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I love the sun. I understand completely why the ancients worshipped this blazing disc. Giver of life, casting brightness to light our path, increasing one’s sense of well-being; John Denver hit the nail on the head. Sunshine on my shoulders DOES make me happy. Given my complete appreciation of the sun, it makes sense that solar gadgets and the idea of harnessing the sun’s power intrigues me. I own a vast array of solar powered objects, from flashlights and lanterns to reading lamps and power packs that charge small items, as well as sev...
I noticed a most stunning pair of shoes this past weekend. These shoes gleamed in the sunlight, the silver soles merged into a metallic red that glistened and flashed as the wearer of these magnificently fashionable footwear moved along the street. I took a good look at the man sporting these marvelous creations and I broke into a smile of glee. The owner of those fancy shoes has more years under his belt than I do. Footwear has certainly changed since I was a youngster. Back then, we had less than stellar shoes from which to choose. Every...
We learned in school about the hardships those who settled the west endured: no running water, leaky, drafty shacks made from sod or tar paper, working from dawn to dusk to clear the land and get the crops in, sickness, cold, shortage of food; the list goes on. Our idea of roughing it today can’t in any way compare with roughing it one hundred years ago. My husband and I are currently roughing it 21st century style. We just sold our home. We needed to sell our house in order to purchase the cabin we intend to live in by summer’s end. The cabin,...
Who owns a river? That is the question that Dr. Bruce Wendt’s junior history class at Billings West High School attempted to answer last spring. Their research and project became an exhibit at the Western Heritage Center entitled, “Who Owns the Yellowstone?” With help from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), that exhibit will be traveling to public libraries along the river from late March through mid-June. Each year, one of Dr. Wendt’s classes creates a project that becomes an exhibit at the Western Heritag...
When you walk into a grocery store or convenience store, what do you see? Rows of groceries. Coolers with soft drinks and beer. Counters and cash registers. And, in a lot of places, tobacco products on a large wall display. Stores aren’t just where we buy things. The entire time we’re there, we’re being marketed to. There are ads almost everyplace we look. The message we get is to buy more. Try something new. Get a better deal. Once you open your eyes, tobacco advertising is everywhere you look inside the store. It’s on signs and shelves, on th...
National Volunteer Week is April 10-17 and the American Red Cross of Montana is honoring its volunteers who give their time to help people in need. Nearly 400 serve the Red Cross in Montana and more than 300,000 volunteers serve the organization nationwide, helping staff blood drives, volunteering at veterans hospitals, teaching people lifesaving skills such as First Aid and CPR, responding to home fires in the middle of the night and so much more. “We want to take this time during Volunteer Week to thank our volunteers for their service,” sai...
North Dakota Humanities Council and the Friends of Prairie Museum (Rugby, ND) are partnering with the Long X Arts Foundation and the McKenzie County Library to bring a writing workshop to seniors in McKenzie County. Saturday, April 29th from 9am to 12pm at the McKenzie County Library. The workshop is free and designed for seniors (50+) but open to all ages. Seniors Speak is a workshop and storytelling project designed for North Dakota senior citizens who are interested in writing their stories. Through the workshops, we aim to capture, gather,...
The Red Cross’s Powerful Emergency App Has Everything You Need to Get Started With flood season already upon us and wildfire season just around the corner, the Red Cross urges Montanans to get ready by downloading its free Emergency App today. A recent survey by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) found that nearly 60 percent of American adults have not practiced a disaster drill and that only 39 percent have developed emergency plans. If you consider that approximately 80 percent of Americans live in counties that have been hit w...
While rushing around town the other day, hurrying as usual as I dislike shopping and want to finish up as quickly as possible, I bumped into an acquaintance I haven’t seen for several years. When she said ‘hello’ to me, I looked at her in puzzlement for a few seconds until my brain figured out who she was. I tried not to stare in dismay, as the first thought that entered my head was ‘my goodness, has she ever aged.’ My next thought, following a nanosecond after my initial shocked disbelief at seeing the gray hair and other signs of age in my...
This big, beautiful state of Montana has so much to offer with its varied geography, open country, and landscapes that leave one amazed and humbled. The terrain certainly changes as one drives from one side of the state to the other. I have had the good fortune to live in eastern Montana on the glorious prairies and in southwestern Montana among the towering mountains. If I had to choose between plains and mountains, I'm not sure I could as both ends of the state have their own special beauty...
March is Red Cross Month, a time when the Red Cross honors the volunteers, blood donors and financial contributors who bring help and hope to people during life’s most trying emergencies. “During Red Cross Month, we thank all those who support our humanitarian mission” said Anna Fernández-Gevaert, a spokesperson for the Red Cross. “It is also a great time to sign up to volunteer and to start training for our busiest disaster season here in Montana.” The Red Cross depends on volunteers to fulfill its mission. In fiscal year 2016, Montana Red Cro...
After a distinguished career of more than 33 years in banking, Dale Patten is set to retire on March 31, 2017. Patten began his banking career in 1983, shortly after McKenzie County Bank opened in Watford City. He has served in many leadership roles within the bank over his career starting as an ag lender, becoming a commercial lender, and then Market President. Gary Petersen, Chairman of Cornerstone Bank said, "Dale has helped many farmers, ranchers and small business owners achieve their dream...
Are you or is someone you care about 50 or older? Then it’s time to talk with a health care provider about getting screened for colorectal cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends that everyone 50 and older be tested regularly. If you have family members with colorectal cancer or colon polyps, you should ask about getting tests at an earlier age. In the United States, Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death when men and women are combined. About 140,000 adults are diagnosed and more than 50,000 people die from colore...
February is American Heart Month, and the Richland County Nutrition Coalition would like to remind you of the importance your diet, and specifically beef in your diet, can be to preserving the health of your heart. Each year, heart disease is associated as the primary factor in one out of every four deaths. That makes heart disease the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. There's no doubt about it, heart disease is a scary...
All of us have stories to tell; the actions and antics we committed in our lives, both good and bad, naughty and nice, that help explain who we are and define us as human beings. Too often these stories remain untold and a person takes a life full of interesting but unknown anecdotes with him or her to the grave. Children and grandchildren never have the opportunity to truly know and understand their parents or grandparents without the knowledge of these little stories from the past that help explain where people came from and what they have...
If you are an adult who is a caregiver for a parent, spouse or other older adult, you are encouraged to attend the “Powerful Tools for Caregivers Workshop” offered on Tuesdays, starting February 28 to April 4, 2017. Classes will be held from 1 pm to 2:30 pm CT at the NDSU Extension Service/McKenzie County in Watford City. This office is located at 205 6th Street NW (County Building behind the Courthouse). Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a program designed to provide the tools you need to tak...
The First Pella Lutheran Church will be having their annual Lutefisk and Meatball dinner, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until out of food, Saturday February 25 at the Fellowship Hall in Williston, ND. The people in charge of arrangements this year are David Brevik, Pat Hamers and Sandy Winter. The public is invited to attend, tickets are available at the church office, Monday through Friday. Adults, $18 ($15 before February 15); students through junior high, $8; preschoolers, free. Six hundred men, women and youth are involved in preparing, planning...
I wonder where the term 'golden years' came from to describe those of us who not only have gold in our teeth and silver in our hair, but also some lead in our derrieres. From what I see to date, no gold of any sort accompanies those aches and pains and other little mishaps we oldsters seem to face more and more frequently. Case in point: about a month ago I slipped on a patch of ice in my back yard and fell splat on my back. It has taken those four plus weeks since my crash for the muscles,...
The Department of Health and Human Services released today new information that shows that millions of seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare continue to save on prescription drugs and see improved benefits in 2016 as a result of the Affordable Care Act. More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs – an average of $2,272 per beneficiary – since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. In 2016 alone, over 4.9 mil...
(BPT) - Some people are incredibly easy to shop for. You can go into any store and find something they would like. For others, you can spend months looking and still not discover the right gift. So what do you get the person who has everything? Furthermore, how can you get a unique gift at an affordable price? Forget candy, ties and slippers. These 10 gifts for under $100 are sure to be special, memorable and brighten your loved one's day. Vintage toys Nostalgia is alive and well during times...
As a child, Christmas enthralled me. Every December we made so many happy memories preparing for and savoring the holiday season to the fullest. We baked cookies, some of which we hung on the tree until the year a mouse discovered the cookies and helped himself, which in itself makes me smile even now as I recall that long ago and far away Christmas. Each year I helped my dad hang the large five pointed star on the chimney, covered with strands of multicolored lights that the entire neighborhood could view and enjoy. My dad and my brother...
(BPT) - It is estimated that more than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's and other dementias. For the vast majority, the deeply personal responsibility of caring for a loved one with a devastating disease constitutes a "labor of love," but caregiving can take a severe emotional and physical toll on those providing it. In fact, 59 percent of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias rate their emotional stress as high or very high,...
MonDak Relay for Life is holding a raffle, with all funds raised going to the Cancer Society. Tickets are $2.00 each or 6 for $10.00 and available at Merchants Bank and Neu's Super Valu in Fairview, Reynolds Market and Stockman Bank in Sidney. Four winners will choose from a western quilt made by Debbie Simmons; a baby quilt with pillow made by Dorothy Johnson ; a horse painting by Daphne Clark; or a basket of Pampered Chef items donated by Trina Buxbaum. The drawings will be held December...
(BPT) - The temptation to start collecting monthly Social Security checks at age 62 is hard to resist, but claiming the benefit too early can have damaging consequences for your overall retirement funds. According to Kiplinger.com’s October list of “Financial Decisions You Will Regret in Retirement,” taking the money as soon as you are eligible at 62 is actually considered one of the worst mistakes you can make in your lifetime by many advisors. That’s because the longer you wait to claim benefits, the more money you are eligible to receive...
Holiday seasons nowadays tend to blend together for one continuous shopping spree, starting in late September when merchants feel obligated to start pushing Halloween, and lasting right through Easter the following spring. When I was a kid, admittedly quite some time ago, this behavior on the part of shopkeepers didn’t exist and we as consumers didn’t demand it. Stores began stocking shelves with Halloween treats and costumes the first or second week of October. We didn’t even begin thinking about what we might want to wear when we went out t...
