View From The Bridge 3/20/19

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Muncie
3/20/19

WELCOME SPRING
Looks like it is here at last. This week it has been so much warmer and the snow is melting quickly. I hope we have seen the last of it for a long time to come. I will soon be able to GoGo around town to do my errands and that will be a wonderful break from not being able to leave the apartment. It seems like such a long time ago that I was able to get out and about. Actually it has only been since the end of January but it seems like a lifetime.  So, see you out and about.

ROBIN SIGHTING
Judy Beloate from Loma called me last Wednesday to be the first person to report sighting two robins. Thank you for the call Judy. It made my day to know that sign of spring was here at last.

MEADOWLARKS
I am still waiting to hear from the country folks about the meadowlarks. They are surely back in the area by now. I remember, on the mail route, seeing a meadowlark on a certain fence pole between the Romain brother’s farms. It was always in March.

It is difficult to believe that Wally and I retired from the mail route 20 years ago in June. How time flew by and it is hard to realize that it has been that long. I loved that mail route but only have the memories now. The thing I remember the most was the beauty of the route.  We traveled through the Chalk Bluffs and crossed the Missouri River several times. I loved having grilled cheese sandwiches every Friday in Loma and driving around to see the buffalo. We watched the Teton and Marias fill with water in the spring. We went a little out of the way to see the Blue Heron’s nests just outside of Loma. (I still am able to check out those nests every year.)

It was a wonderful time in my life and spring always brings back more memories of the beauty of Montana.

LENTEN LUNCHEONS
Every Wednesday from now to Easter there will be Lenten luncheons at a different Church each week. The menu consists of four or five different kinds of soup, rolls, and a great variety of cookies.

Please try to support these events. It is a good will donation and I know that you will enjoy the company of friends and neighbors. Check your River Press Community calendar for time and place. See you there.

ACCORDIAN BAND
On Sunday, April 7th at 1:00pm, The Accordion Band will be at the Sunrise Bluffs. Get your dancing shoes on and come on over for a pleasant afternoon of dancing and songs you know and can understand the words to.

This band comes to Fort Benton once a year and they are all volunteers. They entertain senior centers, nursing homes, and hospitals almost every Sunday of the year.

Please come on over to the Bluffs even if it is just to listen to the music. Let’s get a crowd together to show the Band that Fort Benton appreciates what they are doing. Bring along your family members, neighbors, and friends. They will thank you for a lovely, relaxing, and pleasant afternoon.

May I suggest that you call in your reservation to Karla at 622-5443 (or whoever answers the phone) and have dinner at 1:00 p.m. with the regulars and the Band. You can take a day off from cooking.

See you there!

MRS. JO SORKNESS
A source told me that on March 12th she passed away in PA. She was 93 years old. She was a longtime teacher in the Fort Benton school district and was loved by everyone.

My memory fails me, but I seem to remember that I wrote about Mrs. Sorkness for her birthday some years ago. Can it possibly be that it was 13 years ago when she turned 80 years old? I asked that former students and her friends send her a birthday card. It was a huge success. We were in touch for a while. However, as time goes by, I have found that we drift apart when distance separates us. I did not know Mrs. Sorkness personally but heard dozens of wonderful stories about her as a teacher.

I just obtained her son, Tom’s e-mail address and will contact him this evening to find more details. I’ll let you know next week.

I am sorry for the loss of her and wish I had known her. I so admire teachers and nurses. I never felt I had the patience to be a teacher. Perhaps in a one (1) room schoolhouse in Montana I may have been successful.

So long Jo Sorkness and may your memory live on in this community.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, POLICE OFFICERS, FIREMEN AND WOMEN, AND EMT’S.