View From The Bridge 10/11/17

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Muncie
10/11/17

RECTORY TRAIL
Fort Benton boasts the Lewis & Clark Trail, the Whoop-Up-Trail and now the Rectory Trail. It may not seem like an adventure to you fur it was for me. I followed the Catholic Church Rectory on its journal to its new resting place. As you know the Rectory has been sitting up on the moving apparatus for about 2 years and its moving date in a lot of doubt. I had my spies watching for any kind of activity. I finally got a call from a screaming voice that said “the Rectory is on the move. Get here right away.”

Wouldn’t you know that that call came on a morning when I had not slept well during that night? The phone woke me and I scrambled to get ready after I had made a phone call for a ride. With my coffee in hand and a box of Krispy Kreme donuts we were in plenty of time for the action to begin.

The Rectory was, at this time, in the middle of 16th St. and the move was being held up because Northwest Enter had to remove the light bulbs from the poles.  Someday I will count how many they had to remove. (The next day I saw N.W. Energy replacing the bibs.)

I checked in at almost every street by parking next to St. Charles. It was a slow process and when I had gone home for lunch, I missed the most interesting part of the trail. That was when the street splits by the Fort Benton High School football field. When I picked up the trail again it was at 21st St. the other side of the football field.

The designated point was 22nd St. and Franklin but 22nd St. was by-passed and the Rectory took a rest on 24th St. for the evening. There are no street lights on 24th and that is why it was chosen for the night’s rest and the ability the next day for a straight shot to Franklin St.

I was told that work would begin again at 9:00 a.m. and there I was near the site but nothing was happening. I did some errands and returned at 10:00 a.m. Still nothing. I returned home and before I left for Bingo at the Golden Age Senior Center, I checked the site again. Nothing!

After Bingo and a stop at the River Market, I checked again. The Rectory had been moved and was now sitting on the property.

A friend, Judy who lives a couple of houses down, joined me and we watched for over an hour while they pushed the Rectory into some sort of preparation to get it onto the property.

Roger Fultz explained the procedure to us but it was way too complicated for me to understand.  By the way, I would like to thank Roger for saving that building. It is an historical structure and would otherwise have been torn down. We lost the Conrad mansion that could have been saved according to old-timers in town. All these things are should ’av, could ’av, or would ‘av when it was too late.

It was late in the afternoon and so they closed down for the evening I had appointments in Great Falls on Friday and when I returned to the site on Saturday morning they did not work. The Rectory seemed to be in the same place.

A quote from my son Randy, “There hasn’t been this much excitement in Fort Benton since the Boat Race of l936.”

25 DESSERTS
Several weeks ago I reported on the 25 Desserts fund raiser held at the Murphy Neel Building. I forgot to mention that the Balantyne Boys entertained us with the violins. I was so pleased when I asked if they would play Ashokan Farwell fir me and they did. Do you know or remember that melody was played as background music for the Ken Burn’s Civil War series on PBS?

Many kudos to you boys because you made the evening so pleasant.

CHARLIE RUSSELL
Speaking about Charlie Russell, the series will be on PBS in the next few weeks. Watch for it. It will be on 3 evenings. It is a great show and was produced by Ken Burns. That makes it so special because he really does his research and it is documented. Russell was a one of a kind artist the world’s more famous cowboy artist. It is so worth a trip to the museum in Great Falls to examine his works more closely. Take your out of town guests as a treat. Then take them to the Fort Benton Ag Center with its Village, the Museum of the Upper Missouri, The Old Fort Benton and the Missouri River Breaks Interpretive Center for a full day’s enjoyment. However remember that you will have to wait until next year when they open again on Memorial Day weekend.

INSURANCE
Well, they did it again. Blue Cross and Blue Shield have cancelled those of us that hold their Medicare Advantage supplement insurance. This is about the 3rd time we have been cancelled.  The reason…because we are rural and they will only be covering large cities in Montana. (I had my care insurance cancelled a few years ago because of the same reason.)

What I am suggesting is call your Senators and Representatives and scream at them. JUST DO IT. I do not know if there is anything they can do but where else can you turn. Only you can make an effort to change things but you have to take the time to do it. You need your opinion heard.

I do not get a newspaper so I do not have access to letters to the editor. That is another place to vent your frustrations.

Also call your agent to see where he or she will take you to the next provider who will cancel in 2 years. Then the price goes up along with the not knowing what will be the next happening. It is all up to you. Yes, I know that you do not like to make phone calls and talk on the phone. I do not like it either but it is a must for me now. We seniors do not get a raise in Social Security benefits and yet everything keeps going up and up in price. Will someone please give us a break?

CCPA
The next Chouteau Count Performing Arts program will be on Monday October 30th at the same place and same town. Trent Arterbarry will make us laugh and for a few hours make us forget the horrors of the world. I do not know about you but I have had nothing for weeks now but a lot of pain and suffering for all these people who have been hurt starting with the hurricane that hit Houston, Florida, Porter Rico, and then the Las Vegas tragedy. I cannot help feeling what is next?

BINGO
The VFW Bingo evenings begin on the 23rd at the Club House at 7:00 p.m.

I put the schedule in the River Press a couple of weeks ago and I hope that you cut it out and saved it. If you need it again, let me know and I will have it reprinted. See you there.

SHONKIN FUND RAISER
The Shonkin Community Center Lasagna dinner fund raiser is coming up. I have gone to this event for many years. The fund raiser is for repairs to their Community Center and it is a very pleasant place with their wood burning stove. The lasagna dinners are varied kinds and I recommend any or all of them. They have a silent auction and a live auction. It is such fun to have the women try to mimic an auctioneer. It is a wonderful way to spend an evening and get away from the TV. See you there.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, POLICE OFFICERS, VOLUNTEER FIREMEN, FOREST FIRE FIGHTERS and EMT’S.

A View From The Bridge 9/20/17

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
9/20/17

FALL AT LAST
Driving down Main St. the last hot day of summer, (we hope,) everything seemed normal. The very next day many trees had started turning yellow. There were leaves all over the Old Fort Park ground. The leaves were old dead ones that blew off the trees. It was chilly and many people said that they turned on their heat.

Many gardeners came to pick their crops in the community garden. No cars are parked in front of the swimming pool any longer. The geese were flying in their V formation and taking off for the south. The parking lot across from the Old Fort Benton was filled to capacity every day. Some were fishermen and women while others were on the Missouri in their canoes. The Visitors Information Center looks very dark and the flags are not flying.

The sure sign of fall is the closing of the Freeze on Sunday the 24th. It was a busy gathering place this summer with the temperatures the way they were. One thing for sure is that they will be back in about six months. Will we then have to face another terribly hot summer after what may be a very cold and snowy winter? Only time will tell.

Hopefully the farmers planted their crops before the rain. We sure waited a long time for that blessing. I just went outside to check my rain gauge and somehow it was tipped over. I am disappointed because I was always able to know how much rain fell. I’ll have to wait now until the River Press comes out with that information.

CHOUTEAU COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS
Do you have nothing to do? Do you want to get out of the house for some good entertainment? Well, Chouteau County Performing Arts is about to start their season next Wednesday the 27th at 7:00 p.m. in the Fort Benton Elementary School’s beautiful auditorium.

The Twin Kennedy’s will knock your socks off. As I have said before, these twin sisters are so special. At Consortium in Great Falls last January, they were the hit of the whole show. All performing arts programs were trying to sign them up. Fort Benton’s performing arts board jumped right in and signed them up for the first show of the season.

It still isn’t too late to get your ticket at the discounted price from Randy Morger. He will be so willing to accommodate you. He thinks he is going to win the trip to Aruba for selling the most tickets. NOT! THIS IS JUST MY JOKE OF THE WEEK. All of the board members, as in every organization, are volunteers and give hours and hours of their time to serve the community. We have no way to thank them for what they do except to thank them when you see them. Also supporting them is a great way to let them know that you appreciate what they do.  Just be thankful that we have volunteers like that.

MONTHLY MEETINGS
Most of the organizations in town have started their monthly meetings that get them on their way to raise money for their many projects. If you do not belong to a least one non-profit organization, please volunteer today. Talk to your friends and neighbors to see what they like to do. With all that goes on in our small community, you ought to find something that would interest you. Most organizations run ads in the River Press so give them a call to see if you would fit into their projects.

Surely you have seen commercials on TV that further volunteerism. It is especially true today with what has happened to Texas and Florida in the last few weeks. Everyone pitched in to help in one way or other. It brought our country together in a “Love they Neighbor” way.

Our family was touched by the floods in Houston. Our granddaughter’s home filled with 4 ft. of water very quickly. She, her husband, and their 3 year old were rescued by a neighbor’s boat and taken to safety. Pictures were sent to me by their grandpa of their trip in the boat and their home. It was very scary and of course our concern goes out to all of those victims.

BIRDS
The tiny little birds that visit my feeder come and go but not on any sort of schedule. They come in the early morning and other times in the last afternoon. For about a week this summer when temperatures reached 100 plus, they did not feed.  I usually do not feed them during the summer but this year I did so to get them used to the new location. I expect that this winter they will be at the feeder all day long. I love watching them. They seem so carefree and content.

The stray cats cannot reach them where I live now as they could at the old place. The cats would get on the deck railing and jump into the lilacs to catch the birds. That was hard to handle but now there is no way the cats can reach the feeder.

I would like to hear from some other bird lovers to hear their stories. Everyone has a story.

25 DESSERTS
I know that I gained 10 pounds on Saturday evening after attending the 25 Desserts fund raiser. There was a very interesting story in the River Press last week about the purpose of this event. It was for a very interesting cause that Nancy L. holds dear to her heart. I gained more from this fund raiser than I contributed. I came home with a box of 25 desserts that I will very carefully monitor as to how many I eat a day. The problem is that it is difficult when they are all so tempting. I am saved a little by the fact that I am allergic to chocolate. (I do cheat once in a while when I simple cannot resist.)

BIG WEDDING
Did you see that huge tent in the Old Fort Park on Friday and Saturday? When we drove by on Friday evening we asked a woman going to her car, “What is going on?” A couple from Great Falls was to be married on the Old Bridge on Saturday with the reception in the park.

Those who saw the tent and talked about it at dinner today said that it was the biggest tent they had ever seen. On Saturday evening I could heard the band as the music floated along the river.  It was wonderful that the weather cleared on Saturday afternoon and the sun came out.

If anyone here in Fort Benton knows them, would you please give them our congratulations?

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, OUR POLICE OFFICERS, OUR EMT’S and FIRE FIGHTERS.

View From The Bridge 9/13/17

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Muncie
9/13/17

FULL MOON
The full moon was due on Wednesday, September 6th but was not visible because of the overcast sky. However, I did see it last night about 9:00 p.m. on the way home from Great Falls. Now if it was the harvest moon or just orange because of the smoke from the fires is a puzzle. I was not able to find on the weather channel this morning if it was a September Harvest Moon. Whatever the case, it was gorgeous and it was the end of a great day.

CHARLIE RUSSELL
I was fortunate enough to attend the premier showing of the PBS film of his life. It was a great event by PBS broadcasting and the work they did to produce this informative show was exceptional.

I knew very little about the life of Charlie Russell and I now know everything you would want to know about him. His artistic ability far exceeded those of any of his time (or any time) and he will always be known as the best Cowboy Artist of the West. His fame extends all over the world and this area is proud that Charlie chose to live in Great Falls for most of his life.

Many of Charlie’s paintings were shown that I have never seen. You can look forward to October when this production will be seen on PBS.

SMOKE AND MORE SMOKE
Yesterday, Saturday, and today the smoke is the strongest it has been so far in Fort Benton. I just went out for a moment this morning to water plants on my deck and my eyes are still burning. I feel so sorry for all those who have asthma or breathing problems.

In spite of the smoke I will ride along the Levee Walking Trail from the Bluffs to the Golden Age Senior Center. This week the geese and ducks cover the water by the Bluffs Island and it is good to hear them once again. (By the way, does anyone know the name of that island?) I also saw the geese take off one day to go out to feed. That was a beautiful sight.

BLACK FRIDAY PIE DAY
Yes, Friday is Pie Day and I would really enjoy seeing you there. UNFORTUNATELY IT IS THE LAST PIE DAY. Yes, it is true and I just learned about it today when I had dinner at the Center. I picked up a menu for September several days ago but did not read the back page. It was announced there that because of the lack of bakers Pie Day would be discontinued. How bad news is that and it is the saddest news I have ever written about events that are going on?

I thought that it was a tradition in Fort Benton. Randy and I thought about asking the Mayor and Council to make it an ordinance that everyone had to go to Pie Day. This is my joke of the week but it is now not very funny. What we should have done was recruited more pie bakers and pay them big bucks for their service. This decision was not made because lack of participants. It was just a lack of pie bakers and I can understand that. I have often written about how the members of the Senior Center managed to bake pies every month. I feel so guilty because I never baked for this fund raising project. I just enjoyed the fruits of those gracious women’s labor.

So goodbye to Pie Day and the biggest thank you in the world to those pie bakers. You brought many happy pie eaters pleasure once a month for many years. I’ll remember you as long as I live.

TUESDAY NIGHT DINNER
The third Tuesday of each month from now until next May, the Tuesday night dinners begin. If you have never been to one of these affairs now is the time to start.

Chef Betty and her assistant Brenda put on a special treat dinner. Tables are set and special decorations are coordinated with the theme of the month.

There is a limit of 48 diners and you have to R.S.V.P. for a reservation.

Call 622-3601 and someone will put your name or names on the list. (If you find that you cannot attend and you have signed up, please call and cancel.) You will enjoy a great dinner for just $5.00.

BINGO
Games where scheduled to start at the Golden Age Senior Center on Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Last Thursday I showed up at the appointed time but we were not able to play as there were only 5 of Bingo junkies. That included the caller and the person who doles out the prizes.

So all of you who frequented the games at the Center previously, please show up on Thursday. Take the afternoon off and come for the games and the social hours.

The games at the VFW do not start until late October. Those of you who are addicted to playing can get your fix on Thursdays. It is about the only fund raiser the Center now has. The word is “support, support and more support.” See you there!

25 DESSERTS
There will be a fund raiser at the Murphy Neal building Saturday, September 16th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Proceeds go to the Messages from Afghanistan school building. Call Nancy at 868-6210 for tickets or more information.

ABOUT SLEEP
This information was sent to me by a friend and I thought I would share. By the time you are 80 years old you will have slept for 2223,600 hours. That is the equivalent of 26.67 years. (Does that make me 26 years younger?) I do not know what the figures are for those of you who do not sleep well.

Another trivia item is that your brain never turns off or rests your entire life. (I’m sleepy just reading about that.)

RATTLESNAKE REPORT
Pam Lambott went out to her front lawn water faucet last Wednesday and saw a rattler curled up near the faucet. She recruited several helpful neighbors and the snake was dispatched with a shovel.  (Pam lives on Front Street. I reported that a while back my neighbors, the Balls, ran over a rattler in the alley. We live at the other end of town or what my son Randy calls “Out in the country.”

I called Police Chief John Turner for a report on snake sightings since then but since he was “on the road” he did not know the exact number. He did know that there were several more since the last time I checked.  He also said that he just saw a rattler 5 minutes before that had been run over on St. Charles.

So watch your step and if you see one, call 911.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, POLICE OFFICERS, FIRE FIGHTERS AND EMT’S.