparently outdated) VHS, I could bring home movies instead of hoping to catch something good at the Bijou. Home entertainment wars are nothing new. Way back near the beginning of the 1900s (you remember that century), flat record discs triumphed over cylinders the way that decades later, cassettes put 8-track tapes out of business. Columbia Phonograph Company, which had a cylinder catalog of over 5,000 recordings by 1900, stopped cylinder production in 1912; a year after Alexander’s Ragtime Band sparked a dance craze. Not that there wasn’t room for improvement, early quarter inch thick discs weighed over half a pound. As the world moved from wind up to electric turntables, standards emerged. By 1915, ten-inch, 78-rpm shellac records became the norm. Each side could record up to about four minutes of sound. Though improved over the years, 78s shattered and scratched easily. “You sound like a broken record.” Kids today don’t know what that means… that means… that means… that means. In 1948, Columbia Records broke through with a development that would change the face of home entertainment: the LP or Long Playing album. Most LPs measured 12 inches instead of 10, rotated at 33 1/3 rpm, and could produce about 20 minutes of sound per side. Even better, they were made from durable flexible vinyl. Most of us called them “albums,” not “LPs,” probably a carryover from when multiple song sets were literally bound “albums,” with one 78-rpm record per sleeve. Who knows why someone thought the 45-rpm record was a good idea. But 45s, seven inches across and virtually unbreakable, came along a year after the LP. They had inch-and-a-half spindle holes so if your record player didn’t have a thick 45 spindle; you had to snap a plastic adapter into your records. At our house, we’d stack 45s of early rock ‘n roll on our turntable so that one would drop on top of the other. When we bought a new record, we usually left the stacking arm open so that the same record would repeat – and repeat and repeat. If nothing else, 45s were durable. With 45s came a spate of new record companies to compete with established names like Decca, Verve, Brunswick, and RCA Victor. Little Richard’s Tutti-Frutti is on the Specialty label, Pat Boone recorded for Dot and a couple of novelty songs Alley-Oop and Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini are on Lute and Leader labels, respectively. Whether shopping for 78s or 45s, kids used to cram into music store
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listening booths, previewing records. I don’t remember anyone ever sitting in a listening booth alone. Back then, entertainment wasn’t so solitary. These days you can go on You Tube and listen to about anything, or visit the Apple Store and a myriad of other services for downloading or streaming. This may be a real boost for consumers but it still seems a shame that teenage girls can’t cram around a turntable to talk about teachers and boys while previewing today’s answer to Perry Como. Likewise, I rent or stream movies every week but I only occasionally join the community to see a movie at the local theater. With the digital age, we’re doing a lot of private listening and becoming increasingly a society of isolated individuals. Still, I imagine that back when discs fought for dominance against cylinders, some old goat was probably complaining that moving music indoors foretold the end of Sunday band concerts. MSN
PAGE 10 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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Classic DVDs: The Lighter Side of Disasters By Mark Fee The past months seemingly have been filled with endless controversy, anguish, and horror. Racially charged police shootings in Baltimore prompted riots. The shooting of parishioners in a Charleston church were shocking. And shark attacks on the coast of North Carolina frightened vacationers and looked like déjà vu a la Jaws. As we struggle to understand the actions of people and the reality of nature, maintaining a sense of perspective and humor is important to our resilience. Fortunately, Hollywood has given us a plethora of hilarious and some forgotten films to survive the madness of our times. The Marx Brothers were particularly gifted at turning disaster into inspired lunacy. Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder brought sardonic, dark humor to life threatening crises. Jerry Lewis and Carl Reiner understood the importance of humor in desperately out of control situations. Lewis’s The Nutty Professor (1963) lampooned Robert Stevenson’s classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Carl Reiner’s Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) poked fun at Bogart, the private eye genre, and Nazi Germany. Mel Brooks Blazing Saddles (1973) was a hilarious lampoon of the Western, Hollywood, race relations, and politics. It outraged some people but was a box office blockbuster and belly achingly hilarious. Laughter is contagious and helps when even the worst things happen. I have listed some of my favorite classic DVDs that show the lighter side of disasters. Enjoy! In Mark Rydell’s rollicking The Reivers (1969), Steve McQueen steals his Grandfather’s (Will Geer) new car. He brings his young nephew
(Mitch Vogel) and cousin (Rupert Crosse) with him. McQueen is adopted, and so is his African-American cousin. Based on William Faulkner’s classic novel about the Deep South, the film is an uproarious and splendid treat. It is ribald and tender, yet tough and joyous. John William’s (Jaws, 1975) soundtrack is filled with wonder. A must see. Rated PG-13; 3.5 stars. Robert Stephens plays a befuddled and mannered Sherlock Holmes in Billy Wilder’s exquisite, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970). Holmes becomes embroiled in a scandalous affair that almost topples the British empire. He falls for a voluptuous German spy, deceives a Russian ballet dancer, and almost destroys his friendship with Dr. Watson. Wilder handles the film with an appropriate sense of farce and danger. It is a delightful, exquisite Holmes adventure – sophisticated and enticing. Rated PG-13; 3.5 stars In Skin Game (1971), James Garner and Lou Gossett, Jr. play con men in the Old South. Garner sells Gossett and buys him back again. They split up the difference and do it again and again and again. The ruse works, until fellow con artist Susan Clark catches them, and a slaver Ed Asner, doesn’t want to part with Gossett. The film has a serious moral edge, but it’s also very funny. It’s Garner at his best. Skin Game was one of Lou Gossett’s first films. He’s an accomplished and underappreciated actor. Rated PG; 3 stars. Walter Matthau plays an aloof playboy who runs out of money in Elaine May’s hilarious, A New Leaf (1971). Matthau is an arrogant New Yorker who is used to the best things in life. When he suddenly finds himself without funds, his lawyer tells him the only solution is marriage. Elaine May is the least likely candidate for marriage. She’s an academic and an old maid. Matthau seizes the opportunity for survival and more cash. The script is brilliant; May and Matthau, priceless. Rated G; 3 stars. In The Heartbreak Kid (1972), Charles Grodin falls in love with another woman on his honeymoon. His wife (Jeannie Berlin) has grating, insufferable habits that drive him nuts.
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He becomes bored and restless and meets lithe and pretentious, Cybil Shepard. Shepard’s father played by Eddie Arnold doesn’t fall for Grodin and suspects something is terribly wrong. Directed by Elaine May (again) and scripted by Neil Simon (The Odd Couple, 1968). Heartbreak Kid is hilarious; a bitter sweet must see comedy. Rated PG; 3.5 stars. Jack Lemmon and Barbara Harris literally crash into each other at an ophthalmologist’s office in The War Between Men and Women (1972). Lemon is having his eyes tested; so is Harris. She
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 11
smokes; Lemon hates smoking. Lemon distrusts women; Harris is an agitated divorcée with a large family. Based on James Thurber’s novels, the film is something of a sleeper. It was ignored by many critics. It’s fun, though and loaded with laughs. Lemon and Harris, an unlikely couple, are even more unlikely marriage partners. Rated PG; 3 stars. Until the next time, enjoy these wonderfully diverse comedies. They’ll help you survive and smile, too. MSN
Irish Hunters
Submitted by Julie Brantley Two Irish hunters named Pat and Mike hired a pilot to fly them into the Canadian wilderness on their annual hunting trip where they managed to bag two big bull moose. As they were loading the plane to return, the pilot said the plane could take only the hunters, their gear, and one Moose. The hunters objected strongly saying, “Last year we shot two, and the pilot let us take them both... and he had exactly the same airplane as yours.” Reluctantly the pilot, not wanting to be outdone by another bush pilot, gave in and everything was loaded. However, even under full power the little plane could not handle the load and went down, crashing in the wooded wilderness. Somehow, surrounded by the moose, clothing, and sleeping bags, Pat and Mike survived the crash. After climbing out of the wreckage, Mike asked Pat, “Any idea where we are?” Pat replied, “I think we’re pretty close to where we crashed last year.”
Catholic Shampoo
Submitted by Julie Brantley Two nuns were shopping at a 7-11 store. As they passed by the beer cooler, one nun said to the other, “Wouldn’t a nice cool beer or two taste wonderful on a hot summer evening?” The second nun replied, “Indeed it would, sister, but I would not feel comfortable buying beer, since I am certain it would cause a scene at the checkout stand.” “I can handle that without a problem,” the other nun replied, so she picked up a six-pack and headed for the checkout. The cashier had a surprised look on his face when the two nuns arrived with a six-pack of beer. “We use beer for washing our hair,” the nun said, “Back at our nunnery; we call it “Catholic shampoo.” Without blinking an eye, the cashier reached under the counter, pulled out a package of pretzel sticks, and placed them in the bag with the beer. He then looked the nun straight in the eye, smiled, and said, “The curlers are on the house.” MSN
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
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MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 13
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It Is Time For Corrections To Treat, Not Punish, Mental Illness By Bob Campbell One issue that the last session of the legislature agreed upon was that the Montana prison system is over-crowded, underfunded, and cannot provide treatment, education, and training prior to the release of those in prison. The last legislature created a bipartisan Law and Justice Interim Committee to study Montana’s entire criminal justice system from the initial arrest to the final order ending state supervision. That committee will be holding regularly scheduled meetings at the capitol in Helena. It has been twenty years since such a study. The committee should propose legislation to improve our expensive corrections program and provide better results for our citizens. The two factors that make our corrections budget so high are the damage done during alcohol impairment and the lack of facilities to provide secure treatment for those with a mental illness. Medical science has made enormous progress in understanding the complexity of the human brain and has developed medications to restore impaired regions of the brain that are abnormal
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as an inherited condition or when caused by a traumatic event. The Montana men’s prison in Deer Lodge has four hundred mentally ill inmates locked in solitary confinement cells without any funds to provide mental health treatment. The nonviolent mentally ill inmates should be identified and provided treatment instead of warehousing in the criminal justice system. Larger counties should utilize a mental illness court, law officers trained to recognize the mentally ill, and prosecutors to divert them into a mental illness court so they receive treatment. If it succeeds in changing behavior by requiring medication, the system can save a great deal of money and reduce the prison population in Deer Lodge. The Law and Justice Interim Committee will hear professional presentations as well as citizen’s comments on how the system can be improved. Hopefully, the next session will have proposed legislation to make it better for all of us. Please call 406-444-3064 for further information. MSN
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our lives over here. The Mission has provided us a home. It’s safe here. Everyone is friendly. They have helped with jobs, schools, and the basics to get back on our feet. It amazes me that people help other people. You don’t see that very often.” • “I was living in my vehicle with a broken foot. Butte Rescue Mission saved me. They have given me time to heal.” Your help is always appreciated. For more information or to make a donation, please call us at 406-782-0925. MSN
PURPLE Montana Is Working To Protect Montana’s Children
Approximately 8,000 Montana grandparents are caring for their grandchildren. At a time when they reasonably believed their childrearing years over, they now find themselves stepping up to raise their grandchildren. Caregivers need support at any stage of life, and that’s what PURPLE-MT seeks to do – support caregivers by helping them better understand the development of the children in their care. PUPRLE-MT is an evidenced based statewide program run by Healthy Mothers, Healthy BabiesMT to support caregivers and reduce the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), also known as Abusive Head Trauma (AHT). The leading trigger for an SBS incident is prolonged inconsolable crying in infants. Babies just do what comes naturally, but sometimes what’s natural for them is very frustrating for adults. The goal is to teach caregivers what is normal and how best to cope with any frustrations that may arise. PURPLE-MT seeks to educate all Montanans about the dangers of shaking a child, the potential triggers that can lead to shaking, and to help provide strategies that help caregivers cope with the stress those triggers cause. Montana’s children are too important to allow them to be injured due to parental frustration and its resulting violence. To learn more please visit purplemontana.org or call 406-449-8611. MSN
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Nudists Among Us: The Body Beautiful, Even with Scars
Andrea
By Rita Robinson The woman standing in the buff near a fountain just inside the two guarded gates I had just passed through appeared to be in her late 60s. She smiled big, welcoming the sun to her entire body. I chatted with her for a few minutes, and noticed that like me, she was flat chested. Not, though, by birth as I was. It was obvious that she’d had a double mastectomy. I caught glimpses of her throughout the day, and came to admire her graceful walk around the premises, acknowledging friends along the way, all of whom seemed overjoyed to be in her presence. Her smile was radiant, and eyes bright. Her step light and sure. The hands expressive. And the laugh infectious. Her mood and attitude lifted mine. I had driven down for a visit to a nudist camp from the still snow-laden mountain area where I lived in Southern California. The May sun warmed my skin, although I wore a wide-brimmed hat and plenty of sunscreen like most others at the camp. And we all carried towels to sit on, of course. I jumped in the swimming pool with abandonment because I wore no bathing suit to pull this way and that, or to bubble up the halter-top. Others played volleyball, ping pong, or just leisurely strolled around. None of the approximately 400 people there that day would have qualified for a beauty or Mr. Atlas contest. And no posturing took place, because Rolex watches matter little when no one is wearing any clothes. I didn’t remember much else from that rare trip to the nudist camp until a few years later after I underwent cancer surgery. I gazed down somberly at the long scar running the length of my abdomen. Although the scar was in a different place from that of the woman I had met at the camp, I remembered her grace, and obvious upbeat attitude in the face of her own scaring. At first, my scar didn’t bother me. Being alive was enough. Never would I fret over my body shape again, I thought. And I didn’t – at least not then. My first trip while recuperating was to Las Vegas. I knew exactly what to do once I checked in. I headed for the swimming pool, removed my cover-up, and turned my body, clad in bikini, with scar showing, into my statement of a woman ready to live again, and to do it without the usual body shape hang-ups endemic to Americans. As the months passed, I realized scar and the poochy stomach were here to stay. Despite the use of vitamin-E oil and a couple of others touted to minimize the effects of scaring, the scar remained prominent. And I groused a little about it. I’m more serene about it now, but the scar and the pooch remind me continually that most men’s and women’s bodies are imperfect to begin with, and that they continue to change through the ravages of time and mishaps. Another friend, large busted, who used to model bathing suits professionally, is readying to undergo surgery for breast cancer. “I was always so proud of my breasts,” she said. Now in her early 60s, and continually fighting the battle of the bulge, she said, “I hope going through all this won’t undo all the weight I’ve lost.” Down deep, I know that we must find our self worth in places that don’t involve the outside of our bodies. At the same time, we need to see ourselves as beautiful in the way we walk, or hold a child, the movement of our hands, the sparkle of a smile, the comfort or joy in the words we speak, and the family and friends we love. I think the woman at the nudist camp knew these things, and so was not only unfettered by clothing, but free of inward hostility over imperfections. What a number we do on ourselves when we really have more important and fun things to do with our lives. Rita Robinson, an award-winning journalist and author of 11 books, writes from Fawnskin, a mountain community in California. MSN
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 15
Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS) Publishes Community Health Program Guide Find and access health programs in communities across Montana To make it easier to find health resources across Montana, DPHHS has produced the Community Health Program Guide, which is an interactive map listing the health programs in each county. Visit dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/chronicdisease/ CommunityBasedPrograms. Listed are programs related to arthritis, asthma, cancer, diabetes, falls, fitness, tobacco use, and both living and working with a disability. These programs promote healthy lifestyles and successful self-management of disease to prevent or delay illness and premature death. They focus on reducing gaps and disparities in health, such as those faced by people with disabilities. “These programs have the potential to address inequalities experienced by people who live with disabilities or chronic diseases,” says Todd Harwell, DPHHS Public Health and Safety Division Administrator. “Community-level initiatives can lead us to a healthier Montana by reaching people directly.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 75 percent of health care dollars in the U.S. goes toward the treatment of chronic diseases. Americans with chronic diseases or disabilities report more unhealthy days than those without these diseases or disabilities. Six out of every 10 adults in Montana report having at least one chronic condition, and three out of 10 reported having two or more chronic conditions. The risk of chronic disease is increased by
unhealthy lifestyles, mainly obesity, lack of physical activity, and tobacco use. As one recent participant in the DPHHS Diabetes Prevention Program says, “I am striking a much healthier balance between my weight, healthy eating, and exercise than would have been possible without the education and tools that the program gave me.” Almost 40 percent of adults with disabilities in Montana report having fair or poor health, as opposed to about 7 percent of adults without disabilities. Also, Montana adults with disabilities report higher rates of obesity, cigarette smoking, and diabetes compared to Montana adults without disabilities. In order to support Montanans living with chronic diseases or disabilities, the Community Health Program Guide raises awareness about resources available from DPHHS and its partners. “The community programs offered through DPHHS are not what people typically think public health is involved in,” continues Harwell. “We are really encouraging people to see public health differently, and realize what we can bring to the table in terms of their overall health and well-being.” These healthy lifestyle initiatives provide a variety of services for the prevention and management of chronic disease, such as self-management education, lifestyle coaching, and skills development. MSN
Supporting The Needs Of Valley County The Mission of the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital Foundation is to provide financial support to Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital and other medically needed projects in Valley County, ensuring that the medical services provided are of the highest quality. This year the Foundation gifted new wheelchairs and lift chairs for Valley View Nursing Home, Mindful Parenting books for the FMDH Clinic, a NuStep recumbent bike for Fort Peck’s Recreation hall, and $15,000 for Respiratory Therapy items. A total of $42,000 was gifted to scholarships for area students and the community. If you would like to contribute to the Founda-
tion’s mission, you can make a gift of cash, a planned gift, a gift annuity, a charitable remainder trust, or a bequest in your will. You can make an unrestricted or restricted gift. We encourage people to give in a way that suits them. Remember all donations are tax deductible. Charitable tax receipts will be issued for all donations! As you can see, the Foundation is doing great things for our community. Until next time, may your families be well, your holidays be joyous, and your New Year be blessed! For more information on how to support the FMDH Foundation’s mission, contact Mary Kate Tihista at 406-228-3614. MSN
Osteoporosis Affects Men Too Provided by Comfort Keepers Osteoporosis gets plenty of press with older women, but older men would do well to assess their risk for this disease. Osteoporosis causes bone density loss in both women and men. Its progression is silent, and without screening, it usually becomes evident when the person suffers a fractured bone from a low-impact activity. More than half (55%) of all senior adults in the United States have osteoporosis. Until recently, osteoporosis was seen as a disease that affected primarily white, older women, but more research has shown that it affects both women and men of all races. Current estimates indicate that osteoporosis affects two million men in the United States, with 12 million more at risk. As the population ages, these rates will only increase. While osteoporosis appears to affect fewer men than women (one in five men compared with one in three women), the consequences for men are more severe. For example, older men are more likely to die within a year of having a hip fracture due to bone loss. Unfortunately, due to a lack of understanding of the disease, older men are also less likely to be diagnosed with and receive treatment for osteoporosis after a fracture occurs. Considering this, men over 50 may want to be proactive and find out if they have osteoporosis. They can start by assessing their risk. The same risk factors apply to women and men and include the following: • Family history of bone fractures, especially
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
hip fractures, due to osteoporosis • Smoking • Inactive lifestyle • Excessive alcohol use • Certain medications used over prolonged periods, such as corticosteroids, sedatives, antidepressants, and medications that inhibit the absorption of calcium • Low body weight and weight loss • Loss of height • Abnormally low levels of sex hormones • Gastrointestinal disorders that prevent the ab-
sorption of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, vitamins D and K, phosphorous, and amino acids (all essential for bone health). Older men with any of these factors should discuss their risk with their doctors and request a screening. They can also make lifestyle changes such as decreasing alcohol intake, stopping smoking, increasing activity levels, and doing weightbearing exercises. Tackling osteoporosis before it causes significant bone density loss will help ensure active and independent living. MSN
Is Your Foot Fracture An Early Sign Of Osteoporosis? Foot Surgeons Urge Patients Not to Ignore Foot Pain (NAPSI) Unexplained foot fractures may be the first sign of osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease that affects millions of Americans and accounts for millions of bone fractures a year. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, osteoporosis is frequently referred to as the “silent crippler” since it often progresses without any symptoms or is not diagnosed until a person experiences pain from a bone fracture. Georgeanne Botek, DPM, FACFAS, a foot and ankle surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, explains that the porous nature of bones in people with osteoporosis makes them more susceptible to bone fractures, especially in the feet. “Because the bones are in a weakened state, normal weightbearing actions like walking can cause the bones in the foot to break,” says Dr. Botek. “In fact, many patients visit their foot and ankle surgeon suffering from foot pain only to find out they actually have a stress fracture, without having experienced an injury.” While osteoporosis is most commonly seen in women over age 50, younger people and men are also affected. Early symptoms can include increased pain with walk-
ing accompanied by redness and swelling on the top of the foot. “Oftentimes, patients don’t seek treatment for their symptoms for weeks or even months, thinking the pain will pass,” says Dr. Botek. “The best advice is, don’t ignore foot pain of any type. Early intervention can make all the difference in your treatment and recovery.” Foot and ankle surgeons are able to diagnose osteoporosis through bone densitometry tests, which measure calcium and mineral levels in the bones through low-dose radiation X-ray, or possibly through a routine X-ray. “This is why prevention and early intervention are key; women should make sure bone densitometry tests are part of their wellness examinations when indicated by their physicians,” Dr. Botek explains. If you are diagnosed with osteoporosis, it is important to protect your feet from stress fractures. Wear shoes that provide support and cushioning, such as athletic running shoes, to provide extra shock absorption and protection. Custom orthotics may also be recommended to protect the foot from pressure and provide shock absorption, particularly during exercise. For more information on osteoporosis of the foot, visit the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons’ website FootHealthFacts.org. MSN
Curiosity is insubordination in its purest form. – Vladmir Nabokov
Curcumin and Curry Help Diabetes and Cancer
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
By Suzy Cohen As the snowy cold weather begins to roll into Colorado where I live, I crave warmer, heartier meals like chili, stews, and brisket. Juicing kale and celery when it’s 4 degrees outside does not cut it. So at this time of year, garlic and curry go in everything I eat. Let’s talk curry today. Penang, red or green curry, it’s all good with me! Curry sounds like it’s one spice, but it’s actually a blend of spices, and it always contains some turmeric spice. Turmeric comes from the ginger family. This yellow-orange spice was first used as a dye until its medicinal properties were uncovered. Our research today proves turmeric positively benefits hundreds of health conditions, making it a healthy and tasty sprinkle for any dish. Do I want it right now? Yes please! You can buy the spice called turmeric all by itself if you don’t like curry. Supplements of turmeric are sold everywhere. And you will find curcumin, which is one potent extract of turmeric. Curcumin may prevent or improve age-related cognitive decline, dementia, and mood disorders. This is not wishful thinking, it’s true. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial observed 60 adults between the ages of 60 and 85. After about one hour of their curcumin dose, these adults enjoyed a higher attention span and better memory than those who swallowed the dud pill, the placebo. After four weeks of curcumin supplements, memory, mood, alertness, and contentedness were considerably better in the participants. Curcumin is a hot supplement, not spicy hot, but hot in the sense that research is conducted frequently. I found more than 900 published research papers pertaining to curcumin’s anti-cancer activity. One of these papers found that curcumin has the ability to make some cancer cells commit suicide. Curcumin programs the cell to die! That’s a good thing – you want those cancer cells to go good-bye! Technically, we call this apoptosis. Cancers that are resistant to multiple other chemotherapeutic agents seem to respond to curcumin, at least in mouse studies. Because of curcumin’s long-term record of safety and low risk of side effects, I think it’s a great natural adjunct to many protocols, especially for breast and prostate cancer. It’s a strong anti-inflammatory. Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association, published a study about curcumin’s ability to prevent pre-diabetic patients from becoming full-blown diabetics. Results after 9 months showed 100% success! No one progressed to full diabetes. Further, curcumin-treated patients had better pancreatic beta cell function and higher adiponectin. Excellent! You know, I’m a pharmacist and I’ll tell you there isn’t one drug behind the counter that competes. Curcumin is the “Kardashian” of herbs. It’s spicy, notorious, and a little goes a long way if you know what I mean. Too much is not good, it’s a laxative. Most importantly, curry, and curcumin are considered effective and safe by most physicians. I’d ask about supplementing with it if you have inflammatory conditions, especially autoimmune ones like rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, and psoriasis. MSN
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Eating Seasonally: Six Easy Steps To Eat Better & Improve Your Overall Wellness By Teresa Cutter Our ancestors were in tune with the earth’s seasons and weather cycles. They ate what they could hunt, grow, and cook during that season. But today is a bit different. With all of the food preservatives, fillers, and sugar put in foods today, we can eat any type we want any time throughout the year. But eating foods with fillers, preservatives, and other chemicals, is not the most effective way to lose weight and have more energy throughout the day. Here are six very simple ways you can start eating fresh and healthy foods during each season of the year. 1. Change Your Habits. Eating healthily and seasonally comes down to changing habits. Take small steps and choose one new habit each week to implement into your daily life. Once the new habit is ingrained, the new behavior pattern becomes easy and automatic. 2. Develop an easy plan to follow. Strategic planning is crucial if you want to succeed. Try planning your meals at the beginning of the week. Knowing what you’ll be eating at least four or five days in the week is a good start. 3. Don’t complicate things. People excuse not cooking because they don’t have the time, but the best recipes are often the easiest to make. Try out a new ingredient or a recipe each week to add to your repertoire and stay away from prepared food because it is often high in sodium, sugar, and trans fats. Take a few hours on the weekend to plan your meals according to what is in season and create a shopping list around those items. 4. Buy Fresh. Check out your local farmer’s market or support your local green grocer. Strike up a conversation with the staff and get to know the people behind your food.
C o n f e s s Submitted by i Julie Brantley o A man n walked into a
Washington, D.C. Catholic Church confessional. He told the priest, “Bless me father, for I have sinned. Last night, I killed a congressman.” The priest replies, “My son, I’m here to forgive your sins, not discuss your community service work.” MSN
5. Shop Smart. Seek out local food co-ops or produce delivery services with an emphasis on local foods. They are out there and growing in popularity. Alternatively, you can grow your own produce. This gives you complete control over your food. Plant some balcony herbs, backyard vegetables, or join your local community garden. 6. Eat Smart. To control what you eat and drink every day and to be able to get out of bed and exercise regularly, as well as getting enough sleep, are the key ingredients if you want to be healthy. Think about what you put into your mouth every time you eat and drink. Is what you’re consuming making a positive or negative difference to your body? Cutter is one of Australia’s leading authorities on healthy cooking and the CEO of The Healthy Chef (thehealthychef.com). A nutritionist and a classically French-trained chef her natural talent and passion for food was rewarded early in her career winning Apprentice Of The Year two years running, followed by a Gold Medal at the Salon Cullinare. MSN
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PAGE 20 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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Why Does My Tinnitus Bother Me? By Dr. Jessie Dimmick If you suffer from tinnitus, you have likely had a conversation with another person who also has tinnitus. Is your experience the same or different? How about the degree to which the tinnitus is annoying or bothersome? Have you heard others say they simply “tune it out?” Discussion of tinnitus and comparison of experiences often leads to the question, “Why does my tinnitus bother me?” An estimated 50 million Americans experience tinnitus. For some, the experience has a profound effect on daily life. To understand why tinnitus can be bothersome, the mechanism behind the tinnitus must be unveiled. The peripheral hearing system contains the outer, middle, and inner ear. The central hearing system is comprised of the auditory nerve and the auditory cortex. A lack of input from the peripheral hearing system results in a weakened transmission of sound to the central hearing system. Generally, a lack of input comes from hearing loss that is either temporary (earwax, ear infection) or permanent (damage to the cochlea). A mechanism known as the sensory subconscious detects the lack of input to the auditory central system and decides to “tune” the sound to get a better understanding. The tuning adds the extra-perceived sound that we refer to as tinnitus. The sensory subconscious is more formally known as the limbic system. The limbic system is more than a sensory subconscious; it is also an emotion and memory center. For many tinnitus patients, the tinnitus becomes bothersome when they experience negative emotional reactions to the sound. The nature of the tinnitus system can cause the perceived sound and experience to be sustained and reinforced, just like a memory. People who experience bothersome tinnitus are not experiencing a louder or different sound quality from those who are not bothered by their tinnitus. The tinnitus becomes bothersome when you feel you cannot escape it because of the reaction of your sensory subconscious. The mechanism is there to keep you alive! When your subconscious experiences unknown stimuli, the conscious brain becomes involved in the search for a source. As you can imagine, these processes can be taxing on your enjoyment of quiet and time for relaxation. The impact of the tinnitus on many patients is difficulty concentrating or falling asleep, and the feeling that the tinnitus is inescapable. With an understanding of the underlying mechanism of the tinnitus system, can you see why a case of tinnitus can be bothersome? The bottom line is that it is a subjective symptom, not a disease, and the impact on your lifestyle is what makes it bothersome. It is not a weakness; you cannot simply “get over it.” Professional assistance from a tinnitus practitioner can help you find relief. Break the cycle of “bother” and take control of your tinnitus! MSN
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Fat And Sugar Cause Bacterial Changes That May Relate To Loss Of Cognitive Function A study at Oregon State University indicates that both a high-fat and a high-sugar diet, compared to a normal diet, cause changes in gut bacteria that appear related to a significant loss of “cognitive flexibility,” or the power to adapt and adjust to changing situations. This effect was most serious on the high-sugar diet, which also showed an impairment of early learning for both long-term and short-term memory. The findings are consistent with some other studies about the impact of fat and sugar on cognitive function and behavior, and suggest that some of these problems may be linked to alteration of the microbiome – a complex mixture in the digestive system of about 100 trillion microorganisms. The research was done with laboratory mice that consumed different diets and then faced a variety of tests, such as water maze testing, to monitor changes in their mental and physical function, and associated impacts on various types of bacteria. The findings were published in the journal Neuroscience, in work supported by the Microbiology Foundation and the National Science Foundation. “It’s increasingly clear that our gut bacteria, or microbiota, can communicate with the human brain,” said Kathy Magnusson, a professor in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine and principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute. “Bacteria can release compounds that act as neurotransmitters, stimulate sensory nerves or the immune system, and affect a wide range of biological functions,” she said. “We’re not sure just what messages are being sent, but we are tracking down the pathways and the effects.” Mice have proven to be a particularly good model for studies relevant to humans, Magnusson said, on such topics as aging, spatial memory, obesity, and other issues. In this research, after just four weeks on a highfat or a high-sugar diet, the performance of mice on various tests of mental and physical function
began to drop, compared to animals on a normal diet. One of the most pronounced changes was in what researchers call cognitive flexibility. “The impairment of cognitive flexibility in this study was pretty strong,” Magnusson said. “Think about driving home on a route that’s very familiar to you, something you’re used to doing. Then one day that road is closed and you suddenly have to find a new way home.” A person with high levels of cognitive flexibility would immediately adapt to the change, determine the next best route home, and remember to use the same route the following morning, all with little problem. With impaired flexibility, it might be a long, slow, and stressful way home. This study was done with young animals, Magnusson said, which ordinarily would have a healthier biological system that’s better able to resist pathological influences from their microbiota. The findings might be even more pronounced with older animals or humans with compromised intestinal systems, she added. What’s often referred to as the “Western diet,” or foods that are high in fat, sugars, and simple carbohydrates, has been linked to a range of chronic illnesses in the United States, including the obesity epidemic and an increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. “We’ve known for a while that too much fat and sugar are not good for you,” Magnusson said. “This work suggests that fat and sugar are altering your healthy bacterial systems, and that’s one of the reasons those foods aren’t good for you. It’s not just the food that could be influencing your brain, but an interaction between the food and microbial changes.” MSN
After The Funeral Just before the funeral service, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, “How old was your husband?” “Ninety-eight,” she replied, “Two years older than I am.”’ “So you’re 96,” the undertaker commented admiringly. “Hardly worth going home, is it?” replied the widow. MSN
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 21
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The heat is gone and finally it’s autumn – the weather’s a bit breezy, your nose a bit sneezy, and this rhyme a bit cheesy – but it is a great time to fall in love! Send in your letters and see where they take you. To respond to any of these personal ads, simply forward your message and address, phone number, or email address to the department number listed in the particular personal ad, c/o Montana Senior News, P.O. Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. We will forward your response, including the address, phone number, and/or email address that you provide to the person placing the ad. When you respond to an ad in this section, there is no guarantee that you will receive a response. That is up to the person who placed the ad. Please submit your correct address plainly printed so you can promptly receive replies. Respond to the ads in this issue, and also sit down now and prepare your own ad to run in our next issue. There is no charge for this service, and your ad may lead you down the path of true love! Responses to personal ads appearing in this column may be submitted at any time. However, to place a personal ad in the December 2015/ January 2016 issue, the deadline is November 7, 2015. WWF. Healthy 72-year-old who looks much younger, whose motto is “more life to live” and would like to find a companion/friend who has similar feelings. I am not necessarily looking for love but if it happens, it happens. I live in the Flathead Valley, having returned after an absence of 53 years and now am hoping to find someone who likes day trips, going, seeing, doing, Montana history, going to Canada, eating out, movies, long walks, and longer talks. Some camping and fishing a possibility. Sure, I do these things myself, but sharing is lots of fun too. Reply MSN, Dept. 32101, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. Would like to meet a lady from eastern Montana. I am 68, 6’2”, 245 lbs. I taught school for thirteen years and then farmed for thirty. I love animals and have two English setters that I spoil here in Miles City. Run them three times a day.
No smoking or drugs but drink occasionally. Reply MSN, Dept. 32102, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. WWM 69, very down to earth. Slender, 6 ft. tall and very active. Love all creatures. Love to explore. Don’t smoke or drink. Honest and sincere with a good sense of humor. Seeking a like-minded lady in the same age range. Life can be so very good when you have someone to share it. I live in beautiful southwest Montana. Butte, Anaconda, and Deer Lodge are where you can find my footprints. Hopefully your footprints are there also. I am not looking for a cook or housemate. Sometimes you need to take that first plunge. I have. Now, how about you? Will answer any replies. Reply MSN, Dept. 32103, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. I am a widow living in the Flathead Valley and hoping to meet a responsible, caring gentleman for companionship and possible long-term relationship. Someone age 75-85, in reasonably good health. No drugs or tobacco, an occasional beer or glass of wine is okay. A good sense of humor, honesty, and a sense that life can still be an adventure are far more important than looks, however, a picture would be appreciated. I am active, in good health, and living life to the fullest. Romantic and adventurous, I am of average weight. Enjoy travel and togetherness. If I sound interesting to you, send me a note. Perhaps we could meet for coffee or lunch. Reply MSN, Dept. 32104, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. SF, almost 60, fit, 5’4”, 125lbs. Youthful, independent free spirit with city smarts and a country heart. Living active outdoor ranch/farm type lifestyle in far NW Montana. Athletically inclined tomboy on the outside, but all woman inside, and I clean up real nice. I favor public broadcasting and have an eclectic spiritual bent. Recreational interests include all water sports/activities, hiking, biking, bird/wildlife watching, winter skiing, some travel, and more. Home interests: gardening, houseplants, animals, cooking, reading, aerobic exercise, yoga, and similar practices. Occasional visits to the city for dining, concerts, symphony, theater, movies, and museums. ISO one good man
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
with similar/compatible interests who is physically active, open minded, honest, emotionally mature, financially secure, in his 60s with good dental hygiene, and in the Missoula north to Kalispell and west to Idaho border area for intermittent companionship initially, and who knows what the future holds. Not interested in rushing into anything. Do not like emotional drama or head games. If interested please send short letter to include address or phone number – sorry no email. Reply MSN, Dept. 32105, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. I am 70 years old, 5’4”, 170 lbs. Very active, still working, looking for someone with whom to go fishing, hunting, camping, and car racing. Love animals, country living, garage sales, second hand stores, and most of all music and dancing. I own my home, a few cars, pickup, and camper. My kids are grown. I lost my husband four years ago. I am
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 23
in very good health. I like being outside; working in the garden and building things. I do not smoke, no drugs, and a drink occasionally when out. Live close to Billings. Looking for someone in 60s or 70s if they can keep up with this 70-year-old lady! Reply MSN, Dept. 32106, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403.
important. He must be a ND and not into drugs or gambling. Working a 12-step program and being a NS would be a plus. Please include photo and address with letter. Reply MSN, Dept. 32107, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403.
SWF, mid 60s, 5’5”, fluffy, attractive, ND/NS, honest, outspoken, opinionated, tender hearted, affectionate, high morals, fun loving, and trustworthy. Have chronic pain and have to sleep late due to an illness, but still enjoy dancing, camping, cards, church, movies, plays, my 12-step program, TV, singing, dinners out, laughing, family, and more. Have my own home in Hamilton. ISO a relocatable, true lover of Jesus, who has similar values and interests to enjoy life with as a special friend or possibly committed life mate. Prefer slim to med build, but height, age, and color aren’t
Greetings single gentlemen, from this miracle believing, youthful, little lady and 70-year-old, grandma. The Lord, His beautiful outdoors, gardening, cooking, writing, western style, arts/crafts, music, decorating, travel, and sharing special times are all quite meaningful to me. However… having a fun loving, God fearing, adventurous, “soul mate,” to share his interests with as well, would be an even better deal. So who and where are you, kind sir? Are you ready for a “new beginning”? Please send your information. You have nothin’ to lose but some ink and a stamp! Reply MSN, Dept. 32108, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. MSN
A Box of Fortune Cookies
By Saralee Perel I was always uneasy around a disabled person until I became one myself. The proper term is “differently abled” but “disabled” works for me because after all, who isn’t disabled in one way or another? My husband, Bob, and I were at the supermarket the other day. “I have to buy fortune cookies,” I said. “David’s bagging groceries today.” David is very tall, thin, and looks about forty-five. Years ago, he was in a car crash and suffered a traumatic brain injury. “When David’s working,” I told Bob, “I buy him fortune cookies and say, ‘These are for you to have good fortune.’ He never remembers me, but that doesn’t matter.” At the checkout and with difficulty, I hobbled to David using my cane with one arm and the box of cookies tucked under my other. He didn’t see me at first. He was diligently and ever-so-carefully putting shoppers’ items in bags. He said kind words to each customer. Simple words that came from his heart, “I hope you have a wonderful day, sir.” “David?” I said, repeating his name until he could figure out I was there. I handed him the cookies and said, “These are for
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PAGE 24 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
you to have good fortune.” He had a kid’s look of astonishment. “Are these for me?” He then looked around as if he had done something wrong – as if he shouldn’t be taking the time to hold a box of cookies. The cashier appeared annoyed at him. He stammered to her, “These are a present to me, from this young lady.” He pointed to me. “She paid for them and everything.” I had put the receipt with the box because I had a strange feeling he’d be questioned. Yet, even though David had explained, the cashier still insisted that I confirm he was telling the truth. I said, “These are paid for. They’re a gift for David.” She begrudgingly nodded and said to him, “Then you can keep them.” He said, “Oh thank you.” He was so excited. “These will be my lunch!” He awkwardly reached out to hug me, not noticing the impatient look from the cashier. What a pair we made – my being so short and his being so tall that I couldn’t reach up around his shoulders. As we hugged, we were both wobbling so hard that we needed to hold onto one another for balance. Yet, wobble and hug we did. It was heartbreakingly beautiful. And then I walked away. As a differently-abled person, I’ve noticed the stares. Most have been kind “Can I help you?” stares. Children stare at my cane, wondering what it’s for and if they can play with it. Some adults avert their eyes when they see me. That’s what I used to do – before. On the ride home, Bob said, “Sometimes I’m uncomfortable around disabled people.” “You’re not uncomfortable around me,” I replied. “That’s because I don’t see you that way.” “What way?” “I don’t see you as different,” he said.
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I could see gorgeous water lilies out the car window. Did their varied colors mean that one was different? I don’t think so. Each one was lovely in its own way. I pictured David in the back room of the supermarket, savoring his lunch of fortune cookies. And just as I knew he would do – sharing his good fortune with everybody else. Email award-winning columnist, Saralee Perel, at sperel@saraleeperel. com or visit saraleeperel.com. MSN
Learning To Sail In Washington’s San Juan Islands By Natalie Bartley As we watched Orca whales feeding along the Haro Strait off San Juan Island, I couldn’t believe my 20-year dream of learning to skipper a cruising sailboat had finally come true. Seeing whales was a bonus, for sure. In June, I joined a liveaboard sailing class in Washington’s San Juan Islands that consisted of three certification classes wrapped into one action packed week. I came to the course to learn about the yachting lifestyle as a retirement option. One classmate planned to charter a boat for her family trip in the British Virgin Islands, while the other classmate planned to buy a cruising stunsailboat and keep it near his Roche Harbor along San Juan Island offers stun ning views of nearby islands and serves as a home in Anchorage, Alaska. protected area where cruisers dock, shop, and We slept on, cooked in, refuel. (Photo by Natalie Bartley) and maneuvered the 42-foot Catalina sailboat Fancy Free from Bellingham Bay to various islands near the Canadian border. Our instructor Captain Nate taught us the skills and knowledge needed to complete the American Sailing Association (ASA) Basic Sailing, Basic Coastal Cruising, and Bareboat Cruising Charter certifications. Passing the written/skill tests enables us to skipper a cruising sailboat. A bareboat charter means you are renting a boat that is “bare” of crew and provisions. As skipper, you are ultimately responsible for the safety of your companions and the boat’s electrical system, navigation instruments, diesel engine, and sailing equipment. Plus you oversee the sailing, docking, anchoring, navigating, and other aspects of expedition sailing. Initially our boat felt monster-sized to me. Holding the helm – a gigantic steering wheel that reached from my shins to my shoulders – while dodging islands, buoys, and other boats, made for challenging sailing. Then Captain Nate added the requirement to sail solo by managing the helm, the main sail,
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
and the jib sail all at the same time. As if that were not enough to test a skipper wannabe, Captain Nate introduced the importance of solo sailing when there was a man-overboard (MOB). He replicated a MOB situation by throwing a plastic boat fender overboard for each student to rescue sailing solo as if the only other crewmember fell into the frigid water. We practiced solo several times keeping the “victim” in sight, turning the boat, sailing back to the victim, hooking the fender via a rescue pole, and hauling the supposed victim back into the boat. The course was not all sailing and drills. Each evening we stayed at a new location moored on a buoy at the edge of a protected bay, anchored in a quiet shore side location, or docked in a busy harbor with amenities. Delicious dinners prepared by the students and the captain in the boat’s galley were consumed topside next to the splendor of the green San Juan Islands
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 25
under red-tinted sunsets. Shore-based excursions included hikes to high points, visits to restaurants, and shopping sprees for produce, fresh seafood, and wine. Roche Harbor on San Juan Island offered stunning views of nearby islands and served as a protected area for boats to dock, shop, and refuel. For grand views of islands and the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, we moored off Pelican Beach. The four of us enjoyed the scenery from both water level and from a cliff during a hike along Cypress Island’s trail systems. Mount Baker provided a stunning view on many days. As the course progressed through three written tests, various sailing skill sessions, and cruising boat systems procedures, I realized my journey towards confidently skippering a cruising sailboat on a recreational trip was underway, with future enhancements needed.
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APRIL 2016 3–21 South Central United States Laird Leisure Travel 4–20 Historic East Satrom Travel & Tour 6–17 11-Day Tulip Time GDP Tours 6–16 Rhine River Cruise Satrom Travel & Tour 4/13- 18-Day Panama Canal Cruise 5/1 GDP Tours 10–25 15 Day Cruise to Panama Canal Big Sky Travel 17–25 Cuba Cruise Satrom Travel & Tour MAY 2016 7–8 “Newsies” the Musical Big Sky Travel
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Guided tour of the property, admission to Chico’s natural hot spring pools, wagon ride to Old Chico.
$148/ppd $170/pp $1449/ppd + air
9-Day Best of Ireland Call for availability. 13-Day A Taste of the South Pacific highlighting Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park; Hartley’s Crocodile Farm; Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbor Cruise, $5399/ppd Fiji, and more. Includes RT air from Billings. Call for availability. $5899/pps 3-Day Snowcoaching in Yellowstone National Park 2015 Price $499/ppd 8-Day Mexico Copper Canyon. Enjoy glorious views during two scenic rail journeys through magnificent canyon landscapes. Includes RT air from Billings. $2598/ppd 11-Day Tulip Time on the Romantic Rhine and Mosel River Cruise. Switzerland, France, Germany and The Netherlands. Includes RT air from Billings. Staring at $4699/ppd 18-Day Panama Canal Cruise, featuring Mexico, Central & South Americas Staring at $3583/ppd Includes RT air from Billings. 9-Day Cuba Experience, highlighting ‘People-to-People’ educational experience which encourages personal relationships with the people of this island nation. Includes RT air from Billings. (May 15th Depart - SOLD OUT) $5249/ppd 3-Day Deadwood, SD Getaway $158/ppd Mystery Day Tour, including lunch! $77/pp Day Tour of ‘must-see’ museums. Range Riders Museum, Miles City, MT and Big Horn County Historical Museum, In Harden, MT $89/pp 2-Day Folk Music Festival, Butte MT $215/ppd 6-Day Iceland... Land of Fire and Ice. Includes RT air from Billings. $2999/ppd 9-Day Nova Scotia & Canada Maritime, featuring Halifax, the Cabot Trail and Prince Edward Island. Includes RT air from Billings. $3248/ppd
Special Billings hotel rate for out of town travelers. For additional tours please visit our website, or call: GDP TOURS 2501 Montana Ave., Suites 15-17, Billings, MT 59101 (888) 827-1492 or (406) 256-1492 | www.gdplanners.com | lily@gdplanners.com
PAGE 26 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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Sailing schools offer a docking endorsement, a navigation course, and other courses for finetuning and expanding your skills. You can also take a private lesson in a chartered boat or use your own boat. Another option is to join a flotilla of sailboats after completing the certification courses. Weeklong excursions help novices gain skipper skills and experience under the guidance of a flotilla leader and serve as a way to meet other sailors. We saw a flotilla of cruising sailboats anchored in Inati Bay off Lummi Island. There are over 300 affiliated ASA schools throughout the world, and both ASA and some schools offer flotillas. When I researched sailing schools offering bareboat charter skipper certifications, I considered scenic value and ease of access within the Pacific Northwest region. San Juan Sailing School, located in Bellingham, Washington, easily won over other coastal areas. They have a thorough and informative website. Everything you need to know about the
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Call for a brochure 406-761-9700
Toll Free 866-967-9700
If time is money, save both. Getting back and forth to Billings minus the drive just makes sense. Next time, hop on one of our fast, daily flights and arrive refreshed. Enjoy the ride.
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Join a fun flotilla of sailboats to gain more skipper skills and experience under the guidance of a flotilla leader, such as this group moored in Inati Bay off Lummi Island in the San Juan Islands. (Photo by Natalie Bartley)
sailing courses is outlined in detail at sanjuansailing.com. If you fly to Bellingham, a 10-minute taxi ride from the airport to the school’s boats at Squalicum Harbor provides fast access to the start of the learning adventure. Since the weeklong courses begin mid-day Saturday and finish mid-day Friday, no overnight stay is needed. If you drive, plan on taking a few extra days, journey down the Columbia River where you will see many sailboats and wind surfers that will spike your anticipation of the sailing course. Spend a day or two in North Bonneville on the Columbia to learn the history of the mighty Bonneville Dam and harnessing the Columbia River. Why learn to skipper a yacht? As our sailboat’s name indicates, you are Fancy Free to explore the oceans of the world in the fashion and the pace you desire. Natalie Bartley is a Boise-based author of the mobile app travel guide Boise’s Best Outdoor Adventures and the trail guidebooks Best Easy Day Hikes Boise and newly updated Best Rail Trails Pacific Northwest. MSN
Nature Lovers Find A Paradise On Sanibel Island
By Dianna Troyer For six days on Sanibel Island in southwestern Florida, alligators had eluded us. We knew they must be nearby because we were commanded to not feed them or else. “DO NOT FEED THE ALLIGATORS, per Florida state law,” warned a sign near a pedestrian bridge accessing Bowman’s Beach. We didn’t want to feed them, just to see them at a safe distance as they cruised in the bayou where we’d been kayaking and canoeing. While paddling past the mangroves, we had seen manatees, herons, egrets, ospreys, and other birds along with plenty of mullet that randomly leapt from the water. But alas, alligators failed to appear. Twenty miles west of Fort Myers, Sanibel is a sickle shaped 33-square-mile barrier-island with about 6,500 residents. Two-thirds of the area’s natural habitat has been preserved, making it a nature lover’s paradise and home to countless feathered and finned creatures. It’s renowned not only for wildlife, but also for seashells, seafood restaurants, museums, and welcoming unpretentious locals. During a weeklong stay in late May, while wandering the beach, we met people of all ages from newlyweds to young families. Some grandparents told us they had been bringing their families here for years. They find oodles of options for recreation: birding, shelling, swimming, fishing, boating, paddle boarding, biking, and touring museums. The popular Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum offers an entertaining and informative tank talk every 30 minutes and an interactive touch tank. Exhibits highlight shells from around the world. Seeing the countless colors and shapes of shells there compelled us to search Sanibel’s white sandy beaches to see what the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters had tumbled to shore.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
After shelling, a welcome break from afternoon sun is the museum at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Darling, a prolific political cartoonist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1924 and again in 1943, was also a conservationist credited with helping to establish the national wildlife refuge system. He founded the Federal Duck Stamp program. Without Darling’s foresight along with modern continued conservation programs, Sanibel Island’s skyline would likely look like Miami Beach with towering hotels. Instead, the island is fringed with palms, pines, and other trees that are home to more than 200 species of birds. A drive through the refuge leads to the Calusa Indian Shell Mound, giving a glimpse into the lifestyle of the island’s first settlers. The island is not only famed for its natural habitat but for also being the setting of Randy Wayne White’s popular crime novels featuring the heroic Doc Ford. White, who lives in the area, often writes at a local rum bar and grill. Many of his books are found at Gene’s Books, an eclectic and entertaining store offering discounted prices and a doorway that is disguised as a bookshelf. With few roads, it’s easy to find your way around Sanibel. Wanting to minimize motorized traffic and to encourage a laid-back pedestrian lifestyle, local leaders have banned traffic lights and built a network of bike paths. Many bike shops will bring a rental to your lodging.
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 27
Bowman’s Beach is uncrowded and serene with white sandy beaches and abundant seashells. [Photo by Dianna Troyer]
Welcome Montana Montana Nursing Home Quality Nursing Home Quality Collaborative Care Collaborative Members
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millions of nursing home residents across improvement organizations in the nation to work with nursing homes to ensure that their residents receive high quality care.
The following nursing homes join the 66 nursing homes already participating in the Montana Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative. Welcome: Broadwater Health Center, Townsend Clark Fork Valley Nursing Home, Plains. Glendive Medical Center Extended Care, Glendive Northern Montana Care Center, Havre And thank you to those facilities already participating in the Montana Nursing Quality Care Collaborative
An osprey watches for food near a bayou. [Photo by Dianna Troyer]
To avoid crowds and fall hurricanes and to take advantage of off-season lodging rates, we explored Sanibel in the spring. There are hundreds of hotel and housing accommodations to pick from, with many listed on www.vrbo.com. From all the choices, we settled on Blind Pass Condos beside Bowman’s Beach and were pleased. The weekly rental included kayaks, canoes, grills, a pool, tennis courts, and a clubhouse with board games and books. As our weeklong vacation drew to a close, we headed to the beach one last time at dusk. While standing on the bridge over the bayou, a zigzagging wake sliced the water in the distance. Could it be? Yes, finally an alligator, and not one but two. We were thrilled and pointed them out to others on the bridge. The movement and perhaps our silhouette caught the gators’ attention. The zigzagging stopped, and they swam directly toward us. Lingering near the bridge, the 5-foot-long creatures looked up at us expectantly. Although we didn’t feed them, we suspected someone surely had from their eager behavior. Seeing them along with other wildlife, wandering the beach, and meeting welcoming residents culminated a wonderful and refreshing week, making us want to return to Sanibel in the future. For more information visit sanibelisland.com.
Apple Rehab Cooney, Helena Awe Kualawaachee CC, Crow Agency Beartooth HCC, Columbus Great Falls Big Sandy MC, Big Sandy Big Sky HCC, Helena Billings Health & Rehab Community, Billings Brendan House, Kalispell Bridger Healthcare Community, Bozeman Butte Healthcare Center - Genesis, Butte Cedar Wood HC, Red Lodge Central Montana Skilled Nursing, Lewistown Community Nursing Home of Anaconda, Anaconda Copper Ridge Health & Rehab, Butte Crest NH, Butte Daniels , Billings Eastern MT Memorial NH, Scobey Discovery CC, Hamilton Veterans Home, Glendive Elkhorn HC & Rehab, Clancy Faith Lutheran Home, Wolf Point Fallon Medical Complex, Baker Friendship Villa HCC, Miles City Gallatin Rest Home, , Jordan Glacier CC, Cut Bank Good Samaritan Bozeman Society MVM, Eureka Heritage Place HCC, Kalispell Hillside Health Care Center, Missoula Holy Rosary HRH RL, Miles City Hot Springs Health & Rehab, Hot Springs Immanuel SCC, Kalispell Kindred Healthcare Parkview, Dillon Kindred Transitional Care & Rehab-Park Place, Great Falls Lake View HC, Big Fork Laurel Health & Rehab, Laurel Libby Care Center, Libby Livingston Health Care Center, Livingston Madison Valley Manor, Ennis Marias Care Center, Shelby Missoula Health & Rehab, Missoula Missouri River MCNH, Fort Benton Montana Veterans Home, Columbia Falls Mountain View Care Center, Ronan Mountain View HC Community, Bozeman Parkview HCC, Billings Polson Health & Rehab, Polson Pondera Medical Center, Conrad Riverside Health Care Center, Missoula Rocky Mountain HCC, Helena Rosebud HCC Nursing Home, Forsyth Sheridan Memorial Nursing Home, Plentywood Sidney Health Center, Sidney St. John’s Lutheran Ministries, Billings St. Luke’s Extended Care, Ronan Sweet Memorial NH, Chinook Teton Medical Center NH, Choteau Teton Nursing Home, Choteau The Living Centre, Stevensville Tobacco Root Mountains Care, Sheridan Valley Health Care, Billings Valle Vista HCC, Lewistown Valley View Estates Health Care Center, Hamilton Valley View Home, Glasgow Village Health Care Center, Missoula Under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), works within the communities it serves to help improve the delivery of health care and the systems that To join the Montana Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative please call Pamela Longmire 406.457.5885.
MSN
What we know is a drop; what we don’t know is an ocean. - Isaac Newton
Territories of Guam and American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS),
PAGE 28 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Snow Wonder!
By Bernice Karnop Snow and the winter holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas go together, hand in glove. The holidays have some dreaming of Winter Wonderlands stretching Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother’s House. Others attend festivals where Sleigh Bells Ring on the harnesses of Belgium, Percheron, or Clydesdales horses as they go Dashing through the Snow in front of an old-fashioned sleigh. Grandchildren dream of the White Christmas fun they can have with Frosty the Snowman, sleds, snow angels, snowball fights, and endless imagination. Grown-ups relish snowy activities like hunting, ice fishing, skiing, snowboarding, or the Audubon Christmas Bird Count and Yellowstone Snow Coaching. So just what is the delightful stuff that falls from the sky to transform dull landscapes into pure and sparkling wonder? It’s amazing to think that the acres of whiteness are made up of tiny particles. Each individual flake is a water droplet that forms around a core particle when the temperature drops below freezing. It generally becomes a six-sided crystal that grows branches as it tosses around in the cloud. Observers who catch snowflakes on a piece of dark velvet, black cloth, or paper, and look at them under a magnifying glass, see the many unique shapes. While some observers maintain that each flake is different, others are less sure. One would have to check all the angles, colors, and textures that show up under magnification. Not all flakes are six-sided. Snowflakes may be shaped like an hourglass, a column, spool, or needle, depending on the atmospheric pressure and temperature within the cloud. Mostly people don’t see snow as individual flakes, but as the storm or blizzard that buries the town and countryside. They watch it blow about forming drifts or cornices that resemble the meringue atop a lemon pie. (Cont’d on p. 30)
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Powdery snow that blows around like downy feathers forms when it’s very cold. This fluffy stuff can be 95 percent air! Wet, heavy snow forms in warmer temperatures. Graupel is snow that falls in soft lumpy balls. Wikipedia describes it as precipitation that forms when super-cooled droplets of water are collected and freeze on a falling snowflake, forming a soft ball. It is not the same as hail or ice pellets. Hoarfrost is the spiky glitter that decorates branches and other skinny things like grass, fences, and wires. After an icy snowstorm on a frigid day a number of years ago, photographer Ted Needham took pictures of the interesting shapes created by the storm along Flathead Lake. After he developed the photos, he was struck by one ice scene that resembled a nativity: the Christmas babe, Mary, Joseph, and an angel bowing overhead. Stretching out from the core were white lumpy sheep, and worshiping shepherds. This remarkable photo was reproduced widely and made into cards. Needham went back later to photograph the unremarkable tree, berry bushes and weeds that were so magically transformed by the snowstorm. Prognosticators say the northwest will be wetter than usual, so we’ll have a snowy winter this year. If true, we hope you’ll find ways to enjoy it! Tell the stories of fun and hardship snow created during holidays in the past. Take some photos, make tracks in unbroken snow, and enjoy the beauty that snow creates out of an ordinary yard and garden. We hope your winter is made even lovelier by the magic of snow. MSN
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Cuban Cigars And Chinese Ducks By Bill Hall ing achievement in food right here in Idaho where I live. I speak, of course, Yes, it’s true. I smoked a Cuban cigar once upon a time. of giant Idaho Russet baking potatoes. Every time I eat one, I feel sorry for I was smoking an illegal Cuban cigar back in the 1970s. An American Fidel Castro that all he has is a cigar. national reporter I knew slipped me the Cuban cigar, but truthfully, I can’t Hall may be contacted at wilberth@cableone.net or at 1012 Prospect remember his name. He did know a thing or two about cigars. Ave., Lewiston, ID 83501. MSN He had been to Cuba reporting some cold-war story when Fidel Castro was still fully in charge. And in truth, the reporter’s cigars may even have been legal, if his traveling was considered useful to government leaders. Legal or not, that American reporter bought a few cigars for his friends and he kindly included me in that gesture. He told me he had found it hard to believe at first that Cuban cigars actually could be as exceptional as tobacco mythology reported. But he and I both were dazzled by the Cuban product. That reminds me that proud products of most cities and nations aren’t nearly as exceptional as their boasting might indicate. But superior aspects of some food, art, music, and sports actually do outshine much of the world. On the other hand, what use is it if England’s best shot is steak and kidney pie? Granted, nobody cooks steak and kidney pie as well as the English, but that’s not good enough. Why would any sane person want them to do that? But there are several places in the world that have mastered a few outrageously delightful products. For instance, that Cuban cigar was the mellowest and flavorful cigar I ever smoked. If Fidel Castro ever tried to explain it in English, he would have called it awesome. Of course, on occasions in my life when I tried ordinary cigars, they almost all smelled like scorched fish manure. They tasted like autumn leaves flavored with petroleum. And those cigars felt in my mouth like the skin of a dead frog. But, that Cuban cigar smelled like fresh oregano, tasted like autumn leaves flavored with bacon, and felt like the skin of the woman I love. Occasionally, a few nations and cities will create pleasurable achievements that soar above the competition throughout the world. And on rare occasion, a nation will succeed in one product after failing at first in another. For instance, that disaster of England trying to make a food star out of its steak and kidney pie. The same country has the best hot tea you will ever pour down your gullet. A cup of English tea washing over your tonsils is so soothing it has become a liquid tranquilizer. Another national triumph that fully lives up to its boasting is Peking or Beijing duck. It is a duck that, over two days, is flavored inside and out with a dark brown toasting and is blown up like a balloon at one point in the process of drying out the inflated bird. China’s duck is an international classic. That tasty bird is loved for turning dried duck skin into a crunchy crackle that is also made into several other dishes. How good is it? A few bites and you feel like you shouldn’t be tasting flavors so erotic in front of decent people. The one time in my life I ever tasted it at its best was while visiting members of our family who were working in China. Peking duck is more than one dish. It is a meal of separate dishes including that As your life unfolds, change is waiting around every corner. That’s why it’s flavored skin, plus a soup and comforting to know, for nearly 75 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana a helping of meat. Everybody has been with you every step of the way. So when life calls, and you need us eagerly ate it all. most, we’re here for you…through it all. Many other countries have their specialties. They have developed dishes over decades that outshine all others and live up to their well-deserved wows. In my opinion, as high as the quality of Cuban cigars are, I would rather put a southern fried chicken drumstick in my lunch hole than a cigar. But if you’re looking for foods that stand out best of all, A division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. it’s simple; just scan almost everything on the menus of Italy. Learn More or Enroll Today at bcbsmt.com I 855-765-1222 In addition, I know a tower-
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PAGE 34 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
HONORING OUR V Nove Documenting ‘Nam
By Pamela Kleibrink Thompson Idaho and Vietnam may seem worlds apart, but not for filmmakers Ken and Betty Rodgers, producers of Bravo! Common Men, Uncommon Valor, a documentary film about Ken’s unit, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, during the siege at Khe Sanh. Ken and Betty, who live in Boise, Idaho, had never made a film before, but Betty compelled Ken
the street from the State Capitol in Helena. Exhibits include Montana Homeland featuring 11,000 years of history, the world-class Mackay Gallery of Charles M. Russell Art, and Neither Empty Nor Unknown: Montana at the Time of Lewis & Clark. Kids will love the museum’s interactive children’s area, and all will enjoy shopping at the Museum Store. And now we are a participating Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active military members and their families. For more information, visit arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.
Minnie Spotted Wolf (Blackfoot), Celia Mix (Potawatomi), and Viola Eastman (Chippewa). U.S. Marine Corps Photograph, October 16, 1943. American Indian Select List #194
MONTANA’S MUSEUM is located in the Montana Historical Society across
to undertake the production to record the effects the war had on him and his comrades. The film has had an impact on veterans and their families across the country. It has also affected others like Stephen Hunter, longtime film critic for The Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun. “It’s a privilege and an honor to come across a work as disciplined and rigorous as Ken and Betty Rodgers’ Bravo! Common Men, Uncommon Valor. This grunt film looks at history from over the lip of the trench. To watch it is to think: Where did we get such men?” (Quoting Michener, The Bridges at Toko-Ri) Alan Heathcock, award-winning Idaho author of VOLT, pays tribute to the courage of these filmmakers saying, “There’s nothing more noble than the voice that finally breaks the silence, even and especially if the message delivered is one that makes us confront the best and the worst of who we are.” “It’s about war, it’s about what war does to people,” Ken said about Bravo!. “And it’s about not just the bad stuff, but the good stuff: the bonds, the humanity.” He and Betty made the film to honor the men who served alongside him at Khe Sanh. “I have thought about Vietnam every day since the day I left there,” shares Ken. In early 1968, United States Marines at the Khe Sanh firebase were surrounded and besieged by a numerically superior North Vietnamese force. Over the 77-day siege, the marines were under constant rocket and artillery bombardment. All supplies and replacements were transported by air, and casualties went out the same way, even though the runway and aircraft landing on it were also under constant fire. On March 30, 1968, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines were ordered to attack enemy trench lines on the Khe Sanh perimeter. Exactly 47 years after that attack, Bravo! was screened at the Egyptian Theatre in Boise to benefit Ada County Veterans’ Treatment Court and the Idaho Veterans’ Network. Attendees included Khe Sanh veterans Ken Korkow, Ron Rees, and Steve Wiese who are featured in the film and who served with Ken Rodgers and Bravo Company. “We are excited about how we can help folks learn more about the Vietnam War, the personal stories of the people who served, and its long-term costs in human terms,” says Ken. Betty encouraged her husband to make the film after they attended one of the yearly reunions of Khe Sanh Veterans. “The guys were all sitting around telling their
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
VETERANS ember 11 & Always stories and I just sat and listened,” shares Betty. “It really sank in at that time that somehow we need to preserve this, their history, their story.” The film stands as a testament to the men of Bravo Company, with photos, after-action reports, and never-before-heard audio that brings the battle to life. Bravo! was nominated for one of the inaugural Idaho Media Awards, established by the Idaho Media Professionals (idahomediapro.com). During production, Ken and Betty traveled across the United States conducting interviews with 15 members of Bravo Company. They also traveled to George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in California for post-production work. The film’s
changed when he sat across from the camera and Rodgers. ‘I carry major survivor’s guilt,’ Wiese said. ‘I don’t understand why I’m alive and others aren’t. I don’t understand.’” In the film, Wiese describes how his unit was ambushed during a patrol and how it took him all day to retreat about 400 yards to the besieged American base. President Barack Obama proclaimed May 28, 2012 through November 11, 2025 as the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. Obama writes, “We draw inspiration from the heroes who suffered unspeakably... who were wounded and still carry the scars of war, seen and unseen.” “It’s about your buddies there and the guy next to you,” Ken recalls of his service in Vietnam. “You need him to keep you alive. Those bonds that are created are more intense than anything you will find in your life. “We’ve had people come up and say, ‘Now I understand my dad; I understand my brother, you know. I understand people who had this happen to them and now they can’t function like the rest of us; now I understand why they were the way they were,’” Ken Bravo Marines prior to siege. From left to right, Carwille, Foster, adds. “This is part of the hisO’Hara, Jacobs, Furlong, and Rodgers. [Photo credit to Michael E. tory of the United States.” O’Hara] DVDs of Bravo! are available. Please consider gifting sound and film editing was done by Vietnam vet- copies to a veteran, a history buff, a library, a eran John Nutt, who also worked on Apocalypse friend, or family member. For more information Now and Amadeus, and four-time Oscar winner visit bravotheproject.com/buy-the-dvd/, contact Mark Berger. Betty Rodgers at 208-340-8324 or bettykrodgers@ Though Bravo! offers a glimpse into some of gmail.com, or visit idahomediapro.com. MSN the bloodiest fighting of the Vietnam War, most memorable are the stories of the men of Bravo Company. As an article in Stars and Stripes states, “The film also provided some much-needed catharsis to the survivors from Bravo, many of whom opened up for the first time. ‘I don’t think anyJOHNSON GLOSCHAT one else could have Funeral Home & Crematory [made the film],’ Marine Erik Fisher Corporal Steve Wiese, Family Services • Advanced Planning now 66, told Stars and 406-261-3607 Stripes from his Califor2659 U.S. Hwy 93 North nia home. For years, he P.O. Box 457 suppressed his experiKalispell, Montana 59903 ences and was reluctant to tell his story. That Kalispell • Columbia Falls • Whitefish • Glacier Memorial Gardens
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 35
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum Grand Opening in Grande Prairie, Alberta By The Philip J. Currie Museum The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum celebrated its grand opening on September 26, 2015 with famous actors, scientists, museum professionals, and musicians at the Amber Ball Gala. Actor Dan Aykroyd kick-started the day with a Harley Davidson Ride from Mighty Peace Harley Davidson Dealership in Grande Prairie to the Museum in Wembley. Every participant had free admission and a tour with the Aykroyd family, who are staunch supporters of the museum. After the unveiling of the museum cornerstone and naming of the Powell Path at the Pipestone Creek site, the day culminated in the Amber Ball Grand Celebration at the Entrec Centre in Grande Prairie. In addition to guests of honor, Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon Aykroyd, the black-tie event featured entertainment by Jim Cuddy Trio and blues singer, Colin James. Dr. Philip J. Currie, Dr. Eva Kopplehus, and a University of Alberta crew were digging for fossils at the Pipestone Creek Bone Bed on September 2526. Dr. Currie’s contributions to the world of paleontology have broadened knowledge of the late Cretaceous Period and signaled potential for future
discoveries in the vicinity. At the heart of Dr. Currie’s motivations is to imagine dinosaurs as living animals in their ancient environments. The museum opened its doors on September 3, welcoming over 5,500 visitors in the first two days. The exhibits immerse visitors in an interactive virtual ecosystem that comes close to achieving Dr. Currie’s imagined world when dinosaurs roamed the earth. “This is a world-class museum that shares Canada’s rich fossil heritage with a global audience. This award-winning building has been completed on budget in record time and is the only museum in North America to offer helicopter rides over dinosaur bone-beds,” says George Jacob, founding President and CEO of the Museum. Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum is an international institute for experiential learning dedicated to the palaeontological heritage of Alberta through research, collection, preservation, exhibition, public programming, publications, and innovative outreach. For more information visit www.dinomuseum. ca or call 587-771-0662. MSN
The Black Hills Region Of South Dakota – A Tourist Mecca By Jack McNeel Tourism is alive and well in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota. Mile after mile, road signs along I-90 proclaim the wonders to be seen whether history, wildlife, or simply scenic beauty. A trip in early July further added to that luster. With much of Montana and the Northwest ablaze, Black Hills signs proclaimed low fire danger. The dark verdant coniferous trees mixed with the lighter, lush greens of valleys created a beautiful entrance to the region. Mount Rushmore, America’s Shrine of Democracy, attracts roughly three million visitors each year. The granite faces of four U.S. Presidents, carved by Gutzon Borglum, were completed in 1941. Each face is six stories tall the eyes alone are eleven feet across.
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An inspiring walk through the Avenue of Flags – from all 50 states – leads to the viewing terrace and a trail along the base of the granite cliffs provides a closer view. There’s a museum, gift shop, restaurant, and ice cream shop where you will be surprised to learn that President Thomas Jefferson was the first American to record a recipe for ice cream. An early morning visit will treat you to the four faces lit by the sunrise. We arrived shortly after 5 a.m. and spent an hour watching the sunlight caress the granite, and surprisingly, there were few visitors at that time. Just a few miles away is Crazy Horse Memorial, a massive granite carving honoring the great Native American hero. Sculptor Korczak Zioilkowski was hired by a Lakota chief to carve the mountain. Although his work began in 1948, it is a monumental undertaking that is probably decades from completion. Funding for the project is solely from private grants and entrance fees.
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MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 37
became a National Park in 1903. Guided tours are available at each site. A driving tour through the 44,000-acre Badlands National Park reveals spectacular geology, and more than 30 overlooks offer photo opportunities of the dramatic landscape. You can hike many trails to get off the beaten path. Deadwood, the famous town of western movies, provides glimpses of early western history. Wild Bill Hickok is buried here, as is Calamity Jane whose grave lies alongside Hickok – at her request. With fine dining and full Las Vegas gambling available in many casinos, you can catch the excitement of the night after a day of sightseeing. And no trip is complete without a stop at Wall Drug, right on I-90. It’s hard to miss with roadside posters seemingly every few hundred yards in either direction. Advertised as the World’s Largest Drug Store and #1 Roadside Attraction in America, if they don’t have it you probably don’t need it. Plus, a cup of coffee costs just five cents! With these and even more to see and do, this southwest corner of South Dakota is a tourist Mecca. MSN The face is largely finished and stands about 88 feet tall, nearly twice that of the faces on Mount Rushmore. Still to be completed are Crazy Horse’s arm pointing to show the lands of the Lakota, the head and shoulder of his horse, and his body. The arm alone will be 263 feet long. A beautiful museum featuring Native American items from many regions is part of the complex along with an auditorium and movie that tells the amazing story of the sculptor and his sculpture. Just these two attractions themselves are worth a trip to the Black Hills, but there is much more. Bear Country USA is a favorite location to view and photograph wildlife. This 250-acre private reserve has a three-mile-long drive where various animals can be seen in large enclosures. Literally, dozens of bears roam freely within much of the reserve. Driving slowly through the reserve (windows closed), visitors can see the animals upclose. Black bears come in a variety of colors and most shades can be seen here. At the end of the auto tour, Babyland reveals bear cubs and other
smaller animals. South Dakota is reported to have the most bison of any state in the nation. They can be seen in various locations but perhaps the best place to see the largest numbers is Custer State Park where the bison number about 1,300. All animals in the 71,000-acre park roam freely, and the best bison viewing is generally along the Wildlife Loop. Pronghorn antelope, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and various others offer photo opportunities. If your interests include something more exotic, take in Reptile Gardens, proclaimed in Guinness Book of World Records as being the World’s Largest Reptile Zoo. Much can be learned during the snake shows where professional handlers display and discuss various reptiles (including alligators) and their characteristics, habitat, and safety with snakes. This beautiful facility also features botanical gardens with more than 50,000 flowers. Two of the world’s six longest caves are located in the Black Hills. Jewel Cave is the world’s third-longest cave with over 168 miles of mapped passageways. Wind Cave at 123-miles in length
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Innocence, Apples, and Death While much may appear to be wrong with our lives, our communities, or the world, we are surrounded daily by acts of love and kindness that show us not all is lost. Extraordinarily, the death of a loved one can result in confirmation of how important our actions are when we are alive and reinforce the need for us to give and receive love by connecting with each other in times of need. Memories are often what we have left to aid us in our ability to heal and make peace with loss. Memories – good, bad, otherwise – lead us through this unknown territory. For Gloria Franz, losing her husband was the end of one story; living through the first year without him after 49-years of marriage was the beginning of another. When she received the one-year-anniversary call from Hospice, Gloria confessed that she was still having a difficult time, and she scheduled a face-to-face visit with a Hospice bereavement specialist. During that visit, she explained her experiences and her fears for her future. Gloria and the specialist discussed both how real and normal her feelings and thoughts were as well as how the grief process is different for each person. There is no right or wrong process for bereavement, and most importantly, we need to understand that the goal of grieving is not simply to get over it and move on, but rather to make peace with this life-altering change and to maintain the strength to make the journey toward a new normal. Some make suggestions for getting through the loss that are can be too difficult or not appropriate for the recipient of that advice. Others are able to allow the tears, raw pain, and fears to be
expressed by the person haunted by the loss, even if it takes a long time. Sometimes listening without giving feedback and advice is all that is needed. Regardless of what the mourner is facing, it is important to understand that it is not being weak to reach out for a visit with someone outside one’s immediate circle, or to seek professional counseling from Hospice. Many times those closest to us are unable to provide the extra support needed. When a person feels stuck or continues to lose strength, seeking support can get us back on track toward healing. As the visit was ending, Gloria pulled two sheets of paper from her purse, handed them to the counselor, and said, “My granddaughter, Katie, wrote these poems in November after her grandpa’s death.” The tears filled Gloria’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. The tightness in her throat was apparent as she described how sad she was over her family’s pain with this loss. The hospice bereavement specialist encouraged Gloria to tell her story and share Katie’s poems of how positive one life can be to another, and how after death and loss, growth can touch so many others when shared. Katie’s poems reflect her love for her grandpa and the power of the loving memories she holds of their relationship – the love found in families that can brighten our world.
The Age of Innocence
By Katie Crowley, Spokane, Washington Gathering apples fallen from the tree; the warmth of your hugs surrounds me. Working in the summer sun, and just being with you makes our work fun. I can still smell the sweet apples on the ground and the buzz of the bees all around. We sit and watch the cars go by, and, we water the lawn so it does not go dry. With the warmth of the sun upon my face, I felt so much happiness when at your place. Lack of fear made childhood so dear For you always made me feel secure. The joy of such complete innocence Helped me cherish all those experiences.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
The Apple Didn’t Fall Far From The Tree
By Katie Crowley, Spokane, Washington Spending time with you was so very dear I cannot believe you are gone half a year. Every time I see an apple tree, I feel your presence beside of me. All that time we spent in the yard I never dreamt it would be this hard.
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 39
I sit and watch the cars drive by and listen to the rainfall from the sky. What if the apples were still on the tree? What if you were still here with me? Although you are gone from sight, I know everything will be all right. We shall never be apart for you will always be in my heart. An apple tree will always hold special memories of you and me. MSN
Take Action In The Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is reaching epidemic proportions as the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. Currently, 5.2 million Americans live with the disease, and the number is expected to triple by the year 2050. The Alzheimer’s Association needs your help in its efforts to change these numbers! Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch™ With the help of human volunteers, scientists are constantly working to advance clinical research to find better treatments, prevention, and cures. TrialMatch™ is a free, easy-to-use clinical-studies matching service that connects individuals with AD, caregivers, healthy volunteers, and physicians with current studies. Our continuously updated database of over 130 AD clinical trials includes pharmacological (drug) and non-drug studies being conducted at 500 trial sites across the country. To learn more, visit alz.org/trialmatch or call 1-800272-3900 to speak directly with a clinical trials specialist. Become an Advocate for Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s advocates play an important role in improving the quality of care and quality of life for people with AD and their families by carrying our message to elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. As an advocate, you will receive regular updates about current legislative and public policy issues; be invited to communicate with elected officials via petitions, phone calls, and
other calls-to-action; and be asked to share your story with others. Make your voice heard by signing up today. Join us in helping achieve our vision of creating a world without Alzheimer’s. Go to alz. org/advocacy to get involved right away! Walk to End Alzheimer’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest
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PAGE 40 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, this inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to reclaim the future for millions of people. Families, friends, co-workers, and social and religious groups are invited to be a part of this fun experi-
ence. There is no fee to participate but all walkers are asked to set individual fund raising goals. It is easy to sign up a team online and use our interactive tools to reach out to others to raise awareness and funds, which support local resources and research throughout the world. Go online and join in the fight at alz.org/walk! MSN
Meeting The Challenges Of Alzheimer’s Disease
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As Young As You Feel Day | March 22
It is natural to feel overwhelmed, but the Alzheimer’s Association has resources to help you face the challenges you are going to experience. Early-stage refers to people, irrespective of age, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and in the beginning stages of the disease. In this stage, they retain the ability to participate in daily activities and in give-and-take dialogue. This includes those persons with “younger-onset” who develop dementia under age 65 and are still in the early stages of the disease. The Alzheimer’s Association recognizes the needs of persons diagnosed with the disease and their caregivers. The following resources are available to help develop and navigate the many thoughts, emotions, and questions about memory loss and dementia. Alzheimer’s AsAt The Lodge, we provide you: sociation 24/7/365 For more information call: • Choices • Independence • 24-Hour Security Helpline 1-800-272(406) 488-4682 • Companionship • Services as You Need Them 3900 The Helpline is • Home-Cooked Meals • Wellness Programs or visit us online at: a resource for infor• Activities • Transportation www.lodgeatlonetree.org mation and support. • Studio, One & Two Bedroom Apartments Information specialists and mastersCome Home to The Lodge! level counselors are 1015 7th Ave SW • Sidney MT • 406-488-4682 available at all times www.lodgeatlonetree.org with one-on-one assistance to help you better understand the disease, manage care, and make informed decisions regarding services and treatments.
Education Classes Free local classes and online seminars are available to help people living with the disease and family members increase their understanding of memory loss, communication, and changes in behavior, and make legal and financial plans. Medical professionals, employers, and facility caregiver staff are encouraged to participate. Early-Stage Support Groups The Alzheimer’s Association offers professionally led support groups for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and their care partners. Potential participants are interviewed before each of 10 meeting sessions held every other week for 20 weeks to ensure that the group is appropriate for each person’s needs. They are not open on a drop-in basis. Caregiver Support Groups Caregiver support groups are facilitated throughout Ada and Canyon counties and in the Magic Valley at various times each month. These meetings are open to anyone who wishes to give and get support with the challenges of caregiving for family and friends. ALZConnected This online social networking community is for anyone affected by Alzheimer’s disease. It provides a safe place for people to connect with others in similar situations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at no charge. Community Resource Finder Finding reliable resources close to home can make a difference in quality of life and planning. Visit communityresourcefinder.org to choose from a comprehensive database of legal experts, housing and care options, and programs and services all in one location. Professionals can register to be included in this database at no cost. For additional information on any of these programs, please call 1-800-272-3900 or visit our website at alz.org. MSN
Aging has enough difficulties. Getting the care you need shouldn’t be one of them. Highgate Senior Living offers full care for all, no matter what your age or ailment. Our team of compassionate professionals can handle almost anything, including complex medical issues and post-acute hospital care. In fact, we specialize in services normally provided in skilled nursing, such as diabetic care and oxygen management, injectable medications, wound care, feeding tubes, catheter monitoring, two-person transfers, and hospice. Just call any of our three Assisted Living/Memory Care communities in Montana, and we’ll make sure your move into Highgate is one of the easiest things in your life right now. Highgate at Billings 406-651-4833
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 41
Housebound? Sixteen Survival Tips By Lisa M. Petsche When people are sidelined due to convalescence from an illness, recovery from surgery, or a major chronic illness or disability, their world shrinks considerably. It’s all too easy to become disconnected from others and the world in general. If you, or someone close to you, finds yourself confined to home for a time, try not to despair. There are many things you can do to remain involved in life. Sixteen ideas are included below. 1. Make it a point to stay connected to important people in your life. Call friends and invite them over regularly. It’s worth the time and energy. 2. Cultivate relationships with people who listen attentively, demonstrate compassion, and provide encouragement. Do be careful not to make your health problems and related frustrations the focus of every conversation. Perpetual frustration or self-pity will only alienate others. 3. Seek help from your primary physician if you continually feel sad, angry, overwhelmed, or unmotivated. There is no need to suffer – depression is treatable. 4. Practice self-care by eating nutritiously, exercising appropriately, getting adequate rest, and avoiding unnecessary stress. Ensuring you’re in the best possible health will help to maximize your quality of life. 5. Accept help. Be prepared when friends and neighbors ask if there’s any kind of practical assistance they can offer. Perhaps it’s dusting and vacuuming, doing laundry, running errands, sweeping the walk, or taking out the garbage. If necessary, ask for help rather than struggle alone. People in your life will likely be very happy to provide assistance; they just need to know what you need. 6. Research and take advantage of businesses that offer home delivery – for example, grocery stores, drug stores, and dry cleaners, as well as personal concierge services. Do likewise regarding mobile services in your area, such as hairstyling, nail care, dental hygiene services, and dog grooming. 7. Purchase a treat by mail order (phone or internet) now and then; you’ll have something to look forward to while it’s en route. The gift to yourself might be a book, movie, music CD, or seasonal decor item, for example. If you have limited income, find out if the public library has an outreach service. 8. Make the effort to feel good about your appearance. Paint your nails, have a friend set your hair, or order a new accessory. Put together a pamper kit of items to give you a lift when you’re feeling down – for example, a relaxation CD containing soothing sounds of nature, scented candles, fragrant body lotion, or gourmet coffee or tea. 9. Cultivate some solitary pastimes – such as taking up word puzzles or jigsaw puzzles, writing, sketching, a handicraft, or playing a musical instrument – that bring pleasure or fulfillment and enable you to enjoy your own company. 10. Facilitate connections to the outside world by asking about family and friends and following current events. Arrange a subscription to a newspaper or newsmagazine if finances permit.
Health Care Recommendations The American Academy of Nursing has collaborated with Consumer Reports to translate its new Choosing Wisely list of Things Nurses and Patients Should Question, containing health care recommendations developed by nurse leaders, into engaging brochures for consumers to reference for common health practices and treatments. The Academy and Consumer Reports have released the first two brochures developed from the Academy’s first set of five recommendations, with plans to continue their creation as other recommendations are added to the Academy’s list. The Choosing Wisely campaign is an initiative of the ABIM Foundation to encourage conversations between patients and their healthcare professionals about what care is genuinely necessary. The Academy leads the nursing profession’s efforts in the Choosing Wisely campaign through its task force composed of leaders of many national nursing organizations. “We are proud to partner with the Academy to break out these recommendations into easily understandable information for patients and their families,” said Tara Montgomery, senior director
11. Get a computer and learn how to use it. Internet access can help you stay connected to loved ones, keep up with local and world news, shop, and gather health-related information, among other things. You can also take online education courses, play games like chess and bridge, and connect with others in a similar situation through Internet message boards and chat rooms. 12. Call a local volunteer office or a non-profit organization that resonates with you and find out if there’s anything you can do from home to assist them in their work. For example, you might volunteer with a telephone reassurance program that serves isolated seniors, or coordinate a prayer chain within your faith community. 13. If mobility issues prevent you from accessing the community, rent or purchase a walker, electric scooter, or wheelchair. Register with the local accessible transportation service if appropriate. 14. If you need an escort for outings and finances permit, hire a companion so you can regularly get out. Let loved ones know that a gift certificate to the home healthcare agency of your choice would be welcomed for special occasions. 15. Get information about community resources, such as meal delivery, friendly visiting, volunteer driver programs, and suitable leisure programs. Information can be obtained from the local office on aging. 16. If design issues make it hard to get in and out or around your home, and your physical challenges will be ongoing, consider renovations if they’re feasible, or move to a more accessible setting. With a little planning and a positive attitude, you will be able to weather your health challenges with a smile. MSN
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Cellular Medical Alert System No land line? No worries! Direct Link’s Cellular Medical Alert System utilizes multiple cellular networks, so you can reach help 24/7 simply by pushing the pendant. The unit freatures a 650-foot button range, a 24-hour battery backup & reports if the pendant has been absent from the unit for an extended period. The Care Center is also notified of power loss or a low battery, and they will take appropriate action to ensure your safety, alerting you directly or alerting an emergency contact.
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PAGE 42 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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for Health Impact at Consumer Reports. “These brochures will help arm consumers with useful advice in order to have more engaging and impactful conversations with nurses and other health care providers to ensure they are getting the right tests and treatments and avoiding unnecessary care.” “The Academy is grateful for the opportunity to partner with Consumer Reports to make our recommendations accessible to a broad audience,” said Academy President, Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN. “The information in these brochures will empower patients and their families to approach their providers on these practices that patients and nurses should question, and come to the best health solution.” The first brochure Hospital Hazards focuses on four practices that can harm older people including bed rest, physical restraints, interrupted sleep, and urinary catheters. The second brochure Monitoring Your Baby’s Heartbeat During Labor offers advice to women on making their labor and birth easier. The brochures can be found at ConsumerHealthChoices.org/choosing, and will be distributed through the Consumer Reports network of partners, which consists of over 50 national, regional, and local organizations, consisting of employer groups, unions, and healthcare collaborative. The Choosing Wisely initiative has engaged over 70 national specialty
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societies, and has identified more than 350 tests and procedures that have been described as overused and inappropriate, and should be discussed with patients. Consumer Reports develops plain-language translations of these topics, including questions to help patients engage their health care provider in meaningful conversations. MSN
Take Advantage Of This New Learning Opportunity Aspen View Retirement in Billings started its fall session of Aspen View Senior University (AVSU) in mid-September. This eight-week curriculum of exciting and informative instructor-lead presentations is offered at 3075 Avenue C in Billings. AVSU is open to the public with each 45-minute presentation starting at 11 a.m. Participants are invited to join Aspen View for lunch immediately following each presentation. There are no tests, exams, or essays to write – just an excellent opportunity to learn about a diverse selection of topics. Participants can attend one, several, or all of the classes, and there is no charge for AVSU, but registration is required. To reserve a spot or for more information, call 406-652-7788 today. The curriculum includes the following presentations. • Oct. 5: Dance Like Nobody’s Watching! Ballroom Dancing Instruction for beginners to advanced presented by Jean and Ed Nedrud, Bozeman Dance School. • Oct. 12: Big Sky Beautiful: Montana Treasures. Yellowstone Art Museum presents early Montana modernist artists Isabel Johnson, Bill Stockton, and the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, and how they influenced Montana. Presented by Linda Ewert, Education Director. • Oct. 19: Fountain of Youth. Jeunesse Global’s breakthrough science on looking and feeling younger presented by Mike Berta and Jeunesse Global. • Oct. 26: All in the Stars. A wonderfully insightful exploration of astrology presented by astrologist Jill Rich. • Nov. 2: New Discoveries of Lewis & Clark. A great discovery about Lewis & Clark’s return trip “split” on the Yellowstone River presented by Benjamin Nordlund, Yellowstone County Museum. • Nov. 9: Musical Instrument Petting Zoo. Billings Symphony and Eckroth Music present musical instruments with a hands-on approach! Presented by Darren Rich from the Billings Symphony. Sign up today – you will be glad you did! MSN
When you do something exactly wrong, you always turn up something. – Andy Warhol
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 43
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Getting set up with a roadside assistance service you can call on day or night if your vehicle breaks down is a smart idea, and can provide you some real peace of mind. Here are some different options to consider. For years, auto clubs like AAA were the only option when it came to roadside assistance, but today you have many choices. Most plans provide services like towing, flat-tire changes, jump-starts, lost-key or lockout services, fuel, and help with stuck vehicles. Also check your auto insurance, credit cards, and cell phone providers. Many provide variations of roadside assistance. But, be aware that many of these services
Roadside Assistance & Peace Of Mind
are limited in what they cover, so investigate the benefit details including: who’s covered (individuals and vehicles); how many assistance calls are allowed each year (three or four is typical); the average response time per service call; and the towing rules. If you find that you aren’t covered, or you want a better plan, check out auto/motor clubs. Most offer two or more levels of membership depending on how much roadside assistance you want and other services. One of the best-known clubs, AAA (aaa. com), offers comprehensive services and has an extensive network of more than 40,000 roadside assistance providers, which usually means fast
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 45
response times. Costs vary from $48 to $162 annually depending on location and plan. Other clubs include allstatemotorclub.com, aarproadside.com, betterworldclub.com, bpmotorclub.com, goodsamroadside.com, gmmotorclub.com. Another new option to consider is pay-ondemand roadside assistance services like urgent. ly and honkforhelp.com. If you use a smartphone in their service area, these app-based services will let you call for help via smartphone, and will only charge you for the assistance you need at a low price. Whatever your plan, may your trips be safe and enjoyable. MSN
PAGE 46 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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Paul Burney – Master Of Customer Combining By Suzanne Waring bine in full in just thirty days. And Paul did just that! The open road has called to Paul Burney each He had his combines and was in business! spring for many years, and he has made friends For forty-six years Paul did custom cutting, with many farmers and known the contours of starting in Oklahoma and Texas and moving north their land from Montana to north central Texas. In as the season progressed. He got to know the lomid-May of each year, cation of custom cutting a caravan of combines, caravan parking lots, trucks carrying headers, the decent cafes, and a travel trailer, and pickthe friendly motels. ups with pup trailers has One year in midpulled onto the highway May, Paul and his crew from tiny Carter, and arrived in Duke, Oklaheaded south. homa, and Paul started Paul Burney grew scouting for work. He up in western Nebraska often went to cafes, imwhere the golden wheat plement businesses, or shimmers in scalding feed stores, but this day July heat on dry land he went to the bank. farms. In 1959, at age Combines have been an ongoing part of Paul and Emily He found a rotund man 19, Paul worked with his Burney’s lives for over forty years. (Photo by Suzanne sitting on the bank’s brother and an uncle on Waring) porch. In conversation, a custom-cutting crew. it turned out the man Several years later he first saw Montana’s Golden was the banker with huge wheat farms that needed Triangle country through the bug-smeared wind- cutting. In just ten minutes, Paul had work to keep shield of a crew truck, and he made two decisions; his combines busy, and from that year forward, he was going to run a Duke, Oklahoma was where Paul started each custom-cutting busi- year. ness, and he was going Paul cut for Nolan Sanders out of Claude, to live in Montana. Texas, which was almost due west of Duke. In 1962, Paul and “During my years of farming, Paul Burney his wife, Emily, moved was one of the best custom cutters we had in this to Great Falls, later rent- country. Once he knew where the fields were, I ed a rural farmhouse, didn’t have to tell him again where my leased land and in 1968, bought a was located. He would wait until the humidity was square block in Carter low enough in the morning to start cutting, and he where Paul could park delivered the wheat to the elevator. His machinery all of his equipment. was in tip-top shape, and he didn’t waste wheat. They added a mobile He cut our fields for a number of years because I home where they lived. had complete trust in him,” Sanders says. In 1964, Paul visited Paul carried very few extra parts with him. an implement dealer in Instead he bought new combines every few years. Havre, telling the own“I must have owned 80-100 combines. I didn’t ers that he wanted to put them all into the field. Some I had the opporbuy two new combines, tunity to buy and sell,” he recalls. but didn’t have a down “We cut wherever we found work, but over the payment. Paul promised years, we had people who were depending on us to pay the asking price to arrive when they needed us,” he adds. of $3,100 for each comBesides Claude, Texas, and Duke, Oklahoma,
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the crew often went to Tribune, Kansas; Holyoke, Paul was sometimes surprised at who became Colorado; Alliance Nebraska; and sometimes an excellent crew member. Once when cutting Kadoka, South Dakota. By that time in the cutting in the Fort Benton area with younger son Brad season, they pointed their rigs homeward so they managing the crew, a driver had to take the day could cut in Montana’s off. Paul asked Brad Golden Triangle and where he was going to sleep in their own beds. find a replacement. Brad When Emily traveled assured his dad that he with the crew, they had a would find someone. travel trailer where she When Paul got to the did all of the cooking for field, he could see both the crew. She quickly combines running. Wonlearned when to take dering who the new crew dinner to the men, who member was, he drove would stop to eat and up close where he saw then get back on the that the guy had long combines and run until dark hair – a hippie coldark or until the humidity lege kid he thought. Paul was very proud of those first self-propelled comwas too high. When Paul jumped bines. (Photo courtesy of Paul Burney) “I learned that if I had up into the cab, the kid dinner ready for them at 6 p.m., then I could get turned to him and said, “Hi. How am I doing after back to the trailer and have time to get food ready getting a half hour lesson? The “guy” turned out to prepare for breakfast and to clean up for the night about the time the men came in,” Emily says. In the early days, the combines did not have cabs and the crew would end the day filthy with dirt-covered faces. Even after they had cabs, it was still harsh work because of the Midwest summer heat. “Sometimes we were sitting in those cabs with the sun glaring on us when the temperatures would be over 110 degrees,” Paul recalls. “I remember seeing cabs that had swamp coolers attached to them, but that didn’t help much. We would wrap wet towels around our shoulders and put blocks of ice in the cab. It was a wonderful day when cabs became air-conditioned.” Other improvements to combines over the years included headers that cut a wider swath, moisture testers, auto steer, yield monitors, automatic height control on headers, and altogether better mechanical quality. “Where you set the header makes all of the difference in the yield and cleanliness of the grain,” explains Paul. “Some outfits are too big and they have inexperienced drivers. We took the time to get the combine fine tuned to the crop and the lay of the land.” When Paul hired young men for his crew, he told them they were there to work – no partying or staying out late. “I had absolutely no trouble with my crew over the years. I did have a couple quit because they thought the work was too hard.” Both sons, Bryan and Brad, worked with Paul.
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to be Brad’s girlfriend who later became his wife. “She was an excellent driver from the very beginning,” Paul says with a smile. For the last four years the Burneys have limited their custom cutting to north central Montana, and now Paul has hung it up. His last combine is for sale. This year the call of the open road went unanswered. MSN
Lyal Brugman: 95 Years Young and Still Hunting
By Bernice Karnop Lyal Brugman, Great Falls, turned 94 last October. Three days later, hunting season opened. By 11 a.m., he’d bagged a nice four-point whitetail buck. The rugged-faced hunter tells about his success with an infectious laugh. Hunting and fishing are fun sports today, but when he was coming of age in the 1930s, they were part of the serious work of providing something for the family to eat every day. Lyal was born in 1920 in Morris, Minnesota, part of a family of six children. When Lyal was 14, his dad bought 80-acres in the woods 30 miles out of Detroit Lakes. Dad saw it as the only way to live an independent life and as a way to get his kids out of town to “where they could learn something.” Lyal’s classroom education went through the 8th grade, but he always managed to learn because he wanted to, an advantage he’s not sure kids today have. Before he left school, he met with the business teacher who gave him books on business and math. He studied them both, but learned even more from watching and talking to other people. He likes to say his higher education during those hardscrabble days came from a crosscut saw and a double-bitted ax. Lyal and his dad cut logs and built a house on the 80 acres. They cleared a garden spot and built a barn. To earn money, he and his dad worked 10 hours a day cutting timber with a two-man saw and a double-bitted ax. They earned two cents a log and felt fortunate
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to work for an honest man. They got their money, which wasn’t always true during the Depression. Just before dark, they took their single-barreled shotguns to a little dry slough in the woods looking for deer. “There was no hunting season for us,” Lyal explains. “That was for rich folks. If a poor man lived in the woods, the game warden knew that they had to have something to eat.” Vegetables came from the garden but they never planted potatoes. In the fall, Lyal and his dad went to the Red River Valley near Fargo, where farmers grew this staple commercially. The pair worked as a team, picking up the potatoes in buckets and putting them in burlap bags. It earned them good money at four cents per bushel. In addition, they could take home all the culled potatoes they wanted, free. Back then, all the money he earned went to the family. Lyal got into the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in his teens. They paid $30 a month but they sent $25 of it home to his family. He got $5 a month, board, room, and clothing. He felt rich eating food the family couldn’t afford, like dry cereal and nuts. He learned things at CCC that he used all through his life, including his love of boxing. “I was really more of a fighter than a boxer,” he admits, since instruction wasn’t part of the program. He’d get a bout going by using a song that was popular on the radio, Come along old fellow for the moon is yellow tonight. He changed it to Mahoney is yellow tonight and his buddy, Tuffy Mahoney, would rise to the bait. “Don’t mess with the bandwagon when you can’t play a tune!” Mahoney countered, and the other young men would chant, “Get the gloves! Get the gloves!” The CCC guys could fight, but only if they put on the boxing gloves. Lyal thought boxing was an ideal way to entertain the camp on a lazy Sunday afternoon. When World War II broke out Lyal signed up. The doctor looked at a crooked right arm that he’d broken jumping out of a swing when he was a kid. He asked if it gave Lyal any trouble. Lyal doubled up his fist and said, “It gives me more trouble than the other one!” The doctor laughed with him
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MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 49
told him to go ahead. “I had to get in the service because there was a war on. I would have felt ashamed of myself if I hadn’t.” he says. He joined the Navy, and being mechanically inclined, he signed up to be a diesel machinist. He adds with a laugh, “Of course they sent me to Grade A Cook and Bakers school down in New Orleans.” He became a shift cook on the ship, and manned guns in the 50-60 battles they fought in the Pacific, including the liberation of the Philippines. He boxed some in the Navy, and after the war, he traveled with an international show for about a year. He ran a food booth but also worked in the athletic show. So on any given day, he would box in the show, return to his little cook shack, change into his whites and serve hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and the like. One sweltering day in Coffeeville, Kansas they were setting up the cookhouse when Lyal noticed a big wooden horse trough across the street filled with ice and watermelon. “We aren’t doing another thing until we have one of those watermelons,” he told his helper. De-
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cades later, he remembers how refreshing and delicious that ice-cold melon tasted. “Those days you just did what you had to do,” he says. Lyal, his brother-in-law, and sister drove to Washington in hopes of getting jobs in the woods. They patched 51 flats on their 1930 Chevrolet. Weyerhaeuser and other companies had a waiting list of job applicants, but they couldn’t wait. They sold the car and acquired a 1936 truck, which Lyal brought into running order. They used it to “kind of make a living” hauling slabs out of the woods to little gyppo mills, to pulp mills, or to be used as fuel for stationary engines in a paper factory. Hard work has defined most of Lyal’s work. While living in northern California he worked as a cook until 1 p.m. then donned coveralls and became a mechanic for the rest of the day. One day he saw a card with Santa Claus on it and a plastic tape that, when you ran your thumbnail down it, would say the words “Merry Christmas.” It tickled him, so he found out where they made them and drove to Santa Monica and bought a couple of gross. He showed them to kids who would have their moms buy them four for a buck. The card sales gave him money to buy his first brand new car, a ’49 Chevro-
let, for $1,485. Lyal was selling cookware when he came to Montana to hunt deer and antelope. He saw all the fish in the creek at Lewistown and decided he could just as well live here. “In California if you went fishing you had to bring your own rock to stand on,” he complains with a smile. When he got to Great Falls, Lyal was a little old to box, but he couldn’t stay away. His sons, Wayne and Troy, became excellent boxers. Lyal judged boxing events, and volunteered anywhere he was needed. He can tell any number of funny stories about his adventures with life-long boxing friends including Olympic contender, Todd Foster. Among other jobs, Lyal started working for a siding outfit in Great Falls. When his boss moved, he encouraged Lyal to start his own business and sell steel siding. At one time his business, Great Falls Exterior, was the biggest of its kind in the state. Lyal is proud to say he raised eight children, five of his own, two of his second wife’s children, and one grandchild. Lyal’s youngest son, Kelly, is his current hunting partner. Kelly’s 19-year-old daughter can kill a deer, skin, and quarter it in a way that would put anyone to shame, Lyal boasts. “She has killed her own meat since she was twelve,” he adds. Lyal sticks by his own dad’s philosophy of education. “Kids need to get out of town where they can learn something.” MSN
Stanford Old Geezers Perk Up The Park And Pool
Article & Photo By Bernice Karnop The Merriam-Webster dictionary says a geezer is “a queer, odd, or eccentric person —used especially of elderly men.” A group down in Stanford who calls itself the Old Geezers has redefined the term to include helpful, community-minded, and fun-loving men and women of all ages. The three-year-old group has seriously donated around $10,000 to the city pool and park in addition to other projects. However, they admit that their beginnings were a bit queer, odd, and eccentric. It started when John
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MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 51
Bracha and Nick Dixson were joking about who who are alone or without family on the holiday. was the best barbeque cook. Someone sug- They delivered 46 meals last year and expect to gested a cook-off to settle the matter. They were do more this December. They also give money planning to do a dinner for their families. But, to other community organizations that need help as John Bracha says, for their projects. “Within a week we had The barbeque in talked ourselves into dothe park quickly being a competition and a came an annual event, fundraiser.” held around the secSheila Dixson calls ond weekend in Auit a “wing-it deal” which gust. This year, eleven they did not really plan, cooks started cooking but it turned out to be a on Friday evening. Satfun event at the park for urday morning Steve the whole community. Lillegard made breakThey needed a name fast for the cooks on a when they went to adlittle stove his grandvertise the first event mother used to heat and someone came up Stanford Old Geezers member, Jim Walsh, left, and wash water. Around with Old Geezers. Stanford Mayor Steve Dell enjoy a relaxing moment at three hundred people John, who was 45 at last summer’s barbeque in the Park. came, paying $6/plate the time, does not conto eat some sider himself a geezer in the dictionary sense of mighty good slow-cooked barbeque. the word and neither do the women. Today, the They also had a dessert contest this youngest member is John’s daughter Donna, 19. year, a horseshoe tournament, and a The oldest is a young Jim Walsh, 75. dunking booth. “Everyone’s welcome to join, regardless of It’s a lot of work to put on such an age or gender. We call ourselves the Old Geezers event, but it is rewarding in many ways. and we figure that includes everyone from 10 to John appreciates the folks who express 110,” says John. their thanks for the money given to the They knew the pool needed a new boiler and park and pool. And also rewarding is they advertised that the funds would go to the to see neighbors who might not see pool. The people of Stanford were happy to help each other for a year eating together because the park and pool are a very important and talking up a storm. part of the community. The first two-year’s donaHow about an Old Geezer revolutions went for the boiler. This year, they bought tion that would renew parks and complayground equipment for the park. In addition, munities across Montana? they now provide Christmas meals for people Good job, Stanford! MSN
Monarch Rocks! Small Town Festivals Rock Article & Photo By Bernice Karnop You’ve heard it before: Montana is a small town with a long Main Street. When you visit a celebration, rodeo, or reunion you realize that life is different in rural Montana towns. We stopped beneath the man-like monoliths off Scenic Highway 89 in the Little Belt Mountain town of Monarch, for the Monarch Rocks! event in August. We shopped at the dozen or so booths set up on both sides of the street, bought raffle tickets, and talked with the Forest Service representatives about planned logging projects. We saw people we knew, people who knew people
we knew, and sat at a table with strangers to eat a hamburger from one of the vendors. They said the Illinois people they’d just met were “like old friends” by the time they finished lunch. It was a treat to get close to the Belgian workhorses that were powering the wagon rides around town. They belong
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to the Sun Mountain Ranch where we spent some wonderful winter weekends playing in the snow some forty years ago. Monarch-Neihart Historical Group hosted this fundraising event with the goal of restoring one of of the last remaining publicly “Gentle Giants” Ted & Tom take a break from owned railroad de- wagon pulling. These Belgian workhorses are pots. Once restored adored by owners Jeff Knowles (l.) and Lila and the depot will be a Butch Jones. [Photo by Bernice Karnop] repository for the history of the community, a kaleidoscope revolving around the railroad, recreation, ranching, logging, mining, and colorful characters. The restored caboose was finished just days before the festival. This train car had been given to the city of Belt many years ago and used it as a concession stand. Belt was ready to sell the car
Hugh Enloe stands on the restrored Caboiose at the Monarchs! Festival [Photo by Bernice Karnop]
for scrap when Sue Majerus, who was tragically killed in a plane accident in December 2014, got word of it. She wanted it restored and placed next to the Monarch depot. Bob Majerus admits that many people in the Valley said, “Forget it! You can’t transport it into the mountains, install tracks, and get it repaired.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
Sue was the kind of person that, if you want something done, tell her it can’t be done. She’ll prove you wrong,” he says. Sue made a deal with Belt officials to pay the city what they would get for the car if they sold it as scrap. Burlington Northern donated the tracks and helped install them correctly. Shumaker trucking and H & H Crane did the hauling and lifting. A motorcycle club from Great Falls helped spread the rocks, and Bob Majerus and Hugh Enloe, gutted the caboose and filled in the concessionaires’ window with matching boards that they removed from the floor in the depot. They had to re-create only a few pieces of the tongue and groove material in Enloe’s shop. Once finished, they dedicated the caboose to Sue Majerus’ memory. The old car has quite a history. Bob Kelly from Seattle, and an officer in the national Great Northern Historical Group, had written about the car for its magazine in 2008. The car, stamped with the identifying number NP 1565, was built by the Northern Pacific Railroad as a boxcar in 1908. They later converted it to a caboose and finally remodeled it again into a drover car. A drover was a cowboy who accompanied the cattle that were being shipped to market on the trains. The drovers were tasked periodically to unload
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 53
the livestock for watering and feeding. A drover car was a bunkhouse on wheels – a place for the men to travel and sleep on the train. Most drover cars were converted passenger cars. The Monarch-Neihart Historical Group debated whether to restore it as a Northern Pacific, Great Northern, or Burlington Northern car. They decided to go with the original maker and owner, the Northern Pacific. Depot restoration started with the roof replacement last year. The Historical Group is careful to stay within the guidelines for National Historic Buildings as they hope to see it on the register soon. This summer they jacked up the building and poured a concrete foundation. Monarch Rocks! is their primary fundraiser and an opportunity to highlight their progress. Although it’s a fundraiser, organizer Bob Majerus says money is not the only goal. It’s an event that brings the community together for some fun. For those outsiders passing by, it’s an excuse to stop and enjoy one of Montana’s scenic small towns and envy those who live here all year. For more information, visit mnhg.org. MSN
Jail Museum Locks up Belt’s History Article & Photo By Bernice Karnop The citizens of Belt built the old stone jail in the 1890s when the upstart town was booming. The Anaconda Company had bought up John Castner’s mining claims and hired 1,000 men to take out the coal, which they used to run their Great Falls reduction works. Among the job seekers were immigrants from Finland, France, Slovakia, Germany, and Sweden. The Golden Eagle Plaza jail did not anticipate, nor did it house, any Senior Living Community famous criminals. However, the town of 2,800 Luxurious and Spacious people had 32 popular bars and the community Retirement Apartments & needed a place where individuals could cool Assisted Living Studios: off and sober up! The sandstone structure cost Daily Meals, Housekeeping & Maintenance Services, $1,500 in 1895. Activities & Events, Level ‘A’ Today this sturdy building, which has surAssisted Living Care vived major fires and floods for more than 120 & Much More. years, houses a collection of the town’s history. One jail cell remains; occupied by a fictional jail Call for more information! mate they call Rutherford. Marilyn Enderson, 406-268-0100 who gives tours of the jail to school children, tells 1615 9th Street South visitors that Rutherford had been seen getting Great Falls, MT 59405 off a “side-door Pullman” a week or two earlier. He landed in jail after an altercation during a
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drunken brawl. He may or may not be dangerous, with the help of her children, did well. The older but she says, “Every dog that comes in and sees boys were 16, 17, and 18, when they came. Marihim sitting there on his cot, barks like crazy.” lyn thinks the boys paid the family’s considerable John Castner steamboat fare started Castner by helping transCoal Company port wood from and the town the wood yards of Belt around to the boat. An1877. He merged nie Fergus saw with the Anaconto it that her girls da Mining Comcould take care pany in 1894. of themselves as Castner was an well. She sent interesting felthem to high low, but he’s ofschool at St. Vinten eclipsed by cent’s in Helena his wife, Mattie and they became Bell Castner. She schoolteachers. was born a slave The Belt muand came to seum is small Fort Benton on a enough to enDisplays at the Belt Museum recall the coal mining community’s steamer, accom- heyday. joy with just panying some a short vischildren. Once she delivered the children to their it. It includes a replica of a coalmine shaft, parents, she set up a laundry business. Castner met and married Mattie there. In Belt, she was a well-respected woman, according to Marilyn Enderson, whose mother knew Mattie. Mattie opened a restaurant and boarding house in Belt. She served up fried chicken every Sunday night and people flocked in to eat it. She also owned two ranches in the Little Belt Mountains. Pictures of Mattie are difficult to find. The one in the museum was taken at the Union Bethel AME church in Great Falls, where Mattie was an active member. Marilyn’s roots also go back to the early days of Montana settlement. Her great-grandmother, Annie Fergus, a widow with 7 children and not much else, came here by riverboat Marilyn Enderson, from a pioneer Belt family, tells in 1883. This plucky the story behind the photos and artifacts at the Belt Museum. The museum is in the sandstone jailhouse lady homesteaded and, built in 1895. [Photo by Bernice Karnop]
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books on the history of Belt and the area, cemetery records, and historic photos. Readers who remember the disastrous flood of 1953 or the train derailment and fire that easily could have destroyed town in 1976 will find stories and photos of these events. One unusual collection is organizational ribbons from a number of different fraternal groups. One Slovakian group identified themselves with a multi-colored ribbon. The reverse side was black. They wore the black side out when attending a brother’s funeral.
A large hat collection came from the estate of a woman who taught three generations of Belt youngsters. School kids today who visit the museum are allowed to don a hat in her memory. Other artifacts include the stuff of life from those early days: kitchen items, a crank phone, old typewriters, arrowheads, a corn planter, a stereoscope, and much more. The museum is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For more information visit centralmontana.com. MSN
Starting A Ranch Submitted by Julie Brantley Two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, inherited the family ranch. Unfortunately, after just a few years, they were in financial trouble. In order to keep the bank from repossessing the ranch, they needed to purchase a bull from the stockyard in a distant town so that they could breed their own stock. They only had $600 left. As she headed out to go to the stockyard, the brunette told her sister, “When I get there, if I decide to buy the bull, I’ll contact you to drive out after me and haul it home.” The brunette arrived at the stockyard, inspected the bull, and decided to buy it. The quoted price was $599 and nothing less. After paying for the bull, she drove to the nearest town to send her sister a telegram. At the telegraph office she said, “I want to send a telegram to my sister telling her that I’ve bought a bull for our ranch. I need her to hitch the trailer to our pickup truck and drive out here so we can haul it home.” The telegraph operator said he would be happy to help her and added, “It’s just 99 cents a word.” Realizing she had just $1 and so could send only one word, the brunette thought for a minute and then turned to the operator and said, “I want you to send her one word – comfortable.” The operator shook his head and replied, “How is she ever going to know that you want her to hitch the trailer to your pickup truck and drive out here to haul that bull back to your ranch if you send her just one word?” “She will know,” the brunette explained. “My sister’s blonde, the word is big, and she’ll read it very slowly... com-for-da-bull.” MSN
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MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 55
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Seeing Christmas Magic Through A Digital Screen By Bernice Karnop Change. It’s one thing you can count on. Change has always defined our times, but the rate of change just keeps accelerating! For example, the shelf life of digital devices today, is so short it makes one’s head spin. Just when you get one device mastered, or at least managed, the grandchildren have moved on to the next must-have, and it’s faster, easier, and so much better than last week’s popular model.
While grandparents may never keep up with the grandkids, they want to tap into the technology that can bring joy and make life easier. In addition to assistive devices along medical lines, are devices and apps that give us faster, better communication with those we love. It is one of the best things about technology. Say you can’t travel and be with your loved ones during the holidays. With technology, you can “be there” on FaceTime or Skype, talking like you were in the same room. For those who are afraid to try it, think of the digital world as we do electricity. One doesn’t have to “understand” electricity to flip the switch and have light. Neither do you have to “understand” a laptop, notebook, or smartphone to be able to use the programs that you most enjoy or find useful. You may need someone to help set up the program or instruct you, but once it’s set up, you can be chatting with the grandchildren like a pro. Where can you find the help you need? Most salespersons are willing to help set up smart phones, tablets, or computers. Family members, a neighbor, or friend might be able to help. (Continued on page 58)
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 57
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(continued from page 56) Senior centers, libraries, and schools are possible sources for tutorial help. Don’t assume that your mom or dad isn’t able to tap in to the digital magic. A senior friend recently said she’d given her old smartphone to her 84-year old mom and taught her to get on Facebook. She can now see the photos of a new baby down in California on a daily basis. Mom doesn’t use the phone like a teenager would, but she learned the functions that bring her joy and keep her connected to the rest of the family. Today her smartphone is her new grandma’s brag book! If your grandchildren live nearby, ask your “tweens” and teens to help you learn even more. They might show you how to manage your digital photos or to download music. Let them know you’re proud of their mastery of the technology. Show them that you care enough to learn something about what they are interested in, and enjoy the quality time of just being together, sharing an activity. Presenting grandchildren with smartphones, tablets, e-
readers, or gaming devices can be tricky. If you want to do this, check with the parents or caregivers first. In spite of all the advantages, they also have some serious pitfalls so parental guidance is crucial. Some children are allowed their own flat screen television set in their rooms, but others are not. What is considered age-appropriate in one family may not be in another. The last thing grandpa wants to do is to spark a small war on Christmas day. Whether or not we are comfortable with the change, we have moved into the digital age. While there’s no one size to fit all solutions to making the brave new world comfortable, you can start by taking some steps to make it work for you. When you think about it, no one can appreciate this technology more than those who remember, not so long ago, when you had to take 36 photos before the film could be developed. Then you wrote a letter, added a print, sealed and stamped the envelope, and took it to the post office. Here’s wishing our readers a blessed holiday season, and one that’s made even merrier because of the magic of digital technology. MSN
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The Best Ones Submitted by Jim Meade Woman’s Perfect Breakfast She is sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee. Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box. Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week. Her boyfriend is on the cover of Playgirl. And her husband is on the back of the milk carton. Woman’s Revenge “Cash, check or charge?” I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse. “So, do you always carry your TV remote?” I asked. “No,” she replied, “but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally.” Understanding Women - A Man’s Perspective I know I am not going to understand women. I will never understand how you can take boiling hot wax, pour it onto your upper lip, rip the hair out by the root, and still be afraid of a spider. Wife Vs. Husband A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, “Relatives of yours?” “Yep,” the wife replied, “in-laws.” Words A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day - 30,000 versus 15,000 for men. The wife replied, “That must be because we have to repeat everything to men.” The husband then turned to his wife and asked, “What?” Creation A man said to his wife one day, “I don’t know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.”
The wife responded, “Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you.” Who Does What A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, “You should do it because you get up first, and then we don’t have to wait as long to get our coffee.” The husband said, “You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.” His wife replied, “No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee. The husband replied, “I can’t believe that! Show me.” So she fetched the Bible, opened to the New Testament, and showed him at the top of several pages where it indeed says “Hebrews.” The Silent Treatment A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5 a.m. for an early morning business flight Not wanting to be the first to break the silence and lose, he wrote on a piece of paper, “Please wake me at 5 a.m.” He left it where he knew she would find it The next morning, the man woke up only to discover it was 9 a.m. and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go see why his wife had not woken him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed The paper said, “It is 5 a.m. Wake up.” Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests. The Final Word God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece. MSN
What is #GivingTuesday? We have one day for giving thanks. We have two days for getting deals. Now, after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back! Tuesday, December 1, 2015 is a day when charities, families, businesses, community centers, students, and individuals around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity
and to give. #GivingTuesday was founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. Together with a team of influencers and founding partners, a global movement evolved that has engaged over 30,000 organizations worldwide. As the movement continues to grow in the U.S.,
countries around the world are leading their own #GivingTuesday movements by creating initiatives to encourage giving in their communities. As you plan your holiday giving, consider the available opportunities to put your donations to work helping your favorite religious, environmental, civic, or other charitable organization... and feel the warmth in your heart this holiday season. MSN
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C U STO M F R A M I N G & G I F TS
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220 3rd Avenue #401 - Upper Level Atrium • Havre hpg@highplainsgallery.com
Havre’s Louis and Antoinette Hagener Museum of Northern Montana Plains Indian Displays Beautiful and Historic Native American Art By Bernice Karnop When one thinks about outstanding collections of Native American artifacts, the MSU Northern campus may not be the first place that comes to mind. But, in the spring of 2014, the Louis and Antoinette Hagener Museum of the Northern Montana Plains Indian opened at the Vande Bogart Library at MSU Northern. Remarkably, they display more than 300 historic Native American items in the room. “You don’t usually see such a large collection of Indian items in one room in Montana,” says Valerie Hickman, who oversees the collection. “Many of them are just beautiful.” Some are rarely seen in a museum. One is a buckskin teepee liner that once belonged to Chief Bird Rattler. A tipi liner created an inner wall for the tipi that made the lodge warmer in winter and cooler in summer. They were made of buffalo hide or buckskin sewn together. The liners were painted and decorated in ways unique to each owner. Chief Bird Rattler became friends with engineer, Roland Wilcom, whom he met when Wilcom worked on the highway through the Blackfeet reservation. Wilcom was adopted by Chief Bird Rattler and together they worked on collecting some old Blackfoot stories. The Wilcom collection was acquired by the college back in the 1930s. The museum also displays garments, carrying bags, and other items with beautiful quillwork. Some of the colors are still bright, while others have faded. Delicate items are displayed only for short periods because, although they are in a climatecontrolled area with special lights, Hickman says that any light is potentially harmful. Hickman encourages visitors to consider the labor Native artisans put into these beautiful items hundreds of years ago. Some of the dyes came from faraway places requiring travel over great distances.
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Some of the items were made by Blackfeet people for the tourist trade in Glacier Park. Louis Hill, of the Great Northern Railroad, promoted the Blackfeet in his Park brochures. He hired them to entertain the tourists. Although the name of the museum and its location are new, the collection has been at the college for a long time. In the 1930s Havre businessman Edgar Runkel donated dinosaur bones unearthed in the construction of Fresno Dam. He started collecting fossils and Native American items as early as 1923. They were displayed intermittently at what was then Northern Montana College (NMC) in Cowan Hall and in Pershing Hall. Pieces were added over the years with the last major group being the Roland Carolino collection purchased in 1953. The fossils and Native American items were kept in storage much of the time. In the 1960s, NMC built a new math/science building. Science professor Louis Hagener asked for cases for the collections. When they relocated the Native American items to the library, they left the fossil displays in the Hagener Science Building. The Louis and Antoinette Hagener Museum of the Northern Montana Plains Indian collection is not replaceable and they have not put a price on the items. The school-funded museum has no money to buy new items, however they do accept donations. Around Veterans’ Day, the Museum will display some state flags from Montana and other states that joined the Union about the same time. Before there were official state flags, individuals made temporary banners to use in celebrations. The fragile flags which visitors will be able to see for the first time have been restored by a textile conservator. For more information visit centralmontana. com/listings/19858.htm, call 800-662-6132 or Valerie Hickman at 406-265-3706. MSN
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Harriet Marble – Close Encounters continued from front cover identifying most birds strictly by sound. The most common? Horned lark. Of course, she spots nonfeathered wildlife, too – such as baby badgers, weasels, and many pronghorns. A spot on her Cleveland route may qualify as her number one mystery. She seldom finds a bird here. “I don’t know what’s different,” she says, then adds, “It is near the end of the route, so it’s getting warmer in the day. That doesn’t help, since the birds really shut up at eight!” One morning at the mystery site, “I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I took a step back. Lo and behold, the animal came back and I could see a weasel, which then went right across my feet! It ran into a wheat field and then I spotted three others. A family!” And if no animals appear, she can savor the site’s gorgeous scenery. One experience on the Milk River in 2011 reflects Harriet’s familiarity with her routes. Hearing that the Milk River was flooding, she called the sheriff to see about her road. Nope, no flooding. So she drove to Chinook, where she took a motel room for her essential early start. “I leave the next morning at dark and I get to the Milk River and the road is all flooded!” she says. But there’s a turn farther along where she can pick up the route so she detours around the water. “I pick up the route three or four stops beyond the beginning,” Harriet relates. She knows exactly where to stop because she recognizes the fence post where she always parks. But she had to guess how many stops down the line to start her paperwork. Before she finally emerged at the end of her route, she needed her four-wheel drive to negotiate the mud. As she pulled past a sign in the road, facing the other direction, she looked over her shoulder and read “Road Closed.” You could measure Harriet Marble’s dedication as a volunteer by the hour her alarm shrills, rousing her as early as 2 a.m. You could measure it in the 888 miles she drives annually. You could even compare her to others who partake in this effort. As Janet Ellis noted in giving her the Montana Audubon 2015 Citizen Scientist of the Year Award, only one other volunteer in
Art is the space between the viewer and the rectangle that hangs on the wall. - T. Allen The most common bird on Harriet Marble’s Breeding Bird Survey routes on Montana’s Hi-Line are the horned larks, named for the feathery tufts on their heads. Breeding birds sing often in June, making it an ideal time to count them. [Photo by Craig Larcom]
Montana has surpassed 100 total breeding birds survey routes over the years, while Harriet has run routes 118 times. Harriet just knows she likes it. She muses, “Sometimes three minutes seems like forever and sometimes it seems like (snapping her fingers) no time at all.” MSN
United Way of Hill County 2015 Campaign
Oct. 15–Nov 30, 2015
GOAL $80,000 FUNDED PARTNERS
CASA, Community Senior Volunteer, Domestic Abuse, Havre Community Food Bank, Feed My Sheep, Hill County Family Planning, Meals on Wheels, The Salvation Army, District 4 HRDC – Employment and Training Adult Basic Literacy Education
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The Doberman And The Lion Submitted by Julie Hollar An old Doberman was out in the forest chasing rabbits, but soon discovered he was lost. Wandering about, he noticed a mountain lion running rapidly in his direction with the intention of having him for lunch. The old Doberman thought, “Oh, oh! I’m in deep trouble now!” Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settled down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the mountain lion was about to leap, the old Doberman exclaimed loudly, “Boy, that was one delicious mountain lion! I wonder if there are any more around here.”
Hearing this, the young mountain lion halted just as he was about to leap, and with a look of terror on his face, went off to hide in the trees. “Whew!” said the mountain lion, “That was close! That old Doberman nearly had me!” Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figured he could put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the mountain lion. So off he went. The squirrel soon caught up with the mountain lion, spilled the beans, and struck a deal for himself. The mountain lion was furious at being tricked and said, “Here, squirrel, hop on my back and I’ll
show you what’s going to happen to that conniving canine!” Now, the old Doberman saw the two coming and worried, “What am I going to do now?” Instead of running, the dog sat down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hadn’t seen them yet. When they got close enough to hear, the old Doberman said, “Where is that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another mountain lion!” The moral of the story – Do not mess with an old dog. Age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery! MSN
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A Quiz For People Who Know Everything! Submitted by Julie Hollar Brantley There are only nine questions, but you will probably find out quickly that you do not know everything. These are straightforward questions with straightforward answers - there are no trick questions. Answers follow but don’t peek! 1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. 2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? 3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? 4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside? 5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine - it has not been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle? 6. Only three words in Standard English begin with the letters “dw,” and they are all common words. Name two of them. 7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them? 8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh. 9. Name six or more things you can wear on your feet that begin with the letter “s.”
2. The North American landmark constantly moving backward is Niagara Falls. About 2.5 feet of the rim erodes each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute. 3. The only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons are asparagus and rhubarb. 4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside is the strawberry. 5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle. Bottles are placed over small pear buds and wired in place on the tree. Then they are left for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe inside the bottle, they are snipped off at the stems and the brandy
is added to the bottle, which is then sealed. 6. Three English words that begin with “dw” are dwarf, dwell, and dwindle. 7. The fourteen punctuation marks used in English are the period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses. 8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh is lettuce. 9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with “s” are shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, and stilts. MSN
Answers to the quiz for people who know everything! 1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends is boxing.
Thoughts On Aging I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor’s permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over. MSN
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Pauline, The Pope And The Puppy
406-388-7955
310 Gallatin Farmers Ave • Belgrade
By Bill Hall I find myself in the awkward position of trying to sort out a dispute between the current Pope Francis and my late mother-in-law Pauline. I speak of the Pope and of a deceased pup in the Pope’s latest binge of progressive religious pronouncements. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, between the teachings of the church of Peter (a name that means rock) and a Baptist mother-in-law named Pauline who adhered to the rock of ages when it comes to pets in heaven. The two of them came down on opposite sides of the question of whether a dog can go to heaven. My mother-in-law would have told you no because a dog has no soul. That is a standard answer among large numbers of Christians (and many veterinarians). Pope Francis has a different opinion. The Pope recently learned that a small boy’s dog had died. Typically, Francis consoled the boy, saying “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” Pauline, a fervent Baptist, differed. She had long doubted the possibility of a dog in heaven. Of course, if she has seen one in heaven by now, she is a loyal, religious conformist and would welcome the pooch to the hereafter. Encountering dogs in paradise would have ended her doubts So where does this leave a person like me, caught in the middle of a Bible thumping contest between a religious leader and a mother-in-law? It leaves me torn. Do I want dogs and cats (not to mention rattlesnakes, lice, and brainless chickens) roaming around heaven? Mark Twain would undoubtedly share that
doubt. He was a bitter man at times after the deaths of three of his four children. Twain wondered aloud whether the houseflies that carry human diseases to our loved ones were also among the animals admitted to Noah’s Ark. If so, a similar question might be asked of Pope Francis. When you admit all of God’s creatures to heaven, does that really include noxious critters? Or do we get a break from all that? I have too much respect for Pauline and Francis to believe that either one of them would abandon us to an afterlife without our betterbehaved animal friends. A pooch or a cat is part of our emotional sustenance. But a person can also hope that if heaven does include throngs of pets that the creatures start behaving themselves. At the same time, I have no doubt that Francis may have gone a bit overboard in welcoming all creatures to the next world. That would include some of the more ghastly animals and bugs. If heaven excludes mean and horrible humans, why can’t it exclude all of the germs? On the other hand, Francis is an open-minded man with a tendency to dilute and even end harsh and unrealistic rules. Typical of that, he was faced with a child’s tears over the loss of a dog. But sudden rule changes are tolerable and humane from this Pope’s point of view, especially when a child cares deeply about the loss of a hairy friend. Easing up on the cruelest rules to salve the hurt of a dog-loving child is a variation on the practice of telling children they will be visited by a kind old bearded man with presents on Christmas day. Most adults doubt the Santa fable, but letting puppies go to heaven seems more plausible and kind when a dog has died in the arms of a crying
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
child. It would be wrong and painful for the Pope to avoid stretching the holy truth a bit in this circumstance. However, I am not the only one fascinated by the Pope’s or by Pauline’s consideration of whether we will, in the words of Francis, “see our animals again in the eternity of Christ.”
Maybe. Maybe not. Billions of us not only care about puppies, kitties, and faithful horses, but most of us also eat some creatures in the eternity of Christ. If I’m not mistaken, even Jesus was inclined to whip up a batch fish for his guests. So I ask myself, do fish bones go to heaven? I hope so. If I am even remotely destined
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 67
for heaven, I will welcome loaves and especially fishes. Hall may be contacted at wilberth@cableone. net or at 1012 Prospect Ave., Lewiston, ID 83501. MSN
Helena is on Where to Retire’s List of Eight Great Small Towns
By Bernice Karnop It is always nice to be noticed! Congratulations to Helena for being on Where to Retire magazine’s 8 Great Small Towns. The article is in the March/April 2015 issue. We would say Helena is on Montana’s list of 8 Great Big Towns, but we understand the confusion for people who live in Los Angeles, Dallas, or New York City. And we certainly understand why it is a good place to retire. Many of the people lucky enough to retire here from elsewhere tell us that people here are friendly, relaxed, and unpretentious. The climate is reasonable, the outdoor recreation is virtually unlimited, and mountain scenery surrounds a person on every side. Residents don’t worry so much about crime, and admit that traffic slowdowns are more likely due to livestock relocation than numbers of cars. Most newcomers don’t feel deprived of the finer things available in bigger cities, either. Helena, like other towns in the state, provides stellar health care, cultural offerings like community theater, symphonic bands and choirs, fine restaurants, good shopping, and entertainment.
Rural folks take it for granted that they’ll have to drive for these things, and they don’t complain about it. A drive to Helena is a treat, not a chore. According to the magazine, 700,000 Americans relocate annually to new towns to retire. The relocating retirees are welcome, not only because they bring economic benefits but also because they contribute to the community through service, energy, fresh skills, new ideas, and enthusiasm. Where to Retire editor Annette Fuller says, “These smaller communities offer a laid-back lifestyle with less time constraints, a lower cost of living, and even the opportunity to walk to your destination – no cars necessary.” She adds, “Knowing your neighbors and a little small-town politeness also go a long way.” We agree! The other Great Small Towns listed in Where to Retire’s cover story are Mount Dora, Florida; Madison, Georgia; Danville, Kentucky; Northport Alabama; Columbus, Mississippi; Rockport, Texas; and Moscow, Idaho. MSN
Aviator Breaks Records With Gas-Less Plane
Provided by Association of Mature American Citizens It took Charles Lindbergh 33.5 half hours to make his historic New York to Paris solo flight in 1927. Lucky Lindy’s Spirit of St. Louis carried 425 gallons of fuel for the 3,500-mile journey. Switzerland’s André Borschberg had no fuel aboard his plane, the Solar Impulse 2, when he took off on his record-breaking solo flight from Japan, landing 4,000 miles and nearly five days later in Hawaii on July 3, 2015. Borschberg’s achievements included breaking the distance record for a solar-powered flight; breaking the endurance record, as well; and, of course, it was the longest solo flight by the pilot of any kind of airplane. But, his trip is not over. The aviation pioneer is out to break the round-the-world record. “This oceanic flight to Hawaii demonstrates that if technological solutions exist to fly a plane day and night without fuel, then there is potential for these same efficient technologies to be used in our daily lives, and to achieve energy savings and reduce CO2 emissions,” said Bertrand Piccard, Borschberg’s partner and co-founder the company that built the aircraft. MSN
Sexy Seniors Surf The Net
Provided by Association of Mature American Citizens Who said seniors don’t know their way around the Internet? A new study shows that elderly Web surfers know at least enough to find sites that interest them-particularly those that cater to their curiosity about sex. A scholarly article at the website of the Journal of Leisure Research by Drs. Galit Nimrod of Israel’s Ben-Gurion University and Liza Berdychevsky of the University of Illinois on research they conducted on the Internet quests of older folk for love-life advice. “The popularity of sex-related discussions in seniors’ online communities suggests that in a reality of limited alternatives for open and direct sex-related communication, seniors are finding channels to satisfy their needs for information and support,” they wrote. Nimrod and Berdychevsky concluded that, “The role of sexuality for older adults is gradually getting more attention and becoming more socially acceptable than in the past. Many studies have documented the importance and health benefits of sexuality and intimate relationships in later life, and some have shown that sex is often associated with a sense of vitality as well as feeling young and healthy.” MSN
More Of Us Are Young At Heart
Provided by Association of Mature American Citizens Some people grow older while others just grow old, reports the Association of Mature American Citizens. More of us, these days, are boasting about elderly friends and family members with that age-defying look; they live their lives to the fullest well past their 60th, 70th and even their 80th birthdays. They are out on the tennis courts and golf courses and they are working out in their local gyms. According to the MacArthur Research Network on an Aging Society, “A substantial group of individuals at all ages experienced not just exceptional health, but their mental and physical functioning was at a level exhibited by people decades younger.” The study shows that “28% of those aged 85+ have excellent or very good self-reported health status; similarly, 56% of those aged 85+ report no health-based limitations in work or housework.” MSN
Champions keep playing until they get it right. - Billie Jean King
PAGE 68 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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Sell and Relocate While You Rest! By Patricia Johnson Yes, TLC – tender loving care – actually exists! I’ve houses for sale everywhere and I know firsthand the difficulty in selling and relocating. Leaving memories has put off many moving processes far too long. You may have thought this was your last move until a health problem arose. Your children, perhaps, want you closer, or you need another climate suited to your health problem. There are many movers across the nation getting hugs from their clients. Their clients are seniors, those with special needs, and those who are just plain moving. I’ve talked with several firms
who do outstanding things as part of a package and some just know that individual touches calm those with mover’s anxiety! Mover’s Anxiety! It can be stressful as we usually have a lifetime of personal belongings that need to be sorted through. If you are downsizing, you’re bound to experience the loss of what gives you the security you’ve had for many years. So many challenges: Packing, tossing, and sorting items are both physical and emotional. Finding a space to put things can be frustrating. Space must work for you more than ever because smaller homes have less storage space. You really don’t want to store too many items any longer. Life is to be lived – the less clutter and storage, the better organized you’ll feel. Putting off until Tomorrow Don’t put off relocating too long. The longer you wait, the older you get. And when you move to a new home, it will be more accessible, less cluttered, and easier to clean. When a spouse passes, you realize you have waited too long and you now have a grieving process to go through as well. Moving Assistance from Start to Finish There are many relocation services today. Many real estate firms offer a senior service just for this purpose – you’ll be amazed what so many have to offer. I’ve surveyed over 50 relocation businesses – they make your life easier in your move and how to go about it. Some relocation experts will work hand in hand with sorting and clearing out household clutter. Each day they’ll keep any anxious feelings at bay by removing items to donate, tossing out the old, and packing the boxes with items to keep. If a real estate firm is working with you that has a relocation service, they can help spruce up the home after clearing out the clutter. Minor paint touch-ups and cleaning can be all that’s required. Most relocation services coordinate moving day. They make all the arrangements with a mover, whether it’s a block away or across the country. Some will arrange for another service to take over at your new home, even thousands of miles away. They’ll unpack moving boxes and help you get
settled into the new home. For those that do not have family or do not wish to be involved with having them come, firms such as these are the right decision. Sometimes children have different ideas of what will give their parents comfort; an expert understands that photos and memoirs are very important. A good moving service will even help you shop for furniture and can even arrange the decorations to match the rooms of your former home if you like. Many unpack, hang pictures, and arrange accessories, including placing books onto bookshelves. Often these moving specialists are middleaged women and men themselves, who are on their second or third careers. Their backgrounds range from interior designer, to real estate, to nursing, to gerontology, to psychology and social work And I’ve been told that many even give you a hug. After all, you get to know each other pretty well after this new experience. You’re sharing a lifetime of memories, not just moving “stuff.” Lucky you if your specialist has interior design capabilities. They can develop a floor plan of your new home and have it all ready for the movers to place your furniture in each room. You’re ready to move in the same day! Some will grocery-shop, put away your products, transfer phone service, cable TV, and other utilities. How about Rover? They will arrange for pets, plants, and other special needs. Their goal is to give you peace of mind, comfort, and trust in this very personal event. How Much? Where Do I Find Help? The fees and contracts vary with senior relocation/moving managers. The more you need assistance, the more it is going to cost you. But, consider what the cost would be to try to do it all yourself, especially if you have a health problem – and what peace of mind it will give you. Call local moving companies and ask if they have a “senior” relocation division. Call local realtors and ask if they have or know of a group. Also contact the National Association of Senior Move Managers who can offer assistance with locating a company in your area. Visit nasmm.com or call 877.606.2766 for more information. MSN
Quilting: What’s Old Is New Again “What are we going to do with all of this stuff?”
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By Tait Trussell My sister-in-law, Edwina Trussell, has been involved in the time-honored activity of quilting since 1981. Since then, she has quilted 195 items, she tells me. This includes bed quilts, pillow covers, and wall hangings. She also has made quilts for babies at her local hospital. I remember her colorful wall hanging in their dining room, when they lived in New Hampshire. It so impressed me in its beauty, I recall with embarrassment that I spilled my wine. At least, I blamed it on the wall hanging. One might view Edwina a relative newcomer considering that quilting has been a form of art since before the birth of Christ. But Edwina has been interested in everything about the art for at least the past generation or more. She is teaching her younger granddaughter the skill now. Although quilting is done mainly by women to reflect their lives and the cultural history of a particular place and time, men also quilt. Men have used quilting to keep warm, to decorate their homes, to express their political views, and to remember a loved one. Made by hand, using familiar materials such as scraps of clothing, quilts are personal and communal, aesthetic and functional. My brother, Edwina’s husband, does not engage in quilting, although he is proficient in completing crossword puzzles, if you can define that as a skill. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times reported on a movement that’s putting a new spin on the old craft of quilting. The story said the new movement is attracting a new generation of sewers. When Alissa Haight Carlton and Latifah Saafir organized the first Modern Quilt Guild meeting in Silver Lake, they hoped they would find a few other
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like-minded quilters who wanted to get together. They weren’t alone: The modern-quilting group today has more than 100 chapters and 5,000-plus members nationwide and attracting a new generation of sewers. “Quilting is the new knitting,” Carlton says, referring to the styles of the craft popular in this century. “Sewing took a little longer to find its way.” Interest in modern quilting started to grow after the 2002 debut of the museum exhibition The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, a collection of unusual graphic designs by African American quilters from a small Alabama community. Modern quilters, such as Denyse Schmidt, began to publish books and quilters linked up online to share ideas and work. That’s where Carlton and Saafir connected. Both had regularly visited Rossie Hutchinson’s Fresh Modern Quilts Flickr group, an early form of social media for quilters. Then in 2009, Carlton wrote a blog post lamenting the lack of visibility for the blooming modern style at a Long Beach quilt convention. Saafir had attended the same convention and suggested they meet and start a modern quilting group. They did, and word of their group soon spread through the Internet. Chapters
formed across the country. “Modern quilters were already eager to start meeting since we were already talking online through our blogs and Flickr,” Carlton says. Now, the L.A. Times story said, Carlton is executive director of the national Modern Quilt Guild, and in addition to working as a casting director on reality TV shows, she has written two books on modern quilting and last year released a line of fabrics. Saafir, a mechanical engineer, has a website called the Quilt Engineer. She also teaches quilting classes at Sew Modern in West L.A. There’s no strict definition of modern quilting. Characteristics of a contemporary quilt can include an emphasis on solid colors and bold, minimalist designs; experimentation with negative space; a reworking of traditional fabrication techniques; and an improvisational approach to pattern making. According to the International Quilt Study Center, an ivory carving of the Temple of Osiris found in 1993 and currently in the British Museum features the king of the Egyptian First Dynasty wearing a mantle/cloak that appears to be quilted. So, there may be some new trends in quilting. But, there is not much that’s older! MSN
Scrapbooking: It’s Never Too Late to Start By Norma Lewis Fantasy: A shelf of books chronicling your family history. Photo albums, general scrapbooks, special event albums. Books to curl up with on rainy days while reliving sunny vacations and sipping herbal tea in the glow of the fireplace. Books your progeny will cherish and bless you for creating. Reality: Shoeboxes overflowing with photos, ticket stubs, programs, clippings, letters, and cards – all those things you intuitively saved and know you should organize. Someday you will. Someday. Meanwhile your guilt increases. The more boxes and the more disarray, the more daunting the project becomes. How to start? It’s never been easier. Magazines like Creating Keepsakes will inspire enthusiasts. Articles feature page layouts, while ads tempt you with from luxe supplies to themed scrapbook cruises. Among the books to guide neophytes are Making Scrapbooks, by Vanessa-Ann, and Family Memories, by Suzanne McNeill and Lani Giles. There’s even the Idiot’s Guide to Scrapbooking. Or sign up for a class. Most community education programs offer workshops, as do supply stores. Craft and hobby shops sell supplies, and shops devoted entirely to scrapbooking have sprouted like April daffodils.
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In these scrapbooker’s havens you’ll find every conceivable supply you could ever need: papers that shimmer; striped, polka-dotted, checked, and flowered papers; papers in every shade imaginable. The only paper hard to find is plain white.
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You’ll find stencils, markers, rubber stamps, holiday die cuts, animal die cuts, and school die cuts. Croppers. Adhesives. Scissors to create decorative edges. And rolling cases to hold it all. All of which can overwhelm a neophyte. As one shopper was overheard telling her companion, “This is just too much. I’m not a crafter. If I had been one of those pioneer women, I’d have stitched my quilt squares to my petticoat.” Most of us can identify. So start simply. First sort mementos chronologically; then starting with your most recent photos, work forward. Attack the backlog as time permits. Face it, if you start with your first day of school, you’ll give up long before your senior prom. According to some, journaling is the most important element. And the simplest. It’s also the most neglected. Many people simply hate to write; but years later – when memories fade – those jotted notes become ever more meaningful. Creative Memories remains the industry giant nationally. The company in Missoula has consultants to sell supplies and teach technique. Look in your local yellow pages, inquire at a craft shop, or shop online at creativememories.com. But you don’t need a coach! Buy a few basic supplies and just do it. Remember to use acid-free albums and pages. The once-popular magnetic pages destroy photos over time. Keep it simple. Stickers and other decorations are nice additions, but unnecessary. Most important are photos and journaling. If scrapbooking is something you’ve been thinking about, do it! Read a book, sign up for a workshop, or simply set aside a few hours and see what happens. There’s no wrong way to scrapbook. If there’s a rule, it’s this: Have fun! Above all, don’t reduce your albums to yet another duty. And don’t forget to journal. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a picture with a few scribbled paragraphs is priceless. Don’t strive for perfection. You won’t open your finished albums and see flawed craftsmanship. You’ll see toothy grins and Christmas trees, first dates and skinned knees. Creativity builds with practice. It’s fun to watch the progression as the albums become ever more artistic. Scrapbooking is more than a hobby; it’s an affirmation that day-to-day lives are worth documenting. Memories grow ever more precious with the passage of time. Make the effort; you’ll be glad you did. So will your children and grandchildren. Your memories are their history. MSN
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MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 71
“
THANKFULLY, PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE REMAINS A HOMICIDE IN MONTANA
”
Our 2015 Montana Legislature rejected for the third time an Oregon model bill, Senate Bill (SB) 202, which would have legalized non-voluntary euthanasia and trample individual’s rights. Montana Disability Rights advocates describe (SB) 202 as a blunt instrument. Once people learn how poorly the bills are written to allow abuse, they are not in favor of such a dangerous public policy. By Oregon and Washington law, all family members are not required to be contacted. A single heir is allowed to initiate and execute the lethal process without a witness, thus eviscerating intended safeguards. Everyone involved in the lethal process gets immediate immunity. A witness is not required to confirm the dose was self-administered, so if someone struggled and changed his or her mind who would ever know? In addition, these laws prohibit investigations or public inquiries leaving no recourse for surviving family members who were not contacted. Does that sound like good public policy to you? This is a very dangerous public policy that allows the exploitation of elders and people with disabilities of all ages. However, it serves the health insurance corporations very well. Thankfully our legislators read the bills. Thank them for their careful and responsible legislative action that keeps us safe. To learn how these bills are written and deceptively promoted, book a speaker for your small group. Contact Bradley@MTAAS.org. Thank you all for your generous support.
SAY NO TO ASSISTED SUICIDE IN MONTANA! Send in this form to recieve more information or to volunteer and help fight against assisted suicide. Name: Address: Phone: Email: Montanans Against Assisted Suicide 610 North 1st St., Suite 5-285 Hamilton, MT 59840 406-531-0937
Donations Appreciated!
Bradley D. Williams - President bradley@MTAAS.org www.MTAAS.org
PAGE 72 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 73
Ready to Make Your Medicare Choices During Medicare Open Enrollment? By Teresa Ambord Medicare Open Enrollment is just weeks away – October 15 through December 7 – and it’s your chance to make changes to your coverage if you want to. If you do make changes, they will become effective in January 2016. But should you change? Medicarerights.org knows this can be a confusing time. They offer what they call “tried and true” advice. Overall, since you can only make changes during Open Enrollment, Medicare urges people to consider carefully their options. • If you have Original Medicare and a supplemental plan and are happy with your coverage, you do not need to change. • If you’re not happy with your coverage, shop around for the plan that meets your needs. • If you have Medicare Advantage or Part D, you should know the costs change yearly so review your coverage yearly. • Be sure to read your Annual Notice of Change for cost changes. You should have received this notice by September 30. • If you decide to change your coverage, don’t call the plan. Instead, call 800-MEDICARE. When you speak with a representative, take notes on what you are told, the date, and the name of the person with whom you spoke. You may also have to pay higher premiums if you did not enroll in Part B or D when you first became eligible, due to premium penalties for late enrollment. What’s New and the Same for 2016? Part B Premiums – For most Medicare beneficiaries, the Part B premium will remain at $104.90 per month. But for about 30% of Medicare beneficiaries, Part B will rise to $159.30 per month. Ouch! Who is affected by the price increase? • People who enroll in Medicare in 2016 and do not collect Social Security. • People who have higher incomes, over
$85,000 for individuals and over $170,000 for couples. • You may also have to pay higher premiums if you did not enroll in Part B or Part D when you first became eligible. Your premiums will be higher because they will include a penalty for late enrollment. You should know, if you go to Plan Finder on the Medicare.gov website, the premiums listed there are the basic premiums, not those for higher income people. Some time this fall the final figures for Part B premiums will be announced, in time for you to use that information in making your Medicare decisions during Open Enrollment, so if you suspect you will be subject to higher premiums you may want to wait for the release of the new figures to make your decisions. Medicare Advantage Plans – Medicare also wants you to know that Medicare Advantage plans are improving, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. In 2013, only 37% were rated at 4 to 5 stars. In 2014 that rose to 52%. And for 2015, 61% achieved 4 to 5 stars. While this is just one part of the decision you need to make about your Medicare, it’s an important part. Part D – Your Part D Medicare prescription drug plan premium will remain at $32.50 for 2016, though it may vary with your plan or the region you live in. You will know if your costs have changed when you receive your Annual Notice of Change by September 30. Medicare beneficiaries will still receive a 55% discount on the cost of brand name drugs during the doughnut hole period and a discount of 35% to 42% on generic drugs. When you’re considering possible changes in your Medicare plan,
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be aware that the list of covered drugs changes year to year and restrictions may change, such as quantity limits and authorizations for certain drugs. How the Affordable Care Act May Affect You in Relation to Medicare – Do you have a
Qualified Health Plan through the Affordable Care Act – also called Exchanges or the Marketplace – in other words, plans that you shop for and buy online, since health care reform was mandated. You should know how the Marketplace relates to Medicare, so you can avoid bogus plans or plans that will leave you uncovered. • It is illegal for someone to sell you a Marketplace policy if they know you have Medicare. Regardless of what you are told by a salesperson, as a Medicare recipient you are not eligible for any tax credits to help pay for Marketplace insurance. • If you drop Medicare to take a Qualified Health Plan, there’s no guarantee that plan will pay for
your medical costs. In many cases, a Qualified Health Plan has the right to refuse to pay costs for someone eligible for Medicare, and that means you’ll be left with no coverage at all. • Also, you should know that the Marketplace does not sell Medicare Advantage plans, Medigap supplements, or standalone Part D plans. Remember, if you need help with your decisions about Medicare or when you are ready to change, call 800-MEDICARE to speak to a representative. You can also log onto Medicare.gov by going to medicare.gov/Contacts/ and look for a representative in your area. MSN
New Survey From The Senior Citizens League Shows Social Security Benefits Not Keeping Up With Rising Household Costs Social Security benefits are not keeping pace with rising household budgets, according to the majority of retirees participating in a new survey by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). The record low growth in cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) in recent years is creating long-term budget trouble for an estimated 31 million Social Security beneficiaries age 65 and older, says TSCL. When asked to select between four statements that most closely reflected their feelings about their Social Security benefits, 42 percent of survey participants said their benefits “were not keeping up with household budget needs.” Another 25 percent said their benefits help “keep them out of poverty,
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while 9 percent said their benefits were “too low to sustain even basic needs,” and that they didn’t have enough to live on. Only one out of four survey participants, or 24 percent, said that their Social Security benefits help them to afford a “comfortable retirement.” “The promise of Social Security to help retirees live more comfortably in retirement is in danger,” says TSCL Chairman Ed Cates. Since 2010, annual COLAs have averaged just 1.4 percent – less than half the average 3 percent of the decade prior to 2010. In 2010 and 2011, there was no COLA at all. Recently the Social Security trustees have forecast that there will be no COLA again in 2016. “Because the COLA sounds small, most people don’t realize the disproportionately large impact this has on their retirement income due to the loss of the compounding effect,” says Cates. Low COLAs affect both those currently retired who receive an annual benefit boost when inflation is rising, and people who haven’t even started benefits yet, because COLAs are used to calculate the initial benefit amount. A year with no COLA would mean a lower initial retirement benefit for some future retirees. According to
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
an analysis for TSCL, people who retired in 2009 – with an average benefit of about $1,000 per month – will receive roughly $5,000 less in Social Security benefits through the end of 2015 than they would have if COLAs had been the more typical 3 percent. The analysis projects that if inflation remains at the low levels currently estimated by the Congressional Budget Office, individuals who retired with $1,000 per month in 2009 would lose
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almost $61,000 in Social Security income over the course of a 25-year retirement. “Today’s retirees simply cannot afford to give up that much,” Cates says. TSCL supports legislation that would provide greater retirement security by indexing Social Security benefits to the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) and would provide all retirees moderately higher monthly benefits. To provide
more secure benefits and strengthen Social Security, TSCL surveys indicate that the majority of older Americans support raising the maximum taxable earnings so that high-income earners pay taxes on all earnings over $118,500. To learn more about how you can take action and to sign up for TSCL’s free online newsletter The Social Security & Medicare Advisor, visit SeniorsLeague.org. MSN
Planned Giving Is Giving Locally By Riley Meredith If there is one thing Montanan’s have universally, it is a strong sense of place. We are fiercely proud of our state and happy to tell folks it’s our home. As one of our board members once said, “We’re the last to ask for, but the first to offer help.” We are hard working, hard playing, and generous here in Big Sky Country. That generosity and willingness to help others is part of our fabric as Montanans. At the same time, we are prudent with our money and know sound financial planning is important for our own future and the future of our state. To that end, there is a special something that allows us to both give and save money here in Montana. That sounds impossible, but it’s true. It’s planned giving and the Montana Endowment Tax Credit. What if I were to tell you there is a way to get up to a $10,000 credit on your Montana taxes? What if I told you by getting this credit, you would not only be benefitting yourself, but also your favorite Montana charities? What if I told you Montana is one of only four states in the country to offer a credit like this? And finally, what if I told you this credit expires in 2019? Formally known as the Montana Charitable
Endowment Tax Credit, this opportunity offers you a credit of 40% of a qualifying planned gift’s federal charitable deduction, up to a maximum of $10,000, per year, per individual. It also allows a credit of 20% of a gift’s federal charitable deduction for a direct gift by a qualified business up to a maximum of $10,000 per year. So what exactly is a planned gift? Things like charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, and some estate gifts all fall into this category. But the most amazing thing about planned gifts is how creative you can be with them. They help people offset huge tax burdens, provide retirement security or help loved ones by offering them a steady income in the future, solve complicated and often quarrelsome estate issues, and much more. Planned gifts not only help charitable organizations that are crucial to our communities, but also help Montanan’s make the most of their money. What does this all look like in the real world through? Here is an example. A planned giving donor 60 years of age creates a deferred gift annuity with an initial gift of $10,000. This results in an $8,310 charitable deduction and a $3,324 Montana Endowment Tax Credit. That is $11,634
in deductions and credits, a total more than the value of the original gift. Annuity payments begin within life expectancy (12/31/35) of $700 per year for the remainder of the donor’s life. After five years, the donor can choose to relinquish the future payments and will receive another smaller tax deduction. The money will then be paid to the charity or charities of the donor’s choice. Or if not relinquished, upon death, the remainder (which has been growing
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PAGE 76 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
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through investment) goes to the charity or charities of the donor’s choice.* That could be your local animal shelter, church, senior center, a museum or park, schools, or any number of other local needs you would like to support. Imagine getting tax deductions and credits greater than your donations and helping your favorite Montana charities at the same time. Financially savvy and generous Montanan’s have been taking advantage of the Montana Endowment Tax Credit for years. And remember this is just one example of a planned gift; there are many more ways to structure gifts that make the most sense for your personal needs. So how do you get started? The Montana Office of Gift Planning (MOGP) at the Montana Community Foundation is dedicated to ensuring both your financial and philanthropic goals are met. The MOGP’s director Amy Sullivan has helped many Montanans’ take advantage of the Montana Endowment Tax Credit. While it all may sound complicated, Amy is great at assessing your needs and finding a creative way for you to help yourself financially and help Montana philanthropically. Call Amy at 406-443-8313 or visit our website at mtcf.org/PG to learn more. Please do not delay, this opportunity for you and Montana may not last forever! *These calculations are for illustration purposes only and should not be considered legal, accounting, or other professional advice. Your actual benefits may vary depending on several factors including your age and size of your gift. MSN
Why a “Pour Over” Will May Be A Good Idea By Jonathan J. David Dear Jonathan: My husband and I recently completed our estate planning. We were able to save a lot of money by downloading forms off the Internet. The forms were pretty straightforward and after doing our own research we feel very comfortable with what we did. One thing we chose not to do, however, was to prepare wills that we didn’t feel were necessary because we created a trust. It is our understanding that if we have a trust, our assets are protected from probate and a will isn’t necessary. Are we on the right track? Jonathan Says: First, although this is self-serving, I never recommend that people engage in do-it-yourself estate planning. Estate planning can be a complicated process and the documents used to create an estate plan can be quite complicated. Trying to prepare estate-planning documents on your own will most likely lead to mistakes and sometimes, serious mistakes. Further, estate-planning forms you find on the Internet cannot be relied upon to address your specific concerns, are oftentimes poorly drafted, and may not even comply with the laws of your state. I would encourage you to consult an estate-planning attorney in your area to make sure that whatever documents you prepared are sufficient for your purposes and are valid under the laws of your state. As for your specific question, you should always have a last will and testament regardless of whether you have a trust. Having a trust allows you to re-title assets to that trust during lifetime and if you do that, those assets avoid probate at your death. However, if, at the time of your death, you have any assets titled in your name alone, then those assets will need to be probated, and if you don’t have a will, upon the completion of probate, those assets will pass pursuant to state law and not to the beneficiaries of your own choosing. This is because when you die without a will you are deemed to have died “intestate” and the state gets to decide who receives your assets. If you want to make sure that all of your assets eventually pass into your trust, each of you will need to prepare wills naming your trust as the beneficiary of any assets that need to be probated. This type of will is known as a “pour over will” which means that upon the completion of probate those assets will pour over, i.e., be distributed, to your trust to be held, administered, and distributed to the beneficiaries named in the trust pursuant to the terms of that trust. If you have minor children, a will is also important to have because it allows you to name who you want to be their guardian while they are under age 18.
End homelessness in Gallatin Valley one family at a time. In Montana, neighbors still help their neighbors and hospitality is alive and well. Let’s work together so no child is without a home and no family is without a helping hand in tough times.
Please consider making a gift and supporting Family Promise. For more information, contact Kevin Sylvester, Executive Director, at (406) 582-7388. P.O. Box 475, Bozeman, MT 59771 • www.familypromisegv.org
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
I also want to be clear that simply creating a trust alone does not protect by itself your assets from probate. Creating the trust is simply the first step. Once you have created the trust, the next step is for you to make sure that assets are re-titled in the trust name. Also, for those assets that allow a beneficiary to be named such as life insurance, you might want to consider having the trust named as either the primary or the contingent beneficiary. Because re-titling assets can be complicated, especially when real estate is involved, I suggest
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that you consult with an estate-planning attorney to help you make sure that your assets have been properly re-titled and/or beneficiary designations have been properly made (or changed) naming the trust as a beneficiary. Good luck. Jonathan J. David is a shareholder in the law firm of Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C., 1700 East Beltline, N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525. IMSN
Everyday Choices Can Make a Difference How can we alleviate hunger? How can we alleviate poverty? One thing we can do is understand that our shopping choices make a difference in the lives of others. Just as we develop the habit of taking a cloth bag to the grocery store, we can develop the habit of shopping Fair Trade whenever possible. We can choose to support enterprises that pay fair wages that support and build communities around the world. One good place to do this is at Global Village in downtown Billings. Now in its 28th year – and with the help of about 30 volunteers – Global Village continues to support low-income artisans and farmers in more than 35 countries.
At Global Village, you can find beautiful jewelry, baskets, clothing, accessories, sculpture, pottery, coffee, chocolate, toys, instruments, and music from around the world. Each purchase helps lift artisans out of poverty, one-step at a time. Each purchase makes a difference. We can make conscious shopping decisions. Shop Fair Trade. Our choices can change things for the better. For more information visit us at 2720 3rd Ave North, Billings, call 406-259-3024, or visit globalvillagebillings. org. MSN
They Were Told To Leave Their Animals
As the fire blazed closer, the community of Heart Butte was ordered to evacuate immediately… AND not to bring their pets! It was leave them or set them free... and hope for the best – not comforting choices for any fur parent! Knowing they had to help, a team of volunteers and staff from the Lewis & Clark Humane Society in Helena quickly set out with trucks and trailers. Working with fire officials and homeowners asking for assistance, the team went into the fire zone many times to find and rescue all the animals they could – including animals running scared from the fire and needing gentle coaxing. In a temporary shelter, each rescued animal had its own crate, food, blankets, medical care, vaccinations, and cuddles! The team worked tirelessly bringing more truckloads of donations from the Helena community. Approximately 80 animals were kept safe during this harrowing ordeal. Rescuing, saving, and protecting animals is what we do – and we could not do it without the help of our friends, donors, staff, and volunteers! We are grateful for the difference they make in the lives of animals! To learn how you can help the Lewis & Clark Humane Society call 406442-1660 or visit mtlchs.org. MSN
Be Aware of Tax Identity Theft Provided by AARP With all the news regarding hacking of corporate and government data, it is understandable to be concerned about tax identity theft – and there are steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim? Every two seconds, someone’s identity is stolen. And with the end of the year and tax season just around the corner, con artists are stealing Social Security numbers to file for fraudulent tax refunds. It’s a big problem. To date, the IRS has identified around 15 million false tax returns alone. For more information on the latest trends in tax identify theft, check out AARP’s Fraud
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We are all affected by toxic chemicals. Now is our time to do something about it. We believe in healthy legacies for our families, our children, and our future generations. To learn more about our work and joining the Legacy Circle, visit www.womensvoices.org, or contact: Robyn Hegland Development Director (406) 543.3747 robynh@womensvoices.org
PAGE 78 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
Watch Network at aarp.org/FraudWatchNetwork. And you can also view targeted information and a special video devoted to tax identity theft awareness at aarp.org/scamalert. The Warning Signs How do you know if you’re a victim of tax identity theft? If someone files a fraudulent tax return using your identification, and then you file your return, the IRS will contact you by mail. The letter will state that more than one return was filed using your Social Security number. Note that the IRS will not contact you by phone, email, text, or social media. You can check the legitimacy of any IRS mailing by calling 1-800-829-1040. You’ll also get an IRS notice if someone uses your Social Security number to get a job and the employer reports that income to the IRS using your number. The letter will indicate that you did not report all of your earnings on your tax return. Another warning sign could be receiving a W-2 or Form 1099 from an employer for whom you didn’t work. If You Fall Victim If you become a victim of tax identity theft, here are the steps to take: • Contact the IRS immediately using the contact information on the notice you received. You’ll
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
be asked to fill out an IRS Identity Theft affidavit, Form 14039. • Contact your bank and credit card companies and inform the credit bureaus of the fraud. Ask one credit bureau – Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax – to place a free fraud alert on your report, and the others will follow. A fraud alert lasts 90 days, but you can renew it. • Access your credit report free from all three credit bureaus. Ask the bureau that places your fraud alert how to obtain your reports. • File an Identity Theft report with the Federal Trade Commission. This will help you get fraudulent information removed from your credit report and stop companies from trying to collect debts related to fraudulent activity. • File a police report. Bring the form you filed with the FTC to the police. Tips for Avoiding Tax Identify Theft It’s becoming ever more difficult to protect our identities, but here are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your family: • Monitor your credit reports. You can order free reports from all three credit bureaus once a year at annualcreditreport.com. • Never give your Social Security number or other personal information to phone callers.
• If you file your tax return electronically, be sure to use a private, protected wireless network. Filing your return from the local coffee shop, library, or other public place is not a good idea. • Provide information to your tax preparer in person – avoid sending a fax that may easily be seen by someone else. • Shred papers that contain sensitive personal information. Hopefully, you will never encounter any form of identity theft. Make sure to protect your personal information to the best of your ability, and know what to do if you’ve been victimized. Sign up for the Fraud Watch Network at aarp. org/FraudWatchNetwork to get the latest information on ID theft and scams. You can also call the Fraud Watch Network Hotline at 877-908-3360 to get your questions answered directly from trained volunteers. And for help with filing taxes safely, see information about AARP’s Tax Aide program at aarp.org/TaxAide. Do you have a question for AARP Montana? Send your question to “Ask AARP Montana” at MTAARP@aarp.org or 30 W 14th St., Helena, MT 59601 or call our toll-free hotline at 866-295-7278. As we receive questions, we will consult with both internal and external experts to provide timely and valuable advice. MSN
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
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Helpful New Features To Property Tax Assistance The Montana Department of Revenue is pleased to announce new features that might help you take advantage of its property tax assistance programs and save you money. Both the Property Tax Assistance (PTAP) and Disabled Veteran (MDV) Property Tax Relief Programs provide property tax help if you own and live in your home as your primary residence and meet income requirements. What’s new is you’re only required to file an application one time. You can apply now. No need to reapply each year. Plus, if you were in the programs as of December 31, 2014, there’s no need to reapply. It’s convenient and saves you time and effort.
How to Protect Your Medicare Card from Identity Theft
Many people new to Medicare are surprised to learn that the ID number on their Medicare card is identical to their Social Security number (SSN). After all, we’re constantly warned not to carry our SSN around with us, because if it is lost or stolen, the result could be identity theft. But the Medicare ID is more than an identifier. It’s proof of insurance. Beneficiaries need to show their Medicare card at the doctor’s office and the hospital in order to have Medicare pay for treatment. Over the years, many consumer advocates, have called for a new form of Medicare identification. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which administers Medicare, also acknowledges the problem. One of the main reasons is it would cost an estimated $255 to $317 million to fix it. And that’s just the direct cost to the federal government. It doesn’t include the expense for physicians and other healthcare providers to adjust their systems, or the cost to the states. Other government health systems like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense have already begun using ID numbers that are different from SSNs, but no one knows when Medicare will follow suit. In the meantime, here are some tips offered by various consumer advocate groups that can help keep your Medicare card safe and out of the hands of fraudsters. Protect Your Card – For starters, AARP suggests that you simply don’t carry your Medicare card at all, because it’s not necessary. Most healthcare providers already have their patients in their electronic systems and know how to bill you. But if you really don’t feel comfortable not having it with you, then the Privacy Rights Clearing House, a national consumer resource on identity theft recommends that you make a photocopy of your card and cut it down to wallet size. Then use scissors to cut out the last four digits of your SSN, or take a black marker and cross them out, and carry that instead. You will, however, need your actual Medicare card with you the first time you visit a new health care provider, who will likely want to make a photocopy of it for their files. If you’re worried that you’ll need your card in an emergency in order to get care, you should know that emergency personnel cannot refuse you care until you show a card. Although you’ll need to come up with billing information before leaving a hospital, that doesn’t mean you won’t receive care. Lost or Stolen Cards – If your Medicare card does happen to get lost or stolen, you can replace it by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213. You can also apply for a new card online at ssa.gov/medicarecard or go to your local Social Security office. If your Medicare card has been lost or stolen, you will need to watch out for Medicare fraud. You can do this by checking your quarterly Medicare summary notices for services or supplies you did not receive. If you spot anything suspicious or wrong, call the Inspector General’s fraud hotline at 800-447-8477. If you need help identifying Medicare fraud, contact your state Senior Medicare Patrol program. See smpresource.org or call 877-808-2468. Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book. MSN
“Property tax assistance is a great program and now it’s even better,” said Mike Kadas, Revenue Department Director. “It offsets property taxes so that you can use your money on other necessities such as food, heating, clothing, and medicine.” Never thought of applying for PTAP or MDV? You could be eligible and not know it. Check it out today! It could save you hundreds of dollars. To apply, visit revenue.mt.gov, contact your local Montana Department of Revenue office, or call 1-866-859-2254 or 444-6900 in Helena. MSN
History is a Journey Come explore with us!
Donate today or apply for a grant www.mthistory.org
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PAGE 80 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
There is no escaping the thundering herd of presidential candidates as they stampede toward next years’ election. To divert our attention only slightly, we thought perhaps a focus this month on some of our Presidents’ spouses. Over the last two centuries, our nation has had First Ladies of all persuasions, from the meek and timid to the independent and self-promoting. But, in any case these First Ladies are a cross section of our great country and whatever their strengths and weaknesses, they have been the First Lady of the United States of America!
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This month’s quiz will test your knowledge of a number of First Ladies and bits of trivia related to them. Thank you and congratulations to Jim Kerns for submitting this featured quiz. He is the winner of the $25 prize. Thank you to all who participated in our How Well Do You Know Our Presidents quiz in the August/September 2015 issue. The winner of the $25 prize is Rebecca Orford of Missoula. Congratulations, Rebecca! Two $25 cash prizes are awarded from the “Contest Corner” in each issue of the Montana Senior News. One prize goes to the person who
submits the winning answers to the featured quiz from the previous issue. The second prize goes to the person who submits the entry that our staff selects as the featured quiz or puzzle in the “Contest Corner” for this issue. Be creative and send us some good, fun, and interesting puzzles! Please mail your entries to the Montana Senior News, P.O. Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403, or email to montsrnews@bresnan.net by November 10, 2015 for our December 2015/January 2016 edition. Be sure to work the crossword puzzle on our website montanaseniornews.com.
How Well Do You Know Your First Ladies
Submitted by Jim Kerns Below are twenty-one numbered descriptions of America’s First Ladies. On a sheet of paper numbered from 1-21, write the letters from the list of First Ladies’ names that best correspond to the numbered First Ladies being described. Mail or email your answers to us including USPS contact information. 1. This First Lady told her husband to remember the ladies. 2. This First Lady, according to a President’s daughter, had a hippopotamus face. 3. This First Lady was accused of poisoning a President. 4. This First Lady was sent to an asylum by her son. 5. This First Lady dressed like a cowgirl and was a Goldwater Girl.
6. This First Lady, married in the White House, later gave birth to Baby Ruth. 7. This First Lady’s husband praised her graces. 8. This First Lady assisted our only bachelor president. 9. This First Lady was accused of being our first female president. 10. This First Lady was the immediate predecessor of the First Lady in 9 above. 11. This First Lady was cross-eyed. 12. This First Lady saved George Washington while someone was burning down the house. 13. This independent First Lady spent most of her time in Independence. 14. The president covered this First Lady’s face with a handkerchief. 15. This First Lady’s husband forgot to duck. 16. This First Lady’s husband was the namesake of a sardonic duck. 17. This First Lady had bangs. 18. This First Lady had a bouffant and may have been bribed with a trust fund. 19. This First Lady went down in a coalmine and served hot dogs to the king. 20. This tart First Lady served lemonade, not wine.
21. This peaceful First Lady watched the Boxers. A. Eleanor Roosevelt B. Lucy Hayes C. Bess Truman D. Ellen Wilson E. Grace Coolidge F. Mary Lincoln G. Abigail Adams H. Florence Harding I. Frances Cleveland J. Edith Wilson K. Dolly Madison L. Nancy Reagan M. Jackie Kennedy N. Lou Hoover O. Mamie Eisenhower P. Ida McKinley Q. Julia Grant R. Harriet Lane S. Hillary Clinton T. Nellie Taft U. Abigail Fillmore MSN
Answers to How Well Do You Know Our Presidents? Submitted by Peggy Parks 1. D. George H. W. Bush 2. H. Gerald Ford 3. N. John Tyler 4. S. Abraham Lincoln 5. J. John F. Kennedy 6. A. Dwight D. Eisenhower 7. R. Bill Clinton 8. I. Theodore Roosevelt 9. B. Lyndon B. Johnson 10. O. William Howard Taft
11. K. James Madison 12. C. Andrew Johnson 13. M. James Buchanan 14. P. Ronald Reagan 15. F. Franklin D. Roosevelt 16. T. William Henry Harrison 17. L. Grover Cleveland 18. Q. John Quincy Adams 19. E. George Washington 20. G. Herbert Hoover MSN
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50. Carrie Underwood, e.g. 52. Clinton ____ Rodham 53. Cry out loud 55. As opposed to yeses 57. *Largest country 60. *Deepest lake 63. Infamous biker 64. *Dead or Black, e.g. 66. Implied by actions 68. Passion 69. Emergency Medical Services 70. Former anesthetic 71. Feline noise 72. French street 73. High-pitched
DOWN
ACROSS
1. *City on Seine 6. Sun Tzu’s “The ____ of War” 9. Sign of a saint 13. Rome’s Colosseum, e.g. 14. African migrator 15. Analyze 16. Religious devotion 17. Pillbox or tricorne, e.g. 18. Trojan War military action 19. *It has largest number of independent nations 21. *World’s largest Non-Polar desert 23. Beatle bride
24. Clinton or Gates 25. ____ along to a song 28. Movie “____ Girl” 30. Fish food unit 35. *Four Corners state 37. Captain ____ 39. Wasted on the young? 40. Former Attorney General of the U.S. 41. Streamlined 43. Cowboy’s prod 44. Circular gasket 46. “Happily ____ after” 47. Left or right 48. Ni
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1. OB-GYN test 2. “Summertime” or “Porgy and Bess,” e.g. 3. *Australia is famous for it 4. Preface 5. “Haste makes waste,” e.g. 6. Turkish honorific 7. Biochemistry abbr. 8. Hutu’s opponents, 1994 9. *Largest continent 10. One who takes drugs 11. Indian music 12. Reply to #37 Across 15. Olsen twin 20. “Too many ____ in the kitchen” 22. One of The Alps 24. Harass 25. *Second-largest Great Lake 26. Embryo cradles 27. Bouncing off the walls 29. *World’s longest river 31. Red ink in finance 32. Harry Potter’s professor
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Remus ____ 33. Short composition for solo instrument 34. *Number of capitals in South Africa 36. Goose cry 38. Owner’s acquisition 42. Swedish money 45. *Old Faithful, e.g. 49. Floral necklace 51. Hang around 54. Used in some surgery procedures 56. Type of edible ray 57. Of low density 58. Backward arrow on keyboard 59. Flat-bottomed boat 60. 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in baseball, e.g. 61. Advil target 62. German song 63. Rapid escape 65. 2nd largest bird in the world MSN 67. Give it a go
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AARP Study Shows 50+ Workers Are ‘Critical Components’ of Successful Businesses With Labor Day just past it is important to recognize a new AARP study showing that 50+ workers have a productive advantage making them a “critical component” of successful businesses. “The findings of this new study underscore what AARP already knew,” said Tim Summers, AARP Montana State Director. “We have always known that the extensive experience and expertise of the 50+ offer a tremendous asset to employers. We are pleased that savvy employers across all sectors of the economy value the knowledge, skills, and capabilities of workers 50-plus and know that recruiting and retaining them will improve their business results.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Montana is number one in the nation for its “workforce share rank” of older workers – meaning that Montana has a higher percentage of its workforce that is 55-plus than any other state. “Not only is Montana’s workforce the oldest in the nation and therefore the most experienced, it is also the most educated,” said Summers. At 92.8 percent of adults 25 years and older, Montana boasts the highest percentage of adults in the nation with a high school diploma or higher according to the Main Street Montana Project. “There is a lot to be excited about with respect to Montana’s economy,” said Summers. “Last year brought record job growth in our state. Personal income growth in Montana was the fifth best in the nation and wage growth was well above the national average. That shows that Montana’s economy is strong and growing, and one of the keys to our vibrant economy is our exceptionally talented pool of well-educated, experienced, and highly motivated 50+ workers.” Montana’s is a critical component of
growth in certain sectors, such as the high-tech sector. A recent study by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research showed that Montana’s high-tech jobs are growing at a rate of eight to ten times faster than Montana’s statewide job growth – with average wages of more than twice the median statewide income. The AARP study comes at a time when experienced workers are playing an increasingly important role in the workplace. In 2002, workers age 50+ made up 24.6 percent of the workforce. By 2012, they were 32.3 percent. And by 2022, they are projected to represent 35.4 percent of the total workforce. Today’s 50+ workforce is adding value by exhibiting traits that are highly sought after in today’s economy. With a tightening market for well-qualified workers, employers are well advised to target this important demographic. The AARP study, A Business Case for Workers Age 50+: A Look at the Value of Experience 2015, was prepared by Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement, and health solutions company of Aon PLC. It finds that the business case for employing workers age 50+ has grown even stronger over the last 10 years, reinforcing a 2005 AARP study that found that experienced workers are highly motivated, productive, and cost effective. The report can be found at aarp.org/businesscaseforworkers50plus. Roselyn Feinsod, senior partner at Aon Hewitt, said, “Workers age 50+ are highly valuable – particularly in those businesses that require highly skilled workers or workers with unique skill sets.” The new AARP study addresses the misconception that older workers cost “significantly more” than younger workers do. In fact, the study notes that adding more age 50+ talent to a workforce “results in only minimal increases in… labor costs.” “The old saying that there is simply no substitute for experience certainly rings true and this new study confirms those words of wisdom,” Summers concluded. AARP commissioned the study to assess the advantages of both retaining and attracting older workers. The analysis relies primarily on data from Aon Hewitt databases, an extensive literature review, and interviews with 18 large employers. Links to Citations: • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Older Workers in the Workforce: State Data: governing.com/gov-data/economy-finance/oldestworkers-workforce-age-demographics-by-statedata.html • AARP study: aarp.org/businesscaseforworkers50plus • University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research Study: bber.umt.edu/ pubs/econ/HighTechBusAlliance.pdf • Main Street Montana Project statistics regarding education rates: mainstreetmontanaproject.com/Portals/44/Docs/MSMP_draft_FINAL. pdf?timestamp=1410470014516. MSN
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Going Home By Ella Mae Howard It doesn’t seem to matter where or for how long I’m gone on a trip, about the third day, I start to think about home, about the mail, about the family, and about the weather. I think about my bed, a shower, and the backyard. So, as I ponder the Lewis and Clark story of two hundred years ago, I just cannot imagine how much those men anticipated the end of their journey. In July of 1806, they had been gone for more than two years. They had not seen their families or heard one word of news about them. They had not eaten a good home-cooked meal of bread, dumplings, potatoes, and stewed beef. They had not bathed in a tub, they had not put on a new shirt, and they had not received one word of news about their United States in more than two years. In a letter dated April 8, 1804, Sergeant John Ordway wrote to his parents. He told them he was part of an expedition to explore the west. He was to ascend the Missouri River as far as it was navigable and then go by land to the western ocean. He wrote that he was in high spirits and that he was “so happy” to be picked as one of the men to go with Captains Lewis and Clark. In the same letter, he told his parents that he would receive $15 per month and 400 acres of land, and if they made “Great Discoveries,” as they expected to, “the United States has promised to make us Great Rewards more than we are promised.” In July 1806, shivers ran up and down Sergeant John Ordway’s back as he thought about home. He was in the land we know today as central Montana. He knew, baring an accident, he would be home sometime in the next couple of months. After all those days of struggle, of eating food cooked over a pit fire, of occasional bathing in cold river water, of going to sleep each night thinking about his mom and dad, he could now taste how good it would be to be home. Home where he could wake up in the morning and not have to think about sleeping in the rain, freezing in the snow as they crossed mountains more rugged than they ever imagined, eating elk meat so tainted they could hardly swallow it, and sleeping every night without the comfort of a mattress. But now, he had orders to portage the Expedition’s canoes and supplies around the great falls of the Missouri. He and his party were then to move down the river to the mouth of the Marias; there they were to wait for Captain Lewis. Ordway and his men expected this portage to be much easier than the one in 1805. They had four horses to pull the wagons. The wheels for the carriages were buried near Upper Portage Camp. They had much less gear to transport. On July 20, 1806, Ordway wrote, “Sergt. Gass went at putting in the tongues to the wagons towards evening we got up our 4 horses tackled them in the truck waggons found they would draw…” The morning of the 21st, the sergeant had a man up at daylight to get the horses. But the horses could not be found. Concerned about the prospect of the portage without horses to pull the wagons, Ordway ordered more men to scour the country for the animals. They looked all day. When evening arrived, and they still had not found the horses, Ordway had some of the men get two canoes loaded on the wagons and start across the plains as they had done in 1805. The next morning, Ordway had every man out looking for the horses. About noon, they were found near the great falls, and as soon as they were brought to camp, they were hitched to the wagons and started across the plains towards Belt Creek. After making about five miles, an axletree broke and they had to return to camp to make repairs. On the 23rd, it rained, hailed, and the wind blew hard. The wheels on the wagon, which carried the large canoe, broke down and the sergeant made the decision to leave the big canoe to rot on the plains. The next day it rained more, which, as Ordway wrote, “rendred the plains verry muddy.” About noon on the 25th, yet more rain came. Ordway described the plains as “So amazing muddy & bad.” The men pushed on the wagons
Where Am I? Submitted by Julie Fink-Brantley A blind man with a seeing eye dog walked into church and started swinging his dog in a circle. The head usher asked, “What are you doing?” The blind man replied, “Just looking around.”
If Only It Were So Easy At Sunday school they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs. Later in the week, his mother noticed his lying down as though he were ill and said, “Johnny, what is the matter?” Little Johnny responded, “I have pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife.” MSN
to help the horses, and that night, some of the men turned over a canoe to make a shelter from the rain. Others sat up all night by the fire. The ground was covered with water. Ordway wrote in his journal that nothing, not the rain, nor the mud, stopped them from their “urgent labours” to get everything to Belt Creek, so they could proceed on. The morning of the 26th was wet and disagreeable. An Indian dog came into their camp and the men gave it some meat. Ordway and the men went to get another canoe. The ground was so wet the wagon wheels sank to their hubs and the men had to help the horses pull the carriages. By noon on the 27th, Ordway and his men had gotten their five canoes and baggage portaged around the great falls of the Missouri. They pushed the canoes and white pirogue into the water and started down river to meet Lewis at the mouth of the Marias. Ordway leaned back and rested for a few moments, he was another day closer to getting home. Although mostly uneventful, it would take another two months to get back to St. Louis when on September 23rd, Ordway ended his Corps of Discovery journal with the words that he so much wanted to see his parents “as we have been so long from them.” MSN
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Frost On Your Nose, By B. Elwin Sherman At the risk of alienating those dedicated readers who are lovers of rhyming verse, I must still admit that I am not a big poetry fan. There, I said it, and already regret it. Let’s be clear. I’m not a poet, but I have written poetry. As a humorist, this is akin to bragging that as a licensed driver, I’ve never been in a demolition derby, but I have driven across the country in a smoky and banged-up VW bus. The holiday season, however, has a way of bringing poetry into the warming innards of our hearts, or as the poet might say, its “cockles.” (For the record, should the need arise, I’d want my heart surgeon well versed in mitral valve repair, not cockle heat.) I must also confess that I feel the same way about poetry as I do about opera. My dear late wife Judy loved opera, and for her sake, I always tried
to fire up my cockles over it, but I never could. I once told her that I couldn’t understand why, if a jilted Don Jose had to stab Carmen, he felt it necessary to do so while overdressed and singing in French at the top of his lungs. Sometimes, living with a humorist is hard work. I did once try my poetic hand at writing funny greeting cards, but soon discovered that there wasn’t a big demand for Non-Occasion Cards for the Casual Acquaintances in Your Life. For instance: • Happy Sixteenth of December. Remember? • I Think That I Shall Never See, A Card Appropriate for Thee. • My Heart Was Shattered, Not That It Mattered. The folks at Hallmark, at least the ones with cold cockles, did not see the humor in it. Still, the holidays wouldn’t be the same without poetry. What kind of Yuletide would it be without that old chestnut Twas the Night Before Christmas,
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And Other Poems when families everywhere gather up the cherubs for its traditional reciting? “The Santa suit hung by the chimney with care, in case good St. Nicholas came down all bare.” That may have been the first rhyming sacrilege of my boyhood musings, forever ruling out any poet laureate awards. Perhaps if I had cut my assonating teeth on The Road Not Taken before I discovered The Cat in the Hat, but as this poet is fond of paraphrasing, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I… I took the other one.” I would belabor the differences, but there’s no point now in dwelling on my life’s what-ifferences. As you can see, I settled in the middle, somewhere as when Robert Frost meets Ogden Nash in a prizefight, and the referee is Dr. Seuss. For my money, children always make the best poets because of their innate gift for the literal. Consider this gem, co-written by a friend’s two grandkids. “We have a pretty mother, who loves our little brother. All day
long he picks his nose, and then Mom cleans his booger clothes.” Beat that, Mr. Frost. If I do find myself fancying the poetical, I sometimes wax heretical, doing terrible things to the great rhymes of our times. Today, I still can’t take a shower without murdering Dorothy’s Scarecrow’s ditty, “In my thoughts, I’d be keener that I’d come out all the cleaner if I only had a drain.” I don’t belt it out in French and stab myself with the shower brush, but it does have a cleansing effect on the denouement of the day. Countless other humorists have reinvented Twas The Night Before Christmas through the ages. One website features a list of 839 versions alone, with a treatment for every disposition – hillbillies, bowlers, dieters, dirty dancers, marching bands, Trekkies, windsurfers, immigrants, and even paintballers. Yes, paintballers. “When out on the roof there arose such a clatter, that Johnny got ready for Santa to splatter.”
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Or, from a computer geek, “The hackers were all snug asleep in their beds, as visions of access codes danced in their heads.” Or, from a Grateful Dead fan, “With a paunchy old driver, all spaced-out and hairy, I knew in a moment, it must be the Jerry!” You get the idea. So, this holiday season, I thought I’d reach back into the inspirations that began in my sing-songy childhood vault, and leave you with a poem destined for greatness. Ready? “There once was a season of cheer, and you can always get there from
here. But, don’t pick your noses, the poet supposes, unless your Mom is ready with a change of clotheses at the end of the day because she loves you even when you’re covered with boogers and your poems don’t rhyme or come out right in the shower at the end.” With a rumor of humor, have a safe and happy holiday season. Senior Wire syndicated humor columnist B. Elwin Sherman writes from and apologizes to Bethlehem, the “poetry capital of New Hampshire.” MSN
The Sock Monkey: Sharing Holidays Past And then they disappeared, going the way of Gumby and Pokey, Mr. Bill, and Mr. Potato Head. Yet there they were again in my gift catalogs – the appealing little dolls in an assortment of colors and sizes, replicas embroidered onto cuddly lap blankets and fashioned into scarves, winter hats, and slippers.
By CJ Golden There is definitely magic in the air on December 25. Whether or not one celebrates the miracle of Christmas, there is no denying that this day holds something special – a day to bring families and friends together; a day to share good food and cheer; and most special of all, a day to remember Christmases of years past. And that is just what occurred last year when I spent Christmas with my children and grandkids – all because of a sock monkey. Let me explain. While rifling through holiday catalogs last year in search of suitable gifts for my friends and family members, I noticed the resurgence of the once ubiquitous sock monkey. These charming little creatures had first appeared in the early 1900s when several very ingenious and talented women started fashioning Rockford Red Heel work socks into monkey dolls for their children. The fad caught on and in short order, children around the country began toting their own sock monkey dolls, each with its own personal touches and characteristics. They were very charming, soft, cuddly, and a favorite of many children – myself included. And then they disappeared, going the way of Gumby and Pokey, Mr. Bill, and Mr. Potato Head. Yet there they were again in my gift catalogs – the appealing little dolls in an assortment of colors
and sizes, replicas embroidered onto cuddly lap blankets and fashioned into scarves, winter hats, and slippers. They were, indeed, the perfect gift for two of my friends – gals who I knew would enjoy the whimsy of these items and would be able to recall their own sock monkey dolls from childhood. I thought I had found something extremely special and unique. Well, they might have been special, but they certainly were not unique. It wasn’t long before I started spotting adults and teens alike wearing all manner of sock monkey paraphernalia. And in seeing this amazing resurgence, I recognized that this was a gift my grandchildren would appreciate as well. I had not realized the profound significance of sharing this little guy with the children. Gearing up for my Christmas Eve overnight stay with my husband and daughter Donna at another of our kids’ house, I knew I wanted to appear on Christmas morning in a unique pair of pajamas – it is fun to be the “outrageous” grandmother and I work hard at keeping up that appearance. Locating sock monkey pajamas and slippersocks online, I eagerly ordered them for Donna and myself. And then got smaller versions of the socks for each of the grandchildren. It was Donna who took it a step further; she Googled the Rockford Red Heel site and ordered two pairs
of socks with instructions for us to make our own sock monkey dolls. Much to my pleasure, the kids were quite amused when Donna and I appeared in our pajamas and slippers. Even more exciting was their delight at receiving their own pairs of sock monkey footwear. The piece de resistance came when Donna produced the sock monkey kits and we proceeded to spend much of the morning making these personable little dolls – complete with the hair color, button eyes, and hats of the kid’s choices. And thus having been reborn, this charming little fellow gave to my family’s newest generation the same great pleasure he had given to me so many years ago when I was a child – to see this affable little fellow sitting atop heads and being wrapped around jackets as he keeps people warm in such a jocular manner. Of course, I love the thrill of seeing the rebirth of the sock monkey shared as a piece of my childhood with my children and grandchildren. They understand that in their sock monkey items they are experiencing a bit of the young girl Grams was so many years ago. And it brings us just a little closer together. And that is what holidays are all about – bridging the years and bringing the generations together. MSN
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
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