A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BOZEMAN DAILY CHRONICLE
FEBRUARY
Charlie Soha
Charlie and Nancy Russell
2022
Photo courtesy of KRTV News
Photo courtesy of KRTV News
Martha Gabrielson (l) with Charlie and Nancy Russell
2 6 10 A MAGAZINE FOR MATURE ADULTS
Photo courtesy of Charlie Soha
BOZEMAN’S CHARLIE SOHA HAD A GREAT LIFE WHAT’S IN A WORD? OLD GUYS AND COLONOSCOPIES
2 / FEBRUARY 2022 PRIME
Bozeman’s Charlie Soha had a great life. By Karen E. Davis - PRIME EDITOR Editor’s note: Bozeman resident Charlie Soha died in April 2021, just after giving this interview. We believe his life story and memories of notable Montanans of the 20th century should not die with him, so we share them here.
I
n his 90 years, he racked up an impressive list of firsts, lasts, eccentric personal trivia and, well, just plain historic tidbits. The historic trivia that usually gets the most interest goes back to what his mother Martha was doing circa 1916 in Great Falls. Your first trivia clue comes when you walk into Soha’s Bozeman home north of Sypes Canyon: dozens and dozens of Charlie Russell prints cover every inch of the home, from “Bronc To Breakfast” to “Laugh Kills Lonesome.” As a Great Falls high-schooler, his mom lived next door to an artist named Charles Marion Russell, and his wife Nancy. Yeah, THAT Charlie and Nancy Russell. That proximity segued into a job for Martha as the Russells’ housekeeper, typist, babysitter and secretary. Charlie Russell Soha is named after the artist and neighbor, who was mightily beloved by his mom. He was born four years after Russell died in 1926. He has no first-hand memories of the famous pair but carries a plethora of his mother’s stories about the couple. This chapter started in North Dakota with the death of his grandfather. His widowed grandmother, Mary Gabrielson, managed a railroad hotel in Kenmore, N.D., for $30 a month. Around 1910, she came to Great Falls with 15 cents in her pocket and his 7-year-old mother and her baby sister Elise. “I think my grandmother thought that with the new smelter in Great Falls, there
might be more opportunities for them,” Soha explained. His German grandmother spoke no English and would clean hotel rooms for $2 a day. As fate would have it, she moved to a house on the 1300 block of 4th Avenue North in Great Falls, and that Fate made her neighbors of Charlie and Nancy Russell. The current C.M. Russell Museum now sits on the site of the family’s former home. In 1923, Martha and her sister Elise moved to Los Angeles to work for five years during the Depression. Earliershe met Charlie’s father while working in a bank in Belt, Mont. They married and moved to the Pacific Northwest, first to Tacoma where Charlie was born in 1930, and then to Seattle prior to WWII. That placed him in line for his next gem of trivia: He went to high school with Bill Gates’ mother, Mary Maxwell. “She was a senior, Class of 1946, Roosevelt High, and had the lead in the school musical,” he remembered. “My chorus partner in the musical was Donna Jean Modahl.” (More about her later). Soha reminisced that he wasn’t much of a student and might not have graduated with the Class of 1948 but for a last minute, make-work “work study” gig as the school’s switchboard operator. “I set no academic records,’ he laughed. “I skimmed by on my smile and personality.” His first job? As a 9-year-old caddy at Seattle’s Montlake Golf Course. At the age of 12 he worked at the local A&P grocery and was a member of the clerks’ union by 13, during WWII. He also remembers hitchhiking to Montana when he was 16 and by 17 working as a dishwasher at the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone.
“Bronc to Breakfast”
Soha then attended Montana Western at Dillon for an undergraduate degree in education. Everywhere he went he seemed to fall into little pieces of Montana history. His first view of Dillon happened when a driver picked him up hitchhiking to school in Dillon and took him to the Andrus Hotel. It had opened in 1918 as “the finest hotel in Montana,” and Soha remarked that he felt he’d stepped back in time to a scene from a John Wayne movie. “A hotel full of rich ranchers playing poker in the middle of the day, 10 gallon hats. I couldn’t even guess how much money was in that room.” he remembered. Being in Dillon set the stage for his next piece of historical trivia: Before his junior year at Montana Western in 1951, he taught at the oneroom school at Roy’s Junction, just a dot on a map near Winifred and literally the junction of the railroad tracks. That put him 25 miles from Lewistown and pretty close to the middle of nowhere. Six kids from two ranch families and five grades. Due to the harsh central Montana weather, the Roy Junction school year ran just from Easter to Thanksgiving. All that for $250 a month, and an extra $30 to dig two latrine holes. His place in history? Soha believes that at 90, he is the oldest surviving teacher of
a Montana one-room schoolhouse – one that also had no electricity or running water. (He returned to Western to earn his undergrad degree in two more years, and in 1959 earned a graduate degree from Montana State College in Bozeman). Roy’s Junction gave him another good story about the time he tried to drive across a shallow spot in the river, got stuck, didn’t immediately get his car out of the shallows -- and it froze over and he had to leave it until spring. Soha also taught in the Crow Creek area near Toston, near where actress Myrna Loy’s family, the Williams, ranched in Radersburg. That job also meant 12hour days, including driving the school bus. Myrna Loy isn’t the only famous actor from Montana whose life crossed paths with Soha. At one time, Soha lived a block south of Babcock in the same Bozeman house where Gary Cooper lived in the 1920s, when he attended Gallatin County High School. Cooper’s father Charles was a Montana Supreme Court Justice who ranched in the Wolf Creek area. (The story repeated ad infinitum in Helena legal circles was that Justice Charles Cooper could hardly be bothered to take the train from his Seven-Bar-Nine Ranch outside of Craig into Helena except to pick up his monthly paycheck.)
PRIME FEBRUARY 2022 / 3 Soha supplied a little-known detail regarding the how and why of Cooper ending up in Bozeman.
moments in his life, nothing compares to his mother’s moments with the Russell family.
“He put limburger cheese in the radiators at Helena High and got expelled. So he spent his last two years at Bozeman.” Many people don’t know that Cooper originally went to Hollywood to work as a stunt rider, Soha continued.
Soha shows a circa 1920 picture of his mother swimming in Lake McDonald with the Russells.
“You can credit his English teacher at Bozeman for getting him into theater. He was handsome. He was tall,” and soon enough he was famous. Cooper once joked that “In Hollywood they pay me $25 to fall off a horse. In Montana we do it for free.” As an undergrad at Western and before the Korean War started, Soha enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard, assigned as a cook. He graduated, taught school for three years, and by 1955 was commissioned a second lieutenant and sent to Ordnance School in Maryland at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Soha would stay in the Army Reserves, a decision taking him around the world in a career spanning more than 30 years, including 10 years in Europe. He was stationed at Fort Lewis in Tacoma; Heidelburg, Germany and Zweibruken on the German-French border; Spain; and at a missile base 50 kilometers outside of Instanbul, Turkey. Promoted to full colonel in 1980, he finally retired in 1985. Besides retiring from the Army after 30 years, “I’ve been developing property and raising kids,” he added. Soha has four sons. He first retired to the North Carolina coast, developing oceanfront rentals. Now, all of this is after he retired from teaching, and retired from the U.S. Army. And he’s had a minor real estate empire. By his estimation, he has owned and sold 53 properties over the years, and is still in the game with a $1 million-plus property on the market in Big Sky. Anything else? For years, baritone Soha was in the Chord Rustlers, a local mens’ choral group, serving as president in 2002-2003. But of all the historical, interesting
“He’d bring his famous clients up to his Lake McDonald Lodge,” Soha said, pointing to a picture of his mother standing in the lake with the Russells, all of them grinning like idiots and obviously happy. “Mom spent three summers up at the cabin and the lake with the Russells, cooking, cleaning. They’d bring prospective clients up there. Entertain them at the lake. Take the train from Great Falls to the Park (Glacier). “I don’t think she was ever paid more than $35 a month.” He voices one thing he wished his mother had done at the time: “If only my mother had taken things out of his wastepaper basket, the stuff that Russell threw away All that paper; what it would be worth.” She would babysit the Russell’s son Jack, he added, who grew up to have little interest in his father’s career. Jack would eventually have a career instead as a highway design engineer for the state of California. He died in 1996 in San Diego, estranged from his mother Nancy. According to an Aug. 11, 2014, article in the Billings Gazette, when Nancy died in 1940, she left her son no Russell art, and just a meager inheritance. Soha’s own mother’s time with the Russells started before Charlie was really famous, Soha said. It’s no secret that Nancy Russell changed her husband’s life and his career. “He didn’t care if he had four silver dollars in his pocket,” Soha remembered from his mother’s memories, “because they’d just go right back over the bar.” With Nancy as his business manager, Russell stopped selling his paintings in saloons and took his art to Europe. “In 1914 Charlie took 19 oils to London to the Dore Gallery. By 1915 he was exhibiting in New York, Chicago. By 1920
he took his collection to Los Angeles. My mom was still working for the family.” Soha continued that “He had clients in New York and Texas. Selling a lot of art for $10,000. It was all due to Nancy. Maximum of $30,000 a painting, which was a lot of money in the 1920s. (Before Nancy) he’d have just sold it for 11 silver dollars. “My mom really admired her. She came from extremely modest means. I don’t think she even knew her own father.” As a young woman, Nancy had spent some time in the Midwest and had lived in Helena with her possibly widowed mother. “She was just walking the streets, had no where to live for awhile,” Soha continued. “Not quite an orphan, but as close as you can get without being one.”
Russell died of a heart attack in 1926 when he was 62 years old. Ironically, Nancy would also die at 62, in 1940 in Pasadena, Calif. “She was 14 years his junior, but they were very close,” Soha remembered. “She’d carefully reproduce his quaint spelling and homemade grammar.” Soha’s mother is mentioned in a couple of Nancy’s books. She also continued over the years to periodically work as Nancy’s secretary. Soha remembered that in 1938, while the family lived in Tacoma, she took the train to Pasadena to visit Nancy for two weeks. Since children under 5 could ride for free, Soha’s little sister rode with their mom and he had to stay home.
Nancy ended up working as the housemaid for the Roberts family in Cascade, the patriarch of which was a merchant and friend of Charlie Russell’s.
During that visit Nancy gave their mom two Russell bronzes, one each for him and his sister. His sister recently sold hers for $50,000; Charlie’s was stolen from his home sometime in the last eight years.
Russell was invited to Sunday dinner, with Nancy as the family maid, and “They immediately took to each other. Got married and lived in the (Robert’s) chicken house out back.”
Before the theft, though, he loaned it circa 1960 for exhibition at both the CM Russell Museum in Great Falls and the Montana Historical Society in Helena.
Soha tells another story his mother shared regarding the gigantic oil Russell painted for the state capitol building in Helena. Commissioned in 1911 for $5,000, “Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians” was so large (140” x 296”) “that it had to be painted in two sections and the roof lifted to get it out (of his studio).” That painting is now worth millions. Soha has a favorite story of his mother’s about what supper time at the Russells’ might be like: “If they had ‘adult’ subject matter to discuss in front of my mother, they would start using Indian sign language that Charlie learned when he lived with the Blood tribe in Canada,” Soha added. (Russell loved his time on Montana reservations. “The Fabulous Flathead” has a photo of him, circa 1910, riding herd at a buffalo round-up at Pablo). “My mother also typed the manuscripts for his books,” Soha remembered.
His mother lived just 10 days short of her 93rd birthday. That was Soha’s shortterm goal, to at least match his mother’s longevity. Alas, Charlie missed his last life goal -- he died April 21, 2021, just two weeks short of his 91st birthday, and two years short of beating his mom’s longevity. In the interview shortly before his death, he was asked if there are any regrets after all the years and all the history he made and witnessed: Yes, he admitted, one big one. There was a girl. (There’s always a girl). Donna Jean, a high school classmate in Seattle. It seems they got their wires crossed in high school on how they both felt about each other, lost touch and nothing permanent came of what was a good friendship but should have and could have been more. “I still think about her,” the thricemarried Soha said. “If only. She’s the girl I should have married. We would have shared 60-plus years together.”
4 / FEBRUARY 2022 PRIME
How well did you sleep last night? By Nancy Ruby
Secrets to Solid Restful Sleep W
hen was the last time you got a good night’s sleep?
enjoying the sweetness of sound sleep ever since. How about you?
Enjoyed the evening hours as a time to wind down mindfully?
I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to toss and turn, trying everything under the sun (or moon?!) to get better sleep and STILL feel exhausted. You might even start to think something is wrong with you or that you’ll never get a good night’s rest again.
Laid your head on the pillow as soon as you felt the first urge need to get horizontal? Winter is upon us and now, more than any other time of the year, sleep should be a priority. It’s integral to how you think, feel, focus, move, and live, yet it’s a major challenge for many. I had to learn the hard way. Yep, I was convinced that being a “night owl” was just who I was. Until l wasn’t. It took some time and effort to establish new habits that allowed my natural circadian rhythms to guide me home to my true rhythms. And I’ve been
Keep in mind that sleep troubles are common and not always your fault. Don’t make things harder by beating yourself up. That just breeds stress and you guessed it—more lost sleep. Resting isn’t just about sleep. Please remember that there’s more to rest than snoozing. Rest should happen during our waking hours too.
What do I mean by that? Whether it’s meditation, breath work, mindful movement, or a stroll around the block to breathe in fresh air and reconnect with nature, implementing a simple practice that helps you rest your nervous system when you’re awake will do wonders for all your waking hours. Doing so will help boost productivity, mood, energy, focus and can even help set you up for better sleep at night. Why is sleep so important? Many major restorative functions occur while we sleep. For adults, the biggies are muscle growth, protein synthesis, and tissue and cell repair. For infants and children, hormone production and brain development are key (which is why they need so much more sleep than adults). Perhaps the most restorative
function of sleep has to do with a neurotransmitter called adenosine. While you’re awake, your neurons fire and cells power you through the day. This process produces adenosine. It builds up all day long, leading to a decrease in dopamine—the neurotransmitter that keeps you alert and focused. So as adenosine goes up, dopamine goes down, resulting in that sleepy feeling you get at night. While you sleep, you clear adenosine from your body and start fresh in the morning feeling alert (study). The more sleep you get, the lower the level of adenosine and the more alert you’ll feel in the morning. Know this: If you’re cutting yourself short in the sleep department, you’re also cutting your overall well-being short. Inadequate sleep can increase your chances of developing
PRIME FEBRUARY 2022 / 5 type 2 diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disorders and health challenges. It can also negatively impact your mental health, fueling problems with substance abuse, memory, stress response and more.
for sleep success and you’ll feel so much better when you let yourself rest.
How much sleep do you need?
Having a full belly may make you feel tired, but when your body is trying to digest, it will interrupt your sleep patterns. Eating by 6:00 or 7:00 pm and then hanging the CLOSED sign on your kitchen will allow your body to rest, digest, and be ready to sleep deeply by 9 or 10. This has surprised many a night owls when they give it a try and find themselves becoming morning doves, cooing with delight after a good night’s sleep.
The number of hours you should sleep depends on your age, sex, lifestyle, current health and simply how you feel. So, it’s different for everyone, but usually between 7.5 - 8 hours does the job. When it comes to sleep timing, the most restorative window is typically between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. because your circadian rhythm is likely at its lowest point. (Ayurveda has been suggesting this for 1000’s of years.) Your circadian rhythm is influenced by your environment—namely light. It controls many of the physical, mental, and behavioral changes you experience in a 24hour cycle, including your sleep pattern. Paying attention to your circadian rhythm and going to sleep when you feel drowsy means you’ll hit deep, restorative sleep more rapidly. Today I’m sharing these tips for how to sleep well—because you have the power to set yourself up
My Top 5 Tips for Healthy, Restorative Sleep. 1. Eat an Earlier, Lighter Dinner
2. Turn off technology Plan to put your phone and other devices away at least one hour before going to bed. The blue light emitted from your phone, computer, etc. can interfere with sleep by suppressing melatonin production, so consider enabling features like Night Shift (which automatically adjusts your display to a warmer, less blue light) while you’re winding down in the evening. Then, keep lights dim and read or meditate to help get
Bozeman Lions CLuB eye glasses collection box for prescription or non-prescription and dark glasses at The Bozeman senior Center, The Belgrade senior Center, The manhattan senior Center and The Three Rivers senior Citizens Club in Three Forks.
For more information, contact Richard Reiley at
406-388-7840
Visit us on the web at http://e-clubhouse.org/sites/bozemanmt
your brain and body ready for sleep.
button. Here are a few things to try:
3. Enjoy the magic of essential oil
A. Journal before bed—get those thoughts on paper and out of your head. List what you are grateful for this day.
Taking a moment to massage your feet with essential lavender oil before nodding off ensures a deeper sleep. Just take your feet in your hands and rub the tension out of the day. You’ll sleep better. A few drops to the temples and throat bring the scent directly to your sinuses. Ahhh… 4. Doze in darkness If your room isn’t completely dark, consider a sleep mask or room darkening curtains. Darkness stimulates natural melatonin production, which is not only a wonderful sleep inducer but a great cancer fighter as well. 5. Clear your mind. If you’re tossing and turning after switching the lights off, you may need to hit the mental reset
B. Listen to a guided Meditation. Get the Insight Timer app and listen on your couch to avoid electronics in your bedroom. C. If you still can’t fall asleep after lying in bed for 20 minutes, get up and do something relaxing for 15-30 minutes before returning to bed. Avoid technology as it will stimulate your nervous system even more. Try organizing your morning supplies for breakfast and wardrobe the following day or clean out that junk drawer. It’s best not to stay in bed frustrated because doing so can actually train your brain to become stressed when you hit the hay. Here’s to better rest—night and day!
A Note from the Editor:
Do you know a senior who should be featured in a future edition of prime? Email your suggestions to Karen E. Davis at kdavis@belgrade-news.com.
Bozeman’s Charlie Soha had a great life................... 2 Secrets To Solid Restful Sleep.................................... 4 What’s In A Word?...................................................... 6 Citrus In Montana? YES!............................................ 8 Old Guys And Colonoscopies.................................. 10 Watch For Changes In RMDs................................... 12 Meal Service in Senior Centers................................ 14 Bozeman Senior Center Recreation........................ 16
6 / FEBRUARY 2022 PRIME
What’s in a Word? By Lois Stephens
I
t is amazing how the same word, with its simple meaning, can have totally different suggestions and implications to us as we age and continue onward in our lifetime journey. I’m thinking here of the word ‘senior’. This word of course means ‘higher in rank’, ‘holding a high or authoritative position’, ‘longer in service’, ‘more experienced’, and of course ‘older.’ We elders unfortunately recognize that in our individual cases, senior means older. But think about it for a moment. Remember being a senior in
high school? We were ecstatic to be called seniors. We were the top dogs; underclassmen looked up to us, we had special privileges and duties because we were seniors, and we had the world by the tail. We spent a lot of our senior year preparing and planning for a new life, new experiences, and new expectations as we completed that last year in high school. We figured we were the big shots and the hottest items ever to walk away clutching our graduating diplomas. We then moved on, aspiring to become senior management,
or senior accountants, or senior editors, perhaps senior advisors, or some position of prestige and authority that often had the word ‘senior’ attached to it. Well guess what, folks? We are now all seniors, even if it is only seniors in age. What the heck happened? How did we reach senior status so quickly? Suddenly the word ‘senior’ has lost its glow. I never strived to become a senior citizen, but it happened anyway, without any effort whatsoever on my part. Even though I have become a woman of a certain age, I find
it difficult to think of myself as a senior, but I definitely do not qualify as much else. Unfortunately, on the Senior Citizen’s Day that some stores offer, I don’t even have to politely point out to the checkout clerks that yes indeed, believe it or not, I DO qualify as a senior. They already know that just by taking a cursory glance at me. As a friend helpfully pointed out, as person is as old as she feels, in which case some days I am ninety-seven and other days I am a spry thirty-three.
PRIME FEBRUARY 2022 / 7 anything remotely considered youthful again, I know I am poised on a slippery slope that only slides downhill with each passing day and I cannot step off this little ride I am on, nor can I alter the direction I am heading. So reluctantly I have reached my senior years, reluctantly I admit I am no longer agile, nubile, wrinklefree, and svelte; my string bikini days are long gone, if they ever existed at all, and I reluctantly admit that I am approaching my rocking-chair-at-the home days.
Lois Stephens brings personal experience of the aging process to Prime Magazine. She enjoys writing about her observations of becoming a member of the senior citizen age group. She lives and works in Virginia City.
Not one to let well enough alone, I began to consider what I could call myself if I decide I no longer want to be a senior citizen; what describes a person such as myself who most certainly watched middle age depart in the rear-view mirror years ago but definitely rebels at the thought of seniorhood? In my opinion I have not been middle aged for quite some time but I do not feel like a little old lady quite yet. So what can I call myself so I can forget about this word ‘senior’?? To help solve this dilemma, I pulled out one of my favorite books, Roget’s Thesaurus, and began a quest to identify myself in the scheme of years. I started with ‘senior’ and found ‘elderly’ (definitely not!) and ‘superior’ (hey, I can live with that one even if it doesn’t quite fit). I then checked ‘age’ and definitely did not like what I found under that entry. (Who is calling whom decrepit? And hey, a fossil goes well beyond the senior years in my opinion.) I moved through the ‘mature’ entry, the ‘discretion’ entry, the ‘between’ and the ‘completeness’ entries and found nothing that fit. I finally decided the word the fits me best is ‘reluctance’ so these are my reluctant years. I know darn well I will never be
In spite of this dismal outlook, I have one ray of hope: I can cultivate my coming role as the community’s cane waving irascible little old lady. People tend to dismiss and often underestimate little old ladies anyway, so I ought to be able to properly fill this role. I don’t yet need a cane, but as my senior tenure continues, I have become a lot more vocal about those things that annoy me, so unfortunately, I feel positive that irascibility will come as easily to me as drinking a cup of tea. I will try to behave like that poster that has made the round of the Internet: I want to be the little old lady who when I wake up in the morning, the devil says, “Oh no, she’s awake!” I also remind myself that being a senior isn’t so bad. As someone said, I do not know who, “Be grateful for old age. It is a privilege denied to many.”
OLLIMSU O S H E R L I F E LO N G L E A R N I N G I N S T I T U T E AT M S U
Curiosity for life. When you become an OLLI at MSU member, you engage your curiosity and gain access to exceptional courses, free lectures, special events, tours, and a cohort of lifelong learners. View our spring semester offerings at montana.edu/olli/offerings Become a member of OLLI at MSU today at montana.edu/olli/membership Questions? 406-994-6550
8 / FEBRUARY 2022 PRIME
CITRUS IN MONTANA?
YES!
By Jan Cashman
M
ost of us love to eat oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit. Citrus trees won’t survive our winters outdoors. So, grow them indoors in pots. Here are a few hints if you want to try growing citrus trees indoors: • Choose dwarf varieties. Those varieties that are grafted on dwarf or semi-dwarf root stock with an 8 to 10 foot mature height work well for growing indoors in containers. Sour lemons and limes are thought to do better indoors because they need less light than the sweeter citrus types. Meyer is one variety of dwarf
lemon that is known to do well in a pot. Kumquats also grow well in pots. • Plant in large pots with drainage holes. Use a light, sterile potting soil that is acidic and well-drained, containing peat moss and perlite or vermiculite. One part shredded bark to two parts potting medium works well for good drainage. • Place the trees in a sunny spot in temperatures between 55 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Some web sites say citrus need 6 hours of sunlight a day to produce, others say 8. Most say over 12 is too much. Place your tree in a south facing window away from drafts. Not enough light? Use grow lights.
Once nighttime temperatures outside get consistently over 50 degrees, you can slowly get your tree used to being outside for the summer. Be sure to watch the local weather reports for snow or unusually cold temperatures. • Keep the soil evenly moist, but do not let your tree stand in water for long. Citrus likes the sweet spot between not too wet and not too dry. Water with tepid, not cold, water. Montana winters can see indoor humidity extremely low, especially with baseboard or woodstove heat. To increase air moisture, fill the tray or liner under your tree
with pebbles and let leftover drainage from watering stay in the tray. Raise the humidity around it by misting or a humidifier. Low humidity can cause the blossoms and fruit to drop. Moisture meters can be useful. • Fertilize citrus every two weeks in the summer, when they are actively growing, with an all-purpose house plant fertilizer that contains trace minerals like manganese, iron, and zinc or use a citrus-specific fertilizer. Follow brandspecific directions. • Hand pollinate blossoms with a paintbrush. • To control scale, wipe the leaves with liquid dish soap
PRIME FEBRUARY 2022 / 9 Jan Cashman
has operated Cashman Nursery in Bozeman with her husband, Jerry, since 1975.
mixed with water. Because citrus are susceptible to scale, spider mites, and mealybugs, you may need to use a systemic houseplant insecticide-fungicide-miticide occasionally. Or try Neem oil. Citrus trees with their glossy leaves, fragrant flowers, and edible fruit can brighten your home in the long winter months. Plant one in a pretty pot and enjoy!
We’re Open! We’re Open! North 19th at Springhill Road Bozeman, MT 587-3406
CashmanNursery.com 66603-1
{
Here are a few hints if you want to try growing citrus trees indoors:
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10 / FEBRUARY 2022 PRIME
Old Guys and Colonoscopies By Jim Drummond E
veryone was settled around the table at the old guy waterhole this week when Heidi, the waitress, came up to take our orders. Heidi is actually quite dandy at waitressing. She possesses a fundamental understanding of old guy humor. She rarely rolls her eyes, or shakes her head, or snorts in disgust. The waterhole is never the same when
Heidi is away on vacation or caring for a sick goldfish. As Heidi was writing down requests on her order pad, a pad which also has pictures of pink pandas and green giraffes, one of the fellows halfway down the table stated, “Just a water.” Heidi paused in shock, her pencil poised in mid air. Up and down the table heads spun and
everyone looked hard at our friend. Finally somebody asked, “What’s up with only water? Are you cleansing your kidneys?” The fellow responded, “No, I’m getting a colonoscopy tomorrow and I’m not supposed to eat food, or drink anything but water.” One of the gents in the group
considers himself to be our medical expert, and he responded, “I believe the rule the day before a colonoscopy is not to eat hard food, but you can drink whatever you want. You just can’t eat hot dogs, or coleslaw, or corn on the cob, or pickled summer sausage. You better order something from Heidi, other than water, or she’ll think that you’re a cheapskate.”
PRIME FEBRUARY 2022 / 11 Jim Drummond is a retired banker and Bozeman native.
Our friend revised his order, looked around the table, then sheepishly commented, “I’m really worried about the complicated process to get prepared, so I asked Doc what he will be doing while I’m lashed to his table. He told me he will be investigating all my nooks and crannies and trying to find anything that appears out of place. He said it’s pretty dark in there and he doesn’t appreciate moving apple cores and chunks of chewing gum aside to get a good look. I asked him if he truly
enjoys his job. He said he likes golf, and this line of work gives him an opportunity get in more than 18 holes a day.” A fellow at the end of the table commented, “It’s probably worthwhile for you to learn what’s inside your insides. Maybe Doc will find your missing tow rope.” Another fellow stepped into the conversation, “I had my colonoscopy last month. The worst part was drinking a big jug of colored goop the night before. Doc told me I could select whatever flavor I wanted. He said that it would be similar to gulping flavored jello. I picked the lemon flavor but discovered that it actually tastes like rotting fish and motor oil.” Someone asked, “What were your other options?” The first fellow responded, “Banana,
lime, dill pickle, and beer and french fries. I should have chosen the beer and french fry flavor.” Somebody else commented, “I always pick the lime flavor and pretend that it’s margarita mix. I pour it in a chilled glass, put salt around the rim, slip on some sunglasses, and dress in a Hawaiian shirt. Then I settle back in a lawn chair while I’m sipping my margarita glop. It seems to go down much easier.” One of the fellows hoped to reassure our friend who was scheduled for the next day. He patiently advised, “It will all be over before you know it. They will ease you into a warm and soft bed, and play relaxing music. They dim the lights and the only illumination comes from a few candles in a corner. They have a big screen TV.
Just before you go to sleep you can watch John Wayne movies. If you wake up part way through you can observe Doc playing PAC-Man on the big screen. I usually wake up about halfway and have the nicest conversations with Doc and the nurses.” One of the gents asked, “What do you talk about?” The first fellow responded, “Mostly football, but sometimes we discuss Italian cooking. When I finally fully wake up I’m always hungry for spaghetti.” A fellow at the end of the table said, “Everybody pick up your drink and we’ll give good luck toast to our nervous friend.” Everyone lifted their mug and looked around the table. Someone enthusiastically proclaimed, “Bottoms up!”
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Retirement
Nathan M. Kirby Edward Jones Financial Advisor
I
f you’re a certain age, you’ll need to withdraw money from some of your retirement accounts each year. But in 2022, the amount
you must take out may be changing more than in other years – and that could affect your retirement income strategy. Here’s some background: Once you turn 72, you generally must start taking withdrawals, called required minimum distributions, or RMDs, from some of your retirement accounts, such as your traditional IRA and your
Watch for changes in RMDs 401(k) or similar employersponsored plan. Each year, your RMDs are determined by your age and account balances. This year, the life expectancy tables used by the IRS are being updated to reflect longer lifespans. This may result in lower annual RMDs than you’d have to take if this adjustment hadn’t been made. If you’ve started taking
RMDs, what does this change mean to you? It can be a positive development, for a few reasons: • Potentially lower taxes – Your RMDs are generally taxable at your personal income tax rate, so the lower your RMDs, the lower your tax bill might be. • Possibly longer “lifespan” for retirement accounts –
PRIME FEBRUARY 2022 / 13 Because your RMDs will be lower, the accounts from which they’re issued – including your traditional IRA and 401(k) – may be able to last longer without becoming depleted. The longer these accounts can stay intact and remain an asset, the better for you. • More flexibility in planning for retirement income – The word “required” in the phrase “required minimum distributions” means exactly what it sounds like – you must take at least that amount. If you withdraw less than your RMD, the amount not withdrawn will be taxed at 50%. So, in one sense, your RMDs take away some of your freedom in managing your retirement income. But now, with the lower RMDs in place, you may regain some of this flexibility. (And keep in mind that you’re always free to withdraw more than the RMDs.) Of course, if you don’t really need all the money from RMDs, even the lower amount may be an issue for you – as mentioned above, RMDs are generally taxable. However, if you’re 70½ or older, you can transfer up to $100,000 per year from a traditional IRA directly to a qualified charitable organization, and some, or perhaps all, of this money may come from your RMDs. By making this move, you can exclude the RMDs
from your taxable income. Before taking this action, though, you’ll want to consult with your tax advisor. Here are a couple of final points to keep in mind. First, not all your retirement accounts are subject to RMDs¬ – you can generally keep your Roth IRA intact for as long as you want. However, your Roth 401(k) is generally subject to RMDs. If you’re still working past 72, though, you may be able to avoid taking RMDs from your current employer’s 401(k) or similar plan, though you’ll still have to take them from your traditional IRA. Changes to the RMD rules don’t happen too often. By being aware of how these new, lower RMDs can benefit you, and becoming familiar with all aspects of RMDs, you may be able to strengthen your overall retirement income situation.
LIVE WELL
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC Edward Jones is a licensed insurance producer in all states and Washington, D.C., through Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., and in California, New Mexico and Massachusetts through Edward Jones Insurance Agency of California, L.L.C.; Edward Jones Insurance Agency of New Mexico, L.L.C.; and Edward Jones Insurance Agency of Massachusetts, L.L.C. California Insurance License OC24309
INDEPENDENT LIVING | ASSISTED LIVING | RESPITE CARE Bozeman Health Hillcrest Senior Living sits atop and adjacent to Burke Park/Peets Hill, giving residents beautiful views of Bozeman and easy access to outdoor spaces and trails. With convenient proximity to Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital and a warm sense of family among residents, call today to schedule your tour at Hillcrest Senior Living today. 406-414-2008 HILLCRESTLIVINGBOZEMAN.COM
14 / FEBRUARY 2022 PRIME
Meal Service in Senior Centers: Belgrade MENU Belgrade Senior Center will be opening soon. Please go to our website at belgradeseniorcenter.com for updates as they become available. 92 E Cameron Ave, Belgrade, MT • (406) 388-4711 • Call in to order to go meals by 10:00 the day before! . Menu subject to change without notice! FEB. 1 FEB. 2 FEB. 3 FEB. 4 FEB. 7 FEB. 8 FEB. 9 FEB. 10 FEB. 11 FEB. 14 FEB. 15 FEB. 16 FEB. 17 FEB. 18 FEB. 21 FEB. 22 FEB. 23 FEB. 24 FEB. 25 FEB. 28 -
Salad, Beef Stew, Biscuits, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Diced Ham & Egg, Hash Browns, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Hamburger Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Philly Cheese Steak, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Turkey Pot Pie ,Dessert or Fruit Salad, Beef Stroganoff Noodles, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Chicken Strips, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Pork Chops, Scalloped Potatoes, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Bacon Mac & Cheese, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Happy Valentine’s Day - Salad, Chicken Marsala, Fettuccini Alfredo, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Cabbage Roll Casserole, Dessert or Fruit Birthday Lunch - Salad, Hot Beef Sandwich, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables, Birthday Cake & Ice Cream Taco Salad, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Chicken Sandwiches, Vegetables, Dessert Salad, Meat Loaf, Potatoes, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Lasagna, Vegetables , Dessert or Fruit Salad, Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Swedish Meat Balls, Rice, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Cheeseburgers, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Salad, Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Vegetables, Dessert or Fruit Meals on Wheels Delivery: Monday – Friday. Call to find out how to qualify for this program. Center meals: Monday-Friday 12:00 -Call before 10:00 to sign up
EXERCISE: LINE DANCING: Monday - 10:15 am BODY IN MOTION: Monday & Friday - 9:00 am Tuesday & Thursday - 9:30 am ZUMBA: Wednesday - 1:00 pm SOCIAL ACTIVITIES: BINGO: Thursday - 12:45 pm - Public Welcome! PINOCHLE: 12:30 - Monday, 8:30 am - Wednesday MAH JONGG Tuesday, 12:45 pm ART TOGETHER: Tuesday - 12:45 pm NEEDLEAIRES: Friday - 9:00 am COFFEE CLUB: 7:00 - 8:00 am VALENTINES DINNER: Monday, February 14, 2022 - 12:00 Noon COOKING WITH DAVE: Friday, February 18, 2022 - 1:00 pm BELGRADE BREAKFAST CLUB: 4th Thursday of each month February 24, 2022 - 7:00-8:30 am QUILTING DAY: February 26, 2022 Call the center for current information 406-388-4711 AARP will be providing Tax Service this year. Call the center for more information 406-388-4711. We are planning to make additional activities available in the new year. Check our website for updated information.
Manhattan Senior Center MENU 102 East Main St., Manhattan, MT • 284-6501
FEB. 1 – Tossed Salad, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Vegetables, Bread Stick, Dessert FEB. 2 – Pear Salad, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Tomato Soup, Crackers, Fresh Fruit FEB. 3 – Carrot Salad, Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Vegetables, Dessert FEB. 8 – Green Salad, Kielbasa and Sauerkraut, Vegetables, Roll, Dessert FEB. 9 – Chips and Salsa, Beef/Cheese Burritos, Black Beans, Vegetables, Fresh Fruit FEB. 10 – Green Salad, Cabbage Roll, Vegetables, Roll, Dessert
FEB. 15 – Tossed Salad, French Bread Pizza, Vegetables, Oranges Dessert FEB. 16 – Pickled Beets, Minestrone Soup, Ham and Cheese Wrap, Fruit FEB. 17 – 3 Bean Salad, Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Vegetables, Dessert FEB. 22 – Cottage Cheese, Baked Fish, Rice, Vegetables, Dessert FEB. 23 – Macaroni Salad, Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich, Tater Tots, Vegetables, Fruit FEB. 24 – Green Salad, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Stuffing, Vegetables, Dessert
PRIME FEBRUARY 2022 / 15
Bozeman MENU
807 North Tracy • (406) 586-2421 • www.bozemanseniorcenter.org Shannon Bondy, shannon@bozemanseniorcenter.org (Executive Director) Kristi Wetsch, krisi@bozemanseniorcenter.org (Director Program & Marketing)
• The Board meeting is held on the third Friday of each month at 10:00 a.m. • The Bozeman Senior Center will be closed February 21st in recognition of President’s Day • Bozeman Senior Center’s Second Hand Rose is open on Monday - Friday 9:00a.m.-3:00p.m. The Book Store is open Monday – Friday 9:00a.m.– 3:00p.m. These dates and times are subject to change dependent upon volunteer and staff availability. Please call 586-2421 to be sure before you come to the center to shop!
This menu is subject to change due to the availability of food. Call us at 586-2421 by 3:00p.m. the day before you want your meal. The cost of the meal is a suggested donation of $5.00 for people 60 and over and $7.00 for people under 60 (this is not a suggestion donation).
BOZEMAN SENIOR CENTER TRAVEL DEPARTMENT
Judy Morrill, Travel Coordinator • 14judymorrill@gmail.com • 1 406 586 2421 Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 to 12:00 noon.
FEB. 1 – Beet Salad, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Roasted Potatoes, Italian Vegetables, Dessert FEB. 2 – Fruit and Cottage Cheese, Gingered Roast Leg of Pork, Steamed Rice, Miso Braised Mushrooms FEB. 3 – Caesar Salad, Moda Mia Meatballs, Pasta Marinara, Thin Green Beans FEB. 4 – Cucumber Salad, Baked Salmon, Parsley Potatoes, Peas and Carrots, Dessert FEB. 7 – Green Salad, Sausage, Red Beans and Rice, Dessert FEB. 8 – Fruit Salad, Chicken and Dumplings, Dessert FEB. 9 – Spinach and Beet Salad, Roast Beef and Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole, Corn and Tomatoes FEB. 10 – Green Salad, Hot Ham and Cheese on Bun, Smothered Tater Tots, Desert FEB. 11 – Three Bean Salad, Seafood Pasta and Newburg Sauce, Garlic Bread FEB. 14 – Valentines Lunch: Spinach Strawberry Pecans, Butterfly Steak and Gravy, Brabant Potatoes, Parmesan Baked Tomatoes, Special Valentines Dessert FEB. 15 – Chilled Pears, Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts FEB. 16 – Green Salad, Roast Pork, Voisen Potatoes, Broccoli Polynaise, Dessert FEB. 17 – Pickled Beets, Corned Beef, Buttered Potatoes, Cauliflower Casserole FEB. 18 – Green Salad, Chicken Croquette, Creamed Spinach, Corn Souffle, Dessert FEB. 21 – Closed President’s Day FEB. 22 – Green Salad, Andouille Sausage, Power Grains, Glazed Carrots, Jell-O FEB. 23 – Spinach Orange Salad, Beef Tips, Tater Tots, Green Beans, Dessert FEB. 24 – Beet Salad, Egg Drop Soup, Stir Fried Pork and Vegetables, Brown Rice FEB. 25 – Green Salad, Seafood Scampi, Pasta, Roasted Beets, Dessert FEB. 28 – Cottage Cheese with Peaches, BBQ Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Green Peas, Dessert
Allergy statement for all Meals-On-Wheels foods: Menu items may contain or come into contact with WHEAT, EGGS, PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, FISH, SHELLFISH, SOYBEANS, and MILK.
COLORADO ROCKIES, RAILS AND WESTERN NATIONAL PARKS: JUNE 12 - 20, 2022 Fly to Denver, then motorcoach to Grand Junction, Canyonlands and Arches National Park, Silverton Railroad train ride, Mesa Verde National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, U.S. Olympic Training Center, Royal Gorge Train ride, and U.S. Air Force Academy visit. Great trip, brochures available at the Senior Center travel counter. Get signed up today. SPECTACULAR SCANDINAVIA, JULY 14 - 27, 2022 Trip of a lifetime. Travel through Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Brochures available at the Senior Center. Many have sent in reservations, so this trip is filling fast. ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA, SEPT. 30 - OCT. 5, 2022 Enjoy this spectacular event with over 600 hot air balloons in the air. Fly Bozeman to Albuquerque. Also spend two days in Santa Fe to enjoy sightseeing there as well. Itinerary available at the Senior Center travel counter. It’s time to get your deposits in for this fun trip. CHRISTMAS IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS, EARLY DECEMBER, 2022 I don’t have an itinerary yet, but expect one soon. This too will be a great trip, too. Get your name on the interested list. All trips are open to Bozeman Senior Center members. Membership dues are $20.00 per year, per person, for the calendar year. Come travel with us.
Meals are now being served at the Bozeman Senior Center.
West Yellowstone Senior Center MENU FEB. 2 – Green Salad, Sweet and Sour Chicken, White Rice, Chow Main, Cake FEB. 4 - Green Salad, Cod, Tater Tots, Cole Slaw, Brownie FEB. 9 – Green Salad, Pot Roast, Pot Roast Vegetables, Cake FEB. 11 – Green Salad, Chicken A La King, Egg Noodles, Brownie FEB. 16 – Green Salad, Ruben Sandwich, Tater Tots, Mixed Vegetables, Cake FEB. 18 – Green Salad, Enchilada, Rice, Beans, Brownie FEB. 23 – Green Salad, Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Cake FEB. 25 – Green Salad, Pulled Pork, Macaroni and Cheese, Green Beans, Brownie
Three Forks Senior Center MENU 19 East Cedar St., Three Forks, MT • 285-3235 • Director: Jean Farnam • 570-0800 FEB. 1 – Green Salad, Lasagna, Creamed Peas, Garlic Bread FEB. 2 – Green Salad, Ham, Macaroni and Cheese, Mixed Vegetables, Apple Sauce FEB. 3 – Cole Slaw, Cod, Baked Potato, Broccoli FEB. 8 – Cucumber Salad, Oven Roasted Sausage and Potatoes, Corn FEB. 9 – Green Salad, Sloppy Joe, Potato Salad, Green Beans FEB. 10 – Green Salad, Cabbage Casserole, Beets FEB. 15 – Green Salad, Roast Beef, Potatoes, Cinnamon Sugar Glazed Carrots
FEB. 16 – Green Salad, Chili with Fry Bread, Pasta Salad FEB. 17 – Green Salad, Beef Alfredo, Noodles, California Style Vegetables, Crab Salad FEB. 22 – Green Salad, Ravioli, Spaghetti Salad, Cauliflower, Apple Sauce FEB. 23 – Green Salad, Avocado Chicken Salad Wraps, Chips, Jell-O with Fruit FEB. 24 – Green Salad, Sweet and Sour Pork, Rice, Green Beans
MENUS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO AVAILABILITY OF FOOD
16 / FEBRUARY 2022 PRIME
Bozeman Senior Center Recreation FITNESS CLASSES ALL EXERCISE CLASSES ARE HELD IN THE FITNESS ROOM WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LINE DANCING (Dining Room) AND STRONG PEOPLE –MORNING CLASS (Rec. Room)
STRONG PEOPLE
(Mon, Wed, Fri 8:30 am) (Tues, Thurs 1:00pm)
Strength training class focusrs on increasing bone density and muscle mass. Class follows accepted protocol for people with bone loss. Participants work at their own level, increasing weights as they build strength. Each class also includes exercises to strengthen the core and finishes with stretching. All are welcome . You may borrow weights from the Senior Center if you wish. AEROBICS WITH RINA DONALDSON (Mon, Wed 9:30 a.m.) This is a full hour’s workout. We do 35 minutes of cardio (which can vary in intensity depending on your own ability). After that we do 10 minutes of targeted weight lifting and 15 minutes of stretching. Come join this dynamic workout!
CORE ON THE FLOOR WITH RINA (Mon,Wed 10:35 a.m.) Pilates inspired. Gentle mat work and stretching. YOGA AND BALANCE WITH MELANIE SIMMERMAN (Mon, Wed 1:00 p.m.) Yoga is based on classic Hatha Yoga poses and appropriate for all levels. Focus is on physical, mental and spiritual balance as we practice poses that challenge and enhance posture and balance, strength and flexibility. Balance focuses on strength and flexibility to gain and improve good posture and balance. BALL CLASS WITH PRISCILLA (Tues, Thurs, 9:00am) Fun class that emphasizes core strength, balance and upper body strength. Use of large ball. CARDIO AND WEIGHTS WITH PRISCILLA (Friday, 9:00a.m.) Rapid-fire exercise using upper and lower body plus core for strength, balance and flexibility. For cardio-respiratory strength and endurance.
BALL CLASS WITH PRISCILLA (Thurs, 9:00a.m) Fun class that emphasizes core strength, balance and upper body strength. Use of large ball. The balls are provided during class. BEGINNERS LINE DANCING (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 10:00 to 10:45) Beginning line dancing is a fun form of exercise with physical, mental, emotional and social benefits. Learn and practice common line dance steps. Then dance to a variety of music including rock, Latin, country and waltz. Beginners who have no prior dance experience of any kind are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early on their first day for some pre-instruction. INTERMEDIATE LINE DANCING (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Friday 10:45 to 11:30) More complex and challenging dances will be taught and danced. Experienced dancers are invited to participate in this class.
ENLIGHTENMENT TAI CHI FORM (Thursday, 11:00a.m.) Tai Chi is a graceful form of exercise characterized by slow, methodical, gentle movements and deep breathing exercises that are low impact, relaxing and somewhat aerobic. People of almost any age and fitness level can participate. In this class you will be learning the Enlightenment Tai Chi Form, some other easy short forms, warm-up and deep breathing exercises, and Tai Chi positions. Tai Chi can be a positive part of an overall approach to improving and maintaining your health.
