Sorted by date Results 354 - 378 of 545
Can’t remember if I told this here story many moons ago or not, so here goes. Me and Butch was cut’n timber near Haines, Alaska. When we quit the job we decided to drive down the Alaska Highway. Haines Junction was the first stop in the Yukon Territory. The place, in them there days, looked like a frontier town. I inquired where the bank was and was pointed to a Chevy van across the way. Not wanting to ask too many questions, over we went. Yup, there both side doors open and set’n behind a card table with money in little stacks was the bank...
Things are off and running now at the legislature as an avalanche of policy bills are hitting committees and receiving hearings. In the infrastructure committee, we have just finished hearing all the projects in the Long-Range Building Program (HB5) and in the coming week we will be hearing water, wastewater and bridge projects from all over the state. I have scheduled the committee to vote on all the rest of the infrastructure bills on Feb. 7 in order to move them through the process as quickly as possible, so we are close to finishing our com...
HELENA - Things have started to pick up this week in the Legislature as committees have started taking executive action on the bills they have been hearing in committee and the Appropriations Subcommittees are in full swing. There are around 450 bills now moving their way through the legislature, dealing with everything from public defender fees and medical marijuana reform to the amount of plastic straws a business should be allowed to hand out. Most of these bills that move through the various committees will end up dying in committee, but...
As the marvels of antibiotics became known and their use grew, our understanding of their limitations did as well. Through decades of antibiotic overuse we are now seeing the rise of super bacteria, organisms that have evolved means to evade traditional antibiotics. These “super bugs” are now causing serious, life-threatening infections. The situation is so serious in fact that in 2015 the World Health Organization called for global action to combat antibiotic resistance. The American Den...
Negotiating means that two or more people meet in open discussion and eventually settle on agreeable terms for a particular arrangement. Negotiations are not new. Throughout history, people have always negotiated for properties, objects, animals, laws and principles and even other people. Historic negotiations, however, weren't always civil. Today, that occurs less frequently, but in most instances, when civil negotiations are not present, it is not as obvious as in the past. Negotiations are...
Coming home always stirs up memories. Traveling down old roads in favorite, familiar places does that. I let my mind run its course through those memories, linger in the dents and curves and worn edges of my heart and soul, and I just... smile. It comes to mind that the best thing about these memories is that they feel comfortable and happy and worn... Worn like the faded color of the photograph of my grandpa smiling back from atop his favorite black and white pinto. Worn like the grayed and...
Many moons ago we lived for a spell in the old Mount Emily railroad logging camp near Starkey, Ore., not far from Ukiah. Anyway, I was cutt'n timber up the Grande Ronde River. It paid 57 cents a log – we had to hustle. We ended up near an old gold mine. The lumber from the camp had long been packed away. Except for one. It was the house of ill repute. I guess no one wanted to admit whatever they rebuilt with it where the lumber came from. The road was maintained by the Forest Service. Every t...
Dear Seeley-Swan residents, Happy New Year! This month I am highlighting the I Ride Seeley Lake Van Service. This is an excellent service provided to us by the Seeley Lake Community Foundation, Seeley-Swan Medical Center Foundation and Missoula Ravalli Transportation Management Association. I Ride Seeley Lake Van Service provides rides to and from medical appointments in Seeley Lake and Missoula, for older adults and persons with disabilities. Rides can be scheduled by calling Yvonne Kinsey, I...
Let's talk about one of the most frequent reasons people visit their doctor – back pain. Statisticians tell us that one in five clinic visits are related to back pain and I believe it! I think every one of us, at least at sometime in their lives, will suffer with back pain. Some people suffer with chronic and debilitating back pain. This is something that is hard to treat and even harder to deal with. Fortunately though, most episodes of back pain will resolve. Back pain can be caused from a n...
Psychological complexes were presented in previous articles but always from the point of view of an individual. You can think of a complex as a collection of experiences focused around a psychological element. For example, a mother complex is a collection of experiences with one's mother or other people acting as one's mother. A culture is simply a large group of people sharing a heritage, location or group affiliation. Just as an individual develops personal psychological complexes throughout a...
Dear Seeley-Swan residents, The benefit program I'm highlighting this month is ROOTS. ROOTS is available for anyone 60 years and older who has limited income. It's a fantastic program offered by the Missoula Food Bank. Every month a 30 pound box of food is delivered to your home free of charge. If you are a household of one and your income is $1,315 per month or less you qualify. For a household of two, you qualify if your combined income is $1,760 or less. All you have to do is complete a very...
A strange event once took place near the northern California town of Burney. It happened in the Shasta Trinity National Forest, the town's claim to fame was Bigfoot and was sure to be found there. The helicopter logging outfit I worked for was logg'n near there and on the cutt'n crew was a wild, free spirit named Jack. Anyway, he somehow got a bigfoot suit and decided he'd scare one of the other cutters up on the side hill. Having stuffed the crazy suit into his knapsack when they flew him up to...
Since words are not a type of illness or disease, how are words contagious? The answer becomes obvious when we listen to religious leaders, teachers, parents and political figures. We experience the power of words when reading a book but it's the influential nature of spoken words that can contaminate people. Two commonly understood examples are cults and dictatorships. Cult leaders and dictators use words to attract and secure followers. And followers they are! Once a person commits to a cult...
My first trip to the great land, many moons ago, took me to Haines, Alaska. There to cut timber for an outfit called Alaska Forest Products. And Leo Smith was in charge of us out there on the Lynn Canal. Me and Butch stayed out there in a plywood shack. Leo's D-6 was barged there and a huge arch dragged the logs out on low tide and rafted to the mill. There was his supply trailer and sez Leo, "That's my 30-06 if the bears bother you." He rode his boat from town everyday. So one weekend we...
Hi all, I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall colors. Medicare Open Enrollment (Oct. 15-Dec. 7) is once again in full swing! This year for 2019, in addition to four regular Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO and PPOs) offered by Blue Cross and Humana; twenty-eight new prescription drug plans; and standard Medicare Supplement Plans; there is a new option for Medicare recipients in Montana called LASSO Healthcare MSA. LASSO Healthcare MSA combines a high-deductible Medicare Advantage Plan with a...
I described the shadow in previous articles but it is so relevant for our daily lives that it is important to present it again. This time let me introduce a few twists and begin with this quote from On the Abolition of All Political Parties by Simone Weil. "One recognizes that the partisan spirit makes people blind, makes them deaf to justice, pushes even decent men cruelly to persecute innocent targets." Although this quote is directed at political parties, it can apply to many other...
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” -Marcus Aurelius Life. It’s unexplained; the highs and lows, the ebb and flow of good and bad, the mixed bag of emotions inside of us. It’s just life. But one of the most difficult things to come to terms with is your fellow man’s input on your life. Their perception and thoughts of you impact you far more than you should ever allow. We live in a society that plays on and profits from our self-doubt. We are who we are,...
Many moons ago, when I lived on the Summit, Beaver Creek drainage was my main haunt. Got to know it, like they say, like the back of my hand. So one fine September day, MC and me, you remember M.C. whose castle was a Eucalyptus tree, decided to bow hunt up near Gray Wolf Lake. Anyway, early in the morning we packed up at the trailhead. I was pack'n Ol' Buck mule and rid'n Honest Abe mule. As we were leaving MC sez "my fish pole." Now against my better judgment I let him shove it into the top of...
Happy Fall, Now that temperatures are dipping it's once again time to apply for Low Income Energy Assistance (LIEAP) and Weatherization! The State of Montana, through the Department of Public Health and Human Services, offers two programs to help individuals reduce their heating costs. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) pays part of winter energy bills for eligible people; and the Weatherization Program helps participants improve the heating efficiency of their homes and thus...
Exaggerations are not unusual and, of course, everyone has beliefs, but are the two related? The current atmosphere in the U.S. places each person on a visual pedestal and under observation. Today, we see exaggerations and fixed beliefs being expressed by people in all corners of life. Why is that? Social media is one simple answer with its visible and global access but that's not the complete answer; therefore, understanding the psychology underlying the presence of these two characteristics...
Many moons ago, before computers took away good men's jobs, Allen Chaffin read the meters around the area. We'd have a talk whenever he caught me at home. He tells me his wife Mildred wanted to convey to me to keep writing, she really enjoyed it. Coming from her it was a great compliment. Anyway, I have her wonderful little book, "Once Upon a Life Time." I wonder it's still in print – such a treasure. If not, someone with the means should get it reprinted. She, like my Mom, came from the p...
Years ago, I was hiking over a high mountain pass enjoying the insane, kamikaze flights of at least fifty hummingbirds intent on gathering nectar from a field of brilliant red paintbrushes. I was euphoric, completely surrounded by their buzzing antics, when a wild-eyed, bearded, gnome-like man burst out of the nearby forest bellowing expletives at me. I stopped on the trail, more confused by the man running towards me than worried. I felt like I had hiked into a fairy tale. Ends up he was a...
Why do the leaves of my French lilac fold up? It lives outside the garden fence, in full sun, in rocky soil which we have not improved as we did the garden soil. It has small leaves and double dark purple flowers. We do water it regularly. When a plant folds its leaves, it is defending itself from some kind of stress. In this climate, the common stresses are lack of water and cold weather (usually, but not necessarily, in winter). Your French lilac is probably trying to hang onto as much of its...
As we approach Medicare's Open Enrollment Period, Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, it's time again to start thinking about your Medicare coverage. Open enrollment is when Medicare beneficiaries should review their coverage and make any changes for 2019. In particular, you may save money by checking your Medicare Part D choices. Many plans change which prescriptions they cover, which means your current Part D plan may no longer be the best plan for you. I can help you do that, as well as enroll in a new Part D...
You might remember from previous articles that psychological projection occurs when we experience another person, object or situation in a way that is influenced by our unconscious (hidden) psychologies. This is similar to a movie projector casting an image on a screen. We see the image but not the screen. During projection, unconscious content is experienced but not the actual person, object or situation. In other words, we see and experience parts of ourselves through our projections. When...
