Tuesday, December 29, 2015

View From The Bridge 12/30/15


VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Muncie
12/30/15

NEW YEAR GREETINGS
Are you going to try the same ole, same ole resolutions again this year? I am sure that you all start out great but how long does it last? Do you go into a slump or do you start again?  No matter what you do it is a brand New Year and does feel like a fresh start. Take some time for yourself to reflect on the past year and the next one. Best wishes and Good Luck and may it last the whole year through.

BABY ITS COLD OUTSIDE
What better time for it to get cold when the Kiddos are on Christmas break. I feel for those of you who have to rise and shine to go to work. Take comfort that the 2016 Christmas will be on a Sunday. Christmas Eve will be on Saturday and perhaps you will get Monday off.  That is the day to relax and get caught up on your rest that you lost over the weekend. Try not to think about all the things you have to get caught up on. Just enjoy every minute of every day.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY
Be sure and check the Community Calendar in the River Press so you do not miss any events or meetings that will be held in January. Make a few phone calls to your friends and neighbors to remind them of goings on in Fort Benton. I have been lucky so far as being reminded because it seems to be easier when it doesn’t get dark so early to go out. See you here, there, and everywhere.

OOPS AGAIN
Golly, I seem to be getting a lot of phone numbers incorrect these days.  I have called several of you when I wanted someone one number away. Well, I did it again with Denise Marcussen’s numbers printed in the Potato Bag article. Here are the correct ones with her land phone being 622-3674 and her cell phone is 788-4647. I just phoned her at both numbers to make sure they are correct.

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
When I first came to Fort Benton in 1993, many homes were decorated for the holidays. We used to take Dode Morger for a ride around town after dark almost every other night. She loved the lights. On Wednesday the 23rd, I was taken for a similar ride by Granddaughter Erin Bley and with us was Great Granddaughter Ireland. It was so awesome because Ireland is just beginning to talk. She said Santa, reindeer, Mickey Mouse, and Snowman.  We covered most of the streets and shared them with quite a few other vehicles. It seemed as though many others shared the same thought the same evening.

Other cute words that Ireland says at the U of M football games that she attends, because she lives in Missoula, is “Touchdown, Go Grizzlies.”  How loyal is that! You have to train them early so they never forget where their roots are.

GREEN BULBS
On the Christmas ride I only saw three homes with green lights on the front porch. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt because we did not cover some of the blocks. But three houses?  My thoughts are that perhaps you have Christmas lights up and as soon as they are taken down, you will put in the green bulb. I’ll take another ride around the middle of January to check on your porches. If you do not have a porch light you can put it in your front window.  Please show your support for our Troops in an inexpensive way.

SUMMER CELEBRATION
There is a project pending that I would like to gather information about.  I want to know about the Celebrations before Connie Jenkins took over 24 years ago. I have talked with Dave Parchen, who is a wealth of information about how it developed since 1976. From Darcy Morger Grovenstein I learned much about the 4th of July Celebrations before 1976 as she remembered as a youngster. It was always celebrated as the 4th of July and was only held on Saturday and Sunday.  The first few years I lived here the Summer Celebration was on the 4th of July weekend. That ended because Great Falls had their Lewis and Clark Celebration at that same time. Fort Benton changed to the last weekend in June before the 4th of July.

Those early celebrations were the really old-fashioned ones. There was a Parade, a softball game, picnics in the Old Fort Park, and games like the 3-Legged Race. I would like to hear from you readers about the other events that you remember. Were there prizes for the winners of the games? How long were the Parades? About how many people participated? I could look some of this info in the old River Presses but it would be much more interesting to hear it from what you remember.

I now know that there were no t-shirts before Connie took over. I have t-shirts starting in 1993 to donate. If you have any shirts before that time, would you be willing to donate them for the project I mentioned?

Were you in or remember any details about parades back in the early days? Please get in contact with me.

The theme this year will be the “40th Anniversary of Summer Celebration.” It will be a big one so join in, offer your services, and let’s make it a very special one to help Connie out.

JANUARY MOON
The January Moon has many names. They are Full Wolf Moon, Old Moon, Moon after the Yule, and sometimes Full Snow Moon. (The Indian Tribes usually used the Full Snow Moon for February.) The full Moon will be Sunday the 24th.  Did you see the full moon Christmas night? It was gorgeous. It lit my deck and with the snow on it, it was a winter wonderland.  The Weatherman on TV said that if you have 1” of snow on the ground, it is considered a White Christmas.

OBSERVATIONS
“I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder and harder to find one.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, MONTANA, FORT BENTON, OUR TROOPS, OUR POLICE FORCES, PUT A GREEN BULB ON YOUR FRONT PORCH, and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.