A View From The Bridge 10/19/16

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
10/19/16

CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Who knew? The Methodist Church members started a Bell Ringing group and will perform at the Christmas Concert. I am really going to love that. I cannot remember the last time I heard a Bell Ringer Concert but it has been too long. I wanted at one time to join a group but now at my age I am afraid that I would mess up big time. I’ll just sit back and enjoy. Much appreciation goes to those of you at the Methodist Church who participates. I know that involves many hours of practice. GO BELL RINGERS!

CHOIR
A get together of all of “singing in the shower people” for a choir is in the making. In two months they should be ready for the Christmas Concert.  Again I will really enjoy what they put together.  In my opinion, that is what makes the holidays really meaningful. GO CHOIR!

WELCOME TO FORT BENTON
There is a new Pastor at the First Christian Church and at the Methodist Church. This past Sunday there was a farewell breakfast at the Catholic Church for Father Willie as he is going back to India his homeland. A replacement has not yet been announced.

I say welcome to all our newcomers. I am looking forward to meeting the new Pastor and family from Indiana as I know that state well from my travels. It is a beautiful state but of course not as beautiful as Montana. I enjoyed reading about his getting the Pastor assignment and saying that his father always wanted to live in Montana. (There must be more to that story.)

I have met the new Pastor at the Methodist Church at the Golden Age Senior Center at Sunday dinners. I’ll have to talk to her about where she came from and how she ended up in Fort Benton, MT.

C.C.P.A.
Next Monday is the first performance of the season. I know that I have mentioned it several times but I will just once more give you a little reminder. It will be Pub night at the Ag Center due to the fact that the Fort Benton Elementary auditorium was not available that evening. It begins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday the 24th and I guarantee that you are going to love every minute of the Beverly Belles. See you there.

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
I know this program in honor of Veterans is in December but please arrange for your loved ones wreath now. Just do it before the holiday season rolls around and it will not be a priority. Our Veterans are a priority when it comes to honoring them.

I read that there are 300 Veterans graves at our Riverview Cemetery and the American Legion would like every one of their graves to have a wreath. Even if you do not personally have a Veteran in your family or that you know donate for one you do not know or that no one else knows.

Bring your children to the ceremony to teach them about what the Veterans went through and gave their lives for.

BARK FEST
I was really impressed last Saturday afternoon when Randy took me to the Ag Center for this event.

My goodness! The work that was put into it was mind boggling. The silent auction tables were loaded as was the tables with live auction items.

If you were hungry there were hamburgers right off the grill and delicious beans that were improved with added ingredients that tasted like cowboy beans. There was cool lemonade and adult drinks at the bar.

There were carnival games like the ones at the Chouteau County Fair for the Kiddos. (I played them too.) There was a 50/50 raffle. There was a band for your entertainment.

The cutest thing was Shannon Walden standing outside when we arrived, with the cutest dog up for adoption. She wasn’t there when we left and I assume that it was adopted. I never saw so many dog lovers in one place before. I attended the fund raiser last year and it was held at the Dedman building. I can see why they needed a larger place for this year’s event.

9 PUPPIES
Do you remember a few months ago there were 9 puppies up for adoption? I know 5 of the owners and would like to know the other four. Randy’s puppy, Cream, would like to get to know her brothers and sisters for a birthday party next summer. Lindsey Gibson said she would visit from Kansas City for that party.

If you want to be on my list of adopters for a doggie-get-to-get her, please call me at 622-3217.

CREEPY CRAWL
There will be no Creepy Crawl this year. It was such a fun event. I even managed to get Dracula teeth this year to go with my costume and now I will have to wait until next year. It will be sorely missed by me and my daughter who comes from Great Falls for the occasion.

Not many Kiddos show up to Trick or Treat anymore. When I first moved here 23 years ago we had over 100 Treat or Treaters come to the door. (They were always taken aback when I told them they had to sing for their treat.)

It has dwindled a lot over the years and last year I think I saw 8 spooks. I miss them but am happy that there are Halloween parties at school and churches now. It seems much safer that way.

FUNNY QUOTES
Since I ran out of Observations, I went to the internet and found Funny Quotes. At this time with elections looming in the near future I thought this one was very timely. “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” By Mark Twain

PLEASE GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, THOSE WHO PROTECT US AND WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.
I would like to see the American History class at the schools go forward with this Wear Red on Friday’s program. Your Longhorn shirts are mostly red so that counts. When there is no longer a need to wear Longhorns shirts, push for Wear Red on Friday’s. We have to let them know that we support them. Just thinking about them, praying for will have to do for now. You could write letters to Servicemen. You could support the new Grace House in Great Falls for homeless Veterans. You could bake a batch of cookies and drop them off at Grace House. You could visit and chat with them. Many will not want to talk about the war experiences but perhaps some may open up about what they went through.

What goes around comes around so it is said. Perhaps a visit would help support you in understanding what it is all about.

View From The Bridge 11/5/14

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
11/5/14

VETERANS DAY
You are all invited to the Dedication Memorial for William “Billy” Swensgard on Veterans Day, Tuesday 11/11/14, at 2:00 p.m. Afterward, proceed on to the Golden Age Senior Center for refreshments and conversation about Billy.

The V.F.W. has also has invited Veterans and their families to the annual Veterans Day dinner at the Sunrise Bluffs. The time of arrival should be 5:30 and dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m.

Please make an effort to come to the Dedication as Billy was the only soldier killed in Vietnam from Fort Benton. We will also remember a young man from Big Sandy who was killed and the only one from that town. There is no one from his family left behind.

See you there.

CREEPY CRAWL
What a fun day that turned out to be.  I began at noon to walk Front Street. I had a copy of the River Press with me to check off the businesses that were participating and the ones I should visit. It was a gorgeous day weather wise at 71 degrees. No sweaters, jackets or coats interfered with my costume. I was not “Maxine” that day but a vampire. I purchased it at the Price Rite last year and found it hanging in the upstairs closet. I really did not look like a vampire because I could not find a set of vampire teeth. I did put red lipstick drops of blood down my cheek that helped the effect a bit more.

I appeared and disappeared as if by magic from the businesses listed except the new Ambulance Garage. I decided to do the Pub Crawl because spiders and spider legs had to be turned in at the Grand Union. I had not realized that the Pubs had spider legs. I finally found a Crawler to go with me and we hit all the Friday and Saturday night hangouts. We went in the front door or the establishments and out the back door. We finalized with the Ambulance Garage where the ghouls and ghost-ies had made a fire. They were putting together Some-mores. I declined the graham crackers and marshmallows but quickly ate a good hunk of chocolate. Ummee! I had collected that day, several bars of candy, a brownie, a donut, and a cup of pudding with chocolate crumbs on top. I controlled myself and saved the candy for Trick or Treaters visiting my home. (Honest.)

By the time we arrived at the Grand Union, I had 22 spider legs and had to fill out 22 slips of paper with my name and phone number. I headed for home and since no one called me by midnight, I assumed that I did not win any prizes. However, it was the most fun evening I have had for a long while. (P.S.) I know I was the oldest vampire on the Crawl.)

C.C.P.A.
On Tuesday, November 18th will be another Chouteau County Performing Arts performance. One of my friends at the Golden Age Senior Center told me that she had her piano tuned by a man who came from Helena. He is scheduled to tune the grand piano at the Elementary School sometime this week. He said that Tie n Hsieh was the most fantastic artist he has ever heard.

I do not know if she incorporates classical with other forms of music but the following is a description on the flyer. She is a serious, composed, and full of music pianist. She expresses a warmth and freshness in classical music that has made her one of the hottest artists on the west coast. (I am so happy she is from the west coast. Anything or anyone east of the Mississippi makes me uncomfortable. You know the attitude of Easterners. This does not cover any artists that we have had in Fort Benton who are from east of the Mississippi.)

RECYCLE
A few weeks ago there was a program on Sixty Minutes about plastic bags. Perhaps some of you readers saw it and if I do not have the facts correct, let me know.

Americans use FIFTY (50) BILLION plastic bags a year for about 20 minutes for each. That is a whole lot of bags Folks. Please, please use cloth bags. I have talked to Price Rite about getting some cloth bags in again. Another alternative is to ask for paper bags. They can be recycled and actually used several times.

I asked up, down, and around town and I get the same answer as my excuse. “I have cloth bags but I forget to take them out of the vehicle when I get to the store.” One bright young woman said that she put a note on her dashboard. I keep mine on the passenger seat since I do not have a passenger. I know that is not the answer for most of you. I have also had several cashiers remind me that I have forgotten the bags when I walk into the store.

Benton Pharmacy has neat smaller white (now green) cloth bags. If you forget to take your bags in, you could not use a plastic bag if you only have a few items. Please make an effort to recycle. It soon becomes a habit and doing automatically is such a breeze. Happy recycling day and every day is a recycle day.

THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT
I received another cute story about the movie. I really enjoy them and I appreciate hearing from you. Dusty Keuhner sent this one to me. “When the movie was being made, my Uncle Marvin was a mechanic for Rice Motors in Great Falls. Somewhere in the movie there is a shot of Clint and Jeff’s car in the service space at Rice Motors. Uncle Marvin was under the vehicle on one of the little sleds on rollers. If you look quickly, you can see his feet.”

Dusty went on to say that back in the days when any of the family was watching that movie, we would talk about our uncle being in it. When his feet showed, we would all shout, “There his is!”

It reminds me of the movie, “Somewhere in Time.” It was made at the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island in Michigan. A friend of ours was working the summer there during his college years and was recruited to be a member of the orchestra in the dining room. As many times as I have watched that movie, I have never seen him. My family would also shout, “There he is!” I never saw him but just knowing that he is in the movie makes it special. ”Cut and print.” End of story.

MONTANA
4. The Montana Yogo Sapphire is the only North American Gem included in the Crown Jewels of England.

5. In Montana it is a felony for a wife to open her husband’s mail. (Boo, Hiss. I wonder if that law is still in effect and can the husband open the wife’s mail without it being a felony? Who is with me on a protest march to Helena?)

6. Montana is the only state bordering three Canadian provinces, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.