The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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Our paternal grandfather's brother, our great uncle, died in 1959, so there aren't many of us left who knew him. We of the 4th generation only knew him as children, and I, the eldest of the group, was just 12 when Pat died while feeding cows one winter. Pat never married. I've been told that he drank for years, but one day simply quit alcohol. I heard him relate to a friend that one morning he woke up in the weeds behind the local bar. He got up and started inside for another...
Starting on May 4th residents of Lincoln have a great opportunity to attend a free 6-hour course that has been developed and implemented in hundreds of towns and dozens of countries. It is not a get-rich quick scheme, a pyramid marketing program, nor does it come with a high-pressure sales pitch. The course is called “The Christian Life and Witness Course”, or CLWC. Now before you tune me out, invest a few minutes and finish reading this. The CLWC is a teaching outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). The...
I've mentioned a number of times the constancy a person experiences when raised on a rural property. The phenomenon crosses generations and allows people to realize the transience of their own existence. There are places on the ranch, I'm sure, where one can see the projects of four generations within a tiny area, all juxtaposed. Our father used to say that when a person dies, their absence makes no more difference than someone taking his or her finger out of a glass of...
Chester Beatty Papyri and Bodmer Papyri are almost complete New Testament’s and date from 200-250 AD. This helps ensure authenticity. The completeness of the New Testament. We have it all, nothing missing. Most ancient writings have 10-20 percent of original. Nine Key Factors Based on the Accepted Historical Facts Why There Are Positive, Factual Evidences for the Resurrection and thus for Christianity. The Disciples Experiences, as early, eyewitness sources The Disciples transformation into bold witnesses The Empty Tomb T...
Dear Dietitian, My son is in the fourth grade and is beginning to form unhealthy eating habits. He eats junk food while sitting in front of the computer. He is getting chubby, and I worry that he will get in these patterns for life. Can you help? Signed, Worried Mom Dear Mom, You are wise to start acting now. Behavior patterns are easier to modify when they are "nipped in the bud." According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the obesity rate...
The other day I was in a town about 100 miles from here. Townsend used to be a dynamic place, but there are a lot of empty storefronts there now. The phenomenon of dying rural towns is becoming more obvious all the time. Deer Lodge, for example, used to be well to do. The Anaconda smelter, the saw mills, the railroad, and the phosphate mine were all available as good employment. The firms paid their labor well and the employees were relatively comfortable in their lives. Optio...
Several years ago, an old man, who I really didn't know, died and his wife gave me a grocery bag full of his fly-tying material. And for a long time, it sat untouched in the corner of my office. Over the years I've tied a few miserable-looking flies, but eventually my hobby quietly disappeared into a basement corner. Fly-fishing took the next bus out of town. Then, last week I stumbled across a cheap, metal and plastic desk headed for the dump and something clicked. Now, it's...
Dear Readers, If you have been listening to the news lately, you may have heard about more food recalls. This time almond butter and avocados were recalled for concerns of listeria contamination. Listeria monocytogenes is type of bacteria found in soil and water and in some animals, including poultry and cattle. It can also be found unpasteurized cheese and milk. Listeria can live in processing plants and contaminate a variety of processed meats. When someone consumes food...
Dear Readers, Chances are you know someone who has diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 30 million Americans have the disease. There is type 1 diabetes, where the pancreas no longer secretes insulin, so the patient must take insulin shots. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas secretes insulin, but either it is not enough to keep blood sugars under control or the body cannot use it efficiently. People with type 2 diabetes sometimes take insulin in...
Rural children grow up with fewer organized activities than do their urban counterparts, but they enjoy a variety of country opportunities not available in cities. One facet of a tellurian upbringing is exposure to animals, both domesticated and wild. With six children in the family, our mother suffered through myriad pets we kids dragged home. She wasn't much for animals, especially under her kitchen table and on the couch. But she survived - after a fashion. We were always...
April 15th marks the one-hundred-and-seventh anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, a catastrophic accident that resulted in tragic loss of life and still serves as a monument to hubris – the folly of proud men who built a ship and deemed it "unsinkable." The tragedy of the Titanic is one that has touched hearts and gripped imaginations for generations, especially after the fateful day was vividly captured in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film, "Titanic." The movie f...
The basis for real change in one’s thinking, feelings and living is found in the Holy Bible. Even people that are not professing Christians have throughout history affirmed the value in the Word of God for living a good life. Many of our Founding Fathers were Christians. They believed in a personal God, the supernatural revelation of the Bible, the Person of the Holy Spirit, the salvation found only in the Person of Jesus Christ. Some were Deists, which is a belief that God created the universe but then remains apart and i...
This winter I spent some time in both retro and introspection. The results aren't very good, I'm afraid. I showed some promise as a child, but when puberty arrived, my concerns turned solely to girls, alcohol, and horses. I never developed any long term goals like my more mature friends did. I've always had the proclivity to act on impulse, with no thought of the results my actions might bring. I can think of very few untoward events in my life for which I wasn't solely respon...
Well spring has finally showed up, both on the calendar and in the warmer temperatures and melting snow. I know we are all glad for this time of year, especially after the rough month we had in February. The snow sure looks pretty, even when there is too much to plow and no place to put it. Seeing the snow fall reminds me of hunting excursions, road trips and the days of old when I was a timber marker and rode snowmobiles many miles in to the mountains of central Oregon to...
Dear Readers, Food allergies are on the rise in the United States, and it is estimated that as many as 8 percent of children suffer from at least one food allergy. A food allergy is when your body’s immune system responds to a certain food as harmful and has a reaction. These reactions can range from itchy skin, vomiting, or diarrhea to trouble breathing, wheezing, or anaphylaxis, which is life-threatening. Although it is uncertain why food allergies have increased, one t...
I don't know how our paternal grandmother managed. She wasn't different than any of the women who raised families in the early and mid-20th century. They all had it hard. Many families were large in those days, and with no pizza shops, MacDonald's, or heat and eat foods, even lunches for the children entailed a lot of work. Our grandmother kept a house with seven sons, a husband, and a brother-in-law. She gave birth to a girl baby after all the boys, but the child died of meni...
The basis for real change in one’s thinking, feelings and living is found in the Holy Bible. Even people that are not professing Christians have throughout history affirmed the value in the Word of God for living a good life. Many of our Founding Father’s were Christians. They believed in a personal God, the supernatural revelation of the Bible, the Person of the Holy Spirit, the salvation found only in the Person of Jesus Christ. Some were Deists, which is a belief that God...
Dear Dietitian, I have recently lost twenty pounds, and I've been exercising to keep the weight off. My problem is I sometimes eat at night out of boredom. I know I need to break this bad habit, but I keep doing it over and over again. Help!! Thank you, Julie Dear Julie, Eating out of boredom can lead to unnecessary calories and of course, eventual weight gain. The goal is to be healthy, and if our bodies are well-nourished, we will be less tempted to eat when we are not...
March 19, 1969 Local Chamber Has A Name A fiveman steering committee has decided to name the new organization 'Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce'. At a three-hour session Friday the committee also appointed a nominating committee to select a president, vice-president and secretary-treasurer. The group also set up by-laws and determined a six-man board of directors should be nominated. The first election of candidates will provide for two members to serve as directors for on...
With most of the news being about politics these days, I think often about our maternal grandmother who was a dedicated Republican in the Eisenhower vein. Her political views stemmed from her intense dislike of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. She was disgusted that FDR was on the dime, and when the 10 cent stamps with his bust on them were issued, she was vocal in her contempt. She disliked using the stamps, blaming FDR for the high price of postage and everything else...
Dear Readers, Today I am writing about a topic near to my heart: nutrition and cancer, or more pointedly, nutrition myths and cancer. My clinical experience included twelve years of oncology nutrition, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Good nutrition can help prevent some types of cancer, and not surprisingly, it is the same diet that helps prevent other diseases, such as heart disease and stroke. You’ve heard it before and read it in this column: Eat lots of f...
This last siege of storms has made for long winter. The snow is welcome, but it may delay spring grass and the return of migratory birds. As kids, our first sign of spring was the melting snow, which was ideal for snowballs. During the better part of winter, the snow was too cold and dry to stick together. After the doldrums of the cold months, any change was welcome. We knew that the huge snowbanks formed in December would start to disappear soon. Being raised in the country...
Montana is a single state. But in reality, there are many Montanas – some defined by variations in terrain and vegetation, others by climate and still others by land use and population density. Area economies also vary considerably from one part of Montana to the next. From east to west, the state splits into two vastly different regions, one defined by rolling grasslands stretching across sprawling plains and the other defined by a large number of forested and interconnected...
Dear Dietitian, My cousin tells me she is taking fish oil supplements to help her with depression. Do you know of any studies on this topic? Thank you, Andrea Dear Andrea, Omega-3 fatty acids, or simply omega-3s, have received a considerable amount of attention from the healthcare field and the general public. There are several omega-3s, and two in particular have been studied, DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid), which are found in fish, especially...
Dear Dietitian, My husband was recently in the hospital and diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He has been instructed to follow a 1500 mg sodium diet. He's trying, but it's very difficult. I'm afraid he will get frustrated and give up. Any words of wisdom? Signed, Deborah Dear Deborah, A new diagnosis can be overwhelming and often brings about the need for a lifestyle change. For readers who are not familiar with congestive heart failure (CHF), it's a chronic condition...
