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PEOPLE compiled by

Susan Drinkard

watching

“Were you naughty or nice this year?”

“I’ve been nice. Actually, more like 50/50.”

John Heise Construction Sandpoint

“Nice. I deserve a stock pot for Christmas.”

Lori Jasman School bus driver Priest River

DEAR READERS,

’Twas the night before deadline when all through the town, The shoppers were bustling with snow falling down; Stories were written with care by our staff, Who mostly receive kindness (but sometimes hear wrath); The skiers were anxious for a big dump of snow, With visions of powder turns and lift lines that aren’t slow; The downtown shops were all twinkling with care, In hopes we buy local instead of spending money elsewhere; The pets were all snuggled on their owners’ laps, Awaiting the treats and dinner table scraps; Let’s all be together, though socially distant, Let’s wear our masks to avoid this viral persistance.

Let’s crack open beers and celebrate all that is light, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

– Ben Olson, publisher

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Hannah Combs (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Racheal Baker, Bill Borders, Dawn Schatz.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Emily Erickson, Kathleen Huntley, Sandy Compton, Sen. Melissa Wintrow, Brenden Bobby, Ammi Midstokke, Ranel Hanson, Mike Wagoner.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID

“I’ve been nice, I hope.

I’d like to get clothes for Christmas.”

Erin Madrian Age 14 Baldy Mountain Road area and Spokane Valley

“I’ve been mostly good.

I don’t know. I am a shy introvert.”

Abigail Snow Age 8 Schweitzer Mountain

“Nice. We’ve been waiting all year.”—Brianna “We want a miracle for Christmas—for COVID to stop.” —Brooke Ages 9 and 7 Sandpoint

Subscription Price: $115 per year Web Content: Keokee 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.

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics.

Requirements: –No more than 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

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 artwork is by Hannah Combs, who has done the Reader Christmas covers the past three years now. Love your work, Hannah!

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NEWS

Idaho officials ponder vaccination queue

Health care workers, long-term care facilities first in line for COVID-19 vaccine

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Now that vaccines for COVID-19 have made their way to Idaho, health and government officials are working on how to most fairly and effectively distribute the highly coveted doses.

During an AARP Telephone Town Hall event on Dec. 22, Gov. Brad Little and Idaho Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen answered questions from constituents across the state — most of whom were curious about how, and when, they could receive the vaccine.

“The fact that we have our critical healthcare providers building antibodies every

second that we sit here today is a sign that we’ve really turned the corner,” Little said.

“It doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination, but given the efficacy of these vaccines … it really gives us great hope.”

Jeppesen said the state is currently working through phase 1A of its vaccine distribution plan, focusing on frontline health care providers and those working and living in long-term care facilities.

He said the Idaho COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory committee hasn’t yet finalized who will be vaccinated in phase 1B, but they will likely prioritize essential employees who are required to work with the public, such as teachers and daycare

workers. New federal guidance received over the weekend also suggested that people over the age of 75 be added to phase 1B, he said. “[The advisory board is] working their way through many, many groups, and as that information becomes available it will be published on our website,” Jeppesen said, referring to coronavirus.idaho.gov.

“We will share which groups

are going when and how to get that vaccine.”

Jeppesen said the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will continue to be shipped weekly to Idaho, and emphasized that the vaccines do not use a live or dead version of the virus to build antibodies in people — they are mRNA vaccines, which introduce a protein to cells which the body then learns to fight in the same way

Image courtesy CDC. it would fight off the virus.

Jeppesen said the most common side effect of the vaccines is soreness in the arm that receives the shot, but said the immune response to the vaccine can also trigger fatigue, body aches and sometimes fever. These symptoms should go away “in a day or two,” he

< see COVID, page 5 >

First COVID-19 vaccinations administered to BGH staff

By Reader Staff

Bonner General Health received its first doses of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination this week, specifically for frontline workers. The first six health care workers received their initial dose on Dec. 18. Employees were surveyed about whether they would like to receive the vaccine, requiring a second dose in 21 days. More doses are expected to be available in the coming weeks.

Bonner General Health received a total of 90 vaccines in its first round.

“We are grateful to be included in this first round of distribution and are encouraged and hopeful to see the vaccine more widely available to our staff and community in 2021. It’s the first step in getting control of this pandemic,” BGH CEO Sheryl Rickard stated in a news release.

ER physician Dr. Stacey Good was one of the first frontline workers at BGH to receive the vaccination.

“It feels a lot like voting. I not only see it as a right but a social responsibility.

If I get COVID, statistics are on my side that I will most likely be alright. But it’s not just about me; this pandemic was never about, individuals regardless of 4 /

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what was portrayed,” she stated. “I’m an ER physician; my average patient age is 70. I have in-laws and parents who have bad lungs, bad aortas and bad hearts. If they get COVID, they will not do well. I have seen when people don’t do well. It’s who I take care of and what I do every day in the Emergency Department.

“There may be side effects to this vaccine,” she added. “There may be politics that I don’t support behind big pharma supplying the vaccine, but the lives of those I love and the patients I care for are more important than all those things.”

Dr. Vince Huntsberger, who directs Emergency Medicine at BGH, vouched for the safety of the vaccine, and hoped for its widespread availability, “so we can get back to our normal lives and end this pandemic.”

“I feel the vaccine is safe and very effective,” he stated. “I would strongly recommend the vaccine to all eligible people.”

For more information about the vaccine, visit the CDC website at cdc.gov/ vaccines/covid-19 or Panhandle Health District at panhandlehealthdistrict.org/ covid-19.

Top: Emergency Department R.N. Doug Lambrecht receives one of the first vaccinations administered at BGH. Bottom: Russ Cash, R.N. (far left), and Jim Griffin R.N. (far right) administered the first vaccinations to employees at Bonner General Health on Dec. 18. Courtesy photos.

NEWS

Planning director Qualls leaves City Hall

interim contracting with Daren Fluke, with the Jacobs Engineering Group.

“Daren will specifically serve as our interim city planner,” she wrote. “Daren brings a wealth of experience to the city which will be extremely beneficial in this period of record breaking growth and development.”

According to Stapleton, Fluke recently served as the deputy director for comprehensive planning at the city of

Boise — a position in which he served for the past seven years, and worked on transportation planning and rewriting of the city’s zoning code. Prior to working for Bosie, Fluke served as site acquisition manager with Powder River Development Services, a senior planner with J-U-B Engineers, a planning manager for Ada County and a planning research associate for the city of Eugene, Ore. Fluke belongs to the American Institute of Certified Planners and served three terms as the president of the Idaho Chapter of the American Planning Association. He has also been a featured speaker at planning events, leading sessions titled “Priced Out: How planning and zoning affects affordable housing.”

Fluke begins his role at the city of Sandpoint Monday, Dec. 28.

“Our city planner is a very important position and does

play a crucial role at the city of Sandpoint,” Stapleton told the Reader in an email, noting that the position has been posted on governmentjobs.com, as well as the American Planning Association and Idaho Chapter of APA. Stapleton said that it will take three to four months to fill the position.

“Daren brings a wealth of experience to the city, which will be extremely beneficial in this period of record breaking growth and development,” Stapleton wrote.

Fluke isn’t the only southern Idahoan expert to work with the city; as Stapleton noted that since last summer the city has contracted with other Boiseans including Diane and Phil Kushlan, with Kushlan and Associates, who advised on the University Park subdivision application for the former University of Idaho site on North Boyer. Diane Kiushlan

“Now, I’ve said many times, that doesn’t mean it’s going to preclude me from doing something if we get to a point where [we’re] going to have to on a statewide basis.”

Idaho was the first state to publicly track how many vaccine doses had been administered across the state through its website, Jeppesen also announced during the AARP call. Officials reported that 5,665 vaccines were doled out in Idaho as of Dec. 22.

Panhandle Health District, which oversees the five most northern counties, has reported 1,733 cases of COVID-19 in Bonner County since March.

Currently, 564 of those are active. The county has also seen 13 virus-related deaths.

Among the positive cases in Bonner County during December is Bonner County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, who

confirmed with the Sandpoint Reader Dec. 21 that he fell ill early in the month and recovered.

“Had it, survived, been back at work for a week, life goes on,” Bradshaw wrote in an email.

Bradshaw, who has been a vocal opponent of the state and health district’s measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, said he “started to get a light headache and mild fever” on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 2. He called the commissioners’ office to inform them he wouldn’t be coming into work, “as per our policy,” he said. After a suggestion from Bonner County Human Resources personnel that Bradshaw call his doctor, he did, and his doctor suggested he get tested for COVID-19. He said he was tested that same day, received his positive results the

next day, and began to quarantine.

Bradshaw, who also serves as pastor of the Cocolalla Cowboy Church, said he “did not preach the following two Sundays,” deferring to the associate pastors at his church.

Bradshaw was also missing from the Tuesday, Dec. 8 county commissioners’ weekly business meeting and stayed away from the administration building during his isolation period.

“So life goes on and I have now graduated from ‘COVID University’ haha. The risk is real, the risk is small, and the choice is yours,” Bradshaw wrote to the Reader.

Bradshaw’s late-November effort to defund the Panhandle Health District in response to its multi-county mask mandate made news throughout Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, as

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

The city of Sandpoint bid farewell to longtime civil servant Aaron Qualls, who had worked as a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, a City Council member and, for five years, as head of the Planning and Community Development Department.

Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad noted Qualls departure from the city at the Dec. 16 meeting of the City Council, stating that Qualls “is moving on” to seek “new opportunities.”

“We really appreciate his service; Aaron was loved by everybody here at City Hall,” the mayor said, referring to Qualls as a friend and colleague.

Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton told the Reader that the city is in the

< COVID, con’t from page 4 >

said.

IDHW has reported 132,594 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Idaho to date, 1,717 of which were added Dec. 22. The state has also logged 1,313 deaths from the virus, over 500 of which occurred in long-term care facilities, Jeppesen said during the AARP Town Hall.

In response to a constituent questioning why Little had yet to enact a statewide mask mandate, the governor hinted that he may be willing to take that step, but will continue leaving those decisions to local authorities for the time being.

“I want people to choose to do it because it’s the right thing, and I believe that people’s inclination to make that choice is going to be higher if it comes from locals,” he said.

Aaron Qualls. Courtesy photo.

also assisted with the Cookman Subdivision hearing before the Planning & Zoning Commission.

A second hearing on this subdivision will be held by the City Council at its Jan. 6 meeting.

City Hall summed up Qualls’ years of service: “In addition to being our Planning Director, Aaron has served on the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council. He became an assistant city planner and ultimately the Director of Planning and Community Development,” remarked Mayor Shelby Rognstad. “Aaron is a good friend to me personally and to the City of Sandpoint. He has been a great colleague to those of us at City Hall and we all wish him the best in his new adventures.”

Qualls did not respond to requests for comment.

he argued the health district was infringing on people’s “right to breathe” and reaching beyond its statutory duty with the mask order. The board of commissioners struck down Bradshaw’s proposed motion on Tuesday, Dec. 1, as the county’s legal counsel discovered such an action to defund PHD would be illegal.

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NEWS

Schweitzer Ski Patrol reminds skiers not to duck ropes after avalanche Dec. 19

By Reader Staff The Schweitzer Ski Patrol reminded skiers not to duck ropes when terrain is closed after an avalanche was reported on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 19.

“We had Lakeside closed to Australia this morning,” the Ski Patrol wrote on social media. “People decided they could traverse back into closed terrain. One person decided to center punch what we call Jawbreaker and triggered [a] slide, but was lucky this time.”

The Ski Patrol said the crown was 18 inches deep and ran a couple of hundred vertical feet with a debris pile as deep as 5.5 feet.

After being notified by someone riding the Colburn Triple, the Ski Patrol responded with five patrollers and two dogs to ensure no one was caught and buried, taking them away from operating the mountain for at least 45 minutes. No injuries were reported.

“If gates are closed to a certain point, you are not allowed to access that closed terrain,” the Ski Patrol wrote. “Imagine an invisible fence running vertically downhill from the open gate. That’s why we closed terrain — people couldn’t follow the rules.”

Always ski within marked boundaries at Schweitzer and don’t duck the ropes or ski any terrain that is marked closed.

BoCo P&Z to consider mining code changes Jan. 7

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Long discussed and heavily opposed amendments to Bonner County’s Title 12 mining code are scheduled to see a public hearing Thursday, Jan. 7, as the county’s Planning and Zoning board will take up the changes after months of workshops and rescheduling.

The amendments introduce a new permitting mechanism called a certificate of zoning compliance, which is issued administratively by the planning director and does not require a public hearing — and therefore, no public input. Under the changed code, existing and temporary mining stone quarries, gravel pits, stone mills, and open pits would require only the zoning certificate; new permanent mining stone quarries, gravel pits and stone mills would require a CUP; and rock blasting would be allowed in any permanent quarry.

The version of the amendments finalized during the planning and zoning board’s Nov. 5 workshop are the ones being considered at the January hearing, and are available to review at bonnercountyid.gov. Head to the “Planning” page, click on “Current Projects’’ and select “File AM0011-20 — Bonner County — Text Amendment, Title 12.”

A hallmark of the entire process has been vocal community pushback from people concerned that the amendments will open up rural and agricultural areas of Bonner County to widespread and quickly permitted mining operations. An initially 6 /

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proposed change to the code that would have allowed asphalt batch plants outside of industrial zones without a conditional use permit — and, therefore, no public hearing — was eventually struck down due to widespread opposition.

Throughout the workshops, planning staff has maintained that the purpose of the amendments is to provide clarity to a portion of “vague” code. Planning Director Milton Ollerton told the Sandpoint Reader in August that Bonner County “continually gets asked to move out of the way of private property owners and the way they choose to use their property,” and that the certificate of zoning compliance is one way to make that happen. At the Nov. 5 workshop, while addressing community concerns about the code amendments, Ollerton said: “Mining is a part of daily life.

We need it. It belongs somewhere.”

The Jan. 7 public hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Bonner County Administration Building. The in-person meeting audience is currently limited to 10 people in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but people are welcome to participate in the hearing via Zoom or phone.

Information about how to join the meeting through computer or phone is available at bonnercountyid.gov/PZHearings. Comments can also be submitted ahead of time by emailing planning@bonnercountyid.gov.

For watching and listening purposes only, hearings are live streamed through YouTube on the Bonner County Planning channel.

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact.

A recent sampling: On Sunday U.S. Congress agreed on a COVID-19 relief package. It includes $600 stimulus checks for every adult and child, but less than that for people earning more than $75,000, and no checks for those earning more than $99,000. Federal unemployment will be $300 a week. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell’s liability shield to protect businesses from virus-related lawsuits was excluded, and the eviction moratorium was extended by one month.

Budget items including transportation, the Paycheck Protection Program, vaccine distribution and expansion of food benefits received an appropriation of $275 billion.

The U.S. Army chief of staff declared Dec. 18, “there is no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of an American election.” The Atlantic pointed out that such a statement should not be needed, but was in response to multiple media reports that President Donald Trump was making plans for a White House coup with advisers Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani.

A number of countries in East Asia and the Pacific have returned to near-normal living conditions despite COVID-19 — all without vaccines. TIME magazine reports those nations have suppressed the virus with testing, isolating those infected, quarantining those exposed, wearing face masks and avoiding crowds.

So far COVID-19 has cost the U.S. economy $16 trillion, according to TIME. Currently 40% of Americans have a pre-existing condition making them more vulnerable to the virus, and 9% have antibodies, per a Stanford University estimate.

Letting COVID-19 run free in younger Americans is expected to cause up to 2.5 million deaths. A study from South Korea shows as many as 90% of COVID-19 patients may have a lingering condition after recovery. The WEEK reports that those conditions can include extreme tiredness, concentration difficulties, or failing to regain senses of taste and smell. U.K research shows similar findings.

Vaccine distribution hit a glitch: The Trump administration blamed Pfizer for production problems; Pfizer says it shipped every load the government asked for and millions of doses are ready pending further instructions. But, according to NPR, Washington state officials were told they and other states would see a 40% cut in shipments. The uncertainty has made it dif-

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

ficult for managing distribution efficiently.

Trickle-down economics holds no value, according to a new study from the London School of Economics and King’s College London. The study reviewed data from “advanced economies” from the past 50 years. It found tax cuts mainly widened inequality and had no significant influence on jobs or growth. The study is already being referred to in U.S. Congress, where concern about how to rebuild an economy damaged by COVID-19 is under debate.

The International Monetary Fund said the global economy will shrink 4.4% this year. Kristalina Georgieva, head of the IMF, says reconfiguring the economy will require three things: recognizing that exiting the COVID-19 health crisis comes first, making sure support for a better economy does not see premature withdrawal and wise use of fiscal stimulus money. Of the latter she said climate change should be a key focus; job creation will involve bringing emissions down while putting people back to work. But she indicated that needs to occur without making the rich richer, requiring policy intervention and “more proportionality in taxation” that supports growth.

Halting construction of the Trump administration’s U.S.-Mexico border wall is expected to save $3.3 billion, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Building the 738 miles of new fencing was expected to cost $15 billion, of which a third came from Congress and the rest from the Department of Defense. The fence has cut through national forests, wildlife preserves and public lands and has been slowed where it involved eminent domain from private land owners. Four hundred miles have been completed. The new compromise pandemic relief bill included $1.4 billion for the wall.

Suspected Russian interference in the form of widespread government computer hacking did hit the National Nuclear Security Administration, The New York Times reported. So far there’s no evidence that critical defense systems there were compromised. The cybersecurity breach is said to be the biggest in more than two decades. Biden has promised action but, as of press time, Trump has said nothing about a White House response.

Blast from the past: “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” — George Bernard Shaw, 18561950, Irish playwright, critic and political activist.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

In with the new, out with The Office

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

Well, it’s official. The year of curveball after curveball, of perpetually adapting to the unknown, and during which the unprecedented steadily became precedent, is coming to a close.

If anything, 2020 will leave an imprint on our spirits, reminding us that resilience is something we call upon when we need it, even if we weren’t really sure it was there before we called. And by letting in this new year, and allowing it to hold weight, we’re collectively deciding that 2021 will be a year for hope. It will be 365 new days to reclaim normalcy and to reset our behaviours, but from a foundation of gratitude, rather than expectation.

Before we put 2020 to rest, however, we’d be remiss not to take a moment to reflect on what we’re leaving behind. It was a time for fear to demonstrate its uncanny ability to disrupt our routines, and for society to designate what and who are truly essential. It was a year when neighbors and friends were finally the heroes being recognized, and when the simplest of human contact became the most valuable thing of all. It was a year with space to stand up and fight for the things we should have been marching for all along, and a time to stop and assess the systems in which we’ve all been inundated. It was a year for science to inspire us, for nature to humble us, and for learning and relearning what it really means to be human.

This year has been a perpetually swinging pendulum, with periods during which I felt like

Emily Erickson.

I was thriving in my condensed form of existence, and stretches where I felt suffocated by the weight of the world around me.

It was a time for the growth and grounding I didn’t know I needed, and also a year where clinging to creature comforts felt like survival at times. I read more books, played more music and created more art than in years past, but also, watched more Netflix, scrolled more social media and consumed more news than ever before.

In heading into the new year, I’m hoping to take the pieces of myself to which I reconnected, and leave behind the bandaids for social interaction and human connection I’d hastily plastered on.

Supporting this endeavor, in a comically poetic transition away from 2020 and into 2021, is my regular pandemic companion and one of my biggest creature comfort go-tos The Office getting taken off Netflix on Jan. 1 — ripping off my Band Aid and hurtling me into a new era.

But before I say goodbye to The Office and the other less-desirable behaviors I picked up over the course of 2020, I can’t help but pause and wonder, “What would Michael Scott do?”

And really, “What would the entire Office do in the face of the year 2020?”

My first thought is, of course, of Michael. The fearless office leader and proud branch manager would undoubtedly get caught up in some sort of antiviral vitamin business pyramid scheme, and heartily answer all Zoom calls with a rotating lineup of backdrops, like outer space and the desert.

Dwight would insist upon showing up to work, but only donning a full hazmat suit he extracted from his ready-made pandemic bunker. He’d surely be convinced by Jim that he was hand-selected by the U.S. government to lead a COVID-19 task force, and leave his precious beet farm behind in the capable hands of Mose. Kevin wouldn’t be able to figure out the hand-knitted mask, made for him by Phyllis, and Ryan would be fully immersed in relaunching his media conglomerate, WOOF. Angela would be living her best life working from home, surrounded by her cats; Stanley would have relocated to Florida, remotely tuning in from his beach-front villa; and Creed would fade away into the distance, never to be seen again.

Whether your 2020 was more Ryan than Dwight, or more Creed than Kevin, I hope you ease into 2021 with as much love, laughter and shining hope as Jim and Pam’s wedding. I’ll leave you with a “Happy Holidays,” and (in my best Michael Scott voice), “See you next year.”

Courtesy image from The Office.

Retroactive

By BO

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PERSPECTIVES

Socks and other things that define adulthood

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Bouquets: • I’d like to give a big Bouquet this week to all the frontline health professionals that have served our community during these trying months of the coronavirus pandemic. I applaud you all for putting yourselves at risk to give people the health care they need. I hope for better days ahead soon, when you all get the rest you deserve.

For now, I wish you all happy holidays and a better new year.

• Do you enjoy the holiday lighting in downtown Sandpoint? I sure do. I walk downtown and feel surrounded by the warm glow of our little shire, even if some of us can’t seem to agree on a single issue. Special thanks to the city of Sandpoint for putting up lights every winter. My hope is that when driving through our lovely downtown, even the Scroogiest of us feel that twinkle in their eye at something that is simple, elegant, innocent and beautiful.

May we always find something to warm our hearts and let all the noise just fade away.

GUEST SUBMISSION: • “Thank you to Darian Kinney at Sunshine Goldmine for her time and expertise in turning scrap gold into a significant amount of money for the Community Assistance League to be used for our upcoming grants and scholarships. Darian is a knowledgeable and professional jeweler who went above and beyond to help with this transaction.”

– Submitted by Marilyn Haddad, Jewelry Lady at Bizarre Bazaar.

Barbs: • Barbs on Christmas? Nah, even I don’t have that bleak of a soul. Merry Christmas, everyone!

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The passage from adolescence to adulthood is marked in different ways for everyone. For some it’s when they leave home, get a place or perhaps start a first big job. For others, it’s a combination of little things that creep up and make us realize we aren’t kids anymore.

Which brings us to socks. Kids have received socks as Christmas presents for ages. When we’re young, opening up that festive present to see a 12 pack of white tube socks isn’t exactly a bell ringing moment of yuletide pleasure. But a curious thing happens as we age out of those awkward teenage years and start trying this whole “adult” thing on for real.

The First Bank of Mom and Dad cancels our accounts and we’re suddenly left with the realization that if we want nice things, we have to pay for them ourselves.

It’s at this point when opening a present containing Smartwool hiking socks isn’t met with the groans of yesteryear, but instead a triumphant fist pump. After all,

who can afford to spend $30 on a single pair of socks?

Other moments pile on over the years that confirm that we ain’t young anymore. Like when you’re standing in front of the ice cream aisle salivating over what flavor you’re going to purchase and some weird inner voice starts chiming in: “You don’t really need to get ice cream. It’s full of sugar and fat. Go buy some rice cakes instead.”

Or when you put a six-pack of beer on the counter at a gas station and they don’t even ask for your ID. Or that moment you catch yourself saying, “When I was younger, this is how we did it...” and you’re not being ironic.

Or the first time you send your taxes to your parents so they can prepare them and they reply with a link to H&R Block.

Or how about when you suddenly get really into using a slow cooker, and start compiling recipes?

Or for that matter, when you look up a recipe online and realize you have everything in the pantry to make it.

When the hell did I purchase 3 cans of condensed milk? Oh well.

Then there’s that moment

when you realize pop culture is passing you by and you don’t care.

So what if you don’t get that reference the office millennial drops.

They were three years old when 9/11 happened, so there.

Don’t even get me started on high school reunions, too. Who the hell are all these old people that used to be our teenage friends? Do I look like that, too? In what alternate reality is the dumb jock who used to tease and bully underclassmen now a doctor with two children?

Then there’s the moment when you realize you aren’t looking forward to partying with friends, but instead coming home to your quiet space, fixing a good dinner and watching absolute crap on Netflix until bedtime. Whoa, when did bedtime become 10 p.m.? That’s when I used to walk down to the bars on Friday night.

Perhaps adulthood is met when your first close friend gets married and has children, or you yourself begin to think, “Yeah, I think I want kids,” and you don’t have to rush to the bathroom to vomit.

Finally, there’s that poignant moment when you realize all the

One more Christmas Eve

stuff your parents warned you about wasn’t just them worrying for no reason – it actually happens. Bad credit haunts you. A car’s engine will in fact explode if you don’t change the oil. No matter how bad we think we had it growing up, there are, in fact, people who have had it much worse.

It’s a curious thing to look back at photos of your parents when they were the same age as you are now. They always looked so old, so confident, so adult. But then you realize that they probably didn’t know what the hell they were doing at the time – just like you – but they made it work. Just like you.

Becoming an adult means finding empathy for your fellow men and women. It means making tough choices that aren’t sexy. It means doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. It also means accepting the unfairness that is life, but not succumbing to it.

It can be depressing when you realize you have more miles behind you than in front of you, but hey, at least there are socks to look forward to on Christmas.

Or, an 11-year-old ponders Dec. 24

By Sandy Compton Reader Contributor

Can you smell it? You remember.

Rows of magic electric embers glow upon verdant tinseled boughs The fragrance fills the winter house Gifts piled on the felted cover Carefully wrapt by loving mother ’round thawing stem of sacrificial tree.

The clock in the hall marches on marking every moment while in your prepubescent brain, sacrilege is foment.

Midnight. All is still.

You have never heard such silence, And likely never again will.

Hunted down through frozen fields an ermine forest finally yields a balsam fir with perfect top to grace a house with Christmas.

Dragged by father for yards — or miles through billowing, glittering frozen piles Stood against the parlor wall, Braced against some sudden fall, Flat side in to hide its faults Underneath it, St. Nick’s vault, Perfection in imagination.

The loveliest tree to proclaim salvation, Ever.

You wait.

There are cookies on the shelf For the jolly scarlet elf But doubt is planted wide and deep For want of knowing, you could not sleep.

You sit sentry on the stairs.

Caught between Magic and pragmatism Truth calls like steel to magnetism But you decide that you’ll believe For at least one more Christmas Eve.

Dawn. The cookies are gone.

You wake on the landing at first light.

Someone’s covered you in the night.

The stockings are full and much more.

A boot print on the parlor floor?

And there is that thing you asked for.

Parked beside the tree.

The younger siblings descend with glee, Singing Santa’s praises.

Could it be? You guess you’ll see What doubt next Christmas raises.

Sandy Compton’s newest book, The Dog With His Head On Sideways and Nineteen Other Sappy Sentimental Stories, will be in local bookstores in January. It is available for preorder now at bluecreekpress.com/books.

PERSPECTIVES

The caduceus We should all ‘do no harm’

By Kathleen Huntley Reader Contributor

When he was barely 18, and unable to vote in this country, my late husband had a caduceus tattooed on his upper right arm. He turned 18 on a Navy vessel headed for Korea, where he was assigned as a corpsman with the Marines on the front line. It was the Korean War, 1952, and his pride in his new occupation was strong. A life saver rather than a life taker.

That caduceus, the symbol of medical help, was seen by many men wounded in rice paddies and rocky cliffs where this young man, just a boy, labored night and day to save them. And he saved many.

When one couldn’t be helicoptered out because of a weight imbalance, my husband strapped himself on the opposite skid so they could fly the wounded marine to safety. Night and day, he was devoted to the sick, the wounded and the dying.

Ironically, he was shot in that tattooed arm the day the Korean War ended. The bullet missed the caduceus, however several surgeries were required before he could return to duty. He came home to the United States and continued as a Navy corpsman in Cuba during the revolution and in Alaska during the earthquake there

in 1964 — the caduceus ever present on his arm. The symbol of help, the symbol of healing that goes back to the Old Testament and Moses.

Years later, when the young man grew older, he chose a career change, that as a tree trimmer. One day, before he was able to snap his safety harness he passed out and fell. He fell as dead weight — chainsaw and all, roped to his side — through the 2-by-4’s of the patio below him, crushing, among many parts, his upper right arm. Multiple surgeries again were required. When the first one was unsuccessful another attempted taking bone fragments from his hips, failing to heal, then trying again.

Each time the incision for these surgeries was meticulously made down the middle of the Caduceus tattoo, the surgeons carefully cutting on the line of the proceeding opening. When the surgeries were complete the closing surgeon took additional steps and effort to put each inked spot back to its proper place in the design. A complicated symbol broken and reassembled on elastic flesh over and over again.

I can imagine working on a symbol of everything you stand for. Your chosen career, a career to heal, to “do no harm”

— the caduceus.

This year we have witnessed thousands of dedicated people like my late husband. They may not have a visible symbol tattooed on their flesh, but it is imprinted on their hearts. They are working long hours, placing their own bodies in the line of fire just like the corpsmen on a battlefield. They are no less heroes hanging in to give balance to the skids, to flatten the curve of a vicious viral enemy; an enemy that is global and apparently non-selective.

All they ask of us, as fellow soldiers in the battle against the pandemic, the crisis of an earthquake, is “do no harm.”

Respect the caduceus as the surgeons did on my late husband’s arm — the one you see on the EMT ambulance, the one you see on their uniform patches. They are working unselfishly and asking us to help them and your loved ones in a simple way.

Help them, and help each other by wearing a mask. It is the right thing to do.

It is the unselfish thing to do.

Kathleen Huntley lives in Hope.

Editor’s note: While the U.S. military has in the past used the caduceus for its medical corps personnel, contemporary medical professionals — including EMT’s — use the rod of Asclepius (one snake wound around a rod, rather than two snakes coiled around a double-winged rod).

The caduceus was originally chosen for military use in the mid- to late-1800s because of its ancient Greek associations with trade and expedition, being the staff carried by Apollo — noting that it marked out medical personnel as noncombatants.

There also seems to have been a fair amount of plain old confusion when the caduceus was first adopted (with many people conflating the two symbols), and has been changed by the military in recent decades to the rod of Asclepius (though out of tradition the U.S. Army Medical Corps still uses the caduceus).

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Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Coins hold a special place in the hearts of many Americans, though the average person doesn’t know the origin of most of the bits of metal jangling in their pockets.

Did you know that America didn’t start minting its own coins until 1792? That’s a full nine years after the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War. What did people do before that?

Well, it turns out they mostly traded with the money from other countries, including England, France and Spain, especially. In fact, the word “dollar” originates from the leeuwendaalder (or “daalder”), a Dutch coin used by the colonies in the 1700s.

Managing a number of different currencies must have been a confusing mess, which necessitated the creation of the Coinage Act of 1792. This act allowed for the establishment of the U.S. Mint and the beginning of a long history of minting American coins. There was a snag, however — gold wasn’t plentiful on the East Coast, so minting gold coins was a difficult process. To retain value in trading currency, Americans continued to trade with Spanish coins well into the 1800s, when Americans pushed west toward California, where they scratched, stole and scrounged vast fortunes of gold.

There are still a number of very old and rare American coins circulating between collectors and institutions. Some were printed by mistake, others as a ruse to impress foreign dignitaries for a single event and others were simply lost to time. Here are a few coins that I thought had some pretty interesting backstories.

The 1861 Confederate half-dollar If you were to really dig deep into 10 /

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the history of the American Civil War, you would see a lot of flared emotions and irrational thinking.

The story of the Confederate States’ money highlights this.

As the CSA seceded and sieged Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C., its leaders seemingly shrugged at their lack of precious metal reserves. Instead, the Confederate States hedged their bets on winning the support of European allies that utilized the American South’s cotton plantations for importing cotton. This was a bet that was not in the South’s favor, as the means of acquiring the aforementioned cotton came from the torturous labor of slaves — forced into that “peculiar institution” of America, which had already been abolished in several major European countries, notably England, France and Russia.

Despite the Confederacy’s bad planning and ineptitude, it managed to print a small number of coins, including the 1861 Confederate States Half-Dollar.

It is believed that just four were minted in New Orleans, and they are now valued at around $960,000.

The 1804 Silver Dollar, or The Draped Bust Dollar This coin is a curious specimen. Despite bearing an 1804 date, it was actually minted in 1834 at the order of President Andrew Jackson (arguably one of the cruelest and most destructive men to ever hold the office). This particular type of coin was printed at least three different times, though its primary function in 1834 was for diplomatic reasons, likely to impress foreign dignitaries just four years after Jackson had convinced Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcibly — and murderously — relocated

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american coins

tens of thousands of Indigenous people throughout the American southeast to reservations in Oklahoma. This relocation earned the shameful, yet apt, moniker: “The Trail of Tears.”

One 1804 Silver Dollar sold for $4.1 million in 1999. Only eight of the first batch minted in 1834 are known to exist.

The 1974 Aluminum Penny, and the 1943 Copper Penny These pennies, though unremarkable in appearance, are both very interesting historical items with unique stories of their own.

The United States was in the middle of the second World War in 1943. Virtually all production in America was being utilized for the war effort — not even currency was spared, as copper was shifted to production for essential radios and motor components, among other materiel — items that would be vital if American troops were to win a global war on two fronts.

Because of this, the production of copper pennies declined during this time, and only a handful have been found today.

Though not as thrilling of a backstory as global war, the 1974 aluminum penny also highlights American ingenuity. The price of copper rose sharply in 1974 — it was a drastic enough change that the cost to produce the penny was higher than the value of the penny itself. This isn’t an uncommon occurrence, as the price of copper as a commodity throughout American history has been seen as an indicator of the health of the economy, and as a predictor of growth.

However, it didn’t make a lot of sense to spend money to mint something worth less than the material you’re making it out of, so the U.S. government produced a number of pennies from other types of metals, including aluminum, which was handed out to a number of high-ranking

government officials. Unlike most test coins, these pennies were never returned to the mint and are believed to be privately circulating today.

You never know what may be sitting in your piggy bank. That grungy penny you got from the gas station could be worth more than your house.

Stay curious, 7B.

Bottom left: The 1861 Confederate half-dollar. Bottom middle: The 1804 Silver Dollar. Top left: The 1943 Copper Penny. Top right: The 1974 Aluminum Penny. Courtesy images.

Random Corner mas?

Don’t know much about christ

We can help!

• First recorded in 1038, old English provided the word Christmas from Cristes mæsse, which means “Christ Mass.”

• Every year, Europeans decorate about 50 million live Christmas trees and the United States about 35 million.

• The origin of stockings being hung on Christmas came from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes full of food for St. Nicholas’ donkey, which would then be filled with small gifts by St. Nicholas.

• The tallest living Christmas tree in America is the 161-foot tree in Coeur d’Alene. The star placed at the top is 10 feet tall. The grand fir is located at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

• During a Christmas feast hosted by King Richard II of England in 1377 CE, 300 sheep and 28 oxen were consumed.

• A “grog” is any drink made with rum; hence the name for the egg, cream, nutmeg, and rum drink “eggnog” which originated in 1607 in Jamestown, Va.

• Christmas trees were banned

by President Teddy Roosevelt in the White House in 1901 because the president was concerned about the environmental effects, but his sons decorated a small tree cut on the White House grounds and hid it in a closet until Christmas morning.

• The people of London receive a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square from the people of Oslo, Norway every year to thank them for their assistance during World War II.

• Ever wonder about the string on a box of animal crackers? Introduced around Christmas in 1902, the string was intended to be used to hang the cracker boxes on your Christmas tree.

• A “sugar plum” featured in Christmas poems and songs was a type of candy with dried fruit, usually a plum, and spices rolled into a ball and coated with chocolate or hard sugar candy.

PERSPECTIVES

Use Idaho’s excess revenues to save lives, not more money

By Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise Special to the Reader

last year and earlier this year, state agencies are hanging on by a thread and so are our citizens. I have been getting emails from people who can barely make a living, pay What if you were hanging on the edge the rent, or find medical care, especially of a cliff and your friend leaned down and those elderly folks in independent living started rapping hard on your fingers, at the situations who can’t find in-home services same time telling you it will be alright? due to the nursing shortage and wage crisis.

Unfortunately, that’s what some Idaho polHealth care, education, medical resourciticians are doing to citizens who are trying es, criminal justice and other vital services to access vital services in this pandemic to keep from completely falling off the edge of will be on the chopping block once again.

Excessive budget cuts, a revenue surplus, a financial cliff. increased federal funding and an unconIn fact, in the face of unprecedented trolled pandemic have not convinced the revenue surpluses, last week Gov. Brad Little proposed a tax cut, spending on trans- Republican leadership to invest in programs that keep Idahoans healthy, improve our portation and an inappreciable tip of the economic resilience, prepare students for a hat to education, instead of investing in our state and our citizens when we need it most. competitive workforce, and save lives.

The Idaho Legislature is hoarding There was no specific mention about how taxpayer dollars in the rainy day fund while we can support teachers stretched beyond asking Idahoans to keep hanging on; help capacity, nor on how to support the strain will be on the way, someday… on our health care system beyond trying to The dollars in the General Fund are our bribe unmasked Idahoans to take heed and tax dollars that the Legislature should use to do the right thing or their tax cuts will be reinvest in our communities when we need eaten up in the health care system. There it most. We currently have $600 million was also no clarification about who would in estimated excess revenue, $630 million be receiving a tax cut, leaving Idahoans in rainy day and reserve funds, more than worrying that they’ll be paying more taxes $100 million sequestered in the internet to supplement for additional cuts for the sales tax fund and, after a CFAC decision wealthiest taxpayers. this week, $150 million more freed up in I won’t ask politicians to read between the General Fund from federal reimbursethe lines, I will spell it out: We need to ments for public health and safety. invest in our hospitals, Medicaid, medical The Idaho workers, health care health care system system and housing “The Idaho Legislature is hoardis on the brink of preservation. I have ing taxpayer dollars in the rainy crisis and falling heard politicians prothe cliff; Repose gutting Medicaid day fund while asking Idahoans off publican politicians expansion when it has need to stop rapto keep hanging on; help will be already saved lives and ping on our fingers saved money! Hospion the way, someday…” and find ways to tals are on the brink

– Sen. Melissa Wintrow help us, not make of rationing care due more cuts or spend to the rising number in the wrong places. Idaho will not be safer of COVID cases because we can’t require with fewer medical staff, fewer people a simple facial covering and limit social insured, fewer hospital resources and more gatherings to reduce strain on the system people homeless. Schools will not be able to and reduce financial costs. Yet those same people are discussing how they can cut vital get students up to speed after this tumultuous year if they don’t have enough teachers health care for our front line workers at a and cut other education resources from their time we need health care the most! paper-thin funding.

Nothing screams crisis like hospitals Idahoans are hanging on for dear life, being forced to decide who gets lifesaving and Republican politicians need to do more care and who doesn’t, but Idaho Republithan strategize better ways to push us off cans tap a little harder on your fingers and the edge of the cliff. We need to invest in put a BandAid on a gusher. It looks like the our citizens and lend a hand up in this overgovernor will ask the Legislature to slash whelming crisis. the state’s budget again despite another revenue surplus. Those cuts mean fewer Sen. Melissa Wintrow represents Boise services, longer lines, reduced customer District 19, Seat B, as a Democrat. service, less access to the things you need.

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By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor

Really Secession? Seems like kind of a hassle. So you’re thinkin’ like, drawin’ a line right through the middle of the U.S. and sayin’, “OK, all you conservatives on this side and you liberal types over here.” Reminds me of some kind of a game in grade school.

Well OK, so if it’s a horizontal line, one half would just have the northern section and the other, the south half. Wait a minute, for some reason I don’t like the sound of that.

How ’bout a vertical line, right down the middle of the heartland? That

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way both sides would have a lot of farmland to grow food. Each would have a long coastline for fishin’ and playin’ Frisbee. They could each have their own government.

You know what, that sorta would be an interesting experiment to see if after some time goes by both sides are happy and things are workin’ out good. Or if at some point some folks on one side would start wantin’ to be on the other, you know, start tryin’ to sneak across the border.

Interesting…

We’ve enjoyed publishing your photos on this sporadic Photos of the Week page in 2020. If you ever snap a photo and say, “Hey, that would look cool in the Reader,” please send it our way. We always love to see the varied scenes and people that make up this community.

To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to: ben@sandpointreader.com.

! s a m t s i r h C y r r e M Right: Santa Claus stands with Mrs. Claus and three of their top elves after visiting with children at the Cedar St. Bridge in Sandpoint. Photo by Racheal Baker.

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Conquer the Outdoors Again Office Located in the Ponderay Walmart Vision Center Call and make an appointment today: 208.255.5513 December 23, 2020 /

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HEALTH

A grain of salt

A health column... sort of

The distillation of family

By Ammi Midstokke Reader Columnist

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When my granny died, I was half a world away in India. I had seen her just days before at her home in Oregon, where she pressed a copy of All Creatures Great and Small into my hands. I took her to dinner at The Olive Garden. A child of the Great Depression, she ordered enough food to eat for a week and we left with several to-go boxes. It was her last meal, and as far as last meals go, I suppose that fettuccini alfredo is a fine choice.

My granny — who never let me call her grandma — was the matriarch of my family. She had raised five children, or at least tried. Her two daughters passed away young (seizure, cancer) and she was left with three strapping boys. My father was the youngest. I grew up knowing my uncles at Christmas, and hearing of the occasional milestones in my cousins’ lives. They had teen pregnancies or got married or moved east.

When Granny died, I heard even less.

I have spent a decade mourning her loss. She represented all things good.

Hard work, integrity, patience, stoicism, truth, doing the right thing. Her cooking was awful, but largely a byproduct of a heart attack in the ’80s that left her kitchen devoid of cholesterol. Still, my fondest memories are of her walking through her kitchen with her flannel shirt and a dish towel draped over her shoulder, threatening to bake cookies.

So when my motherless cousin, Tammy, called me this summer as her partner faded into the Great Beyond, I packed up my own daughter and flew to Tennessee. It was the right thing to do.

My Uncle Tom came to do his best to care for his daughter as she convalesced from her dying partner (alcohol).

She had a 6-week-old baby on her

hip. Uncle Tom knew what she was going through.

Tammy’s mother had died when Tammy was just 3 (also alcohol).

When Tom’s tears came, they were for the long journey ahead, a lifetime of wondering why and the struggles of self-worth that remain in the heart long after the mind knows better. I stood in the air-conditioned trailer with him, Tennessee heat sweltering outside, aching with empathy for the knowledge he held. And for the first time in my life, I knew my uncle.

I had seen him at weddings, on summer vacations, at Granny’s house unwrapping Christmas presents. He was the goofball with about as much depth as a teaspoon. I was pretty sure he had never had an emotion complex enough to cause tears. Then I remembered I had only seen Granny cry once, when she told me that her daughter had died on Mother’s Day and that she’d just lost her favorite photo of her.

And in that moment, I saw my absent granny in his eyes and in his strength and I realized she had never and could never really leave us. We were just part of her distillation process.

Some weeks later, my phone rang and my Uncle Ted’s number appeared.

In my 40 years on this planet, he has never called me. Assuming there was another death, I answered the call with an intrepid “hello.”

He called to ask for a piece he’d heard I’d written and to have me remind his brothers of their irresponsible lifestyles. He said “mature” with a hard “t” like Granny. In fact, he spoke just like her — from the intonation of words

to the lecture on adult obligations. He even had the same uncompromising values about work ethic and retirement.

Then I remembered years earlier when I’d visited him and he had walked around the kitchen with a dish towel on his shoulder. Also, a canned ham had been made for dinner.

His son came to visit this fall. I hadn’t seen him for more than 25 years. He had just been a thick kid in a tracksuit back then. Now he was an ink-covered father of a charming toddler. When she laughed, her eyes twinkled with mischief, like Granny’s in her childhood photos or when she talked about getting pulled over by the cops for speeding, again.

My family has all the glorious dysfunction and raw love of any generation of humans fated together by DNA and common history. We have trauma and addiction and abuse, more than one mental health disorder, a few real diamonds (Granny being the crown jewel) and the Norwegian heritage to be pretty good at cards. Those of us who remain connected do so out of genuine interest and appreciation — or what my dad wisely calls “being relevant,” which as far as I can tell, is of far more significance than “being related.”

In a year when we have lost so much, when our ways to nurture and celebrate the bonds we have with each other have been threatened and challenged, even severed, I have found myself overwhelmed with the blessings of an accidental refinement process. I have discovered I’m actually relevant to some fantastic people, as they are to me.

I’ve been given the opportunity to know them for who they are, not just their place in our family tree. While we may not be sitting in Granny’s living room with a camcorder running as we open thrift store presents and pretend the bran muffins are delicious, I know we’re all just beginning to unwrap a much grander gift. Each other.

Ammi Midstokke can be contacted at ammimarie@gmail.com.

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

A slick endeavor

Teachers spearheading Clark Fork ice rink project offer the community outdoor winter fun

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Ice skates and hockey sticks collecting dust in the garages of North Idaho could have a new life thanks to efforts in Clark Fork to build an ice rink for the school and community.

Clark Fork High School teachers KC MacDonald and Kyle Olmstead are leading the charge for the project, which is drawing on donations of skates, hockey gear and money to give students and community members a new winter activity.

MacDonald lived and taught in Alaska before coming to Idaho in the early 2000s, and said he’s been asking CFHS Principal Phil Kemink for 15 years to make an ice rink happen.

“This year, for some reason, it went to the top,” he said.

After getting the green light from administrators, MacDonald looked into buying a large tarp on top of which the homemade ice rink would be installed. Thanks to community donations, he was able to purchase one from Minnesota for $1,000. The tarp is now laid out near the CFHS football field, located behind the school on Stephen Street.

With the tarp in place and winter well on its way, Clark Fork’s ice rink needed one more major component: water. With the help of Clark Fork Mayor Russell Schenck and approval from the City Council, the school is partnering with the Clark Fork Fire Department to deposit thousands of gallons of water onto the tarp in the coming months.

MacDonald and Olmstead envision the rink as a hub for kids willing to try their hand at a perhaps unfamiliar sport, and possibly as a home for an after-school hockey program.

“We just want the kids to learn how to skate,” MacDonald

said, “and what better way than when you’re chasing a puck?”

Olmstead said he remembers “skating late into the night with friends” in high school, and wants to create those same opportunities for his students.

“Why shouldn’t our kids have the same opportunity to create those fond memories as well?” he said. “I think this is just the right medicine for our current climate.”

Speaking of climate — the literal kind — the Clark Fork ice rink will depend on some seriously chilly stretches of weather to create a skatable surface.

MacDonald said that despite the reliance on Mother Nature, the ice rink is here to stay.

“Every year that we can do this, we will,” he said.

Once the shiny rink is ready

to be christened with the blades of learners and skating veterans alike, maintenance will be a responsibility the school is ready to take on — with the help of students in the CFHS fabrication class as they create a makeshift Zamboni.

“I brought in my old riding lawn mower and they are stripping it down, going to repaint it, the whole nine yards,” MacDonald said. “[They’re] putting LED lights on it — just making it cool as heck. Then they’ll put a tank on the back for water, and that’s how we’ll hot mop [the ice rink].”

Long in the making and now hopefully a reality once colder days are here to stay, the Clark Fork ice rink is undoubtedly a full community effort.

“This year, everytime we

had contact with anyone about getting this ice rink started, they were just as excited as we were,” Olmstead said. “Our district administration, Clark Fork Booster Club, fellow CFHS staff, city managers, the mayor and many others, have all thrown in an incredible amount of assistance to help [make] this dream a reality.

To all of you — thank you.”

Top: The ice skating rink starts to take shape in Clark Fork. Bottom: A fire truck sprays water onto the tarp in the beginning stages. Photos

by Dawn Schatz.

To donate ice skates, hockey gear or money to purchase safety gear for the Clark Fork ice rink project, contact Clark Fork High School at 208-255-7177.

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HOLIDAY

The 11th hour

Gift ideas for the Christmas finish line

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

According to Business Insider, there are 11 common traits of highly intelligent people: they’re adaptable, they understand how much they don’t know, they are curious about the world, they’re open minded, they have a lot of self control, they’re really funny, they have deep empathy for others yet are solitary, they can connect seemingly unconnected ideas, they think about the Big Questions and — most important — they procrastinate. A lot.

Taken together, these traits are those of the last-minute Christmas shopper. So don’t feel bad if you’re looking at your loved ones’ wish lists and realizing you need to launch a Christmas Eve blitz to make their holiday dreams come true.

You’re not feckless or lazy, you’re just highly intelligent. Draw on your innate powers to pull through for Dec. 25.

Here are a few ideas, from one habitual 11th-hour shopper to another, all local of course because at this stage in the game, Amazon can’t help you.

Wine and beer Pend d’Oreille Winery (301 Cedar St.), MickDuff’s Brewing Co. (419 N. Second Ave./220 Cedar St.), Idaho Pour Authority (203 Cedar St.) We’re not talking about actually buying wine and beer; rather, the gift that keeps on giving: a big bottle that can be refilled with wine, and/or a growler that can be topped off with the suds of your giftee’s choice.

Speaking from experience, I was gifted one of the Pend d’Oreille Winery’s big Bistro Rouge bottles last year, and it has been an unexpected boon. After 10 refills you get a freebie, and the price is right: you get about two bottles of Bistro Rouge for around $18, which is pretty close to “buy one get one free” at area grocery stores.

Likewise, getting a growler from MickDuff’s or Idaho Pour Authority gets you more (and better) beer for fewer dollars, with the vessels containing about four beers-worth.

Prices vary, but you’re probably looking at about $20 for a standard bottle or growler. There are fancier options, of course, and they too are worth every penny.

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Jewelry Sunshine Goldmine (110 S. First Ave.) I’m going to admit to a bit of bias here, as owners Darian and Matt Kinney are dear friends of mine. Objectively speaking, however, I have never once gone wrong by stopping into their shop.

They have sparkly bits for any budget and any taste — from birthstones to diamonds; gold and silver items in rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings; and, among my favorites, the Lake Pend Oreille pendant necklace expertly crafted

by Matt. I bought one of these for my wife last year, and it’s among her favorite pieces of finery (there’s a really nice version on sunshinegoldmine.com with a price listed of $145).

Darian is an absolute genius at helping customers figure out just what their loved one(s) will like and, bonus, the gift wrapping is second to none.

Weaponry Big Five (615 N. Fifth Ave.), North 40 (477181 US-95, Ponderay) OK, this might just be my family, but my brother and I have a thing where we buy each other weapons for Christmas.

This might sound bizarre, but hear me out. One year I got him a crossbow from Big Five (only cost me about $70) and he liked it so much he got me one, too. We had years of fun with those things. Another year, I got him a tactical tomahawk — great for backyard ax throwing around the

fire or for utility in the woods (as I recall, it cost about $40). North 40 has a Gerber Gator Kukri machete for only $49.99, which I would have purchased for my brother if I hadn’t already scored something else, which I don’t want him to read about. No matter what, any true North Idahoan needs an ample supply of blades for adventuring in our nearby wild areas.

Curios and gimcracks Foster’s Crossing (504 Oak St.) Highly intelligent people have highly intelligent friends and family; and, in my experience, highly intelligent people have a taste for interesting, antique and otherwise niche objets d’art. When I’m in doubt about any gift — for any reason — I wander the floors and nooks and crannies of Foster’s Crossing with an eye out for anything unexpected yet perfect to cross my path. In years past for my friends and loved ones I’ve purchased a Kenyan Maasai lion hunting club, an intricately carved cane, antique glassware, flamboyant brooches (including one bearing the likeness of Catherine the Great), a Hemingway-worthy Royal typewriter and many other curiosities. Beyond all that, Foster’s has vintage clothing, records, books, toys, assorted implements, artworks, comic books, old toys, decor… you name it. I recently achieved “weird gift” apotheosis when I gave Reader Publisher Ben Olson an antique whaling harpoon as an early 40th birthday present (he enters middle

A cozy winter scene in downtown Sandpoint.

Photo courtesy Sandpoint Shopping District. age on Saturday, Dec. 26, just so you know). I didn’t get it at Foster’s, but if you’re going to find such a thing anywhere, you’ll find it there. You just never know, and that’s the beauty of it.

Dinner Various locations This might seem like you’re phoning it in, but I can assure you, nothing telegraphs your regard quite like buying a gift certificate to cover dinner at any of our fine local restaurants. For my own 40th birthday in September, my dear family purchased a load of lobster rolls from Baxter’s, and it was one of my favorite gifts. Also, not long ago, I was given a gift certificate to Beet and Basil and covered the cost of a full, sumptuous meal, which I heartily enjoyed in the comfort of my own home. Again, it filled my belly and warmed my heart. I had the same enjoyment from gift certificates to Utara, Eichardt’s and Bluebird Bakery. Any of our fantastic local restaurateurs will gladly sell you a gift certificate in any amount, and I strongly suggest that you take them up on it. Not only does it help them — and where would we be without them? — but it’s an especial treat these days when dining out in person is much more, shall we say, “complex” than it once was.

OUTDOORS

Dirt-y Secrets Amaryllis, pumpkins and a story about a coot

By Ranel Hanson Reader Columnist Hello winter! It is nice to know that our shrubs, perennials and bulbs are tucked in until spring. House plants are safe inside and need only water and light to thrive. And, did you know that Christmas cactus blooms way better if it spends the summer outside in a shady area? A porch nook with no direct sun is ideal. Of course, you should fertilize in the summer, too. I use fish emulsion and Mary’s Alpaca Poop (maryspoop.com).

We talked about the lovely amaryllis last time. They are so beautiful and so easy to grow. I have two this year, one is pictured here and the other I am hoping will be in its prime by Christmas. I am told you can get them to rebloom, but I have never had success with that. Maybe next year I’ll try the front porch for summer technique. You can Google their care and get all kinds of instructions about dark and light and temperature — none of which have worked for me. Instead, I buy a new one or two every year.

Meanwhile, December is the time for wreath making. Around here, we are lucky to have as many evergreen boughs as we need and they are easy to find. You can use all kinds of evergreens as well as holly, rose hips, dried flowers and grasses, pinecones and lots of other natural materials. And it is fun to collect them and to build a beautiful wreath for your front door. I usually add a pretty ribbon and a hanger and display it proudly.

If you still have Halloween pumpkins hanging around, you have choices. You can add them to your compost pile, you can throw them away or you can feed some hungry deer, who love nutritious pumpkins. I either throw them down from a high place (the most fun) or break them open with an axe. Best to put them in the woods, because you will lure hungry deer to your yard and your garden if you place on your property.

Amaryllis and pumpkins! And now… coots.

I want to veer from gardening and tell a story about a coot. While on my daily walk in my neighborhood, I came upon a little coot that was lying in the snow. She was alive but seemed to be

hurt. She couldn’t walk and couldn’t keep her balance. A passerby told me she had been dropped by an eagle an hour before. I picked her up (I call her a her) and thought I would take her to the edge of the water so that she could rejoin her flock. I carried her to the water’s edge and put her down near her flock. To my surprise, she immediately turned and hobbled back to me.

I picked her up, took her home, found a cozy box and began some research that I was hoping would tell me what to do to help her. Finally, a friend suggested the Heritage Wildlife Foundation in Clark Fork. I had never heard of them and maybe you haven’t, either. What a wonderful organization. I took my coot there and the volunteer, who is medically trained, examined her and told me she would get a more thorough exam and the care she needed.

At that point, I just hoped she could survive. I know, some people would say “she’s just a coot and eagles probably eat 100 per day.” True enough, but she was a fellow creature in shock and pain, so it seemed like the right thing to do. Long story short, she was treated with antibiotics and painkillers. We don’t know if there were puncture wounds because, to find out, feathers would need to be removed which would necessitate keeping her for the winter (she wouldn’t be able to fly). She livened up, grew strong enough to eat and drink after just a few days, and she was reunited with her flock. Happy ending.

The American Heritage Wildlife Foundation is powered strictly by volunteers.

And they need more volunteers — and money. You can donate directly, volunteer or support them by buying items on the website (ahwf@sandpoint.net). You can also vote for them at the Findlay Motors website, which might get them awarded $2,000. The internet signal at AHWF is weak so you must call and leave a message if you want more information: 208-266-1488.

Diverse subject matter, for sure. Be safe and well.

Photo above: An amaryllis flower.

Courtesy photo.

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events

December 23 - 31, 2020

wednesDAY, December 23

The Prom film (Dec. 23, 24, 26, 27) • 5:30pm @ Panida Theater Check panida.org for showtimes for each night Ski with Santa (Dec. 23-24) • 1-3:30pm @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort Catch Santa cruising around on beginnier and intermediate runs, passing out candy to all the good boys and girls!

Santa at Cedar Street Bridge • @ Cedar Street Bridge Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Bridge – carousel.sandpoint@gmail.com for info

THURSDAY, December 24 FriDAY, December 25

Merry Christmas!

SATURDAY, December 26 Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Spend some time with the Piano Man and special gust Vienna Soleil

SunDAY, December 27

Piano Sunday w/ Dwayne Parsons 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery An afternoon of grand piano

Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “10 Minutes to Live: Now What?”

Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience

tuesDAY, December 29 wednesDAY, December 30 Midnight Sky film (Dec. 30-Jan. 3)) • @ Panida Theater A post-apocalyptic tale. See showtimes at panida.org

ThursDAY, December 31

New Year’s Eve!

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Santa spotted preparing to leave the North Pole

Sources say it should be an ‘on-time departure’ this year

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported it has spotted Santa Claus and his sleigh pulled by a team of flying reindeer readying to disembark from the North Pole for the annual worldwide trip to deliver presents to good boys and girls.

According to a NOAA spokesperson, Santa’s ground crew had been conducting all the relevant safety checks throughout the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 23 and is expecting an “on-time departure” Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24.

There was a short delay the morning of Dec. 23, as the ground crew reported difficulty adapting the reindeer to the extremely cold temperatures experienced during high altitude flight, but

Christmas officials are happy to report that they have now begun their final checks before Santa’s annual flight.

“We usually see Santa enter the atmosphere over North America by around midnight Christmas Eve,” a spokesperson told the Reader. “His route sometimes varies over the years, but we generally expect him to start in Alaska, cut south to Hawaii and make his way east toward the Northwest and across the continental U.S. Flying at supersonic speeds, Santa usually finishes his route well before dawn on Christmas morning.”

A source at the North Pole told the Reader that Mrs. Claus issued a statement to her staff of elves telling children of the United States to check with their parents before leaving the usual midnight snack for Santa, as he was watching his weight this year.

Avenues for Hope fundraiser is stepping it up for North Idaho charities this holiday season

monDAY, December 28 Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

COMMUNITY

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The 10th annual Avenues for Hope fundraising campaign kicked off the holiday season on Dec. 10 with a mission to help 80 nonprofits that provide critical housing and supportive services to Idahoans in need.

The Home Partnership Foundation and Idaho Housing and Finance Association organized the online fundraising campaign, which ends Thursday, Dec. 31, benefiting chronically and temporarily homeless, domestic violence survivors, veterans, people with disabilities, vulnerable youth, seniors and low-income Idahoans.

Since 2011, Avenues for Hope has raised nearly $4.4 million. The 2020 campaign has set a goal to raise $1.5 million.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is putting an enormous strain on far too many Idahoans who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads,” said Gerald Hunter, president of Idaho Housing and Finance Association. “The money we raise this year will help participating nonprofits maintain and expand their housing

and homelessness prevention services during this time of crisis.”

Through Dec. 31, donors can direct their tax-deductible gifts to one or more participating nonprofits at avenuesforhope.org.

Participating nonprofits in North Idaho include: Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse; Bonner Community Housing Agency; Bonner County Homeless Task Force, Inc.; Family Promise of Lewis Clark Valley; Family Promise North Idaho; Family Promise of the Palouse; Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho; Kaleidoscope Community Services, Inc.; Lake Pend Oreille School District; LC Valley Youth Resource Center; Moscow Affordable Housing Trust; Palouse Habitat for Humanity; Safe Passage; Sojourners’ Alliance; St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho; The Salvation Army of Lewiston; and Union Gospel Mission.

Bonner Homeless Transitions told the Reader it has raised $5,000 and counting, and hopes for more, as the organization was unable to host its Little Black Dress fundraiser this year due to COVID-19.

To donate or to learn more about the fundraiser, visit avenuesforhope.org.

STAGE & SCREEN

Christmas in character Christmas episodes put the holiday spirit into these over-watched and well-loved TV shows

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Better than classic Christmas movies are the Christmas episodes from the TV shows we know and love. Beloved characters reveal their holiday hang-ups, gatherings force tense relationships to breaking points and the sentimentality of the season keeps the drama high.

The following are a few of my favorites from series I’ve (regrettably) rewatched several times.

Gilmore Girls: “The Bracebridge Dinner” (Season 2, Episode 10) The whimsical and weird characters of Stars Hollow are on full display in this classic episode, which occurs over Rory’s Christmas break from school. It’s complete with dinner and a show at the Independence Inn, sleigh rides and great one-liners from the likes of Sookie, Luke and — of course — Lorelai. Plus, almost every major relationship in the series sees some play in this episode. The show’s writers packed a lot into this one, but it’s pretty easy to do when the characters talk this fast.

Grey’s Anatomy: “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” (S. 2, E.12) I know I’m not alone in my belief that early Grey’s is the best Grey’s. In this melancholy holiday episode, the interns are burnt out on work and personal relationships and are coping the best ways they know how — Meredith is depressing and Izzy is decorating the crap out of their house. The couple we all love to hate — Christina and Burke — have to work out some religious differences, while McDreamy’s not-so-dreamy relationship with his recently reappeared wife is on the downhill slide. What makes this episode a classic is the scene where Mer, Izzy and George all lay under the Christmas tree — disenchanted, but together.

How I Met Your Mother: “How Lily Stole Christmas” (S. 2, E. 11) Lily is busy decorating the apartment for Christmas when she and Ted discover a voicemail on the old message machine from when Lily left Marshall and they broke up the previous summer. As Future Ted — the narrator — retells the story to his children, he won’t repeat what he called Lily on the message machine, but instead uses the word “grinch,” which the viewer surmises must be a stand-in for “bitch” — or worse. Lily

An iconic scene in Grey’s Anatomy’s Season 2 Christmas special. Courtesy photo. is furious, “steals” Christmas (takes all the decorations away), but friendship is ultimately restored by a thoughtful gift.

New Girl: “LAXmas” (S. 4, E. 11) Who doesn’t love the themes of friendship and camaraderie around the holidays?

New Girl is rife with those feel-goods, and especially in the Christmas episodes. This one, from Season 4, rises to the top. The gang waits for their respective flights at LAX, with Winston and Nick headed home to Chicago, Cece and Schmidt infiltrating the VIP lounge (ultimately leading to Schmidt calling a slimy rich man a “dirty ol’ bitch” for trying to make a pass at Cece), Coach agonizing over choosing a solo trip to Hawaii rather than seeing his family, and Jess headed to London to meet her very wealthy boyfriend’s family. This episode features an angry and hilarious airport employee, a thieving airport bar Santa and a seriously funny Schmidt sequence.

Supernatural: “A Very Supernatural Christmas” (S. 3, E. 8) This episode goes down in history as a watershed moment in the Supernatural fandom, and also as the series’ only Christmas special. It owns its place as one of the show’s most memorable episodes for a number of reasons. First, something about the idea of pagan gods living among us and making under-the-radar human sacrifices tends to stick with a young viewer (i.e. me).

Secondly, the flashbacks in this episode reveal young Sam and Dean spending the holiday alone in a motel while their father hunts monsters. While Dean knows the realities of their situation, it’s during these flashbacks that he finally tells his younger brother about the family business — the profession that finds them tied to chairs in the pagan gods’ kitchen some years later.

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FOOD

A family tradition Oven-baked apples I remember my mom making this recipe around the holidays. I think she got it from her mother, but it’s a fairly common dessert from the old days that just about anybody can make their own with a few personalized touches. It’s a bit like eating the filling of an apple pie, but it’s also a touch healthier because it’s missing the crust. To keep this dish naturally sweetened, you can substitute coconut sugar, stevia or maple syrup for brown sugar.

Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious and Jonagold are all varieties of apple that are best suited for baking, but any of your favorite types should work — my mom always used Granny Smiths.

Mom’s meatloaf As a child, my idea of traditional meatloaf was skewed. In fact, I failed to fully appreciate my mother’s meatloaf recipe until I was launched into the real world of horribly dry and flavorless versions of the dish.

This meatloaf is unfailingly moist and delightfully sweet, perfect with potatoes and the veggie of your choice on the side. This is not a holiday-specific recipe, but we’ve taken to making it for special occasions in my household.

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DIRECTIONS:

INGREDIENTS: • 4 large baking apples • 1/4 cup brown sugar • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 tbsp butter • 3/4 cup boiling water • squeeze of lemon Optional additions: rolled oats, chopped pecans, currants or chopped raisins, berries

Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit Rinse and dry apples, core them with a sharp paring knife or apple corer. Leave the bottom 1/2 inch of the core intact to hold in the stuffing.

Place the brown sugar, cinnamon, additional toppings and small chunks of butter in a bowl and mix well. Spritz the mixture with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Place apples in a baking dish or roasting pan and stuff each with the sugar mixture. When stuffed, put a bit of extra brown sugar on top, then finish with a dot of butter.

Pour boiling water in the bottom of the baking dish and bake at 375 F for about 30-40 minutes, until apples are cooked through and tender. Don’t overcook them or the apples will turn out mushy.

Remove the apples from the oven and baste them with the juices from the pan.

Don’t forget a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.

By Lyndsie Kiebert

DIRECTIONS:

INGREDIENTS: • 1 cup Clamato • 1 cup herbed bread crumbs • 2 eggs beaten • 1/4-1/2 cup chopped onion • 1-2 cloves garlic minced • 1 1/2 teaspoon celery salt • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper • 1 1/2-2 pounds burger and sausage (I use 1 pound elk burger, 1 pound pork sausage)

Zach’s cranberries I’m a middling cook, though I love to cook. For me there is no middle ground — true to form — I either roast a duck or broil a leg of lamb, or I peel a banana and toast some toast. Yet, when it comes to the holidays, in my family, I’m the Cranberry Guy. The only dish they trust me with, I’ve spent more than 20 years fiddling with this recipe. This bitter little berry has my heart, and I put all the love that I have in my bitter little congested heart into it.

By Ben Olson

The Reader staff shares some of their family’s traditional holiday recipes

By Zach Hagadone

INGREDIENTS: • 2 bags of bog standard cranberries • 2 cups sugar • 1 pomegranate-worth of seeds • 2 hefty glasses of sparkling wine • 1 1/2 hefty glasses of sherry (not that cheap Fairbanks stuff) • juice of 2 lemons • zest of 1 lemon Optional addition: • In years past I’ve zested ginger in this recipe. Try it; you’ll like it.

For topping: • 1 package of bacon • 1 cup ketchup • 3 teaspoons dry mustard • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar (Yes, this is wildly specific. My mom swears it is the perfect amount.)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except meat, then mix the burger and sausage together well before adding other ingredients. (According to my mom, the best mixing is done by hand.) Press into a 9” x 9” pan. Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces and place evenly on top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. While baking, mix the topping ingredients, then spread on top after initial baking time and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

DIRECTIONS: Don’t throw away the cranberry bag. It has the directions on it, which include boiling two cups of water — one for each bag — and two cups of sugar, again, one for each bag of berries.

Bring to rolling boil, stirring with regularity to render up some simple syrup, then dump in the berries.

Turn down the heat to medium. Let those bad boys bubble. Once they get mushy, introduce the pomegranate seeds.

A note on pomegranate seeds: It took me a long time to realize the easiest way to extract pom seeds is to quarter the fruit, then throw it into a big bowl of water. In the water, pick out the seeds. They’ll sink to the bottom as the pulp rises to the top. Strain off the pulp using a slotted spoon.

As to the cranberries, stir and stir; let them get good and saucy. Once optimal sauce status is achieved, pour in the sparkling wine and the sherry. Have some for yourself while you’re at it. Turn down the heat to low-medium and squeeze the lemons into the mix. Stir some more. After 15 minutes or so, zest the lemon right on top. Let that simmer on super low for maybe 5 minutes, then remove from the stove. Cover and put in the fridge until they’re cold and congealed.

MUSIC

Bravo!

The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint’s feathery mascot Amadea provides smiles to students

By Reader Staff

Most students at the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint know that the “someone” shouting an enthusiastic “Bravo!” from down the hall of the MCS when hearing music, may or may not be an instructor. In many cases, most likely, it is MCS’ much beloved African Grey parrot “Amadea.”

For students at the Conservatory, the integration of somewhat unusual support animals that may join lessons is a common occurrence. There is little Miss Sophie, instructor Sarah Caruso’s dog who hangs out with students and has her own fan base.

You will find her in all of Sarah’s lessons — or, she may just say “hello” in the office.

Last year, a more unusual and new “staff” member joined MCS: Amadea, a baby African Grey Congo parrot. African Greys are spectacular mimics and excep-

Bella Noté Music Studios will be introducing two new adult beginner classes starting in January, 2021. These will be a part of the Adult Recreational Music classes that are intended to help adults learn more about music without the pressure of ongoing lessons or solo performances. Instrument options include ukulele, guitar and piano. Additionally, entry-level ukulele and guitar classes will be offered specifically for teens beginning in February. These classes are designed for beginning players and require no prior experience with music or the instrument.

Classes will be structured in a way that is well suited for both true beginners and those who have played before and would like to

READ

For those seeking to satisfy the humbug in us all, might we suggest the Charles Dickens novella The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain?

This lesser-known work is like a bizarro version of A Christmas Carol, but not as cheery. In Haunted, a brooding chemistry teacher is visited by his ghostly doppelganger. He turns in his bad memories for bitterness, which then spreads to everyone around him. Huzzah!

LISTEN

tionally intelligent. Training began almost immediately and now it’s not uncommon to hear “Bravo!” from Amadea, as well as sounds of a phone ringing, voices engaged in conversation and even a copy machine sound — all expertly mimicked by Amadea.

Endless laughter is a guarantee with Amadea’s antics. Parents, when enrolling their children, never need to worry about their kids growing bored while waiting for a class to begin. Students are

often found being mesmerized and talking to Amadea, who of course loves all MCS students, but probably most appreciates the attention.

Right from the beginning, Amadea has joined voice lessons.

Now, MCS is beginning to hear a hint of a vibrato as she aspires to learn some vocal exercises along with the students.

“Most children have never seen a bird like this before and the joy these exchanges bring is difficult to describe — so come by

Left: Amadea the African Grey Congo parrot is always willing to lend an encouraging word to MCS students. Right: MCS students share some quality time with Amadea at the Conservatory. Courtesy photos. some time and say ‘hello’ — and be prepared for a ‘hello’ that will sound just like you,” said Karin Wedemeyer, executive director of MCS. To learn more about the music programs at MCS, visit sandpointconservatory.org.

Bella Noté adds new instructor, classes

By Reader Staff

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

refresh their skills. Instructors are Rebecca Budai for piano and new instructor Mich Lewis-Sorensen for ukulele and guitar.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mich Lewis-Sorensen to the Bella Noté Family,” studio organizers stated in a press release.

Lewis-Sorensen started singing in choirs at age 5 and began playing guitar and piano in elementary school. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in biology with a music minor from Sonoma State University. Lewis-Sorensen also plays ukulele, cello and fiddle, and has just started learning banjo.

She was the president of Southern Oregon Songwriters’ Association for four years and is the current president of the North Idaho Songwriters’ Association. You can find some of her originals at michlew-

is.bandcamp.com.

Lewis-Sorensen began teaching private music lessons in 1997 and has taught group guitar and ukulele classes since 2004.

“She looks forward to sharing her passion for music and helping you have fun becoming a musician — you’re never too old to learn,” the studio stated.

Ukulele and guitar classes will be held on Monday and Wednesday evenings, respectively, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Bella Noté Music Studios (1205 US-2 Suite 103).

Class fees are $60 for a four-week session. Recreational Music for adults on piano will be Tuesdays at 6-7 p.m. Piano class fees are $145 for an eight-week session (including materials). The piano class can be paired with guitar or ukulele as a 12-week package as

Mich Lewis-Sorensen. Courtesy photo. well. Adult classes start the week of Monday, Jan. 4.

Any of these group classes are available to give as a gift to someone this holiday season.

To sign up, or for more information, visit bellanotesandpoint. com or FB.com/BellaNoteSandpoint.

We have a Christmas record at home that sounds like a demented old grandma escaped from her nursing home and broke into a church to play “Silent Night” on a huge pipe organ. The vibrato and instrumental warmth this odd Christmas record provides was enough for me to seek out more of this vintage organ holiday music on YouTube. Just search “vintage Christmas organ music” and you’ll be in for a treat that is half dystopian carnival, half holiday cheer. Tidings of comfort and joy!

WATCH

Sometimes, instead of watching a whole Christmas movie, we’ll put on a few different Christmas-themed episodes of our favorite TV shows. It got me thinking about what the best TV Christmas episode would be.

Contenders include The Golden Girls “Have Yourself a Very Little Christmas,” Seinfeld’s “The Strike” (which brought us the term Festivus), and The Office’s Season 2 “Christmas Party,” to name a few. But my favorite would have to be the “Christmas Cheers” episode from Cheers. Call me old-fashioned, but there’s just something merry about spending Christmas in a seedy basement bar with a bunch of soused half-friends and surly co-workers. Warmest regards!

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BACK OF THE BOOK

The bow box

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

From Northern Idaho News, Dec. 25, 1923

PRISONERS GET SMUGGLED BOOZE As the result of an investigation made yesterday by County Attorney A.P. Asher and Sheriff F.A. Hanson, upon orders from the probate court, Ed Huntington, an alleged I.WW . . prisoner at the county jail, faces fresh charges for violation of the prohibition laws. The offense with which Huntington is charged occurred, according to the formal complaint, during the time since his incarceration in the jail here, August 14. He was being held for prosecution under the syndicalism laws. Huntington had been released, but had not left the jail when the booze probe began, adn now is in fresh difficulty with the law.

It is alleged, in connection with the case, that Huntington had received whiskey smuggled into the county jail. A report which was spread to some extent within the past day or so, is to the effect that Huntington was generous with his “imported” booze and that a couple of the prisoners became rather wild Friday night, the result being a fight in which one of hte inmates was somewhat battered up before the fiasco was stopped.

Immediate investigation by Sheriff Hanson put a stop to the importations but the “modus operandi” of the smuggling did not come to light until today, when the charge against Huntington was filed.

“Because of unusual circumstances surrounding the affair,” said Mr. Asher yesterday afternoon, Sheriff Hanson concurring, “It is inadvisable to make the entire details public at this time.”

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Like so many naive and ever-so-slightly conceited teenage girls growing up in the 2000s, I had a blog.

It was a free Wordpress domain with an obscenely long URL and a chronological scroll-through feed, upon which I wrote oddly personal things and then launched them into the void. It has long since fallen into the recesses of the internet, but some of my sappy writing is almost worth revisiting, if you can forgive a little melodrama.

The following was published on the blog in December 2013 as young Lyndsie reveled in the holiday spirit. I know my mom loved it when she read it then, so I wanted to share it with everyone else this year.

Merry Christmas, Mom. Finding home in a box of bows December 22, 2013 This post is about a box. An old boot box, previously home to a pair of big brown rubber boots. The box is white, with red and blue bold letters which have faded over years of use. However, the box hasn’t held those boots since the moment they were unwrapped.

This box has developed a new use. It is full to the brim with Christmas bows.

Red, green, blue, silver, gold, and my favorite: pearly white. All sizes — some fit for a jewelry box and others prepared to adorn a bike. Some new, yet to have their backs unpeeled and placed upon a gift.

Others old, used and reused, yet somehow still blemish free and ready for another

STR8TS Solution

Christmas morning appearance.

As I sit cross-legged on my parents’ bed and glance across the spread at this old box, it hits me. This box, it’s always been there, on the floor of the living room on Christmas morning as we all open present after present.

And the bows, they are diligently selected to match the paper, or the gift enclosed. Then, after we are careful to detach the bows, we rip away the paper and toss it aside. When I was younger, I would choose my favorite and stick it to my head, only to look back on pictures and realize I looked ridiculous wearing that bow on my head all day. But for some reason, I never stopped.

My mom is partial to other bows.

“Wait,” she’ll say. “Put that one in the box.”

And so we would. We’d toss the favored bow into the boot box and forget about it until the next year.

“I’ve always liked this bow,” my mom will say when we wrap gifts. “The blue sparkles look good with this paper.”

Why am I so attached to this box, and these bows? I am not sure I can say.

It’s just the feeling I get, after I’m done wrapping my sisters’ presents, and I get to pick a bow for each one. Or when my mom likes a particular one, I want to remember it so I can use it on her present the next year. Of course I can never remember which one it was. So I do my best to guess.

Again, this year, the faded white boot box will have its place on the living room floor while we all sit in a circle and take turns opening gifts. Bow after bow will be judged and possibly worn, and most likely tossed back into the box to wait out the next year in anticipation of another

Christmas. I think we all have these little, seemingly insignificant things that make our homes and memories ours and ours alone.

I hope to one day have my own collection of bows, held in my own old boot box. It would be my own little piece of home. My child will proudly hold up the bow that graced their gift and wait for mom to determine its fate.

“I love the pearly white ones,” I’ll say.

“Throw that one back in the box.”

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution One thing kids like is to be tricked.

For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. “‘Oh, no,’” I said. “‘Disneyland burned down.’” He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

plotz

Woorf tdhe Week

By Bill Borders

/PLOTS/ [verb - used without object] 1. to collapse or faint, as from surprise, excitement, or exhaustion.

“Your dad is going to plotz when he hears I’m pregnant again.”

Corrections: In last week’s edition, the press release about the Panida’s bricks contained some factual errors, according to Susan Bates-Harbuck, who said, “We sold over 1,000 bricks, not 300. I should know, I was there and helped stamp the names in the first 394 of them. And about 400 survived, not exactly a ‘vast majority.’” Thanks for the correction, Susan. –BO

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. A type of coffee 6. River of Spain 10. Conspiracy 14. Sheeplike 15. Boyfriend 16. Sister of Zeus 17. Homes for birds 18. Not straight 19. Arab chieftain 20. Exact opposite 22. Central points 23. Not in 24. New Zealand native 26. French for “Boy” 30. Sacred hymn 32. Scallion 33. Fetches 37. Thunder 38. Propose 39. Agreeable 40. Merge 42. Wavelike design 43. Considers 44. Brilliance 45. Nonrigid airship 47. Deity 48. Chimney channel 49. Familiar 56. Acquire deservedly 57. Defeat decisively 58. Freight 59. Not now 60. Modify 61. “Bye”

Solution on page 22 62. Anagram of “Sees” 63. Bristle 64. Expire

13. Sailors 21. Barbarian 25. Former boxing champ DOWN 26. Mongolian desert 27. Nameless 1. Spanish lady 28. Violent 2. Not odd disturbance 3. A box or chest 29. Funny woman 4. Against 30. Vermin 5. Decorate 6. A common green newt 31. Anagram of “Ties” 33. Wander 7. Honey insects 34. 8 in Roman 8. Hindu princess numerals 9. Outmaneuver 35. Beige 10. A remarkable 36. Views development 38. Makes ready 11. Bushbaby 12. Small African antelope 41. Precious stone

42. Physical examination 44. A state of SW India 45. Feelings of boredom 46. Entices 47. Minim 48. Celebration 50. Cypher 51. Resign 52. Nil 53. Journey 54. Prima donna problems 55. An amount of medicine

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