Sorted by date Results 230 - 254 of 545
Dear friends in Seeley-Swan, Missoula Aging Services introduced a new program called TeleCare. The TeleCare Program matches clients with volunteers for friendly assurance calls. Volunteers provide a check-in and phone call to older adults, or at-risk adults who are homebound and/or isolated. The goal of the program is to provide social connection and increased security for participants. How does the TeleCare Program work? • Brief telephone calls are arranged on a regular schedule • Friendly vol...
I don't have much confidence in the idea that we humans evolved from pond scum but I know for certain that firearms and ammunition have evolved through the ages to give us the wonderful products we use today. I want to tell you the story of how we have gotten the guns and cartridges we have today, describing the advancements made that have resulted in the products we use today, one gun and/or one cartridge at a time. This column will do that with the .44 Magnum cartridge. I will begin with the...
Hello Seeley Swan friends and community members! First, I wish to thank the support of our community throughout the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and the understanding of many patients who had appointments canceled. Second, Partnership Health Center is taking every precaution to keep everyone safe and I feel fortunate to work for an organization taking this public health crisis seriously. The Center for Disease Control along with the American Dental Association called on dentists to stop...
Exercise has great benefits for your physical health but did you know it can benefit your mental health too? When you exercise your brain releases chemicals like endorphins, adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine, which work together to make you feel good. Exercise on its own is not a cure for depression but research has shown that exercise can be as effective as medication for mild to moderate depression. The most prescribed antidepressants are SSRI drugs which work by increasing the amount of...
News update: We now know that masks are protecting and are necessary. But how do we start this practice, make it fun and easy (do-it-yourself) so it does not take medical masks from our treasured providers? YouTube is full of fun ideas on making a safe mask with the right materials. I will share the one I use. Needed, one t-shirt and paper towel. By cutting the bottom of the t-shirt off five inches from the bottom you now have two layers of t-shirt. Put one paper towel in the middle of these...
• Did you know that there is a rise in diseases in children that in the past had only been seen in adults? • Things like obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure are being seen more frequently in children. • One of the best ways to decrease the incidence of these diseases is to ensure that your kids are getting enough physical activity. • The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that kids 6-17 years old participate in 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physica...
There are those like Virgil Burns you could call "mule men." I've had several but wouldn't call myself a "mule man." Often I reasoned who had the smarts - me or the mule? Take Festus for instance. He's gone now but the good memories linger. For ya see Festus was as close to perfect as a mule could be: catch anywhere, never offer to kick, stand like a rock to mount and dismount, had a gait second to none, ya could tie his ears into a knot... Yes-sir-ree ol' Festus was almost perfect. But he had...
Hello Seeley-Swan and beyond community! For those of you I have not met yet I'd like to introduce myself and tell you about this great new feature available through the Pathfinder. My name is Kim Grover, PT, MPT. I am a physical therapist (PT) and the owner of Rejuvenate LLC. We provide physical therapy and massage services. We have been in business for over 16 years and have been privileged to serve the Seeley-Swan and surrounding communities. Currently our licensed staff includes Beth Layman,...
There are many ways to understand responsibility. For example, caring for and not endangering another person, such as caring for someone you love – your spouse, your children or your parents. A month ago, I wrote a column about "the other;" the person who is seen as different. By forming imaginary circles around ourselves or circles that include loved ones and a very close friend or two, we leave everyone else outside our circles. The people outside our circles are considered "the other." We o...
I am confident if you ask ten people what "Freedom" means to them, you would get ten different replies. During these difficult times of quarantine, maintaining social distances, staying at home and unemployment, I would like to offer some of my thoughts of what "Freedom" means to me. Hopefully these will be encouraging to you too. 1. Going to the shooting range. A pickup is needed to haul all the guns, ammo, targets, binoculars, spotting scope, rifle rest, eye and hearing protection and who...
Raise your hand if you would like to serve on a jury. If you raised your hand – thank you! If you didn't, consider this: If you were the subject of a jury trial and needed a jury of your peers to decide your fate, would you choose an educated, intelligent individual such as yourself to serve? If yes, you should reconsider. You don't have to be charged with a crime to be the subject of a jury trial. You could be a defendant in a civil lawsuit and be tried by a jury. Something to keep in mind! W...
12 SALES FINISHED WITH THE HIGHEST SALES RECORDS SINCE 2005 In 2019, property sales in the valley finished substantially over the total sales records that were set in 2018. The housing markets in the Seeley- Swan Valley have become stronger than ever, resulting in inventories that are very limited as home sales continued to roll at a record pace perhaps until the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic set in– more on that later. The local markets are maintaining a great balance and generally they a...
Q: What are walls of water? A: They are 18-inch plastic cylinders which act like miniature greenhouses. The wall forms a circle of water-filled tubes. Walls of water can be purchased at a hardware or garden supply store or online. With reasonable care they last for many years. Walls of water let you plant tomatoes, for instance, four weeks early-not longer than that, because the plant would grow out the top. Inside the wall, temperatures stay above freezing, even when outside temperatures are...
Dear Seeley Swan friends, I am writing this note from my home office and feel somewhat removed as I expect you all do too. These are extremely challenging times for all of us and can feel scary. I want you to know that you are not alone. In Seeley Swan there are several excellent initiatives underway to help out our citizens, as well as the regular benefit programs to help you. 1. Seeley Swan Helps is a new outstanding collaboration of Seeley-Swan pastors and Missoula Aging Services, o...
We grew up listening to our parents and grandparents tell stories of personal sacrifice during World War II: rationing, conserving, sharing and pulling together as families, communities and the nation to achieve victory against a common enemy. While we've experienced multiple wars in the subsequent decades, rarely, if ever, have we as a nation experienced sacrifice on the home front at such a visceral and shared level until now. Today, the enemy is very different, but it requires every bit the...
While COVID-19 poses a significant threat to our physical health, it also threatens our mental and emotional health. We're concerned about infection and the health of loved ones. We're struggling with loss of social connection, daily routines, long-anticipated milestones (e.g., weddings, graduations) and our sense of normalcy. We're scared about bills, our livelihoods and our futures. And if we were already feeling socially or financially on the margins, the virus is amplifying our sense of...
Many moons ago while cutt'n timber on a big burn between Lowman and Garden Valley, Idaho for Columbia Helicopter, I drove by a somewhat ramshackle place. One of the last buildings head'n up the river. At any rate, what got my attention wasn't the sign "honey for sale" instead it was the sign which read "mountain man, stop – chat." Well sir, I must stop and chat then. The old man was surely lonely and welcomed me right in for coffee. At a glance there was no doubt he'd spent his life in hard labo...
This time calls upon our creative imagination, coping skills of positive self-talk, understanding and trusting that we can find a new normal. Talkback to worries and look for opportunities. Fresh air and aerobic exercise for those that are well, use exercise, outdoors and good news to keep you afloat. Let negative news go for now. Use screen time to search for humor and fun entertainment. This time is calling for all of us to reach out and be there for each other. That means if you can drop off...
Power is often experienced in relation to other people, as when a person expresses power over someone else. However, power is also closely associated with control. An example occurs when one spouse controls another spouse's decisions. Although power is often experienced externally, it originates in our psychologies. Our shadows (dark side of the personality) and our egos (identities, values and beliefs) are responsible for expressing external power. Associated with power is a sense of...
Those of you who have been reading my columns know I like handguns...a lot. To add thrill and challenge to hunting, do it with a handgun. Shooting a handgun is not so different from a rifle and the skill is manageable at almost any age. Eyesight is one of the challenges for those of us over 50 but that can be overcome too. The handgun will require much more practice than the rifle. Which is fun by itself. It is not nearly as easy to hit the target and the distance to the target, under most situa...
As we move into a new season, many of us at the Sheriff's Office have been reflecting on the last few months of calls for service in and around Missoula County. As most of you know, the Seeley-Swan area has experienced some of our biggest incidents recently. This is an important opportunity for me to not only sincerely thank the community and our Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue (SSSAR) but also applaud you on your willingness to help us save lives. The winter brought many challenges as a string of...
It is too early in the year to get a shovel into the ground but it is time to start preparing for this year's garden if it is going to be the best ever. Q: What are your favorite tomato varieties? A: I try at least one new kind of tomato every year. Most of them I never grow again but sometimes I discover a new variety that I keep on growing as long as the seed is available. I always grow one kind of cherry tomato because they are earlier than big tomatoes. This year it will once again be...
Hear the band? Join the March...for Meals 2020 Join us as we march into spring with our local Meals on Wheels (MOW) campaign. With your help, we can meet our 2020 goal of $5,000. March for Meals – Seeley Lake is the annual fundraising event which helps pay for Seeley Lake's MOW Program. Meals cooked every morning, Monday through Friday at the Seeley Lake Senior Center are hand delivered by volunteers to homebound older adults in Seeley Lake. Our service goes beyond meal delivery at the door. W...
Many moons ago while cutt'n logs for Tom Hulett I ran into his brother John. He was one of those "men of the trail" I like to call'em. Get a load of this. John and an older cowboy once trailed 30 head of horses from Polson to Polouse, Washington by way of Wallace, Idaho. They sold the horses and then went on to Oregon. Com'n back he was alone and came home by way of the old Lolo trail from Idaho. Once back years ago I did a whole story on John for the Pathfinder. John had a way with honest dry...
Over the years, the idea of soul became the property of many disciplines: religion, philosophy, medicine, technology and psychology. For example, the word that I so often use – psyche -- refers to our psychology but it also means soul. Descriptions of soul include many difficult to understand details, such as soul accompanying a person into death and beyond. Soul is often considered different than a person's body. It is often described in terms of spirituality and the essence of life. R...
