October 2015

Sports-loving pastor

Elderly financial exploitation

Rewards of being a Senior Companion

First skydive

A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and BetterMONTANA

October 2015 2

Bookshelf .................................................Page 3Opinion ....................................................Page 4 Savvy Senior ............................................Page 5Calendar ...................................................Page 13

Big Sky Birding .......................................Page 14Volunteering .............................................Page 19On the Menu ............................................Page 21Strange But True ......................................Page 22

INSIDE

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Mistaken text message leads to love ST. LOUIS (AP) A married St. Louis couple is sharing their

unlikely love story about three years after the mistaken text mes-sage that forged their relationship.

Kasey Bergh accidentally sent a text to Henry Glendening, a stranger, in June 2012. The pair continued communicating after realizing they had a lot in common, sharing recommendations on books, movies and music, before meeting in person for the first time a week later, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Upon their second meeting two days later, they each arrived at a Kirkwood coffee shop at different times and realized they had ordered the same drink.

From the very, very beginning it felt like we were on the same wavelength, Glendening said.

Despite a 30-year age difference, Bergh and Glendenings con-nection flourished, and they moved in together within two months.

It really didnt make any difference, Glendening said. We were so connected at that point through deeper stuff.

He credits Bergh with helping him get out of an awful place in his life, which included an unhappy relationship and a dead-end job.

Kasey is a huge inspirer. She wasnt recommending or advo-cating any particular direction I go, but she encouraged exploring, finding out what I want to do, Glendening said.

Bergh believes Glendening caused her to again believe in love and change her mind about remaining single after her divorce six years prior.

I had totally embraced I was single and that I never needed a guy, Bergh said. Then I met Henry.

Exactly two years after the errant text message, Glendening proposed to Bergh at the rooftop restaurant where they ended their first meeting, with her favorite song, Thank You by Led Zeppelin, playing in the background.

The couple married June 27 in front of a graffiti wall near the St. Louis riverfront.

News Lite

The Old Farmers Almanac - Western EditionYankee Publishing, Inc. 2016

Softcover 272 pages $6.99 5 1/4 x 8

Bookshelf

October 2015 3

By Montana Best Times StaffIts here, folks the 2016 Old Farmers Almanac Western

Edition.So lets just cut to the chase. We know what youre thinking:

You want to know what its winter forecast is, right?The winter of 2015-16 will be another snowy one in much of

the northeast quarter of the country, with areas in the Pacific Northwest also relatively snowy, the Almanac says. But its weather map also shows it will be mild and dry for much of the West, including the western half of Montana. The book, of course, contains a much more detailed forecast for the whole country.

Heres a look at some other things youll enjoy in the 2016 Old Farmers Almanac, according to a news release on the new publi-cation:

The biggest Supermoon in decades, coming up on Nov. 14, 2016.

Why Neil Armstrong left $30,000 on the moon. Angling advice for anyone, especially Mildred in Georgia. Proof that the Almanacs 1-plus million Facebook fans are

really smart, especially when it comes to credit cards, pillowcas-es and dryer lint.

How to tell when a moose likes you. (Hint: probably never.) The perfect garden: It grows really fast and youll love drink-

ing it. Creatures from HELL! (that barely move, live under rocks

and are less than 6 inches long) Panting chickens, happy clams, a ginormous cow and jin-

gling bear poop. The myth of the 5-Second Rule and other ways your kitch-

en is trying to kill you. Why Lassie was a love story that could have turned into

Fatal Attraction. Finally, supervillains dont get any dastardlier than

Typhoid Mary Mallon, who unleashed an epidemic of epic proportions ... without even trying. What hero finally brought her to justice?

And then, according the Almanac news release, here are some fun numbers and statistics you will find in the 2016 edition:

$3.2 million: value of an original Superman comic book.

Mild and dry for much of West, latest edition of Farmers Almanac says

90 percent: number who misinterpret the sell by dates and throw out good food.

500: number of miles a dandelion seed can travel. 18: number of feet a moose can dive. $3.40: average payout, per tooth, by the Tooth Fairy. 17.3 million: number of Christmas trees harvested annually.And, the Top 10 Weird & Wacky Facts:1. 76 beavers were once forced to skydive ... for their survival.2. The kitchen sponge is likely the most bacteria-laden thing in

your house.3. Doctors are analyzing patients sweat patterns using red

powder and a hot room.4. A new way to make some cash: Rent out your toilet.5. Dryer sheets can be used to freshen up a funky-smelling car.6. Robo-bees and drones are the latest tools of the trade on the

farm.7. A moose and cow had a not-so-secret love affair!8. There was once a year without a summer. At all.9. Latest intersection of gardening and tech: apps that alert gar-

deners when produce is ripe.10. Family therapists are now treating pet-owner relationship

issues.There you have it, folks: The 2016 Old Farmers Almanac.The Almanac may be purchased anywhere books and maga-

zines are sold as well as at Almanac.com/Shop or by calling 800-Almanac.

October 2015 4

Opinion

Sometimes its OK to say, Im gonna passA story on Page 6 in this issue of Montana Best Times tells

about a very enterprising senior, Bill Wolf, 77, of Miles City, who earlier this year decided to do something wild and crazy go skydiving.

This is an amazing thing to me. Not just because he went skydiving at 77, but that a person would skydive at all.

I wouldnt jump out of a plane at 13,000 feet if my life depended on it. Not even with a jump instructor strapped securely to my back, as Wolf had. I wish I had his courage.

Back in college, I went through a phase where I thought I had to conquer every single fear that presented itself. A friend of mine, who was an airplane nut, almost persuaded me to go skydiving. Almost. I thought I would be a coward if I didnt do it. But the thought of the jump fingered pri-meval fears deep inside my psyche that I was unable to overcome. Still, I was torn. Shouldnt I face my fear and do it?

I didnt, and with the passage of time, have come to see it was a perfectly fine thing not to jump. I wasnt a coward. Says who I have to fling myself from an airplane and hope my para-chute opens?

I admire Wolf for what he did. The guys got guts. Its a pretty cool thing, and its with good reason we put him on the cover of this publication.

But for some people, its OK to defy all those self-help books that insist every day you should do something that makes you really, really uncomfortable; to realize that if it doesnt bring you joy, whats the point? Life is short. Says who I have to play hard all the time?

Still, you gotta admire Bill Wolf ... Dwight Harriman

Montana Best Times Editor

A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and BetterMONTANA

Dwight Harriman, Editor Cheyenne Crooker, 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: montanabesttimes@livent.net Subscription rate: $25/yr. Published monthly by Yellowstone Newspapers, Livingston, Montana

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.

October 2015 5

Understanding reverse mortgages: Beware of misleading ads

Dear Savvy Senior, Can you give us a rundown of how reverse mortgages work?

Ive see actors Fred Thompson and Henry Winkler pitching them on TV, and they sound like a good deal. What can you tell me? - Need the Money

Dear Need the Money, When it comes to celebrity spokespeople pitching reverse

mortgages on TV, dont believe everything you hear. Many of these ads are misleading and dont always give you the whole story. In fact, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently issued a warning to seniors to watch out for these deceptive advertisements. With that said, heres the lowdown on reverse mortgages. The basics A reverse mortgage is a unique type of loan that allows older

homeowners to borrow money against the equity in their house that doesnt have to be repaid until the homeowner dies, sells the house or moves out for at least 12 months. At that point, you or your heirs will have to pay back the loan plus accrued interest and fees, but you will never owe more than the value of the house. Its also important to understand that with a reverse mortgage,

you, not the bank, own the house, so youre still required to pay your property taxes and homeowners insurance. Not paying them can result in foreclosure. To be eligible, you must be at least 62 years old, own your own

home (or owe only a small balance) and currently be living there. You will also need to undergo a financial assessment to deter-

mine whether you can afford to continue paying your property taxes and insurance. Depending on your financial situation, you may be required to put part of your loan into an escrow account to pay future bills. If the financial assessment finds that you can-not pay your insurance and taxes and have enough cash left to live on, youll be denied. Loan details Around 95 percent of all reverse mortgages offered today are

Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM), which are FHA

insured and offered through private mortgage lenders and banks. HECMs also have home value limits that vary by county, but cannot exceed $625,500. How much you can actually get through a reverse mortgage

depends on your age, your homes value and the prevailing inter-est rates. Generally, the older you are, the more your house is worth, and the lower the interest rates are, the more you can bor-row. A 70-year-old, for example, with a home worth $250,000 could borrow around $136,000 with a fixed-rate HECM. To esti-mate how much you can borrow, use the reverse mortgage calcu-lator at reversemortgage.org. You also need to know that reverse mortgages are expensive

with a number of fees, including: a 2 percent lender origination fee for the first $200,000 of the homes value and 1 percent of the remaining value, with a cap of $6,000; a 0.5 percent upfront mortgage insurance premium (MIP) fee, plus an annual MIP fee thats equal to 1.25 percent of the outstanding loan balance; along with an appraisal fee, closing costs and other miscellaneous expenses. Most fees can be deducted for the loan amount to reduce your out-of-pocket cost at closing. To receive your money, you can opt for a lump sum, a line of

credit, regular monthly checks or a combination of these. But in most cases, you cannot withdraw more than 60 percent of the loan during the first year. If you do, your upfront MIP fee will be bumped up to 2.5 percent. Get educated To learn more, read the National Council on Agings online

booklet Use Your Home to Stay at Home, which you can down-load at homeequityadvisor.org. Also note that because reverse mortgages are complex loans, all

borrowers are required to get face-to-face or telephone counsel-ing through a HUD approved independent counseling agency before taking one out. Most agencies charge around $125 to $250. To locate one near you, visit go.usa.gov/v2H, or call 1 (800) 569-4287.

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

October 2015 6

By Denise Hartse Montana Best Times

MILES CITY When Bill Wolf wants to do something, he does it from owning a motel to serving on the Miles City Council for three terms under two mayors. So when he decided he wanted to go sky diving, he did just that.

Ive always wanted to skydive, said Bill, a 50-year resident of Miles City. My uncle was a paratrooper, and he filled my head with all kinds of things about jumping out of a plane.

The decisionBill, who was born in Center, North Dakota, on June 13, 1938,

decided to finally parachute out of an airplane on Saturday, Feb.

Photos courtesy of Bill WolfAbove and on the cover: Bill Wolf and his tandem jump instructor, Rob Pelon, of Skydive Arizona, give a thumbs-up during Bills first skydive in Arizona earlier this year. Below left: Pelon helps Wolf into his parachute before the big jump.

I just wanted to do it 77-year-old Mile City resident goes

skydiving

When you first jump out, you have to catch your breath.

The air is pretty thin that high. Bill Wolfe

October 2015 7

21, 2015, in Eloy, Arizona.The Miles City resident and his wife, Glennda, were visiting

their daughter, Sue Sapian, who lives in Glendale, Arizona, when the 77-year-old made his decision.

I just wanted to do it and I did, he said. They make it pretty safe anymore. Im going to give (former President George H.W.) Bush a run for his money. People think Im crazy, but you can still have your dreams.

Sue planned to make the jump with him.Bill looked up a company on the Internet that offered skydiv-

ing and found Skydive Arizona in Eloy, about an hour and a half drive from Glendale.

The jump was on.

The jumpWhen Bill and his daughter arrived at Skydive Arizona, they

got a lesson in tandem skydiving, in which an instructor and stu-dent make the jump together.

You go through a training process first, Bill explained. It takes about two hours.

The total time from the instruction to landing on the ground was about five hours.

At the time he jumped, there were 12 skydivers, including a cameraman who went along, Bill said.

According to Bill, if requests are made to have photos taken during the jump, the company sends along a cameraman and his group wanted photos.

He and his instructor leaped from the aircraft at 13,000 feet.The exhilaration of jumping out of a plane and traveling 100

and some miles per hour that first minute of free-fall is some-thing, Bill said. When you first jump out, you have to catch your breath. The air is pretty thin that high.

He added, I was going so fast (the air) sucked my cheeks up.Of the float back to the ground, Bill said, Its so clear up

there. You can see over the mountains for miles and miles.Unfortunately Glennda couldnt be there for the jump.My wife was upset she didnt get to see me jump. She was

ill, Bill said.

Wolf floats to earth with his jump instructor after their parachute deploys.

Smiles all around after a great jump.

Asked if he would like to skydive again, he said with a twinkle in his eye, I would definitely love to do it again. I intend to do it again. During my next attempt, Id like to do some hang gliding, too.

Many other accomplishmentsAfter the jump, Bill received a certificate, photos of the

momentous event and plenty of memories. He added those to his many other accomplishments, which

include an airplane connection he served on the Miles City Airport Commission as well as having served as vice president of the Eastern Montana Realtors Association; director of the Miles City Area Chamber of Commerce; and in several positions at his church and affiliated school, Trinity Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Classical School.

Bill, along with a partner, also built the Interstate Campground in Miles City, started the B&C Oil Company in Miles City, served as director of Intermountain Oil Marketeers Association and was appointed to the Dealer/Jobber Advisory Council by Standard Oil. He and several other investors built the first dorm on the Miles Community College campus.

Now semiretired due to a bout with cancer, Bill said, Here in Miles City, Ive got great friends, great family, a wonderful wife. Life is good.

In addition to following ones dreams, Bill offered this life advice: Keep a low profile and stay humble.

Reach Denise Hartse at (406) 234-0450 or localife@midrivers.com.

October 2015 8

By Marlo Pronovost Montana Best Times

COLUMBUS Jay Forseth may very well be living proof that God is a sports fan.

When hes not behind the pulpit at the Columbus Evangelical Church, Pastor Forseth is seemingly everywhere sports are being played.

An assistant basketball coach.

A soccer referee.A volleyball line judge.A baseball umpire.Overseeing the wildly popular

Upward basketball and cheerleading program.

Sports are big here, Forseth said. I think thats why God called me here.

Athletic backgroundA twin and the youngest of seven

children born to a mother with ALS also known as Lou Gerhigs Disease and an athletic father, sports has been a lifelong constant in Forseths life, as has his faith.

His athletic record is impressive by any standard.

Named the 1984 Outstanding Athlete at Denver Christian High School, Fors-eths prowess on the field and court took him to Northwest Nazarene University

Above: Pastor Jay Forseth is pictured in front of his church in Columbus, recently.MT Best Times photo by Richard HannersLeft: Forseth drives to the basket while playing for Denver Christian High School in the 1980s. Photo courtesy of Jay Forseth

has aPastor

for localpassion

sports

October 2015 9

in Idaho, where he became a 10-time let-terman in soccer, basketball and baseball, as well as an NAIA soccer honorable men-tion All-American.

With a bachelors in teacher education/physical education from Northwest Naza-rene University and masters in physical education/athletic administration from Ida-ho State University, Forseth went to work as a K-2 physical education and 7-12 gen-eral science teacher.

True to form, Forseth also served as coach and the athletic director for the Meridian School District in Idaho until 1997.

Thats when his old college coach told him about an opening for an athletic direc-tor/vice president for advancement at Rocky Mountain College in Billings.

It was at Rocky, 12 years ago, where

Forseth said he began to feel God calling him to the pulpit, a call that ultimately brought him to Columbus.

When he is not carrying out his pastoral duties or involved in sports, Forseth also teaches Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks hunter education classes and is a Colum-bus Kiwanis member.Life of a pastor

Columbus Evangelical is one of 21 churches in Stillwater County, with eight of those in Columbus alone. On any given Sunday, about 20 percent of the countys population attends church, which is better than most places, Forseth said.

At his church, four different teams take turns leading music each Sunday, includ-ing a childrens team, a youth team, a mens team and a group.

The work of a pastor is rewarding yet often difficult. Dysfunctional families. Broken marriages. Tragedies. They can all take a toll.

It fills us up nonstop but we love it, Forseth said.

The pastor designates every Thursday as a Sabbath rest, when he and his wife of 25 years, Lisa, completely disconnect from the rush of life. The couple have two chil-dren Sarah, who graduated from high school last year, and Josiah, who is now a sophomore in high school.

Keeping the right attitude also helps, and intentionally focusing on what he can do is key, Forseth said.

Reach Marlo Pronovost at editor@stillwatercountynews.com or (406) 322-5212.

Photo by Sensory PhotographyForseth referees a youth soccer game at Columbus Granite Peak Park this past summer.

Sports are big here. I think that is why God called me here.

Jay Forseth

October 2015 10

By Jasmine Hall Montana Best Times

Finances are an important part of anyones life. Managing our budgets, incomes, bills and commodities are essential to surviv-ing in the modern world. But people 60 and above are increasing-ly becoming the target of financial exploitation.

Financial exploitation is the unreasonable use of a persons money or property by another who has gained the trust of that per-son for personal gain. According to Michael Hagenlock, bureau chief for Montanas Senior and Long Term Care Adult Protective Services, financial exploitation has been on the rise in the state.

Approximately 25 percent of Adult Protective Services 2015 referrals were financial exploitation cases an increase from 21 percent in 2014 and 19 percent in 2013. In 2015, the organization has responded to over 1,100 financial exploitation investigations. Although the statistics include not only those over 60 but also the intellectually disabled and those who are deemed disabled by the

state, it nevertheless paints a picture of how the senior population is becoming a prime target.

Usually not by strangersWhile the perpetrators of financial exploitation are often strang-

ers to the victims, this is usually not the case. Most commonly they are family members or someone close to the senior victim.

The belief that exploitation happens by strangers through the scams and those kinds of things, although they are true, theyre not the majority of the cases, Hagenlock explained.

Roughly two-thirds of financial exploiters are from within the family dynamics who are close to the victim, he said.

Theyre people who are trusted to them. Theyre people that they know, that they confide in, Hagenlock said.

Clyde Park Bank of the Rockies Personal Banker Jennell Huff presents Elderly Financial Abuse programs around Park County and agrees that offenders are often someone close to senior vic-tims. Huff said her research shows around 75 percent of elderly abuse and fraud is perpetrated by family members a number she believes to be low.

They dont want to admit that that happened and they dont report it, Huff said, adding only one in five cases are reported.

Why seniors are targetedHagenlock said family members often target seniors of the

family because of their kindheartedness, financial stability, pride and dependency on others, such as for caregiving needs.

We want to take care of our children, we want to make sure that our grandchildren are taken care of, Hagenlock said. And yet when they come through and start taking our money, and our property, its very embarrassing.

There are a variety of reasons seniors may make easier targets than younger individuals.

For one, theyre lonely and tend to be home most of the day, as opposed to their younger counterparts who are working, Huff said. Theyre also more trusting.

Financial exploiters often use fear or coercion to gain money or personal items such as a deed to a house.

They will come up with reasons why they should transfer their bank accounts and their property into their name, Hagenlock

Montana elderly financial

The biggest thing is to be aware that it can and

does happen. You have to ask questions ...

Jennell Huff, on avoiding scams

MT Best Times photos by Hunter DAntuonoPersonal banker Jennell Huff, with Bank of the Rockies in Clyde Park, poses with a piggy bank at the bank, Sept. 2. As part of her job, Huff gives pre-sentations on elderly financial abuse.

exploitation on the rise

October 2015 11

said. Some would even go as far as to say, If you dont do these things, then I could be evicted and the grandchildren wont have a place to live.

Common scamsAside from family member exploitation, Huff said there are

financial exploitation scams by those outside the family that seniors and their families should be aware of.

Common scams include the grandparent scheme, where a scammer claims to be a family member in need of money; the fake lottery, prize or sweepstakes scam, where a letter or phone call says the senior has won money and must send money or make a purchase to claim the winnings; and the investment-relat-ed scam, where a company or individual guarantees returns on investments or business opportunities that are too good to be true.

Huff added some scams, such as the IRS scam, claims the senior owes back taxes and needs payment to be sent immediate-ly, using the fear of being arrested to scare the victim into sending money. Huff advises seniors to never offer personal information or money to unknown callers, especially unusual cases where those asking for money claim to be family.

The biggest thing is to be aware that it can and does happen, Huff said. You have to ask questions and be aware of your sur-roundings.

ResourcesFor resources about elderly financial abuse, Huff recommends

contacting Adult Protection Services, the Montana State Universi-ty Extension Office, Montana Aging Services, the National Fraud

Information Center or the Montana Legal Services Association. Elderly financial exploitation is a crime. To report elderly

financial exploitation, Huff advises contacting Adult Protective Services. The agency covers all 56 counties in Montana and has 35 state investigators who will respond to reports. Quick report-ing can be done through the APS website at www.aps.mt.gov.

What we tell people is dont worry about trying to prove it, Hagenlock said. If you believe it (is exploitation), report it.

Contact Jasmine Hall at communitynews@livent.net or (406) 222-2000.

Most commonly the perpetrators of financial exploitation are family members or someone close to the senior victim.

By Mark Miller/50+ Digital LLCIf youve checked your annual Social

Security statement lately, you probably know the size of the benefit youre project-ed to receive in retirement. If not, down-load a copy at the Social Security website (http://1.usa.gov/1apwlGY). These days, the government only sends statements in the mail once every five years.

With the statement in hand, lets look at a few key questions dealing with how your benefit number is calculated.

Q: How does the Social Security bene-fit formula actually work?

A: Its mainly determined by a formula called the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), a weighted formula that gives a higher benefit relative to career earnings for a lower earner than for a high earner. You must work long enough to become insured, either for retirement benefits when you are 62 or older, or if you become disabled at an earlier age, or should you die, leaving a benefit for your survivors.

Q: How much time is required to qualify for benefits?

A: For a retirement benefit at 62, you need to have earned one quarter of cover-

age for every year that has passed since age 22, and you need a total of 40 quarters of coverage to qualify (or 10 years of work).

Q: How is the PIA determined?A: The Social Security Administration

(SSA) starts by calculating your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). That involves taking any years of earnings that you had before you reached age 60 and indexing them to compare with the earn-ings level in the overall economy as of the year you turn 60. Its a sort of inflation adjustment, but one that uses wages, not consumer prices.

Q: How many years are used to com-pute the PIA?

A: For a retirement at 62 or older, the highest 35 years of earnings are included in the calculation. If you only had 30 years of earnings, the SSA still takes the highest 35, and will include five zeros.

That is averaged and expressed as a monthly amount; your average indexed

How your Social Security benefit is calculated

Continued on page 15

Taking a little time to understand your Social Security benefits goes a long way toward peace of mind.

October 2015 12

By Daniel Nolker Montana Best Times

GLENDIVE As early morning light danced through the steam rising from their coffee mugs, Lucylle Colbrese and her Senior Companion, Frances Paslay, planned their weekly day out in Glendive.

Paslay, 80, visits Colbrese, 85, each Wednesday morning at the Makoshika Estates senior affordable housing community and takes her out to run errands, do their hair or get something to eat.

A volunteer with the Senior Companion Program for four years, Paslay joins approximately 250 other Senior Companions in Montana who dedicate their time to help other at-risk seniors.

Karen ODell, director of the Senior Companion Program for Action for Eastern Montana, said Senior Companions must be 55 years of age or older and willing to serve 15 to 40 hours per week.

They might take their client to the grocery store or a doctors appointment, but 90 percent of what they do is visitation, she said.Companion programs in Montana

There are three Senior Companion Program sponsors in Montana Action for Eastern Montana, Rocky Mountain Development Council and Missoula Aging Services, said Anna Yeagle, the program officer at the Senior Companion umbrella organization, Corporation for National and Community Service.

The programs combined serve 29 counties and the Fort Peck Reservation, Yeagle said.

In 2014-2015 these Senior Companions helped more than 1,000 Montana homebound seniors and other adults maintain independence in their own homes, Yeagle said. We have a pretty balanced portfolio of services that serve both the eastern and western parts of the state.

In Eastern Montana, ODell said Action for Eastern Montana was awarded a federal grant to support Senior Companions for rural areas.

She said the grant has to be rewritten each year and does not come close to paying for the program. The program must raise an additional $65,000 each year to properly fund it. Ninety percent of the combined funds goes to the senior companions themselves to provide for their stipends, gas and other expenses.

Help with Companion costsAlthough Senior Companions are considered volunteers, they

do receive a nominal stipend of $2.65 per hour, and their gas cost is covered, ODell said.

A lot of the Senior Companions have a limited income, so they could not volunteer if they did not have assistance, ODell said. It is a win-win situation.

Paslay said she joined the program because she was already volunteering with the elderly but could not continue without the gas assistance.

Senior CompanionsProgram benefits both the clients and their companions

MT Best Times photos by Daniel NolkerSenior Companion Frances Paslay, right, enjoys morning coffee with her client Lucylle Colbrese, left, at the dining room of the Makoshika Estates senior housing community.

October 2015 13

It is a relief to be able to continue to volunteer in Glendive, she said.

In Dawson County, there have been four Senior Companions working with 27 clients. Last week, ODell said a new Senior Companion was trained in the small town of Richey to bring the total up to five.

There are always a lot more people asking for service than companions who are available to fill the positions, ODell said. We cant take on 100 clients and have five people doing the work.

Intangible benefitsThe program might be popular because the benefits transcend

the services that are provided. Paslay said her relationship with Colbrese is more than a

Senior Companion and a client. We have a good friendship. We enjoy each others company,

Paslay said. She said she and Colbrese found they have a lot in common.

Since both were originally from North Dakota, come from large families of 14 and have faced similar tragedies, they had plenty of ways to connect.

Colbrese said her friendship with Paslay has helped her handle her reduced mobility.

I dont drive anymore, so her biggest help for me is getting me out, Colbrese said. Ive always been independent and stubborn, so that was hard to adjust to. Its nice to get to go do things. I dont walk very good, so shes my arm to lean on. Her biggest challenge is getting me out of the chair.

Since she has been serving in different capacities her whole life, she enjoys the work of a Senior Companion, Paslay said.

I take after my mother, she said. She was always doing for others. I try to be helpful and kind to those who need it and those who dont need it. Ill continue the program until they take my drivers license away from me.

Reach Daniel Nolker at news@rangerreview.com or (406) 377-3303.

Frances Paslay, 80, has spent the last four years serving in Glendive as a Senior Companion to assist at-risk seniors.

I try to be helpful and kind to those who need it and those who dont need it. Ill continue the program until they take my drivers license away from me.

Frances Paslay

October 2015 Calendar Friday, Oct. 2

Bozeman Maze, through Oct. 31, Mandev-ille Lane, Bozeman

Saturday, Oct. 3 Charlie Russell Chew Choo Dinner

Train, 4 p.m., Hanover Boarding Station, Lewistown

Annual St. Marys Bash School Fund-raiser, Livingston

Saturday, Oct. 10 10th Annual Raw Deal Run, 10 a.m.,

Raw Deal Ranch, McLeod

Moose Chase Kids Race, noon, Sacajawea Park, Livingston

67th annual Harvest Sale, free lunch fol-lowed by auction, 1 p.m., Pine Creek Meth-odist Church East River Road, Livingston

Mule Deer Foundation Banquet, 5:30 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. auction, Park Place, Miles City

Saturday, Oct. 17 16th Annual Cow Patty Links Haunted

Hollow, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., Belle Prairie Road, Glendive

Hay Day, bale judging and vendor sales, Miles City

Sunday, Oct. 18 Junkapalooza, Fairgrounds, Glendive

Saturday, Oct. 24 Craft Fair, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., National Guard

Armory, Dillon

Boys & Girls Club Haunted House, Glendive

Girl Scouts Carnival, Miles City

October 2015 14

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.

EDITORS NOTE: Montana Best Times has been featuring some of the fascinat-ing adventures Terry McEneaney had when he was Yellow-stone National Parks ornithologist. Following is another

excerpt from a new book he is writing, Lucky Feathers: Adventures and Expe-riences of a Yellowstone Ornithologist.

Ravens attacking a Golden Eagle settling a long-standing score

BirdingBig Sky

The year 1988 marked one of the great-est wildfire seasons in modern day times in Yellowstone, in which an excess of 30 percent of the park burned to some degree in a single year. During that his-torical event, many wildlife interactions were recorded. But one wildlife encoun-ter that stood out in my mind was an inci-dent of Common Ravens (Corvus corax) attacking a Golden Eagle (Aquila chrys-aetos), thus settling up on a long-standing score.

Golden Eagles, because of their prow-ess in the avian world, are without ques-tion one of the most feared of the avian predators in North America. The reason for this monadnock prowess is that Gold-en Eagles are very efficient at what they do best, and that is killing all sorts of prey with very limited effort. Just the simple presence of a Golden Eagle flying in the sky or perched in a tree will cause all types of birds to go ballistic. For example, the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) and the Peregrine Falcon (Fal-co peregrinus) will chase a Golden Eagle long distances just to get it out of their area. But for ravens, the Golden Eagle is considered arch enemy number one and

the most feared predator of them all, based on their overpowering size and sur-prising speed in which it pursues prey during the day.

After studying Golden Eagles and Common Ravens for several decades in the field, it can be safely proclaimed they do not get along. In fact, after much care-ful personal study, it has been determined that ravens have a predator-specific alarm call in which the tonal character of the raven call identifies the specific intruder as a Golden Eagle.

Where I lived in Gardiner, Montana, on a mountainside overlooking Yellowstone National Park, I was fortunate to encoun-ter both species nearly every day. Each

time I witnessed these raven/Golden Eagle interactions, I made a mental note of the detailed clucking sound made by ravens when Golden Eagles were present. And with training, when the ravens would make the clucking alarm call sound a certain way, I would look in the sky and find a Golden Eagle being harassed by ravens.

But getting back to the Yellowstone wildfires: In August 1988 a most unusual event took place in that a Golden Eagle was discovered dead along a hiking trail near Republic Pass (10,440 feet) in the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park. What was unusual about this eagle death was that the bird died of smoke

Left: A Golden Eagle in flight. Photo by Donna Dewhurst/courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceRight: A Common Raven perches on a rock. Harry Engels/courtesy Yellowstone National Park

October 2015 15

asphyxiation. And based on the evi-dence at hand, it was even much more than this. There were dozens of raven tracks in the ashes near the eagle carcass. During necropsy, and when the skin was peeled back on the eagle, there was no subcutaneous hemorrhaging indicating the eagle was dead well before the ravens got to it.

But the most noticeable observa-tion was how the ravens pecked the Golden Eagle carcass so heavily that they plucked or pulled out all the dark chocolate brown feathers (con-tour feathers and flight feathers primaries and secondaries) in addi-tion to removing the eyes. The eagle carcass turned out to be white in col-or all that remained for feathers

were the exposed under-feathers, such as semiplumes, down and filo-plumes. I have seen ravens pecking a feather off an eagle in flight many a time, but I had never seen a Golden Eagle that was pecked so hard it turned out to be white in overall col-or.

What this find demonstrated to me was how ingrained or instinctively programed Common Ravens are to just the presence of a feared predator such as the Golden Eagle. Simply put, there is no love lost between these two species of birds. And it reinstated my belief that this was not a typical observation of ravens it was of ravens attacking a Golden Eagle and settling, for a moment, a long-standing score.

Photo courtesy of National Park ServiceShown is the carcass of the Golden Eagle killed in the 1988 Yellowstone National Park wildfires from which ravens plucked all but the under-feathers.

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 terry@ravenidiot.com; or visiting www.yellowstonewildlifeguides.com or www.ravenidiot.com. If questions are mailed, include a phone number at which you can be reached.

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monthly earnings (AIME). Then, the AIME is applied to the PIA formula.

Its a bit like the income tax structure, says Stephen C. Goss, chief actuary of the SSA. Where for AGI in the first segment bracket of your earnings, you might pay a low tax rate, and for AGI in higher brackets, you pay higher tax rates. With the PIA formula, you get 90 percent of AIME for the first segment, which we call bend points. For the next segment, you get 32 percent of AIME. After that, its 15 percent of AIME.

Q: How does the timing of a claim figure into my benefit amount?

A: The age at which you decide to start receiving benefits mat-ters. If you wait until the full or normal retirement age, which cur-rently is 66, your monthly benefit level will be exactly that PIA.

If you want to start retirement benefits at the earliest possible age, 62, you receive a reduced benefit for the rest of your life. The PIA would be reduced by 25 percent.

If you wait until after normal retirement age to start benefits, you get delayed retirement credits, equal to 8 percent for each 12-month period you delay.

Q: Social Security applies an annual cost-of-living adjust-ment (COLA) to benefits using an automatic formula tied to the Consumer Price Index. How does that adjustment figure into the decision to file early or not?

A: The most important thing to know is that the COLAs are applied to your benefits starting in the year you turn 62, no matter if you have filed for benefits or not. Lets say you wait to file until age 66, and there has been 10 percent inflation between the time you are 62 and 66; then that $1,000 PIA will, just by virtue of COLAs, have risen to $1,100 at your full retirement age. If you take your $750 benefit at age 62, youll get the same COLAs, and the $750 will increase by 10 percent, which is $825. So, either way, you get the COLAs applied from one year to the next, and

they start immediately after youre first eligible for benefits.Q: What happens if you claim benefits at age 62 but contin-

ue to work?A: That can affect your benefit if youre earning over a thresh-

old (roughly $15,000) and you are under the normal retirement age. Social Security has an earnings test for people prior to attain-ing age 66. Your benefit is reduced by about $1 for every $2 of earnings above that until you reach the full or normal retirement age, at which point there is no earnings test.

Q: Are those withheld benefit dollars lost permanently?A: No. People sometimes mistakenly refer to the earnings test

as though it is a tax or penalty. Its really not. It is calculated back into your benefit when you reach full retirement age.

EDITORS NOTE: Mark Miller is a journalist and author who focuses on retirement and aging. He is the author of The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security: Practical Strategies for Money, Work and Living and edits and publishes RetirementRevised.com.

Continued from Social Security, Page 11

October 2015 16

By Kathy Witt KathyWitt.com/TNS

Lots of cruise lines tell you what theyre all about: Carnival, the Fun Ships; American Cruise Line, Small Ship Cruising Done Perfectly; Holland America Line, A Signature of Excellence.

Un-Cruise tells you what they arent: They arent noisy, rushed, crowded or pretension, and they dont compromise in the dedica-tion department, seriously subscribing to Leave No Trace prac-tices. Un-Cruise tells you what they arent, and what they arent is like the other guys.

Frankie and Bert Daniel of Spring Hope, N.C., boarded the S.S. Legacy in the fall of 2013 for Un-Cruises Legends of Discovery voyage on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

We had never been on a small ship cruise before, said Frankie Daniel. We were blown away by the attention that was given to each passenger; the attention to detail was unbelievable. We had been on several cruises before but nothing compares to Un-Cruise.

Un-Cruise vessels arent built to carry thousands of pleasure seekers, but just a couple to several dozen on a quest for a very personalized cruise experience, whether thats whale watching in Alaskas Icy Strait, navigating the arroyos of Mexicos Sea of Cortez by burro or exploring two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Galapagos Islands and Quitos Colonial city center, without getting lost in a throng of jostling elbows.

The itineraries are more flexible, the paths much less beaten. If, for example, there are more dolphins and whales to be seen fur-ther up the coast of Maui on the Hawaiian Seascapes adventure, that is where the captain goes. Such detours for the sake of spot-ting superb marine life are very Un-Cruise. On the Uncharted Isthmus excursion, passengers on the 64-guest Safari Voyager go in search of sloths and howler monkeys as they transit the nearly 50-mile-long Panama Canal.

Un-Cruise ships are the boutique vessels of the cruise world. They arent built with casinos, arcades and massive showrooms, and the salon and spa are noticeably absent. Their stock in trade is understated elegance. A salon or lounge with comfy seating sets the mood for both pre-dinner cocktail parties and onboard programming. A cabin transformed into a massage room is a calming retreat and the place where the knots in your shoulders, earned from a days canoeing or kayaking or swimming off the back of the ship, can be worked out.

The Un-Cruise fleet includes expedition vessels, yachts and one replica coastal steamer, the S.S. Legacy, which features peri-od decor and Old World charm. Reflecting the personalized atten-tion to detail, vessels have a variety of amenities: an EZ Dock launch platform or full-beam swim step; bow-mounted underwa-ter camera; on-deck hot tub, sauna and fitness equipment or a fit-ness room; one or two massage rooms; library; fully stocked bar as well as wine taps.

Most of the vessels carry adventure equipment onboard,

(Un)cruise for a personalized cruise experiencePhoto courtesy Un-Cruise/TNS

A swimmer has fun snorkeling in Hawaii on an Un-Cruise. Un-Cruise vessels are designed for just a couple to several dozen people on a quest for a very personalized cruise experience.

Travel

Photo by Kathy Witt/ TNSGreg Solatorio demonstrates how to make poi the traditional way during an Un-Cruise visit to Hawaiis Halawa Valley.

Photo courtesy of Un-Cruise/TNSGoing on an Un-Cruise lets you get an up-close view of marine life, like this kayaker exploring the Sea of Cortez.

October 2015 17

including inflatable skiffs, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards, as well as gear youll need for appreciating the marine life, such as snorkel gear and wetsuits. Yoga mats are also available, as are sunrise yoga, and stretch classes.

The activities and the history are awesome, said Daniel. And I was pleasantly surprised at the demographics onboard; all ages.

You wont need to stake out a deck chair before sunrise. With such a small group, seating on the Sun Deck or in the Sun Lounge is plentiful, with cushioned couches and chaises offering shade and a place to lounge while watching the unfolding scen-ery. You wont amass a drink tab that equals a weeks pay, either. Fine spirits, wines and microbrews are included in the fare with Un-Cruise on all but three vessels.

You wont find poolside hairy chest contests, pirate-themed dress-up deck parties or buffets with queues snaking into the hall. Rather, youll find an incredibly unassuming and relaxing ambi-ence, with a generous bar, open seating at meal times to get acquainted with all your cruise mates and a Wine Library (or oth-er intimate lounge) for reading, playing games even playing the piano.

Adventure guide to dont-miss moments In Hawaii, talk story with Anakala Pilipo Solatorio, the kapu-

na (eldest) of the native Hawaiians still living in Halawa Valley, and make poi with his son, Greg Solatorio; take a skiff out for sunrise whale watching; and enjoy a traditional hula dance and live Hawaiian music at the Molokai Museum during a paina (feast).

On the Columbia and Snake Rivers, ride a jet boat right into Hells Canyon; climb the switchbacks at the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area for an up-close view of Multnomah Falls; and be completely enchanted by the Theatre de la Mode exhibi-tion of post-World War II French fashion mannequins at the Maryhill Museum.

In Mexico, on Sea of Cortez sailings, snorkel with sea lion pups; see the red rock cliffs of Ensenada Grande, whose beach is among the worlds top beaches; and take a burro ride with local

rancheros to explore the arroyos.

Plan your adventure

Un-Cruise Adventures has a fleet of boutique yachts and small ships offering adventure excur-sions for 22 to 88 in Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, Mexicos Sea of Cortez, Columbia and Snake Rivers, the Pacific North-west, Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica and Panama.

Included in the cruise fare are gourmet meals fea-

turing local flavors; guided tours geared toward small groups; from-yacht activities and equipment; and transfers. On select ves-sels, premium spirits, fine wines and microbrews, port charges and taxes, and a massage are also included.

Reservations and information: www.Un-Cruise.com, 888-862-8881.

EDITORS NOTE: Author, travel and lifestyle writer, and travel goods expert Kathy Witt feels you should never get to the end of your bucket list; theres just too much to see and do in the world. She can be reached at KathyWitt24@gmail.com or KathyWitt.com.

By Wina Sturgeon Adventure Sports Weekly

This time of year is the shoulder season not quite yet fall, but no longer full-on summer. Its the perfect time to plan what youre going to do for your body when the cooler weather sets in. Athletes already have their plan dialed in. But there are two types of people who may not have thought much about planning for the cooler weather, much less a youthful older age. Which type are you?

The first group: Those who are fairly active and want to stay in shape. These people may enjoy golf or bowling or a more strenu-ous activity now and then. They try to eat a healthy and non-fat-tening diet, and they may or may not workout on a regular basis.

The second group: Those who never work their body at all. They spend a lot of time sitting and may go days without doing anything that involves engaging the body in physical activity. They spend most of their time sitting while watching TV or eat-ing. Many heartily wish to lose a few pounds, but they rarely undertake a plan to lose weight.

Lets address the more sedentary group first. If you are among them, pay attention.

The newest studies on preventing dementia a concern for everyone 50 or older are finding that exercising the body is an important part of preventing Alzheimers disease.

According to the website Medicalnewstoday.com, Experts from the University of California, San Francisco, said that over 50 percent of all Alzheimers cases may be prevented through lifestyle changes. The site also points out that, researchers say there are certain lifestyle measures we can make to reduce our risk of developing Alzheimers disease and dementia, including being physically active...

The latest research seems to indicate that not only Alzheimers,

but other kinds of dementia can be delayed, or have much milder symptoms in those who actively move around.

Respected sources such as the Mayo Clinic, US National Library of Medicine and more tout the ongoing studies showing that physical activity may help prevent mental deterioration as people age.

The medical journal Neuroscience published a study led by Judy L. Cameron, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the Pitts-burgh School of Medicine. The study used monkeys to prove the benefits of exercise on the brain. According to Dr. Cameron, We found that monkeys who exercised regularly at an intensity that would improve fitness in middle-aged people learned to do tests of cognitive function faster and had greater blood volume in the brains motor cortex than their sedentary counterparts, Dr. Cam-eron said, adding, This suggests people who exercise are getting similar benefits.

Basic human physiology helps explain why both physical and mental exercise can stave off dementia. This is information worth researching on your own: the way the body makes vessels to car-ry blood. When a body part is working, whether its muscle or brain, it needs more oxygen, which is supplied by the arteries. When the body is actively working it also creates waste products that must be taken away. The veins take deoxygenated used blood back to the heart to be enriched again.

As exercise progresses (which it should), more tissues such as muscle fibers also need oxygen and waste removal. Tiny extension blood vessels called capillaries begin establishing themselves throughout the body. Here is an important fact: Just as fat cant be removed in only one place, but is lost all over the body in a weight loss program, capillaries spread throughout all the tissues, not just the ones needing extra oxygen and garbage removal.

But if physical activity stops or slows, and theres no longer a need for extra oxygen and waste removal, those new capillaries will wither away. The body is economical; it doesnt create ener-gy if theres no call for it.

For those of you in the second group, who are active and want to stay that way, change your workouts to obtain skills that would make your activities more enjoyable. For example, if youre a bowler, you may wish to throw with more oomph, so the ball rolls forcefully to the pins. If youre a climber, are cer-tain routes or problems more difficult for you? Would more fin-ger strength or an ability to make a plyometric arm stretch help? Learn exercises to build the necessary strength, and make those exercises part of a regular routine to keep the blood flow-ing.

Change your workout by starting to build the mind and body you will want in the years to come. Your older self will be very thankful you did.

EDITORS NOTE: Wina Sturgeon is an active 55-plusser based in Salt Lake City who offers news on the science of anti-aging and staying youthful at: adventuresportsweekly.com. She skates, bikes and lifts weights to stay in shape.

October 2015 18

Time to change, or start, your workoutHealth & Wellness

The newest studies on preventing dementia a concern for everyone 50 or older are finding that exercising the body is an important part of preventing Alzheimers disease.

October 2015 19

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 (800) 424-8867 or TTY (800) 833-3722; or log on to www. seniorcorps.org.RSVP

Custer & Rosebud counties - AARP Tax Assistance program: Volun-teers needed. - Clinic Ambassador: Need volunteer to greet patients and visitors, providing direc-tions and more, 2 locations - Custer County Food Bank: Volunteer assistants needed for 8-1:30, Mon., Tues., & Wed., to process donations, stock shelves & more. - DAV van: Drivers provide transporta-tion to veterans. - Historic Miles City Academy: Urgently need volunteers at the thrift store. - Miles City Soup Kitchen: Needs serv-ers Monday-Friday; pick a day of the week you would like to serve. - Popcorn popper: Needed one day/ week, 2 hours in the morning, started in Sept. - St. Vincent DePaul: Volunteers to assist in several different capacities. - VA Activities: Urgent need for some-one to help with activities. - WaterWorks Art Museum: Volunteer receptionists needed, 2-hour shifts Tues.-Sun.; a volunteer also needed in cataloging the art collection, one to assist with histor-ic research of the permanent art collection, and a volunteer to assist in summer kids classes. If you are interested in these or other volunteer opportunities please contact: Betty Vail, RSVP Director; 210 Winchester Ave. #225, Miles City, MT 59301; phone 234-0505; email: rsvp05@midrivers.com.

Fergus & Judith Basin counties - American Reads: Recruiting volunteers to read with elementary students. - Art Center: In need of volunteers on Saturdays. - Central Montana Museum: Seeking additional volunteer docents. - Community Cupboard (Food Bank): Volunteers needed to help any week morn-ings as well as with deliveries. - Council on Aging: Volunteers needed to assist at the daily Grubstakes meal and with clerical help during the busy lunch hour. - Library: Volunteer help always appre-ciated. - ROWL (Recycle Our Waste Lewis-

town): Looking for volunteers to join teams baling recyclables. - Treasure Depot: Thrift store needs vol-unteers to sort, hang clothes and put other items on display for sale. - RSVP always has various needs for your skills and volunteer services in our community. - Current RSVP volunteers are encour-aged to turn in your hours each month; your contribution to the community is greatly appreciated! Contact: RSVP Volunteer Coordinator Sara Wald, 404 W. Broadway, Wells Fargo Bank building, (upstairs), Lewistown, MT 59457; phone 535-0077; email: rsvplew@midrivers.com.

Gallatin County - American Cancer Society-Road to Recovery: Drivers needed for patients receiving treatments, from their home to the hospital. - American Red Cross Blood Drive: Two volunteer opportunities available: an ambassador needed to welcome, greet, thank and provide overview for blood donors; and phone team volunteers needed to remind, recruit or thank blood donors. Excellent customer service skills needed, training will be provided, flexible sched-ule. - Befrienders: Befriend a senior; visit on a regular basis. - Belgrade Senior Center: Meals on Wheels needs regular and substitute driv-ers 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: Volun-teers needed for the information desks in the Atrium and the Perk, 8 a.m. -noon, noon- 4 p.m. - Bozeman Senior Center Foot Clinic: Retired or nearly retired nurses are urgent-ly needed, 2 days a month, either 4- or 8-hour shifts. - Cancer Support Community: Volunteer receptionist need for the last 2 Tues. of the

month from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. The position would be shared with another volunteer so there could be flexibility in how the Tues. are divided. - Galavan: Volunteer drivers need-ed Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. CDL required. Galavan will assist you in obtaining one. Volunteers also need to make reminder calls and confirm rides for the following day. Volunteers also needed for morning dispatch. These responsibili-ties include receiving phone calls/messag-es and getting information from clients and facilitating the transfer of information to staff as required. - Gallatin Rest Home: Volunteers want-ed for visiting the residents, sharing your knowledge of a craft, playing cards or reading to a resident. - Gallatin Valley Food Bank: Volunteers needed to deliver commodities to seniors in their homes once a month. Deliveries in Belgrade are especially needed. - HRDC: Receptionist needed to help during the lunch hour, during staff meet-ings and training. Main duties include use of a multi-line phone and help with walk-ins. - HRDC Housing Department Ready to Rent: Curriculum for families and individ-uals who have rental barriers such as lack of poor rental history, property upkeep, renter responsibilities, landlord/tenant communication and financial priorities. - Habitat for Humanity Restore: Bel-grade store needs volunteers for general help, sorting donations and assisting cus-tomers. - Heart of The Valley: Compassionate volunteers especially needed to love, play with and cuddle cats. - Help Center: Computer literate volun-teer interested in entering data into a social services 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: Volunteers needed on Wednesday, Thurs-day and Friday to greet people at the main desk, answer questions and keep track of the number of visitors. - Museum of the Rockies: Variety of opportunities available such as helping in the gift shop and more.

October 2015 20

- Three Forks Food Bank: Volunteer needed on Monday and/or Thursday to help with administrative duties, will train. - Your unique skills and interests are needed, without making a long-term commitment, in a variety of ongoing, special, one-time events. Contact: Debi Casagranda, RSVP Program Coordinator, 807 N. Tracy, Bozeman, MT 59715; phone 587-5444; fax 582 8499; email: dcasagranda@thehrdc.org Musselshell, Golden Valley & Petroleum counties - Central Grade School: Assist young students with lunch and clear tables. Meal included. - Food Bank: Distribute food commodities to seniors and others in the community; help unload the truck as needed. - Nursing Home: Piano players and singers needed on Friday to entertain residents, also assistant needed in activities for residents to enrich supported lifestyle. - 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 opportunity to learn new skills, make friends and connect with your community. Contact: Shelley Halvorson, South Central MT RSVP, 315 1/2 Main St., Ste. #1, Roundup, MT 59072; phone 323-1403; fax 323-4403; email: rdprsvp2@midrivers.com ; Facebook: S. Cen-tral MT RSVP.

Park County - Big Brothers Big Sisters: Mentor and positive role models to a boy or girl needed, one hour a week. - Fix-It-Brigade: Needs volunteers of all ages and skill levels for 2-hour tasks on your schedule to help seniors or veterans with small home repairs and chores, such as changing a light bulb, mending a fence, cleaning up a yard. - Loaves and Fishes: Volunteers needed to prepare dinner meal on Wednesday nights.

- Main Streeter Thrift Store: Someone who enjoys working with the public, greet customers, ring up purchases, label and hang clothes and accept donations. - Meals on Wheels: Always need substitute drivers to deliver meals to seniors in their home. - RSVP: Need caring companions to give caregivers a break in their home on a regular basis. - RSVP: Has many one-time events, including mailings and fundraising events that require volunteers. - RSVP Handcrafters: Volunteers to knit and crochet caps and scarves for each child at Head Start this winter, also as gifts for children of prenatal classes, and baby hats and afghans for the hospital newborns; Sewers needed to make simple pillowcases for our soldiers overseas, Thursdays, 1-2 p.m. at the Senior Cen-ter. - Senior Center: Need volunteers, Tuesdays, 1 p.m., to cut unsold clothing into rags to be sold for proceeds to the center. - Seniors: You may qualify for $192-600 a year for grocery and food assistance. Call Mary at 333-2537 or 333-2883. - Stafford Animal Shelter: Kindhearted volunteers needed to socialize cats and kittens, and to walk the dogs. - Transportation: Drivers needed to help patients keep their doctor appointment in Livingston and Bozeman. Some gas reim-bursement may be provided. Current RSVP Volunteers are encouraged to turn in your hours each month. Your contributions to the community are greatly appreciated! Contact: Deb Downs, Program Coordinator, 111 So. 2nd St., Livingston, MT 59047; phone 222-2281; email: debdowns@rsvp-mt.org

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News Lite

New Jersey woman told to quiet down her parrots

AVALON, N.J. (AP) A New Jersey woman must get her two parrots to quiet down after the birds gave someone something to squawk about.

Elaine Scattergood was ticketed in May after someone com-plained that her birds, Edmund and Arthur, were too loud.

Scattergood tells The Press of Atlantic City she would place the parrots on the porch of her Avalon home because people like them. She says people would say hello to the birds and the par-rots would reply with a greeting.

A judge told Scattergood the noise complaint will be dismissed if there are no violations reported in the next 90 days.

On The Menu

October 2015 21

Low-fat French Fries6 medium Russet potatoes, thoroughly washed, skin on2 Tbsp. olive oilSalt and pepper to taste

Trim ends of potatoes. Cut thin slice off top, bottom and two sides. Cut potatoes into quarters by making cuts lengthwise. Put olive oil in cast iron skillet. Place potato pieces in oil and saute over medium high heat for five minutes on each side. Sprinkle two sides with salt and pepper as they saute. Place on baking sheet. Put in 350 oven for 12 minutes. Serve with ketchup. Serves four.

Grilled Fruit DessertFresh pineapple, slicedApricots, slicedPeaches, slicedStrawberriesMangos, sliced thick

Place fruit on grill that has been sprayed with vegetable oil. Cook on grill four minutes on each side. Serve with yogurt fla-vored with cinnamon or sprinkle granola over the top.

Chicken Nuggets4 Tbsp. olive Oil, divided1 egg1 c. water1 c. all purpose flour2 tsp. salt1 tsp. onion powder1/2 tsp. black pepper1/2/ tsp. garlic powder4 chicken breast fillets, cut into bite size piecesGallon-size recloseable bag

Beat egg and combine with water in bowl. Stir. Combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder in gallon size recloseable bag. Pound each breast fillet until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into bite sized pieces. Coat each piece with flour mixture by shaking in bag. Remove and coat in egg mix-ture. Coat in flour mixture again. Shake to coat. Put two table-spoons olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Sau-te half of nuggets at a time, three minutes on each side until browned and crispy. Coat baking sheet with remaining oil. Place nuggets on baking sheet. Put in 350 oven for 10 min-utes. Serves four.

With Jim Durfey

Healthier than fast foodChicken nuggets, fries and a healthy dessert

Young children often have tyrannosaurus rex-type appetites for foods that might not win the approval of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. A certain fast food franchise offers its customers a deep-fried chicken nugget-type entree with deep-fried French fries on the side. That type of meal is probably OK once in a while, in most cases. But that high-fat, high-salt food can lead to a lifetime of bad eating habits. Two friends of ours adopted sisters who were brought up on fast food. They were both under 5 years of age. These children lacked energy and they were behind their peers scholastically due to their poor diet. After

they were eating foods that were healthy and ones that offered their palates a variety of flavors, the girls have blossomed and theyre doing very well today. To make sure your grandkids have a healthy alterna-tive to the fast food chains fare, use the recipes below. But whatever you do, dont tell them these dishes are healthy. That might turn them off before their taste buds will let them know these dishes are very tasty. In fact, chances are good that theyll ask for more. Grilled fruit makes a great dessert and its easy to prepare. If you havent tried it before, youre in for a real treat.

Q: Generally we see with light and hear with sound, but there are people who mix the two. Take Brian Borowski, for exam-ple, whos been termed the man who sees with sound. Whats the story?

A: The 59-year-old Canadian was born blind but by age 3 had begun teaching him-self to echolocate, says Clare Wilson in New Scientist magazine. Bats do it, so why not people? Borowski makes clicking sounds with his tongue or snaps his fingers and listens for the telltale echoes to decode them into information for getting around in the unseen world about him a sort of supersense.

Once, when my parents were putting metal stakes into the ground, my brother who is also blind and I noticed that when they were banged with a hammer, the echoes bouncing off the house were really strong, Borowski says. We realized we could use that.

Playing games like hide-and-seek with their sighted brother honed their skills, until they finally learned to find him hiding behind trees. Later, they taught themselves how to ride bikes, using not just echoloca-tion but things like the slope of the road or the looseness of the gravel. But always theyd be clicking, clicking and listening.

When I was younger I could get a lot of detail from echolocation, Borowski con-cludes. These days I can tell whether objects are large or small but I cant neces-sarily tell what they are.

Q: Let there be light, and in 1935, there was light, and the world of sports was forever changed. How?

A: That was the year of the first night game in major league baseball, on May 24, at Cincinnatis Crosley Field, says

Karen Newman in Photonics Spectra magazine. The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 before 20,422 fans. Length of game 1:35. From Wash-ington, D.C., President Franklin Roosevelt activated a button that turned on the Cros-ley Field lights.

Erected on eight metal stanchions set around the field, the more than 600 individ-ual laps cost about $50,000. According to the manufacturer, these first bulbs yielded a light intensity of 75 foot-candles on the field, a foot-candle being a unit of illumi-nance equal to that of one candle seen from a foot away. Today, they are now more like-ly to be in the 200-300 foot-candle range for color television coverage.

At the end of the day, Newman says, what I like best about baseball is sitting behind the plate, anticipating the magical sound of the bat cracking a hit, and enjoying the brilliance of the scene in front of my eyes, under the lights at night.

Q: These spuds are far from duds. Whats stylish in potatoes these days?

A: With per capita potato consumption having dropped to an all-time low, the chal-lenge is to boost consumer interest, says Leah Shaffer in Discover magazine. American potato breeders have taken up the challenge by producing smaller, more color-ful varieties. The flashier hues mean more phytonutrients, compounds linked to many health benefits, and their compact size means shorter cooking times.

As Texas A&M program director J. Creighton Miller Jr. explain: Though breed-ing those traits takes a dozen or more years, consumers will soon see a new variety called peppermint, sporting white skin speckled with red. But dont worry; the name only

reflects the potatos color, not its flavor.

Q: Dont touch that dial. Carbon copy. You sound like a broken record. Bigger than a bread box but smaller than the ice box. What do these expres-sions have in common?

A: They have been hung out to dry, so to speak, phrases that once were but now arent so much any more, says linguist Richard Lederer in Words and Phrases Remind Us of the Way We Word on his verbivore.com web site. We were living the life of Riley, cutting a rug in some juke joint, then going necking and petting and smooching and spooning and billing and cooing and pitching woo in hot rods and jalopies in some passion pit or lovers lane.

Are you old enough to remember: Dont forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper. Turn-of-the-century. Iron curtain. Fail safe. Domino theory. Civil defense. Banned in Boston. Fid-dlesticks. Ill see you in the funny papers. Dont take any wooden nickels. Sound as a dollar.

Also gone from the landscape and word-scape of our perception are the milkman, Mickey Mouse wristwatches, hula hoops, skate keys, candy cigarettes, little wax bot-tles of colored sugar water, beehives, page-boys and the D.A., spats, knickers, poodle skirts, and saddle shoes.

As Lederer sees it, We at the other end of the chronological arc have the advantage of remembering there are words that once did not exist and there were words that once strutted their hour upon the earthly stage and now are heard no more, except in our collective memory. Its one of the greatest advantages of aging.

October 2015 22

The story of the man who sees with sound

By Bill Sones and Rich Sones, Ph.D.Send STRANGE questions to brothers Bill and Rich at strangetrue@cs.com

Crossword

October 2015 23

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Across1 Go gaga over8 Put into motion15 Bride of Dionysus16 "This can't wait!"17 "Gilligan's Island"

ingnue18 How some things

are written19 Telltale facial mark21 The clink22 Field23 Scolding27 Japanese food item

sold in sheets29 Dept. head, e.g.31 Selene's Roman

counterpart32 El __34 Barely make

waves?36 Some RPI grads37 Medium-dry sherry39 Political initials

since 188440 Wonder Girl or

Kid Flash42 Quiet spots44 Twin seen in a the-

saurus?45 Abs, pecs, delts,

etc.46 Place for a shoe47 Grit49 First bk. of the

Latter Prophets51 1988 N.L. Rookie

of the Year Chris54 Picnic piece57 Situation after the

first out, in baseball lin-go

60 John or Paul61 Astronomical mea-

sures62 Knee-slapping63 Original McDon-

ald's mascot64 Stand behindDown1 "Dynasty" actress

Emma2 Character-building

unit?3 It's often chosen

from a map4 '70s-'80s San Diego

Padres owner5 Red-coated wheel6 Trees' age indicators7 Strained

8 Sarah McLachlan hit9 Companies10 "My Wife & Kids"

co-star __ Campbell-Martin

11 Completely12 Year abroad13 Lot14 Common rebus

pronoun20 You won't hear any

hits on it

24 Arbitrary experi-mentation variable

25 Dues collector26 People now known

as Sami28 Square __30 "Falling Into You"

Grammy winner32 "Chase those

guys!"33 Piece maker?34 __ speak

35 Canceled38 Ring-wearing pia-

nist41 Colorful helmet

brand43 Is blitzed by46 Millinery accessory48 Called from a field50 Drum kit item52 Big pill53 Like one contem-

plating bariatric surgery55 Where KO means

Coca-Cola56 Place for an orna-

ment57 Short missions?58 Power __59 "Take heed, __

summer comes ... ": Shak

Q: We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us, cau-tioned 19th-century naturalist Henry David Thoreau in Walden. How much more ubiquitous are the effects of tech-nology today and the language they generate?

A: Start with the wearable, a computer worn either as a piece of clothing or as an accessory, says Paul McFedries in IEEE Spec-trum magazine. Now add smart glasses, or memory glasses; smart watches; smart bracelets; and smart trackers for fitness, activity and GPS. Attach these to bicycles for rideables.

Next, bring on the hearable, an in-ear computer also known as

an earable, or smart ear device. Not intimate enough? Theres always the embeddable, a device inserted under the skin; or the ingestible, such as a smart pill that records on how the body is reacting to its medication. Dont confuse these with nearables, which get smart only when a mobile computer gets into range.

When McFedries asked a wearables researcher to predict some future applications, she mentioned jackets that tell what the tem-perature, barometric pressure, or smog level is and a baseball hat that gives the score of the game.

Concludes McFedries: If we are on our way to becoming citi-zen terminals, bristling with body-mounted gadgetry, if we are becoming THAT close to the machine, then lets hope its for better reasons than these.

Q: Polar bears and dolphins are two of the worlds most loved animals. How do they feel about each other?

A: Evidence is that its a bear-eat-dolphin world when the oppor-tunity presents itself, as the bears have been spotted eating dolphins probably trapped below the sea ice and caught when they surfaced for air, reports New Scientist magazine. It was April 2014 that Jon Aars of the Norwegian Polar Institute and his team stumbled across a bear with two dead white-beaked dolphins, a species no one had ever seen the bears preying upon before. Probably the predator used a similar technique as for killing seals. Though most of one dolphin had already been eaten, the second one was largely intact, so the bear utilized the natural freezer of snow, storing the rest of its catch. Yet hiding leftovers is rare in polar bears, Aars says.

Later in the same area, the team observed five other polar bears feeding on dead dolphins, probably from the same pod, which became trapped among the ice by strong northerly winds.

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