April 2015 Montana Best Times

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Tough team to beat A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and Better MONTANA April 2015 For the love of hockey A passion for horses and people Managing the hub of community life The man behind the curtain

Transcript of April 2015 Montana Best Times

  • Tough team to beat

    A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and BetterMO

    NT

    AN

    A April 2015

    For the love of hockey

    A passion for horses and people

    Managing the hub of community life

    The man behind the curtain

  • April 2015 2

    Savvy Senior ............................................Page 3

    Opinion ....................................................Page 4

    Book .........................................................Page 5

    Birding .....................................................Page 16

    Volunteering .............................................Page 19

    Calendar ...................................................Page 20

    On the Menu ............................................Page 21

    Strange but True .......................................Page 22

    INSIDE

    News Lite

    Man arrested in courthouse for missing jury duty 11 times

    SOMERSET, Pa. (AP) A Pennsylvania man who skipped out on jury duty 11 times in the last two years has been arrest-ed inside a courthouse while attending a child custody hear-ing.

    Somerset County Judge D. Gregory Geary told 32-year-old Owen Fazenbaker III on March 23 that he found it ironic that Fazenbaker could find his way to court for that but not for jury duty.

    Fazenbaker promised to serve on future juries if the judge would not impose a $500 fine and 10 days in jail for each time he has missed jury duty.

    The (Somerset) Daily American reports that the judge said the Stoystown man could avoid a seven-day jail term if he pays a $500 fine.

    Big Poppa Tart DonutSAN DIEGO (AP) A Southern California doughnut shop

    has come up with yet another guilty pleasure gone viral: a gigan-tic doughnut stuffed with a Pop Tart filling.

    Donut Bar, with outlets in Fountain Valley and San Diego, calls the 1-pound creation the Big Poppa Tart Donut.

    Its appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Steve Harvey Show, BuzzFeed and TV news.

    The 2-inch-thick square is stuffed with strawberry jam and a strawberry Pop Tart, then topped with diced Pop Tart, sprinkles and drizzled jam.

    Theres also a second flavor: Smores.Donut Bar sells about 150 of the doughnuts daily, at $4 each.Owner-baker Santiago Campa tells the Orange County Register

    that the doughnut was supposed to be a one-week special, but its become so popular he couldnt pull it off the menu.

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  • Dear Savvy Senior, Im interested in getting my 72-year-old mother a smartphone,

    but want to get one thats very easy for her to use. What can you recommend?

    Shopping Around

    Dear Shopping, There are several different ways you can go about getting your

    mom a simplified smartphone thats easy for her to use. Depending on how much youre willing to spend, here are some different options to consider. Simplify a used phone The cheapest way to set your mom up with an easy-to-use,

    uncomplicated smartphone is to get her a second-hand android phone, and install a senior-friendly launcher app on it, which is a user interface software application.

    This type of launcher will turn the appearance and performance of most android smartphone into a simplified phone with big understandable icons for commonly used features (phone, text messaging, camera, contacts, etc.) and no excess clutter. Most launchers can also be customized to fit your moms needs and preferences.

    There are a variety of launcher apps available today that provide this type of technology and are completely free to use. Some popular options include, Necta Launcher (launcher.necta.us), Wiser (wiser-me.com), Seniors Phone (seniorsphone.mobi), Fontrillo (fontrillo.com) and Big Launcher (biglauncher.com), which also offers an upgraded version for $9.

    Or, if you have an old Apple iPhone that youd like to convert, check out Silverline Mobile (silverline.mobi) that converts both Apple and androids for free.

    Purchase a new phone If youre interested in purchasing your mom a new smartphone,

    you have options here too. For starters, you could purchase her a smartphone thats specifically designed for seniors, like GreatCalls Touch3 that costs $150 (with no contract) at greatcall.com or 800-918-8543. This is an android phone, made by Samsung, that has a 4-inch touchscreen and provides a simple menu list to often-used features like the phone, text messages, camera, pictures, email and Internet, along with your contacts and apps.

    It also offers a variety of health and safety features like the 5Star app that would let your mom speak to a certified agent 24/7 that

    could identify her location and get her the help she needs. Urgent Care, which provides access to registered nurses and doctors for advice and diagnoses. And MedCoach, which sends medication reminders.

    Another way you could go is to purchase her a standard/mainstream smartphone that provides a built-in Easy Mode or Simple feature in the phones settings. This will let you convert the phone into a much simpler mode of operation, that provides larger, well labeled icons, to only commonly-used functions like the phone, camera, messaging, Internet, pictures, contacts and her favorite apps.

    Smartphones that offer the Easy Mode or Simple feature include the Samsung Galaxy phones, which are available through most cell phone carriers at prices typically ranging between $400 and $850 without a contract. Or, for a more budget-friendly option, the Huawei Vision 2 and Huawei Ascend Mate 2, which you can buy as an unlocked phone or through Consumer Cellular (consumercellular.com, 888-345-5509) for $80 or $225 without a contract. Consumer Cellular is a top-rated no-contract service provider that also offers discounts to AARP members.

    A nice advantage of getting your mom a mainstream phone is that if she masters the Easy/Simple mode (or gets bored with it), and is ready to expand her skills, you can always switch the phone back to the standard operation mode exposing her to more options. You can also add any number of health and safety features to her phone, like what the Touch3 offers, by downloading their apps at greatcall.com/medical-apps.

    Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.

    Jim Miller, creator of the syndicated Savvy Senior information column, is a longtime advocate of senior issues. He has been featured in Time magazine; is author of The Savvy Senior: The Ultimate Guide to Health, Family and Finances for Senior Citizens; and is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show.

    April 2015 3

    Simplified Smartphone Options for Tech-Shy Seniors

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  • Before a baby boomer launches a healthy diet plan, he or she must first make a basic decision: Do I want to buy the farm by clogged arteries, mor-bid obesity or stroke?

    What? you say. I thought I would avoid all three by eating right.

    Ah, the innocence of baby boomers on a healthy diet. Little do they know what lies ahead.

    Heres why it is almost impossible to eat the way you should:

    Lets say you are very concerned about high cholesterol and the effect that has on your arteries and your heart. Fine and good. So you embark on a mission to eliminate as much saturated fat as possible from your diet. There are tasty foods of all kinds out there especially formulated with a very low-fat content. So you buy, and eat your fill, and find that this low-saturated fat thing is really not so bad.

    But wait. The reason its not so bad is because the food manufacturers compensate for the lack of that silky, satisfying fat taste on your tongue by loading up low-fat foods with sugar. Theres enough sugar in some low-fat products to power a small Montana city for a year.

    So all youve done is dropped the fat and exchanged it for morbid obesity, which is just as hard or worse on your ticker. Way to go.

    OK, you say, Ill eat foods with low fat and very little sugar. Go ahead and try. Guess what youll be eating? Food loaded with sodium. Hey, something has to make food with practically nothing in it palat-able and salt knows how to fill that role perfectly. With all that sodi-um in your body, better keep a blood pressure cuff handy so you dont blow a gasket.

    So there you are, desperately look-ing for food with no fat, no sugar and no salt. Youre pretty much down to eating air.

    There is only one food in the world

    that meets all the high-falutin qualifi-cations you seek: carrots. This is how people become vegans. Theyve been forced into a monk-like lifestyle by the existential collision of fat, sugar and salt. A select few have the intestinal fortitude to live as vegans, but its out of the question for most of us dietarily weak baby boomers.

    So whats the solution? The compro-mise all baby boomers have ultimately settled on: eat carrots dipped in ranch dressing.

    Just not too much ranch dressing. Dwight Harriman

    Montana Best Times Editor

    April 2015 4

    OpinionPick your poison: fat, sugar or salt

    A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and BetterMONTANA

    Dwight Harriman, Editor Tom Parisella, Designer

    P.O. Box 2000, 401 S. Main St., Livingston MT 59047Tel. (406) 222-2000 or toll-free (800) 345-8412 Fax: (406) 222-8580 E-mail: [email protected] Subscription rate: $25/yr. Published monthly by Yellowstone Newspapers, Livingston, Montana

    Letters Policy MontanaBestTimeswelcomesletterstotheeditorexpressingopinionsonanyissueofapublicinteresttoourreadership.Butinordertobepublished,thelettersmust: Includethewritersfirstandlastname,homeaddressanddaytimephonenum-ber. Addressesandphonenumbersmaybeusedforverification,butonlythenameandhometownwillbepublished. Bekeptshortand,ifpossibledealwithonetopic.MontanaBestTimesreservestherighttoeditforlength,tasteandlibelconsiderations. [email protected].

  • By Montana Best Times Staff

    We Montanans are pretty well versed in major early Western events and issues. Battle of Little Big Horn? Know about that. The designation of Yellowstone as the nations first national park? Know about that, too.

    But how much do we know about western business history? Hmmm hadnt thought much about that one.

    A brand new book, Out Where the West Begins: Pro-files, Visions & Strategies of Early Western Business Leaders by Philip E. Anschutz can do a lot to beef up our knowledge in that area.

    Between 1800 and 1920, an extraordinary cast of bold innovators and entrepreneurs individuals such as Cyrus McCormick, Brigham Young, Henry Wells and James Fargo, Fred Harvey, Levi Strauss, Adolph Coors, J. P. Morgan and Buf-falo Bill Cody helped lay the groundwork for what we now call the American West, says a news release from University of Okla-homa Press, publisher of Out Where the West Begins. These individuals were people of imagination and courage, adept at maneuvering the rapids of change, alert to opportunity, persistent in their missions.

    They had big ideas they were not afraid to test. They stitched the country together with the first transcontinental railroad, invented the Model A and built the roads it traveled on, raised cit-ies and supplied them with water and electricity, established banks for immigrant populations, entertained the world with film and showmanship, and created a new form of western hospitality for early travelers.

    Not all were ideal role models, the release says. Most, however, once they had made their fortunes, shared them in the form of

    cultural institutions, charities, libraries, parks and other amenities that continue to enrich lives in the West today.

    Beautifully illustrated with 57 color illustrations and two maps, Out Where the West Begins profiles some 50 of these individu-als, tracing the arcs of their lives, exploring their backgrounds and motivations, identifying their contributions, and analyzing the strategies they developed to succeed in their chosen fields.

    Author Philip F. Anschutz has business interests in communi-cations, transportation, natural and renewable resources, real estate, lodging and entertainment. Among his personal interests are the study of Western history and collecting paintings of the early American West. Working with Western scholars William J. Convery and Thomas J. Noel, Anschutz has brought a unique perspective to his subject in this engaging book of essays.

    Out Where the West Begins is available from online book-sellers, in bookstores, and directly from the University of Okla-homa Press by calling (800) 627-7377 or visiting at www.oupress.com.

    Bookshelf

    April 2015 5

    Out Where the West Begins: Profiles, Visions & Strategies of Early Western Business Leaders By Philip F. Anschutz University of Oklahoma 2015 Hardcover 392 pages 6 x 9 ISBN: 978-0-9905502-0-4

    How much do you

    really know about

    early Western

    business history?

  • By Amorette Allison Montana Best Times

    MILES CITY Back in the 1970s, several women who enjoyed playing pool in Miles City decided to get together and form a womens pool league. At its height, the league had 16 teams with four to five members each playing. Every bar in town sponsored a team.

    Today, there are fewer teams but there are still some serious women pool play-ers. One team in particular, the Parker Babes, who have been playing for Park-

    ers Bar for 28 years, serve as an example of how pool playing can lead to more than just a few games. It can lead to long-term friendships and adventures.

    The teamMartha Crandall, Karan Charles, Linda

    Walker, Linda Moore and Theresa Esser have been playing together for nearly three decades, frequently winning their league championships.

    Martha, known as MJ to her fellow players, is a Miles City native who gradu-ated from Custer County District High

    School. She attended University of Mon-tana in Missoula before returning to Miles City and starting to play pool. MJ also played on the Airport Inn pool team, where she has worked for many years when the Airport Inn sponsored a team.

    Linda Moore and Theresa Esser, who are sisters, are also from Miles City and graduated from Sacred Heart High School. Another sister, Brenda Esser Koski, who has since moved to Arizona, was one of the founders of the original womans pool league.

    Karan Torgerson Charles is another

    April 2015 6

    On the cover: The Parker Babes team poses for a shot at Parkers Bar in Miles City.

    Miles City Parkers Bar pool team provides avenue for fun and friendship

    MT Best Times photos by Steve AllisonAbove: The Parker Babes team members are pictured at Parkers Bar in Miles City, recently. From left are Linda Moore, The-resa Esser, Martha Crandall, Linda Walker and Karan Charles.

  • native of Miles City and a CCDHS graduate.The only non-native Miles Citian of the group, Linda Walker,

    grew up in Bozeman and moved to Miles City from Ogden, Utah.

    It was the first place I lived without mountains, Walker said, and she wasnt too sure she would stay. Now she loves Miles City and cant imagine living anywhere else.

    Not just poolBetween games, they also do other things together.All five women are big fans of professional football. They all

    support different teams, which means they go to different cities every year to watch their teams play. The teams they support are the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cow-boys, the Oakland Raiders and the Green Bay Packers, which gets them around the region.

    In addition to watching football, there is usually some shop-ping involved.

    One year involved a trip to some outlet malls, downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of the Americas. They were traveling in Linda Moores Dodge Journey, which has coolers built into the floor, and the vehicle was so full that, in order to fit every-thing in, the women put their shoes into the coolers. MJ says they were packed in like sardines. Plus, they had an NFL hel-met they had brought along to be signed that had to stuffed in somewhere.

    The next year, Moores husband gave her a cargo topper the largest size he could find for her birthday, so the ladies could shop.

    Getting goodMJ says she and the others learned to play pool by playing

    pool. When she first started, the team she played on was not very good.

    We considered it a good thing if we came in second from last in league play, MJ said. As the years passed, though, the players got better.

    Another Miles City woman pool player not one of the Parker Babes who has watched MJ play said she is in awe of her ability now.

    This year, the Parker Babes won both the league champion-ship and the league tournament.

    Fewer teams Crandall noted that the pool leagues, like many other social

    organizations, have dropped in membership over the years, and there are fewer and fewer pool teams.

    She gestured toward the half-empty banquet room at the Eagles Hall, where the end-of-season pool league banquet is held and said, We used to fill this place up completely.

    This year may be the last year for womens pool in Miles City. Although MJ and her friends are great fans of pool, fewer

    and fewer people are playing. While there were six teams this year, enough to form a league, one dissolved mid-year and another wont be coming back next year.

    MJ is encouraging anyone interested in playing pool to join up in the fall. As she knows, you dont have to be a good player to join. Anyone interested can sign up in the fall and start learn-ing the cues.

    And, perhaps, form friendships that last for decades and take up marathon shopping and all the other advantages of long time good times.

    Amorette F. Allison may be reached at [email protected] or (406) 234-0450.

    April 2015 7

    Above: Team member Theresa Esser sports the pool teams logo on a T-shirt.

    Below: Team member Martha Crandall is pictured at Park-ers Bar, recently.

    This year, the Parker Babes won both the league championship and the league tournament.

  • By Thomas Watson Montana Best Times

    LIVINGSTON Despite growing up in New York City and living in Los Ange-les as an adult, Harris Peet doesnt describe himself as a city person, and says his eight years in Montana have been eight great years.

    Before moving to Montana, however, Peet had the rare chance to work with the Nation-al Hockey Leagues Los Angeles Kings.

    Peet had been working in a Los Angeles night club when, during a sold-out night, he noticed that one of the people who couldnt get in was a hockey player. That

    opened the door for Peet to serve as the teams practice goalie and equipment assistant for the next 25 years.

    I got him in, and it all just snowballed from there, he said of how the opportuni-ty presented itself. If you loved hockey, and you werent going to be able to make a living playing it, this was pretty close. You did everything (the team) did except for play the games. I went on the road with them a number of times, as well. If you couldnt get where you wanted to go, close enough isnt bad.

    Peets time with the Kings provided him not only with chances to get on the ice

    with professional hockey players, but also to create friendships with lasting bonds.

    You meet all these people and some of them are still your friends, and some of them are people that just passed through your life. Wayne Gretzky does a fantasy hockey camp every year, he said of this years camp, held in March in Las Vegas. He called me a few months ago and asked me to come work there. After not seeing him for many years, and some of the other players that will be there, it makes you think, Life does keep going, but the past does have some value.

    Ive lived in Montana for eight years,

    April 2015 8

    MT Best Times photo by Hunter DAntuonoHarris Peet hams it up for the camera recently, with a hockey puck in his mouth and a goalies glove and blocker that were worn by a former Buffalo Sabres goalie.

    For the love of hockeyFormer practice goalie for LA Kings talks about his life in the game

  • so when I think about the 30 years I spent in Los Angeles, sometimes I think maybe I made that life up. Maybe its not true. Then to have Wayne Gretzky call me and ask me to come to his fantasy camp, may-be that life did happen.

    Peet spent 30 years as an adult in Los Angeles, but he grew up in New York, where he learned his love for hockey.

    When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my dad took me to a New York Rangers game at the old Madison Square Garden, he said. I fell in love with the game. I found it interesting and exciting, so when the lake would freeze, we would go play. When I got older, I started getting involved with teams and playing in indoor rinks. Its such a great game, and such a great game to grow old with. You can keep playing in some form or another for as long as you want.

    Hockey just grabs you. People who play hockey really love their sport, cer-tainly as much as anyone else. Its just a great game, so once it got a hold of me, there wasnt much I could do about it.

    Peet now works with the Livingston Ice Skating Association from time to time and

    plays hockey in and around the Bozeman area.

    Thomas Watson can be reached at [email protected] or (406) 222-2000.

    April 2015 9

    Photos courtesy of Harris PeatHarris Peet, right, jokes with hockey great Wayne Gretzky during a fantasy hockey camp in Las Vegas in the early 2000s.

    Here are some easy ways to get rid of clutter By Wina Sturgeon

    Adventure Sports Weekly/TNS

    One of the drawbacks of getting older is that time brings an increasing accumulation of things. These things litter all kinds of spare space drawers, shelves, closets and spare rooms. Nearly all of it is clutter. Its not stuff you really want, but yet its hard to figure out what do to with it.

    I finally got rid of my vast collection of clutter by hiring a professional organizer. Organizers are very expensive, but theyre worth it. At the very least, an organizer can help you get into a rhythm of clearing away the clutter thats taking up space in your home. Youll learn a different way of thinking about

    your collection of stuff.For example, my organizer saw a faded stoneware cookie jar

    hidden on a shelf in my basement and asked, Why are you keeping that? I explained that I wanted it after my mother died as a reminder of all the childhood treats it once held. She said, If you love it, dont hide it away. Find a way to use and display it. The cookie jar is now a flour container, displayed on a kitchen counter. I get to see it every day.

    I also found good advice on the site webmd.com in an article by Gina Shaw. She writes, If you think you dont have time to clear your clutter, think again. With an action plan from experts, you can bust the clutter in your home in 15-minute chunks

    See Clutter, Page 13

    Cops: Man left behind credit card used to jimmy garage door

    WEST SUNBURY, Pa. (AP) State police in Pennsylvania say a trespassing suspect used his own credit card to jimmy open a garage door, then left it behind when the homeowner suddenly appeared and startled him.

    The important clue helped police arrest 41-year-old Brent Hen-ry, of East Butler, on March 21 in Clay Township.

    Police tell the Butler Eagle that Henry used the card to pick the lock at a friends mobile home.

    Police say the homeowner heard a noise and caught Henry, who ran away but left the credit card behind.

    Police say Henry told them he planned to take some gasoline for another friends car.

    Online court records dont list a defense attorney to comment on the charges. Henry faces a preliminary hearing on criminal trespass and other charges April 7.

    News Lite

  • By Robert Witham Montana Best Times

    COLUMBUS The last 15 years in my life have been an absolute joy, said Bob Solie. Doing something for other people is much more enjoyable than doing something for yourself.

    Solie, now 78, retired from his insur-ance and real estate career to work instead

    with the horses at Special K Ranch in Columbus. Special K is a working ranch for adults with developmental disabilities. The ranch is located between Columbus and Park City.

    Someone had given the ranch a team of horses to be used in a parade in Billings, and Solies daughter recommended him to work with the horses. When Solie was asked to help with the riding program at the ranch 15 years ago, he made the deci-sion to retire from his career.

    I really believe that God planted me here, he said.

    During the years he has worked at the ranch, Solie said he has never not wanted to go to work. Instead he hops out of bed in the morning.

    I love these people, he said. Absolute best people in the world.

    April 2015 10

    MT Best Times photos by Robert Witham Horses and a dog at the Special K Ranch in Columbus gather around Bob Solie, recently.

    I love these

    people. Absolute

    best people in the

    world Bob Solie

    Columbus resident relishes working at ranch for developmentally disabled adults

    A passion for horses and people

  • Solie said it is a privilege for him to be at the ranch.In the past, the horses at the ranch were for recreation, but

    Financial Manager Sharon Flemetis had a vision for a therapeutic riding program. That program was launched in 2014.

    The residents absolutely love the riding program, Solie said. It is also interesting to see how the horses respond to the residents, he said, adding that the horses know who is riding them.

    Solie has trained horses all of his life. He has owned draught horses, Morgans, mustangs, quarter horses and Tennessee Walk-ers.

    Theyve always been my passion and my recreation, he said.Solie was born and raised in Wisconsin, but came to Montana

    in 1959 after serving in the Army and attending college in Minne-sota. Drafted into the Army and stationed in Louisiana from 1955 to 1957, Solie served in the finance corps, where he computed payroll for the National Guard.

    I got out of the Army and I figured out that winter didnt have to last for seven months, Solie said of his decision to move to Montana.

    Solie has also had a number of foster kids at his home over the years. Some were short-term while others were long-term. He said he has had around 40 over the years, including a woman and her kids who came to the U.S. from Panama after fleeing from Manuel Noriega. Solie helped the woman go to college, find a job, and even find a husband.

    I did it because I loved it, Solie said of taking in foster kids.Solie said he has traveled to a lot of countries, but never

    enjoyed doing things for himself as much as for people who need it.

    Reach Robert Witham at [email protected] or (406) 322-5212.

    April 2015 11

    Bob Solie is pictured at the Special K Ranch. Solie, who has trained horses all his life, is a perfect fit for the ranchs riding pro-gram.

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  • By Kathleen Gilluly Montana Best Times

    JOLIET Once a telecom executive charged with developing training docu-ments, methods and procedures, Susan Wolfe has embarked on a second career with the Joliet Community Center thats just as challenging, and one in which shes part of developing a vibrant, multifaceted community hub.

    A home in MontanaAlthough wed been coming to Mon-

    tana to visit for years, it wasnt until we retired that we could make the move, said Wolfe, 59, a Kansas native who is the director of the Joliet Community Center. After making the decision in April 2010, we were here by that July first, with no house or jobs.

    The Joliet area in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains in the south-central part of the state wasnt even under consid-eration for possible homesites at the time.

    I just knew I didnt want to be in the Miles City area where my husband had grown up, Wolfe said. We were visiting family in nearby Fromberg and took a drive and saw a house we liked, and decid-ed to buy it.

    The move proved a good fit.We like being close to the mountains

    and the city, Wolfe said. While living in this area wasnt on the radar, it ended up being a good place to be.

    Finding her nicheThe former Sprint executive said neither

    she nor her husband, Evan, had jobs that were easily transferable. Her position as a curriculum development director was exclusive to the telecom industry she worked in, and he had been with the IRS.

    Although the couple had long talked

    about making the transition to his home state, it wasnt until he was several years retired, and Wolfe just retired that they made the leap.

    Despite retirement, Wolfe has no inten-tion of slowing down,and she never did.

    April 2015 12

    MT Best Times photos by Kathleen GillulySusan Wolfe stands outside the Joliet Community Center, recently.

    Keeping them

    connectedMontana transplant

    manages the hub of community life

  • I had just returned from photography school in Missoula when Evan asked if I still wanted to live in Montana, she said. It was that simple.

    Shortly after the Joliet Community Center opened, Wolfe became a patron of the library, one of the anchor organizations in the building. There she heard about the opening for a part-time director of the center. Shes been at the helm, under the direction of a board of directors, ever since.

    Although Wolfe works from a smaller office than she had in the corporate world, she enjoys her job. She races around, open-ing doors for tenants, talking on the phone, showing the hall to a couple thinking of getting married and having their reception there, or organizing fundraisers, all while fielding people coming to the door with questions and serving as the unofficial tourist director for Carbon County.

    The center of it allThe Joliet Community Center is the hub of the small Carbon

    County community. Opened in 2001, it took the efforts of almost the entire population of Joliet to raise the money for the building which now houses a large meeting hall, a commercial kitchen, the Joliet Public Library, the Joliet Senior Center, Joliet Head Start, Beartooth Billings Clinics Physical Therapy clinic and the River-Stone Health Clinic.

    Besides the various groups residing at the center, the VFW and Lions Club meet there. Zumba lessons are offered twice weekly. Everything from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to a teen West-ern dance class are on the regular schedule, as are weddings, receptions and fundraisers.

    There are only about 600 residents here, Wolfe said, but they are the most generous and helpful folks youll ever meet. People even wrote us into their wills to help support this place.

    She also touted their kindness to other community members.Ive seen them raise $80,000 for someone facing illness, she

    said.

    Still growingWhile the diminutive, blue-eyed blonde has energy to spare

    and takes great pride in her work at the center, she also has a pho-

    tography business.I like taking pictures of events, Wolfe said. Living here

    offers so many possibilities.Her website, www.susanwolfephotography.com, features pho-

    tos from gatherings of a cowboy action gun shooting club, the Montana Territory Peacemakers.

    They are all good sports, Wolfe said about the participants of the club who dress in Old West garb and shoot at a Billings range. Montana is a just a great place for photography, travel and living. I know more about Montana than Kansas now.

    She added that after living here, she finds two-lane roads as good as any freeway for traveling.

    Montana is refreshing for me, she said. We can just take off and go in any direction.

    Reach Kathleen Gilluly at [email protected] or (406) 628-4412.

    April 2015 13

    Wolfe is pictured in her office at the Joliet Community Center.

    every day and build yourself an oasis of calm thats also less of a haven for dust, dirt, and allergens.

    My paid organizer served as my expert. She helped me set up a daily 15-minute schedule, with the goal of filling at least half of a grocery bag with stuff to be tossed or donated. At the end of each dai-ly session, the bag of discards was imme-diately placed outside my door. The trick is, dont just put stuff somewhere else. Get it outside your home immediately so its sorted and gone.

    That includes what the organizer called someday clutter. Someday youre going to read those old magazines and catalogs. Someday youre going to drop four sizes and be able to wear those too-small clothes that have been hanging in your

    closet for years. Someday youre going to find the other sock or the tops to all those storage container bottoms.

    Count on this: those somedays will never come. Even if you drop four cloth-ing sizes, youre going to want new clothes, not things that have been hanging in your closet for years and years.

    Many folks need time to make up their mind about what to throw out, especially when it comes to stuffed closets. Heres a great tip to find out what clothing should no longer be hanging around:

    Start by making up about 50 paper tabs, about the size of a credit card, containing the days date. Go through all your cloth-ing closets. Take out every hanging gar-ment and string one of the dated tags on the hanger by poking a hole in it with the

    hanger hook. When you wear any of these garments, remove and toss the tab.

    One year later, look for all the clothing with hangers that still have dated tags. It will have been a year. Are you ever going to wear these items again? Be realistic about everything. If you havent worn it in a year, sell or donate it.

    Another good piece of advice came from Better Homes and Gardens, with a tip from Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out. She wrote:

    Problem: Your organization efforts dont seem to yield results.

    Solution: Avoid zigzag organizing. Scattering your efforts over multiple

    Clutter, from Page 9

    See Clutter, Page 15

  • By Jason Stuart Ranger-Review Staff Writer

    GLENDIVE When it comes to the theater scene in Glen-dive, Ron Conrad is the man behind the curtain.

    Conrad, 69, has been producing and directing plays with Glen-dives high school and community college students for the past few decades.

    He recently wrapped production on Dawson Community Col-leges spring play for this year, Greater Tuna. The college typi-cally puts on two plays per year, one each semester.

    Unexpected involvement in dramaConrad began his teaching career as an English and speech

    teacher at Wibaux High School, about 30 miles east of Glendive. He also began teaching drama in Wibaux because, as he put it, its typical for English teachers at small schools to be pulled into teaching drama and directing school plays.

    According to Conrad, its something he never expected hed end up doing when he was younger.

    When I was in college, if youd told me I would be an Eng-lish, speech and drama teacher, I would have slapped you, he said.

    However, Conrads attitude changed once he became involved with teaching drama.

    I just discovered that it was fun and I had a knack for it, he said.

    It also helped that he had always held an innate appreciation of the arts.

    I have been a supporter of the arts and the fine arts forever, Conrad said.

    After teaching in Wibaux for eight years, Conrad moved over to Dawson County High School, where he spent nearly two decades before retiring in 1997. During his tenure at DCHS, the schools forensics team won nine state championships.

    Upon retiring from DCHS, Conrad began working for Glen-dives Head Start program, where he still works today. He also started teaching speech classes at DCC as an adjunct professor immediately after retiring from DCHS.

    April 2015 14

    MT Best Times photos by Chad KnudsonRon Conrad, drama teacher at Dawson Community College, urges a student to project her voice during a rehearsal for the play Greater Tuna, which was performed March 20 and 21.

    The man behind the curtain

    Ron Conrad loves the challenges that come with producing plays

  • Teaching drama at DCCIn 2008, Conrad once more took up teaching drama

    classes at the college, and has been doing so since.I think its a fantastic experience for the students,

    and I like teaching students of that age, Conrad said.

    Acting in or helping produce a play can give com-munity college students an experience that will help them become more well-rounded individuals after they move on from DCC, according to Conrad.

    Give them an audience and let them have that experience, because thats a tough experience, he said. If they get the experience of success in front of a large group of people, thats an important experi-ence for that age.

    Producing plays at the small community college comes with its own set of challenges, however. For one, Conrad has only two years to work with the stu-dents under his charge.

    It was actually quite easier in high school, because you could start a kid as a freshman and have four years to train them, he said.

    It can also be a struggle to get enough students to sign up to participate in DCCs plays, so Conrads solution when that happens is to open up the produc-tion to community members, which he finds actually helps students.

    I like that, because those kids that want the experi-ence are learning from the other people in the play, and what a great experience for them, he said.

    Conrad added he actually enjoys the challenges that come with producing plays at DCC, since it keeps the job fresh for him.

    Its a new experience every year, and its kind of fun, he said.

    According to Conrad, the two plays he produces each year also benefit everyone involved.

    I think its just a nice cultural experience for the community, and I love teaching theater skills to young students, Conrad said.

    Its an experience he doesnt plan to give up any-time soon.

    Im healthy and I like it. I want to retire, and I keep yelling that, but as long as I can manage the whole thing, Ill keep doing it, Conrad said. Ill be a teacher until I die.

    Reach Jason Stuart at [email protected].

    April 2015 15

    Above: Ron Conrad, right, explains the importance of exaggerated facial expressions to Dawson Community College sophomore Mason Weidner during a rehearsal for Greater Tuna.

    Below: Conrad shows students helping on the set of Greater Tuna how to finish painting it.

    rooms prevents you from seeing progress. For visible, dramatic results, work one room at a time, one section at a time, complet-ing each area before you move on to the next.

    Since my biggest clutter problem is surfaces, I began clearing one surface at a time, in one room, until most of the tables and counters were cleared. At first, it was hard. It often took a week before Id found a place or use for everything or tossed it into the discard bag. But as I got into the rhythm of clearing off sur-faces, it became faster and easier.

    Youll find that clearing away the junk you dont really want or need gives you a sense of freedom, plus a marvelous feeling of self esteem. Even better, you may find you have a knack for doing it. In that case, you can set up shop as a professional organizer yourself, and make quite a good income by helping others to also clear away their clutter.

    EDITORS NOTE: Wina Sturgeon is an active boomer based in Salt Lake City who offers news on the science of anti-aging and staying youthful at adventuresportsweekly.com.

    Clutter, from Page 13

  • EDITORS NOTE: Montana Best Times has been featuring some of the fascinating adventures Terry McEneaney had when he was Yellowstone National Parks ornithologist. Following is anoth-er excerpt from a new book he is writing, Lucky Feathers: Adventures and Experiences of a Yel-lowstone Ornithologist.

    The longer the time spent in the field, the great-er the chances of making a unique scientific dis-

    covery about birds. Oftentimes these discoveries are not planned one actually stumbles on them by simply paying attention in the field and being familiar with the life histories of bird species.

    The first time I noticed something very different about nuthatch feed-ing behavior was late July 1987 while conducting Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) surveys on large cliffs in the remote southeast corner of Yellowstone National Park. From that day on and for over two decades thereafter of traveling mainly alone and by foot in the Yellow-stone backcountry, I paid particular attention to observe whether my ini-tial discovery was simply a fluke or more a pattern of behavior unknown to science.

    It turned out to be a repeated pattern of foraging behavior by White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis nelsoni) on cliffs, and interest-ingly enough, only found to date in the volcanic conglomerate rock fac-es of the Absaroka Mountains bordering Yellowstone to the east. This nuthatch foraging behavior discovery is probably more widespread in

    April 2015 16

    Terry McEneaney is ornithologist emeritus for Yellowstone National Park, and is the author of three books: Birding Montana, Birds of Yellowstone, and The Uncommon Loon. He has been watching birds for 50 years and is one of Montanas most experienced birders.

    Unique discovery of

    wallcreeper foraging behavior in Yellowstone Nuthatches

    BirdingBig Sky

    Photo by Jim Peaco/Yellowstone National ParkA White-breasted Nuthatch is pictured on a tree trunk near Silver

    Gate in this file photo from 2006.

  • distribution, but was limited in Yellow-stone due to late access of remote areas and the melting of mountain snows.

    Makes perfect senseAs most people realize, nuthatches

    belong to the family Sittidae known for being small arboreal or tree-dwelling perching birds with short tails and rounded wings and small dagger-like bills. Their general plumage color is gray or blue above with either blackish eye stripes, or caps, and white bellies and/or rusty breasts.

    They normally fly from tree to tree, landing high on the tree, working the bark and leaving low in the tree. Their charac-teristic foot locomotion is to move head first with jerky hops investigating nooks and crannies, crevices and holes while for-aging for insects, spiders and seeds/nuts and by almost always descending trees with their feet, hence down the hatch. Occasionally, one will find them on the ground foraging for food, but by and large they are found primarily in trees.

    So to my surprise, they were discovered foraging on the volcanic conglomerate cliffs in July and August on many occa-sions over the years, using a wallcreeper style feeding or foraging behavior. It so happens Yellowstone volcanic conglomer-ate rock, when it heats up from the hot sun

    in July and August, is a magnet for insects trying to stay warm in this cold environ-ment. So it makes perfect sense why White-breasted Nuthatches take advantage of this niche and valuable temporary food resource.

    A look around the worldAre there other birds or close relatives

    of the White-breasted Nuthatch that exhib-it similar wallcreeper feeding behavior? The quick answer to this would be no, not in North America at least. But the more difficult answer lies in the fact that the fos-sil record for modern nuthatches and relat-ed species is quite scant.

    There are however, three very similar families of small scansorial (climbing) birds that originated out of Asia/Eurasia, and radiated to other parts of the globe as we find them today. It appears the nut-hatches (Sittidae- 1 genus Sitta; species: 27=worldwide, 4=NA) of North America radiated out of Asia, the wallcreepers (Tichodromidae-1 genus: Tichodroma; species:1=worldwide, 0=NA ) radiated and/but remained pretty much in Eurasia, while the treecreepers (Certhiidae- 2 gen-era-- Certhia: species: 9=worldwide, 1=NA & Salpornis; species: 1=worldwide, 0=NA) radiated out of Asia to current dis-tribution as far away as North America /Central America and Africa. The Latin

    term tichodroma translated into English simply means wall runner, hence the name wallcreepers.

    But are there any nuthatch species in the world that exhibit a similar rockcreeper or wallcreeper foraging behavior? The answer is yes, and surprisingly, there are two nuthatch species that forage on rock surfaces/rock walls in Eurasia that are very closely related to the White-breasted Nut-hatch. They are the larger Eastern Rock Nuthatch (S. tephonota) and the smaller Western Rock Nuthatch (S. neumayer), and they are the White-breasted Nut-hatchs closest relatives in the evolution-ary family tree of life. Yet the rock nut-hatches collectively climb upward head first, just the opposite of the White-breast-ed Nuthatch, which climbs and forages by descending head first.

    So if you ever venture into the back-country of the Greater Yellowstone or throughout the mountains of Montana, and you happen to hear a staccato sound com-ing from a cliff, do not be surprised if the sound comes from a White-breasted Nut-hatch. Yes, that is right, a White-breasted Nuthatch making its horse-like whinnying yidididididi call from a rock cliff. But most importantly you might just recall this personal account of the discovery of the unusual wallcreeper foraging behavior in Yellowstone White-breasted Nuthatch-es.

    April 2015 17

    More short stories from Lucky Feathers: Adventures and Experiences of a Yellowstone Ornithologist, will be featured in forthcoming issues of Montana Best Times. In the meantime, enjoy Montana birds! And the Best of Big Sky Birding to you!

    Bird watching questions may be sent to Terry McEneaney by writing to 1215 Lolo St., Missoula, MT 59802; emailing [email protected]; or visiting www.yellowstonewildlifeguides.com or www.ravenidiot.com. If questions are mailed, include a phone number at which you can be reached.

    Terry McEneaney is pictured after a successful trip finding Peregrine Falcons on cliffs on the eastern edge of Yellowstone National Park in the Absaroka Mountains of Wyoming. The cliffs also have White-breasted Nuthatches.

    Photo courtesy of Terry McEneaney

  • By Megan Nicolai The Orange County Register/TNS

    What prolongs your life or prevents dementia might not be what you expect.

    Claudia Kawas, a geriatric neurologist at UC Irvine, has been working on a longitudi-nal study of people age 90 and older since 2003 called the 90-plus study. Kawas spoke in front of a packed crowd of 200 at the Newport Beach Public Library Monday

    about what shes found in her research on what can help a persons longevity and what can reduce a persons risk for dementia.

    In the U.S. right now, two million people are older than 90. That could hit 10 million by 2050, according to research Kawas high-lighted during the lecture.

    Weve got a real burgeoning group of individuals in this age range and we know very little about them, Kawas said.

    About 30 years ago, USC researchers sent

    a 14-page questionnaire to residents of Lei-sure World, now Laguna Woods. About 13,000 people ranging from age 55 to 100 responded, and also answered four follow-up questionnaires about lifestyle, benefit and exercise. About two-thirds were female.

    Kawas said the study didnt show much benefit in taking vitamins A, E, C or calci-um for longevity. Tea had no effect, but nei-ther did soda.

    On the other hand, people who drank modest consumption of alcohol from one or two drinks a week to one daily drink seemed to live longer on average. People who also consumed 200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day about one small Star-bucks coffee a day lived longer on aver-age.

    A persons body mass index also had an interesting effect on longevity. Being over-weight was a negative until 80, but beyond that age it showed a benefit of a 3 percent reduction in mortality. And beyond age 80, underweight individuals had a 50 percent increase in mortality.

    Exercise, even just an average of 15 min-utes per day, helped and 45 minutes was the best. Leisure activities pretty much any-thing that got people moving also helped.

    Kawas said the 90-plus study at UC Irvine was an extension of the questionnaire that aimed to look at quality of life in the oldest population. About 1,600 people older than 90 entered the study, and the researchers began finding out some interesting details.

    Beginning at 65, a persons risk for dementia doubles with every five years of life. Kawas research showed that trend con-tinued past 90.

    High blood pressure also has an effect on a persons risk for dementia but probably not in the way youd expect. Kawas said that a person who developed hypertension in her 80s or 90s actually saw a reduction in the risk for dementia by as much as 60 percent.

    Researchers dont yet know what causes that phenomenon it could be the drugs used to treat hypertension, or maybe older populations simply need more pressure on aging blood vessel walls.

    Were busily untangling all of this right now, because we dont really know what the reason is, Kawas said.

    Shes working to figure out what mecha-nisms cause that trend.

    April 2015 18

    Mindy Schauer/Orange County Register/TNSDr. Claudia Kawas, left, and Maria Corrada, Ph.D., both professors at the University of California-Irvine, are investigating the effects of aging on people 90 and above.

    Want to live past 90?You might want to hear what a UC researcher has learned from the oldest old

  • April 2015 19

    Custer & Rosebud counties- American Legion: Will need volunteer

    ticket takers this summer.- Clinic Ambassador: Need volunteer to

    greet patients and visitors, providing direc-tions and more, two locations.- Custer County Food Bank: Volunteer assis-

    tants needed for 8 a.m-1:30 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, to process dona-tions, stock shelves and more.- Friendship Villa: Volunteers needed to help

    with activities.- Grammas Ice Cream Shoppe: RSVP will

    need help selling ice cream at the Eastern Montana Fair August 19-22.- Historic Miles City Academy: Volunteer

    store clerk needed.- Historic Miles City Academy Academic

    Program: Assistant and Education assistant needed to help with personal and professional development courses/programs.- Meals on Wheels: RSVP will be delivering

    the last two weeks in May.- Miles City Historic Preservation Office and

    City Clerks Office: Clerical help needed.- Range Riders Museum: Volunteers needed

    7 days per week to greet visitors, run the cash register and more.- Soup Kitchen: Volunteers needed to greet

    (seated position), serve and/or prepare food.- St. Vincent DePaul: Volunteers to assist in

    several different capacities.- VA Activities: Urgent need for someone to

    help with activities.- VA Community Living Center: Volunteer

    with people skills needed to interview CLC residents on a monthly basis. Must be able to objectively ask questions, work on a laptop while doing so, and be accurate. Select your own hours. People skills and accuracy are important.- WaterWorks Art Museum: Volunteer recep-

    tionists needed, two-hour shifts Tuesdays-Sundays.If you are interested in these or other volun-

    teer opportunities please contact: Betty Vail, RSVP Director; 210 Winchester Ave. #225, MT 59301; phone (406) 234-0505; email: [email protected].

    Dawson County- Local Farm to Table Store: Someone to

    help in and during store hours, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. - Makoshika Visitors Center: Volunteers

    needed to assist on Mondays and Tues-days. Training provided. If you have a need for or a special interest

    or desire to volunteer somewhere in the com-munity, please contact: Patty Atwell, RSVP Director, 604 Grant, Glendive, MT 59330; phone (406) 377-4716; email: [email protected].

    Fergus & Judith Basin counties- Art Center: In need of volunteers on Satur-

    days. - Boys and Girls Club: Receptionist and

    front desk greeter.- Community Cupboard (Food Bank): Vol-

    unteers are needed to help any week morn-ings as well as with deliveries. - Council on Aging: Volunteers needed to

    assist at the Senior Center (Grubstakes) and with home delivered meals and senior trans-portation. - Library: Volunteer help always appreciat-

    ed. - ROWL (Recycle Our Waste Lewistown):

    Recruiting volunteers for the third Saturday of the month to help sorting, baling and loading recyclables - RSVP Health Fair: Volunteers needed to

    host our table, April 25. - Treasure Depot: Thrift store needs volun-

    teers to sort, hang clothes and put other items on display for sale. - Always have various needs for your skills

    and volunteer services in our community.- Current RSVP volunteers are encouraged

    to turn in your hours each month; your contri-bution to the community is greatly appreciat-ed! Contact: RSVP Volunteer Coordinator Sara

    Wald, 404 W. Broadway, Wells Fargo Bank building (upstairs), Lewistown, MT 59457; phone (406) 535-0077; email: [email protected].

    Gallatin County - American Cancer Society-Road to Recov-

    ery: Drivers needed for patients receiving treatments from their home to the hospital- American Red Cross Blood Drive: Two

    volunteer opportunities available: an ambas-sador needed to welcome, greet, thank and provide overview for blood donors; and phone team volunteers needed to remind, recruit or thank blood donors. Excellent cus-tomer service skills needed, training will be provided, flexible schedule. - Befrienders: Befriend a senior; visit on a

    regular weekly basis. - Belgrade Senior Center: Meals on Wheels

    needs regular and substitute drivers Monday-Friday, to deliver meals to seniors before noon. - Big Brothers Big Sisters: Be a positive role

    model for only a few hours each week.- Bozeman and Belgrade Sacks Thrift

    Stores: Need volunteers 2-3-hour shifts on any day, Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.- Bozeman Deaconess Hospital: Volunteers

    needed for the information desks in the Atri-um and the Perk, 8 a.m.-noon, noon- 4 p.m.- Bozeman Senior Center Foot Clinic:

    Retired or nearly retired nurses are urgently needed, 2 days a month, either 4- or 8-hour shifts.- Bozeman Symphony: In need of volunteer

    ushers for the March and April Symphony.- Galavan: Volunteer drivers needed Mon-

    day-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. CDL required and Galavan will assist you in obtaining one. Vol-unteers also needed to make reminder calls and confirm rides for the following day.- Gallatin Rest Home: Volunteers wanted for

    visiting the residents, sharing your knowledge of a craft, playing cards or reading to a resi-dent.- Gallatin Valley Food Bank: Volunteers

    needed to deliver commodities to seniors in their homes once a month. Deliveries in Bel-grade are especially needed.- HRDC Housing Department Ready to

    Rent: Curriculum for families and individuals who have rental barriers such as lack of poor rental history, property upkeep, renter respon-sibilities, landlord/tenant communication and financial priorities. - HRDC Vita Program: Volunteer Income

    Tax Assistance Program: Volunteers needed to help with paperwork. Training is provided.- Habitat for Humanity Restore: Belgrade

    store needs volunteers for general help, sort-ing donations and assisting customers.- Heart of The Valley: Compassionate volun-

    teers especially needed to love, play with and cuddle cats.- Help Center: Computer literate volunteer

    interested in entering data into a social servic-es database. Also volunteers needed to make phone calls to different agencies/programs to make sure database is up to date and make safety calls to home bound seniors.- Jessie Wilber Gallery at The Emerson: Vol-

    unteers needed on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays to greet people at the main desk, answer questions and keep track of the num-ber of visitors.- MSU Alumni Association: Volunteers

    needed to help with decorations for MSU graduation and reunion weekend.- Museum of the Rockies: Variety of oppor-

    tunities available such as helping in the gift shop and more.- RSVP Handcrafters: Volunteers to quilt,

    knit, crochet and embroider hats for chemo patients, baby blankets and other handmade goods once a week (can work from home). Items are on sale in our store in the RSVP office at the Senior Center or on Saturday Farmers Markets until Sept. 13. Donated yarn needed for the quilting, knitting and crochet-ing projects.- Three Forks Food Bank: Volunteer needed

    on Mondays and/or Thursdays to help with administrative duties, including answering

    See RSVP, Page 20

    Below is a list of volunteer openings available through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) in communities across southern Montana. To learn more about RSVP, call 1-800-942-2677 or log on to www. seniorcorps.org.

    RSVP

  • Thursday, April 2 Montana Theatre Spring Film Festival, Miles City

    Friday, April 3 MSU American Indian Council Pow-Wow, through April 4, Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bozeman

    Saturday, April 4 Winter Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-noon, Emerson Ballroom, Bozeman Mannequin Jump, Showdown Ski Hill, Neihart

    Sunday, April 5 Dog Day Afternoon Cross Country, noon-close, Bohart Ranch, Bozeman Bridger Bowl Ski Resort, Closing Day, Bozeman

    Thursday, April 9 Montana Theatre Spring Film Festival, Miles City

    Friday, April 10 Springfest Family Night, Miles City

    Saturday, April 11 Springfest Dinner and Auction, Miles City

    Thursday, April 16 Montana Theatre Spring Film Festival, Miles City

    Friday, April 17 PBR Nile Invitational Weekend, through April 19 Metra Park, Billings

    Saturday, April 18 Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale: From Russia With Love, 7:30 p.m., Alberta Bair Theater, Billings Bike Swap, Gallatin County Fairgrounds, 9 a.m., Bozeman Winter Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-noon, Emerson Ballroom, Bozeman 38th International Wildlife Film Festival, through April 25, Roxy Theater, Missoula

    Friday, April 24 Wilderness First Responder Refresher Course, through April 26, Lindley Park Center, Bozeman

    Saturday, April 25 Annual Railroad Swap Meet, Livingston Depot, Livingston

    April 2015 20

    April Calendar

    RSVP, from Page 19

    phones and questions, some paper and computer work. They will train.- Warming Center: Volunteers are need-

    ed for overnight shifts at the center, train-ing is provided.- Your unique skills and interests are

    needed, without making a long-term com-mitment, in a variety of ongoing, special, one-time events.Contact: Debi Casagranda, RSVP Pro-

    gram Coordinator, 807 N. Tracy, Boze-man, MT 59715; phone (406) 587-5444; fax (406) 582 8499; email: [email protected].

    Musselshell, Golden Valley & Petroleum counties- America Reads: Tutor students in the

    important skill of reading. Other tutoring is intertwined with this program. - Food Bank: Distribute food commodi-

    ties to seniors and others in the communi-ty; help unload the truck as needed. - Meals on Wheels Program: Deliver

    meals to the housebound in the communi-ty, just one day a week, an hour and a half, meal provided. - Nursing Home: Piano players and

    singers needed on Fridays to entertain res-idents, also assistant needed in activities for residents to enrich supported lifestyle.- School Lunch Program: Help serve

    and supervise children in the lunch room, meal provided. - Senior Bus: Volunteers to pickup folks

    who are unable to drive themselves. - Senior Center: Volunteers are needed

    to provide meals, clean up in the dining room and/or keep records; meal provided. - RSVP offers maximum flexibility and

    choice to its volunteers as it matches the personal interests and skills of older Americans with opportunities to serve their communities. You choose how and where to serve. Volunteering is an oppor-tunity to learn new skills, make friends and connect with your community. Contact: Amanda Turley, South Central

    MT RSVP, 315 1/2 Main St., Ste. #1, Roundup, MT 59072; phone (406) 323-1403; fax (406) 323-4403; email: [email protected] ; Facebook: South Central MT RSVP.

    Park County- Big Brothers Big Sisters: Mentor and

    positive role model to a boy or girl, one hour a week. Also needed is a Communi-ty Program Mentor, who matches chil-dren and adults to find that perfect fit for both.- City of Livingston: Needs volunteers to

    help with mailings and other work sta-tions that do require standing and walk-ing.- Fix-It-Brigade: Needs volunteers of all

    skill levels for 2 hour tasks on your sched-ule to help seniors or veterans with small home repairs, such as changing a light bulb, shoveling snow, or weatherization.- Links for Learning: Help needed with

    1st-5th graders, one hour a week on Tues-day or Wednesday, after school, with reading, homework, or playing games.- Livingston Health and Rehab: Activity

    volunteers needed weekends for bingo callers and movie showings; Monday-Fri-day 9-11 a.m. for coffee and reading the local news; Tuesdays and Thursdays 7 p.m. movie night.- Loaves and Fishes and/or Food Pantry:

    Many volunteer opportunities available, including cooking.- Meals on Wheels: Needed substitute

    drivers to deliver meals to seniors in their home.- RSVP Handcrafters: Volunteers to knit

    and crochet caps and scarves for each child at Head Start, also as gifts for chil-dren of prenatal classes, Thursdays at 1 p.m. at the Senior Center.- Senior Center Main Streeter Thrift

    Store: Someone who enjoys working with the public. Come help greet customers, ring up purchases, tag and hang clothes and accept donations. - Shane Center: Friendly volunteers

    needed to greet, answer questions and show people around the center on Tues-days and Fridays. Also a need for volun-teers to research the old East Side School building, collecting stories and finding pictures of past teachers, students and the building itself.- Stafford Animal Shelter: Volunteers

    needed to play with the cats and kittens, and to walk the dogs.- Transportation: Volunteer drivers need-

    ed to help patients keep doctor appoint-ments. Some gas mileage assistance may be provided. - Yellowstone Gateway Museum: Volun-

    teers needed for a variety of exciting proj-ects.- Various other agencies are in need of

    your unique skills and help in a variety of ongoing and one-time special events, including help with mailings needed.Contact: Deb Downs, Program Coordi-

    nator, 111 So. 2nd St., Livingston, MT 59047; phone (406) 222-2281; email: [email protected].

    2015

  • Beet-Pickle Deviled Eggs6 eggs1 can or jar pickled beets1 c. apple cider vinegar1/2 c. brown sugar1 tbsp. peppercorns1 1/2 tsp. salt

    1 tsp. Dijon mustard1 tbsp. mayonnaise1/2 tsp. curry powder1 tbsp. vinegar2 tbsp. olive oilSalt and pepper to tasteFresh rosemary for garnish

    Hard boil eggs. When cool enough to handle, remove egg shells. Set eggs aside. For brine, pour jar of pickled beets into large mason jar or bowl. Add cider vinegar, sugar, peppercorns and salt. Stir mixture. Carefully lower hard boiled eggs into brine, cover and let sit

    for at least 12 hours, up to two or three days. The longer theyre in the brine, the more sour and pink theyll be. Sixteen hours will give the eggs good color and a nice tangy flavor. If left for three days the flavor will be intense so will the color.

    When eggs have been in brine long enough, cut each egg in half and scoop out yolks. Place yolks in medium-sized bowl, along with mustard, mayonnaise, curry, vinegar, and olive oil. Mash until smooth. Add small amount of water to mixture, if too stiff. Salt and pepper to taste.

    Use pastry bag or plastic bag with the corner cut off to pipe yolk mixture into pink eggs. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and season with salt and pepper.

    Toasted Baguette Slices with Baby Spinach

    Leaves and Strawberries1/2 c. sliced strawberries1/2 c. baby spinach leaves, stems

    removed1/4 tsp. Balsamic vinegar3/4 c. ricotta1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest15 (1/3-inch) slices cut from a baguette2 tbsp. olive oilFlaky finishing saltFreshly cracked black pepper

    Preheat oven to 375. In small bowl, combine strawberries and Balsamic vinegar. In a separate small bowl, combine ricotta and lemon zest. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Bake until toasted, about 10-12 minutes. Spread each toast with ricotta and top with spinach leaves and strawberries. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

    On The MenuWith Jim Durfey

    April 2015 21

    Perfect thing for dinner invite Some very good friends of ours have invited us and several other couples to their ranch for Easter dinner. Because just about everyone wholl be there is an extra special friend, I want to bring something extra special for the occasion. I found the perfect thing deviled eggs on a website I recently discovered. The address of the website is www.thekichn.com/recipes. I cant testify youll find every recipe on that site, but its come through for me in half a dozen attempts. I cant wait to see the reaction of the dinner guests when I unveil the deviled eggs, which are pink on the outside. People will no doubt ask why the eggs are colored. Because I have a

    warped sense of humor, Im going to claim that there were holes in the egg shells, so when I dyed the eggs, the dye leaked inside. That will be a good way to determine which dinner guests are gull-ible. Just about anything tastes good on a toasted piece of baguette bread. The strawberries and spinach combination screams spring to me, so I expect the Easter feast attendees to react the same way. The recipes below have been changed somewhat from the online version.

    Stolen vehicle driven to State Patrol office BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) Washington State Troopers

    arrested a 36-year-old man who they say drove a stolen car into their parking lot at a district office.

    KOMO-TV in Seattle reports that a driver recognized the sto-len vehicle from a post on a motorist club Facebook post and spotted it in the Issaquah area.

    Troopers say the witness captured video of Micah Hatcher behind the wheel of the car and used his cell phone to report it. The witness followed the car from Issaquah to Bellevue, about 11.3 miles, and then into the State Patrol parking lot.

    Detectives say it was the easiest auto theft arrest theyd ever had.Authorities say Hatcher had been arrested earlier on outstand-

    ing warrants and drug charges and was contacting troopers to retrieve belongings taken during his initial arrest.

    News Lite

  • Q. How fast can you hit a speed bump and survive?

    A. Speed bumps are designed to slow people down, with a 5-mph hit resulting in a gentle bounce, 20 mph delivering a sizeable jolt, says former NASA roboticist Randall Munroe in What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. As medical journals attest, people are occasionally injured, especially if in a hard seat in the back of a bus on a poorly maintained road.

    Two things generally protect car occupants: the tires and the suspension. No matter how fast you hit a speed bump, unless the bump is large enough to hit the frame of the car, enough of the jolt will be absorbed by these two systems so that you probably wont be hurt. Yet absorbing such shock may well explode the tires or do other damage.

    The typical sedan has a top speed of about 130 mph, enough for a typical 3- to 4-inch bump to cause the driver to lose control and crash. A quite different scenario involves a car going so fast it starts to generate lift, which can rapidly become substantial. Among NASCAR fans, theres frequently talk of a 200-mph liftoff speed if the car starts to spin, followed by a spectacular backflip. Look out!

    The bottom line is that in the range of 150-300 mph, a typical sedan would lift off the ground, tumble and crash... before you even hit the bump. If you kept the car from taking off, the force of the wind at those speeds would strip away the hood, side panels and windows. At higher speeds, the car itself would be disassembled and might even burn up like a spacecraft reentering the atmosphere.

    Q. What makes coffee the worlds most popular drug?

    A. Coffee bean genes help foster the drinks winning flavor, but its not just genes, says Penny Sarchet of New Scientist

    magazine. Coffees will taste different depending on where the beans are grown (El Salvador coffee farmer Alisandro Martinez) and how the bean is roasted (James Hoffmann of Square Mile Coffee Roasters of London). As Hoffman explains, bean moisture content, roasting temperature and the color of the ground coffee all factor into taste quality and consistency. Even the water used in the brew is critical, explains Christopher Hendon of the University of Bath, UK, with calcium and magnesium ions bringing out the flavor better and bicarbonate ions killing it (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry).

    Ordinary coffee purchased at the local cafe is usually a mix of arabica for flavor and less-flavorful robusta for the high-caffeine kick customers have come to expect. Tweaking the robusta genome could produce a tastier coffee by allowing for a reduction in the robusta and an increase in the arabica making for a mix that tastes better without losing its punch.

    Tweaking could also produce new flavors of specialty coffees. For instance, around 5 percent of a coffee bean is chlorogenic acid, which doesnt taste very nice, Hendon explains. Getting rid of it could result in a coffee that would be incredibly sweet and very floral. And, says Hendon, That would be cool!

    Q. Scarecrows are one way of doing this, farmers swinging brooms is another. Whats a newer, high-tech way that can be both longer lasting and less deadly to the pesky birds?

    A. Those avian intruders can cost the U.S. a couple of billion dollars a year in crop losses and damage, reports Leah Shaffer in Discover magazine. Now researchers at the College of William and Mary are using sonic shields to set up a sort of nonstop noise that interrupts the conversation among birds in the area. The shield employs speakers to send

    out a directional buzzing noise that interferes with the usual vocalizings about predators and food sources, forcing the birds into time- and energy-consuming vigilance and leaving less time for crop crashing. Gone are high-tech pyrotechnics and poisons.

    Acoustician Mark Hinders likens the effort to the old cocktail party problem, where theres so much talk in so many directions that individual conversations become hard to follow. By crashing the birds party, as Shaffer puts it, the sonic net could save lots of aviary lives, not to mention vulnerable crops.

    Q. How smart can a smartphone get when you take it into the loo?

    A. When youre wearing a device like Google Glass, thats fine for you but not in a public loo when the Glass catches strangers on camera in private moments theyd rather keep private, reports New Scientist magazine. Enter a team from the University of North Carolina that taught smartphones to detect automatically when the user had entered a restroom. The phones microphone searches for sounds that are similar to other bathrooms, like echoes from tiled floors, and shuts down the devices picture or video apps. This research was presented at the International Symposium on Wearable Computers in Seattle in October 2014.

    Now isnt that a loo-loo of a smartphone!

    Q. Consider the number 0.99999.... Does it equal a number very close to one, or does it go on forever and therefore actually equal one? Many people are not convinced that it equals one. How might you prove that it does?

    A. Start by supposing that x = .99999..., says Ian Stewart in Professor Stewarts Incredible Numbers. Next, multiply both sides of the equation by 10, which yields 10x = 9.9999.... This means that 10x = 9 + x. Now, subtracting x from both sides of the equation gives you 9x = 9, and further dividing both sides by 9 yields x = 1. Thus, infinity aside, .99999... = 1. Incredible indeed, Professor Stewart!

    Q. Frankly put, whats in that county fair favorite, the corn dog?

    A. Lets start with the trimmings or skeletal meat left over after the prime cuts are made that comprise most of the dog, says Lucas Reilly in Mental Floss magazine. Unless its marked all beef, it may contain a whole barnyard: cows, pigs, turkeys and chickens. It may also include tongues, snouts and lips, not to exceed 15-20 percent, according to the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization, which further requires that the

    April 2015 22

    By Bill Sones and Rich Sones, Ph.D.Send STRANGE questions to brothers Bill and Rich at [email protected]

    BeyondSpeed bumps ... and

  • product be free of gristle sinews, bone and car-tilage. Ground up like hamburger meat, the pudding-like batter is then pumped into cas-ings.

    For nearly 6,000 years, these casings were made of animal intestines but more likely your frank was wrapped in trees, that is, cellulose derived from wood pulp. Liquid smoke that flavors the cooked dog comes from burning wood chips whose vapor is condensed into a liquid. For the coating, the eggs are mostly from leghorn hens, the corn in the corn syrup from bushels of corn soaked in seven-story tanks of hot water for two days, then pro-cessed.

    And on it goes, until finally the coated frank is put on a stick made from Canadian white birch trees, fittingly flavorless and odorless.

    Let the eating begin!

    Q. So what if large numbers of rain-drops are breaking the speed limit?

    A. In breaking the speed limit, drops fall faster than presumed terminal velocity up to 1.3 times as fast, says atmospheric physicist Michael Larsen of the College of Charleston, as reported by Thomas Sumner in Science News magazine. As skydivers well know, terminal velocity is the speed at which air resistance cancels out gravitational pull. As for falling raindrops, the air pushes back harder and harder until the forces balance out and the drops thereafter fall no faster. Larger rain-drops with diameters more than about 0.5 mil-limeters reach terminal speeds of several meters per second. Smaller drops are limited to velocities under a meter per second.

    Only recently did scientists detect many tiny drops falling seemingly too fast and thus throwing off meteorologists estimates of drop sizes and total rainwater volume of storms. In studying this issue, Larsen and colleagues assembled 22 instruments that every second snapped more than 55,000 images of falling raindrops and monitored six major rainstorms for a total of more than 23 million drops. The results showed some 30 percent of the smaller ones falling faster than predicted. Why? Per-haps because larger raindrops shatter as they fall or break up from midair collisions, with the newly formed smaller droplets continuing to move at least initially at the larger drops higher speeds.

    Note: A word to the wise meteorologist!

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    Across1 City on the South Saskatchewan River12 Its about 5 mL15 Over16 Cut (into)17 Factor in cold waves18 Boomers offspring19 Put in20 Senseless21 Jazz duo?22 Answered back24 Drivetrain component, perhaps26 Southwestern language28 Brawn29 Sign of shock33 Diamond shape35 Star movers37 Runs through39 Take time to answer41 Mail42 Save for later, in a way44 City southwest of Bayeux45 Woodstock performer before Sly

    47 Ecua. rejoined it in 200749 Hail Mary51 Charges for rounds56 Newspaper section57 Goyas La __ vestida59 Washington portraitist60 Star Wars letters61 December-to-May fruit63 RBI producer, perhaps64 Outlet worker65 Stick-__66 1623 Shakespeare work, with The

    Down1 Blues2 Waterworld orphan girl3 Strikes out4 Apple purchases5 Mexicos Sea of __6 Journalist Kupcinet7 Krypton relative8 Ancient Italian region

    9 Opposite of stand10 They multiply by dividing11 Drive handle12 Like churches, as a rule13 Common abrasive14 Intrinsically21 The Marx Brothers, e.g.23 Deceive

    25 Bug but good27 Home in the woods29 Meas. of course performance30 Brand with a Jumpman logo31 Meaning32 Fine points34 Letters sometimes seen before a phone no.36 Nestls __-Caps

    38 Cheat40 1924 co-defendant43 Court complaint46 Horn of Africa native48 Cousins of clam diggers49 Western ring50 Expert52 Jerk, say53 Patty Hearst alias54 __ bloom: pond vegetation55 __ Bag: eponymous 70s designer label58 Old, in Oldenburg61 Additional62 Legend on ice

    Crossword

    April 2015 23

  • 2015 Miracle-Ear, Inc. 15914ROPA/FP4C

    Hearing aids do not restore natural hearing. Individual experiences vary depending on severity of hearing loss, accuracy of evaluation, proper t and ability to adapt to amplication. *If you are not completely satised, the aids may be returned for afull refund within 30 days of the completion of tting, in satisfactory condition. Fitting fees may apply. See store for details. **Audiotone Pro not included. Studies conducted at the University of Northern Colorado (2014) and Oldenburg Horzentrum (2013) showed that Speech Reception Thresholds (SRT) in cocktail-party situations improved up to 2.9 dB for wearers with mild to moderate hearing loss using GENIUS with Directional Focus, compared to people with normal hearing. This corresponds to over 25% improvement in speech understanding.

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