READER December 29, 2016 |
| Vol. 13 Issue 52
our
Happy New Year you ol’ goat
100
th issue
READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
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What plans do you have for New Year’s Eve?
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com
“Hang out with friends, watch the ball drop and have fun.” Destiny Leiber Sophomore at SHS Ponderay
DEAR READERS,
It’s just about time to walk 2016 to the door and boot it out into the cold winter night. Good riddance, in my opinion. We’ve had a blast bringing you the Reader 52 times this year. Looking forward, I think we’ll have one of our best years yet if the past few months are any indication. We’re making money, paying our bills and keeping the bar high - all thanks to you, dear readers, and our beloved advetisers. It’s one of my new year’s resolutions to not take stuff so seriously in 2017, including this rag that has all but stolen my free time the past two years, so be prepared for a more lighthearted Ben in 2017. You have been warned. To all of our supporters, we thank you for picking us up every week. I’m continually humbled by the importance people attach to this little community paper. For our part, we take what we do seriously, but we also have fun while doing it. That’s an important distinction to make, I think, because when you’re not enjoying life, you’re doing something wrong. Happy new year everyone! -Ben Olson, Publisher
Contributing Artists: Leslie Kiebert (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Austin Wellner. Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Nick Gier, Seth Phalen, Tim Henney, Lindsey Anderson, Jim Mitsui, Karen Seashore, Brenda Hammond, Amy Craven, Maureen Cooper, Lyndsie Kiebert, Kevin Penelerick, Drake the Dog, Suzen Fiskin. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com
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The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
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Denise Dargan Retired librarian Girdwood, Alaska (here helping her son move to Hawaii)
“I go to the gym every New Year’s Eve to work out from 9:30 or 10 p.m. to midnight.” Larry Mulvey Semi-retired social worker Coeur d’Alene
Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook. About the Cover This week’s cover was photographed by Leslie Kiebert, who won the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness photo contest for 2016. See the story on the next page. Great shot, Leslie!
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COMMENTARY
Krishna and Christ: Hindu and Christian saviors By Nick Gier Reader Columnist Earlier this year one billion Hindus celebrated the birthday of Lord Krishna, who, if one scholar’s rough calculations are correct, was born about 3,000 years ago. The main celebration began at midnight and activities included singing, praying, and fasting. Anti-Christian polemicists have been carried away in their attempts to argue that early Christians borrowed Krishna’s stories and attributes and applied them to Jesus. The claim that “Christ” comes from Krishna is completely baseless, because Christ is Greek for “anointed one” and Krishna is an unrelated personal name. Christian apologists, on the other hand, have rejected Krishna as an imposter and a perversion of the savior ideal. Some writers have made much of the fact that many of the Krishna stories
were not written down until hundreds of years after Christ. Christian missionaries arrived in Southwest India by AD 300, so Hindu writers could have known about the life of Jesus. We now know that basic legends surrounding Krishna are pre-Christian. For example, the depiction of the Hindu equivalent of the slaughter of the infants—Prince Kansa’s attempt to kill the baby Krishna—is found in a bas relief from the 3rd Century BC. There are many striking and instructive similarities between Krishna and Christ. Both were miraculously conceived; both had royal genealogies; and both were threatened in infancy by a wicked ruler. Krishna and Christ were human incarnations of a triune God; both were tempted by demons; both worked miracles; both transfigured themselves; and both predicted their own deaths. For more see “The Savior Archetype” at www.class.
Hope resident Leslie Kiebert wins 2016 Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Photo Contest By Reader Staff Mountain goats have been on the collective minds of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness for several years now. At first, it was because the goats had become somewhat problematic and habituated to panhandlers on Scotchman Peak Trail #65. More recently, they have been the catalyst for a big effort by FSPW volunteers and staff to educate visitors to the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness about the wisdom of keeping their distance from all wild animals, and goats in particular. That said, it should be noted here that Leslie Kiebert’s winning photo of a mountain goat nanny and kid in the 2016 FSPW photo contest was taken with a telephoto lens. Kiebert’s photo—which graces the cover of the Reader this week—was judged best of the entries for 2016 by Facebook Friends of Scotchman Peaks, outdistancing all other “likes” by a margin of at least 3 to 1. For her efforts, she will receive a print of her photo matted and framed by Ward Tolbom of Hen’s Tooth Gallery in Sandpoint. Kiebert, who grew up in Hope, and was also the 2016 winner of the FSPW essay scholarship contest for Clark Fork High School. “I was really excited when they chose it [as the winner],” said Kiebert. “I’ve hiked
that mountain five times in the past five or six years and it’s one of my favorites, plus I’ve really grown close to the staff and volunteers at Friends of Scotchman Peaks, so this was really exciting to win.” First and second runners up for the contest were Jeff Meeker for his image of a snow-laden Scotchman Peak approach with Lake Pend Oreille in the background and Ken VandenHeuvel for his dawn light picture of Horseshoe Lake and Vertigo Ridge. They will receive some Scotchman Peaks wearables. The Scotchman Peaks Photo Contest is an annual event beginning Nov. 1 and ending on Oct. 31. Any photo of the Scotchman Peaks proposed wilderness is welcome. To enter your pictures in the 2017 contest and view past entries, visit www.scotchmanpeaks.org/hiking/annual-photo-contest/
uidaho.edu/ngier/archetype.htm. It is said that Krishna and Christ rose from death and ascended into heaven. Christ died a gruesome death on a cross, while Krishna died, Achilles-like, by an arrow in his heel. The main difference is that Christ’s death is redemptive, while Krishna’s entire life is what redeems the world. Both Christianity and the religion of Krishna are theologies of grace, but Krishna’s favor, however, appears to go further than Christ’s. In his battle with demons, Krishna dispatches them to heaven after killing them. The hunter who accidentally kills Krishna is forgiven all his karmic debt. Krishna is the eighth incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu, who, according to Hindu belief, has come in every cosmic age to save humankind from its sin and folly. Millions of Hindus believe that Christ is also a Vishnu incarnation, and they celebrate Christmas as just another Hindu holiday. This generous gesture tended to undermine Christian efforts to convert them.
Questions About Scotchman Peaks... Dear Editor, It is astounding that even though a Scotchman wilderness bill has been introduced in U.S. Congress, regarding an area within sight of Clark Fork, as far as I can tell, there has not been a single FSPW public meeting to discuss, listen and work together in Clark Fork. In the recent Reader article, Phil Hough of FSPW said that the bill being introduced validates the process of building community support—apparently they skipped right over the most local of the local communities. We constantly hear about the strong local support of FSPW, that there is virtually no opposition, yet, they, the USFS (do they even have role in this?), the Commissioners nor Sen. Risch have ever held a town hall meeting or visited the local city councils closest to this area to discuss this, listen and work this out together. Make this known to Sen. Risch now: Let him know about the actual poor “building of community support” and that he ought to come here for a visit to discuss this. For once. Who knows, maybe a real “consensus” can be reached, if the local communities are really involved in the process. Stan Myers Hope
Photo by Leslie Kiebert.
Perhaps in an attempt to gain favor with India’s Buddhists, Hindus decided that Vishnu’s ninth incarnation was the Buddha, whom the Hindu Gandhi called the greatest ever teacher of non-violence. In stark contrast, Vishnu’s tenth and final incarnation has striking similarities with Christ’s second coming. Hindus believe that our age is particularly violent and sinful, and this means that a great warrior savior Kalki will come astride a white horse slaying all unbelievers with his mighty sword. It was Rama, the seventh Vishnu incarnation, who has been at the center of recent conflict in India. Hindu fundamentalists have always been disturbed by the fact that 17th Century Muslim armies destroyed a temple at Rama’s birthplace in Ayodhya and erected the Babri Mosque in its place. On Dec. 8, 1992, about 3,000 Hindu fanatics dismantled the three domes of this huge monument with pick axes and sledge hammers. They declared that the Taj Mahal was next. This action unleashed a wave of violence between Hindus and Muslims that resulted in over 2,000 deaths. During the attack on the Babri Mosque, I was on a field trip with a group of students from Panjab University. For one afternoon each week their task was to teach English or Hindi to poor Muslim students in a village outside of Chandigarh. A curry kitchen at the Hindu temple fed all those who were hungry, and four Hindu and two Sikh students sat down with their Muslim children for their language lessons. As I was experiencing Gandhi’s India, where six major religions usually live in harmony and celebrate each other’s holidays, the evening news all over the world was focused on the violent exception rather than the peaceful rule. During this Christmas season it is hope that we take to heart the non-violent teachings of non-violence of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity and put aside all ideas of vengeance and retribution. Gandhi once said that “an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind,” and Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that “hate cannot drive out hatred, only love can do that.” Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. December 29, 2016 /
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PERSPECTIVES
There is light in the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ By Seth Phalen Reader Contributor On the subject of clinical depression/ panic disorder, I’d like to make a contribution to the ongoing dialog, which seems to surface from time to time in this worthy publication. As a combat veteran with a history of PTSD including severe panic disorder, depression and general emotional/ spiritual dysfunction, I’d like make a brief appeal for a greater understanding and compassion for these afflictions and try to shed some light and bring some hope and reassurance to anyone affected by them—with a special focus toward young people. In the winter of 2010, right after the holiday season, I had to have my wife drive me to the hospital ER in Bonners Ferry. This was a last-ditch, desperate resort to find some relief from the relentless, insane panic taking over my brain. It was like being possessed by demons, and I was absolutely at the end of my tether. To make a long melodramatic story short, I got the meds and professional medical treatment and counseling I needed, and I’m just fine now. The thing that saved me and gave me hope was remembering an incident at work, years ago, when a courageous female team member made a candid admission during a general staff meeting that she was undergoing treatment for clinical depression. She gave a matterof-fact description of the nature of this illness and how it was for her, gaining everyone’s sympathy and respect. Something in her description resonated deeply within me, planting the seed that maybe there was hope for my own particular struggle. I finally went to the VA for initial help. I was given generous support by my supervisors, both of whom confided their experience with depression, one after a spouse suicide, the other with postpartum depression. I carried a radio as a forward artillery observer with the marines in Vietnam in 1967-68. After nine months, I was wounded in a mortar bombardment, experiencing a level of fear and anquish beyond my imagination. I just knew the next round was going to kill me, and found out that I was absolutely unready to die. At the same time an overwhelm4 /
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ing sense of the waste, senselessness and futility of dying as a 20-year-old child in this misbegotten conflict seared me to the bone. Somehow I was spared, but that moment of abject panic and sense of futility stayed with me for the rest of my life. I eventually learned how to live with it and function superficially, dealing with brutal flashbacks, survival guilt, shame, self-loathing and general disillusionment on life (not helped by LSD experimentation back in the proverbial “day”). Anyway, what I want to say is that panic disorder and clinical depression is beyond any “ranking” idea, in my opinion. It can hit anyone “out of the blue” no matter what their particular life experience. This was vividly brought home to me about a year ago when valiant local young singer-songwriter bravely and candidly shared her experience with panic/depression during a luminous duo performance with her father. Sadie’s words resonated with me like no other in my social encounters. I was so moved, I formed the intention to share my own story if it could possibly help someone afflicted by this disorder, or help inform others who are concerned. This is my initial baby step, for good or ill. I want to be as soul-searching and honest as the people who comforted and inspired me. What appalls me is how teenagers and young adults are vulnerable to these afflictions, and that they probably have very little background life experience to even begin to have coping skills when the symptoms first come on. At least I had many years of off-and-on coping experience based on some case-hardening (to some extant) from war and bad acid trips (ouch). I’m not sure how to begin to talk with a young person who might be experiencing these disorders to the point of “lying down by the railroad tracks” or contemplating suicide. At this limited point, I can only say that I might just know what you’re going through, even though our stories are different. We are connected by our common human experience. I’ve learned a few key things, such
as: “I am not my brain!” I’ve learned some wonderful tools from heartmath. com that worked the best for me, focusing on the heart, breathing through the heart, using the heart to align the mind. I’ve had some life-saving counseling from brilliant local practitioners and dear friends and acquaintances. But mostly I’ve undergone a spiritual revolution, learning to rid myself of destructive, dysfunctional core beliefs and self talk. I’ve had to learn these things by the help and grace of others. The best thing I could do for myself was (is) to be open to others, and try to align myself with the universal force of love—God, universe or higher power— however anyone may perceive it. For me, panic and depression are a
Putting It Mildly
wakeup call for spiritual growth and evolution, whether you’re ready or not. I hope to expand on this later, perhaps by working on a memoir of some sort. But if this disjointed piece happens to stimulate some interest, I would like to offer my availability—however I can serve. By the way, the best description I’ve found in literature of what clinical depression is like is William Styron’s “Dark Night of the Soul.” Merry Christmas, happy new year, and may all beings find peace, love and comfort!
By Austin Wellner
NEWS
Idaho elected officials prepare for 2017 legislative session By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff With the 2017 Idaho legislative session due to kick off Jan. 9, Idaho lawmakers will decide how to use an unexpected windfall in tax revenue. In the wake of a projected surplus in tax receipts, Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said legislators will likely be discussing the possibility of tax cuts. However, Keough isn’t as convinced about the wisdom of that course. “My thoughts are that while early reports are promising regarding the pickup in Idaho’s economy and resulting increase in taxes paid, we are only halfway through our fiscal year, and sometimes we get surprised in the second half,” Keough said. “The phrase ‘don’t count your chickens till they hatch’ comes to mind.” According to Keough, the state has other obligations that could use additional funding. Idaho school districts are increasingly reliant on local property owners to cover a portion of education spending through
supplemental levies. Likewise, many of Idaho’s roads, bridges and infrastructure are in serious need of maintenance or replacement. While Keough understands the appeal of keeping more money in the pocketbook, she observed there’s no shortage of state departments that could use a boost. “There are many examples that citizens contact me about that range across state agencies where service delivery is slow because of lack of staff to be more timely,” Keough said. Indeed, dollars and cents will be occupying much of Keough’s time. As the co-chair of the powerful Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, she and other committee members analyze state revenue and weigh department budget requests to balance the state budget. Aside from budgetary issues, Keough said constituent requests will keep her busy in 2017. “Those run the gamut from drivers’ license revocation processes to insurance covering telemedicine similar to in-office care and more,” she said. Rep. Heather Scott,
Idaho charts third-highest growth rate in nation By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Congratulations, Idaho, you’re moving on up. Idaho economists reported this week that Idaho experienced the third-highest growth rate in the nation between between mid-2015 and mid2016. Only Utah and Nevada beat out the Gem State, with Florida, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, the District of Columbia and Texas trailing behind. It is the state’s highest growth rate since 2008. The Boise Weekly reports that a combination of strong
birth rates and migration helped push Idaho to the top of the list. Idaho charted a birth rate of 13.7 babies per 1,000 women, good enough to rank eighth-highest in the nation. Meanwhile, 13,000 people moved to the state from elsewhere in the nation or abroad. By the end of the measurement period on July 1, Idaho had grown by 30,300 residents to a total population of 1,683,140. Conversely, eight states lost population this year: Mississippi, Wyoming, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, West Virginia and Illinois.
Whitefish residents brace for white nationalist march
By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff
R-Blanchard, did not respond to a emailed request for comment by press time. However, in her December newsletter, she said it’s shaping up to be a good session for the conservative, anti-federalist wing of the Idaho Republican Party. “I am happy to say the House of Representatives has added more liberty-minded legislators across the state for the 2017-2018 sessions,” she wrote in her newsletter. “This should strengthen the voice of freedom and hopefully move more legislation in a constitutional, limited government direction.” In the same newsletter, she announced the launch of a website, Growing Freedom for Idaho, where she will outline her goals for the legislative session. Under a website section labeled “Freedom Agenda,” she detailed several objectives under categories like “lower taxes” and “less government.” Repealing the grocery tax and passing a resolution officially declaring Idaho a sovereign state are just two of dozens of goals listed on the website. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, did not respond to an emailed request for comment by press time. Residents who wish to keep up with legislative activity or watch sessions through live streaming can easily do so by visiting www.legislature. idaho.gov.
Just across state lines, residents of Whitefish, Mont., are mobilizing against a possible armed demonstration by white nationalists. The small ski town, a familiar setting to any Sandpoint resident, is undergoing its own struggle with racist interlopers harassing minority members of the community. The harassment follows attempts by Whitefish officials to distance the town from Richard Spencer, a part-time resident and increasingly visible leader of the alt-right movement. The harassment campaigns against Whitefish residents, most of them Jewish, and the proposed march are reactions against perceived slights to Spencer’s mother, Sherry. Organized through racist news site The Daily Stormer, the march is proposed for some time in January with claims that more than 200 supporters will be transported in from around the country. Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial said that while skinhead groups have as much a right as anyone to march with the proper permits, he and his staff are prepared to take proper precautions. “When we take an oath, we take an oath to protect all of those people who are within their rights to express their right to free speech in the United States in the state of Montana,” Dial told KPAX. Since the controversy broke,
Top: Attendants at the National Policy Institute’s annual conference give Nazi salutes as NPI head Richard Spencer praises president-elect Donald Trump. YouTube screenshot. Bottom: Richard Spencer addresses his audience. YouTube screenshot.
Montana officials have been vocal in supporting of Whitefish and repudiating white nationalist ideology. In a joint letter from Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D), Sen. Jon Tester (D), Sen. Steve Daines (R), Rep. Ryan Zinke (R) and Attorney General Tim Fox (R), the officials urged Montanans to stand together against hate. “We condemn attacks on our religious freedom manifesting in a group of anti-Semites,” the letter reads. “We stand firmly together to send a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation. We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here.” December 29, 2016 /
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FEATURE
YEAR IN REVIEW The top local stories that made the news By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff
It’s been quite a year. From its first days to its dying gasp, 2016 was a year marked by turmoil on both a national and local level. We won’t understand its full impact for many years to come, but in the meantime, it’s worth reflecting on the events that shaped Sandpoint along the way. The refugee crisis From the very first days of the year, North Idaho was divided over the controversial issue of refugee resettlement. As the humanitarian crisis in Syria heated to a boil, U.S. refugee policies fell under increased scrutiny. Proponents argued that the U.S. had a moral responsibility to help those displaced by the conflict, while opponents argued that refugees were a security risk due to inadequate vetting mechanisms. The policy attracted its share of conspiracy theories, with some claiming resettlement was a deliberate effort to reshape America’s cultural, ethnic and religious make-up. Already a hot issue after Bonner County commissioners passed a December resolution urging the halt of refugee resettlement in Idaho until proper vetting could occur, the outcry persisted in January when a Bonners Ferry tolerance rally drew counter-protesters. When Sandpoint officials introduced
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a resolution welcoming refugees into the area, opponents packed the council chambers to resist it. The extreme reaction led council members to drop the resolution. Both the Bonner County Board of Commissioners and Sandpoint City Council resolutions were pure political theater. No refugees were or are proposed for relocation in Sandpoint. But the issue was an early look at the deep divisions at the heart of North Idaho. Excitement and acrimony at the polls That division resurfaced in the contest between Republican incumbent Heather Scott and Democrat challenger Kate McAlister for District 1 Representative Seat A. One of the hardest-fought general election races in recent memory, it also unearthed accusations of dirty dealing on both sides. The Idaho Democratic Party alleged that Scott supporters stalked and harassed a young field operative, telling him to “watch his back,” following him to the house he was staying at and recording his license plate number. Party officials ultimately pulled him out of the region. Likewise, Scott refused to participate in media-hosted candidate events, claiming they were designed in bad faith to trap her in her words. She bowed out of a KRFY
Morning Show interview, a Facebook Live event hosted by the Bonner County Daily Bee and a candidate forum hosted by the Sandpoint Reader and Sandpoint Online. The election itself produced few surprises. In District 1, Scott won re-election to the legislature, as did the accompanying suite of Republican incumbents. The most significant change to local government comes from newly elected Republican commissioners Dan McDonald and Jeff Connolly. The drama of local and state elections swept into the national presidential race, too. In the primary elections, Bonner County voters favored Ted Cruz but fell behind Donald Trump for his eventual Election Night win. And Democrats experienced the highest primary caucus turnout in years, with the substantial majority supporting presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. It’s an open question how that surge of populism will manifest itself in 2017’s political climate. Finally, one of the most consequential ballot decisions was not for a candidate but rather a series of proposed construction projects. Voters roundly rejected a Lake Pend Oreille School District plant levy that would have collected $55 million over six years from property owners. The levy was intended to replace
or dramatically refurbish several school buildings throughout the district that inspectors gave failing marks. For LPOSD planners, it’s back to the drawing board as they consider new approaches to replacing the dilapidated buildings. And they’ll need to be careful in separating the supplemental levy—which funds nearly a third of school staffing and operations—from the plant levy when they ask voters to renew it next year. The changing face of Sandpoint This year laid the groundwork for a transformation in the way we navigate and enjoy Sandpoint. From a changing street plan to new infrastructure, the work of 2016 paves the way for major changes in 2017. This summer, the city introduced a new parking plan designed to alleviate congestion on key foot-traffic streets while providing options for downtown employees. Under the new system, downtown workers can park for 24 hours in one of the city’s several lots, leaving timed parking open for diners and shoppers. This plan might require further tweaking if an agreement materializes to lease city parking spaces to Kaniksu Health Services for its potential downtown expansion. However, Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad sees it
as a good start. The eventual switch to twoway traffic on most downtown streets in 2017 will usher in yet more dramatic changes. Work started this year to funnel U.S. 2 traffic out of downtown Sandpoint, an outcome that will lead to city control of Pine Street and First Avenue. It’s a necessary step for several recreational and infrastructure improvements called for in the Sandpoint Downtown Streets Plan and Design Guide. Sandpoint saw the demolition of the cherished 50-yearold Memorial Field grandstands this year, an outcome that’s been anticipated for many years. In its place, a new grandstand project will boast a higher capacity and a longer anticipated lifespan, setting the stage for many high school graduations and Festival at Sandpoint lineups to come. The new grandstands should be completed before high school graduation in late spring next year. While some familiar places are changing, locals are hard at work to make sure others stay the same. The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness celebrated U.S. Sen. Jim Risch’s introduction of a bill preserving the Idaho mountain range as wilderness. It’s now in Congress and President Elect Donald Trump’s hands to enshrine the bill as law.
Days Of Auld Lang Syne By Tim Henney Reader Contributor
After Scottish bard Robert Burns, borrowing words and sentiments from others before him, wrote “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788 it became, after “Happy Birthday,” the most sung song in the world. I grew up in “auld” southern California hearing Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians over the radio on New Year’s Eve from the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan. It never meant much. It was just New Year’s Eve. As I grew older the song began to mean more. Today, staring 86 in the eye and wondering who’s going to blink first, me or the grim reaper, “Auld Lang Syne” has become personal, almost spiritual. The first words of the lyric ask, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?” (Is it okay that old times be forgotten?). And the song’s reply is that they should not. “Auld Lang Syne”, roughly translated as “Times Gone By,” or “Days Gone By,” are to be treasured. Especially when the times are long gone and the friends who made them memorable are as well. Many Reader readers are too young, too technologically advanced, to recognize the primitive, nostalgic mix of melancholy and gratitude that “Auld Lang Syne” is. They might remember their parents’ recordings by Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Billy Joel, Kenny G., Dan Fogelberg, Bobby Darin or The Beach Boys. None of whom would probably know auld lang syne if the poem walked right up and bit them on their butts. Show Biz folks don’t have time or dispositions for such hokey stuff. Yet when I hear it today, preferably pre-heavy metal, pre-grunge, pre-rap and pre-hip hop, I almost get goose bumps. That might reflect the lucky life I’ve led. “And surely you’ll buy your pint cup, and surely I’ll buy mine ... and we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. For auld lang syne my dear ... for auld lang syne, we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for days of auld lang syne.” I’ll take a cup of kindness for high school buddy “Long John” Donaldson, who adopted my parents’ Long Beach home in the late 1940’s. It came equipped with a 1920’s-built Brunswick billiard table with a massive slate bed beneath the green felt. Heavy as a
steamroller, that table was in large measure the magnet that made that big house our teenage hangout of choice. Long John could spiral a football half a mile. He died when he flipped a flaming race car at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in 1954. He was 23. An identical cup for John’s best pal, Long Beach Poly High shot putter (and my King Cole Trio wannabe jazz partner) Dick Hight. He was among those on a Pacific Airlines passenger plane that collided mid-air with a private aircraft over downtown San Diego in the mid 1970s. Dick and I sang hip tunes on stage at high school student body assemblies. Then we dropped out of college and joined the Air Force together when the draft threatened in January, 1951. On a summer night in 1954 at a fraternity beach party at then undeveloped Dana Point down the California coast, I told an uninvited, surly male visitor to ... well, you know. When he threatened to beat me up, Dick Hight knocked the crap out of him. Right there in the sand by the bonfire. I’ll take a cup of kindness for Jimmie Edson, my friend from fourth grade through high school, college and later. Son of a Baptist minister, Jimmie was unpredictable scatback on our sixth-grade tackle football team. As quarterback (it was my football) I’d tell Jimmie to follow the blockers, but he wouldn’t. Speedier than most, he spent more time dashing left or right than straight ahead. In the mid-’50s Jimmie bought a British Triumph TR-2 roadster exactly like the one I drove. As fast behind the wheel as on foot, he got so many speeding tickets he sold the car to stay out of jail. Jimmie became a lawyer, then a judge. He wed Judy, the first “Miss Welcome To Long Beach” pageant hostess when the original Miss Universe spectacle was founded there. Jim had maybe the keenest mind of anyone I ever knew, yet dementia took him in the 1980s. Dementia, like cancer, doesn’t care. I’ll take a cup of kindness yet for the late Les Schaffer and Willard Nelson, both of Geneseo, Illinois, where my 1957 bride and I lived twice, we liked it so much. Wiry, white-thatched Les, 10 years or so my senior and long retired, was my tennis partner for years.
When his knees gave out and I started beating him in singles, he quit the game. Early 1990s. I quit too. Tennis camaraderie, for me, withered along with Les. Willard Nelson was a modest, craggy-faced, huge-handed, big time corn and soybean farmer who served his native, picture-postcard little town (7,000 souls) for years as board chairman of both the bank and the telephone company. Befitting his ancestry, Willard drove a Swedish Saab. He and I originally bonded over a shared appetite for Tio Pepe dry sherry. In our late sixties Jackie Pelton Henney and I twice roamed rural Spain with Willard and wife Janice, rucksacks slung over shoulders, before cancer later claimed Willard en route to meet us in Tucson, Ariz. “We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine... and wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.” Sandpoint’s Finan McDonald chief Ben Tate knows what I’m saying here. The passing of his pal Jim Lippi tossed Ben for a loop. That other Ben About Town, he who runs the Reader, knew the feeling deeply when his role model and mentor, Ted Bowers, checked out. Erik Daarstad has been walking around town feeling a big hole in his life since best friend Bob Gunter died. Few who read this essay have escaped, or will escape, the sad sentimentality of auld lang syne. Especially if you’re fortunate enough to approach 86. I’ll take a cup of kindness for Chuck DePue, 1950 program director at Camp O-ongo, a coed summer camp in the SoCal mountains and fellow member of that magic summer’s campfire-crooning O-ongo Umptet. A school teacher, then principal, then Anaheim school superintendent, Chuck had graduated high school in 1940. Umpteteers Dick Hight, John Simpson and I, mere babes, had graduated in 1949. We considered Chuck ancient. For decades after 1950 our quartet mimicked old Mills Brothers songs. Not in public, but in the living room of my parents’ Long Beach home, girlfriends in attendance. Or in Chuck’s case, wife JoAnn. Then we’d shoot some pool. Every so often these days I’ll play Peggy
Lee’s aged recording of “That Old Gang Of Mine”: “... I can’t forget that old quartet, that sang Sweet Adeline...”. And I practically sweat nostalgia. Cancer claimed Chuck soon after my bride and I met the DePues at a Cedar City, Utah canyon steakhouse in the ‘90s. John Simpson died after a long bout with cancer in Camarillo, California, just a few weeks ago. A future veterinarian who built a thriving practice, John became nationally known for his work with dolphins. He wed Cindy in Berkeley in 1956 before that happened. I was best man. Cute Cal-Berkeley coed Jackie Pelton and I accompanied the blushing newlyweds to San Francisco and then to Carmel on their honeymoon. We were all close friends, but contrary to rumor the four of us didn’t sleep together. John and Cindy drove a red British MG in those halcyon days. I drove the TR-2 ragtop cited earlier. Those were our rides of preference in California in the 1950s, at least we who were pre-family collegians and on the G.I. Bill (Simpson had been a U.S. Marine captain, I a lowly USAF staff sergeant). We drove Pacific Coast Highway to radio hits that were Pre-Presley, pre-doo wop, pre-rock and roll. For us it was The Four Freshman, the Kingston Trio, Billie Eckstine, Peggy Lee, Rosy Clooney, Frankie Laine, Doris Day, Nat King Cole and Ella -- and the score of My Fair Lady, which opened on NYC’s Broadway in 1956. I’ll also take a cup of kindness for Harvey Lyon of Long Beach. We became cronies in Georgia as Air Force basic trainees in 1951. Several winters ago Jacquelynn and I lunched with Harvey and wife Alma in LaJolla, a scenic if thickly-trafficked freeway drive to that beach town from their Temecula, California home. We hadn’t seen them in years. Would we get along? When it was disclosed that we all felt equally happy about Obama having just whipped Mitt for a second term, we liberal whackos bonded merrily and ordered another celebratory pitcher of bloodies. If auld lang syne is a custom fit for any of my old chums, that chum is Scotsman Tom McCraine, longtime pipe-puffing pal from
Staten Island, New York. Tom was a merchant marine vet before entering the NYC corporate world. He and one-time Powers model Barbara were our next door neighbors at Pines Lake, New Jersey in 1960. Over many decades Tom and I quaffed enough kind cups of Johnnie Walker scotch to fill both decks of a Staten Island ferry. While he was overseas during WW II, beautiful natural blond Barbara, smiling mischievously in sweater, pleated skirt and saddle shoes, modeled for magazines and billboards for “Buy War Bonds” and Coca Cola campaigns. Captions beneath her photo said, “This Is What Our Boys Are Fighting For!” Today, at 93, she bustles about Ipswich, Mass., garden clubs and quilting circles, takes the train to visit Virginia relatives, and annually returns with her sons and grandkids to nostalgic Cape Cod haunts of hers and Tom’s. Auld lang syne. Finally, I’ll take a cup of kindness for NYC corporate colleague Ed Nieder, claimed by cancer in Los Angeles in July, 2016. Age 83. He was one of my closest pals during years together on the headquarters PR staff of the original Bell System parent AT& T in New York. A talented, caring, thoughtful professional, Ed made working side-by-side in The Big Apple well worth the daily commute. He and writer wife Pat met at the University of Missouri school of journalism, the best of its breed. Both then flourished in the writing business, corporate and otherwise. In a Christmas letter steeped in auld lang syne, Pat Nieder wrote, “I am fully aware of how extraordinarily fortunate I am to have been married for 56 years to my best friend. I just wish it could have gone on longer.” So do I, Pat. There are others, too many to remember here. That’s what happens when one looks 86 right in the eye. As the old song asks, is it alright that old times be forgotten? And is it acceptable that deceased comrades who made those times so memorable go unremembered? No, it absolutely is not. And so, “... here’s a hand, my trusty friend, and give me a hand of thine ... and we’ll take a right goodwill draught ... for days of auld lang syne.” December 29, 2016 /
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Panhandle Animal Shelter helping to make holidays brighter By Reader Staff
Bouquets: •I’d like to offer a bouquet to Sen. Jim Risch who introduced a bill that will officially designate Idaho’s portion of the Scotchman Peaks an official wilderness area. You can call me a tree hugger, a hippie or a liberal, but I am always in support of protecting our natural resources and preserving them for generations to come. I often wonder what the landscape of the U.S. would look like if not for the work of such progressive thinkers as Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, John Muir and others who worked tirelessly to make sure all of us have access to unspoiled wilderness areas. •I’d also like to award a bouquet to Schweitzer’s staff for the hard work they’ve put in over these holidays. The skiing has been fantastic lately, and even though we’ve been inundated with visitors who are causing my usually quiet weekday mornings on the mountain to be hectic and busy, I’m happy that Schweitzer is making money. Barbs: •I’ve been rather disgusted with Facebook the past month or two, so don’t be alarmed if our posts seem to have dwindled. I still recognize the social networking site as a helpful tool when running a newspaper, but we’re not going to rely on it. I believe in print journalism and I believe in people being held accountable for what they say. I don’t have any patience for Facebook’s rather snarky position when it comes to their promotion of fake news. When it was made public that Facebook’s “trending” news module was curated and tweaked by humans, I was leery. Now that they’ve eliminated the human element of the trending module, it seems the algorithms are still in the business of promoting fake news. CEO Mark Zuckerberg denies that his site’s spreading fake news had any impact on the election. While this is not something easily proven, I think the number of people who get their news primarily from Facebook outnumbers those who seek out valid sources, so I call bullshit. 8 /
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Bear McSheehy and his granddaughter Mikayla just happened to be viewing Facebook together when a post of a one-eyed cat needing a home came up on the computer screen. “He has one eye, just like me,” said Mikayla according to her grandfather. Mikayla, who is 13 years old, has lived with one eye since birth. Although now she has an ocular prosthesis or glass eye that makes this barely noticeable, she still remembers cruel taunts about her appearance from other kids. Motivated by his granddaughter’s interest in the cat, McSheehy checked out the post. Originating on Panhandle Animal Shelter’s Home to Home site, an interactive site for re-homing pets, the post was then shared on Timberlake Litter Control’s Facebook page. Ernie had been the Timberlake Litter Control clinic’s mascot cat for three years but was ready for a home of his own. McSheehy—who lives in Spirit Lake—discovered that the clinic and Ernie were right down the road from his home. A call was made and Ernie’s adoption soon followed. The adoption occurred within a few hours of Ernie’s story being published on the new Home to Home site. Ernie got some attention; 1,100 Facebook views within 12 hours. Three years ago Ernie had come to Timberlake Litter Control’s clinic in terrible condition. He had a nasty infection in his left eye. The eye had to be removed and he spent several weeks recuperating during which time everyone fell in love with him. So with no home to go back to, he stayed on as the clinic’s mascot. However, the time had come for him to move on to a forever home as he was getting bored managing the clinic all the time and was starting to get into mischief. So Ernie was listed on the Panhandle Animal Shelter’s re-homing site and the rest is adoption history. McSweehy said that Ernie’s adoption seemed “meant to be.” First of all, this was the first time he had ever viewed Facebook with his granddaughter. Then the post of Ernie popped up and Mikayla expressed interest in having the oneeyed feline. Next he discovers it is a local cat just a few miles from his home. “Everything seemed to line up,” said McSheehy. So now Ernie has a home to call his own this holiday season. He is adjusting well to his new housemates, which includes three dogs and another cat (all adopted or rescued), but then, of course, he gets on well with others. He helped manage a vet clinic, after all. He and Mikayla bonded instantly and are best friends. Ernie is a loving cat, despite his rough beginnings. Mandy Evans, executive director of Panhandle Animal Shelter expressed her excitement over this success story: “We were so pleased to hear Timberlake Litter Control utilized our new re-homing site. We designed home-home.org to help people struggling with the decision to surrender a pet to the shelter. This less stressful
solution has led to a 33-percent reduction in our owner surrenders since its inception. Many wonderful new beginnings have been made with home-home. org, but there is definitely something special about Ernie and Mikayla’s story.”
Mikayla McSheehy poses with Ernie. Photo courtesy of Panhandle Animal Shelter.
Surviving the Balance: Understanding Type 1 Diabetes By Lindsey Anderson Reader Contributor I remember the day that I knew I was dying. Death crept upon me like carbon monoxide, turning my blood to acid and incinerating my internal organs. Over July of 2012, I lost fifteen pounds and regularly chugged water in attempt to cure a thirst that refused to cease, which I ascribed to my high activity level and the summer heat. I did not recognize my decline until I woke one morning to meet a stranger in the mirror, masked in sunken cheekbones and desiccated lips. I was rushed to the hospital later that day to accept my fate—a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). An autoimmune attack was destroying the insulin-producing cells in my pancreas. I was not creating enough insulin for glucose to be used as energy in my cells, and I reached a near-death state prompted by starvation. As someone with no prior education on diabetes, I did not realize I was in for the fight of my life. During the time of my
diagnosis, I was an athletic 20-year old woman on vacation from the University of Idaho enjoying the languor of Sandpoint summer. I bussed tables at a restaurant in town six days a week when I was not hiking or wakeboarding. Diabetes was something I heard about— rarely—in conversation, or in the media in reference to an unhealthy lifestyle, hashtagged beneath pictures of donuts on Instagram. It was something that never crossed my mind. In the Intensive Care Unit, amid the smell of rubbing alcohol, nurses hooked me up to IV fluids and drew my blood every two hours. By the second day, it appeared as though I had shot up enough heroine to satisfy 10 addicts. My fingertips were poked for glucose tests until my scabs resembled constellations. I felt strong enough to sit upright and consume food on the third day of my hospital visit, yet I was still in denial about the severity of diabetes. I believed my life would return to normal once I was released from the ICU.
As I flipped through channels on the television and updated my Facebook status on the unfortunate circumstances of hospital mealtime, a nutritionist rolled in a cart of fake food. Plastic muffins, bananas, and potatoes adorned its shelves, glowing in the fluorescent light. I frowned at her punitively, as if the food carried an authentic scent. “Are you ready to learn how to count carbs?” she asked, informing me that I must incorporate this knowledge into my daily existence for eternity in order to balance insulin injections with the carbohydrates I devour to keep my blood sugar in a safe range. I forced a half-smile over the lump that formed in my throat, and nodded in agreement. After a week, I departed the ICU with insulin needles, a glucose meter, lancets, a carb-counting manual and a wavering sense of hope about my new lifestyle. I was warned about hypoglycemia, a potentially fatal condition caused by injecting too much insulin into
the bloodstream, and hyperglycemia, which causes long-term complications such as neuropathy, kidney failure, and limb amputation (to name a few). In the last four-and-a-half years since my diagnosis, I have become hyperaware of blood sugar changes, keeping snacks within reach when I feel like I am fading from a low blood sugar, or calculating an insulin dosage for high blood sugar that I can feel pumping through my veins like a freight train. Stress, weather changes, illness, exercise, lack of sleep, and food choices constantly threaten my equilibrium. T1D is still recognized as a medical enigma, though professionals believe a virus confuses the immune system into attacking the pancreas. The media generally covers Type 2 diabetes—a different disease in which insulin is produced, but not used properly in the body—that inflicts 90 percent of the diabetic population. T1D symptoms include excessive thirst, weight-loss, fatigue, vision change, frequent urina-
tion and fruity-smelling breath. Because the reality of T1D remains obscure, most people do not identify the signs until they are near death. Nowadays, I wear an insulin pump and test my blood sugar six to ten times a day in order to manage my condition. Insulin is constantly administered through my pump, while I calculate and deliver insulin doses for my meals, or high blood sugar readings. Although this makes me somewhat of a robot, it has helped me live life more fully. My twin sister was diagnosed with T1D two years after me. Her diagnosis propelled me beyond much of the bitterness I felt having a relentless, invisible illness. We support each other to continue an active and uninhibited lifestyle. Ultimately, I hope for an eventual cure for T1D. Until then, I praise and advocate for the invisible fighters, who survive and thrive, while balancing on the tightrope of highs and lows.
Do you have Type 1 Diabetes? Type 1 diabetes develops gradually, but the symptoms may seem to come on suddenly. If you notice that you or your child have several of the symptoms listed below, make an appointment to see the doctor. Over time, a decreasing amount of insulin is made in the body, but that can take years. When there’s no more insulin in the body, blood glucose levels rise quickly, and these symptoms can rapidly develop:
•Extreme weakness and/or tiredness •Extreme thirst—dehydration •Increased urination •Abdominal pain •Nausea and/or vomiting •Blurry vision •Wounds that don’t heal well •Irritability or quick mood changes •Changes to (or loss of) menstruation
There are also signs of type 1 diabetes. Signs are different from symptoms in that they can be measured objectively; symptoms are experienced and reported by the patient. Signs of type 1 diabetes include: •Weight loss—despite eating more •Rapid heart rate •Reduced blood pressure (falling below 90/60) •Low body temperature (below 97º F) December 29, 2016 /
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event t h u r s d a y
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Live Music w/ Brandon Watterson 7-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Part of the Thursday Night Solo/Songwriter Series, featuring Brandon Watterson, whose sound you’ve heard around town with several local bands
f r i d a y
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Live Music w/ The Electric Cole Show 5:30-8:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery The Electric Cole Show is performed as guitar melodies and solos blended with a new age touch through the genres of Jazz, Latin, Rock, Blues, Funk and World Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante
s a t u r d a y
More than a store, a Super store!
Lose weight for the new year! 15 to 25% discounts on all sports supplements some even discounted 30-50% off! Also 7-day detox protocols that are the best in the market
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MONDAY-FRIDAY 8AM-8PM / SATURDAY 8AM-6PM / SUNDAY 10AM-6PM
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s u n d a y m o n d a y t u e s d a y w e d n e s d a y t h u r s d a y
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Live Music w/ Doug Bond and Marty Pe 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Mandolin/guitar picker duo. Also skier and day. Anyone with a season pass, day pass any Mountain in the US or Canada gets a 21 a shot of our well liquor for $4.00!
Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Indie folk rock trio
Live Music w/ Marty Perron and Doug Bond 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Guitar / mandolin duo
New Years Eve w/ Harold’s IGA 10pm-1am @ 219 Lounge Ring in the new year with indie rock band Harold’s IGA, who will play all your favorite originals and dance covers—everything from Johnny Cash to Talking Heads to Beastie Boys. There will be a champagne toast at midnight!
New Year’s Eve Live Music w/ Brown Salmon Truck 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority A fantastic Sandpoint trio
Cedar St. Bridge Public Market 10am-2pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Come enjoy indoor shopping on the bridge ning Sand Creek. Free and open to the pub 3rd Annual Hive New Year’s Eve Ball L Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 9pm @ The Hive 5:30-8:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 7 It’s a party for the ages, featuring the Pimps of Brian Jacobs has a great acoustic sound T Joytime and a New Year’s Eve countdown with that encompasses folk, rock and soul s confetti and a balloon drop. A portion of the L proceeds benefits Angels Over Sandpoint 6 Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am. All are welcome
Learn to dance Salsa 7pm @ Sandpoint West Athletic Club With instructor Diane Peters. 610-1770
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Karaoke Night 8pm-12am @ 219 Lounge The smoke free horrors of personal favorites. Thank God for whiskey
Game Night at the Niner 9pm @ 219 Lounge Come down and take part in game night wit
First Tuesday at Eichardt’s 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub This monthly musical night is hosted by Jake Robin and always features a special guest
Friends of Scotchman Peaks fundraiser 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Come down to support the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness with Ecliptic Brewing Co. beer on tap, live music, complimentary appetizers and raffle prizes Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry Learn to dance the Country Two-Step 7pm @ Sandpoint West Athletic Club With instructor Diane Peters. 610-1770
Library Storytimes 10:15 & 11am @ Sandpoint L Mother Goose Storytime will a.m. for children ages 0 to 3; a Storytime at 11 a.m. for child 5. Held every Tuesday
Bike Movie Night 6pm @ Greasy Fingers Bikes n’ Repair Wednesday nights in January will be Bike Movie Night, featuring bike-related films. It is always free and always fun! Bring your own chair if you want and your own snacks/beverages
350S 5-7p Take a sa finge
Ice Age Mega-Floods: A phenomenon to the P 12pm @ Sandpoint Library Ice Age Mega-Floods: A phenomenon to the Pa presentation by Tony Lewis from the Ice Age Fl focus will be on the physical processes and resu the ice age flood features in eastern Washington
ful
December 29, 2016 - January 5, 2017
Marty Perron
skier and boarder appreciation day pass or employee ID from a gets a 219 pilsner or a pbr plus !
oug Bond y
A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com.
Reader recommended
Winter Holidays Family Activity 1pm @ Sandpoint Library Bring the family to the Sandpoint Library, for a fun time learning about holidays such as Kwanzaa and Hannakkah with games and crafts. Contact Suzanne for more information at 208-263-6930 ext. 1211
Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry
Live Music w/ Still Tipsy and The Hangovers 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Classic flair with a homemade upright bass. These guys and gal put on a great show
David Raitt and Baja Boogie Band New Year’s Eve Concert 7:30pm @ Di Luna’s Cafe If you love the rocking blues, this is the concert for you! Raitt comes from a genetic line of musical heritage; his father John and sister Bonnie Raitt are both international meet ga-stars. $20 in advance, with dinner available before the show. Doors open at 5:30 he bridge spanp.m. 263-0846 for tickets and reservations to the public Live Music w/ Riffhangers Winery 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall sound The Riffhangers’ style is a mix of country, blues and swing with traditional bluegrass/folk instruments soul Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante
Computer Class: Basic Computers 8:15am @ Sandpoint Library Learn about the parts of a computer, computer terminology, memory, navigation and accessibility. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by calling 208-263-6930
“An Affair to Remember” film 8pm @ Panida Theater Make it a new year to remember with chocolate, champagne, plus Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Enjoy a screening of this beautiful movie, whose lasting quality can be seen in other movies that have followed by deriving inspiration from the use of the Empire State Building as an iconic tower representing romance New Year’s Eve at Schweitzer @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort Schweitzer hosts parties for adults, tweens and kids. Tickets are on sale in the Activity Center (sorry, tickets to the adults’ party is sold out)
Polar Bear Plunge 12pm @ Sandpoint City Beach night with Racheal Start off 2017 with a brisk dip in the frigid lake. Crazy? You bet. There will be heated wall tents for warming and changing out of plunge clothes will be provided (men’s Club and women’s). Boy Scout Troop 111 hosts this timeless 0-1770 event, so come down and take the plunge! Seniors Day s 9am-12pm @ Bonner Mall andpoint Library ytime will be at 10:15 Walk the mall, listen to speakers, learn health s 0 to 3; and Preschool tips, enter drawings, play bingo and enjoy free for children ages 2 to refreshments. Sponsored by Bonner Mall merchants and Life Care Aging Better In Home Care ay
350Sandpoint.org potluck 5-7pm @ Sandpoint Library air Take community action for be a safe, just climate. Potluck latfinger food and information ays ant
on to the Pacific Northwest
n to the Pacific Northwest, a ce Age Floods Institute. The s and resultant landscapes of shington and northern Idaho
Jan. 6-8 “Seed: The Untold Story” @ The Panida Theater Jan. 7
Learn to XC Ski Parent/Grandparent Grief Group Free Day @ Sch6-7:30pm @ Bonner General Health wei tzer Roundabout A free community service for parents and grandparents who have experienced the death Jan. 7 of a child or grandchild. Held on the first and Fat Bike Demo third Tuesday of each month. 265-1185
Alzheimer’s Support Group 1pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center A support group for families, caregivers and friends of those with dementia, Alzheimer’s and any related disorder, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association. Free respite care is available at Day Break during the group session with advance reservations. 290-1973 for more info
@ Round Lake State Park
Jan. 13-14 A movie and evening with Viggo Mortensen @ Panida Theater
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LITERATURE
This open Window
Vol. 1 No. 15
poetry and prose by local writers
edited by Jim mitsui
FINAL EXAM 1. Write a 10-line poem, no more, no less. You can follow the ghazal format (five 2-line unrhymed couplets) if you’d like. You determine the line lengths and line-breaks. It can be about anything. 2. No more than half (5) of your lines can be end-stopped (end with some form of punctuation). 3. The poem must contain an adage, proverb or cliché like the ones listed—however, you must bend or alter the original: •once upon a time •the show must go on •bury the past •cool as a cucumber •old as the hills •home is where the heart is •make up for lost time •everything is peaches & cream •one foot in the grave •the whole nine yards •needle in a haystack •don’t count your chickens before they hatch •a perfect storm •tall, dark & handsome •some day my prince will come •last but not least You are welcome to think of your own cliché to change. 4. You must use exactly six of the words from the following list; you may change their form or tense. windrow rasping tamarack slate reader Subaru mother solo
mimic draws fluorescent frayed
love panhandle celebrate palpable
5. Don’t worry or even think about “making” poetry—just write naturally. Depend a lot on stream-of-consciousness until your “point” appears toward the end. Don’t worry about making sense—your brain will take care of that instinctively. 6. Don’t forget a good title, but don’t use a “label.” A bonus if you get a place-name in your title.
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by Brenda Hammond
by Karen Seashore Like when the evening primrose opens, you must sit at dusk, studying the closed-tight bud to witness white petals unfold and spring outward. It takes forever; you could miss it in a blink. The child in his diapers, holding a treasure in each tight fist that you pry open at bedtime finger by small dear finger – a pebble, a twig, a tiny truck. The boy who reads his list of school supplies, wondering if the glue has to be Elmers. Then, already, he’s so tall, you reach high for the last hug and stand at the curb, trying to stall the tears until his little station wagon pulls away. Already. He has glued a plastic rooster to the Datsun’s hood like a talisman, its gold gilt rubbed off & silvered. His girlfriend, small as a child, sits in the passenger seat, her cat carrier wedged between their futon & her suitcase. She has sewn tie-dye curtains, hung them over their back windows and he has heaped a jumble of old bicycles on top in a hump of blue tarp, a lacing of white cords. More bikes wobble above the tailgate.
Here’s an actual final exam that I used at Arizona State University. I’ve made a few minor changes because of the “change in landscape” from Arizona to Idaho. Since we’re approaching the end of the year I thought it would be an interesting exercise to offer readers of This Open Window. I am always looking for new writers, and also some feedback from you all about this column. Please feel free to submit your work, poetry or prose, to me at Jim3wells@ aol.com. Sorry I can’t respond to each individual submission but I appreciate your efforts.
ceremony
watching
Like an earlier decade’s clan, they’ve painted flowers over the car’s rusty orange body. Trailing vines, stars, a bee, an ant. With tenderness, you smile at the ant. The car pulls away from home, headed for the Redwoods, toward legal California residency, toward Humboldt State University. Toward away. This car rides low on its tires. They could be modernday Joads, next-generation hippies. Like they’re advertising for the cops to pick them up. You watch them roll down Lake Street. Red tail lights gleam at each stop sign. Until they’re gone. Already. -Karen Seashore • 10/28/15 Karen is a Sandpoint resident, transplanted from Utah. She is an accomplished sailboat mate, writer and yoga instructor. This poem captures a good-bye at an important junction of life.
pure memory
by Amy Craven One Christmas Eve after church we walked up the pathway to Aunt Christine and Uncle Mark’s house Snow fell soft and thick around us My five year old hands felt warm inside my white rabbit muff, my rubber boots with the metal fasteners clomped along Dad’s cousin played carols on the spinet, her profile illuminated in the light of the piano lamp We were in a Christmas card Later that night on another winter walk we went Up, up, up, all those steps to Grandma and Grandpa’s house on Clairhaven Street The blue spruce at the base of the long porch covered in snow, its big colored lights looking like pastel candies through the heavy veil The air was so still and Pittsburgh, that city so renowned for coal, steel, and grime was covered – completely white and perfectly
I can’t remember my first kiss, But I remember my first cup of coffee. Sitting at grandmother’s oilcloth covered table, a spot worn thin by Baba’s heavy elbow. Feet swinging back and forth not touching the floor, I watched the ritual mixing of the rounds with egg, water rapping loud inside the big enamel pot, the placing of the shell-like china cups Baba brought back from the matinees; Finally the clear, dark-honey colored coffee smelling like the entire house, Poured into each cup — mine last. Solemnly I stirred the sugar and the milk, and With both hands, lifting the cup, I gazed through a veil of steam Into the world of grown-ups. –Brenda Hammond Brenda is an accomplished life-coach whose poems stir up the nostalgia that lives within all of us. As a lover of French Roast this poem captures the importance of that first cup of coffee in the morning.
a battle while doing the booksk under a bright light after a sunny winter’s day or why the stinkbug laughed so hard that it fell off the ceiling and was crushed by a passing lady bug
by Maureen Cooper
Red barrette on the entry floor, collateral victim of a desperate skirmish with a vicious stinkbug - a nasty chitinous, raspy, stinking villainous creature it was, too. I went berserker when the fearsome beastie landed on my head with a whirr and thud. Childishly fearing its touch, the awful dry hard shell and grasping legs, I batted at my head and ran to the foyer, there making my stand while searching for the dog brush or any other weapon that might be found. A frenzy of glancing blows located something hard, heavier than hair, that did not dislodge. Still unwilling to touch, fearing the evil texture and foul smell I ransacked the clutter. Finding no other tool I raked my fingers through my hair. With a victorious clatter a hard shiny mass hit the beige tile floor – my red barrette, odorless patsy – set up by the gleeful insect assassin.
-Maureen Cooper 12/8/2016
Maybe you’re “trapped” by the snow and slick roads because you don’t have the right kind of tires or a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and you could use a laugh. Maureen’s poem does this for me because I keep encountering these Idaho stinkbugs in the midst of heavy snow and freezing temperatures.
pure
-Amy Craven
December 2016
Whether we come from Pennsylvania or Idaho, snow speaks to us—especially this time of year. The best things to write about are our own experiences and memories. Too many people have lost this perspective, and Amy shows us how easy the stories can emerge.
Send poems to: jim3wells@aol.com
A new story on Cedar Street
Understory Coffee and Tea sets sights beyond the traditional drive-thru scene
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Intern Pine needles and lavender in coffee. An ancient concoction of apple cider vinegar, ginger, jalapeno peppers and more meant to cure the common cold with one shot. Dog treats. These are not things the average person anticipates ordering when arriving at a drive-thru coffee shop. And yet, at Understory Coffee and Tea, all of these things are possible — or at least, according to co-owners Johnelle Fifer and Evan Metz, on the horizon. Fifer and Metz took over the drive-thru coffee stand location on the corner of Cedar and 2nd Avenue this fall. The couple said they have been professionally trained by several coffee roasters, but are excited to create their own identity in Sandpoint’s coffee and tea scene. “We’re both really experimental and creative people. We’re the kind of people who want to be moving stuff around the shop and coming up with new recipes — just experimenting and having the freedom to do that and sell that,” Metz said. “We love the product, and we love the work, we just wanted to be able to have it our way.” However, the duo, who met while working together at the Moscow Food Co-op in Moscow, Idaho, didn’t initially have it their way. What was meant to be a road trip touring the entire western United States met an abrupt end in Sandpoint thanks to car troubles. Fifer said she and Metz made the best of the unanticipated situation. “The idea was always to come back to Sandpoint because Evan grew up here,” Fifer said. “[The road trip] is definitely planned, but this time we’re going to make sure it happens and it’s at the right time.” Fifer, 23, always knew she
wanted to own a coffee shop. Metz, 24, always knew — based on his desire to be his own boss — that he’d one day own a business. Upon their arrival in Sandpoint, Fifer went around town introducing herself, and happened upon Heavenly Latte where the owner was looking to sell. “We kind of just pounced on the opportunity because it was kind of like, if we waited for a walk-in cafe situation, it would probably be years before we could do it,” Metz said. “And as far as drive-ins go we weren’t that keen on the idea necessarily, but like, this particular location is very unique and it’s not like your normal side-of-the-highway stop.” Fifer and Metz began renovations on Oct. 1. They opened the rebranded building as Understory Coffee on Nov. 20. Both are eager about the possibilities for expansion. Come summer, the owners hope to close down the drive-thru window facing Cedar Street to set up canopies, benches, dog bowls and more to create a “hang-out” feel. They’ll still provide the convenience of a drive-thru window on the other side of the building. Fifer emphasized that Understory will offer traditional coffee and teas, including drip coffee and loose-leaf organic teas, which aren’t available at many other drive-thru cafes in town. Metz called it a “concentrated quality approach,” different from the average drive-thru, which often attempts to do it all. “I feel like a lot of a drivethrus when you go through are about being quick, being really affordable and offering a really wide range of food and drinks. I think we’re just trying to simplify it and dial it back,” Fifer said. “If you want as good of coffee
Understory Coffee co-owners Evan Metz and Johnelle Fifer stand by their newly acquired coffee hut on Second Ave. and Cedar St. Photo by Ben Olson.
as you would get if you were going to go in somewhere and sit down, you can get it here.” Providing organic coffee and tea is a priority, Fifer said, and so far she and Metz are succeeding in that area. Understory’s coffee comes from Troy, Idaho, and their tea from Missoula, Montana. Looking toward the future, Fifer said locally sourced and organic food will definitely be on Understory Coffee’s menu. She and Metz are hoping to use veggies from Sandpoint’s farmers market for sandwiches. They’re planning to use bread and other goods from businesses across North Idaho and Western Montana. “I feel like if there was going to be one thing that kind of set us apart from a lot of the other places in town is just that we’re definitely trying to do things more local,” Fifer said. Metz added that while nothing food-related is nailed down quite yet, this is only the beginning for Understory Coffee. “We’re definitely looking
forward to summer because things really slow down in town this time of year, but winter is great because it’s sort of this incubation period where we get to try new things and figure out what’s working,” Metz said. It’s during this incubation period that Metz and Fifer are hoping community members notice the changes on the corner of Cedar and 2nd Avenue. Namely, they’re curious how people will interpret the building’s new name. Fifer said she, Metz and Metz’s mom spent a week going over dozens of possible names, trying to avoid cliché names that involved words like “java” or “beans.” Metz’s mom started doing research on where coffee grows, and found the word “understory” — which refers to the space between the ground and canopy where coffee grows in the rainforest. “If you don’t know what it means, the first things that came to my mind were underdog and backstory,” Metz said.
“I just liked the way it sounded — I liked the connotation. It had a good vibe to it.” Fifer has her own reasons to love the name. “I think most people think to a novel or book, and that’s why we love it, because you can dig deeper, and it’s also a place where coffee grows. It just fit perfectly,” she said. Fifer and Metz agree that they’re ready to show Sandpoint a new spin on the traditional drive-thru scene. “Everyone likes things to be done a certain way. I feel like with coffee it’s getting to the point [where] — like [with] craft beer and other artisan food things that you’re seeing a resurgence of — everyone has their way of doing it,” Fifer said. “After a while you’re like, man, I’d love to see what my way is. So we got to do that, and that’s really exciting.”
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Dear readers, The READER is turning two years old in January! We’d like to oer a deal to celebrate!
Call Jodi for more details:
208-627-2586
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ART
By Kevin Penerlick Reader Art Columnist
By Kevin Penelerick Reader Contributor Many of you may already know Thomas Jenkins. He’s been a part of the community for 21 years, a large part of that spent as a teacher at Sandpoint Waldorf School. He’s a kind man who has helped many learn about their artistic side as a teacher. Soon he will be doing his first showing as an artist, with a very unique exhibit displaying at Evan’s Brothers Coffee Roasters during the months of January and February. The exhibit will feature chalkboard drawings of worldly and local icons expressing joy. He will create these images onsite during the first few weeks of January. For art lovers, this will represent a special opportunity to sit back and watch an artist as he creates. Jenkins loved drawing as a kid, finding that art filled him; it was a pivotal realization that came to him in the seventh grade when he found himself called into an all teacher conference to discuss his performance. As they went around the room, each teacher indicated the challenges they were having with young Thomas’s behavior, until they got to Adrian Montgomery, his art teacher. “He’s the best student I have,” she told the group. He didn’t get many opportunities to take art classes again until college, but that moment in the seventh grade sparked a fire inside that would smolder as he made his way through life. In college, he was asked to draw an ideal image of himself. He created a picture that was golden, muscular and bigger
An interview with artist
Thomas Jenkins than life. Then he was asked to draw a picture of how he sees himself. This picture was an arial view of a young thin boy, hopeful and staring upward, but with dark, gaunt eyes. He pursued a degree in architecture, but decided he didn’t want to sit behind a desk all day, so instead he became a Waldorf teacher. Stating that many Waldorf educators become teachers to not only share creativity with the kids, but to experience what it offers themselves. One day during his Waldorf training, he volunteered to do a chalkboard drawing of Martin Luther King Jr. for a teacher. It turned out beautifully and he went on to create chalkboard drawings, several each year, as part of the curriculum he taught. During Jenkins’ time as a teacher he had many opportunities to show students how to create their art, but he rarely took the opportunity to complete his own work. Now, as he transitions to creating his art and putting it out into the world on a more public scale, he has come to realize just how much the act of creating fills him and feeds that inner child he had drawn so long ago. Even having this realization, it can be a struggle to paint on a regular basis. “I don’t feel the desire to paint until I start and remember how good it feels to be doing it,” he said. Jenkins wants his art to make us feel joy and recognize how close to us it is, both in the world and in the local community. That’s the premise for his upcoming showing, which will feature faces we know from around town and around the world,
expressing joy—such as Abraham Lincoln and a local man— that Thomas has observed as one of Sandpoint’s quiet caretakers, known as Sprouts. Thomas has observed him tending to pieces of town and came to realize how much he and others do to make this town the magical place it is. Sandpoint has had a significant influence on Thomas’s art, his frequent walks to the Third St. Pier, connect him with the magic he feels here. His time as a teacher at the Sandpoint Waldorf School allowed him to be a part of creating that magic in others, saying his message as he taught the children was, “You are creators and you are closest to god when you realize this and are creative.” He also spoke to the power and influence of the Sandpoint Men’s Group in his life and artistic journey. How he is able to explore his feelings and the imagery that comes from those explorations. Perhaps the most powerful impact of living here has been that of his former wife and best friend, Stacy Jenkins. “Her undying love and encouragement have shown me I can do anything,” he said. Jenkins offers this advice to artists that are, like him, just beginning to put their art into the world: “Trust yourself. Trust what feels good to you and express that in your art.” If he had the opportunity to create a piece of art he could place anywhere in town, it would be a large painting of that young boy from so long ago, but all filled up, glowing and alive. He’s riding on the back of a giant dragonfly, which for Jenkins, represents the mystery of the universe. Young
Thomas is looking back at us over his shoulder, wearing a pair of motorcycle goggles and a red sports jersey with the #1 shown on its back. He’s grinning and we can see in his eyes the passion of a man with fire in his heart.
Join Thomas at Evan’s Brothers starting on Jan. 6 to watch his creations come to life. For inquiries about Thomas’s art, please contact Noelle Zmuda of Vivre Arts at 208-310-6617
Where to see art in Sandpoint: There is a plethora of options to view the work of local artists in Sandpoint. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the area’s galleries. Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters 524 Church St. (The Granary) (208) 265-5553 The skinny: Evans Brothers is one of the most popular art viewing locations in Sandpoint. Located in the hip and industrial-vibed Granary District, Evans Brothers features a rotating series of displays curated by photographer Woods Wheatcroft. Also, their coffee is the best in town! Infini Gallery 214 B, Cedar Street (208) 610-1232
Hallans Gallery 323 N. First Avenue (208) 263-4704 The skinny: Ross Hall is the Ansel Adams of North Idaho. His beautiful black and white photographs captured a historical period in early Sandpoint. The gallery—run by Ross’ son Dann—features hundreds of iconic prints from Ross Hall as well as photographer Dick Himes. Pend Oreille Arts Council 302 N. First Ave. (208) 263-6139
The skinny: One of the newest galleries to open in Sandpoint, featuring a wide assortment of paintings with monthly themes. Owner and fellow artist Kris Dills also offers sculpting classes, as well as paint and sip events. Check the Reader’s event calendar to see when their next monthly art show takes place.
The Skinny: There’s always something good to see at POAC. The local artistic organization annually brings music, dance and performance artists to Sandpoint, numerous art shows, provides youth art events and the annual ArtWalk and Arts & Crafts Fair.
ArtWorks Gallery 214 N. First Ave (208) 263-2642
Whiskey Jack Pottery address (208) 255-6395
The skinny: Representing over 50 regional artists in media as diverse as painting, sculpture, jewelry, metal work, ceramics, fused and stained glass and calligraphy, ArtWorks Gallery was once voted the number one Art Gallery in Sandpoint.
The skinny: Newly opened on Cedar St., local potter Nicole Black’s creations are functional and breathtakingly beautiful. With a clean, elegant style, Black’s wares make great gifts for your loved ones, or yourself! Black trained under renowned potter Dan Shook. December 29, 2016 /
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The Straight Poop:
The quest for dog-friendly businesses in North Idaho By Drake the Dog Reader Pet Columnist Where am I taking my humans today? My cousin, Cash (a three-year-old peanut butter hound mix) is visiting for the holidays. Watch out, Sandpoint, as this dynamic duo, the Mister and Cash’s human dad get ready to embark on the annual agonizing tradition of men’s last minute holiday shopping. Let’s face it, I’ve been busy working on my website, blogging, tweeting, writing my column, making snow angels, shaking paws and kissing babies. And then there was the ‘event’ of doggie snow boots. No way! My research revealed that my paws, which lack the warm covering like the rest of my body, have an intricate heat transfer system built in that immediately warms cold blood. Couple that with a high amount of freeze-resistant connective tissue and fat (WHAAT?!) located in the pads of my paws. So now you know why I’m dancing with happy feet (avoiding snow melt), because my paws rival that of a penguin’s wing for the ability to stay warm in cold climates. No booties for this boy! But wait, what’s a little bit more procrastination as the men sing along with Elvis, “A little less conversation, a little more action please. All this aggravation ain’t satisfactioning me. A little more bite and a little less bark.” We’re going to warm up for this annual shopping tradition by stopping into MickDuff’s Beer Hall and Brewery Tasting Room (220 Cedar St) first. Rose Preston, beerista, greets us and shares that this family-friendly place offers only 100-percent, all-natural brews. The team uses only the finest ingredients and does not filter or pasteurize any of the beers. This ensures that the natural vitamins and great taste of the beer remains. Brothers Mickey and Duffy Mahoney had a fondness for handcrafted beer and a desire to work where they play year-round. They opened MickDuff’s in 2006, and over the years their creative business venture has resulted in a family-friendly restaurant (312 N. Cedar), with an acclaimed microbrewery, and the Beer Hall, which offers seating for about 60 humans and K-9 comradery. Mack Deibel, assistant brewer, shared the makings for a lively time that will surely inhibit our desire for last minute holiday shopping—gourmet popcorn, three big screen TV’s, competition corn hole boards, billiards, football, darts and live music, and outdoor seating during good weather. As we play, slurp Moose on the Loose and Strom Hammer, this band of manly
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“Beerista” Rose Preston, Cousin Cash and Drake at the Beer Hall. men try figure out why habitual holiday shopping procrastinators generally fall into one or more of the following categories (Which one fits me? The Mister? Cousin Cash?) •We’re overwhelmed. We don’t know where to start. We are running out of time •We’re perfectionists •We think we work best under pressure •We’re overly optimistic •We secretly don’t like the recipient or… •We’re genuinely thoughtful! And, who wants to leave this place when my doggie pals Oscar, Bob, Cocoa, Solstice and Summer want us to stay and play! Dogs, beer and humans, great combos! The crew here gave us a few gift suggestions as we were bundling up: •To your enemy, forgiveness. •To an opponent, tolerance. •To a friend, your heart •To a customer, service •To all, charity. •To every child, a good example •To yourself, respect.” What’s the best part of Christmas shopping? When you know it’s a wrap! Here’s a big bark-out to all of the dog friendly businesses that made our local venture a success! One good thing about holiday shopping is it toughens you for the January sales. Count me out! MickDuff’s rules: 1. Bring your warm up spirit (and leash) 2. Dogs, beer, humans. That’s the rule here. 3. Hydrants are outside. Leave your beer on the table and make it quick. 4. Humans must be 21 to drink beer here. As for dogs, it’s two years old!
Opening hearts and minds Six Tips for a Truly Happy New Year! By Suzen Fiskin Reader Columnist A year ago, I had a mind blowing aha moment that has inspired me to rechart the course of my life. At the time, I was reeling from several major changes in my world that were out of my control. From the darkness of my perspective then, I was shocked to realize that I didn’t know HOW to be happy. Before that moment, I’d never really considered happiness to be something that could be learned. Traditional psychology tells us that our brains are hardwired, and if you got stuck with one with a limited capacity for happiness, you were spit out of luck. I’m here to tell you that old school science got it wrong. We CAN learn how to feel good most of the time. I didn’t get the happiness gene. My family was funny, but dark. When I’d hit rocky times, my mind would terrorize me with Technicolor snippets of everything I dreaded hitting the fan. In my imagined future, there were countless scenarios that left me feeling helpless and hopeless with no way out. It was from the depths of despair that I decided that happiness, no matter what, was my sole desire. I’ve spent the best part of this year immersing myself in rewiring my brain to do just that, and to gain the skills as a coach to help others do the same. I haven’t done this alone. I’ve had a wonderful happiness coach and mentor in Leslie Villelli to help me navigate these foreign waters. Having someone who knows this stuff and who’s living what I yearned for was a gift from on high. I also took her five-month happiness coach’s training course and am in her advanced course now. I watch in appreciation as my classmates morph into more joyful souls. I can now honestly say that I know how to be happy. I am also completely committed to staying this way for the rest of my days on earth. I don’t think I could go back to my old ways. My brain works differently now. So can yours! And so, on the one year anniversary of writing this column for the Reader, it’s my pleasure to offer a handful of the best and brightest ideas that helped me change my life in the hopes that it may offer new rays of possibility in yours. 1. Decide to be happy. The word decide literally means “to cut off” any other
possibility than what you’ve decided. This is the first and unalterable step in the process of becoming a happy human. You’re well on your way when you decide that being happy is the most important thing to you. 2. Become aware of how you and your body feel. Good feelings will become your compass for the direction to take at any fork in the road. The ability to check in with your body and notice how you’re feeling is imperative to break old and unconscious patterns. 3. STOP and SHOP for better feeling thoughts. To learn new ways of perceiving life, we have to become aware of what feels good and what doesn’t. When you notice you feel funky, stop and ask yourself what you’re thinking and what other thoughts and choices are possible? If you always do something or react one way, what are three other ways to go about it? Then choose the one that feels best. 4. Focus on what you DO want. The laws of quantum physics state that thought creates reality. In light of this, how important is it to think about what we desire rather than what we fear? What makes you feel better: Thinking about what you dread, or thinking about what you want? 5. Spend time appreciating and loving yourself. It’s amazing how many of us can be so caring for others yet so un-nice to ourselves. I found this one to be both difficult and rewarding! How can we possibly be happy if we don’t even like ourselves? You can start with a small exercise before turning out the lights at night. Reflect on three things that went well that day. It’s a great platform to build upon. 6. Make being happy the most important thing. Rewiring your brain is like training for a sport or learning to play an instrument: It takes practice and commitment. We all tend to do what’s most important to us. If being happy means enough to you, you’ll do whatever it takes. Feel free to email questions or comments to the address below. Happy, happy New Year! Suzen Fiskin is a Happiness Coach, multi-media marketing wiz, and inspirational speaker. She’s also the author of the book, Playboy Mansion Memoirs. If you have any questions or comments, email her at: suzenfiskin@yahoo.com
STAGE & SCREEN
The Reader honors achievements in oddball cinema By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff
I’ve never claimed to have conventional taste in movies, a fact manifestly evident if you’ve ever attended a Reader Reels show. While I appreciate a good Marvel or “Star Wars” movie like most of the world, it’s the stranger, smaller movies that stick with me. With that in mind, it’s time to honor 2016 movies for achievements too often ignored by the mainstream Hollywood elite. Best use of an animal as the embodiment of pure malevolence Black Phillip, “The Witch” Black Phillip. Black friggin’ Phillip. This little beady-eyed bastard of a goat is a sinister presence right from the start of “The Witch,” an eerie folktale set in 17th century colonial America. But the animal takes on critical importance when the twins of a family, isolated in the New England wilderness, claim it has spoken to them. Meanwhile, sinister happenings in the nearby woods hint that the deeply religious family might not be as alone as they think they are. “The Witch” is a crackerjack horror film, less overtly scary than it is thick with foreboding and atmosphere. But what’s most surprising is that an unassuming black goat manages to unsettle and disturb with its blank stares and freakish bleating. Best objectively good-looking actor pretending to be a schlub Colin Farrell, “The Lobster” It no secret that there’s a profound gap between Hollywood’s idea of ugly and what normally adjusted people perceive as ugly. How many times in sub-standard romantic comedies has an attractive actress taken off her glasses to reveal that
… yes, she’s still attractive, but the rest of cast reacts like she just removed a rotting squirrel carcass from her face? By contrast, Colin Farrell turns in an admirably scruffy performance as sad sack David in the sci-fi satire “The Lobster.” All hunched shoulders and beer gut, David is banished to The Hotel after his wife leaves him for another man. As a Hotel resident, he must find a new mate within 45 days or be turned into a lobster. “The Lobster” turned off some audiences with its emotionally distant, Kubrickian style and its unrepentantly bizarre rhythm. But as a satire of dating culture, it’s razor sharp, and much of that is due to Farrell’s subdued performance.
thwarted when Daniel Radcliffe’s Manny, a dead body of unknown origin, washes ashore. The body proves to be a cadaverous multi-tool: His lungs store fresh water, his arms chop firewood and his rocket-powered farts propel him through water like a jet ski. As the pair journey home, this absurdist comedy turns into a commentary on societal constraints, only to dramatically change course once again in the third act. It concludes with a scene so strange and baffling, I can’t spoil it here. See it for yourself and thank/yell at me later.
Most poignant use of farting as an emotional climax Daniel Radcliffe, “Swiss Army Man” I knew I had to see “Swiss Army Man” when headlines reported that Sundance audiences, realizing they had been tricked into watching a movie starring Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse, exited the theater in droves. What I didn’t expect was a fairly compelling fable about loneliness in the digital age. Paul Dano plays Hank, a suicidal man trapped on an island due to unknown circumstances. His suicide attempt is
December date to be announced:
“Certain Women” film
Three strong-willed women (Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Michelle Williams) strive to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest
a classic New Year’s Eve at the Panida with
“An Affair to Remember”
12/31 @ 8:00 includes a champagne toast – dress to have a great time little r theate
Jan. 6, 7 & 8 @ 7pm
“SEED: The Untold Story”
In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. The Untold Story follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000 year-old food legacy.
Jan. 13 & 14 @ 7:30pm
A film and evening with viggo mortensen A special appearance by Viggo Mortensen, who will answer questions from the audience after the showing of his latest film, “Captain Fantastic.”
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w o N & Then compiled by
Ben Olson
Each week, we feature a new photograph taken from the same vantage point as one taken long ago. See how we’ve changed, and how we’ve stayed the same. Historical information provided and verified by Bonner County Museum staff and volunteers. The Museum is located at 611 S. Ella — (208) 263-2344.
Littlefield’s on the corner of Cedar St. and Third Ave. in Sandpoint. To the left of Littlefield’s is Lee’s Cafe, a chop suey joint.
CROSSWORD
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
c. 1950
ACROSS
The same view today. Xhale Pilates Studio currently occupies the corner building, while the old chop suey joint is currently vacant.
2016
Woorf tdhe Week
incipient /in-SIP-ee-uh nt/
[adjective] 1. beginning to exist or appear; in an initial stage
“Beware the incipient cold this time of year.” Corrections: We probably spelled something wrong, but nobody told us, so we’ll just forget it ever happened. 18 /
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1. Perpendicular 6. Prune 10. Hats 14. Not inner 15. Wash 16. Death notice 17. Give a speech 18. Food thickener 19. List of options 20. Practices 22. Implored 23. Catnap (British) 24. Lubricated 26. Not awake 30. Tubular pasta 32. Tired to the point of exhaustion 33. European wolf spider 37. Teller of untruths 38. Smidgens 39. Weightlifters pump this 40. Void 42. Dot 43. _____ fit 44. Household 45. Extent 47. Tavern 48. Margarine 49. Container 56. A Maori club 57. End ___ 58. French for “Love” 59. So be it 60. Actors in a show 61. Insect stage
Solution on page 21 62. A titled peer of the realm 63. Backside 64. Jottings
DOWN 1. Impoverished 2. Attraction 3. Salt Lake state 4. Distribute 5. Surf 6. Fastener 7. Indian music 8. Egg-shaped 9. Characters 10. Culmination
11. Poplar tree 12. Yearned 13. An upright in a wall 21. Tear 25. Hotel 26. Competent 27. Slender 28. Jump 29. Lacking wit or imagination 30. Fall guy 31. Historical periods 33. Foot digits 34. Murres 35. Not short 36. Kitty (poker) 38. Teach
41. 3 in Roman numerals 42. Relate 44. Chart 45. San Antonio fort 46. Gauge 47. A bed on a ship 48. Iridescent gem 50. Brother of Jacob 51. To tax or access 52. Ammunition 53. Jacket 54. Olympic sled 55. God of love
When I found the skull in the woods, the first thing I did was call the police. But then I got curious about it. I picked it up, and started wondering who this person was, and why he had deer horns.
MUSIC
2016: The Year the Music Died
The musical icons who left us this past year
By Ben Olson Reader Staff It’s been a tough year for music. In fact, so many beloved music icons passed away in 2016, it might forever be known as “The Year the Music Died.” Here are some of the most notable figures that went onto that great concert hall in the sky over the past 12 months.
Jan. 10: David Bowie David Bowie left a strange and beautiful legacy when he passed after an 18-month battle with cancer. His career spanned decades, giving us such hits as “Ziggy Stardust,” “Rebel Rebel,” and David Bowie. “Space Oddity” (and how can we ever forget his insanely tight pants in “Labyrinth?”). Bowie’s final album “Blackstar” was released just days before his death. He was 69.
Jan. 17: Glenn Frey The Eagles co-founder helped launch the “California sound” that dominated the airwaves for decades. Along with Don Henley, Frey co-wrote classics such as “One of These Nights,” and “Hotel California” that will be hummed for eternity. Frey passed away at 67 years old from complications Glenn Frey. from pneumonia, among other ailments.
came classics, and will probably play on dive bar jukeboxes until the end of time. “Okie from Muskogee” and “Fightin’ Side of Me” are among his most well known. Haggard died at 79 from complications from pneumonia. Merle Haggard.
April 21: Prince There will never be another Prince, that’s for sure. Prince’s music crossed genres of pop, rock and funk. His unflappable style and grace will always be remembered, as will his songs “When Doves Cry,” “Purple Rain,” and Prince. “Kiss,” among others. His shocking death at 57 almost broke the internet with sympathy, cementing his solid position as one of the leading influences in popular culture. He reportedly died from an opioid overdose from a pain medication called fentanyl.
Nov. 10: Leonard Cohen The poet, songwriter, activist and amazing human being Leonard Cohen left a lasting legacy on all those who listened to his music. The Canadian-born legend
gave us such classics as “Hallelujah,” “So Long Marianne,” and “Suzanne.” His smoky, cool voice and insightful, passionate lyrics revealed the depth of his career. It’s often said you can measure the influence of a musician on how many people cover their songs. If that’s the case, Cohen has probably spurred more beautiful covers of “Hallelujah” than any other song I’ve heard. He passed away in his sleep after falling down during the night. He was 82 years old.
Dec. 25: George Michael Growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it was nearly impossible to go a day without hearing one of George Michael’s infectious pop songs. After performing with the pop group “Wham,” Michael launched a solo career that gave us such hits as “Faith,” “Careless Whisper,” and “Father Figure.” The openly gay British pop singer sold over 100 million albums in a career that spanned four decades. He reportedly passed away from heart failure at 53 years old on Christmas Day.
This week’s RLW by Ben Olson
READ
I have been dismayed by the reemergence of misogyny this past year. One short story collection you probably should have read already is “Tell Me a Riddle” by Tillie Olsen. The seminal 1961 work is one of the first literary efforts that chronicled the life of working-class women. Olsen opened a window onto a world not often seen before in American literature and influenced a generation of women writers, including Margaret Atwood, Sandra Cisneros and Alice Walker.
LISTEN
My girlfriend and I collect vinyl records. Our Christmas this year was resplendant with the amazing albums we bought each other. One that she surprised me with was Tribe Called Quest’s “The Anthology.” Tribe Called Quest is to hip hop as Spike Jonze or Wes Anderson is to filmmaking. That is to say, they brought intelligence and wit to a genre rife with arrogant smack-talkers and hacks. “The Anthology” is a compendium of Tribe’s best songs, spanning over five of their albums. It’s fun to have in the collection.
WATCH
George Michael.
Crossword Solution
“Jason Bourne,” the latest film in the Bourne franchise, will give fans of the series another fix. The realistic, modern and sleek film brings Matt Damon back in his eponymous role as Jason Bourne, the former CIA assassin trying to find the answers to his existence. While the film sometimes relies too heavily on jump cuts and shaky camera action to give it that authentic, gritty look, if you liked any of the former Bourne movies, you’ll love this one. One criticism I have is that the plot is a little too similar to the other Bourne films. Overall, though, it was worth the buck fifty to rent it.
April 6: Merle Haggard Singer-songwriter Merle Haggard was known for being the voice for the working man with his grizzled country songs and personality. His ballads beLeonard Cohen.
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