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Featured

10. Antonella LoPresti 20. Mr. E A Montana Track Legacy 24. The House That Rob Built Lady Griz Basketball 34. Battling HG During Pregnancy Part One

Profile

28. Glacier Timberline Construction

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Health

32. The Turf Doctor

16. Miracle on the Mountain

Nonprofit

38. Treating the Whole Family

22. Homeless not Hopeless

44. Postmenopausal Bleeding

48. Changed Lives

50. Mixed Emotions

40. Balance

View current and past issues of 406 Woman at

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Milan meets the Midwest

How an Italian fashionista found her love to teach through cooking meat & potatoes. By Sydney Munteanu Photos by Amanda Wilson Photography

Antonella LoPresti greets me with a charming smile and a vivacious Italian accent. She is from the fashion capital Milan, where she learned the ins and outs of Italian couture working as Creative Director for La Moda, the top fashion distributor and “Made in Italy” designator that is sought-after by many Italian designers. LoPresti has circled with the likes of fashion moguls from Fendi to Versace, hosted numerous avant garde dinner parties, has an accounting degree, speaks four languages, and has traveled extensively between Paris, Barcelona, New York, and London working with clients in the fashion industry. So, my first question was, how the heck did you end up in Montana? “By way of North Dakota,” she says with a laugh.

Okay. “Clearly we have a story here,” I laugh back.

LoPresti begins: “Growing up my hobby was rodeo. There was a ranch outside of the city that I rode at. It was close to the military base and that’s where I met my first husband.” She goes on to explain that they dated, got married, and she eventually moved back to North Dakota with him, only to find herself with a divorce just a year later. “But I loved North Dakota!” LoPresti insists, “I ended up staying for 10 years after and truly fell in love with the community. It was the first place I bought a house, I got a dog, and I really learned about myself. Don’t get me wrong, I was in total culture shock and there were many nights I called my sister crying that I didn’t belong. But sometimes being alone makes you really strong. I found a person inside of myself that I would have never known had I not moved to North Dakota. And the friends I made… I met the most beautiful people who are my family to this day.”

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While wrapping her head around the divorce, LoPresti found a job working as an office manager for an oil company. “That was another culture shock,” she says. “I didn’t get their Texan accents and they didn’t get that I showed up to work in a bright pink coat with matching accessories,” she laughs. “But they were wonderful people and after the first year, and learning to eventually be comfortable just being me, I made the best relationships. Those people made my work wonderful.”

LoPresti talks of her North Dakota friends fondly and recalls, “I would go out with them after work. And in the town I lived, there was really only one nice restaurant to go and meet people. One day, there was this kind man. He was sitting at the bar and he was working for a few months on some building projects. He is Italian by heritage and he introduced himself after overhearing my accent. And that’s how I met my husband, John.”

After a decade in the Midwest, LoPresti moved with John to Montana. “I’ve been here for a year and a half,” LoPresti explains. “I worked basically up until the week we moved because I knew I was going to miss my friends. But when I got here, I had no idea I was about to realize the most amazing cooking community and opportunity to reinvent myself yet again,” she says. Oh, yes. Cooking. Rodeo, fashion, North Dakota… But how does one become a professional chef in the midst of all of this? I ask.

“I learned to cook from my mom, like all Italians do, of course.” LoPresti smiles. “I always loved to cook, but I didn’t always have the time to do it while I was traveling and working in Milan. Right before I moved to North Dakota, I shifted to working part-time. I lived with my husband outside the city and would work from home most of the time. I

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Antonella LoPresti

What I realized is I could actually make people happier by just being open. I could still be me, I didn’t have to change my accent, my clothes, or my cooking. I just had to be open and accepting. I think that applies to many things in life. had more free hours to cook and I started taking classes on Saturdays at the culinary school. I just did it for fun and to learn more.” LoPresti laughs, “Still now, I do more of what my mom showed me than what I ever learned at school.”

Cooking lessons reinvigorated her passion for being in the kitchen, but it was actually North Dakota that gave LoPresti the opportunity to professionally work with Italian cuisine. “Right when I moved, there was a new cooking store that just opened downtown. I decided to stop by and introduce myself, asking if they were hiring a chef. That's when my catering business officially started but it took a really long time for me to figure out how to do it successfully,” LoPresti recalls. “See, my main job in fashion was putting on parties. I loved coming up with themes and beautiful tablescapes to host our clients. And that’s what I wanted to do as a chef! But the first two years trying to teach Italian cooking and offering catering in North Dakota? It was bad.” LoPresti recalls, “I kept getting turned down for my party ideas. One friend eventually told me ‘You are too flashy. We are used to meat and potatoes.’ She suggested I make it simpler, that I should go check out Olive Garden! ‘Maybe even add some cream she suggested.’” LoPresti was hesitant. “It seemed crazy to me.

I remember calling my mom, crying, asking why people didn’t get me? And these are authentic Italian recipes! Why can’t people see that?”

Luckily, she went to a potluck instead. LoPresti decided she would try it. She wasn’t going to alter her heritage cooking techniques, but she brought it back to the basics. And she says, “I would even offer a side of cheese and sour cream.” Slowly, LoPresti began to build the trust of new catering clients. And slowly, she would begin to add a little more flair to the recipes. “I had this one couple who came to my cooking classes every week. It was their date night,” LoPresti said. “Over the course of 10 years they learned how to make authentic Italian cuisine and lost 60 pounds together because of it! They even kept all of my recipes and printed them out in a book which they gave to me the day I left North Dakota.” 342 custom Italian recipes, LoPresti tells me, she one day intends to turn into a cookbook. Did you always photograph your food? I ask. “That’s a funny story.” LoPresti answers, “I actually entered a chili cookoff.” Let me guess… you made it in a crockpot? “Yes! And my prize was a Nikon camera!” LoPresti says laughing. What I realized is I could actually make people happier by just being open. I could still be me, I

didn’t have to change my accent, my clothes, or my cooking. I just had to be open and accepting. I think that applies to many things in life.

LoPresti continued to work as an office manager but eventually had to take it to part-time as her culinary efforts began to pay off. “I’ll never forget this birthday party. It was my moment.” She begins to tell me, “These two sisters asked for help planning a 40th birthday party. They came from a family of car manufacturers. They had traveled, visited Italy, loved fashion, and other culinary cultures. When I began to give them some options for food -- of which included meat and potatoes -- they stopped me right away and said, ‘No. Let’s make it a different kind of party.’ “Oh my god, that was music to my ears,” LoPresti recalls.

The party turned out to be a huge success. “Everything was themed white. White outfits, white martinis, white tablecloths, and all the food and decor was white,” she says while telling me that she continued to work the sisters for years. “They were my creative escape.”

“I realized I had two choices. Either I go home and start all over at age 37. Or start to listen to people and compromise.” LoPresti says, “Take what you’ve learned, and make it yours.”

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Antonella LoPresti

Ricotta and Roasted Tomato Crostini with Prosciutto and Basil INGREDIENTS

6 to 8 slices of toasted baguette (crostini) 1 cup whole milk ricotta 1 cup of cherry tomatoes Prosciutto (6 to 8 slices) Fresh basil, one handful julienned Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) Balsamic glaze Salt and pepper to taste

Another nod to never taking herself too seriously, LoPresti says, “I think I finally realized I am going to always be that weirdo from Milan. It’s just now, I embrace it.” When she arrived in Whitefish it was yet another, brand-new cooking store that would provide her with the next cooking stage. “I was flipping through 406 Woman Magazine one night and saw Trovare’s ‘coming soon’ ad. My sister was visiting, helping me move in, and I dropped the magazine to the floor telling her I was going to write an email. ‘It’s 11pm. Wait until tomorrow!’, she said. But I did it anyway. And at 11:32pm, Julie responded. We met that week and ever since it’s been the most wonderful working experience. They [Trovare] have become my new family,” LoPresti states. “In Whitefish it’s been a completely different experience than North Dakota.” LoPresti says, “I think, generally, people are more traveled. They’ve had more exposure to authentic Italian food and they get what I do. In the end, I got what I wanted. It just took 10 years to get here!”

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LoPresti is now a full-time private chef and culinary educator. And yes, while 2020 threw her for a loop by taking away the ability to teach in-person classes, LoPresti hasn’t let that dampen her spirits. She tells me she took the past year to finish up a nutritionist degree and started educating herself as a sommelier, now with WSET II qualifications. She explains at her most recent dinner party, the client asked to create a fun dessert with friends who were celebrating their bachelorette. “I made a simple Italian meal followed by a dessert and wine pairing that was just SO fun!” She exclaims, “And now it’s a new service offering called… wait for it… Dare to Pair.” Another nod to never taking herself too seriously, LoPresti says, “I think I finally realized I am going to always be that weirdo from Milan. It’s just now, I embrace it.”

While we are all anxiously waiting for Trovare’s cooking classes to return, (the waitlist before COVID was hovering above 1,500) LoPresti is continu-

Preheat Oven at 400 F. In a bowl whip together ricotta, 2 Tbsp EVOO, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. On a baking sheet toss the tomatoes, 1 Tbsp EVOO, salt and pepper to taste and bake for 25 minutes or until soft. Set aside and let them cool completely. Spread about 1 tsp of ricotta mixture on each crostini, top with 2 or 3 roasted tomatoes, 1 slice of prosciutto and sprinkle fresh basil. Drizzle with EVOO and balsamic glaze to taste and serve immediately.

ing to experiment with other ways she can share her love for Italian flavor. “I’ve started filming more and am sharing the videos on my Instagram. And I will DM people with recipes all the time!” She says, “All of my recipes are half of a page. That’s Italian cooking. Fresh produce, fresh herbs, and about four ingredients. It’s easy to DM!” She says, laughing.

“Eventually, when we can start to gather again, I would like to collaborate with more locals and businesses here. And for now, I have a new kitchen to keep me busy!” LoPresti explains that she and her husband just built a new home, and she was able to create her own kitchen design. “I made everything light and bright. So, the food will look good in pictures!” To connect with Antonella LoPresti and enjoy some of her Italian recipes, follow her on Instagram @antonellascaparra. To book her services for private parties and catering, inquire at antonellalopresti.com

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A Miracle on the Mountain KRH Medical Professionals Save the Life of Skier on Big Mountain Written by Chris Leopold, Kalispell Regional Healthcare

On the evening of January 6, 31-year old Erik Sanders, of Colorado, was driving up to Whitefish Mountain Resort to participate in a skimo race, the first race of the mountain’s Skimo Wednesday Night Race League season. Skimo, which is short for ski mountaineering, is a strenuous sport that consists of racing up and down the mountain along a course. Erik and his girlfriend Liz were in town to scout out the area, as they planned to move to the Flathead Valley in February. While skiing up at the mountain a few days before, Erik had heard about the race league and figured that this was the perfect opportunity for him to make some like-minded friends in his soon-to-be home. Erik, an avid mountain endurance athlete, frequently participates in adventure races and backcountry mountain objectives from the local mountain ranges to areas all over the world, so this scene was right up his alley. As he and Liz made their way up the mountain on the night of the race, they almost took a wrong turn and quickly corrected their course. Little did Erik know that would soon be his last memory of the week.

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Photo courtesy of Erik Sanders As the race began, Erik made his way towards the front of the pack of roughly 60 racers. In skimo racing, participants push themselves extra hard in the beginning of the race to establish positioning. For about 10 minutes, he pushed himself harder and harder until disaster struck. Along a narrow trail through the trees, Erik went into cardiac arrest and collapsed. Racers behind him came across him just seconds after he fell to the ground. One of the first ones on the scene was Rachel Desimone, a nurse practitioner at Montana Children’s Specialists at Kalispell Regional Medical Center (KRMC). “My friend in front of me screamed out and alerted me that there was someone down,” says Desimone. “It was dark, but when I got up there, he was lying face up in a bit of a wonky position.” Sensing the severity of the situation, she told her friend to ski down to alert Ski Patrol.

As Desimone looked for any signs of life, Tyler Hoppes, MD, emergency physician at the KRMC Emergency Department, came upon the scene. “It looked as though it was a cardiac event,” says Dr. Hoppes. “So I quickly took off my skis and felt for a pulse. He didn’t have one and so I knew we were going to need to begin CPR.” Just as Desimone and Hoppes were assessing the situation, a third KRMC provider, Pete Heyboer, MD, internal medicine physician at Family Health

Care, stopped to help as well. It had only been seconds since Erik collapsed and there were already three trained medical professionals tending to him.

“The first thing we did was establish roles,” says Dr. Heyboer. “It’s really important in codes to get organized, because otherwise it can be chaotic. So we quickly decided Tyler would be in charge and would hold for a pulse while Rachel and I would switch off between giving breaths and giving chest compressions to prevent fatigue.”

It took Ski Patrol approximately 15 minutes from the time of Erik’s collapse to snowmobile up and then ski through the trees to reach the scene of the accident, bringing with them an automated external defibrillator (AED) and a toboggan. The team quickly hooked the AED up to Erik’s chest, where it determined his heart had a shockable rhythm. They administered the shock, but it was unsuccessful in restarting his heart. No further shock was advised beyond that point. The team loaded Erik up into Ski Patrol’s toboggan while continuing chest compressions and began the challenging trek down the mountain. “We weren’t in an area where we could immediately ski down to the bottom,” explains Desimone. “We

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Kalispell Regional Medical Center

From left to right are Rachel Desimone, NP, Erik Sanders, Tyler Hoppes, MD (photo courtesy of Erik Sanders)

“The chances of being discharged from the hospital after cardiac arrest outside of a hospital are already slim,” says Desimone. “The chances of somebody being discharged after that without severe disabilities – well that just doesn’t happen.” had to go up and down the hills of the course on a toboggan with three people on it (Erik and two people to continue working on him), which was upwards of 600 pounds. We would fly down the hills, but it would take a lot of help to get the sled up each hill.”

Fortunately, they had the help. In addition to Ski Patrol, many of the other racers stuck around to help with the evacuation. The race had been called off and now they were all doing what they had to do to save their fellow racer. For the three providers, it was a treacherous task to continue CPR on top of a toboggan while flying down the mountain. “At one point we came across an area full of moguls,” says Heyboer. “I was on top of Erik doing chest compressions and as we hit one of the moguls, I was bucked off of the sled. Fortunately Tyler was right there and leapt right back on top of him to continue the compressions.”

It took the group about 25 minutes from when Ski Patrol first arrived to get Erik back down to a waiting ambulance. He still didn’t have a pulse and so EMTs quickly got him hooked up to a LUCAS device, which administers chest compressions automatically. He was then given an epinephrine injection and finally, after roughly 40 minutes, they were able to feel a pulse.

Erik receiving treatment on the mountain. Photo courtesy of Stella Hobbs.

The ambulance crew - along with Hoppes, who accompanied them - quickly took off with Erik to get him to the KRMC Emergency Room. As Heyboer and Desimone recollected after their dramatic encounter, they figured that Erik’s chances were not very good. “The chances of being discharged from the hospital after cardiac arrest outside of a hospital are already slim,” says Desimone. “The chances of somebody being discharged after that without severe disabilities – well that just doesn’t happen.”

“We knew that Erik was young and that he was healthy, so he had those things going for him,” continues Heyboer. “But even with those advantages, we still weren’t particularly optimistic in the outcome. We knew we had done as good a job as we could, but his chances were still not very good.”

“Having seen this situation many times in my career, I knew the odds of survival were not very good,” added Hoppes. “Halfway to KRMC, Erik started raising his head up and moaning. That was a little bit encouraging. I thought he may survive, but I figured he would be pretty debilitated.” At KRMC, Hoppes passed Erik off to his emergency room colleagues, where they took the situation

over. Erik was placed into a medically induced coma and cared for in the KRMC Intensive Care Unit.

On Friday January 8th, just two days after Erik’s accident, he awoke to the sight of a ventilator being pulled out of his throat. He had no clue where he was or what had happened to him. The last thing he remembered was almost taking the wrong turn on his way up to the mountain. “I figured something must’ve gone wrong in the race, but I couldn’t remember any of it,” he says. “It wasn’t until Liz filled me in on what had happened that I knew.” She had also let Erik know that the three providers who saved his life had stopped by during their shifts at the hospital a few times to check in on him and see how he was doing. “I couldn’t really describe how thankful I was,” Erik continued. “It just so happened that I was able to recover and get discharged from the hospital exactly a week later, on January 13, the day of the next skimo race on the mountain and there was nothing I wanted more than to go thank all of the people who had a part in saving my life.” And that’s exactly what he did. Just one week after a near fatal event, Erik, along with Liz and his parents who flew in from Minnesota, went back up the mountain to thank all the people who refused to quit on him.

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KRMC

“It was a pretty emotional get-together for me,” Erik says. “I couldn’t really describe how thankful I was to everyone who helped me, whether directly or indirectly. They poured all they had into getting me back to the condition I’m in now.”

But for those who were up on the mountain. It was an equally emotional reunion. That lifeless man they met one week earlier lying in the snow was up and walking around talking with them, having made a miraculous recovery nobody saw coming. “It was truly a remarkable sight to see that night,” recalls Hoppes. “We got to talk. I teased him saying that it’s either a good thing that he’s fast or that we’re slow.” Erik continues to improve with each day outside of the hospital. He had an implantable cardioverterdefibrillator placed in his chest to detect any sort of future irregularities. He is now recovering at his parents’ home in Minnesota and feels as though

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he has a second chance at life. It’ll be a little while before he can get back to doing the outdoor activities he loves, but there’s no doubt he will.

Throughout Erik’s life, a quote from the movie Rocky has been a source of inspiration: “In life, It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Today, that quote has a significant meaning in his recovery. “What happened is in the past, and moving forward I am going to learn from this experience and make the best of it... That's all anyone can do in life.” he continues. “I feel like the stars aligned that night. And if the doctors determine that extremely high intensity races aren’t good for me, that wouldn’t be the end of the world for me. Ultimately, I just want to get out into the mountains and have fun.”

Photo courtesy of Erik Sanders

“What happened is in the past, and moving forward I am going to learn from this experience and make the best of it... That's all anyone can do in life.”

As for Erik’s plans to move to the Flathead Valley, his near death experience has not changed his mind. He and Liz plan to move out to the area in March, just one month later than expected. “Some people might be deterred by an event like this, but for me it seems like the best community I could possibly be around - one that saved my life. I really couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.”

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Mr. E

A Montana Track Legacy By James E. Bailey Photos provided courtesy of Kay Burt

In the history of Montana women’s sports, few shadows fall longer or wider than that of Neil Eliason. Eliason—or “Mr. E” as he was known by generations of Montana girls—saw the need for parity in sports long before Title IX lumbered its way through Congress. His coaching career spanned over five decades, from its beginnings in 1954 until well after the turn of the century. In 1960, after a successful stint in Hot Springs, Eliason moved his family to Kalispell. That same year—no doubt inspired by recent success (his Hot Springs team had handed the U of M girls a proper drubbing at track and field day), he helped organize an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) girl’s track club. Over the next decade that team, the “Timberettes,” developed into a track and field force, dominating meets from Alberta to Nebraska. The Timberette program grew to include 500 participants each spring, and with that success, girls’ track caught fire around the state. From Billings to Joliet, other towns began to field AAU teams, and from their ranks came such stand outs as Diane Franklin Page of Hot Springs (Olympic trials, Los Angeles, javelin).

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Life changing though the program was, track and field was only the first of Mr. E’s contributions. In the fall of 1966, he oversaw Montana’s first-ever cross-county championship, an event which took place on the Flathead High School track during half time of a football game. Though it wasn’t much in the way of true cross-county, those six laps on a cinder track marked the beginning of a legend; it lives on today in the likes of Bigfork’s Morley sisters and Kalispell’s Annie Hill. In 1969, Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) was established in Kalispell, and Eliason signed on with the initial administration. That same year, he organized and coached the institution’s first women’s track team, the “Mountainettes.” The team, which consisted of exactly two members in the beginning, soon became a force throughout the Northwest. By 1972, the Mountainettes fielded a fine core of athletes and went head-to-head with larger, four-year schools. They captured third at Nationals in Knoxville that year, upending teams such as the University of Southern California and Kansas State. Between 1973 and 1975, even as the big schools grew more powerful, the Mountainettes held their own. The year

1976 brought major changes to college sport alignments, though, and the Mountainettes found themselves limited to competition with two-year schools. Nonetheless, they continued their remarkable run. Behind the efforts of a stellar 400-meter relay team, the Mountainettes won Nationals in Dodge City, Kansas, in 1977, having placed second the year before. (It was to be a last, shining moment for the girls; FVCC defunded the program the following year.) Though Mr. E had been dubbed the “Godfather of Girl’s Track,” by one of his proteges, a David-and-Goliath analogy might have been more apt in describing his accomplishments at FVCC. He had molded a handful of girls from a fledgling Montana college into a national powerhouse. And though he would go on to a successful career at Montana State in the following decade, his years in the Flathead Valley remained high points of his career.

So, on what strategies did “the Godfather” rely? Certainly, there was no leg-breaking involved. Various interviews and articles over the years lend insight, and his successes appear to rest on four precepts:

406 man} 1.

Recognizing Ability. Mr. E fit the athlete to the sport rather than the sport to the athlete. Perhaps his profession as a guidance counselor—matching the student to the vocation--equipped him well for the task. He knew when a mediocre sprinter had potential as a miler or when a harrier might shine as a hurler. Early on, he inspired his athletes to train in such lesser-known sports as archery, marksmanship and bobsledding. It was with his encouragement that former teammate, Merridy Taylor, trained for the luge trials in Sweden, narrowly missing a berth on the 1972 Olympic team.

2. Valuing the Person.

In basketball parlance, Mr. E “saw the floor.” In a number of interviews with former athletes, a consistent theme appears. Former Mountainette and Polson High coach Mindy (Sharp) Harwood put it this way: “He treated us as people, not just athletes.” Another team member recalls “He cared about everyone, not just the stars and the girls on the podium.” More, even, than the thrill of competition, Mr. E valued the overarching values of the sport: You won with humility and you lost with grace. In his words, you were women first, students next, and athletes after that.

3. Building Confidence.

Neil Eliason generated trust in his athletes with direct and genuine encouragement. As one Bigfork team member put it, “He believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself.” It was a sentiment echoed by the many generations who’d come before. Likewise, Mr. E was masterful at coaxing the all-out effort from his athletes to seal their achievements. “I can still hear him on the last corner of the 440,” remembers Kay (Riedel) Burt. “I might be running on bent wheels and bravado by then, but when he hollered ‘Kick it IN,’ I somehow found a little more.” Of his own style, Neil once commented, “I never, ever yelled at my kids or cussed them. . .. If I got after them, they knew they had it coming. And I’d do it individually. I wouldn’t ever criticize them in front of the others.”

4. Advocacy. In the early years and well into the 1970s, funding for girl’s athletics was nonexistent. During those years, Mr. E approached businesses, service clubs and friends for support. Stirred by his presentations, the community rallied, giving both of their time and money. Their generosity and Mr. E’s tenacity made

Neil Eliason

it possible for girls, especially those of limited means, to travel and fully participate in their sport. When he left FVCC to coach at Montana State, it was that same spirit. As he saw it, talented athletes had many more opportunities at four-year schools, and though he took a step down in pay to make the move, it was a step up for college women. That advocacy guided him through the remainder of his career. After his time at Montana State, he coached the unfunded Bigfork cross-country team and also served as assistant track coach until retirement in 2006.

A Living Legacy

There is no doubt that Neil Eliason changed lives both on and off the field, some of them indelibly. His greatest gift, though, is in the trail he blazed for Montana’s female athletes and the opportunities it helped create. It’s a gift that keeps on giving: Twelve former team members have gone on to become coaches themselves, and two--Polson’s Mindy Harwood and Bigfork’s Sue Loeffler (as Mr. E before them) --have been inducted into the Montana Coaches Hall of Fame. Today, Mr. E enjoys retirement with his wife, Carol, whose loving support made so much possible. They reside near Bigfork, enjoying visits from family, friends and former team members. James Bailey, a retired psychologist, is a friend and neighbor of the Eliason’s. He was assisted in the details of this article by “retired” Timberette, Kay Burt.

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nonprofit} Samaritan House

Homeless

not

Hopeless Case Management Success at

Samaritan House

Written by Morgan Pierce, Associate Director, Samaritan House Photo by Heidi Long

This year has brought a new transition in case management at Samaritan House. Our case managers, Maya Negron and Nancy Lisk, have given the shelter program a success-oriented update and we are seeing the hard work of our staff and clients pay off. Nancy and Maya both come from social work backgrounds and have given this community many years of their time and service.

Our program has been enhanced to assist our residents in pursuing goals of selfsustainability while providing connection in accessing resources. Case management services are striving to meet with each resident weekly and even more if requested.

During these meetings, case management connects and refers our clients to local resources. Maya and Nancy use this time to give affirmation and celebrate recognition to our clients as they strive to rise above their circumstances. The shelter is working hard to provide a safe space where residents can decompress and share expe-

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riences. This program has helped residents have a stronger support system and build rapport with case managers, creating hope and confidence in their own journeys. One important aspect of case management that has shifted is the focus on autonomy. Nancy explains, “My favorite moments are when clients learn to self-advocate.” Samaritan House is seeing a trend in shelter residents’ abilities to be more financially stable in a shorter period. To encourage these efforts further, our case managers are using assessments and working with clients to develop employment and housing plans, while also using these to hold clients accountable in tracking their success.

Case management is essential for our homeless community to move forward and overcome homelessness. Without adequate access to resources and services, they are left in the same debilitating cycle. Samaritan House is working hard to evolve and change to meet the needs that our clients are seeking.

Samaritan House provides food, housing, resources, and case management for the homeless in Kalispell and beyond the Flathead Valley. We have served 34,860 meals and 1,350 people, including nearly 200 families and 225 Veterans. Our Veteran's Program is dedicated to assisting homeless United States veterans by providing resources allowing them access to physical and mental health checkups. Along with these services, we also provide affordable housing. If you're interested in being a part of our mission here at Samaritan House, you can help by providing monetary donations or calling down to the shelter and asking what material donations our clients are currently in need of. www.samaritanhousemt.com

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THE HOUSE THAT ROB BUILT UM’s Lady Griz basketball program

A documentary about The University of Montana [Missoula, MT] women’s basketball program entitled “The House that Rob Built” has just been released and is available on major platforms including Apple TV, Amazon, and Vimeo. The movie is co-directed by Jonathan Cipiti and UM alum Megan Harrington.

the film’s co-director and a former Lady Griz player. Harrington, now based in Los Angeles, CA, spent the last four years making the film. “The film celebrates that collective, positive spirit of Rob and the Lady Griz community. The fan base is in a league of their own.”

The documentary also chronicles the stories of former Lady Griz players including Native American women who came to UM to play Division I basketball, earned a college degree and The documentary chronicles the inspiring story went on to successful post collegiate careers. For of Robin Selvig, pioneering coach of UM’s Lady his efforts in recruiting Native American players, Griz basketball team. In an era when gender dis- Coach Selvig became one of the few non-Indians crimination in sports was the norm, Coach Selvig to be inducted in the Montana Indian Athletic built a house of inclusion and empowerment Hall of Fame in 2008. by recruiting female athletes from the ranches, farms and Native American reservations of Big “To think that we were all from small towns, Sky Country. For nearly 40 years, these athletes reservations, small ranch towns, pretty, pretty would establish the preeminent women’s basket- amazing,” states Malia Kipp in the film. Kipp came ball program west of the Rockies. from Browning, MT to play for the Lady Griz from 1992-1996. She is one of five different Native “With everything going on in the world today, American women featured in the film who share I’m thrilled Montanans can watch our film in the personal stories in their journey from collegiate comfort of their own homes,” said Harrington, basketball players to working professionals.

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THE HOUSE THAT ROB BUILT

The documentary also chronicles the stories of former Lady Griz players including Native American women who came to UM to play Division I basketball, earned a college degree and went on to successful post collegiate careers.

According to Kipp in the documentary, resources and opportunities were limited on the reservation, but everyone had basketball. Coach Selvig fostered talent across the state, even in areas that were often overlooked such as Kipp’s hometown of Browning. “Getting the opportunity to go to school on a Division I scholarship was amazing.” “Having a child in high school was a really big challenge,” said LeAnne Montes, of Box Elder, MT who played for UM from 1999-2003. “From that point on it was no longer about me. I know Rob was taking a risk with bringing me on, which I'm really grateful for. It would have been easier for me to stay on the reservation.”

“Rob basically held my hand throughout that entire first year and reassured me that I would be continuing on with the program the second year.” Montes went on to become attorney general for the Chippewa Cree Tribe. “I feel so honored to be able to share the story of Coach Selvig and the impact he had on the lives and careers of so many women across Montana and beyond,” said Harrington. “I grew up in small town America where the big ticket was the women’s basketball game and I owe my opportunities to the women who blazed the trail for me and countless others, as well as Rob, for believing in the greatness of women athletes from the very beginning. Accumulating 865 wins in general, let alone at one school, is unbelievable.”

Photos from top to bottom: Ben Anderson (sound), David Bolen (DP), Young basketball player, Megan Harrington, and Jonathan Cipiti. Jonathan Cipiti, Rob Selvig, and Megan Harrington. John Louis Caeilla, Stephen Caserta, Jonathan Cipiti, and Megan Harrington with the re-enactment team. Former lady griz on blackfeet reservation.

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THE HOUSE THAT ROB BUILT

Selvig is #10 in the line-up for winningest coaches in women’s basketball, touting a .752 winning percentage. Among the 10, he is the only one not in the women’s college basketball Hall of Fame. The film premiered at the 2020 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and is produced by Family Theater Productions in association with Windrider Productions, Five-Star Basketball x RTG Features, with distribution from 1091 Pictures. “Coach Selvig deserves to be a household name in the pantheon of college basketball coaches,” said Aron Phillips, COO at RTG Features. “We are very excited to partner on this empowering female-driven sports film and to make sure it’s seen by hoops fans worldwide.” For more information visit TheHouseThatRobBuiltMovie.com.

Retirement party reunion, Oct 2016

Having watched the film, I have to give it a BIG TWO THUMBS UP! It is a wonderful testament to an amazing coach as well as the amazing women that played for him on the Lady Griz basketball team. As it turns out the director and former Lady Griz player, Megan Harrington, is the sister in law of a friend of mine so I followed up with a few additional questions.

While you were at Missoula Hellgate, your team won the Class AA state girls basketball championship. What an accomplishment! What would you say was the highlight with the Lady Griz program?

“If we are talking on the hardwood, then I'd have to say the highlight was winning the Conference Championship and moving on to the NCAA tournament my senior year. I tore my ACL my junior year at the start of the conference schedule, which ended my season, so it was extra special finishing my career in Dahlberg Arena - alongside my teammates - with a win! “I would have to say, however, the highlight by far of my time as a Lady Griz is the life-long friendships. Your teammates on the court become your teammates for life. It's a gift.”

How did Coach Selvig build camaraderie with his players? Director Megan Harrington, setting up for interviews

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“Rob built camaraderie by giving 100% of himself to being our coach and finding ways to help us reach our maximum potential. He cared about each of us as a

player and a person. Rob also has a great sense of humor, so he made things fun. On road trips he'd play Cribbage or Trivia Pursuit, and always lost graciously. Ok, I don't think he lost very much but I never went head-to-head with him because I didn't know what was going on in either game.”

With his enduring legacy, did his relationships with his players continue after graduation?

“Rob is the kind of person that will drop whatever he's doing to make time for you, and every person is special in his eyes. I consider him not only my coach and mentor, but a friend.”

Why do this film?

“I didn't have the funds raised for the first shoot, which was Rob's surprise retirement, but it wasn't a moment you could recreate so we had to take a leap of (financial) faith. As I look back now, I see that the retirement party was the "why" in "why do this film?" Over 100 women came back to honor their coach, which is remarkable. Of all Rob's accolades and records, I think this is the most impressive stat. It says everything.”

By Kristen Hamilton

Bringing Your Ideas To Life and Living the Dream

Chris Terrell of Glacier Timberline Construction

You might say that Chris Terrell has building construction in his blood. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather (a plumbing contractor) and his father (a building contractor) he inadvertently watched and learned the business from the time he was 6 years old spending many of his days with them on construction projects. As he grew older, they gave him jobs to do, and his apprenticeship continued. He learned from his father early on, that having an open line of communication and earning the customer’s trust were top priority. He fondly remembers Friday afternoons spent in the truck with Pops – always a jovial occasion as they picked up the weekly progress payments from happy clients.

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Written by Mary Wallace

Photo by Kelly Kirksey Photography

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tive construction services and project management, Chris says their clients’ interests and investment are always the top priority. Whether it’s going to be a new home, the remodeling of a classic into a renovation masterpiece, or the building a commercial office or storefront, Glacier Timberline Construction is a full-service solution. They are committed to building Still, construction eventually drew him back in when, the end product each client deserves, all the while after college, he hired on with a building contractor in keeping their budget, deadline, and sanity in mind. Jackson WY. He eventually made his way to the Flathead Valley and found an employer who had an inter- Chris wears all the hats in his construction business. esting philosophy – “Ski when the snow is good and He likes to be involved from the earliest concept build when the snow is not” – thus allowing Chris’s stage because he can meet with his clients to help love for outdoor adventures and his love for building adapt their project design to match their lifestyle and amazing things to happily co-exist. These days, Chris preferences. Yes, he’s the paper pusher (working on devotes most of his days to his construction projects, the building plans, the budget, sourcing materials, and planning the schedule) but he also straps on his with only occasional days off for family adventures. bags and is onsite from frame to finish. Glacier Timberline Construction has been proudly helping Montanans with their construction visions Glacier Timberline employs a crew of four. Chris for 15 years. Providing professional and cost-effec- likes to keep a small circle so everyone is on the Chris grew up in Texas and after graduating high school, he attended North Carolina’s Brevard University on a soccer scholarship. He studied outdoor education, trained to be a wilderness first responder, and enjoyed working with at-risk youth providing adventure activities to help steer them in a better direction.

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Glacier Timberline Construction is a full-service solution. They are committed to building the end product each client deserves, all the while keeping their budget, deadline, and sanity in mind. same page. He really credits both his crew and his subs with much of his success as a contractor. He is blessed to have a slate of trusted and respected subcontractors that help throughout each project – excavation, pouring the foundation, plumbing and electrical, interior finishes, cabinetry and beyond. He also relies on the expertise and exchange of ideas from Builders First Source, Water Mosaic, and Masterpiece Carpet to name a few. The contributions from all keep the jobs flowing smoothly. He has worked on construction projects of all cost and sizes, but most of their jobs are in the moderately priced range. Glacier Timberline Construction doesn’t have a lot of overhead, so they often have the most competitive and reasonable bids – backed by productivity, quality, and efficiency on every project. Chris really values earning the trust of his clients and believes they can expect reliable construction services and craftsmanship from start to finish. He always strives to be honest with each customer, often to the point of telling them up front if something they are asking for is unreasonable. In the end, the client’s happiness is one of the things that always makes his heart sing.

He tries to keep the workload to a handful of projects a year without too much overlap, so his crew can keep close to their timelines and keep the clients happy. Their current undertaking is a residential project in the Northwoods area near Last

Chair in Whitefish MT. Another example of Glacier Timberline’s recent work is a garage with an overhead studio apartment on the corner of 3rd and O’Brien behind Glacier Bank, also in Whitefish; it has a unique barnwood and metal exterior finish.

In northwest Montana, natural building materials and green building practices are always an ongoing trend. However, today’s clients are also looking for items that are low- maintenance, so composite and metal materials are also attractive. Chris, of course, will build to suit the clients needs. If they want a bright red bathtub, that’s what they are getting!

Because of their adherence to doing a small number of projects per year, Glacier Timberline Construction was not too adversely affected by the pandemic in 2020. They were lucky in having materials already onsite, so availability and sudden cost increases were not as much of an issue. Chris was able to keep his crew working throughout all of the challenges when things came to a sudden stop last spring. He has noticed a huge uptick in interest in new building projects and they are currently scheduled 6-7 months out for starting anything new. They

can occasionally take on some small projects in between. He does agree that our valley does not currently have the labor force to address the current state of available projects, and while most materials are readily available, some specialty items have caused a few delays because some manufacturing plants were shut down last spring and the backlog and transportation delays caused some complications.

Chris doesn’t really advertise except for their website; most of Glacier Timberline’s business comes from referrals from previous satisfied customers. Chris really enjoys getting to know his clients during the building process. In fact, many end up being friends after all the chaos that accompanies most construction projects. He became close enough to invite several to his wedding a few short years ago, and almost all of them came to celebrate with them. Chris and his wife Erica live in Whitefish with their son, Tanner – age 4, their daughter Rylynn – age 2, along with their 11-year-old Weimaraner, Luka. They are delighted that Tanner and Rylynn’s grandparents recently moved to the valley to be closer to the family. And both kids seem to enjoy skiing and playing outdoors in Montana just as much as their parents. Life is good! www.glaciertimberline.com

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Meet the Turf Doctor

Photo by Hope Kauffman Photography

Steve Woodruff Written by Kristen Hamilton

Steve Woodruff may be new to the state but perhaps he was destined to be here all along. As a child family vacations would bring him to Yellowstone Park, and fishing the tributaries along the Continental Divide (Jackson and Wisdom). Steve said, “I fell in love with Montana as a teenager but would never imagine eventually relocating here.” Steve was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and earned a degree in Horticulture & Plant Sciences from California State University, Fresno. Following graduation, he entered a 2-year internship for the Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) in Pebble Beach, CA (Poppy Hills Golf Course). Following that he settled in the Santa Cruz mountains as a Golf Course Superintendent at the family built, owned, and operated, nine-hole golf course, Valley Gardens Golf Course in Scotts Valley, CA. It was there in 1999 that he met Samantha (McGough), from Whitefish, MT when she walked into the family business, and his life.

Samantha had been hired by Steve’s mother, Sandy, to perform a variety of tasks, one of which was assisting the greens crew.

Steve tells me that 10 years later in 2009, they married and would raise their two young children (Bella and Brady) along the 4th hole of the golf course. As a family, they talked about mov-

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ing to Montana for many years and are now beyond thrilled to be here in the Flathead Valley.

While working at Valley Gardens Golf Course, Steve formed TurfDoctor Landscape in 2005 as a “side” business to offer professional lawn services (installation & maintenance) to homeowners, school districts, and sports organizations. Sadly in 2018, after nearly 50 years in business, the family golf course was forced to close, and Steve adapted by turning his side business into a full-time endeavor. Now as the Woodruff’s settle into Montana, that business (Flathead Turf & Landscape) is launching in the flathead valley as a full service (design, build, maintenance) landscaping company. That will include irrigation to low-volt-

age lighting systems, natural & synthetic turf, patios & pavers, permaculture & pots, water features, and more.

Steve says “Landscaping has always been a way for me to illustrate my creativity and respect for our natural surroundings. A good design is one that includes nature and all of its elements.”

Of course, moving and building a new business is always a challenge but Steve adds that the biggest challenge is always finding good, dependable, hard-working staff. “If I am not at the job site, I need representation as if I am. Honesty and integrity go along with performing every job task correctly, the first time, in my opinion,” he said. Continuing he adds “I’m certain I will be able to find some great employees to assist in making my clients’ visions become reality.”

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Steve Woodruff

Landscaping has always been a way for me to illustrate my creativity and respect for our natural surroundings. A good design is one that includes nature and all of its elements. I asked Steve who has influenced him the most in business. He replied, “I would say my (late) grandfather, Steve Barath. He was a hard, hard worker. He took chances, failed, and succeeded. He raised a family on very little income while also following his dreams of playing professional baseball, dancing, and building a 9-hole golf course. I’m fairly certain he only shopped in ‘thrift’ stores (lol).”

consider moving to Montana. I just wish I had done it when he said it and when he was alive. He too fell in love with Montana at first sight and especially Whitefish where he would play annual golf tournaments during the summer months. His advice came after seeing so many negative changes to the Bay Area he remembered growing up in and how they would eventually affect my family’s quality of life. He was so right. Miss you Dad, but we are finally here in beautiful Montana.”

Steve finds inspiration in the seasons, different environments, people, and vistas. “Change inspires me,” he said. When working with nature and the outdoors, every project is different, and that variety keeps things interesting.

Steve followed up by saying he is certain his dad is the one who gave him the best advice he ever took. What was that advice? “He said I should

“I am inspired to make immediate, long-lasting, positive changes to otherwise lifeless, boring, non-interesting spaces. I love the variety that landscaping provides my trade,” Steve said. “The fulfillment of completing one project is quickly replaced by the excitement of starting an entirely different one.”

Steve shared that he is undoubtably most proud of his wonderful and supportive family. “My wife, Samantha, is a Rockstar mother to my two kids,” he said. He added that the whole family has been so resilient this past year with everything that they have faced including Covid cancellations, CZU fires [the destructive fires in Northern CA], plus an out-of-state move. “They definitely inspire me.”

In closing I asked Steve if he would do anything differently? He eloquently replied, “I wouldn’t change a thing for fear of not possessing the full heart that I do. I am very thankful for a healthy, happy and supportive family and community. I look forward to meeting more families like mine as well as bring their projects to completion in a timely, high-quality manner.”

We are happy to be among the first to welcome Steve’s new business to the valley and wish him success! Flathead Turf & Landscape FlatheadTurf.com (coming soon) turfdoctor@icloud.com

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I’m Doing All Of The Things

Battling HG During Pregancy I’m holding my newborn daughter and looking at our family portrait, swollen belly, long flowing dress and flower crown. The sun picking up the folds of my gown, my boys smiling. Someone who didn’t know would see a serene and beautiful family, as if it was an unnecessary indulgence. “I’m doing all of the things.” That was my motto during my battle with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) an extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. It can lead to dehydration, weight loss, and electrolyte imbalances. Morning sickness is mild nausea and vomiting that occurs in early pregnancy.1 There are fewer than 200,000 US cases of HG per year. I had a sense this might be my final baby and I didn’t want HG to steal anything from me.

As the nausea and vomiting worsened, the daily bump pictures quickly faded into the background. Laying in a dark quiet room was all I could do to survive.

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By Maggie Rogness Photos by Kelly Kirksey Photography

We began with the normal morning sickness remedies. Ginger, motion sickness bracelets and acupuncture, quickly realizing I needed to move to the first line of defense: Unisom and B12 twice daily. Only days later, we had moved to something stronger. Oral Zofran and Promethazine. When those were not touching my vomiting, we tried other methods of Promethazine, finally trying Intramuscular Injections (IM) of Promethazine. My husband sticking me with a needle twice daily, my hind side so sore I could no longer sleep on my back.

Food poisoning, a migraine. Both examples of what having HG was like. For two months a dark, quiet room was all I could handle. Thanks to a concerned husband and attentive midwife, I was quickly brought into the hospital for fluids, I was dehydrated. Some people have a doula, I had a dou.

Returning home, I felt better, maybe it was just normal morning sickness after all. Feeling well enough, I asked my friend and photographer Kelly

Fisk to take announcement pictures. I hired someone to get my hair and makeup done, too weak to do it myself. Picking up my safe food, Taco Bell, we arrived at Flathead Lake, the late afternoon sun lighting up the mountains. It felt like an indulgence.

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Maggie Rogness

“I’m doing all of the things.” That was my motto during my battle with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) an extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. It can lead to dehydration, weight loss, and electrolyte imbalances. A few days later, I was so weak I couldn’t get out of bed. Again, thinking all was OK, my dou sent me back to the hospital for more fluids. Not wanting to be left behind, I was offered IV fluids to bring on our first camping trip of the summer. I spent the majority of the weekend laying on a small camp bed, vomiting into plastic bags. Drink water, throw up, drink diet coke, throw up, eat the famous ‘Breakfast Cookies’ from the Lakeside Coffee Co, throw up. As the cycle continued, it was decided that weekly IV infusions at Big Sky I.V. Care was necessary. I had a private room, a lazy boy chair and the sweetest nurses. I was a hard stick due to my dehydration and tricky veins but it still felt like a vacation. The IV Promethazine took away my nausea, I could eat a small breakfast and the fluids filled me with life.

I was able to get back to work for a few days after these infusions, only for my sneaky friend vomiting to reemerge.

“We have to pull this midline but I do think you should get another one placed, it should only be another four weeks.”

Finally, I was talked into two times a week infusions, leaving in my superficial IV for the week so they didn’t have to stick me multiple times.

I was approaching the 20-week mark, which in most cases, the severity lessens.

After 10 IVs, my veins were getting harder each day. One of the RNs recommended I receive a midline, an 8 cm catheter inserted into my upper arm that could remain in for up to four weeks.

I was finally allowed to do infusions at my home. Phenergan is tough on your veins so diluting it is important. Injecting the IV bag with the medication that was keeping me alive, my husband would place it on a hanger next to my bed. Thankfully, I was able to prevent dehydration.

“This is perfect because hopefully you will be through the woods in four weeks.”

I was up to three times a week infusions. Four weeks passed slowly and I was not getting any better.

It never got better.

Five midlines later and five months, I got a terrible chemical burn from Chlorhexidine, a cleanser used to prevent infection. Medihoney was applied, my arm wrapped for the day.

“Not sure where we’re going to go next, we’ve used all of your upper arm veins. Don’t worry we will figure it out!”

At 30 weeks, it was decided we should give it a go without the IVs. Still on a cocktail of anti-nausea meds, I was finally free from the IV. Thankfully, I was able to get back to work full-time. But the nausea and vomiting persisted. Several times a day, in the car, in the office, in the grocery store parking lot. Not wanting to leave anything on the table, I asked Kelly if we could take maternity pictures. I had always wanted to take family pictures in Glacier, off the Going to the Sun Road, but a winding long drive with two toddlers, seemed implausible. We did it anyway.

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Maggie Rogness

What felt like a major splurge, I paid to get my hair and makeup done again and ordered a flower crown from a local florist. Kelly recommended a few $40 maternity gowns off Amazon, and I hesitantly ordered them all. Feeling beautiful for the first time in months, we picked up cookies from my favorite spot and headed into the mountains. Our boys in matching bowties and Big Brother T-shirts ordered off Etsy, they giggled the entire way up. The photoshoot was a dream. My boys were happy to smile, to hold hands, a major feat any mom of littles knows well.

Driving back down that mountain, the sun setting, my kids snoozing, a puke bag on my lap, I felt an immense sense of gratitude. My pregnancy and motherhood were celebrated regardless of how I felt. Part Two: “When I Almost Died Giving Birth,” coming in the next issue.

Maggie Rogness is the Chief Financial Officer of Quicksilver Express Courier Inc. with offices nationwide including Kalispell, MT. She sits on the board of the Postpartum Resource Group and lives with her husband and three children in Kalispell. Check out her writing at dancingintheshadow.com 1 A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, for Health Content Provider (www.urac. org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services.

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Photo courtesy of North Valley Family Medicine

Treating the Whole Family

Dr. Amy Dear-Ruel and Dr. Katiera Rivera With a panoramic view of Columbia Mountain, the waiting area at North Valley Family Medicine feels more like a living room than a physicians’ office. One might say they feel at home, and that is by design. The Columbia Falls clinic aims to be a family’s home for healthcare.

Dr. Amy Dear-Ruel with a young patient at the clinic

In 2020 the clinic changed its name to North Valley Family Medicine. A suggestion of Dr. Katiera Rivera, who along with Dr. Amy Dear-Ruel, practice obstetrics making it the only family medicine clinic in the area offering healthcare from pregnancy to geriatrics. With today’s busy schedules, who wouldn’t want one place that offers the entire family’s healthcare? Especially when physicians Dear-Ruel and Rivera are there for your family from the beginning.

Meet Amy Dear-Ruel, MD How long have you been practicing medicine?

I came to North Valley Family Medicine in December of 2019. After graduating from medical school at the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine in 2015, I completed my intern year of residency at the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana in Missoula. Then continued my Family Medicine residency with a focus in Obstetrics in Kalispell graduating in 2018. I worked for Blackfeet Community Hospital in Browning, Montana before settling back in the Flathead Valley.

Where did you grow up? How did you end up here in Montana?

Dr. Amy Dear-Ruel with her boyfriend, Kalen, and her daughter, Cheyanne. 40 406

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the park and graduating, I joined the Peace Corps in Bulgaria. Through exposure to several health care related projects, I decided to go into medicine with the goal of becoming a doctor in northwest Montana.

Why did you choose Family

I grew up in several states in the Midwest and Colo- Medicine/Obstetrics? rado. I came to Montana in 2001 to study Forestry I chose Family Medicine because of the opportuat the University of Montana with the intention of nity to get to know patients and help them become working at Glacier National Park. After working at healthier over time. It’s rewarding to take care of

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It’s an honor to take care of multiple generations within the same family and across their lifespans. Family Medicine allows a unique perspective for treatment of the whole person, sometimes with the additional benefit of understanding their unique family culture, and not just a health ailment. entire families from grandparents to their grandchildren. Obstetrics patients are some of my favorite because throughout pregnancy you form a close bond, experience one of the greatest moments of their lives, and then continue to care for their baby and watch them grow.

What do you enjoy about serving our communities?

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

I live with my daughter, Cheyanne, 11, my wonderful boyfriend, Kalen, a few chickens and our sweet dog, Aster. We try to enjoy everything the Flathead Valley has to offer including hiking, cross country skiing, downhill skiing, backpacking, mountain biking, gardening, travelling, and spending time on the water paddle boarding and rafting. We like to try to find places we haven’t been before to hike, paddleboard and ski and haven’t run out of new places to explore yet!

Meet Katiera Rivera, DO How long have you been practicing medicine?

I’ve been practicing medicine for 10 years and at North Valley Family Medicine for nearly seven years.

Where did you grow up? How did you end up here in Montana?

I grew up on a farm south of Spokane and the Midwest. My mother grew up in Martin City and we spent summers and month-long holiday vacations here with extended family. When in medical school, my husband and I fell in love with mountain biking so when it came time to choose a job location we searched mountain states of the northwest. There just happened to be a job opening at this clinic, where I rotated as a medical student with Dr. Joan Miller prior to her retirement. It seemed rather serendipitous – and here we are still!

Dr. Katiera Rivera with a new mother at the clinic

Why did you choose Family Medicine/Obstetrics?

Having grown up in a large family myself (five siblings and more than 100 first cousins), family is extremely important to me. I love the constant variety of full-spectrum family medicine. It’s an honor to take care of multiple generations within the same family and across their lifespans. Family Medicine allows a unique perspective for treatment of the whole person, sometimes with the additional benefit of understanding their unique family culture, and not just a health ailment. I love pediatrics, having come from a pediatric ICU nurse background, and being able to help families welcome new members into the world – the only specialty in medicine where you can combine those two areas. That along with caring for adults, geriatrics and end-of-life care we truly take care of the whole family.

What do you enjoy about serving our communities?

I see my role as a primary care physician more as a healthcare advocate that is both friend and teacher. I hope to educate and encourage people to become more health aware and enable them to engage in healthy behaviors that improve overall wellness and quality of life not only for themselves but for the entire community. It is incredibly humbling to be a part of someone’s life through difficult health times and then see the triumph they overcome. It is also always a joy to work and live in our very ac-

tive community where I see patients day-to-day at the store or in the mountains, hiking or skiing. It makes one realize we are all inter-dependent and trying to enjoy and appreciate our beautiful locale and better our community through honest labor and leisure.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

I enjoy spending time with my family which includes my amazing husband and our four children (three girls and one boy) aged 3 to 11. There’s never a dull moment at Casa Rivera, especially with this past year’s remote schooling. We love venturing outdoors as a family skiing, hiking, camping and rafting. We also enjoy working our hobby farm with its ever-changing assortment of animals.

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Dr. Katiera Rivera and her family

Through my patients, I have learned so much about the Flathead Valley and feel like I am settled and part of a community for the first time in my adult life. The people are welcoming and I enjoy the diversity of patients from local established families who have been here for generations to newcomers just finding the area.

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BALANCE By Gabrielle Cahoon Photos by Amanda Wilson Photography

How can I improve my balance? A: Balance training is something that even the most elite athletes incorporate into their workouts. When trying to improve your balance, there is more to it than just standing on one foot. Balance can be achieved when your muscles are working in sync to create balanced tension throughout your body. If there is too much tension pulling you one direction, more than likely that is where you are going to fall or land on your body. Since the foot is the foundation of your body and a key component in achieving good balance, let’s begin our balance training by looking at the foot. The foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A neutral stance of the foot and ankle is when the outside edge of the foot is parallel from the pinky toe to the outer edge of the ankle with a subtle degree of internal rotation of the femur. Using three points of contact of your foot (the ball of the big toe, the ball of the pinky toe, and your heel) when you are standing and setting yourself up for any upright exercise can help improve your balance. When you place more weight on the inside of the foot at the big toe, you are deepening the connection of the adductors (inner thighs) and the abdominals. When you place more weight on the pinky toe you are connecting the lateral lines of the body and recruiting the glute medius and minimus. When you place weight on the heels you are connecting the hamstrings and glutes. When you place even weight on all three points of contact, you are balancing tension between your adductors, glutes, and hamstrings.

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heel. Squeeze the floor between your feet and feel the connection of the inner thighs up to the pubic bone. Outward Anchor – Maintain the subtle internal rotation of the femurs and push the floor out between your feet as if you are trying to spread your mat apart from under you. You should feel the outer part of the leg gaining tension at the glutes and iliotibial band.

Exercise 1: Set the Anchor Goal: Strengthen Adductors and Abductors Set Up: – Stand with your feet hip distance apart,

knees unlocked, and thighs slightly internally rotated (if your knees were eyeballs, they would look slightly cross-eyed). Parallel the outside edges of the feet from the pinky toe to the heel with a oneinch space between the heels. Place even weight on the three points of contact of the foot: the ball of the big toe, the ball of the pinky toe, and the heel.

Drill: Foundation Training’s Inward & Outward Anchoring

Inward Anchor – Create tension of the adductors by creating an imaginary X from the right big toe and the left heel and the left big toe to the right

Exercise 2: Foundation Training’s Lunge Decompression with a Stability Ball Goal: Isometric Split Stance with a Stability Ball to Lengthen Hip Flexors

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Balance

Set Up: Stand in a split stance, hip distance apart

with your right foot in front of the stability ball and your left foot behind the ball. Parallel the outside edges of your feet with three points of contact on your front foot and two points of contact on the back foot (the ball of the big toe and ball of the pinky toe) with your back heel lifted no more than 2 inches off the ground. Place even weight on both of your legs and unlock your knees. Contract your abdominals and feel your torso lift away from your pelvis.

Drill: Stand on both feet. Begin to peel the heel, the ball of the foot, and lastly the toes off the floor. Grip the floor with your base foot like a monkey and feel a solid connection between your three points of contact. Take 2-5 deep breaths and repeat on the other leg. If you start to fall more to the side, place more weight on your big toe to recruit your inner thighs.

Drill: Set the Anchor by scissoring the legs towards each other, pulling the front heel and calf against the front of the ball (you should feel your hamstring activated) and your back leg forward into the backside of the ball (you should feel your quadricep and hip flexors activated). Create the sphere of tension with the hands and begin to float the arms above the forehead. Take three to ten deep decompression breaths then switch sides.

Exercise 3: One, Two, FREEZE Goal: Balance in a Walking Stride Set Up: Begin Standing Exercise: Begin to take

three steps forward. On your third step, freeze and anchor your legs by pulling your front heel back and your back toes forward like exercise 2. Balance for a few seconds in your split stance before you switch sides. Keep your torso lifted and your abdominals engaged. Repeat 10x.

Exercise 4: Two to One Goal: Balancing on One Leg Set Up: Stand with big toe

and big toe joints touching with the outside edge of the foot parallel.

Exercise 5: Stability Ball Single Leg Lunge Goal: Strengthen Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, and Inner Thighs Set Up: Begin standing with even weight on the

three points of contact on your front foot and your opposite foot on a stability ball behind you with your back knee bent. Keep your abdominals contracted and your torso lifted away from your pelvis.

Drill: Hinge your hips back one inch then bend your front knee into a low lunge. Straighten your back leg as you roll the ball away from you. Return to standing. Repeat 10 times before switching legs. Move at an intentional pace that focuses on balance and the three contact points of your foot. Gabrielle Cahoon is a STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer, Level 2 Foundation Training Instructor, owner of Studio 48 Pilates and Fitness in Whitefish, and founder of www.mydailyreform.com. With a Bachelor of Science in Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science from Appalachian State University and over 16 years in the fitness industry, Gabrielle specializes in helping her clients fine tune their movement patterns through corrective exercises.

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Postmenopausal Bleeding By Erin Lauer, MD

Is it normal to have bleeding after you have gone through menopause? What counts as “post-menopausal bleeding,” anyway? What is causing the bleeding if you are no longer having menstrual cycles? What tests is your gynecology provider likely to recommend helping determine the cause?

What counts as “postmenopausal bleeding?”

When you have gone for 12 months (1 full year) without bleeding or a menstrual cycle, we consider your uterus and ovaries “postmenopausal” from a medical standpoint. However, this does not necessarily describe the experience of the rest of your body — the effects of menopause (hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, vaginal dryness) can start years before your menstrual cycle stops, and sometimes continue years after you have stopped bleeding. It is also common for your periods to become more irregular and unpredictable prior to stopping altogether. But any vaginal bleeding that you have after your body has gone through “menopause” (i.e., after you’ve

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had a full year without any menstrual bleeding) is considered “postmenopausal bleeding” from a medical standpoint.

Is it normal to have bleeding after you have gone through menopause?

No — it is never normal to have postmenopausal bleeding, but it is not always serious or dangerous. It does, however, always deserve to be evaluated by your gynecologic care provider in order to make sure nothing dangerous is happening, and also to find ways to stop the bleeding if it is bothersome to you. Sometimes my patients have just a small amount of spotting on the toilet tissue or their underwear, and sometimes they have heavy bleeding like a period — either way, bleeding deserves an evaluation.

What is the cause of postmenopausal bleeding if you are no longer having menstrual cycles?

The regular menstrual cycle bleeding is caused by the interaction between chemicals from the brain and hormones from the ovary letting your uterus know to build up and ready itself for a

possible pregnancy. If no pregnancy implants in the uterus, the uterus gets the signal to shed its lining, and menstrual bleeding occurs. During menopause, the ovaries stop responding to brain signaling and stop releasing hormones themselves, which in turn stops the signaling to the uterus to build up a thick lining or to shed that thick lining. Bleeding no longer occurs (and the uterus and ovaries are “menopausal” or “postmenopausal”) when there is no signal to the uterus to build up a lining and no thickened lining to shed.

There are three main causes of bleeding after menstrual cycles have stopped: atrophy of the uterine lining (also called the endometrium), polyps, and hyperplasia.

1. Atrophy of the endometrium occurs when the lining of the uterus becomes so thin that it bleeds a small amount without much provocation. You can think of it as similar to someone with very thin skin having bleeding/bruising after a minor scrape or touch. This is not dangerous.

health} 2. A polyp is a small overgrowth of the uterine lining; you can think of it as a skin tag of the endometrium, which can have associated bleeding. Polyps are typically not dangerous, but rarely can have areas of precancer (hyperplasia) or cancer on them, and therefore in most situations, gynecologists recommend that they be removed and tested. 3. Hyperplasia is the term we use for overgrowth or thickening of the endometrium. Many types of hyperplasia are a pre-cancer of the uterine lining, and sometimes they progress into uterine cancer (also called endometrial cancer). Rarely, they have already developed into endometrial cancer by the time someone has postmenopausal bleeding. Cancers and precancers typically require at least a hysterectomy for full treatment. The biggest risk factor for hyperplasia is obesity. This biggest reason we recommend always having an evaluation for postmenopausal bleeding is to make sure you do not have something dangerous, like the pre-cancer hyperplasia or cancer. I want to emphasize that most postmenopausal bleeding is not caused by cancer or precancer, but often we

can catch endometrial cancer at an early stage because patients have postmenopausal bleeding and come in to be evaluated. Postmenopausal bleeding always deserves an evaluation to make sure that a precancer or cancer is not the cause. [If you are taking a blood thinner, any of the causes of uterine postmenopausal bleeding (atrophy, polyp, hyperplasia) may be more likely to bleed and continue bleeding. There are some other causes of postmenopausal bleeding to look out for where the bleeding is not actually coming from the uterus. This could be bleeding from the rectum, the bladder, or the urethra, that is confused for vaginal bleeding. Sometimes people can have bleeding from the skin (also called the mucosal surfaces) of the vagina, because it is more likely to be irritated and tear when the body is in a low estrogen state like menopause. Infections of the vagina and cervix, like yeast, bacterial vaginosis, gonorrhea, herpes, and chlamydia, can cause ulcerations of the vagina and cervix (opening of the uterus), which can bleed. Additionally, precancers or cancers of the cervix can cause bleeding, but if you are up to date on your pap smear, this is very unlikely.]

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This biggest reason we recommend always having an evaluation for postmenopausal bleeding is to make sure you do not have something dangerous, like the pre-cancer hyperplasia or cancer. How do we figure out what the cause of postmenopausal bleeding is, and how do we make sure it is not dangerous? There are usually several components of evaluation for postmenopausal bleeding. A pelvic exam can evaluate for any tears in the skin or ulcerations which may be causing bleeding. A vaginal ultrasound looks at the uterine lining (endometrium) and can see the thickness. If it is very thin, the cause of bleeding is much more likely to be atrophy. If it is thicker than normal for a postmenopausal state, atrophy could still be the cause of bleeding, but it may also be a polyp or hyperplasia. At that point, most gynecologists recommend a test to get a sample of the uterine lining to look at under the microscope (i.e., “send for pathology”). Depending on what your ultrasound shows and how long or frequently you have had postmenopausal bleeding, as well as any other health problems you have, your gynecology provider may recommend different ways of getting this sample. One is called an endometrial biopsy and can be done in the office with a device that is similar to a narrow sterile straw inserted into the uterus. It uses suction to get a small sample of the uterine lining. The other common way to get this sample is called a hysteroscopy, D&C (dilation and curettage). This is typically done in the operating room, and involves putting a small camera (6mm or less) into the uterus to look for any specific abnormalities, like polyps. We can then use instruments to get a very thorough sample of the lining of the uterus, and to remove the parts of the lining, like polyps, that may be causing the bleeding. If we find precancer or cancer when the sample is evaluated under the microscope, we usually recommend a hysterectomy, but it is important to know if there is a cancer there prior to proceeding with hysterectomy — the presence of endometrial cancer changes the type and techniques for hysterectomy.

If your gynecologist has confirmed there is no hyperplasia or cancer, typically you can feel assured that the bleeding is not dangerous. However, if you continue to have ongoing bleeding after an initial evaluation, it is always a good idea to see your gynecology provider again to be sure you do not need any further workup. Erin Lauer, MD Dr. Erin Lauer grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains, and headed north to earn a bachelor’s degree in history at Williams College in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts. She attended medical school at the University of Rochester in snowy western New York state, and then headed back south to complete a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Asheville, North Carolina, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She, her f iancé, their dog and two cats are delighted to call the Flathead Valley and the northern Rocky Mountains home. They are thrilled to continue living and working in a close-knit community with mountains visible not far in the distance.

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nonprofit}

Changed lives

By Emily Christiansen Photos courtesy of Child Bridge

Foster to Forever Family There are boots of all sizes and colors scattered in the entryway, snacks on the counter, laughter coming from the living room, and a tall stack of laundry to be done in a back room. This is a home where love abides, snuggles prevail, and safety is created. This is the home of Steve and Moriah Michels and their beautiful children. This family came together through unexpected losses and struggles, yet they have gained love abundantly. After years of infertility, the Michels began to ponder the idea of foster care. Moriah whispered a quiet prayer asking God to put foster care in Steve’s heart if this was something for them to pursue. Just two days later, Steve asked if she had ever thought about foster care as an avenue for them to consider. Soon after, seemingly out of the blue, a woman working at a farmer’s market booth brought up foster care and told them to look into Child Bridge. Moriah said this had to be “divine intervention!” She had never heard of Child Bridge, but the organization was soon to become a pivotal part of their journey as foster parents. Not only did Child Bridge help

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to proactively educate them and prepare them for their licensing steps with the State of Montana, they also provided ongoing support, connection, and a web of other foster families to navigate the often unpredictable road towards helping the vulnerable children of Montana.

After a long journey of paperwork, home studies and training, the phone rang. Could the Michels care for a baby boy? Even as a newborn, the trauma that little Caleb* had experienced, showed. He was a constant bundle of energy and difficult to soothe. But these eager parents were ready to love on this child for as long as he was in their care.

Fast forward a few years and sweet Caleb is busy digging in the backyard with a toy dump truck. He has since been given their last name and is safely within his now forever family. He can spend his days playing in the dirt instead of worrying where the next meal may come from or if he will be safe. The ultimate heart of foster care is to get children to a place of safety so they can later be reunited with their biological family. Thankfully, this has been the case in Steve and Moriah’s story as they have seen many children come to their home for a time, and then be reunited with a healthier, stronger, biological family. When safe family options cannot be created or resolved, adoption becomes an option. This is the tug and the pull that

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Child Bridge

What started out as a hope to create a family, has become a family mission to help children in need. Moriah and Steve are normal people that have chosen to be willing to make a profound difference in the lives of children across Montana. a foster parent lives with, and one the Michels navigate daily.

Not long after Caleb arrived, they were asked to care for another infant. They describe that as “three months of pure sweetness.” Tiny Alexis* won their hearts until she was transitioned out of their home to be with family members. But a year and a half later, Alexis returned to the Michels’ care and in time was adopted by them over a video call during the start of the COVID pandemic. “Our hearts were on the line. It was so hard,” Moriah shared. As foster parents, they realized quickly that they would have to choose to stay flexible with whatever curveballs were thrown their way. Steve and Moriah are both in agreement that being foster parents is a complicated road. With a look of wonder and compassion Moriah shared, “Foster care is a rollercoaster! But let me tell you, my arms were empty, and now they never will be again. When my son wraps his arms around me for a big squeeze of a hug, I know that everything we're doing is totally worth it.”

In between these two stories of forever, are the children they were able to love and encourage for shorter seasons. What started out as a hope to create a family, has become a family mission to help children in need. Moriah and Steve are normal people that have chosen to be willing to make a profound difference in the lives of children across Montana. From infants to teenagers, they have learned to care for kids of all ages and backgrounds for as long as is needed. Every child brings a new and different story. The love between Steve and Moriah is palpable. Moriah emanates pure joy. Steve is a source of strength for his whole family. When asked what has sustained them along this journey of foster care all of these years, hands down they both shared what a difference Child Bridge has made for them. Early on in their journey, they made a connection with Child Bridge and they were grateful to receive support as foster and eventually adoptive parents. “Child Bridge was a lifeline for us in what could have been an otherwise lonely road,” Moriah shares. “We were able to get to know other foster parents who helped us navigate many different scenarios as kids came into our home. They provide ongoing resources and relationships so we can improve

our skills, they pray for us, and they are a source of hope. Getting to know other foster families has been vital.”

Moriah was a special education preschool teacher prior to becoming a foster parent. She is well versed in the complexities of the mind and she has a heart to always keep learning. Trauma can rewire brains. Exposures to drugs or alcohol can alter neural pathways. Love alone does not magically fix everything, but Moriah will be the first to tell you the difference a caring, stable and consistent parent can make in a child’s life. Child Bridge exists to help find and equip foster and adoptive families for children who’ve suffered abuse or neglect. Consider reaching out to Child Bridge today to learn how you can create a safe and healthy future for Montana's vulnerable children. www.childbridgemontana.org or 406-2-FOSTER *Please note names have been changed to protect identities.

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Mixed Emotions ...and other random thoughts on dentistry. by Dr. John F. Miller

Fear & Desire:

Much of human behavior is influenced by a combination of these two emotions. Action is initiated when the scales tip either towards fear or desire. We will take action to avoid a less-pleasant circumstance or to obtain a morepleasant one if the available evidence suggests the unpleasant situation is indeed avoidable and the more agreeable situation is indeed obtainable. There is however, another lesser known emotion known as the “it will never happen to me” feeling. This occurs when the evidence is insufficient to tip-the-scales towards either outcome, the more-pleasant or the lesspleasant. Keep in mind that everyone’s scales have different sensitivity levels, and everyone has access to varying levels of “evidence.” For example, I have never played the lottery because I do not want to spend money on a potential prize “that will never happen to me.” Do I desire to win the lottery? I would be lying if I said no, but there isn’t enough evidence to tip my scales into action. Others drive at speeds in excess

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of the posted limits because “they will never be pulled over.” Do they fear being ticketed? A little I imagine, but not enough to abide by traffic laws. Now, I’m a Dentist and not a Psychologist so it’s about time I stuck to my field of expertise: The Mouth.

Shock & Awe (Disbelief):

Emotions accurately describing how I would feel if I did happen to win the lottery (especially since I don’t play). These same emotions occur in the dental office all too often. The diseases that affect your mouth (e.g. cavities, gum disease, oral cancer) are often painless and symptom free until it’s too late. This is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand the patient isn’t experiencing any discomfort, but this lack of discomfort prevents the scales from tipping towards action. These oral diseases are also largely invisible to the naked eye, and they progress rather slowly. It is estimated that 40% of the population does not visit the dentist on a regular basis. What is regular you might ask? Regular means that you receive a dental cleaning every 6-months with a set of dental x-rays at every other cleaning. Yes, your routine dental needs are based on earth’s so-

lar orbit. This 6-month interval has been a mainstay in dentistry for nearly a century and, while largely insurance driven, it continues to be suitable for most patients' dental needs. However, contemporary dentistry focuses much more on prevention and this interval can be shortened if a patient is considered at a greater risk for oral or dental disease.

Shock and disbelief are emotions rarely seen in patients who maintain a regular checkup and cleaning schedule with their dental office. As I mentioned before, oral and dental disease progression is relatively slow and can be intercepted and often prevented as a result of these regular visits. Let’s revisit dental decay and gum disease again and discuss what causes each:

Dental Decay (aka caries, cavities): A few years back a children’s movie came out titled Wreck it Ralph. This movie was based on a character in a video game who played the “bad guy” who wrecked everything. There was a protagonist (Fix-it Felix Junior) however, who uses a magic golden hammer to fix everything that Ralph

It is estimated that 40% of the population does not visit the dentist on a regular basis. What is regular you might ask? Regular means that you receive a dental cleaning every 6-months with a set of dental x-rays at every other cleaning. Yes, your routine dental needs are based on earth’s solar orbit. health} manages to destroy. Now imagine that these two characters are battling it out in your mouth 24/7. If Ralph is winning the battle you will develop cavities, and if Felix gains the upper hand your teeth will remain healthy. Ralph has an army of sugar and acid on his side while Felix is backed by saliva, fluoridated toothpaste, good habits, and regular dental care. Whose side are you on? Do your habits help Ralph or Felix? (For a more scientific analogy please refer to the 406 archives at http://issuu.com/406woman/docs/406_woman_vol6_no3.)

Gum Disease (aka periodontitis): We live in the shadow of the great Glacier National Park. A glacier is formed when the amount of snow and ice that melted during the summer is less than the amount of snow and ice that accumulated during the winter. This results in a net gain of snow and ice, and these accumulations can be found in the areas that receive the least amount of direct sunlight. Now, imagine that food plaque on our teeth and under our gums is snow and ice, and our toothbrush and floss represent the sunshine. We love glaciers in nature, but not on our teeth and under our gums. If our technique has flaws the “sun isn’t going to shine” as bright between our teeth and underneath our gums, and a net gain of plaque will accumulate. Your body will interpret this as a foreign object and initiate an immune response to remedy the situation. Ultimately, if left untreated (in the shadows), your body will consider your teeth foreign objects because they are covered by foreign plaque. At this stage the bone supporting your teeth will start to disappear, and this is largely irreversible. So, let the sun shine in the shadows of your mouth and remember, your Hygienist holds the power of the sun in their hand. Yep, hygienists are straight-up Superheroes!! If you have great brushing and flossing techniques and healthy nutritional habits by all means skip your 6-month cleaning and go once a year. You heard it from me. As dentists we really do have your best interest in mind, and by keeping up with your regular dental checkups we can prevent the comforting It Will Never Happen to Me feeling from becoming Shock and Awe (Disbelief ). As I write this, we are having a beautiful unseasonably warm and sunny winter day. So, I’m going to bid you adieu and go get some real Big Sky Sunshine on my teeth. It’s easy to Smile in Montana...am I right? Thanks for reading.

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Food & Flavor 18. In the Kitchen with Lane 22. Women Don’t Drink Whiskey 24. Pizza Night 30. Berries, B variants & Bootstraps 32. Genuine Canadian Poutine

Education 34. Support Your Child’s Learning Style

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Design 38. Wright’s Furniture

Fashion 40. Village Shop

Love 44. Kristy & David

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24...

View current and past issues of 406 Woman at

w w w . 4 0 6 W o m a n . c o m

Publisher's Note “All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” When we think of the Spring season, growth comes to mind. A season of new, of a fresh start. Take the seeds you have planted in your mind, the thing you have been thinking about, dreaming about, wanting to change and do it. Plant your seeds and nurture them, work hard for them and watch them grow this year. Take the opportunity of the new season to grow – grow new, grow deeper, grow wiser, grow stronger. Just grow. With gratitude, Amanda and Cindy

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406 w o m a n

Cover

Business Girl

View current and past issues of 406 Woman at

w w w . 4 0 6 W o m a n . c o m

publisher

Cindy Gerrity

cindy@montanasky.net

business manager Daley McDaniel

daley@montanasky.net

managing editor

Kristen Hamilton

kristen@hamitupstrategies.com

creative & social media director Amanda Wilson

Want to know about great events, open houses, and more? Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/406 Woman 406 Woman is distributed in Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Missoula, Whitefish and every point in between. Check out www.406woman.com for our full distribution list. Have a great story idea or know someone that we should feature? Email us with your comments & suggestions. Interested in increasing your business and partnering with 406 Woman? Check out www.406woman.com.

afwphotography@me.com

design

Sara Joy Pinnell

sara@mrsandmrpublishing.com

photographers

Daley McDaniel Photography Amanda Wilson Photography Kelly Kirksey Photography

Editor’s Letter

“The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.” John Paul II

CONSERVE

I’m getting frustrated with people that say that they love nature, the outdoors, and Montana but don’t take steps to protect her. It really takes so little effort, but the results can be significant and immediate. We all need to stop being selfish and think about the future generations. It is so important! Here are some ways that you can conserve starting today: Recycle! Curtail your use of plastic!

• Use a refillable water bottle • Use reusable grocery bags • Combine vegetables in bags Dishwasher – start when you go to bed and don’t run the heated dry cycle Lightbulbs – replace traditional light bulbs with LED Lights – turn them off when you leave a room Water – shorter showers and use recycled water for your lawn

“The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.” Ernest Hemingway Happy Spring! Kristen Hamilton Managing Editor

What did I learn in this issue? That being in the right place at the right time can save a life. And it did in the case of Erik Sanders. Read the amazing story “A Miracle on the Mountain” by Chris Leopold on page 16 in the Business section. If you end up in Montana by way of North Dakota from Milan, Italy, you probably have quite a story to tell. Meet Antonella LoPresti and learn about her adventures and new life in Montana when you read Sydney Munteau’s story on page 10 in the Business & Health section. That real women drink whiskey and you can too! Learn the history of some of the first female bootleggers and a modern-day whiskey legend who happens to be a woman. Read Hailey Osborne’s story on page 22 and pour yourself a whiskey neat.

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In the Kitchen with Lane

Reclaim The Kitchen

From left to right: Winnie Mendoza, Chantry Krack, Somer Treat, Lane Smith, and Cassidy Krack

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By Lane Smith - Sponsored by

Photos by Amanda Wilson Photography

It had been hinted at for years. I had dabbled in writing and even written a few plays. But this was entirely different. A magazine article? Why would anyone in their right mind ask an appliance salesman with more kids and grandkids than there are people in Two Dot to cook something AND write about it for a women’s magazine? With sarcastic support from my three brothers, as well as several not so subtle reminders I had never won a Smith Hunting Camp cook-off, I said yes. If I could deep fat fry just about anything even in a snowstorm, I could surely try something new. But what was I going to cook? In deference to St. Patrick’s Day and my Irish greatgrandma Mac, I immediately set out to find a recipe that I had never attempted and paired well with a camera lens. Leaning on Pinterest, Facebook, Google and even some of my Grandmother’s cookbooks, I came up empty until a friend suggested “Irish Fish Cakes.” A cursory search of the aforementioned resources for variations, a check of the tools I had at my disposal, and a modicum of ill-fated enthusiasm, all led to me making a grocery list. The intent was to place the fish cakes on a simple bed of Arugula tossed with a quick vinaigrette. What I wasn’t going to do was follow a recipe. I have yet to meet a piece of paper that could tell me if something tasted good. The success or failure of attempting anything new can be attributed to a variety of factors. Preparation, experience, the tools available (both metaphorically and literally), the support of others, and one’s own ability to overcome the trepidation associated with failure. The latter being the single biggest hurdle that any of us face, even in something as basic as cooking. My trepidation waned and my confidence soared…until I asked Somer Treat, my overly gracious host, a question….

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Somer wasn’t always a nationally recognized builder in Northwest Montana. To hear her tell it, when she decided to explore options other than being the official photographer of Glacier Park, the construction industry wasn’t even on the horizon. It took a bit of coaxing from her future business partner Jon Krack, a “try it to see if you like it” offer, and a healthy dose of courage for her to step into the construction industry some nine years ago. Standing in the culmination of her artistic talent and vision, known as the “The Lookout,” it is not hard to understand why I asked her to host my inaugural cooking event. She is the embodiment of overcoming fear while relying on those tools we all possess to accomplish the unknown. There are scores of happy homeowners that sing Old Montana Building Company’s praises. She attributes the success of the company to their team’s ability to share the vision of their clientele, understand the limitations, and mitigating any obstacles. A process that involves lots of questions and never skipping a step. Something I was about to realize I had done. Shopping done, fresh fish from Flathead Fish on Hwy 40, my Dad’s cast iron pan, a newly acquired Serbian chef ’s knife, a Wolf range to cook on, four amazing ladies to help, and numerous cooking successes and

disasters under my belt could not have prepared me for the answer Somer was about to give. A question, in hindsight, I should have asked first. “Do you like fish?” I inquired, almost as a forgone conclusion. Somer’s answer cut like my newly acquired knife; swiftly and deeply. “No, not particularly.”

The trepidation in my heart rose like the waves of Flathead Lake during a winter storm. How could I have reached this point and NOT KNOWN my host didn’t like fish? What was I going to do NOW? I had a plan, I had the tools, I even had FRESH Parsley for goodness sake. It was evident that in my desire to attempt something new, I had skipped the most basic of steps: preparation. Thankfully I was about to be saved by three immensely talented preteens and their infectious smiles.

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Irish Fish Cakes

“You can’t fold POTATOES!” A skeptical Cassidy informed me while staring at a bowl full of fork mashed potatoes.

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Irish Fish Cakes

Trying something new always involves risk. Risk that we, as adults, have scaled through experience, embarrassment and the potential for new scars. We have limit switches that have replaced blind exuberance. Standing there with a pound of the finest Alaskan Cod, I decided to ask a question that would mask my dubious misstep in the prep stage.

Drain the potatoes and put them into a large bowl. Mash them with a fork, leaving a bit of texture. Add the ketchup, parsley, lemon juice, eggs, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine then add the fish breaking it apart with your fingers as you add it. (Using your hands allows you to check for tiny bones.) The fish should remain fairly chunky. Fold the fish into the mixture until everything is incorporated. It will be fairly wet.

“Who wants to help?” Little did I know that the answer to my question would salvage my attempt at ME trying something new, and quite frankly turn it into something bigger than an article on Irish Fish Cakes. The afternoon was about to become about Cassidy, her sister Chantry, and Somer’s niece Winnie learning that cooking doesn’t need a recipe, nor a measuring cup; just a helping hand and bit of coaxing to try something new. Seeing the ingredients on the kitchen island, Chantry matter-of-factly informed me: “Cassidy can’t peel potatoes, she will cut herself.” Fast forward 20 minutes; Chantry informing me that SHE had nicked her own finger while cutting pickles for the tartar sauce. After that, a cutting lesson was given to all three girls.

“You can’t fold POTATOES!” A skeptical Cassidy informed me while staring at a bowl full of fork mashed potatoes. Explaining the process like you would fold a shirt, Cassidy was soon folding the perfectly poached Alaskan Cod (cooked by her no less) into a potato mixture that Winnie found great joy in applying Sriracha Ketchup to, based purely on “how much Ketchup she liked on her fries.” Winnie’s excitement and curiosity grew even more when asked if she’d like to wrestle with Parsley. The result led to even Somer commenting on how twisting off the stems made the parsley smell more intense. At the end, Cassidy made an amazing Vinaigrette without the aid of any measuring device (a bit tart she later confessed), which was added to a tossed salad made by all three young ladies. We were ready to plate. By this point the incredibly excited and emboldened ladies helping me were making the meal without much guidance. It was no surprise that Chantry would announce, “I know how to plate!” When you look at the pics, remember that all of it was made by three girls under 13. Plated meals in front of them, the girls were giddy about the afternoon that had gotten them out of school early. As they sampled their first Irish Fish Cakes and talked of cooking for their parents, Somer and I smiled knowing that we had started out trying something new and ended up with something we didn’t foresee: three young ladies learning joy the process of cooking together can have. The empty plates and giggling told us both that the best ingredients to any recipe are the people you choose to experience it with. The more you add, the better the chances of trying something new becomes. Oh, and Somer? She still doesn’t like fish. Thankfully Cassidy’s vinaigrette was amazing and Somer had her parents waiting to try the leftovers. Still need a recipe? Check out the recipe to the right. In the end though, I have always thought a piece of paper cannot tell you if something tastes good-- Find some people, get the right ingredients, and don’t be afraid to fail. If the recipe doesn’t turn out perfect, the memories always will.

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Irish Fish Cakes with Tartar Sauce INGREDIENTS for Fish Cakes • 1 lb russet potatoes • 1 lb cod fillet • 1 Tbsp spicy ketchup • cup of minced fresh parsley • juice of 1/2 lemon • 2 large eggs beaten • 1/2 tsp of salt and fresh ground pepper • 1 sleeve Ritz crackers finely crushed • several Tbsp vegetable oil for frying • mixed greens for serving • lemon wedges, sliced green onion & chopped parsley for garnish

INGREDIENTS for Tartar Sauce • 1 egg at room temperature • 1 cup vegetable oil • 1 tsp Dijon mustard • juice of 1/2 lemon • 2 tsp capers • 1/2 cup dill pickles chopped • 1/4 tsp salt • fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel and chop the potatoes into chunks. Put them in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add 2 teaspoons of salt, and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are very soft. Put the cod in a shallow sauté pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, and then cover, turn off the heat, and let the fish poach for about 10-15 minutes. Drain.

Use a 1/3 cup scoop to measure out the mixture and form into patties. To keep from sticking, you can use flour on your hands. Roll each patty in the Ritz cracker crumbs to coat and set on a plate. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the cakes for later cooking. Coat the bottom of a skillet (cast iron works great) with vegetable oil and heat on medium heat until hot. Fry the cakes for about 5 minutes on each side until golden, crispy, and hot throughout. The cakes are delicate so flip them with care. Tartar sauce (this can be done in advance): Put all the ingredients into a jar that fits the head of your immersion blender. A 16 oz wide mouth mason jar works great. Set the head of the blender down at the bottom of the jar and turn it on. Blend for a few seconds and as the sauce starts to thicken, gently raise the blender up to blend all of the contents. This will only take a few seconds. you can pulse the blender to thicken. Remove the blender and stir the sauce. Taste to adjust the seasoning. Can keep refrigerated a week to 10 days. Put the fish cakes on top of a bed of greens. If you’d like, you can add a little vinaigrette to the salad before adding the cakes. Serve with tartar sauce and garnishes on the side.

Wild-caught fresh True Cod from Alaska supplied by:

Flathead Fish and Seafood Co 406-892-FISH (3474) 3820 MT Hwy 40 West Columbia Falls, MT 59912 www.flatheadfishandseafood.com

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Women Don’t Drink Whiskey By Hailey Osborne, Bigfork Liquor Barn

I will admit, the start of my whiskey journey was sneaking Jack Daniel’s Honey into the local livestock fair in a Sonic Dr. Pepper slushie when I was 16 because they didn’t check the FFA kids (sorry Mr. Johnson). I ended up sharing it with my closest friends on a rickety Ferris wheel as we talked about our livestock and what little life we had experienced at that age. I didn’t know anything about whiskey, other than it was what ag and rodeo kids drank because it’s what their dads had at home. But I liked it, so I continued drinking Jack Daniels on a regular basis. I branched out to Pendleton when my mom grabbed a bottle of Pendleton 1910 for me one day, because she couldn’t find the Jack. I was scared to explore any further than the two, mostly because whiskey was (and is) seen as a man’s drink. Walking into a liquor store and asking for help seemed daunting for a freshly 21-year-old. It was not until I started working in the industry that I would really dive into growing my appreciation for the spirit.

This satisfaction within the world of whiskey is something I want to share with all women who are interested in a darker spirit. So, I am tearing down the classification of whiskey being a man’s drink. To do that, I will need some help from the women who helped build the industry. Let’s start with some near and dear women from our great state.

Josephine Doody fled to McCarthyville, Montana in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s to hide from a pending trial after being accused of murdering a man. While she claimed it was self-defense, she did not hold much faith in the law and found it better to flee. She worked as a dance-hall girl to provide for herself but developed a severe opioid addiction. A soon-to-be Glacier National Park ranger by the name of Dan Doody took a liking to Josephine. He quickly became worried that her addiction would claim her life sooner rather than later. So, in a declaration of love, he kid-

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napped Josephine by literally strapping her to a mule and taking her to his homestead cabin. This homestead turned hideout and detox facility was accessed by crossing the Middle Fork of the Flathead, and there is only a small window of time in which the water is not frozen or too high to pass, proving it to be an excellent location for Josephine to kick her habit and hide from the Colorado lawmen.

Josephine Doody, ca. 1910. Provided by Glacier National Park

Present day, I still struggle with being a woman who enjoys whiskey. Clients are more likely to follow the advice of my male counterparts when choosing a bourbon or a scotch. So, I work hard to build up my knowledge and try new whiskies as often as my wallet will allow it. I have a dedicated Instagram account to stay up to date on new products and what has caught the attention of bourbon hounds around the country. I lean on my agricultural interest to learn about how different grains change the flavor profile of a whiskey. It pays off in the form of watching a new client’s face light up when she can discuss bourbons with me without fear of being looked down on. It pays off in the form of one of our regulars embracing bold flavors and tasting her way through Scotland. It pays off in the form of clients returning for more recommendations because my last suggestion was a homerun.

Once clean, Josephine took up moonshining as a means of income. The trainmen of the Great Northern Railway would blow the train whistle once for every jar of moonshine they wanted to purchase as they arrived at Doody siding (unmanned railway stop). Josephine would deliver the moonshine using a small boat to cross the raging waters. Glacier National Park was opened in 1910 with Dan Doody as one of its first rangers, but he was fired in 1916 due to ‘excessive poaching’ and passed away a few years later. The firing and death of her husband did not slow Josephine down, however, as she always made sure the park rangers had pie and coffee every time they passed her cabin on the intersection of the Boundary Trail and the Harrison Lake Trail during their patrols. The rangers took a liking to her

and would often look the other way when it came to her moonshine operation. This served her well until she moved from the homestead in the early 1930’s when her health began to deteriorate.

Bertie “Birdie” Brown filed her homestead claim along Brickyard Creek in Fergus County, Montana in 1907. Like most homesteaders, she supplemented her income in a multitude of ways like gardens, crops and livestock. Moonshine, however, became Bertie’s claim to fame. During prohibition, bad moonshine was known to cause blindness and death. According to locals, Bertie’s moonshine was some of the best (and safest) in the country. Bertie was always welcoming her community into her parlor with warm hospitality and good hooch. Bertie did not outlast the prohibition. In May 1933, a revenue officer made a visit to Bertie to warn her to stop making moonshine. She multitasked brewing her latest batch of moonshine with dry-cleaning garments, using gasoline as a cleaning agent. The fumes from the gasoline were ignited by the flames from her still, causing an explosion in her kitchen. Bertie suffered severe burns during the incident and succumbed to her injuries a few hours later.

Female bootleggers like Josephine and Bertie paved the way for modern-day women to make their mark in whiskey history.

You cannot appreciate scotch without also paying tribute to the legendary Dr. Rachel Barrie. She has had a hand as the master blender and/or whiskey creator for Ardbeg, Ardmore, Auchentoshan, BenRiach, Bowmore, GlenDronach, Glen Garioch, Glenglassaugh, Glenmorangie, and Laphroaig. She may be one of the most widely known distillers in the

food} Scotch industry to date. One of her newest releases, Benriach The Smoky Twelve, landed itself in the number 3 spot in Whisky Advocate’s 2020 Top 20.

At a mere 27 years old, Nicole Austin hit the ground running as the master blender at Kings County Distillery. She did not know it at the time, but a rye whiskey she distilled in 2011 would go on to win double gold at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. After working as a consultant with Dave Pickerell in America and then as the commissioning engineer at Tullamore D.E.W. in Ireland, Nicole settled in at Cascade Hollow. Her first whiskey at Cascade Hollow, the George Dickel Bottled in Bond, won ‘Whiskey of the Year’ from Whiskey Advocate as well as ‘Best Buy’ in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Spirits of 2019. Nicole also has loose ties to Butte, Montana, as she is in a group co-founded by John McKee of Headframe Spirits called ‘The Good Guys’. Marianne Eaves (formerly Barnes) set herself on a fast-track to her claim as the first female master distiller of bourbon since prohibition by never saying ‘no’. She chose Brown-Forman as a college internship with zero taste or knowledge of whiskey. She discovered her passion for whiskey during tasting panels and Brown-Forman took notice of her quick-developing palate. Marianne became Woodford Reserve’s first Master Taster and Master Distiller heir apparent. At 28 years old, she was asked to join the team at the historic Old Taylor Distillery. This offer was the start of the Castle & Key Distillery.

If the increasing number of women stepping into master roles in the whiskey industry is not enough (and this is nowhere near an exhaustive list), some studies support women being excellent at whiskey tasting as well. According to a study from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the olfactory bulb in women has 43% more cells and 50% more neurons than men. A study by Yale University identified that women have more taste buds on their tongues than men. Furthermore, 35% of women are “supertasters,” perceiving tastes (and especially bitter tastes) more intensely, compared to 15% of men. These studies suggest that the increased sense of smell in women is cognitive, rather than perceptive. A study conducted by Monell Chemical Sciences Center in Philadelphia found that women tend to taste, smell, hear, see colors, and feel textures more accurately than men. Their partnering research center in Stockholm suggests that this may be due to women allocating more attention to potentially noxious nasal stimuli than men do, and that causes them to assess nasal irritants differently than men. The research also noted than women exhibit higher trigeminal nerve sensitivity (sensations such as burning, cooling, and tingling). Further, women are more reactive to nasal stimuli that are perceived as emotional, unpleasant, or threatening.

In a matter of perceptive increase, women are traditionally introduced to more aromas throughout life. This is largely in part to the fact that in traditional gender roles women were tasked with cooking, cleaning, and childrearing. In this sense, women are more likely to be concerned and seek out smells for the purpose of identification (i.e.: smelling if food has gone bad). The quickest way to increase your sensitivity and ability to process aromas is by having more experience with identifying them, and to seek out exposure to new aromas. Women are also more likely to thoroughly describe an aroma (i.e.: describing an aroma as ‘freshly baked apple pie at my grandmother’s house’ instead of ‘apples and baking spice’). As we primarily decide to like an aroma or not based on the memories it evokes, women are better able to draw on memories by the ways in which they describe what they are smelling or tasting.

So, if you are whiskey-curious, do not be afraid to jump in headfirst. Be adventurous and develop your palate. Talk with your local liquor store and distillery employees (seriously, it is the highlight of our day). Buy the whiskies that are most pleasing to you (this is different for everyone). Do not feel pressured to sit on the sidelines and watch the men play with bourbon. If anyone tells you women don’t drink whiskey, tell them not only do women drink it, but we also create it.

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Pizza night By Bogle Vineyards www.boglewinery.com

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Cast Iron Sausage and Fennel Pizza This pizza pairs particularly well with our Pinot Noir or Merlot.

Ingredients

food} Who doesn’t love pizza night and a glass of Bogle? Whether you are ordering in, gathering at your favorite pizzeria, or showing off your skills in the kitchen—pizza brings family and friends together. We love sharing our favorite homemade pizza recipes and pairing it with a bottle of Bogle wine. Make sure to visit our web site to check out our pro tips, like the perfect pizza dough! Pour that glass of wine, get that dough rolled out, and spread the toppings! It’s time for a pizza night! For more recipes and inspiration visit Boglepizza.com

Did you know that Bogle Vineyards does an annual pizza contest? The recipe that wows the judges with its uniqueness and flavor will be awarded $5,000 cash! There are also four category prizes of $1,000 ARV up for grabs: Best fusion recipe, best international flavor recipe, best US regional recipe, and best recipe representative of your state. You can find out more about The Flavors of the Nation recipe contest at BoglePizza.com. It’s time to put on that apron…and try our three go-to recipes.

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes (+4 hours 10 minutes standing time)

Dough: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (approx.) 3/4 cup warm water (approx. 105ºF to 115ºF) 1 1/4 tsp instant active dry yeast 1 tsp granulated sugar 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp salt Toppings: 1/3 cup olive oil, divided 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 red pepper, thinly sliced 1/2 bulb fennel, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cracked pepper 2 mild Italian sausages, casings removed 3/4 cup pizza sauce 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

Cooking Instructions 1. Dough: In bowl, stir together 1/4 cup flour,

warm water, yeast and sugar; let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture starts to look bubbly and frothy. Using wooden spoon, stir in olive oil, remaining flour and salt to make loose dough. Transfer to lightly floured surface; knead for 10 to 15 minutes, adding flour as needed, to make soft, elastic, and slightly sticky dough.

2. Form dough into ball; transfer to lightly greased bowl. Brush top of dough lightly with oil; cover with wet kitchen towel. Let stand in

warm spot for about 2 hours or until doubled in size. Punch down dough; transfer to airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight; let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

3. Toppings: Place 12-inch cast iron skillet

in oven and preheat to 500ºF. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in large skillet set over medium-high heat; cook onion, red pepper, fennel, salt and pepper, stirring frequently, for 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Transfer to plate; wipe skillet clean.

4. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in skillet set over medium heat; cook sausage, breaking up into smaller pieces with wooden spoon. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

5. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough into 14-inch round. Add remaining oil to preheated cast iron skillet. Carefully transfer dough to heated skillet, pressing evenly up side of skillet.

6. Spread pizza sauce over dough. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella; top with sautéed onion mixture and cooked sausage. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and chili flakes. 7. Return skillet to oven; bake on bottom rack for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden and crisp and cheese is melted. Let cool slightly.

Tip: For a zesty kick, try using hot Italian sausage – or for a sweeter note, use a honeygarlic or sweet Italian sausage.

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Chicken Pesto Pizza with Caramelized Onions This pizza pairs particularly well with our Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 55 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (+12 hours 10 minutes standing time)

Ingredients Dough: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (approx.) 3/4 cup warm water (approx. 105°F to 115ºF) 1 1/4 tsp instant active dry yeast 1 tsp granulated sugar 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp salt Toppings: 1/3 cup olive oil, divided 1 large white onion, thinly sliced 1 tbsp. butter 1/2 tsp salt, divided 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 1 cup shredded cooked rotisserie chicken 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese 1 cup fresh basil 1 tbsp. toasted pine nuts 1 large clove garlic 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 tsp pepper

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Instructions 1. Dough: In bowl, stir together 1/4 cup flour, 4. On lightly floured surface; roll out dough into warm water, yeast and sugar; let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture starts to look bubbly and frothy. Using wooden spoon, stir in olive oil, remaining flour and salt to make loose dough. Transfer to lightly floured surface; knead for 10 to 15 minutes, adding flour as needed, to make soft, elastic, and slightly sticky dough.

8-inch round. Using hands, stretch dough into 12-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to lightly greased 12-inch pizza pan.

3. Toppings: Preheat oven to 450ºF. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in large skillet set over medium heat; cook onion, butter and 1/4 tsp salt, stirring frequently, for 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

7. Drizzle 3 tbsp. of the pesto over pizza.

5. Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella over dough. Top with chicken, caramelized onion and goat cheese. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, for 20 to 2. Form dough into ball; transfer to lightly 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown and greased bowl. Brush top of dough lightly with cheese is melted. oil; cover with wet kitchen towel. Let stand in warm spot for about 2 hours or until doubled 6. Meanwhile, in food processor, pulse together in size. Punch down dough; transfer to airtight basil, pine nuts and garlic until well combined. container or resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate Slowly add remaining olive oil, pulsing until overnight; let stand at room temperature for 2 smooth. Stir in Parmesan, pepper and remainhours. ing salt.

Tip: Leftover pesto can be transferred to airtight container and refrigerated for up to one week. Spoon over grilled meats and fish, or toss with pasta.

Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza This pizza pairs particularly well with our Old Vine Zinfandel or Rosé.

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes (+12 hours 10 minutes standing time)

Ingredients

Dough: See page 20 Toppings: 1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets 3/4 cup buffalo hot sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cracked pepper 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions 1. Dough: See page 20

3. Toppings: Preheat grill

to medium-high heat; grease grates well. Toss together cauliflower florets, buffalo hot sauce, salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until cauliflower is well marked and tender-crisp. Remove from heat; set aside.

4. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough into 12inch round; brush with oil. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until dough is

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese 2 tbsp ranch dressing 2 green onions, thinly sliced well marked. Sprinkle 3/4 cup Cheddar over dough. Arrange cauliflower florets evenly on top. Sprinkle with red onion. Top with remaining Cheddar and blue cheese.

5. Return to grill; cook on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cheese is melted. Let cool slightly. Drizzle with ranch dressing; sprinkle with green onions.

Tip: For added protein, substitute shredded cooked chicken for cauliflower.

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Berries , B variants & Bootstraps w

By Austine K. Siomos, MD – Pediatric Cardiologist at Rocky Mountain Heart & Lung

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“How did a little bat cause covid?” my daughter asked on the way to school. This was a few months ago, but I have continued to go back to this question as I consider current life, variants and attitude. Children categorize things as they see them. Kids see COVID as BIG, although the actual virus is not visible. My daughter sees a bat as small, even though it is thousands of times bigger than a copy of the virus. Our survival instinct drives us to categorize things. Big and little, dangerous and benign, high risk and low risk. Discussions with children remind me of these basic instincts. I started to talk with my daughter about bats and pangolins. Then I read more about the pangolin, the virus and the connection with bats and humans. It turns out the pangolin may have been falsely accused. This becomes evident when reading about the variants of the

virus that have been sequenced and categorized. Bats are a common source of the virus to humans and pangolins, but there does not seem to be a link from pangolins to humans. Covid, whether it deserves it or not, has armies of virologists working on sequencing and categorizing. Essentially this is a 23 and me for viruses. Currently a few important variants of the virus are circulating in the news, including one called B.1.1.7 and one called B.1.351. The first letter, B in this case, indicates a lineage. There are three sublevels for each lineage. The B.1 sublevel is the predominant global lineage. Why B and not A? A lineages have actually been sequenced and are thought to have existed first, but mostly in bats. The A lineage does not seem to spread well in humans. The A lineage has been demonstrated to have existed for 40-70 years in bats. A significant mutation occurred recently to produce the B lineage. There are now more than 70 sublineages within the B group.

food}

The active compounds in blueberries outweigh any negative impact of sugar in blood sugar control. The anthocyanins in blueberries improve insulin sensitivity and lower the risk of metabolic syndrome. While reading to answer this bat question I learned about another term, the bootstrap value. The bootstrap value in viruses refers to the evolutionary tree in understanding common ancestors. The “bootstrap” value is given as a percentage and indicates the chances of the proposed evolutionary tree being reproduced by another sampling of the same date. My general idea of “bootstraps” prior to this was the idea that it is admirable to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”

What do I want for my children and for all children during this time? I want them to minimize whining. I want them to pull themselves up as much as they can. I want them to have confidence in their ability to enjoy simple pleasures and to learn from each other and from this pandemic. I want them to know that others have their bootstraps also. If they can’t pull themselves up we will reach out and grab those straps and yank them up. What else? I want them to know that not all children or adults have the same safeguards and backup bootstrap lifelines. What can they do in their lives to create those for others? I want my children to appreciate simple sources of happiness. This brings me to a moment that inspired my nutritional topic for this article. Instead of a recipe I share this moment at the end of the article. Blueberries are a great food to discuss in early spring. They may not be quite in season yet but are something to dream about until they arrive.

The blueberry, interestingly and relevantly is classified in the section Cyanococcus and the genus vaccinium. True to this “vaccinium,” name, they are important in immune system support.

Reduce DNA damage – oxidative DNA damage

occurs thousands of times daily. It is a part of the changes that happen with aging and also plays a role in chronic diseases and in cancer. Blueberries are high in antioxidants. In fact, per calorie blueberries are one of the top 10 sources of antioxidants available. Antioxidants neutralize the free radicals that damage DNA

Lower blood pressure naturally – I see patients with borderline high blood pressure who may not need medications yet but are approaching that point. Blueberries and other berries are an excellent addition that may prevent the need for medications. In an 8 week study in 2010 obese people with a high risk of heart disease had a significant reduction in blood pressure after eating 2 ounces of blueberries daily. Prevent and treat diabetes – two of the biggest world health challenges are type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Blueberries, like all fruits, contain natural sugar. One cup (148 grams) has about 15 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to a small apple or a large orange. The active compounds in blueberries outweigh any negative impact of sugar in blood sugar control. The anthocyanins in blueberries improve insulin sensitivity and lower the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Avoid upper respiratory tract infections –

blueberries contain a high concentration of a type of flavonoid, anthocyanin, that plays an essential role in the respiratory tract immune system. Prior to the pandemic a study in 2016 in the journal Advanced Nutrition provided a meta analysis of studies on flavonoids. This demonstrated that people who ate sources of

flavonoids every day had significantly fewer upper respiratory tract infections. This matters more than ever these days!

I usually share a recipe as part of my article. This week I sat down with my youngest child and a bowl of blueberries. They were sweet, like little blue candies. We ate the whole bowl sitting on the ground, me with a spoon and him with his hands.

Dr Austine Siomos Pediatric Cardiologist Austine Siomos, MD, brought her training and expertise with pediatric patients to Kalispell Regional Healthcare in September 2015. Dr. Siomos practices at Montana Children’s Specialists, a department of Kalispell Regional Medical Center. She is also part of Montana Children’s and its team of more than 40 pediatric specialists. She has been recognized for several academic accomplishments, including receiving a Pediatric Resident Professionalism Award. She also conducted extensive medical research and devoted time to community service, serving at a Denver clinic for uninsured patients, setting up medical clinics in Guatemalan villages, and working with Habitat for Humanity. She enjoys spending time with her husband and children, as well as baking, recycling and studying languages.

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Genuine Canadian By Carole Morris

Poutine While Canadian Poutine may look like nothing more than a delicious pile of fries, gravy, and half-melted cheese curds, it is a signature dish in Quebec, Canada. Poutine was born the same year that I was (1953), obviously a truly magical year! The recipe for Poutine was invented when a trucker asked Fernand Lachance to add cheese curds to his fries in Warwick, Quebec. Poutine (pronounced Poo-tin) is a French slang word in Quebec that means a mess. Amazingly, it’s more than a half a century since it first appeared in rural Quebec restaurants across Canada. However, neither the Poutine recipe nor I feel that old… In the 1970s New York and New Jersey served Poutine as a late-night side dish at clubs. They called it disco fries. There are many additions such as bacon, chicken, gravy, fries, onions and mushrooms that can be added for variation. While English-speaking Canadians usually pronounce Poutine, Pooteen, authentic Canadian Poutine always features deep-fried fries, poutine gravy and white cheddar cheese curds all tossed together. Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Serves approximately 4

INGREDIENTS for Gravy 7 Tablespoons butter 2 Tablespoons water 3 Tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 cup flour 10 oz chicken broth 20 oz beef broth

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Ingredients for Fries 4 medium potatoes oil

Topping 2 cups white cheddar cheese curds or chunks of mozzarella cheese

Instructions Gravy:

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and set aside. Next, in a large saucepan, melt the butter. Slowly, stir in the flour and cook for about 5 minutes, stir continually until the mixture turns golden brown.

Using a whisk, add beef and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking until smooth. Then, slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for a minute or so. Season with pepper to taste. If needed add additional salt, to taste. Keep warm until your fries are ready.

Fried Fries:

Wash your potatoes and cut into 1/2-inchthick sticks (leaving the skins on). Then place onto a sheet of paper towel and remove excess moisture. To cook potatoes, heat your oil in your deep fryer or heavy cooking pot to 300° F.

When temperature of the oil reaches 375°F, drop your fries into the oil and cook for 5-8 minutes until potatoes are golden brown. Remove from oil and place onto a paper towellined plate.

Poutine:

Place your fries in a large bowl or platter. Season lightly with salt while still warm. Add a ladle of hot gravy to the bowl, then carefully toss the fries in the gravy. Add more gravy, to coat the fries.

Add the cheese curds (or chunks of mozzarella cheese) and toss with the hot fries and gravy. Serve immediately with freshly ground pepper.

Remember my friends, as we await warm, balmy weather, potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which make them very healthy. Studies have linked potatoes to impressive health benefits, including improved blood sugar control, reduced heart disease risk and higher immunity… As they say in Montreal… savourer (enjoy).

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education}

Support Your Child’s

Learning Style By CT Morris BS Elementary Ed., MS Ed.

“The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.”

― Marcus Tullius Cicero

In the last issue of 406 Woman we explored the significance of learning styles. I indicated that whether your child attends a public school, private school, or is homeschooled—it is extremely important to know their learning style. If you haven’t had the opportunity to assess your child’s learning style, there is a free learning styles inventory available online that will clarify how they learn. The link to a free inventory is www.howtolearn.com/learning-styles-quiz. Moving forward, now that we know your child’s learning style, let’s explore what your findings entail. We know that an individual’s learning style influences the way they understand information and solve problems. Therefore, it is imperative to know what teaching method and curriculum best fits your child’s learning style.

After evaluating your child’s score, note which has the highest percentage—this is their foremost learning style.

Visual Learners – If your child scored higher in the visual learner category this means that he or she learns through seeing.

The child that is a visual learner needs to sit in front of the class. The positioning in the classroom is imperative for this learner. To completely understand the content of a lesson, this student needs to see the teacher's body language and facial expression. They think in images and learn best from visual displays such as: diagrams, illustrated text books, overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and hand-outs.

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The best study techniques for this learner

1. Mind maps 2. Color and pictures 3. When trying to remember—should close eyes, visualize the information 4. Study in a “no visual distractions” area 5. Write notes in varied fonts and colors 6. Watch videos about topics being studied in class

Auditory Learners – If your child scored higher in this category she or he learns through listening.

This child needs to sit where there isn’t any disruptive noises that will distract them. They learn best through verbal lectures and discussions. Therefore, they retain information best when in study groups and talking things through and listening to others. Auditory learners are able to interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch and other nuances. These learners benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape recorder because written information has little meaning until it is heard.

The best study techniques for this learner

1. Work with a study buddy 2. Record lectures and play back 3. Participate in class discussions 4. Have music (without words) playing softly in background 5. Read or repeat information out-loud 6. Use rhythm or rhyming to memorize information

Kinesthetic Learners – If your child scored higher in this category they learn through a hands-on approach. They need to actively explore the physical world around them by touching, moving and doing. This child needs to sit toward the back of the classroom where they are free to move and not be under scrutiny. This is the child that is many time labeled as being hyperactive and problematic. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration. The classroom environment needs to be adjusted for these learners so that they can work in short blocks of time. Allow this child to draw pictures in class of the material being taught. They need concrete examples…globes, puzzles, blocks, cubes, geoboard, drawing material, modeling clay, models, experiments, field trips, projects and games.

The best study techniques for this learner

1. Construct models or diagrams of things they need to learn 2. Work on a whiteboard 3. Use fingers as a guide when reading 4. Use concrete items to understand math concepts 5. Walk with textbook or notes and read out-loud 6. Use computer keyboard (keeping hands busy) whenever possible to study or write information

design}

Spring Favorites Change can be Beautiful By Wright’s Furniture

Flowers signify new beginnings, which is perhaps why we start seeing them pop up in both fashion and home design as spring approaches. You can rely on both floral patterns and floral arrangements making an appearance in our showroom around this time of year.

Breathe life into your living spaces with fresh bright color palettes, a mix of textures, and lots of natural elements. Popular colors to be looking for this spring season include Burnt Coral, French Blue, Raspberry Sorbet, Ultimate Grey, Rust, Marigold, Buttercream, and more.

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design}

Change it up by adding a modern mix of metal, wood, and stone. Combinations are endless and can be found on occasional tables, mirrors, light fixtures, accessories, and more.

-All the featured pieces as well as many other options are available at Wright's Furniture Store in Whitefish6325 HWY 93 South, Whitefish, Montana 59937 | 406.862.2455 | Open Daily |Free Local Delivery | Free Design Services www.wrightsfurniturestore.com

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@thevillageshop_mt

201 Central ave. whitefish Montana 59937 - 406.862.3200

love} stories

&David

Kristy

December 29, 2020

Location Lake McDonald at Glacier National Park Photography by Kelly Kirksey Photography

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Love

is when you know that your life is irrevocably changed and that you couldn’t dream of going back to where or who you were before you met. Who are you?

David (Dave) is the son of a blue-collar family growing up in the rural countryside West Virginia. Kristy grew up on the southside of Chicago.

Kristy is a personal trainer, CrossFit coach and general bad ass at all sports. Dave is an EM physician by day. He is also a semi pro woodworker, educator, and a creative soul. Together they are working on starting a nonprofit organization with the general goal of helping those in need.

How did you meet?

Dave: We met very innocently at our place of employment. Kristy had just started a new career path which led her to the hospital where I had been established for quite some time. I was immediately interested in learning more about her, but it would be a few more weeks until we worked together again. We soon made plans to meet up for lunch which turned into spending everyday together and even going on a fun trip to Nashville. As they say, the rest is history.

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love} stories

The Proposal?

Ltempered oveis ultimately selflessness, compassion and empathy by great compromise and lasting endurance.

Dave: Our proposal was magical! Some very close friends had reached out to gauge our interest in taking a vacation to Montego Bay Jamaica. As the vacation plans were last minute, I thought what a better place to ask for Kristy‘s hand in marriage than in the beautiful tropics of Jamaica surrounded by our closest friends. Of course, I was terribly nervous, and Kristy even commented on that day “what is going on with you today?” Of course, I deflected. However, prior to dinner we took an evening walk to an ocean pier. I graciously yet nervously dropped to one knee and asked Kristy to marry me and like yesterday I will never forget the words “of course I’ll marry you babe.“

What is Love?

Dave: The wisdom we’ve gleaned over our time together is that love is much more complex and deeper than the butterflies you feel on the first date

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or the exuberance you feel in those moments of magic. Love is sacrifice. Love is dedication. Love is perseverance. Love is lighting your partners darkest days. Love is when you know that your life is irrevocably changed and that you couldn’t dream of going back to where or who you were before you met. Kristy: Love is ultimately selflessness, compassion and empathy tempered by great compromise and lasting endurance.

What do you love most about each other?

Dave: My favorite thing about Kristy is her spontaneity and willingness to always go on an adventure. Kristy: I love that Dave has not only accepted me but has embraced my many passions; my love for animals, my desire to help others, and my many fitness related goals.

Wedding details:

In the spirit of elopement, we made a decision on Wednesday Dec 16th and by the next Friday, December 25, we were on a plane to a destination across the country and would say our vows amongst crisp mountain air framed by the serene backdrop of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. Even before our elopement we made sure to embrace each other as the two most important people of this adventure and to carefully and thoughtfully handle each moment and each other with grace as we approached our sacred vows.

Future honeymoon:

Being adventure lovers, we thought an amazing way to spend our honeymoon would be an African safari. Our plans are to go to South Africa next fall and spend several weeks exploring the country sides of South Africa, Tanzania, and Botswana as well as visiting Kruger National Park and Victoria Falls.

Sojourn To Light

Going To The Sun Gallery proudly features Carol Lee Thompson

Sunrise Puddles

First Frost

Morning Miracle

Carol is a full time professional artist. She is classically trained in

the methods of the old masters. Her attention to detail and the depth in her paintings make her a gallery favorite. Everything pictured is available at Going To The Sun Gallery.