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Denial is word commonly used in the therapeutic world because many people deny their surrounding reality and their emotions. It is important to ask: Why is denial so common and what does that really mean? When a person has an illness and doesn't admit that she/he is ill, that is an example of denial. If a person hears that a loved one is dying and doesn't accept that fact, then denial is present. These descriptions are clear examples of denial. In both cases, the person is not willing to face...
While no one should ever say "I know it's real because I saw it on the internet," everyone should be able to say, "I know it's real. I read it in the newspaper." Real newspapers reporting real news have never been more important or more valuable to readers and communities. This week, newspapers across the nation recognize National Newspaper Week and the theme - Real Newspapers...Real News - points to the importance of accurate reporting, watchdog journalism, strong editorials, comprehensive...
Hi all, I am inviting you to come to an important, free event at the Double Arrow Lodge with delicious snacks and beverages provided! Missoula Aging Services and I are bringing Montana's premier estate planning expert Dr. Marsha Goetting to Seeley Lake for two sessions of "Estate Planning for Everybody." Marsha will answer these questions and more: What is the best strategy to pass my estate on to my children? What is a beneficiary deed? How do I make checking/savings/investment accounts...
I have a sign by my cabin door that sez, “I’d rather be lost in the woods then found at home.” All these years lost from the Out ‘N The Woods column made me think what a college professor said to me when I quit writing. Sez he, “Your column made me so angry sometimes but I’m sure going to miss it.” Anyway, I’ll give it a hit and miss try again. So here goes. I don’t know about other places but here in our cabin it’s an infestation. I’ve caught at least 25 mice along the outside cabin wall. And once in a while one inside this summer. Then tha...
Fires alter wildlife’s food, water and shelter forcing animals to either adjust or find new homes. In an intense fire, the complex humus layer on the forest floor gets charred, depleting nutrients and causing soils to repel water. Erosion is greater and the compromised soil produces less nutritious food for the animals. Despite the hit it has taken, nature starts healing. In the spring, broad-leaved plants such as Rocky Mountain maple, dogwood, willow and aspen sprout from their roots and flowers like fireweed get established. Their leaves begi...
When people experience crises, such as the fire crisis in Seeley Lake or the loss of a loved one, there can be a variety of reactions. One of the most common reactions is to avoid their psychological needs and attempt to continue life as if nothing happened. People use phrases such: keep a stiff upper lip, cowboy-up, cowgirl-up or buck-up, to indicate that they are strong or should be strong, while experiencing crises. Ironically, this reaction is contrary to what people believe because it actua...
Wildlife has evolved with fires over the eons. Though wildfire certainly takes its toll, not as many animals die as one might expect. However, more animals die if fires occur early in the season when babies are still being cared for or if fires are severe, as so many are today. Raptors, like eagles and hawks, have keen eyesight and acute hearing, so are forewarned of fire before most other species. They easily escape the flames and also take advantage of the opportunity to prey on animals such as rodents, small mammals, and insects fleeing from...
It's that time of year again to start thinking about your Medicare coverage. Briefly, Medicare Part A is coverage for inpatient care; Medicare Part B is coverage for doctor visits; Medicare Part D is prescription drug coverage; Medigap also called Supplemental, pays the 20 percent not covered by Part B; and Medicare Advantage is coverage that combines Medicare Parts A, B and D. As a Medicare beneficiary, you have from Oct. 15, 2017 to Dec. 7, 2017, which is the Medicare Open Enrollment Period,...
Having a headache is no picnic, in fact, these things can be quite debilitating. People get headaches for all kinds of reasons. Sore muscles, a bad neck or just a stressful life often causes tension headaches. Another type of headache that frequents the unlucky person is a migraine. It's not unusual for a person to be entirely disabled with a migraine-and they can be tricky to get rid of. How do you know if your headache is a migraine? For people who suffer from them, it's probably a silly...
Smoke. More smoke. Ridiculous amounts of smoke. That has been what we in Seeley Lake have been breathing and looking through since July 24th. We know the smoke is impacting our health but how is it impacting the trees and plants? Plants breathe and photosynthesize through openings called stomata. When wildfire smoke fills the air, plants reduce the size of their stomata, which means that just like us, they can’t breath as well, and their ability to photosynthesize is reduced. So yes, they’re stressed. And yes, they want the smoke to go just as...
It’s been a while since I lived in the Seeley-Swan. And many things and people there I truly miss. But I wouldn’t miss the smoke. Us old folks with health problems are having a time of it, even over here in Proctor. Like I said many years ago the Forest Rangers of yesteryear must be rollin’ over in their graves. The way the Forest Service lets these fires go till it’s humanly impossible to put them out, it’s a disgrace. Some Forest Service person, when asked why they didn’t jump on the Rice Ridge Fire when it was 60 acres or less, his answer...
I've logged some serious miles on my saddle this summer and I've had the pleasure of riding some fine horseflesh. With each mile looking out between those ears, I soak up the intrinsic value of time spent doing exactly what I love; riding my horse through the wilderness and the backcountry, over new trails and old. I'm always amazed at the newness of this country I've ridden through my entire life. Every turn reveals a slight change and offers up a new perspective physically, as well as...
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is one of my favorite flowers because it is tough and the deer don't seem to like it. Its shallow roots make transplanting easy and it tolerates some neglect in the process. It is drought resistant and spreads by shallow rhizomes, so it fills my flower garden even when I forget to water it! Yarrow is in the Composite Family, not the Parsley Family as some might guess, so please learn to identify it correctly before using it. To the untrained eye, some poisonous...
This past week, a reader asked me a question. The question was basically the following: I'm really good at what I do for living. So why do I dislike it? The answer can vary from person to person and be quite complex. So, I'll provide some common reasons that should be helpful to everyone, revealing psychological complexities as well. Just the fact that humans are both unconscious (have a hidden psychology) and conscious (are aware) is enough to understand that psychology is complex. In previous...
Not a hunting season, but a season to admire Montana’s snakes for what they are: a vital cog in the natural world that serves an important purpose even if some of us suffer the heebie-jeebies at the mere thought of a snake. Last week while out for a morning jog, I passed a gopher snake (our subspecies is the bull snake) lying motionless and camouflaged on a bed of gravel next to the trail. No telling how many people walked or ran by the reptile without noticing it. It was soaking in the morning sun, warming up its body temperature. If it w...
As the Rice Ridge fire pressed down upon us and I prepared to evacuate, my belongings felt like a burden. Protecting them was clearly not worth the loss of someone’s life. I couldn’t help but wish that our culture lived on the land differently. When tribal people inhabited the West they co-existed with fires. Their homes were lightweight and portable so tribes could easily move their few possessions if needed. No one’s life was put at risk fighting fires. Because fires cycled through frequently they improved habitats rather than devas...
Many of us have been going to the community meetings about the fire and one of the things mentioned was to check the Air Quality Index (AQI). Montana.gov has air monitoring data that is updated hourly and Seeley Lake is one the locations across Montana being monitored. To find this website, type "air quality Seeley Lake" into your search engine and it's one of the first websites to come up. Now that you know how to check for air quality – what does it mean? AQI is a measurement of the c...
The huckleberries are on! These wild, sweet berries define living in the Rockies for many. I love eating huckleberries but I love picking them more. Moving slowly from bush to bush I experience the woods much more intimately than when I'm hiking. Life's chatter drops away and I feel renewed. The Japanese call this "forest bathing." There are twelve species of huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.) in the Rocky Mountains. Members of the Heath Family, they grow from 3,500 feet up to about 7,000 feet...
by Randi de Santa Anna When the bark beetles were in full swing I copped an attitude against lodgepole pines. They seemed weak and a waste of space in the forest. But I have come to understand their important role in fire ecology habitats and have adjusted my attitude. Though short-lived, lodgepole pines, Pinus contorta, are the most common Rocky Mountain tree species north of New Mexico because they are fast growing, reproduce prolifically and can inhabit almost any soil. Lodgepoles produce...
Many people experience frequent excessive delays in life or the inability to make a decision, as well as to complete or begin projects. There can be many different psychological reasons for these delays and inabilities but procrastination is high on the list. The following can be considered examples of procrastination: a person prolongs making a decision by considering the many different possibilities, by simply ignoring the decision or by failing to follow schedules. Procrastination can be...
My eyes popped open this morning, and as I wiped the sleep from them, I read the alarm clock’s time, 5:39 a.m. I woke with a jolt realizing I was supposed to be at the barn over a half hour ago to help get a backcountry trip packed out before the mid-July heat pounded down from the sky. I pulled on my pants while brushing my teeth and putting my hair back in a ball cap, and I rushed out the door to the barn. The sweet morning smell mixed of grass, dew and horse greeted my nose, and I heard the morning routine in full swing at the barn, the s...
If you have ever hiked into a year-old burn, you most likely know what fireweed looks like. The appearance of its tall, pink flowers covering the recently blackened slopes is as reliable as the appearance of morel mushrooms. Fireweed, Chamerion augustifolium, is in the Evening Primrose Family. Its skinny seedpods produce thousands of fluffy seeds, but its most effective means of spreading is through its persistent underground rhizomes. The good news is that if fireweed gets established in your v...
The robust flower spikes that paint our forest floor purple are lupines. Though lupine seedpods look a lot like domestic peas and specific species were cultivated for thousands of years in the Andes and the Mediterranean, most species are poisonous and should not be eaten. The alkaloids in lupines have killed many sheep, horses, cows and goats. Lupine (Lupinus) belongs to the Legume Family and we have ten species in Montana. In our rural environment where deer abound, lupines can be a rewarding...
As many of you know, I ran a half marathon last year with my son Sean. I did a lot of research into exercise before starting my training. I'd like to tell you it was a breeze, but it wasn't. Many days I had to push myself to train. I was one of the last through the finish line but the goal I set for myself was to actually finish, and I achieved that goal. During the time that I was training, I did notice that I had more energy, slept better and lost weight. Why should you exercise? Heart...
I am so appreciative of the many successions of flower blooms here in Montana! After the remarkable beargrass show we just had down in the valley, the mariposa lilies have come on in full force. Mariposa means "butterfly" in Spanish. If you take a walk right now you'll see the tiny bright "butterflies" of individual mariposas scattered throughout the forest. In my mind they are the epitome of delicate – three creamy white petals blooming at the tip of a grey green stalk bearing one long, s...
