View From The Bridge 1/4/17

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
1/4/17

WEATHER OR NOT
If there is something else to talk about besides the weather, please let me know. It is shortly about noon on Monday and I just checked the Fort Benton site for the weather forecast. It reported that the temperature was 9.1 degrees. I have a weather station that is controlled by the satellite and it reads 13 degrees. So in serious discussion...what does it matter if it is 9 or 13 degrees?

The Fort Benton site also predicted that there would be snow for the next four days. We will have to wait and see on that one but what I do know is that I am not going outside until spring comes. If the VIEW shows up here and in the River Press you will know that I am surviving. Thank goodness for Meals on Wheels. My only regret is that I will miss basketball games and feeling sorry for the youngsters having to return to school on Tuesday. The only thing to look forward to is that perhaps after this cold spell is over, it will warm up a bit. Actually I don’t want to talk about it.

ROSE BOWL PARADE
I love a parade and today’s was really special. There was a lot of description about the entries and an explanation about why the parade was held today instead of yesterday. My opinion was that the “BIG” football games were first in line. No, that was not the answer. I am relating this because I talked to several people who also did not know the correct answer.

I didn’t quite understand if it has always been this way or if it just started this year. Because New Year’s Day was on Sunday, the Rose Bowl Parade did not want in interfere with Church going folks. I have watched the parade for years and I just do not remember. If I had a Smart phone I could check it out. Perhaps one of you will remember or check your phones. Let me know as I always have to know the reason for everything I do not understand.

I hope your New Year starts off with a bang and stays that way. There is a lot to look forward to in our town. Life is what you make of it and may you have more ups than downs.

Please make one of your priorities to volunteer. Even an hour a week would make a difference.  If you need a volunteer let me know and I will try to find someone for you. Maybe I am biting off more than I can chew but I see the need. For instance, did you clean some ones snow that cannot do it themselves? It has to be done quickly because if it is walked on it freezes like ice.  Then it is hard to remove.

There is a Snow Blower Angel in the block where I used to live and no one knows who it is. They used a snow blower on the sidewalks around the whole block. The identity of the Angel, who wasn’t seen, remains a mystery. Whoever you are there are a lot of good wishes for you and to let you know how helpful that was for several who could not do it themselves.

Here is a good place to mention that there were 80,000 volunteer hours for the Rose Bowl Parade. I wonder if all of our organizations added up the hours for work done in the Chouteau County area, what would the total be? It would be an interesting story to work on.

SEAT BELTS
What a wonderful program Pat Goldhahn brought to the Fort Benton students. I want you to know Pat that since that fateful day in August, I have put my seatbelt on even if I am going around the corner. I have not driven out of Fort Benton for 2 ½ years and I always wore my seat belt. However, I did not wear it in town. My grandson, Grayson, used to remind me whenever we were in a vehicle but he moved away a long while ago.

When I heard about your daughter’s accident, from her great aunt Mary, I immediately began making it a habit to put it on. The problem is that it is always that one time that you forget that a tragedy occurs.

Thank you Pat for coming to Fort Benton with your message. I hope that it made a lasting impression on all the students.

FUND RAISER
If you cannot make it to Highwood this coming Saturday for the fund raiser for Caleb Oriet, please send a donation. The rehab part of the insurance, as I have heard, is not covering it well enough. This young boy’s life changed drastically in a short period of time and he deserves to have it back again. Do what you can for him and what goes around comes around. You will get it back a hundred fold in satisfaction. All our best wish and prayers are going out to you Caleb.

WHAT I LOVE
Hello 8th grader Abigail Clark. What a great job you did with your essay. You touched on subjects that I have thought about but never could put into words.  Now you go on to state and then national levels to let the U. S. of A. know what an 8th grader from Montana loves about her country.

The best part of this whole thing is the fact that you, Gracelyn, and Emerson entered this contest. It showed courage and determinism that are the character shaping of future leaders. Keep up the writing and write about everything that comes into your mind. I will look forward to keeping track of your future.

FAMOUS QUOTES
“We judge ourselves of what we are capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.” Longfellow

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, THOSE WHO PROTECT US and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.

View From The Bridge 11/12/14

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
11/12/14

WEATHER OR NOT
We cannot complain Folks. It has been a beautiful fall. Do you ever remember a Halloween when the temperature was 71 degrees? I hope that you had your winter coats, hats, gloves and boots all ready to go.

The only thing that bothers me somewhat is the fact that we have about 13 hours of darkness these days. We can expect to have more dark time in the next six weeks. I look forward to December 21st when winter officially sets in and the days began to get longer. The backside of that is that there are actually 3½ months of dark ahead of us.

All advice givers say to catch up with unfinished projects during those long winter days. Have you ever done so? I do not believe it but will try again this cold season.

For me, it is easier to put on more warm clothing and turn up the heat when it is cold. Unless you have a swimming pool, it is difficult to cool off in the summer. Just try to remember those two months of 90 degree weather we had last summer. Wish we could bottle it.

VETERANS DAY
By the time you get this edition of the River Press, Veterans Day will be over. The year or more of the planning by the committee, of the dedication of the Billy Swensgard’s memorial will be just a memory. As of today, the plaques for the two memorial tables are not in place because installation cannot be done in this kind of weather. It will have to wait until next spring. When that time comes be sure to take a walk around Veterans Way Memorial Park and read Billy’s story on the plaques. He gave his life to protect us during an unpopular war. I do not know exactly what that means…unpopular? Do you know of any war that was popular?

DAVID HAAGANSEN
The response, in the last week, about the soldier from Big Sandy was awesome. When I was in Big Sandy a couple of weeks ago, I asked about the Haagensen family and was told that there was no one from the family left. I did not realize that meant there was just no one left in Big Sandy.

Daughter Valerie contacted me about the Haagensen being her neighbors when she lived in Big Sandy. She said that David had a brother and a sister. Val said she had the sister’s phone number at home and would call me with the number.

Shortly afterward I received a phone call from Jay Worrall telling me that David Haagensen has a brother in Texas and a sister in Helena. He gave me her name, Ruda Marshall, and phone number. When I called her, she said that she would come to Fort Benton on Tuesday. We are also going to honor David that afternoon and evening with stories about his life. As Bethany reported last week, David was the most decorated soldier killed in Vietnam from Montana. Ruda said that she has most of the medals and would bring them with her. I hope that Ruda can make it from Helena but if not we will arrange for her to come another time.

Today, Sunday late afternoon, the forecast does not look very promising for the outside dedication. I know that there are family members who are invited as guests and will be unable to attend. One of Billy’s brothers is driving from Oregon. We cannot expect Mother Nature to cooperate with our plans for events.

I remember one year when I coordinated the Summer Celebration Day Parade. On Saturday morning it was pouring rain and did not look as though it would let up. Within an hour the committee had to decide whether to cancel. We did and it was the first time the parade was ever cancelled in its history. Do you remember that day?

PIE DAY
Yes, it is time again for Pie Day. The ordering of pies ahead of time for those who want a whole pie, is working well. The neat part of that program is that you can order whatever kind of pie you want.

On Tuesday, the 18th is the once a month 5:00 p.m. dinner at the Golden Age Senior Center. It is limited to 48 people so get your name on the list a.s.a.p. Call the Center at 622-360l.

Did you know that our Golden Age Senior Center has lunch, (more like dinner,) seven days a week? This also includes Meals on Wheels.  Everyone is welcome; the meals are excellent, and reasonably priced. I get Meals on Wheels and I cannot make my own meals for what I spend a month. I found that there are others who do not cook for themselves. I found it difficult to make meals for two and even more difficult to plan for one. I really appreciate that Fort Benton has such a great program. Check the River Press each week for the menus.

CHRISTMAS EVENTS
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. If I have my dates correct, the Chouteau County Christmas is only 3 weeks away. The Christmas Concert will be on Sunday of that weekend. For our women readers…where could you spend a great day of breakfast, lunch, entertainment, and shop-till-you-drop? It is warm and cozy. You can hang your coat and be comfortable. You cannot do that anywhere else and shop. I am looking forward to it and see you there.

C.C.P.A.
Next Tuesday, the 18th, is the next concert. If it is comforting to you to listen to a piano playing, then be sure to be at the Elementary School at 7:00 p.m.

The refreshments are free but I would like to see the donation jar a little fuller. This is my observance and because none of the Performing Arts Committee would ever say anything. I can. A donation lets them know that you appreciate a cup of coffee or tea and a choice of the best cookies ever.  

I checked out the new upholstering a couple of weeks ago. Most of the seats were ready to go except those where the frames were broken or pulled away from the cement floor.  I am quite sure they will all be in place by next Tuesday. They are so beautiful and those of you, who adopted a chair, will enjoy sitting in it. It is not too late to buy a chair in memory of someone or just because you are an alumni. See you there.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.  PLEASE SAY THANK YOU TO A VETERAN FOR HIS SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY.

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
By Muncie
4/18/12

ANNA MAE
Another beautiful, kind, and well-loved woman has passed away. A large number of family and friends turned out for the funeral to celebrate her life. Most of us did not even know of her illness and so it was quite a shock to hear the news. I knew Anna Mae because of her attendance at all the Longhorn events. I also knew her from our rural mail-route. She and her husband Gene were not on the route when I became Wally’s assistant. However, it was not too long when they requested that their mail be delivered to their home instead of picking it up at the post office. It was only a mile turn to the right at the Elim School house.

My grandson Bryan, 4 years old at the time, was staying with us because his father (my son-in-law,) was very ill. Anna Mae often had goodies for Bry in the mailbox and she arranged for him to climb up on their huge tractor. He was so excited about that. He always waved to them if they were outside and liked to go up to the door with a package that did not fit in the mailbox. Anna Mae would fuss over him and give him a treat.

Her happy, smiling face will be sorely missed. So long for now Anna Mae McKeever.

WEATHER OR NOT
Can you outguess the weatherman? I’ll bet not. I watched the Saturday 10:00 p.m. local news report about today’s (Sunday) weather and did not believe it. Who would after the beautiful 70-degree weather we had on Saturday? Then, sure enough, we awoke to a small amount of snowfall that did melt in a few hours. It is a little after 3:30 p.m. and my satellite thermometer registers 40 degrees. The weather service reports in the newspaper today that it will be in the 50’s tomorrow however, whom can you believe?

REMINDER OF PIE DAY
Yes, Pie Day is Friday and how quickly it seems to roll around. Having changed the time from10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. seems to have attracted more “Pie Enthusiasts” to the Golden Age Senior Center. Last month I enjoyed a piece of Choke Cherry Pie and it was awesome. I got the last piece because I was a few minutes late and the word had gotten around. Five people ahead of me were already enjoying their slice of that pie. I hope the pie baker gets this message before Friday. Mark the day and time on your calendar that it is always the 3rd Friday of the month. See you there.

PLANTER
More work will be accomplished by the City Crew on the planter in front of the Old Bridge. The junipers were disposed of a couple of weeks ago and the telephone poles magically disappeared. (Yes, they actually were telephone poles and cost nothing 30 years ago.) Skip said that they would probably be able to work more on this project this coming week. I am taking pictures as the project progresses. Take notice that the project will be accomplished with granite rocks. If you check along the Levee Walking Trail, you will see the many monument bases that are made of granite. The Lewis and Clark Memorial, the Shep Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the Cowboy Memorial (George Montgomery’s,) and the Thomas Meagher Memorial are all placed on granite rocks. The granite is obtained from the Square Butte area.

FISHING POSSIBILITIES
We had a houseguest for four days last week from Missoula. He came to this area to catch a fish but chose an uncooperative week. It was very windy on Wednesday and rained all day Thursday. He floated from Carter to Fort Benton on Wednesday, enjoyed the scenery, but did not catch a fish. He fished off the shore at several places around Loma but the water was too muddy from the rain. He went back to Missoula without fish in hand and stories that there are no fish around Fort Benton area in the Missouri River. That may be a good thing as that leaves more fish for our local anglers. Our friend plans to return in May or June for better fishing conditions. Perhaps, because he is our friend, you anglers could leave him a couple of walleye. On a 1 to 10 (fish) scale, that would be a 10.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Thanks to anonymous for e-mailing this to me. “Life is not always wrapped in a bow, but it is still a gift.”

AROUND TOWN
There is not much going on around town that I am aware of. If you have an item of interest, please contact me. Chris Halko did tell me that his yearly April “Jimmy Buffet Day” will be held in May this year. That event is a fun time and if you have never visited the Pharmacy during that celebration…do it this year. It is “a dress for it” affair, however if you do not have Hawaiian clothing, you can come anyway. Just tell Chris that I said so.

GOD BLESS AMERICA AND OUR TROOPS