Tuesday, October 7, 2014

View From The Bridge 10/8/14

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
By Muncie
10/8/14

CLEAN-UP DAYS
I called the City Hall for these dates that are very important to me this year. I have many items to dispose of as I have not been able to concentrate on any of it for many years.
Friday, October 24th, Saturday the 25th, and Sunday the 26th will be the first week for disposal of “stuff.” The following weekend October 3lst, November 1st, and November 2nd, will be your second chance to get it done. I am sure that there will be more notice in the next couple of weeks but I wanted a “heads up” and I am passing it along to you.

LEAVES PICKUP
I also checked this date because I will not be able to compose leaves this year. Watch for leaves pickup the week of the 20th of October. I cannot give you a specific date because we do not know weather conditions. Please rake your leaves to the edge nearest the street. DO NOT RAKE THE LEAVES INTO THE STREET. I appreciate this service that the City of Fort Benton does for us. I checked with Skip and the leaves are taken to a location where they are composted. Thank you Mother Nature.

“I AM OLDER THAN MOST OF YOU”
The author of this most humorous poem booklet visited Fort Benton last week from Oregon. Ruth Arent calls herself a nonagenarian and is a friend of mine and Hal Weber’s. Hal has recently returned to Fort Benton and is living at the Sunrise Bluffs. Ruth is the author of many children’s books and Hal is also an author of books on falconry.

Ruth could only stay for a few days and arrangements were made for her to do a reading at the Golden Age Senior Center on Wednesday during the lunch hour. She was only supposed to read two poems but someone from the audience (it was from the other side of the room,) asking for another poem. She finally finished after he 6th poem and it was enjoyed by all.

I have some copies of her book and if you would like to have one, contact me. I know that you will enjoy it.

PIE DAY
Yes, Friday is Pie Day.  Take a break on Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. and bring your family and friends for a very pleasant social get-together. There is a wonderful variety of pies and almost always there appears a piece of pie with different fillings in front of each of us. You cannot get a better bargain in the State of Montana. Come and join us.

MOON NAMES
This my favorite full moon in October.  I have always called it the “Harvest Moon” but I found in the Farmer’s Almanac that September was also call the “Full Harvest Moon”. October is also listed as the “Full Harvest Moon” and the “Full Hunter’s Moon”. It is an important feast day in Western Europe and the Native American tribes.

Since I did not do the View for several months, I missed many of the moon names. In trying to remember back, April may have been the last month. May’s moon had a beautiful name and that was the “Full Flower Moon”. June was the “Full Strawberry Moon”, July -the “Full Buck Moon”, and August-the “Full Sturgeon Moon”.

If you want to know more about the meanings of these moons, go to the moon almanac on the inter-net for stories about the origins. The “Full Harvest Noon” is due on Wednesday the 8th when you receive your weekly River Press. Isn’t wonderful to go the Post Office and the River Press is there by 5:00 p.m.

ADOPT-a-PLOT
Even though I do not handle Adopt-a-Plot any longer, I still welcome phone calls about them. I can answer questions and give advice.  (It is cheap,  always free and I can always direct you to the right person.)

I received a phone call a couple of weeks ago from Laura Aschim asking if she could adopt a plot. It made my day as I asked if she would like the plot that once was lovingly taken care of by Nancy Hanford. Laura and I met at the plot one afternoon and she had already been working to pull some nasty weeds.

There was a huge juniper in that plot as well as many along the Levee Walking Trail especially in that area from the New Bridge to the Water Plant.  (I have not been able to pin down the reason so many junipers died this summer.)

Laura engaged her husband Terry into removing that huge dead bush. I took a ride in my Go-Go today (Monday) and checked the plot. It already looks 100% better. Go Laura.

I am apologizing for my plot which is under the new bridge.  There is a problem with rain water and mud running down both sides of the bridge footings from the highway.  I have had help in scraping and sweeping mud from the trail twice and now it is covered again. The rocks are being repositioned and it looks terrible. Right now there is nothing we can do about it and we will wait until spring to try and correct the situation.

I am going to ask again that those of you who had a plot, please work on it. If you can no longer handle it, please let me know. If you think you could handle a plot, I am certain one is waiting for your TLC. It does not have to be done in a day. Laura works a little at a time when she has time. The Levee Walking Trail is one of the high points of our city and Visitors tell the volunteers at the Visitors Center how beautiful it

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.