VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Muncie
2/19/20

OOPS 
Last week I forgot to put the Celebration Days in the column. It certainly cannot be old age so it must be the weather. Although it is too late, I will mention a couple of interesting celebrations. (Wish I knew if you readers are interested in this part of the View. I did talk with a couple of people and they said that they liked it. Do you?)

• Valentine’s Day was ORGAN DONOR DAY. Are you a donor? There are thousands of people waiting for transplants. 
• Saturday March 15 was WISCONSIN DAY. On Sunday the 16th was DO A GOUCH A FAVOR DAY. (I thought that was very funny since we do not have a single Grouch in Fort Benton.
• Monday the 16th was RANDON ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY. (I have written many times before about Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty. Those few words were graffiti on a wall somewhere in the United States and was in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book. (When you think about it, it really touches your heart.)
• Tuesday the 18th was Battery Day. (I have been told that I should have stock in batteries because I use so many of them.)

THIS WEEKS CELEBRATIONS 

• Wednesday the 19TH had nothing of interest.
• Thursday the 20th is LOVE YOUR PET DAY. I do not have a pet at this time but in my life time I have had a pony, 3 dogs not at the same time, and 2 cats. I think of them often and the good times we had together.
• Friday the 21st is CAREGIVERS DAY. Caregivers are very special people. It is something they choose to do. If you have a Caretaker or there is one taking care of someone you know, tell them over and over how much you appreciate them. It is a 24/7 job so bless them.
• Saturday the 22nd has three good celebrations. It is CALFORNIA DAY. (know there are many residents in Montana that came from California. I hope they get the message. It is also COOK a SWEET POTATO DAY and I will do that. I always have a sweet potato cooked in my frig. (is just the color between a yam and a sweet potato the only difference? I just asked Alexa and she said that they come from 2 different plant families. So now you know.
• Sunday the 23rd is BANANA BREAD DAY and I will take some if I can expect your company. It is also DOG BISCUIT DAY so have some handy if you happen to have company who brings their dog with them. (Did you ever eat a doggie biscuit on a dare? You would never want seconds.)
• On Monday the 24th there was nothing you would want to celebrate.
• On Tuesday the 25th is FAT TUESDAY. It is a religious day that indicates Lent begins the next day.  (I wonder if Lenten Lunches are being planned again?) Easter will be 6 weeks from the following Sunday and that is April 12th (Time flies when you are having fun.)

MUCH TO CELEBRATE
Wow! Our Fort Benton Girls and Boys Basketball are both 18 and 0. They go to districts next Wednesday the 19th through the 22nd in Havre. So, my week is planned and my hopes are high. (What is so exciting for me is that many of both teams are those who were in my grandson Grayson’s class before he moved to Helena. I have known them since Kindergarten and enjoyed watching them grow into the great athletes they have become. GO LONGHORNS!

BINGO
The games now advance to March and there will be only 2 games left on March 2nd and the 30th. Note that the 30th is the 5th Monday of the month.

It will be 6 month or so before the games begin again. I wish it would gun a little longer because It filled a gap of not being with other friends and other bingo lovers. Honestly VFW, I realize how much work it is and know that I sure would need a break.

HOLLYWOOD OF MONTANA
We have Hollywood in Geraldine Folks. Right here in our sister city, Geraldine. Last Saturday a table of 8 from Fort Benton enjoyed the presentation of “Root of all Evil”. We gave it the Academy award for best story line. We gave Robyn the best actress award and best supporting awards to everyone else. Simply put…it was great.

I don’t know how Robyn could memorize all those lines. How did Fort Benton let Geraldine steal back JoAlice? I remember years ago when she wrote scripts for ploys that were put on in the Library lower floor. Then we have Lila who is the director. I am afraid that some film producing company will steal her away.

This performance was the 10th year in Geraldine and may there be many more.

We attended the Saturday noon performance and there were many Fort Benton people there. It is a good thing to support Geraldine’s fund raisers as they attend Fort Benton’s.

For those of you who are new in town or know nothing of what I am writing about, I will explain. These plays are written by a local person and all the characters are played by local people. The stage settings are built or put together by local people. It is such a wonderful way to pull a community together. They are very much like family.

I would also like to mention and commend the 4H’ers who served us and kept water and coffee on the tables. I seem to remember that last year the servers were high school students but memory does fail me often. No matter who served us, they did a splendid job. We all had a wonderful time. (I was told that there were many Fort Benton people there.) I am looking forward to next year.

CCPA
On February 25th at the Elementary School come enjoy Jason Farnham playing his grand and little piano. You won’t want to miss this one. There are only two more CCPA shows left this season. How quickly the time goes. We are hoping for good weather as Mother Nature has not been kind about being nice for several of shows. Fortunately, a show has never been cancelled because the artist couldn’t make it. It has been difficult for several though. So, come on down and enjoy the evening.

DO A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS AND MAKE IT YOUR GOOD DEED OF THE DAY.

WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS to SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. (PLEASE COME HOME SOON.)

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

View From The Bridge 1/8/20

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Muncie
1/8/20

OOPS (Again)
The Tuesday night dinner at the Golden Age Senior Center is on the 21st and not on the 14th as I reported last week. Sorry about that if you had already made plans. Switch your calendar now so my info doesn’t mess up your schedule. 

IF YOU KNOW NORMA
Norma Shaw has been around Fort Benton for many years and many of your readers know her. She is my neighbor at the Sunrise Apartments.

She is in the Missouri River Manor and I think it would be nice to send her a get-well card. The address is 1130 11th Ave. S, Room 514, Great Falls, MT 59405.

I have no further information as to how long she will be there. I do know that she is doing well healing some broken bones. I know she would love hearing from you.

THE FULL MOON
Be sure to watch it on Friday the 10th. Hopefully it is a nice, clear night because I really enjoy checking it out. I watch from the first finger nail moon about two weeks before the full moon.

It is still hard to believe that astronauts have walked on the moon. Would you like to go to moon if you could afford it? It is a great subject for conversation. I would not consider that a priority in my life. I do not like to travel by airplane anymore. Never did like heights. I do not frequent Ferris Wheels or roller Coasters. When I went through St. Louis, I did not go up in the Arch. I spent the afternoon in the basement museum about Louis and Clark.

Have any of you had experiences similar to mine? Let’s talk about it.

HEART WARMING STORY
The story about Justin Roudebush and his service dog Tango was inspiring. There have been several Hallmark movies about Veterans and their service dogs. One was a female Veteran and her dog’s name was Christmas.

Back to Dustin and Tango.  I would like to know how the dog got the name Tango. Justin, I do not know how much you get out and about? If you ever come to Fort Benton, would you please come and visit me? Have you ever seen the Veterans Photo program at the Sunrise Bluffs? I know that your picture is there. Your Mom was off great help with getting your picture to me.

Do you remember years ago when Audra Morger Bonilla rented the building across from the Post Office. There were 5 large windows in entrance hallway. I hung an American Flag in the middle window and pictures of men in the service of our country. The pictures were on large poster size boards. You were one of those men.

After a few years the posters were taken down because they were ruined by the wet windows. (I wish I still had those pictures today.)

So, please know Justin, how proud everyone is about your Marine Corps service and we wish you a happy life after wheat you have been through.

CELEBRATIONS
(Please note that the comments in parenthesis are my mine.)

Wednesday the 15th: 
Hat Day - (Look in your closet for your funniest hat and wear it all day.)
Strawberry Ice Cream - Yummy! (Actually, Raspberry is my favorite but Strawberry is a close to first.)

Thursday the 16th
Fig Newton Day
Get to Know Your Customer’s Day
Nothing Day (The Calendar said that is was intentionally filled with nothing.)
Religious Freedom Day
Bootlegger’s Day
Hot Butter Rum Day
Friday the 17th
Bootlegger’s Day (Look for and interesting history story on Al Capone and Bootlegging.)
Hot Butter Rum Day (Sounds like party day.)

Saturday the 18th
Michigan Day - (Since I migrated from Michigan 27 years ago. I am going to ask you Michiganders to a get-together. I only know one other person in town from Michigan; however, there must be others I do not know. Please call me and I will arrange a get-together. Let’s make it a happy time that we are now in Montana.)
Peking Duck Day - (I do not know any Peking Ducks but perhaps you do. Let me know.)
Thesaurus Day (What would writers do without it?)
Winnie the Pooh Day - (It has been a long time since I have heard anything about you Winnie. Are you still around somewhere?)

Sunday the 19th
Popcorn Day (My family’s day for popcorn was always Friday night with a movie.)
World Quirk Day - (I looked this up in the dictionary. There were several meanings and the first was a trick or evasion. The second seemed more likely to means something to me. It was a flourish as in writing. Actually, what does it mean to my View?)

Monday the 20th
Butter Crunch Day
Cheese Lover’s Day
Disk Jockey Day
Martin Luther King Day

Tuesday the 21st
Granola Bar Day
Hugging Day
Squirrel Appreciation Day

Surely there is a day that you can celebrate. Whatever it may be, have a great time and enjoy every minute of every day.

BE KIND, KINDER, AND MORE KIND.
WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.
DO A GOOD DEED EVERY DAY.
GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, POLICE OFFICERS, FIREMENT AND WOMEN, FIRE FIGHTERS, AND EMT’s.

View From The Bridge 4/4/18

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Muncie
4/4/18

EASTER BUNNIES
Did any of your readers check out the rabbits in the hollow tree? Peter Rabbit is so adorable that I am going to ask him to come and live with me until next Easter. For now he is enjoying the hollow tree although it is a bit cold out there.

In spite of the snow covered Fort Park area, the bunnies showed up with their winter coats and boots on. They cleared the “egg field” in about 5 to 6 minutes. A good time was had by all. By mid-afternoon the sun had peeked up for a few seconds and melted the snow.

Then today, Monday, winter returned with vengeance. It was not going to give up that easily and was not going to give the city workers a rest. Now, I do not like seeing them in their big machines trying to clear the streets for those who must go out to work.

As for myself, I have two nieces visiting that flew here from Michigan and we are just going to hang out and watch some old movies. I didn’t have a plan B about where to take them if the weather was nasty. Please Mother Nature, clear this up by tomorrow. The only consolation is that it is not much nicer where they came from.

OOPS!
Two weeks ago I reported that the next Monday was the last VFW Bingo was the last one of the season. NOT! It is next Monday night, the April 9th at 7:00 p.m. at the Club House. Since this is the last Bingo night of the season, I wish for a large crowd. There is plenty of room and a very happy crowd of regulars. See you there.

LOMA DAYS
It seemed to me that this annual event was here very quickly. Like everything else, it seemed far in the distance when you first heard about it and then suddenly it was time to enjoy the day. See you there too.

PUB NIGHT
Next Saturday evening will also be very entertaining when the annual Pub Night will take place at the Ag Center. So put on your dancing shoes or just come to enjoy the music. I have heard this band before and they are great.

This event is open to the public so every “bunny” is welcome. It will be a busy day on Saturday. See you there.

LENTEN LUNCH
Kate phoned me and offered a ride to the last Lenten Luncheon at the Methodist Church in Geraldine last week. We sat with Lila Armstrong and she was a wealth of stories about the recent play in Geraldine. Lila is the director.

She said that the recent play was a great success. People told her that the weather would affect the audience but this turned out to be very negative. The ticket sales showed a full house for every performance. Hurray!

The only problem was the thought as to what Jo Alice could come up with next year to top this year’s story line. We wish you the best Jo Alice and are looking forward to next year.  Thank you all in Geraldine for a wonderful entertaining weekend. Fort Benton loves you and I approve this message.

SAVE THE DATE
On Thursday April the 19th the Humana birthday cake agent, Bill, will be visiting the Golden Age Senior Center. If you have a problem or would just like to chat with him the time frame is 10:30 a.m. until he feels he is finished.

Thank you for the birthday cakes, Bill, we enjoy the last Sunday of the month. We are getting spoiled but it is about time I say. (Just  kidding!)

I would like to see some new faces at the Golden Age. Just give it a try to see the pass times that they offer. There may be one that you take a fancy to or perhaps you may want to start one of your own. Last week the started playing Scribble. Those of you who are good spellers should show up for those games. Time is flying by too quickly to not want to enjoy every minute of every day

VIETNAM VETERANS
I am so sorry that I missed honoring all of you last week at the Sunrise Bluffs. I truly appreciate everything that you did during those trying times. You made the ultimate sacrifices and I am very proud of all of you.

I hope that you checked out the new Veterans Photo Walls at the Bluffs while you were there. If your picture is not there please let me know. May you enjoy the best things in life and know that you are heroes.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, POLICE OFFICERS, VOLUNTEER FIREMAN AND EMT’S. HELP TO KEEP OUR SCHOOL CHILDREN SAFE   

View From The Bridge 8/14/13

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
By Muncie
8/14/13

OOPS!
Due to a lack of communication, the hundred year old photo of the cottonwood trees was not printed although no one called me about it being missing.   (I will blame Tim and Tim can blame me.)  If you remember the pictures was shown to me by Jack Lepley who found it in the Ag Museum archives.  I counted approximately 30 trees and today there are 16 trees remaining.  They are over 100 years old and are not in the best of condition.  Several of them are going to be removed. 

The arborist is returning soon and will use a lift truck to further assess the condition of the trees.  It will probably take place in the fall.  It is a “wait and see situation.”  I am not a “wait and see” person.  I am impatient and want it done yesterday.  I need to learn patience.  Can anyone help me with that?

SCHOOLHOUSE AUTHOR
 Charlotte Caldwell is returning to Fort Benton on Friday, August 16th.  She will be at the Chouteau County Library at 2:00 p.m.  The Friends of the Library’s motto is, “Be a friend and bring a friend.”  We love our Friends time each month from September to May.  Charlotte’s book is what is called a coffee table book.  It is a treasure about still standing schoolhouses in Montana and should be displayed for everyone to see.   

LIONS COMMUNITY CALENDAR
 I have missed my calendar and am happy to report that they have been printed and will be available for delivery before September.  If you had forgotten to order your calendar, there is an adequate supply for you to avail yourself of.  If you are new in town or have never known about this fund raising project of the Lions Club, and wish to be on next years calendar, please call Larry Bauer at 622-2003.  It is very nice to have folks in town wish you a happy birthday, happy anniversary, or any other happy occasion.  I just have to add this and it is that everyone knows my birthday.  If you do not, it is 9/9/29 and it will be two years since Garth Brooks gave me his guitar.  Actually he did not contact me on my last birthday.  He must be kind of busy with his farm and three daughters to remember my 15 minutes of fame.  Oh well, I do not fuss over his birthday either.
 
The Lions appreciate your support of their fund raising projects.

CHOUTEAU COUNTY FAIR
Think musical notes, “Meet me in Fort Benton, Benton, meet me at the Fair. Don’t tell me the lights are shining, anywhere but there.”  The 101st Fair is here at last and deserves a lot of support from the community.  There is so much to do if you just peek into all the buildings.  I said it before and I’ll say it again, the best part is visiting with family, friends, and neighbors.  In the winter we do not see them because it is too cold.  In the summer we do not see them because it is too hot.  Come on, make up your mind to get to the Fair and have the best time you can possibly have.  It won’t be around again until next year.

WELCOME WAGON
Did you know that we have a Welcome Wagon in Fort Benton?  If you know of a new resident to Fort Benton, please give Nancy LaChapelle a jingle at 868-6210.  She will arrange a visit and give them a little bag of goodies.  One of the best goodies is a free pass to the Museums (including the Village,), the Old Fort Benton, and the Upper Missouri Interpretive Center.  It cannot get any better than that.

MEMORIAL BENCH PROJECT
The Memorial Bench and Table project has come to a close.  This does not mean however, that you cannot do a Memorial Bench or Table.  There have been three more requests for memorials and what I can do is give you free advice on how to go about it.   You can also consult with Skip Ross about where a bench or table could be placed. Please feel free to contact us. 

Another option is a memorial tree if you have a memorial in mind.  On the Levee it would have to be a male cottonwood but in any other location it would be a tree of your choice.  There are also brass tree plaques.  We had a flowering crab tree planted in front of the high school in memory of daughter, Audra Morger Bonilla, and Jeanette takes loving care of it.  It is growing well and soon will provide shade on office windows.  Perhaps benches last longer but at the present time we need trees.  Keep this in mind because you never know when you may need the information.

ANGELS AMONG US
Yes, there are.  Their names are EMTs, Volunteer Firemen, Meal-on-Wheel food deliverers, Visitor Information Center Greeters, every volunteer of all non-profit organization, and any other volunteers.  You are the “Do Good-ers,” of the community and I do not know what we would do without you.  Please know that even though you do not always get thanked, we do appreciate you and I award you all “Angel,” awards.  You may not receive it today or tomorrow, but someday you will.  Thank you again for all you do.

VISITORS CENTER
At the Center there is a set of children’s chairs and a small table.  One of the chairs was badly broken and the repair jobs were botched so it could not be glued one more time.  I gave the chair to Wayne Hampton and a few days later he delivered it to my home.  He managed to attach the chair back by somehow getting the old glue and wood chips out of the holes.  It looks just great and there is now a place for two children to sit instead of one.  We sure appreciate you Wayne.  I imagine that if Wayne can make a harp, he is good at repairing chairs.

OUR LADY OF THE ROCKIES
Kathy and Cal Nelson recently returned from a trip that included going to the top of a 9,000 ft. mountain to see our Lady of the Rockies and the Chapel.  The Chapel walls include the names of thousands of women in memory.   Kathy was thrilled to find her mother’s name.  They are listed alphabetically by the year of passing.

When I visited Our Lady about 15 years ago, there were 17,000 names listed.  I called the office to see if someone could tell me how many names there are now.  I was not able to find the information I wanted.  I’ll try again but not on a weekend because those in the know were not there.  I believe that there must be thousands more names in the 15 years since I was there.

The “BACKROADS of Montana” on PBS features an interesting segment on the building of Our Lady some 30 years ago.  If you are planning a trip to the Butte area, visit Our Lady.  She looks so tiny up on top of that mountain but you will look like an ant when you stand below her.  It is an inspiring trip.  (Sorry, you male readers, you will have to build your own memorial.)

MT – LOVE IT OR LEAVE!
I did have one person tell me that they really enjoyed the quotes.  Here is the 3rd one for a good laugh.  “You say our lakes smell bad to you.  They smell like money to us.  Ger over it.” 
GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.