View From The Bridge 12-31-14

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
12/31/14

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Often times I wish I could play it backwards and peek into the 1880’s and 90’s in Fort Benton. There are so many questions I would like to be answered. I can only read about events at the Joel Overholser Research Center.

I would not like to play it forward because my environmental concerns are bleak. I was interviewed a while back by a college student about aging. I would not want to live my life over. Most people say that if they knew then what they know now, they would do it again.  Of course, that makes sense because you would not make the same mistakes a second time. (You would just make other mistakes.) Since we cannot live our lives over again, I suggest that you enjoy every minute of every day. Make it a Happy New Year.

MOON
The Wolf Full Moon is what the Native Americans called the January moon. The story is that amid the cold and snow, the wolves were howling hungrily outside the villages. Other names are the Full Yule Moon and the Old Moon. Take your pick. The Full Snow Moon is my favorite and that certainly applies today, (Sunday the 28th.) It is 2:20 p.m. and I am guessing that we have 5 to 6 inches on the ground. It is a sight to behold from inside and I did enjoy my walk over to the Gold Age Senior Center for dinner at 1:00 p.m. The full moon is on the 5th, (next Monday.) Hopes are that we see it as it lights up the entire south side rooms of this house.

MONTANA
 From the “50 Things You Didn’t Know About Montana” book are the following. (I think that is where I left off.)

22. 46 out of 56 counties in Montana are still considered “frontier counties with less than 6 residents per square mile.

23.  Mary Fields was born into slavery in 18332 and who would later become known Stagecoach Mary. She was one of the toughest women in the Montana Territory. She was described as a “tart-tongued, gun-toting, hard-dirking, cigar and pipe smoking, 6 ft. tall, 200 lb. black woman who was tough enough to take on any two men. She arrived in Montana to establish missionary schools on the Cheyenne, Crow, Blackfoot and Fort Belknap Reservations.  (GO STAGECOACH MARY.)

24.  (No. 24 is not printable in this View. Now I suppose you will go out to buy the book to see what it was.)

NICE LIST
I am sure that you all will be relieved to know that Santa contacted me to let me know that I was off the Naughty List. I had his poem printed in the River Press and he considered that a present from me. (Thanks River Press.)  I’ll have to be very careful this coming year especially in November and December when he is checking his list regularly.

I still believe in you even though what I wanted did not materialize. I asked you for the National Championship for the Carroll College football team. Several people said to me that there is always next year. Yes, there is always next year but…it was my grandson’s senior year. After five years to traveling to Helena on Saturdays in the fall or watching the game on my computer, it leaves a huge “what will I do on Saturdays,” hole on my calendar.

The point of this whole thing is that I know that Santa is a football enthusiast. He didn’t do well with the Bobcats and the Griz either. Do you think Montana is too big to cover all the games? College games have now taken over and we have to look forward to, a million of them, the Rose Bowl, and the Super Bowl. I’m all “Bowled” out just trying to keep up.

Would like to remind you to watch the Parade of Roses on HGTV on Thursday. It will be without commercials and the color is outstanding with HD. You know where I will be seating that morning. I’ll be humming, “I Love a Parade.”

JANUARY
There are so many events happening in the New Year. 2015 has such a nice ring to it.  Chouteau County Performing Arts presents Jonathon Kingham on Wednesday the 21st. He is great Folks and I hope to see you there.

The Performing Arts Consortium is being held in Great Falls on January 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Saturday, of that program, is special as you can enjoy an entire day of entertainment when the artists and musicians showcase their acts.

For those of you who are new to Fort Benton, the Performing Arts Consortium is a gathering of all the Performing Arts groups from around the State of Montana. In days gone by, the event was held in bidding towns and cities. A huge winter storm, when it was held in Malta, resulted in the Board of Directors to change the event to be more centralized. As a result Great Falls and Fort Benton were chosen to be hosts every other year.  This year it is in Great Falls and it will be back in Fort Benton in 2016.

Of course, having it in Fort Benton was wonderful for our town. We have the most beautiful auditorium in the Elementary school for the showcases and the Ag Center for the booth setups and meals. Chandee is the greatest caterer in Montana and she not only services Fort Benton but Great Falls as well. (Imagine her hauling all that food from Loma to Great Falls. She says it is all in a day’s work.)

In October I was invited by Chandee to a birthday party at Ma’s for a mutual friend. We went to her home to give her a ride and we toured her new commercial kitchen. I am not a cook but I would love to have a kitchen like that. A place for everything and everything in its place. They converted their garage into culinary heaven. Everything she cooks and bakes are perfection but she is the most famous for her “Fry Bread.” You will never taste better…even in Mexico or wherever they began doing it.

BASKETBALL
Next Friday is the first home game of the season. It should be very interesting with the merged teams. Looking forward to not only the games this season, but those great hamburgers at the concession stand. (I take my own sliced onion as sometimes they do not have them prepared. I’ll share with you if I see you in the lunch room. I do not like to eat in the stands because I always, and I mean always, spill my drink.) See you there.

RECYCLE DAY
January 3rd, Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to noon, will be a welcome date to meet at the Dedman Foundation with all your recyclables. I am sure that many of you have accumulated an overabundance of plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and cardboard boxes from the holidays. It is going to be very cold this week and perhaps you can tie your papers and etc. in the house.

The report I gave you on the poundage gathered by the Committee is so impressive. What a great job they are doing. Remember if the weather is below 10 above, the collection day will be the following week.

THANKSGIVING
I forgot to tell you this Thanksgiving story. It was a nice, sunny, clear day, and I was on my way to the Sunrise Bluffs for dinner. I drove down Main Street and when I reached the Paddle Wheel Playground, I had to stop. There were parents with their children enjoying playing in the park.

Thanks to the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs the City Crew, and several very generous donators, we have a playground that people actually stop in Fort Benton so their children can enjoy it. I had visitors relate this to me at the Visitors Information Center during the visitor season. But at Thanksgiving? It made me very thankful that I live here.

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