View From The Bridge 7/17/13

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
By Muncie
7/17/13

LIONS SALE
Remember to take yourself and your friends to the Fair Grounds on Saturday morning.  A gigantic yard sale will start at 9:00 a.m., (check ad for exact time.)  They have been preparing for several weeks and it should be a “yard sale heaven.”  Give the Lions some help with all their projects.

FOUR SHILLINGS SHORT
Mother Nature treated us kindly last Saturday evening as we sat in The Old Fort Benton yard.  Folks brought chairs and many sat on the lawn.  There was much camaraderie before the performance, at a break time, and afterward the performance.  Everything you ever wanted to know about foreign country instruments and music was fulfilled.  What a music lesson it was.  I have been to all of the Four Shillings performances here in Fort Benton, I learn something new each time, and actually every day.

We learned about the Four Shillings future plans and those included returning to Fort Benton in August of 2014.  Theirs is such an expanded world travel and it makes one wonder what we are missing outside of our little valley next to the Mighty Missouri.  Actually, I do not feel like I am missing anything.  I had enough of big city living many years ago.  How about you?

COMING UP SOON
On Thursday August 1st, there will be the Farmer’s Market on the Levee from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  You will then proceed to the Old Fort Benton yard to enjoy Mollly and Peter from Highwood.  We have first class entertainment in this couple.   Molly and Peter are a treasure that Highwood keeps from Fort Benton.  Really Highwood, we do not blame you, as long as they visit Fort Benton often.  See you there. 

The following week on Thursday, August 8th, at Old Fort Park, you can enjoy the Farmer’s Market, a Taste of Chouteau County, and “Shakespeare in the Park” will present “Henry VIII.”    The Taste of Chouteau County will satisfy your appetites, while the play will be filling your minds.  What more can you ask?  Mark your calendars now so you do not miss this event.

HAIL STORM
Several old-timers have told me that they have never seen a hail storm such as we had a week ago Monday.  I did not think quickly enough to go outside and pick hailstones up.  However, my neighbor, Linda, did and her visiting nephew retrieved them from her freezer to show me the size.  They were truly as large as golf balls.  I had, never in my lifetime, seen hail that large.  As they hit our air conditioner, it sounded like gun shots.  Our air conditioner is in a window that protrudes out a good distance.  We immediately worried about the wheat crops and secondly about our garden.  Fortunately, we only had several plant leaves with holes in them.  It did however; knock most of the apricots off our trees.  Do not let this information get to Gladys Peres, as she was so excited to think that we might have a crop of apricots this year.

BOY & GIRL SCOUTS
The Scout Troops do not toot their own horns.  They keep their philanthropy work under cover.  As far as their physical labor, I remembered that they did a terrific job on cleaning up the Fort Benton entrance sign area.  They also have always done a great job on the Shep Statue courtyard.  We appreciate you young boys who may someday be the leaders of our country.

As for the Girl Scouts, they are very much a part of the Highway Cleanup program.  It is so well organized that it doesn’t take much time anymore.  However, it is just the idea of cleaning up someone else’s garbage that makes me thankful they want to do that.  By the way, we love your cookies.  When do you have time to bake those hundreds, perhaps thousands, boxes of cookies?  (Just joking.)  Oh, you young girls may also be the leaders of our country someday.  

SAVE THE COTTONWOODS
In last weeks River Press, the City Council meeting report from Councilman Don Hazen was of extreme interest.  Don reported about the three tree limbs that had broken from cottonwood trees near
the Grand Union, in Fort Park, and on Main Street in front of Valerie Morger and Mark Pyrec’s house.  He did not know about the fallen limb on the Levee Trail across from the Price Rite grocery store as yet.  That is the same tree that nearly hit me many years ago. 

Don set into motion an appointment for an arborist to check the cottonwood trees.  The arborist was here last week Tuesday and his report was to be reported on at the City Council meeting this Monday evening.  I attended the City Council meeting and unfortunately Councilman Hazen could not attend.  I was asked to return to the meeting in two weeks and therefore I cannot give you a report.  I will keep checking on whatever may be going on with the trees.   

STORIES
A while back an author named Susanna was a guest at the Friends of the Library meeting.  (Friends, do you remember her?)  The book that she was writing was about Fort Benton and the Missouri River.  It was a romantic novel and I have been in touch with Susanna ever since as to the progress of the book.

On Friday, the first day of Summer Celebration, I received a phone call in the early afternoon.  A man said, “Muncie, you do not know me, I am Susanna’s husband.  She is not with me but she wanted me to meet you and say hello.”  He came over with a teen aged niece and a nephew who was as I remember, 11 years old.  We also had another friend visiting at the time.

The way our living is arranged put the six of us in these positions.  Wally was sitting in his TV chair and Susanna’s husband sat in my TV rocker across from Wally.  They were engaged in conversation.  The niece and nephew sat across from me on the sofa and the other friend sat on the loveseat.  She and I were talking and the kiddos just sat quietly listening.  Finally, I said to Nathan, “Would you like to see our arrowhead collection?”  Much to my surprise when he looked at it, he began to tell me all about them.  He knew names, dates when they were made, and the Native Americans who made them.  I will look forward to his next visit to Fort Benton.

I just had installed a new old computer.  I cannot contact Susanna because I have lost half of my e-mail addresses.  I hope you read this Susanna because I know you will contact me.  I feel badly because I cannot remember her husband’s name or that of the niece.  There was just too much going on that weekend.  Does that sound like a legitimate excuse?

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.
I heard a news report this past week that said the war in Afghanistan is beginning to be the forgotten war.  We cannot let that happen folks.  Think about what you can do.