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I have had a life long "love affair" with firearms. I just love the darn things. Why this is I cannot say. It's just a distinct part of me. The firearms I like most are really special works of art and beauty. My favorites are custom stocked with walnut on blue steel. Oh, the wood is out of this world beautiful with its color, grain, figures of fiddleback, tiger stripes, feathered, contrasting colors and especially the depth of multiple coats of hand rubbed oil finish. The wood fits against all...
Well, given the condition of our country and other countries in the world, I'd say everything! The Pandora myth involves Pandora's Box - although originally, it was a jar. In the sixteenth century, jar was mistranslated to box and since then, it has continued to be part of the myth. For this article, it is most important to understand what Pandora and the box represent. Pandora, meaning all-giving, was originally formed as a woman with the ability to spew evil upon the world. Chaos and...
Q: Can you tell me how to kill the ants in my garden? A: I know of nothing short of nuclear attack that would kill ants, but I can tell you how to get them out of the garden easily, as long as you don't insist that they die in the process. Ants require their homes to be in dry dirt. If you turn their home into a mudhole, they move away. It is that simple. The easiest method for moving ants that I know of is to lay a garden hose on the ground, with the end near the anthill. Turn on the water...
As we approach Medicare's Open Enrollment Period, Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2019, it's time again to start thinking about your Medicare coverage. Open enrollment is when Medicare beneficiaries should review either their prescription drug coverage or Medicare Advantage plan coverage and make any changes for 2020, effective Jan. 1, 2020. Specifically: 1.You may save money by checking your Medicare Part D (prescription drug plan) choices. Many plans change which prescriptions they cover, which means y...
Many moons ago whilst living out of the old Mr. Emily log'n camp in eastern Oregon, I was cutt'n timber for a man known as R.W. He resided on a little ranch near a place called Cove. I was the last man standing – that is – last timber cutter on the job and he was the cat skinner. Anyway, we are out to lunch together and one day he fessed up to a crime of sorts the fall before. Like they say, "confession is good for the soul" - so they say. The story continued. Lots of elk would come down in the...
Describing why I love a particular gun or cartridge isn't easy. Where do I begin? First, the pistol and cartridge were built in a joint venture between Smith & Wesson and Remington, made available to the public in 1955. It was built to be a hunting handgun. Period! It will take deer, black bears, elk, and wild hogs, antelope, sheep and mountain goats, if I can get close enough. Distance is this cartridge's only limiting factor, but that is true of all hand guns regardless of caliber. Distance at...
You might be familiar with the country western song "Too Much Fun." The singer asks: "What's that mean? It's like too much money; there's no such thing." These lines are certainly misleading. Can a person have too much fun, or too much money, or too many friends, or too much bad luck, or too much of ... You can fill in the blank with anything that comes to mind and then ask if it's a problem. I suspect that most people would answer that there's no problem with too much...if it's considered...
Happy Fourth of July! Along with our gorgeous summer weather, we in the Seeley-Swan Valley have something new to celebrate! Seniors who are 60 years of age and older, residents of Missoula County and meet federal income guidelines can receive 2019 SENIOR FARMERS' MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM COUPONS. This year they can be spent at the Seeley Lake Market! As in the past, these coupons can also be spent at the Missoula Farmers' Markets. The Seeley Lake Market 2019 is open every Sunday through Sept. 1...
Q: How do we encourage native plants like lupine, Oregon grape and arnica for a natural yard? We keep an area unmowed, and we also need to think about fire resistance. A: I am assuming that you have some native plants in the area now, that you want to have more of what you have, and possibly more variety. The existing plants obviously like their growing conditions, so it should be fairly easy to encourage them to spread. The ones that you mentioned like some sun, some shade. Wherever there are...
2 Imagine two people coming into your meeting. One has a gold ring and fine clothes, while the other is poor, dressed in filthy rags. 3 Then suppose that you were to take special notice of the one wearing fine clothes, saying, “Here’s an excellent place. Sit here.” But to the poor person you say, “Stand over there”; or, “Here, sit at my feet.” (James 2:2-3) 23 After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. 24 God heard their groanin...
Ya hear a lot these days about bullying in schools. Nothing new under the sun. There was a lot of us who went through it. Some older boys and girls are just plain mean. And tweren't raised right either. Along the back trails of my memories there was a family from the coal mines of Pennsylvania. The Dad had black lung. They ended up as far as their old jalopy would take'em, right at a dilapidated, run down homestead shack owned by a Mennonite farmer. They just moved right in with what little...
I know most of you reading this do not hand load your own ammo. Let me attempt to convince you that you should. These are my reasons. First is always economy. It doesn't matter what cartridge you want to load, once you have the empty cartridge case, that you will throw or give away if you don't reload it, you will be able to load it for at least a 50 percent savings. If you cast your own bullets (primarily for handgun cartridges) the savings is approximately 90 percent. I have saved ammo compone...
The word individuation is not heard very often. On the other hand, individualism is commonly expressed in our culture. Many people consider the two words to have the same meaning but the two words are very different. Often people praise, envy or acknowledge individualism. Most people consider individualism to be associated with an accomplishment, an ability to meet life with confidence or achieving a personal level of satisfaction. These descriptions can apply but often individualism actually is...
The beautiful weather is finally here and we can get outside and enjoy! It's also a great time to save money on Medicare by applying for the Medicare Savings Program (MSP)! If you have or qualify for Medicare, you can apply to save money any time during the year. The MSP has three levels of savings: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Beneficiary (SLMB) and Qualifying Individual (QI). If you qualify for the QMB Program "Cadillac Program", your Part A and Part B premiums,...
Q: What on earth does it mean to "harden" a plant? A: It is gardeners' slang for helping an indoor plant to adapt itself to outdoor weather. The same techniques are used for plants grown in a greenhouse or bought at a nursery. The leaf surfaces of plants are delicate if they have always been warm, have never felt wind, have never seen bright sun. Amazingly, plants can toughen their leaves to adjust to weather, but they cannot do so instantly. It is as if the plant grows itself a jacket, and the...
It's been a ride here, friends. A good one... I've decided to hang up the reins for now on my column "Cowgirl Ramblings" and turn the page on this chapter of my book. My life is a little busy, my words are feeling a bit redundant and things have changed enough for me over the last couple of years, that I just feel it's time.... time for new beginnings, fresh ideas and untried goals. Seeley Lake and the surrounding communities, Ovando, Condon and Potomac, will always be home - the place where...
Won't be long now many will be look'n to head on down some trail. There's noth'n quite like it - horses and mules and good company. Many moons ago Will Kats and Paul Ossowski and I headed for the Chinese Wall. From Owl Creek to the Pendent and then down the Holbrook to Murphy's Flats. Anyway, while rid'n down the Holbrook, Paul was rid'n the mustang Shadow I'd sold him. This here horse would stop at a mud hole and try and drink. Seems like where he came from in Wyoming, he never saw a real...
Previously I discussed the advantages a revolver has as a concealed carry/self defense firearm. Now I will discuss why the auto pistol is also a great choice. First, the auto pistols come in many sizes and weights so there are many choices. Prices are also available to fit everyone's budget. Everything I said about the revolvers is still true but the autos have some advantages. They are: The auto pistols carry more "on board" ammo. Some of the autos will have as many as 17 rounds of ammo in the...
Here we go, we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of a whooping cough outbreak here in Seeley Lake this week. You may have been hearing about the outbreak in the Missoula high schools. Well, guess what, it's found its way here-high schoolers are good at sharing! As one of my favorite nurses always says, 'sharing is caring!" In this case, I beg to differ, sharing your whooping cough (AKA pertussis) is not caring, it's just mean! So, here is what you might need to know: • Pertussis (the b...
It's May, and universities across the nation are growing quiet and empty. But in four days, college students will arrive in the Swan Valley for their first day of class. Since 1997, Swan Valley Connections' college field programs have welcomed over 200 students who come eager to learn through experiences unmatched by their typical classes, labs and lecture halls. Some come hungry for hands-on training in conservation field techniques. Others want a broader, deeper immersion in the tangled social...
When opera singers warm up, they sing mee, mee, mee, mee, mee. There is an old joke relating opera singers and the psychological focus of this article, which amounts to a play on words. The joke changes the mee to "me," referring to a person who always thinks about life in terms of "me." The psychological part of the joke presents a person who is self-centered or more appropriately, narcissistic. In a previous article, I described narcissism but due to our daily news and social media reports a...
Q: I love basil and would like to grow my own but I need some instructions. Also, once I have basil plants outdoors, will I have to protect them from deer? A: Basil is easy enough to grow, once you know its likes and dislikes. And yes, you need to cover the basil plants or surround them with netting all summer long. Deer may not love basil more than you do but they do consider it a delicacy. Because basil came from the Mediterranean, it likes warm weather. It may fold itself up and die if it is...
"Baby sister, I was born game, and I intend to go out that way." ~ Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) "True Grit" It's a funny, enlightening, scary and humbling thing to write out a list of things you feel you're good and bad at. I did this recently. I will tell you, there were direct correlations and similarities between the two contradictions. I realize I'm pretty darn good at drinking coffee until it's an acceptable time to drink wine. I'm good at laughing at inappropriate things at even more...
With Memorial Day coming up, I am acutely reminded of all the benefits we enjoy in our country due to the service and sacrifices of United States Veterans. The purpose of today's Note from Linda is to explain the Veteran Directed Care Program (VDC). VDC is an outstanding benefit available to veterans who are currently enrolled in the VA health care system. Many services are available from the VA health care system, provided through VDC, at no cost to the veteran: 1. Assistance with household...
The 66th Legislative Session has come to an end. Out of all the Legislative Sessions I have seen, this has been the most productive. When I first got involved in politics, the State Budget was growing on average between 8-12 percent per biennium. For the second session in a row, we were able to pass a conservative budget that repaired the damage from the special session, taking care of our essential services without necessitating tax increases. In 2017, the budget grew by 0.6 percent over the...
