VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
8/31//16

SEPTEMBER MOON
My favorite month’s moon is called the Corn Moon or the Harvest Moon. Two years out of three the Harvest Moon comes in September and the other in October. Obviously the name indicates harvest time when farmers can work late hours by the light of the moon. (Even though it is my favorite month weather wise, it is a bit sad because fall is upon us.  Can winter be far behind?) The full moon will be Friday, September 16th. Enjoy!

CELEBRATION QUILTS
The quilt drawing raffle ticket stated that the quilts were to be drawn at the Chouteau County Fair. They were not because it was suggested that the winners be drawn at Connie Jenkins Fund Raiser on September 10th. That gave the committee three more weeks to sell tickets.

The proceeds from the raffle support next year’s Summer Celebration. If you enjoy Summer Celebration then please purchase a raffle ticket to support it. Excuses like, “My wife makes quilts,” or “I have enough quilts,” does not cut it with me. So, if you win the quilt you can give it away as a gift or donate it back again. You could also donate it to the Ag Museum and that would be a wonderful thing to do.

The cost of a raffle ticket is $5.00. It would be fantastic if we could sell all 1,000 tickets to help support the biggest event in Fort Benton.

Please reconsider and find me at the next two Farmers Market on the 1st and 8th of September. You can also find me at the Connie Jenkins Fund Raiser on September 10th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Ag Center. Connie has fought a most difficult battle against cancer and has handled Summer Celebration since 1992.

DO YOU REMEMBER?
A few years ago an author named Susanna came to town and visited The Friends of the Library. She read a couple of chapters from a book she was writing about Fort Benton and the Missouri River.

I received a phone call on Tuesday evening a couple of weeks ago from her husband, Stuart, who had just spent 5 days on the river. He was calling to say hello from Susanna. The next morning he came over to visit and I found out that she had a book of short stories published about a month ago. The Fort Benton book will be out next year.

It was a nice surprise and I am now in touch with Susanna again as the old e-mail number had been changed.

WHO KNEW!
I am due for my driver’s license next month. The last time I got a license I did it by mail. I had to have an eye test at the Eye Clinic and a physical exam. I mailed those two forms into the bureau and received my license.
This year I received a green postcard telling me that I was due for a license. I went to the Eye Clinic again for my eye exam and then called the number on the green card to get the papers to fill out for my physical.

This is where the “WHO KNEW” came in.  I found that I could only get a license by mail once. However, I could make an appointment instead of standing in line. I did not have to get a physical but needed to have my picture taken for this year.

When I inquired as to the change in procedure I was told that these changes went into effect a year ago.  WHO KNEW! It is not a subject that one gets involved in. Several people I spoke to knew but never thought to tell me about it.

A couple of people asked me if I had a license to drive my Go-Go. I was also asked if I have ever gotten a ticket for driving too fast. No, I never have because the fastest I can go is 10 mph. I love that little machine and when it gets too cold I will have to resort to my truck. I filled the truck with gas in the spring and still have 3/4/ of a tank of gas left. Let no one say I put any pollution into the air.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
Everyone has a story. This one about the Antiques Road Show came from Dee Spencer who lives in our sister town of Geraldine. If you are familiar with this TV show on PBS, (Public Broadcasting System,) then you will enjoy her story.

Dee’s son Ken drove her to Salt Lake City where about 1,000 other people gathered with their 2 antique items to have them professionally appraised. Out of those 1,000 people about 4 to 6 were chosen to be featured on the TV show. About a half dozen people were shown at the end of the show whose questionable items were not worth very much money. (That is so humorous.)

Each item that was chosen was evaluated by a professional antique dealer in his field. It was interesting to hear about the history of the piece and how much it was worth.

It was so interesting when, for instance, an old desk was shown. The expert would show them a little secret drawer. He or she would know what kind of wood was used and the date it was made. I really loved watching the show on Saturdays evenings after Backroads of Montana and knew nothing about how people took their precious items to the show for inspection.

So, General Federation of Woman’s Clubs take note. Dee would be an interesting speaker if you could talk her into it.

BINGO
It is time again and it seems as though it just ended for the summer. Games at the Golden Age Senior Center will begin on Thursday September 1st and at the VFW on Monday the 3rd of October. I know this will make quite a few fans very happy and good luck to all.

WATER, WATER
How do you use water?
7. One flush of the toilet can use up to 6 ½ gallons of water.  (Put a brick in the tank.)
8. Automatic dishwashers uses 9 to 12 gallons of water white hand washing dishes can use up to 20 gallons. (Invest in a dishwasher and not only save on water but save on work.)
9. Approximately 1 million miles of pipelines and aqueducts carry water to the United States and Canada. That’s enough pipe line to circle the earth 40 times.
10. A tomato is about 90% water. An apple, a pineapple, and an ear of corn are about 80% water.
11. In the United States we spend about 61 billion each year for bottled water.
12. 3.5 million people a year die from water related diseases.
The World Bank predicts that by 2025, 2/3rds of the world population will run short of fresh drinking water. (Now that is scary!)

This has certainly been an eye opener. If you have any questions or are interesting in the program being repeated, please contact the Upper Missouri Interpretive Center.

DEMENTIA/ALTZHEIMERS
It is Monday afternoon about 2:30 p.m. and I just returned from the Golden Age Senior Center. There speakers, as I told you about last week, presenting information about the above subjects. There were 18 people in attendance and the Center seemed pleased with those figures. I, of course, was not. I always look for larger participation numbers for these very informative events. The information was so vast that it would be difficult to pass along. All I can suggest, if you need information, is to call me and I can give you phone numbers to call.

There was information about how far along people are into the heredity disease, when they are in need of specialized care, and help for the caretakers. Unfortunately Fort Benton does not have a support group. I will call the Health Department and the Missouri River Medical Center in the next week and see if there is interest in starting one.

Support groups are very important because there are people who have been through it. From their conversations and sharing, a caretaker can judge when their loved one or themselves need help. Some patients need professional nursing care or other needs that families are not qualified for. Get all the help you can because one of the important points was for the caretaker to take care of themselves.

OBSERVATIONS
“Time heals everything.”

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, ALL THOSE WHO ARE IN PROTECTIVE JOBS, and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.

View From The Bridge 8/24/16

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
8/24/16

DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER'S
As we are all touched by cancer, we also are touched by Dementia/Alzheimer's. The Golden Age Senior Center is presenting a program that will be an informative presentation and help/support that is available to those coping with this disease and caregivers. The date is MONDAY, AUGUST 29th at 1:00.

This presentation will be done by professionals from Brookdale and Highgate Senior Living. There will be a question and answer period afterward. Please put this on your calendar and remind your family, friends, and neighbors.

MY BLAST
For me the Chouteau County Fair was a blast. Even though it was very hot and my heat exhaustion acted up, I had the greatest time.

I nagged all of you readers about entering something in the Fair. Feeling guilty myself I did enter two baked products on Thursday evening. (I wanted to enter my wild flowers but there was not a single one blooming. Last year I won 5 blue ribbons and 3 red ones for my wild flowers.)

I then enjoyed the BBQ contest and was pleased to sit in the commercial building to enjoy it out of the rain and being entertained. I sat way in the back by the veggies display so I missed seeing many of you. There was a great crowd. The Cancer Support Group was collecting donations for the dinner. The diners were extremely generous.

I am a “Lioness” and volunteered each morning from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday and Sunday at the back gate and Saturday with Connie at the Main St. gate. I had a great time. Most folks knew about the parking fee and that it was a Lions Club fund raiser. They would, as they drove up, have the $3.00 in their hand out the window. It was a blast to see friends I had not seen for a long time.

On Friday I proceeded to the Commercial Building to sit with Randy who was selling tickets for the Chouteau County Performing Arts and for Connie Jenkins Fund Raiser “Trip tickets.” I was selling raffle tickets for the Summer Celebration Quilt. We were there all day and were the last ones to leave.

We had company next to us and it was the old fashioned children’s games like balloon busting, a fish pond, a hoop around pop bottles, and a basketball hoop. It was such fun to watch the little Kiddos try their luck.

We were also in the company of the Swimming Pool Repair group where you could make a contribution to those volunteers and buy tickets for the Kiddy Games. I hope the Fair Committee brings back the Kiddy Games and the word will be spread around how much fun they were. There wasn’t too much activity that day.

Saturday I was at the Main St. entrance and afterward returned to the Commercial Building. There was a lot of activity that day and the young swimmers who volunteered to cover the games were kept busy replacing balloons and sweeping the floor.

Randy and I again sat there until everyone left at 5:00 p.m. On Friday the big cooling fans were going and it actually was a bit chilly where we were sitting. On Saturday it was too hot and I stood in front of the fans many times to cool off.

The commercial Building was a bee hive of activity on Saturday. There were classes on baking bread and the students got their loaf of bread after it was baked. The next table taught butter making and you took home a small canning jar with the butter you made. Another class of how to can your garden products was going strong and we really enjoyed watching all of the goings on.

There was a Gold Panning table and that attracted a lot of attention. If you youngsters missed all of the above mentioned programs, then be sure to come around next year. Also read the booklet that is around town about a month before the Fair and pick out something that you can enter.

Sunday morning I was at the back gate and most of the vehicles had parking tickets. It was a gorgeous morning and the tent was set up in the shade and I could study the clouds. I enjoy doing that and the only thing I saw was Grumpy with his large nose from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I wish it had been Happy but clouds will be clouds.

Randy came at 11:00 a.m. to set up in the Commercial Building and it was empty. I think the Swimming Pool Repair Committee could have done well but all organizations know how difficult it is to get volunteers.

The next time we will be selling raffle tickets will be at the Farmer’s Market on Thursday on the Levee.  See you there.

The food at the Fair was fabulous. I love Fair foods because I feel free to eat foods that I do not normally eat. I had breakfast every morning at the 4-H building. They are such a hard working group. Those youngsters will know how to take care of themselves when they grow up.

The Education Building was so enjoyable with the school children’s work displayed. As I do every year, I wonder at the work put into those displays. The Democrat and Republican table were also set up there but the Republican table was not covered. (I wonder why?)

The evening performances were a success. The Pig Wrestling and the Truck Pull were well attended and certainly the Demolition Derby was the very best ever. There were more vehicles and the Herbie Derby was the greatest. The Baumgartner Girls were fabulous.

The stands were completely filled and the parking lots were filled to capacity. People parked everywhere they could find a spot. I had never heard an audience cheer, yell, and clap as I did Sunday night. (The audience seemed to love it when vehicles were pushed into the berms.)

So, Fair Committee, I believe that our County Fair is well onto a revival. I do not know what you can do about getting people to enter at least one item for judging but let’s give it a try. I remember when the baked and canned goods stretched from one end of the building to the other. This year almost every entry got a blue ribbon. Is that because there was only one entry in each category? You have a whole year to think about it.

SMALL WORLD
On Tuesday during my shift from 2 to 4 at the Visitors Center a couple came in just looking for general information. When I asked where they were from I found it was Seeley Lake. I asked if they knew Patti, Jack Gladstone’s friend) and they said they did. I told them that I had just spent the day with Patti and Jack the Saturday before.

This couple, Paula and Roger, planned on leaving the next morning. They became so engrossed with Fort Benton and the surrounding area hey did not leave until Saturday morning. They visited Virgille, Big Sandy, Decision Point, Lost Lake, the Ag Museum and Village, the Museum of the Supper Missouri, the Old Fort Benton, and the Upper Missouri River Breaks Interpretive Center and especially loved our Library. They covered more ground in a few days than most people living in the area all of their lives.

Paula also has a friend in town and was able to connect with her. The friend was out of town but at least they were able converse. Paula and Roger said they would return for Summer Celebration next year because they heard so much about it. They cheered my week.

OBSERVATIONS
“What other people think of you is none of your business.”

WATER, WATER
Sorry Folks, I don’t have enough room this week but will get back to it next week. I found it so interesting and hope you do too.

There are also some small world and interesting stories to tell you but not today. They are from my readers and everyone has a story.

I am going to start a “WHO KNEW,’ or ‘WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK” paragraph soon. I learn something new every day. I would like it very much if you would add to it.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, OUR POLICE OFFICERS, and OTHERS WHO PROTECT AND TAKE CARE OF US.