Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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In my last column, I talked about various reasons to live in or near a town. Community organizations are an important resource. The following groups are a small sampling of these groups. Some of these you may not have heard of, but they make significant contributions. Woman’s Club – Most recently the Club raised $5000 towards purchasing the first of two radar feedback signs for Main Street. Some of their projects have been local student scholarships, trees for the park, highway cleanup and library books. Old Jail Museum – I understand the W...
As the smoke started rolling in last week, it reminded me that it's still technically summer for a few more weeks, and that it's still really dry out there. Last week we had two human-caused wildfires in Sanders County. The Mile Marker 104 fire near Dixon is nearing containment after burning nearly 500 acres. Then on Saturday there was a small fire outside Thompson Falls in the Cherry Creek area, near a popular swimming hole at the mouth of Prospect Creek. Fall is just around the corner and the nights are getting cooler. However, driving...
Mass deportation sounds like a pretty good deal to some people I know, but then they would like a sort of retroactive date going back to about 1620 when the native American lack of resolve on immigration wound up dooming them as a people. Remember the stories of Massasoit and Samoset, bigwigs of the Wampanoag tribe teaching the greenhorn Europeans how to plant corn and other crops so the Pilgrims could survive. Pretty good of them. But you see how it turned out for them later—bad immigration p...
To Whom It May Concern, People can have differences of opinion about anything. It is our right and privilege. What people do not have the right to do is trespass on private property to deface a sign which represents a choice or viewpoint they do not agree with. Last week, I put up signs in Heron which were on private land with permission from the owners. Within a few days, vandals spray painted graffiti on the signs and ruined them. This is illegal on a couple of levels, from trespassing to destruction of private property. If these sick acts...
After attending the Master Gardeners class last spring, 2024, put on by Wendy Carr, with the local MSU. Ext office, our class members need to put in twenty hours of community service, to receive our certifications. I finally had an opportunity to start that with Beth Riffle, at Waterway, CSA. Starting at 7 a.m. to beat the heat, Beth was able to plant three rows to my one row of 75 bell peppers, exhibiting her experience as a gardener. She’s in her sixth season on the same property she grew up on, with the now Waterway, CSA, Community S...
During summer months, Sanders County residents may notice plants with attractive blue flowers along roads and disturbed sites. These flowers can fool people into overlooking an aggressive, invasive plant: Blueweed. Blueweed's appealing flowers often lead people to consider it a desirable plant, and it is sometimes mistaken for lupine, chicory, or penstemon. Far from being desirable, this invasive species is toxic to livestock, is a skin irritant for people, and out-competes native plants that ar...
I have been a gamer for most of my life. Before I was even playing games myself I can remember watching family members play video games and being fascinated by them. Some of my earliest memories are of watching my dad play a game called Soldier of Fortune on the family computer. My younger brother and I weren’t allowed to play the game but my dad always let us watch him play. We would sit for hours and watch him take down the bad guys and cheer him on when he won and laugh when he failed. After seeing how much we enjoyed watching him play, h...
I wasn't expecting to spend all weekend at the fair. My mom and I judge 4-H cooking, baking and cake decorating on Thursday. It's tradition. This was our fourth year, and it's great to see the kids come back each year and be more open and comfortable with their interviews and their cooking skills. And it's become tradition for me to work with my pal Heidi in the beer booth on Friday night. It's a great way to see all sorts of people, make new friends, and help out the Sanders County Fair Foundation, which is a nonprofit that helps the fair...
With back to school, the beginning of soccer, and the fair, many families are dealing with high emotions, not just in the littles, but the bigs. Another parent recently explained their childs’ meltdowns to me and all I could do was nod along and smile, “I feel that way too,” I blurted. Sometimes it’s too many people, sometimes it’s being hungry, sometimes there’s no obvious reason. Another parent came up and told me how their child may not realize they’re overheating, if they become grumpy to ask them to shed a layer and see if that fixes it...
Do you love to read and discuss books, but struggle to leave your comfy home in order to do so? I sure do. I have the best snacks here, a cozy blankie if I get a chill, and I never have to worry that I forgot my pen. In an effort to bring book club to you, Thompson Falls Public Library and I have teamed up with The Sanders County Ledger and this column, to bring you Flashlights & Firelight Online Book Club: free, monthly, and fun! Check out my quick review of our first book below as well as details for joining us later this month.* In August,...
I very vividly remember my first day of kindergarten. My mom took me to school, walked me to Mrs. Garrison's class in the dorm building, started to walk away, and I burst into tears. I think the only way she got me to stay was by having my friend Brooke distract me. I still get those same first-day-of-school jitters when I start a new project, go somewhere I've never been or even when I pick up the phone to conduct an interview. It always turns out just fine and I'm happy for new experiences and new acquaintances. As kids go back to school this...
I’m sure it is just a coincidence that Montana homeowners’ property tax bills come out just a couple of weeks before the election. Coincidence or not, it’s a good reminder for taxpayers to take a closer look at the person who wants their vote. We need no reminders that last year’s property tax bills were a real eye opener, and that this year’s will present more of the same awakening. That’s in spite of the governor’s largess in offering a $675 property tax rebate for taxes paid in 2022 and anot...
Just in case you're wondering about those who compete for the office of and for the people's expectations, we must adhere to the truth using only words that are proven to be documented; in fact, anything less is deception — of the people, by the people, for the people does not justifiably adhere to deception — so don't waste people's time, admiration, and hope. John Middlemiss, Trout Creek...
As most people reading this will know, the levy to supply added funding to Plains Public Schools did not pass. This very directly affects the ability of the school district to continue to provide quality enrichment educational opportunities to our children. In light of this, the Plains Parent and Teachers Association (PTA) wants to invite the greater community to assist with meeting some of the needs of our students attending our public schools. Budget shortfalls are impacting the ability to hire educational support staff, meet cost of living...
by Crystal Molidor As autumn sweeps across New England, the region transforms into a tapestry of stunning reds, oranges, and yellows. Fall cruises are an ideal way to experience the season's beauty while also exploring charming coastal towns and historic cities. From the comfort of a cruise ship, travelers can witness this dazzling foliage while only unpacking one time! New England is famous for its fall foliage, and cruises in the region are perfectly timed for peak leaf-peeping season, usually from late September through mid-October. There...
There seem to be no shades of gray in the political landscape of the United States. You're either red or blue or right or wrong. There's not much compromise or debating when people have their minds made up so early in races. I am one of those voters who loves absentee ballots. I like to think of myself as pretty well informed, given my profession, but sometimes there are statewide races for which I have no clue who either candidate is. In that situation, I like to Google the people, at the very least, and try to get some idea of what they...
Dear Editor. While reading through last week’s edition of your excellent newspaper I noticed the USFS Campground checks listed in the Sheriff's Log. From the staff at the USFS Plains – Thompson Falls Ranger District I want to thank the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff and staff, for conducting the campground checks. Thank you very much. This level of support from the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office and community is very valuable and directly assists in the provision of a safe recreational environment for Sanders County residen...
Digging around in the dictionary recently led to monogenesis, a theory that all living things evolved from a single cell — some combination of proteins and acids and God knows what else that became able to duplicate itself. Maybe this tiny accretion floated in primal seas for eons waiting for the final magic ingredient to adhere to it, maybe it instantly coalesced when a lightning bolt struck; but somehow suddenly there were two of whatever it was. If this wasn’t miracle enough, the other whatever was also able to duplicate itself. So began the...
Why Move to a town/city? What motivates a family or an individual to move from a rural setting to a town or city? If you look through the list below, some reasons may be more important to you than others and in a different order of priority. You may have additional wants and/or needs. Depending on the size of the municipality, these services will vary. The challenge of providing “something for everyone” or a “one size fits all” is next to impossible. Utilitarian philosophy is that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce the gre...
I joke that my parents were super excited when I bought my own house because it meant that I wouldn't move back in with them again. Growing up in little old Sanders County, I couldn't wait to go out and explore the world. I branched out for college, going out of state. Then I moved home. I made stops around the country for college my journalism career. And when I got divorced, the only place I wanted to go was home. Once I got back to Sanders County, I didn't want to leave. In fact, I only leave the county once every other month or so, and...
Apologies to F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The very rich are just different from you and me.” We worry about the next mortgage payment; they paid cash for their home(s). Without insurance, medical care is only “an option” for us. For the wealthy, when insurance won’t cover it, there’s always cash. We plan for our retirement, denying short-term pleasures for long-term security. Retirement? The wealthy are born “retired”. Our wallets are full of basic credit cards with too high-interest balances; their cards are “titanium” levels without balances. O...
Several years ago I paid a visit to the Mayor of Flaxville, Montana. Her honor was not only the CEO of Flaxville, she was also the Chair of the Democratic Party in Daniels County, which was the main reason for my visit in my capacity as the State Chair of the whole shebang—the Montana Democratic Party. That’s just to explain why I was there and that’s all the politics this article will contain. So, I’m in Flaxville at a pancake breakfast put on by some organization for some good cause. Flaxville...
Last week as I was walking down Main Street in Thompson Falls, distracted by waving at someone driving by, I nearly ran into a doe huddled in some shade just off the sidewalk. It shocked me and I jumped back a bit as the deer just stood there. (As a side note, one thing that's important to know about me is that my brother and his best friend told me that deer were aliens and that's why their eyes glowed. It still influences me to this day.) Finally the deer just stepped aside a bit, but never was bothered by me being there. Later that day, I...
When she was a puppy, I could smoosh my nose into our dogs’ paws and inhale corn chips. I could stuff my nose into the scruff of her neck and smell sunlight and grass and a touch of joy. But somewhere along the way, she lost her puppy smell and gained a stink. We added those green doggie toothbrushes, but it wasn’t her breath that needed fixing, and the treats didn’t seem to affect anything anyway. We started bathing the dogs every week, which decreased the number of dog-hair-tumbleweeds rolling through the house, but still didn’t take her sme...
July was a sudden scorcher! The meteorologist seems to have the best job on the planet, as he has been paid to be pretty egregiously incorrect quite often this season (apologies to any meteorologists out there). May the huckleberries be benefitting from these last few nice rains. As to the real estate market, the inventory is still growing, but it is still at a much slower rate seasonally. Those low interest rate loans are hard to part with when you have to start over with a much higher rate. The sales were down for both land and homes for the...
