View From The Bridge 3/2/11

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
By Muncie
3/2/11

FUND RAISER
Ladies, you do not have to make dinner next Sunday, March 6th. A Fund Raiser for the Naeseth’s begins at 1:00 p.m. with a spaghetti feed. Cindy, the manager of the Club House, is the only one who has to cook that day, and she does it very well. Come on over and enjoy a fun afternoon. Come on over and help a family who had a tragic fire destroy their home and all their belongings. It is “The Fort Benton Way” of life in our rural community. See you there.

PUB NIGHT
What a night of hilarity! It was one laugh after the other and the Singing Sons make fun of anything and everything. If anyone was offended, you are in the minority. I was asking around in the crowd and all that I spoke too loved every minute of the evening’s entertainment. We would like the Sons to return soon.

I suggested to the Sons that they write a song about the Grizzles and Bobcats. They said that would be too touchy a subject. So, I found that there are some subjects they cannot make fun of…but not many.

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
Just a little tidbit here…in the U.S.A. Weekend Magazine this past weekend there was an article about the book that we read a while back as one of the four books we read during our January through April reading months. It was “Water for Elephants,” and it seemed that everyone really enjoyed the story.

There is now a movie version and it will hit theaters on April 22nd. I doubt very much if it will be shown in Great Falls but in three months, it will be for sale. I am sure that the Chouteau County Free Library will provide it for us.

RECYCLING
More news about where to take your newspapers, magazines, and cardboard. There were bins in front of both Albertsons stores and Sam’s Club. I do not know who was responsible for the bins but I was think it was the City of Great Falls. When the 10th St. was widened last year, the bins in front of that Albertsons were removed. The only remaining bins were at the By-Pass Albertsons/Sam’s Club, and in the last two weeks, those were removed.

There was an article in the Tribune last week that said the City would no longer maintain the bins. That leaves the only alternative that I am aware of, Pacific Recycling.

I wrote in the View a couple of weeks ago that I had taken some metal cans to Pacific (no compensation for those,) and the back of my truck was filled with newspapers, magazines, and cardboard. The attendant asked if I would like to leave them. He also unloaded the back of the truck for me. (I do not know if that was because of my age or if they do it for everyone.) He also asked if I wanted the money for the newspapers that paid ½ a cent a pound. I designated the money to go to the school of my choice (Fort Benton Elementary of course,) and they do the paperwork.

Pacific is not out of the way for me if I am going to Great Falls but my source that lives in Great Falls was very upset. She does not have the space to store newspapers/magazines, so taking them on her shopping trips was convenient. She lives on the other side of Great Falls and feels that using her gas, (at the high price it is now,) and her time is not worth the effort. She will dispose of those items now in her weekly dumpster pickup.

Woe is me! You cannot win against those who make these kinds of decisions. As we have learned in the past…recycling costs money but what is the alternative? We are smothering ourselves with trash and it only gets worse.

The Recycling Committee in Fort Benton is still working on a program but the odds are almost insurmountable.

Another revelation was when I took my plastic bottles to Wal-Mart on a Wednesday; the man who removes them was working at the bins. If you have recycled your plastic there, you know that the hole in the bins is very small. You cannot fit your large plastic bag into the dumpster.

An informant told me sometime ago, that she happened upon the bottle remover man and he had told her to leave her large bag beside the dumpster. I had seen those bags there and had reported that people were leaving trash bags. They were not trash bags but plastic bags full of bottles.

I have no idea why they have such a system. I would simply have a dumpster where I could throw my large bag. Why do a two-step process? Perhaps it is a woman’s way of thinking.

Whoever, used to remove the dumpsters on Tuesdays and return them on Thursday. Hours then were from Thursday thru Monday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. I do not know when they changed those rules but the dumpsters are there all the time now. I certainly hope that whoever does not eliminate those bins. If they do, I would like everyone to outcry…”We can’t take it anymore.”

A LION OR A LAMB
Will March come in like a lion and go out like a lamb or visa versa? According to weather reports, Monday and Tuesday will be warming up. It is now 10:15 p.m. on Sunday night and the temperature on our satellite thermometer registers 31.9 degrees. Perhaps we will go and ray out tomorrow. Everyone is sure ready for spring. Just three more weeks so be patient. GO WINTER, (away that is.)

LONGHORNS
Wouldn’t you know our team would have to play Dutton-Brady DiamondBacks at the Divisional Tournament last Thursday morning? They were actually #1 in their District but surprisingly lost to Power at the District Tournament and that made them #2. If it had been the other way around and we had played Power, it may have been another story. However, we do not get any- where by speculating or trying to figure out why things happen the way they do.

I do not like the ending of Basketball season because I enjoy the games so much. Like all other events, we have to wait until next December for Basketball to begin again for three months of enjoyment. We will be losing many seniors and we do not like seeing them go on. However, they have college to look forward to and I wonder if any of them will be playing basketball at the school of their choice.

SO LONG FOR NOW
We continue to remember and be thankful for the protectors of our U.S.A. Flags flew at half-mast from Friday until today (Sunday) for the young farmer that I wrote about last week. He was from Centerville and his story was on the front page of the Tribune today. How I agonize for his parents, family, friends and classmates. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers. GOD BLESS AMERICA.