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  • Disappointment and spectacle on a trip to the Ice Follies

    Dick Geary|Updated May 15, 2019

    As kids, it was rare for us to travel farther away from home than Deer Lodge. The roads and vehicles of the day weren't much, and we never saw any reason or need to go to a bigger town. But two or three times over the years our parents hauled us to Butte to see the Ice Follies. It was a big deal for us, and the show made the interminable trip worth the suffering. The show was at night, so we had to leave early in the afternoon order to compensate for our father's self-imposed...

  • Tales and Trails: Get out the Fishing Gear

    Bruce Auchly, Montana FWP|Updated May 15, 2019

    Montana's rivers are running high, wide and muddy right now and things typically won't improve much for maybe two months. That all depends on rainfall and snowmelt. A cool, wet spring will prolong runoff into mid-June; a hot, dry period will clear up rivers and streams faster but not bode well for fisheries later in the summer. So, what's an angler to do to catch fish? Better yet, what's a fish to do to find food? We might give up dry flies and switch to worms. Fish will...

  • This is Montana: Missouri headwaters are central to Montana history (Part 1 of 2)

    Rick and Susie Graetz, University of Montana|Updated May 15, 2019

    A labyrinth of channels, willow bottoms, islands and a general mix of wetlands interact to piece together the headwaters of the Missouri River. The point where the three forks – the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison rivers – join as one, the great Missouri River begins an odyssey, heading out as having had the starring role in the creation of a state. As a route of western expansion, the Missouri River had few equals. Missouri Headwaters State Park, at the three forks, doc...

  • Dear Dietician: Crohn's disease

    Leanne McCrate|Updated May 15, 2019

    Dear Dietitian, I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and I'm having a hard time figuring out what foods I should avoid. Can you help? Signed, Kathleen Dear Kathleen, I know this is a tough condition to deal with, having seen more cases in my last few years of clinical practice than ever before. For readers who are not familiar, Crohn's disease is one of two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the other being ulcerative colitis. As the term ulcerative implies,...

  • Mountaintop Musings: A biblical view of anger

    Dave Carroll, Community Bible Church of Lincoln|Updated May 14, 2019

    Over the years I have had many opportunities to develop and exhibit self-control. I would love to say that I have always passed the test and been a model of patience, calmness and control. However, the report would show something quite different. I cannot count the times I have lost my temper, or out of just plain meanness spewed anger all-over people when things did not go the way I wanted them to go. I sure wish I could roll back the clock and redo a few things but alas I...

  • Dear Dietician: IV Vitamin Therapy

    Leanne McCrate|Updated May 7, 2019

    Dear Dietitian, My girlfriend has been getting IV vitamin therapy and says she feels great. She insists I give it a try, but I want to know more before I join her. What do you think? Signed, Kat Dear Kat, Intravenous (IV) vitamin therapies, also called IV cocktails, are available in high-end spas, places called drip bars, and some clinics. These infusions offer a variety of nutrients from vitamins and minerals to antioxidants to amino acids (the building blocks of protein)....

  • The Grand Trip: a slow drive to Deer Lodge

    Dick Geary|Updated May 7, 2019

    It was rare to travel much distance from Helmville in the 1950's and 60's. The vehicles weren't that dependable, and the interstate system wasn't built yet, so the highways were only two lane. The roads to Drummond and Avon were gravel and often rough. Once every summer we kids were hauled to Deer Lodge, where we spent a week with our maternal grandmother. Our father had a propensity for preparation, and would begin his efforts at least two days before the trips were...

  • My Smart Mouth: Generations

    Hope Quay|Updated May 7, 2019

    Recently, someone introduced themselves to me as “[insert name here], fourth generation Montanan, ranching family.” “Wow,” thought I. “This individual is awfully proud of their heritage – a sentiment I can understand – and wants everyone to know it.” Although I have not noted announcing oneself and one’s lineage thusly upon first meeting to be the general custom among most of the ranching families I grew up around, I thought maybe I’m not up to snuff on Montana ranching family etiquette. So, to go with the flow, I followe...

  • Great Uncle Pat

    Dick Geary|Updated Apr 30, 2019

    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...

  • Mountaintop Musings: A Great Opportunity

    Dave Caroll|Updated Apr 30, 2019

    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...

  • The Shack

    Dick Geary|Updated Apr 23, 2019

    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...

  • Mountaintop Musings: Evidence for Faith and Easter

    Dave Caroll|Updated Apr 23, 2019

    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 Dietician: Unhealthy eating

    Leanne McCrate|Updated Apr 23, 2019

    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 phenomenon of dying rural towns

    Dick Geary|Updated Apr 17, 2019

    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...

  • Tales and Trails: Fly-tying for the aged

    Bruce Auchly, Montana FWP|Updated Apr 17, 2019

    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 Dietician: Listeria

    Leanne McCrate|Updated Apr 17, 2019

    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 Dietician": Insulin

    Leanne McCrate|Updated Apr 10, 2019

    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...

  • Myriad pets, both domestic and wild

    Dick Geary|Updated Apr 10, 2019

    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...

  • Into the Drink

    Hope Quay|Updated Apr 10, 2019

    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...

  • Mountaintop Musings:

    Dave Caroll, Community Bible Church of Lincoln|Updated Apr 10, 2019

    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...

  • Family comes through in untenable situations

    Dick Geary|Updated Apr 3, 2019

    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...

  • Mountaintop Musings: Springtime Ramblings

    Dave Carroll, Community Bible Church of Lincoln|Updated Apr 2, 2019

    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 Dietician: Food Alegires

    Leanne McCrate|Updated Apr 2, 2019

    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...

  • Mountain top Musings: The Authority for the Self-Confrontation Journey

    Dave Carroll, Community Bible Church of Lincoln|Updated Mar 26, 2019

    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 Dietician

    Leanne McCrate|Updated Mar 26, 2019

    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...

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