View From The Bridge

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
3/16/16

VOLUNTEER WEEK
April 10th through the 16th is Volunteer Appreciation Week. I learned this from a newsletter that Carol Larson puts on the back of the Senior Center monthly menu. I’ll keep you posted on those dates. It is not only to let Volunteers know that are appreciated but to encourage people to volunteer. All organizations are always on the lookout for volunteers. They are hard to come by.

FRONT PAGE
My lilac tree’s buds made it to the front page of the River Press last week. I usually write a note to Tim when I e-mail the View on Mondays at 3:00 pm. I meant to mention in the View about several women who told me that their crocuses were up and their columbine had to be trimmed as they were about 4 inches high. I had planned on going onto the deck to see what the lilac trees were doing and I did not do that before I sent the View.

I did put it into my note to the River Press Gang and Tim picked up on it. I saw him at Pie Day on Friday and asked him when he came over to the house to take the photo. He said it was Tuesday late afternoon and took the picture of the buds on the lilac tree in front of the house.

Today, as I look out my computer room window, I see lots of green on the deck lilac tree. I just went outside to feed the birds and yes, the lilac tree is loaded with green buds. I sure hope that there isn’t a freeze and I won’t have any flowers this year as what happened last year. The weird thing that happened last year was that some of the other trees in town did survive the cold and were loaded with blossoms. It is much like residents on one end of town or the other gets more snow. It is also like when you travel to Great Falls on a stormy day and either the area from here to Carter is bad or good and you go from Carter to Great Falls and it is the opposite.

I just checked the weather forecast on the Fort Benton site and it is now 61 degrees with sun shining on Sunday the13th. It forecasts rain for today and snow for the next four days when the nighttime temperature will be in the 20’s. Looks like I won’t have lilacs this year.

It is now Monday morning and I just checked the weather forecast. It did rain a bit last night but the forecast still says SNOW for the next four (4) days. I’m glad that my snow shovel is still in the entry way. Sometimes I plan ahead

BIRDS
The feeders are empty again and the peanuts in the Squirrel feeder are gone. I do not know if the Squirrel is back or if the birds are getting into the. I forgot to check the ground as if it is a Squirrel, he leaves the peanut shells. I know that there are some squirrels at the north end of town. Perhaps someone could tell them that I have a great feeder just for them.  (My joke for this week.)

MURAL
Sometime in late summer or early fall, Jennette Rasch, an artist from Billings who works at the Moss Mansion, painted a mural on the outside of the Ag Center wall. If you have never seen it, you must make it a priority. If you have Kiddos, it is a history lesson. Jennette obtained a copy right for the Homestead Painting from inside the building. It is probably twice the size and it is breathtaking.

Jennette attended the MOM (Museums Organizations of Montana,) in Great Falls last week.  Randy and I were able to connect with her on Thursday evening and we had a wonderful visit. On Saturday Jeanette drove to Fort Benton on her way home and I was able to spend several hours with her. She is a very talented artist and is very knowledgeable about it as she teaches Art classes. Wish we had her here in Fort Benton as I read in the River Press that the school needs an Art teacher. I could not talk Jeanette into moving here.

We took a tour around town with the first stop being the Mural wall. Then on to the river and she was thrilled with the ducks and geese. We checked a Montana map to guide her back to Billings and she called me when she arrived safe and sound.

PIE DAY
There were a few more “Pie Eaters,” enjoying their desserts. A van was driven from the Sunrise Bluffs with three people in it. Perhaps next time the word will get around and the van will be full. I realize that they have just had lunch but it is the social aspect of Pie Day that is the attraction. I have always learned a lot from conversations at the gathering. So come on down next month because I am not sure if April or May is the last for the season.  See you there.

BINGO
Next Monday the 21st there will be a game and also on the 28th. Those will be the last games until October. See you there.

I have not been able to get onto my schedule to try Bingo at the Golden Age. There is a game every Thursday at 1:00 and it would be a nice break in the week.

McGRAW BLDG.
I have been watching the progress on the McGraw building with great interest because I met the owner, Bob Milford, at the Mullen Conference. The pictures of the building and the article by Bethany were in the River Press last week.

One day last week, when it was a warm day, I decided to do my errands on the Go-Go.  When I went by the new front of the McGraw Building, the door was open and Bob happened to be standing in the window. He invited me in and I got a tour of the whole building. He has put a tremendous amount of work into the building and still has a long way to go since he is doing much of the work himself. I look forward to the day he opens his shop. He welcomes tours and if you see the door open, stop in.

PUPPIES
There was a female dog at the Dedman who gave birth to 9 puppies. I now know 5 owners.  One of them is my son, Randy, who chose a yellow colored pup. They had named it Peaches and Cream at the Dedman but Randy is calling her Cream. I call her Creamy.

What I am wondering is does that make for a Doggie family? Will they have a family reunion on their birthday next year? Is Creamy my great, great, great, (and on and on) grand puppy? There must have been 3 fathers because the puppies do not all look alike.  Creamy is a cream colored lab and I have seen a couple of her brothers and sisters. They are all different colors.

Facebook played a great part in the adoption of the puppies. I only heard about that since I am not on Facebook. (I probably should be because that is where a lot of the action goes on.) In this case, it did well because all of the puppies were adopted and the mother is no longer here but adopted by someone out of state.

Creamy has grown twice her size since I first saw her. She will be a great hunting dog. I am a little jealous because she takes up a lot of Randy’s time. I was not able to go to the St. Patrick’s fun time at Square Butte because Randy had to take Creamy for “Puppy Obedience Classes” on Sunday afternoon. Oh well, family comes first.

T-SHIRTS
I received several Summer Celebration t-shirts this past week. I also found a 2015 at the Thrift Store and a Support Our Troops t-shirt. (I can’t imagine anyone giving up their Support shirt.)

I still need a 1995 River Runs Through It, a1997 I do not know the theme, a 2008 Rockin’ the River, and a 2014 The Year of the MT Woman.  

I appreciate all your cooperation.

OBSERVATIONS
“According to Albert Einstein, if honey bees were to disappear from earth, humans would all be dead in 4 years.”……I’ll take his word for it.”

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS and ALL WHO CARE FOR AND PROTECT US.