Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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This week seems to be one for writing about this and that. So here goes. Last week, I was trimming my fingernails. When I got to the forefinger – or is it called the pointer finger – on my left hand, I stopped for a few minutes, recalling how excited I was a few years ago when I noticed the fingernail was growing. What's so exciting about that? I had gone to the doctor to see about a really bad cough. It turned out I had severe bronchitis. I mentioned one of my fingers would get really cold, turn blue, and after rubbing it a few minutes, was ag...
Over the years I've found it really does help to know some basics about repairing vehicles and farm equipment. The first car my husband and I had was a Chevy four-door sedan. About a year after he purchased it, a problem developed. For some reason, the cotter key holding the clutch rod together would fall out. You never knew when it happened. Your only clue was that when you put your foot on the clutch pedal, it went straight to the floor. Consequently a package of cotter keys, a pair of pliers, and a screwdriver became standard equipment to...
Traveling is something I really enjoy. Several weeks ago, I accepted an invitation to accompany a friend to Iowa. A real plus was knowing I'd have the opportunity to visit with my brother as well as nieces and nephews and cousins. Getting to just ride along instead of doing the driving was a real treat. For a change I was able to really see the countryside. And it was fascinating. Not far into the journey, I saw water from recent rains surrounding large round bales and pooled in wheat fields. My heart went out to the farmers and ranchers for...
In church last Sunday, I felt a very light touch on the back of my hair. Wondering what was touching my hair, I suddenly realized it was my almost 3-year-old granddaughter, who was ever so carefully using one tiny finger to gently go from about the middle of my hair to the end of the strands. And then I smiled as I heard her whisper to her mother, "Mom, I touched her hair!" My mind marveled at how much love a little girl's soft touch could bring to me and how she was so careful not to let it be more than fleeting. A bit later in the service, I...
Many times I've heard, "What difference can I make? I'm just one person." Dr. Gordy Klatt was just one person. Because of him and his determination to help as many people diagnosed with cancer as he could, and hopes of eventually finding a cure, Relay for Life was born. A friend of mine in Canada has a son who is riding his bicycle across Canada to raise funds for research on phenylketonuria (PKU) – a type of amino acid disorder in which a person's body cannot break down phenylalanine from the food they eat. PKU can cause a host of medical p...
I read a quote last week that said "Heroes are remembered, legends never die." Last Friday night I saw a lot of heroes. Some of them were bald, some had very short hair, some walked with canes but they were all heroes. They were the people who wore purple T-shirts with "I am Strength, I am hope, I am a survivor" printed on the back. They were cancer survivors walking the first two laps for Relay for Life. They walked with heads held high and grateful hearts and a quiet courage. An inner strength and strong determination to win their fight...
Every once in a while – and especially when a person is celebrating a birthday – the subject of age always draws comments. Such as “I remember when I was 21 ... or 30 ... or 40 ...” As a child, I thought if someone was 30 or 40 they were old. But once I was 21, no age looked old to me anymore. With the exception of one time, age has been nothing more than a number to me. That exception was my 21st birthday. Finally I was 21! That meant I could cast my vote in political elections! It also meant I could sign a contract to make a major purchas...
Not long ago I saw an ad that asked the question, "What's your story?" That question brought back memories of "old" people I knew when I was a child. Living next door to my family was a couple who told my parents my brother and I should call them Grandpa and Grandma. At the time, I guessed them to be in their late 70s. Grandpa told me he had immigrated to the United States from Sweden when he was three years old. He said he came from a large family and when his aunt said she and her husband were going to America to have a better life, his...
Like everyone else, I constantly have choices to make. Some choices are easy because the right and wrong are clear. But some are shadowed in doubt. There are choices that can be made in an instant and then there are others that take hours or days or weeks. Make the right choice and the results are awesome. Make the wrong choice and the consequences have the potential to be major. The right choice can lead me to a better life and bring joy to more people than I know, but most definitely to the ones I love the most. A wrong choice will bring hear...
Have you ever noticed how something that was popular 30 or 40 years ago suddenly becomes the rage again? For instance, tie-dye clothing. In the 1970s it was seen everywhere. There were tie-dye shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, jackets. You could even buy matching tie-dye shirts and pants. Now, 40 years later, you can find tie dye clothing – and even shoes and purses – in just about any store you go into. Remember autograph books? In the late 1950s and early 1960s, practically every high school student had them. I did. When I explained to my mot...
*++++++++++++++++++ gvbhhhhhhj I'm not sure what the above line says. It was typed by my cat, Holly, who has no qualms about walking across my computer keyboard. At times she has signed me out of a website, brought up an ad, and typed comments in my chat room. One day I was reading an article about a little boy who was knocked off his bicycle by the neighbor's dog and how the boy's cat chased the dog away before it could bite the child. My cat was looking at the pictures and when she saw the one of the cat, she stretched out her paw and placed...
Last week we decided to go visit my husband's brother, Bob, who lives in Boulder. Since we wanted to spend most of the week with him and it's a 400-mile drive to his home, we left on Sunday and drove as far as Havre, where we stayed overnight with our niece. When we visit Bob, we always go to the secondhand stores in Helena and Butte. Bob and I thoroughly enjoy hunting for "treasures." This trip, Bob suggested we take a day trip to Anaconda. I'd never been there, so I was all for it. We started off by driving through Whitehall Pass -- an...
On my Facebook page a couple days ago, a great-nephew posted a picture of the Morel mushrooms he and his sons had found. Looking at the mushrooms, I could taste them. Oh, how I was wishing I had some to cook. I grew up in southeast Iowa, where Morel mushrooms are plentiful. They are, to me, the Cadillac of mushrooms. Every spring, along about the end of April or first of May, Dad would say it was time to go mushroom hunting. My brother and I would grab our buckets and off we'd go. Before long we were pushing through the timber looking for...
College, high school and eighth grade graduation ceremonies are taking place in the nation's schools. It is a time of joy, smiles, hugs and tears. Graduation is a major milestone in a person's life ... no matter what age they are. All the work in the classroom and nights of studying culminate in the student being handed a certificate that states all requirements have been met for graduation. Like it or not, graduates will not remember what the speeches were about at the graduation ceremony. Very few ever do. I sure don't. On the day of my high...
It's seeding time. Farmers are putting in long days preparing their fields and then seeding wheat, barley, oats, legumes and more. As I watch sea gulls hovering above the newly seeded ground, it takes me back to my first spring on the farm. When my husband told me it was time to get ready to seed the crops, I had no clue as to how involved I'd be in something I knew nothing about. After asking many questions, I learned the wheat had to be cleaned and treated. Since I didn't yet have my Montana driver's license, I didn't have to drive the truck...
While visiting with my daughter, the conversation turned to cars she and I remembered over the years when she, her sister and brothers were growing up. We laughed as I said I recalled a nephew telling me that my husband and I bought disposable cars. One of the first cars we talked about was a very small black and yellow two-door vehicle that we paid $200 for. The four children all fit nicely in the back seat at the time. An added advantage of that car was the back seat could be pulled up and the back of the seat pushed down to provide a flat...
Under the Post Plan, the U.S. Post Office has closed a number of community post offices and reduced hours for smaller towns. The plan was developed as an alternative to closing the smaller post offices. On Thursday, April 4, Rhonda Mailey, who oversees post offices with the 592 ZIP Codes, conducted one such meeting to discuss the fate of the Nashua Post Office. Nashua area residents in attendance were unanimous in stating they did not want to see the post office close. It will not. Effective Saturday, May 17, the Nashua Post Office will be...
Easter is almost upon us. As I read of several different ways to dye Easter eggs, my mind drifted back to Easter when I was growing up. Children were up just as early on Easter Sunday as they were on Christmas morning because they just knew that the Easter bunny had left sweet treats all over the house, but they had to find them. It was always a race to see who could find the most candy. However, the rule was only one or two pieces of candy could be eaten before breakfast. It was so hard to see the container that held what had just been found...
A few days ago, a friend of mine was talking about how their calving season was going. Instantly, some of my experiences when our cows started calving came to mind. One of the most memorable was the very first time my husband asked me to help him with a cow who was having trouble delivering her calf. I had never witnessed a cow having a calf, let alone help with the birth. But I was about to learn. My husband said to me after our supper guests had left, “Let’s go take a look and see if that cow in the barn has had her calf.” No sooner had we lo...
On a warm, lazy, summer’s day, I decided to go for a drive. I wasn’t headed anywhere in particular, just somewhere. Turning off the highway, I slowly drove along a country road. No houses were in sight. The air was filled with the sounds of a light breeze, birds chirping away, and in the distance the murmuring of cows calling to their calves. Overhead, fat, white, popcorn clouds slowly drifted along. Pulling off to the side of the road now and then, my gaze wandered from a pile of rocks that had been cleared to allow room for the alfalfa to...
Recently I read a line that spoke of a child who reads as they are growing up becomes an adult who thinks. Last week, while in Arizona visiting family, I walked into a used book store. No sooner had I crossed the threshhod than I stopped and took a deep breath. The owner of the store came up to me and asked if I was okay. I said I was simply breathing in the smell of hundreds of books. I told him that even though digital books are becoming more and more popular, there still is nothing that can compare with the smell of a room full of books. I...
As I was thinking about my column for this week, I decided that there have been some things happen lately that need to be written about. So here goes. The past few weeks, I’ve attended and taken part in several fundraisers to help local residents. Each time I was amazed and overwhelmed by the generosity that was shown. Once again, I’ve witnessed how Montanans come together when there is a great need. I was reminded of the time when I was in England and asked what size of town I live in. My reply was that I don’t feel I live in a town -- I fee...
Whether the Nashua School have a four-day or a five-day school week was first addressed two years ago. But because of the superintendent at that time leaving and a new superintendent coming in, the board voted to table the issue. Last fall, the current school board decided to revisit changing to a four-day week. Board members did lengthy research and held public meetings to receive input from parents and teachers. At the school board meeting Tuesday night, a motion was made that the board have the ability to explore and adopt a four-day or...
Ahhhh, heat! Warm rooms. No need to have a blanket over my legs anymore when I’m sitting in my recliner. Not since Monday, when the new furnace we ordered was finally installed and turned on. The old wall furnace – I’m guessing its age at between 50 and 60 years – plus the wall furnace in the bedroom and the wall furnace in the room where the washer, dryer, refrigerator, and deep freezer are now completely retired. I turned up the thermostat on the bedroom furnace one bitterly cold night. No sooner had I returned to my cozy bed than I heard a...
Last week I saw a picture of high school students sitting at desks and using manual typewriters. The caption on the picture was “Respect your parents. They made it through high school without Google and Wikipedia.” As I looked at the picture, I thought back to when I was in high school. My high school business class received its first electric typewriter in 1959. Since there was only one machine, the teacher made out a schedule so every student had adequate time to learn how to use it. Our teacher told the class, “You are all going to have...
