View From The Bridge 10/26/2011

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
By Muncie
10-26-11

PIE DAY SURVEY
Last Friday the Pie Day time change went into effect from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There seemed to be the same number of people enjoying the social hour. There are pros and cons to this change however; the pros are in the majority. A survey of some twelve-pie lovers showed that twelve approved of the change.

Some of the pro comments were they did not want pie for breakfast but that after lunchtime was a nice break. Good point. One of the pie bakers said that it was wonderful not to get up at 5:00 a.m. to bake a pie (or pies,) and get it (them,) to the Golden Age by 10:00 a.m. Good point. The whole atmosphere seemed more relaxed and we hung around for about an hour visiting with our friends. There were no negative comments and if there are, please let them be known to the Board Members of the Senior Center.

One person said that considering winter was coming with expected snowfall, it is easier to get out of the house at 2:00 p.m. than at 10:00 a.m. Good point. The consensus was that it would be tried for a couple of months to hear more comments from everyone concerned. Your opinions would be appreciated. Until then, happy Pie Day on the 3rd Friday of each month at 2:00 p.m.

I really admire the women who bake the pies (and there are not enough of them.). It is an expense for them in time and money. I am thinking about huckleberries at $40.00 a gallon. That is what I paid this summer; however, they were going other places for $60.00 a gallon. My estimate is a gallon would make four (4) generous pies. That is $10.00 just to make the pie filling not counting the sugar and ingredients for the piecrust. At $2.00 for a piece of pie means, $12.00 profit to the Center but the baker is out $10.00. Yes, I know that is an expensive pie but consider a pumpkin pie. By the time you buy a can of pumpkin, sugar, evaporated milk, and the ingredients for piecrust, it would run half as much. The lesson here is do not make huckleberry pies.

If there are any pie bakers out there who would bake a pie once every three months, it would be a great help. It would help the Golden Age Center a great deal. Think about it for next month’s Pie Day. Next month will also be a Bake Sale and Pie Day combined. It is a great way to stock up for the holidays.

NEW CHAMBER COORDINATOR FOR INFORMATION CENTER
Last Thursday morning, Ruth Carlstrom introduced about 20 volunteers to the new coordinator of the Info Center. Karen Meeks Sarsoucie not only will coordinate the Center but she will take over the job of secretary to the Chamber. Ruth has spent six years at the job and is the busiest person I know. She retired from teaching and is a person who cannot say no. She still fills in as a substitute teacher, seems to be at the Center all the time, travels a little, and is a very loving grandmother. I love to hear about her travel adventures.

We will all miss her very much; however, she said that she would volunteer some time at the Center. We all owe her a lot for the many favors she has bestowed upon us. As I said, she does not know the meaning of the word “NO.” She just goes and goes like the Energizer Bunny. I hope that she slows down and smells the roses.

VETERANS PHOTO PROJECT
Karla Ayers and I had a nice visit this past week discussing the hanging of the Veteran’s photos. If all goes as planned, they will be hung the weekend of the 5th of November. I have enough help with that project.

I am still trying to get the bios and auto bios set up on the computer. It has been a hassle with the picture of the American Flag that I wanted on each page. I took a picture of an upright flag from a military catalog. I was then told that I could not do use that picture because it was copyrighted. My good friend in Great Falls immediately went to the hill in Great Falls and took several pictures of the Big Flag. They are so perfect with the blue sky and white fluffy clouds. The notebook may not be finished but at least I would like to get the pictures hung for Veterans Day on Friday the 11th.

A Paraprosdokian I have been saving for this particular section of the View is; “War does not determine who is right – only who is left”

Karla told me about a Motivational Seminar her company sent her to in September. There is a part of the conversation that I would like to pass on. It was concerning people’s attitudes and was called “Look Within.” “If you are bored…it is because you are boring. If you are irritated, it is because you are irritating. If you are aggravated, it is because you are aggravating, etc. etc. etc.” I am sure you can make up many of your own.

LEVEE WALKING TRAIL
Last week when I walked on the weekend, I met many people. Yesterday (Saturday,) I did not meet one person. Today (Sunday,) I only met one young man with his little girl. It was such a beautiful day with temperature holding at 64 degrees. I believe that with the wind blowing, it kept many people from walking.

As I walked toward the Sunrise Bluffs, Signal Point and the Island were bathed in a gorgeous color of gold. There was a blue sky and white fluffy clouds like the typical Montana sky. When I arrived home, I grabbed my camera and returned to the spot where I saw the beautiful scene. It was gone. In the few minutes it took to walk home, the sun had moved just enough to lose the color. I envy good photographers (Tim) and their knowledge of when it is the right moment to take a picture. I now only have it in my memory. Perhaps I will return tomorrow about the same time and be lucky enough to get a great picture. Note: It is Monday morning and I am not going to get that picture today.

THE ENTERTAINER
I was late getting to the Sunrise Bluffs Sunday evening for the Herbert the Entertainer’s performance. I thought the time was 7:30 p.m. and reported that time in the View last week. No one called me on it so I missed about half of the show. Fortunately, he played the song that I liked so much, soon after I arrived. It is a song that he wrote for his wife called, “My Love.” I spoke with his wife afterward and asked if I could have a copy of the music for it. She said that I could not because there are no copies of any of his songs. They are all in his head. I had thought that I could learn to play it on Garth’s guitar. However, I did purchase a CD with “My Love” on it and that is the only way I will be able to enjoy it.

There was not anyone, except myself, from the community in attendance. The audience consisted of residents of the Bluffs. I am sorry that you missed a very pleasant musical evening. The residents and I are looking forward to he and his wife’s return next spring on their way to Mexico.

PARAPROSDOKIAN
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

GOD BLESS AMERICA AND OUR TROOPS.

View From The Bridge 10/12/11

“VIEW from the BRIDGE"

By Muncie
10/12/11

HOMECOMING

Despite the rain, the Homecoming went off with a great deal of success. The Parade went down Front Street with various color umbrellas. The football game was watched with the stands quite full. The whole weekend was advantageous to Fort Benton and Chouteau County.

Homecoming is just what it says. It is coming home to where you perhaps were born, raised, and went to school. Even though you no longer live in Fort Benton, it will always be home. The older you get, the more you enjoy coming home. Most people have happy memories of their hometown and the friends they had. This is the one time that school means everything.

It is unlike Summer Celebration and the Chouteau County Fair. Those celebrations are open to the public with strangers coming from all around the area. Homecoming is family and friends plain and simple. We know that you all had a wonderful time, there will be another homecoming next year, and hopefully it will not be raining.

CHOUTEAU COUNTY HISTORY WORKSHOP

Last week Tuesday and Wednesday, 22 people attended the Montana Touchstone Project, “Saving Chouteau County History.” The Montana Preservation Alliance presents the workshop and their mission is to save and protect Montana’s historic places, traditional landscapes, and cultural heritage. It was the most interesting two days. If you love history, you missed being involved with the four discussions that those who attended listened intently to every word.

The program included, Archives 101 and Documents/Book Preservation, The Oral History Interview, Montana Memory Project, and Montana Historic Property Record Form and the National Record of Historic Places. Help is offered for each of these subjects by calling 406-457-2822. The speakers will be returning to Fort Benton to aid in any or all of the above programs. Keep reading your River Press for information.

I was especially interested in the Property Record Form and the National Record of Historic Places. Did you know that your home or property only has to be 50 years old to be placed on the record? About 5 years ago I requested the forms for our home but gave up when I saw the paperwork. At the workshop, I was assured that I would receive all the help I would need. My next project, after the three I am working on, will be to fill out those papers.

I have often encouraged the River Press readers to bring their pictures/stories to the Overholser Research Center to be scanned. Those will be permanent records, where in time your pictures will fade and disintegrate. The family records and stories are just as important. There may be some information there for a researcher to use to make the pieces of a puzzle fit together. Once you begin researching, it becomes addictive. You want to know more and more about what happened in the past for those descendants in the future. “If you don’t know where you came from, you can’t know where you are going.”

LEVEE WALKING TRAIL
Saturday, I met 14 people on the Trail. I do not believe I have ever experienced that before. It reminded me of when Wally and I had our rural mail route. We rarely saw another vehicle and when we did, we would say that we would have to move because of the heavy traffic.

That is the thought that crossed my mind when I found the Trail somewhat crowded. It really was great however, and it makes me very happy to see so many enjoying one of Fort Benton’s attractions.

The best thing that happened was my meeting Aaron and Marissa Skogen from Highwood. They were sitting on a bench near 10th St. and were both working on watercolors. Marissa was painting the Old Bridge and Aaron was working on the Bluffs across from the Fair Grounds.

Our conversation jumped from what they do, to Marissa’s birthday (that day,) to my birthday/Garth and me, and to basketball. Aaron is a math teacher at Highwood and Marissa is getting her master’s degree at the University of Great Falls. Aaron is the boy’s basketball coach at Highwood and Marissa is assistant women’s basketball coach at U of GF.

They are a delightful couple and our ending conversation was Aaron telling me that we would meet again at the Highwood/Fort Benton basketball game.

I also met a man, his daughter, and granddaughter from Manhattan. They were on their way home from Havre and stopped to see what was down in the valley off the highway. They thought our town to be very beautiful plus with the historical significance. They had a hard time believing that Fort Benton was now Class C. They remember playing football with our Class B team. Anyone remember that game?

MONTANA FALL 

We are overjoyed at these beautiful fall days. The wonderful warm days and the chilly evenings are so enjoyable. About half the trees have turned to color and are starting to fall.

I found the best way to clear my front porch and the sidewalks of leaves is to use the leaf blower. It beats trying to sweep them with a broom by a mile. If you have done that in the past, I wish you had passed it along to me. Actually, it was not my original idea. I saw Brad Utterback, who maintains our lawn; use the blower to blow the grass off the sidewalk after he mowed. It I had not seen him, I would still be sweeping.

I will never get used to these modern conveniences. I do have to tell you that my computer has been a little kinder to me lately. Perhaps that is because I do not mumble, under my breathe, in front of it with not-so-kind words. Actually, I am learning to love it because what would I do without it.

HALLOWEEN WINDOW PAINTING
Grades K through 5 will be doing Halloween window painting on Tuesday, October 25th. We always loved watching the youngsters doing their painting and walking along Front Street to see which one we would vote as the best. Actually, they are all the best for the effort put into the project.

Talking about Halloween brings up the subject of “Trick or Treat.” The first year I moved to Fort Benton, we had so many children begging that we ran out of our give-aways. Last year we had about 10 children, if that many. We had to eat all the treats ourselves…just kidding. We donated the goodies. Would someone please inform we “treat-givers,” if there are places we can donate our goodies?

PARAPROSDAKIAN
“Evening news is where they begin with “Good Evening,” and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t.

GOD BLESS AMERICA AND OUR TROOPS. May this 10-year war be over soon? It has gone on too long. We are spending billions of dollars killing each other and children are starving to death. Does that make any sense at all?