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Outside Christmas lights hang from several evergreens in my yard. They brighten up the dark Christmas sky and make it feel that the birth of the Christ Child is happening probably right down the block. The wind is howling but there is little snow and temperatures are not below zero. Inside the house is bright with old, old lights and Christmas Decorations. The fireplace is blazing; sort of the centerpiece of indoor decorations but on the mantle is this tiny Japanese Christmas house village that is very old and as beautiful as any tiny Christmas...
My goodness but Vicki has gone almost risqué with her two selections for Christmas! Both stories are by Diana Palmer and both are classic love stories in a keepsake edition that will heat up your winter. So, be careful when you read them. Let’s not get too heated up! “THE WINTER SOLDIER” Everyone in Jacobsville, Texas, steered clear of taciturn Cy Parks-------everyone but the spirited Lisa Monroe, who electrified the formidable loner with her tantalizing kisses. Their fiery passion escalated when the soldier returned from the line of duty--...
With the New Year days away, many people set out to make resolutions to improve themselves in the coming year. Sadly, most folks will not succeed in their efforts. An article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology explored this phenomenon. Several potential reasons for the lack of success people experience with resolutions were explored, including the idea that resolutions are primarily an attempt at self-motivation, which fall short when the person making the resolution isn’t actually motivated to make long term changes in t...
A wonderful time was had by the 16 folks who chose to play cards in the Mint family room on December 20th. Ten folks got “winning money” scores, so only six folks with no money in their pockets. The top score winning $20.00 went to Earl Sluggett who never moved from his starting table and who was always a black four and earned 7140 total points in 24 hands or 6 rounds. Jason Sluggett, who just has learned to play pinochle won second place and $15.00 with a score of 6710. Third place and $10.00 was earned by Charlene Moravec who had a total of...
Once upon a time, in a land not too far away, there lived a scout elf. His name was Clyde, and he was an elf on the shelf. The family who adopted him was very kind and kept him out all year. The whole family enjoyed his company, but there was a little girl who enjoyed him the most. Her name was Max, she was six years old, and would look for him every morning. Sometimes Clyde would leave her little notes hinting where he was hidden. Max’s parents never moved him at night, and they most definitely didn’t write the notes, but they didn’t pay any n...
When thinking about how Christmas was observed fifty or sixty years ago in this area, really, it is not much different than now. For some families, if possible, there was a Christmas Eve service to attend although for many, churches were few and far between, especially if living in the country. So, getting to church if not possible was handled at home with a Bible verse or several about the Christmas Story and the singing of hymns which everyone seemed to know, church or not. The Tree When...
Charlie Russell loved the Christmas season. He loved most everything to do with that magical season and when he lived, he made it even more magical. Russell would carve gnomes, elves and Santa's along with fairies at Bulls Head Lodge all summer long and bring them back to Great Falls to give away and decorate his home and studio. During storms on Lake McDonald, after the tamarack needles would fall, the needles would form a ball about as big as a baseball. Charlie would collect those balls and...
Most everyone in our section of Montana has heard the story of Shep, the amazing dog who met the train for years thinking his master was on it. His master's dead body was put on the train for burial elsewhere and Shep knew that his master would be back to get his friend. That story is in book form. It can be found on line and in most bookstores around Montana. It is a great book to give to grandchildren or children, nephews and nieces for Christmas as it is the story of man and dog, something...
Several weeks ago "The Mountaineer" asked Big Sandy English teacher, Miss Voellek, if she would have her high school students write a Christmas story, then have them judged at the school and submit the best three to "The Mountaineer" and we would use them in our annual Christmas issue. We were amazed last year at the Christmas stories that came from the high school. We were even more amazed this year as the top three stories are simply great. We know that you readers will be as amazed as we were...
Calving and Handling Calving Difficulties Handout Available Dr. R. G. Mortimer is A Veterinarian from Colorado State University. Last week he was presenting to ranchers in southern Montana on the issue of calving. The Chouteau County Extension Office has the handout from the seminar. Our office can e-mail it to you, or you can come into our office for a hard copy. We are located in the basement of the Chouteau County Courthouse. In addition, a 20.00 CD on calving is available from Dr. Mortimer. The charge for the CD supports the Veterinary...
Christmas Surprise By Jaylyn Cline I always wondered why I could hardly ever see my grandparents from my mother's side. I only got to see them once a year, when they came down for a day on Christmas Eve. I thought it was odd, they always told me they moved too far North for them to travel all the way home. "It's too expensive; Grandpa is busy with work and Grandma has to keep things in order." They would give me those kinds of excuses. Well, now that I know the truth, it all makes sense....
The story of the birth of Jesus is an interesting one, but can be difficult to understand and appreciated to the fullest because of the huge cultural difference that separates us from the events. There is a great deal of scandal embedded in the original nativity scene, and it translates into great news for us today. Before exploring the idea, it’s important to understand that sanitizing the shocking elements of the story is more an accident of history than an act of deception. For example, when you hear about the shepherds watching their flocks...
This spring while reading an issue of “The Mountaineer” in Big Sandy I came upon the mention of a young girl in the elementary school that during an open house had dressed up like Tavie Kipp. That rang several bells so I called the girl’s mother, Amy Wortman who farms down by the mighty Missouri and asked how they knew the name. Amy told me they had read of Tavie Kipp’s adventures in a book called “Retracing Kipp Trails” by Jim Arthur. Matter of fact Tavie Kipp’s stories in the book made such an impression on the parents that they named th...
From September 5 through the 15th Bob Nelson was in Alaska on a hunt with two of his sons, Mark and Lance who both live in Fairbanks, Mace Mangold and two Alaska residents. As Bob describes the hunt which yielded two grizzly bear and three moose, it is more than a little like a mystic experience. Read "The Bear" by Faulkner or see the movie "The legend of Bagger Vance" and you will begin to know what hunting, camaraderie, family and friends begin to mean to Bob Nelson. And how they all...
Big Sandy had five students attend Honor Band and Choir in Choteau on Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st. The following students auditioned and were accepted for this event: Eric Schwarzbach on Trumpet 1, Mariah Sheehy on Clarinet 1, Dakota Terry on Clarinet 2, Grace Finke on Alto Clarinet, and Chandra Schwarzbach singing Soprano 2. Their guest band conductor was Dusty Molyneaux from Great Falls and the guest choir director was Troy Bashor from Frenchtown, with his wife Anne Bashor accompanying on the...
There are many great Christmas stories. Some contain sadness, others emote just the sure joy of the season. The best of all Christmas stories has a wonderful ending but contains some paths in getting to that wonderful resolution at the end. I call this one “A sad boy’s reward”. It is no secret in my family that my father drank way too much. Around Christmas he was prone to go on a toot most anytime. What made that especially bad was that his drinking disposition was horrible, filled with bad things happening to his family. Hollering, swear...
Six rounds were completed by five tables with total points resulting in the following winners at the pinochle tournament held on Sunday, December 13th at the Mint. High round (four hands) for the day went to Rod Courtnage and Shawn Webster with a 1780! Cashing in were: 1st $25 – Shawn Webster with 7,550 points; 2nd $20 - Rod Courtnage with 6,850; 3rd $15 – Maggie Cline with 6,740; 4th – Mary Landinger with 6,440; earning $5 each (getting their money back!) were the following places: 5th – Allan Pearson with 5,920; 6th – Elaine Courtnage...
Ellaraine Lockie sent "The Mountaineer" a poem we had published before. Called "Abandoned Garden", the poem was just recently published in "Songs of Eretz Poetry Review". We had used this poem a year ago if memory serves but in the review Ellaraine said she was inspired by an article I had written about my grandmother's garden. I wrote that story because all of her life, my grandmother planted flowers. I know she was told that if civilization was to come to these Montana range towns, it would...
A few years back, a study was done with children, in which young boys and girls were placed by themselves in a room, in front of a mirror. Before long, most of the little girls began to talk to themselves in the mirror. Whereas, the boys looked in the mirror and began to pretend to shoot at themselves, pretend to be an airplane, or some other sort of active play that they watched themselves engage in. In addition, the boys became distracted, losing interest in the mirror, and began looking around at their surroundings. The experiment...
It is almost all over now. It is kind of like waiting for Christmas, isn’t it? It is actually just three days until the Christmas Stroll hits Big Sandy. Here is the thing. We all have seen strolls when it was 50 above and we have seen strolls when it was over 30 below. Either way, it is a day to have fun, eat more of your share of Christmas goodies and have still more fun. Whether you have to wear your long johns or not, you are guaranteed a great day, that day in Big Sandy! Chamber President Lisa Meyers said that everything is ready to go. C...
When I was a little boy in the winter often my friends and I went to movies. Mostly it was the Lyric where you would get a cartoon, serial, and double feature for 14 cents. But then there was the walk home. I veered a block out of my way not to pass the Funeral Home. (After seeing "The House of Wax" it was a four blocks out of my way not to go anywhere near where dead people were.) With my friends it was a chatty walk probably to a sleep over. When alone and during the Christmas season I loved t...
Chouteau County Performing Arts' Christmas Concert will feature talent from Chouteau County Sunday December 6th, at 3 PM at the Fort Benton Elementary School Auditorium. We welcome to the stage some old favorites and some new talent from people you know. After a fun day of shopping at the Bridgeport Station or the other numerous events in Chouteau County and watching the Parade of Lights, come enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon of Christmas music. This show is presented in partnership with Jim...
Plants in your home are not only decorative but scientists have found them to be suprisingly useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside modern buildings. Tightly sealed offices and homes with their beautiful furnishings are proving to be hostile environments. All sorts of dangers lurk inside- formaldehyde and benzene fumes released from building materials, furniture, and carpeting; ozone from machines, fumes from cleaning supplies, radon and second hand smoke. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)...
Most parents expect their children to one day ask to use their cool, expensive tech devices. But adult tech for kids is now more accessible than ever, so parents don’t need to hand over their pricey tablets, smartwatches and smartphones. Just remember that when investing in technology for kids, there are a few things to keep in mind. Fun Gadgets The number of products designed specifically for children is growing, particularly when it comes to wearable tech. And these items are not only more affordable than their grown-up counterparts, but m...
North Central Montana Sheep Seminar in Conrad Front Range Wool Pool President Pete Cornell is inviting Chouteau County sheep producers and 4-H youth to attend the North Central Montana Sheep Seminar in Conrad on December 8, 2015. The event will begin at the Moose Lodge around 1:00 with registration. Seminars will begin at 1:30 with sheep industry updates and a survey by the new MSU Extension sheep specialist. Other presentations include grazing alfalfa aftermath and alternate forages, the basics of intensive grazing, feedlot on fields, new...