View From The Bridge 5/22/19

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Muncie
5/22/19

LIONS CLUB REQUEST
Every other year the Lions Club has a garage sale. It will be sometime in September and the Club requests that you start saving your “great stuff” now.  If you have “stuff” and you may be gone when the collection begins, please give me a call, (I’m in the book.) I will make arrangements to have it picked up.

I am a Lioness and this fund raiser is the most fun of those we do along with Fair Parking. I love to check out what people know are treasurers. Although I am trying to downsize, I always manage to find something I cannot live without. So, check out your basements, garages, sheds, and barns to see what you can live without. Get it out of you way now if it is large and put it into a special corner if it is small.

All the proceeds from this sale and from the parking collections go for scholarships. That includes high schools in Geraldine, Highwood, and Fort Benton. The amounts on those scholarships were raised because of the success of the garage sale and fair parking. See you there.

FIREWORKS
It is that time of year when the Lions Club is also thinking about raising money for the Summer Celebration Fire Works Display. It is just about six weeks away. You will be receiving soon a request for a donation for the fireworks. You have always been so generous and the Lions thank you for that.  This year the theme for the Summer Celebration is “All one under the light of the stars and stripes”. When you see the t-shirts you will agree they are the best ever and awesome. They will be keepers for many years.

It is soon time for me to start wearing a year by year Summer Celebration shirt every day. I have shirts from 1994 as I gave up 1993 for the quilts we raffled a few years ago. By my calculations I have 25 shirts and will begin wearing them on the 2nd of June.

When you see me out and about let us talk about the celebration of the year I have the shirt on. Is there anyone else out there who has all the shirts? Let’s meet sometime for lunch. Call me. My number is in the book.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS
I am so sorry that I missed the torch run that came through Fort Benton. Mondays are usually busy for me as I work on the View from the Bridge and have it to the River Press by 3::00 p.m.

If I had known (or if I did, I forgot) I would love to have been at my favorite Old Fort Benton Bridge. I have a special interest in the Special Olympics as my daughter, Jennifer, coaches the women’s swim team for quite a few years. I mention this because I want to thank the many volunteers that take part in the program.

To watch those special people, trying so hard at their sport is an inspiration. They are such positive people and they do their best. Do I? Do you?

GREEN, GREEN
Isn’t it wonderful to see green everywhere and leaves on the trees. The only sad thing is that we won’t have any lilacs this year. That one night that it went below 30 degrees did them in. I will miss them and the smell of their blossoms that reached all over town.

I just think about the year that my son-in-law, Mark Pyrec, took me for an airplane ride on Mother’s Day. All you could see from up there was white and all shades of purple lilacs covering Fort Benton. It was a Mother’s Day gift I will never forget. Thanks Mark for a beautiful memory.

MANY THANKS
For many years Bob Hankins has volunteered to put up the flags at the Lewis and Clark Memorial bronze. The flags have to be replaced often because they are not taken down each day. They have a spotlight on them and can be flying all the time.

I never knew until this past week that Bob replaced the flags. He is one of many unknown volunteers around town who volunteer their time and are not known. You are volunteer Angels and you are the ones who keep Fort Benton looking like the beautiful place that it is.

COMMUNITY GARDEN
The Community Garden has always been a popular spot in town. This year because of the cooler weather there are several beds that need a garden. If you are interested please call Rita Braun and she will be happy to give you a prime spot. (Actually they are all prime spots.) The cost is $10.00 and you get $5.00 back in the fall if you clean up your garden. What a deal. You also have the advantage of water and a fenced in area to protect from rabbits and deer.

I have to drag my pots of tomatoes into the garage at night and out to the driveway in the morning. I only have tomatoes but the deer like to nibble on those. My neighbor, Norma, has an array of flowers and they are also very attractive to the deer.

The question is, “Why don’t we use the community garden?” I cannot answer that question but perhaps after this year I may consider that option since it is across the street from me.

I watch those gardens all summer long and they are something to behold. It is also interesting to watch those devoted gardeners going about their work. I know they love every minute because there is something about playing in the dirt, or should we call it soil?

Come on over and I’ll give you lemonade, iced tea, or just water for a little break as we watch your garden grow.

SO LONG ARLENE
On Friday May 30th there will be a celebration of Arlene’s life. She was a longtime resident of Fort Benton and a wonderful friend to everyone. She did a lot of sewing for me and I so enjoyed my visits with her. She had wonderful stories and how I wish I had written all of them down.

I called Arlene at Christmas to see how she was doing. She said that she was coming back to Fort Benton in April. Little did she know how that would play out.

So long dear friend and you are very much missed. 

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