April 2017 The River Journal

Because there’s more to life than bad news

A Newsmagazine Worth Wading Through

Sustainable

Farming:

is it Possible?

Mountain Cloud Farm is giving it a Try

April 2017 • FREE

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April 2017

A News Magazine Worth Wading Through ~just going with the flow~ P.O. Box 2656 Sandpoint, ID 83864 www.Facebook.com/RiverJournal (Webpage under redesign) 208.255.6957 • 208.266.1112 RiverJournalIdaho@gmail.com

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THE RIVER JOURNAL • April 2017 •

6. FOOD SUSTAINABLE IN THE INLAND NORTHWEST. Mike explores what it would take, and interviews a pair who’s trying it. MIKE TURNLUND 8. SUNDAY SOUP AND SOUNDS There’s a lot going on in Hope on the weekends. KATHLEEN HUNTLEY 9. QUINOA This trendy pseudo-cereal is something you can grow in your own backyard. NANCY HASTINGS - GET GROWING 9. GROW YOUR OWN MUSHROOMS Workshops in Coeur d’Alene 10. GEARING UP FOR FAIR -The fair turns 90 this year. Here’s a look at what’s in store - and how we got here. - TRISH GANNON 11`. GETTING SMART. New technology for your home is getting downright convenient. DUSTIN GANNON 12. HARBINGERS OF SPRING. Mike introduces us to five local beauties who remind us spring is at hand.

MIKE TURNLUND - A BIRD IN HAND 14. A LOCAL’S VIEW OF THE SCOTCHMAN PEAKS. Raised in its shadow, Sandy explains why the Scotchmans should remain wild.

SANDY COMPTON - THE SCENIC ROUTE 14. COMMUNITY CONCERNS Answers to some misconceptions about what wilderness designation looks like in practice.

17. OUR ANNUAL BLOOD SPORT. David explains that the school supplemental levy is just a bandage on a larger wound. DAVID KEYES - AS I SEE IT 18. LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP. Gil looks at what the Idaho legislature did - and did not - accomplish this session.

GIL BEYER-HERE IN THE MIDDLE 19. FEDERAL BUDGET PROPOSAL. A budget with little support for research may have an impact on veterans with Parkinson’s. A.C. WOOLNOUGH - ALL SHOOK UP 20. A NEW KID IN THE HOUSE When you walk into the animal shelter, sometimes the dog picks you.

ERNIE HAWKS - THE HAWK’S NEST 22. BERMA SAVE. We all speak (sometimes not nicely) to other drivers on the road. Scott writes road signs for them. SCOTT CLAWSON - ACRES N’ PAINS

Our Thanks to these fine businesses where you can pick up a copy of the River Journal: Athol Burger Express Hay’s Chevron Noxon Athol Conoco Sandpoint City Hall Monarch Market Big Sky Pantry Westmond Sandpoint Super Drug Clark Fork Beverage Aitken’s Quik Stop Westmond Store Gas n’ Go Samuels Noxon Mercantile Sagle Super 1 Foods Samuels Service Station Trout Creek Sagle Conoco Ponderay Elmira Trout Creek Local Store Sandpoint The Hoot Owl Cafe Elmira Store Thompson Falls Waterfront Conoco Babe’s One Stop Naples Town Pump The Panida Theater Co-Op Country Store Naples Gen. Store Harvest Foods Vanderford’s Books The Bonner Mall Bonners Ferry Plains Eichardt’s Schweitzer Conoco Super One Foods Conoco DiLuna’s Cafe Hope Safeway The Printery Columbia Bank Holiday Shores Bonner Books Dairy Depot Clark Fork Bonners Visitor Center April 2017

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Becoming Food Sustainable in the Inland Northwest A little bit of acreage just a bit off the beaten path; enough room to pasture a cow or a pig; nice southern exposure for a garden near the house; room for chickens to roam. This is the dream of many who move to our area of northern Idaho and western Montana, thinking that they will be able to live a sustainable lifestyle. But is it really possible to live a food (at least) sustainable life here?

It’s a long spectrum from starvation to sustainable, and the answer to that question depends on where on that spectrum you find yourself to be comfortable. If you’re an avid coffee drinker (like I am), and plan to keep drinking coffee (like I do), then no, complete sustainability is not possible in our Zone 5B to 6B climate. But if you’re willing to settle for something other than the normal American diet, then at least some level of sustainability is likely possible.

Let’s back up for a minute and define what I mean when I talk about food sustainability. This is the practice of providing all your nutritional needs by yourself; that means not relying on the handy grocery market that ships in food from out of the area, though one could be partially sustainable by purchasing some food items that are produced, in full, locally.

Breigh Peterson and Darren Cloud of Mountain Cloud Farm in Clark Fork, Idaho are substantially food sustainable.

Breigh said that she and her husband, Darren, were able to grow enough food not only for themselves—a family of two—but also for ten families over the winter and fifty families in the summer.

It is important to note that this is about requires eating seasonally; that is, what can be produced fresh during our 100-120 day growing season, and eating or preserved foods for the rest of the year. Their farm (mountaincloudfarm. com) currently has one acre in vegetable production and one acre in fruit production, as well as rotationally grazing their livestock on 40 acres.

I admit it, I’m a fooder. Or at least a fooder wannabe. A fooder is sort of like Page

a prepper, but instead of stashing away supplies for the “end of the world,” I want to take my backyard gardening and chicken raising to the next level.

That is, I want to raise all of my own food—fruit, vegetables, and meat—for every meal of every day for my family.

So, what do I need in land and other resources in order to meet this goal?

I have gardened for years. I come from a family of garden raisers and I’ve passed on the habit to my own children.

But my gardening has always been of limited production. Sometimes we’ve been able to can a few month’s supply of tomatoes or store away dozens of squash and a couple sacks of potatoes.

But I’ve never produced enough fruit

Expect it to be hard... and vegetables to last through a winter, let alone anything approaching a year.

What would it take to do that?

The Internet was an obvious first step in answering this question. But there is money to be made in selling “self-sufficiency” and it is a virtual quagmire attempting to separate legitimate information from marketing ploys.

One legitimate source was Home Farmer magazine out of the UK. They specialize in working with small-lot farmers who are attempting to do the very same thing that I want to do. Here is what I learned.

Fifteen acres is considered a “reasonable” amount of land to provide for a family of four, although they were careful to note that “some people manage quite well with a lot less, but much of this is due to location.” Point taken. But 15 acres is a good-sized chunk of land. Here is their reasoning. If one is going to be self-sufficient in food production, this must include raising food for one’s livestock, whether cows, pigs, goats, or chickens. Animals need to eat and if their food must be purchased, it defeats the intent.

I am not a vegetarian. If you are,

by Mike Turnlund and you want to be sustainable in food, your calculations will be different (and will rely much more on preserving your harvest).

Small Farms Canada was another source I accessed for information on self-sufficiency. They state that a family of four requires 830 pounds of fruit and 970 pounds of vegetables a year.

They estimate this much fruit can be produced in an orchard requiring 400 square feet of land and a vegetable garden of one–and-a-half acres. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a big garden!

They do qualify their numbers as extremely ball-park.

According to the editorial staff of Home Farmer, a cow is the “hub of self-sufficient living.” The main reason for keeping a cow is for the milk, which can also be converted into all sorts of wonderful things such as yogurt, cheese, and ice cream (I added this last one). To ensure a year-round supply of milk, a family of four or more would require two cows, as milking must be alternated. They estimate these two cows will require one- and-a-half acres of pasture.

But cows, like other livestock, need to be put up for winter when pasture is not available. They state that on average a cow requires half of a small bale of hay a day during the winter. Budgeting for 180 days of not being on the pasture, give or take, each cow will require about one hundred small bales of hay. But a bit extra should be on hand in case of a late spring.

This begs the question: how much land must be set aside to raise hay?

Their answer: one hundred small bales of hay can be cut from an acre using natural fertilizers. And even a modest amount of artificial fertilizers will increase that yield. So, to keep two cows over the winter two acres of land will need to be dedicated to hay production.

Small Farms Canada states that a single cow will produce about 280 gallons (1050 liters) of milk when producing, but noted that milk production is not year-round. (Thus the above recommendation for two cows.)

April 2017

Breigh and Darren strive for sustainability at their farm in Clark Fork. Courtesy photo.

In contrast, a dairy goat can produce .79 gallons a day (3 liters), and only requires a quarter acre of pasture (per animal).

Less pasture required, but also less milk produced.

Home Farmer shares that four pigs can be a great source of meat. And they’re quite versatile, as pigs provide not only hams and other cuts of pork, but also bacon, sausage and, do I dare say it, pigs’ feet! They recommend purchasing pigs as wieners in the spring, as breeding pigs is a costly endeavor and generally requires buying

MOUNTAIN CLOUD FARM Visit our webpage for registration and more information

mountaincloudfarm.com

store-bought feed.

Small Farms Canada estimates that half the requirements of a family of four for meat a year equals 485 pounds. This can be beef (one animal), four pigs, or 200 chickens. Space necessary for the one head of beef: one acre. For four pigs: 8,700 square feet (about .20 acres). For 200 free-run chickens: 2,600 square feet (about .06 acres). If you want the entire year’s average supply of meat, double the above.

According to Small Farms Canada a typical Canadian consumes 14 dozen eggs a year, which equals half an egg per day. (According to United Egg Producers, U.S. egg consumption equals around 253 eggs per person each year, or 21 dozen eggs.) So, by their estimates a family of four should find that two hens are sufficient. Of course, even a cursory review of the math means that one will not be eating two eggs for breakfast every morning. If necessary the number of hens can be increased, but this means that the production of chicken food will also increase. How much so? They estimate that a family consumes 660 pounds of cereal grains a year, which requires about a quarter acre of land to produce. If grain is going to be raised to feed chickens and other animals, add accordingly.

Neither source talked about a small farm meat staple: rabbits (in North America) or guinea pigs (in South America). Both can be raised in North

Idaho, and require less space and less food than more traditional animal meat sources, though both may require a substantial change in your normal diet.

Briegh challenged the idea that 15 acres were a minimum for selfsufficiency. She believes that a single, intensively cultivated acre can provide all the food necessary for a small family, including raising animals for consumption. Everything is predicated on the quality of the land and how intensively it is cultivated. She also noted that the land must be productive and a southern exposure is essential.

That being said, growing one’s own animal feed might take an additional five to ten acres simply for that.

A southern exposure is especially important for a productive greenhouse.

Breigh and Darren have been able to raise in their greenhouse all the fresh, winter-hardy crops they need in order to eat fresh vegetables daily. And these are unheated greenhouses! Specifically, they grow carrots, spinach, kale, arugula, mustard greens, and salad greens during the winter. Of course, they grow a great variety of fruits and vegetables over the summer, which are preserved or stored for both summer and winter consumption.

They also raise animals, although they do not always have a dairy cow in milk production. And even when they do, they do not always have the time Continued on next page

From Clark Fork to Your Fork!

CSA and Market Share Program

Buy Shares NOW for the up coming 2017 Growing Season

Enjoy farm fresh produce, berries, flowers and eggs for 25 weeks. Join our CSA and save over 10-15% over retail costs. Pickup locations are on the farm in Clark Fork or the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market.

CSA Shares $750 • Market Shares $500

April 2017

Page

Farming, Cont’d to invest in making cheese and butter.

But they can if they choose to. Briegh also noted that they do not currently grow any cereal crops, although she believed that it was “totally doable” in our area. They just have not gone in that direction yet. She stated their diet is mostly limited to fruits, vegetables, and meat—all of which they produce.

I asked Breigh what advice she had for those interested in a self-sufficient lifestyle. She suggested, “Start small and set realistic goals. Talk to and get advice from other folks. There are lots of folks in our community who are food sustainable. This is a lifestyle, it takes commitment and dedication,” she added.

“Expect it to be hard to get away, especially when you have animals. It’s

nice when you can find someone to help out in once in a while to watch over your animals.

At least to begin with, she offered, “Don’t expect to do everything. It’s okay to support your local community: you might want to supplement your vegetable production through a CSA (community supported agriculture) or by shopping at the farmers’ market.”

Self-sufficiency in food production, she noted, is a lifestyle. Find others to share it with you. It helps them and they can help you.

Breigh was also careful to share that she and Darren were not totally selfsufficient in food production. They still rely on the store for such things as salt and pepper, spices, and tea. And do not forget comfort foods! It is hard to give up the yerba mate if one does not have to!

Sunday Soup and Sounds

Being self-sufficient in food production is not the same as being fully self-sufficient. It’s not necessarily about alternative energy and living off of the grid, reducing one’s carbon footprint to zero, or even being able to make one’s own clothes and countless other things.

It’s about producing every mouthful of food that my family will consume over the course of the year and, of course, of the animals that will participate in that process. And I learned that I can do it, as many people in our area are doing it. I will yet become the fooder I want to be!

Breigh reminded me that food selfsufficiency is not a casual endeavor.

Just the opposite. She warned me that self-sufficiency is a lifestyle and one must be prepared to be busy every day, including the weekends. That, dear reader, is food for thought.

Grow Your Own Mushrooms

by Kathleen Huntley

If you are looking for something different to do on a Sunday afternoon, there is always the Hope Market Place Wild mushrooms, edible berries, in Hope, Idaho. Music at the Cafe on medicinal plants, and similar materials food, wine and beer available at the Sundays is the main course and it isn’t known as Non-Timber Forest Products necessary to strain over conversations to Hope Marketplace. Kally Thurman, the are every bit as much a part of forests proprietor of the cafe, serves locally enjoy the delectable melodies. as are trees. People in North America grown, organic food.

There is always a The first Sunday of every month and all forested parts of the world have selection of soups, including vegetarian, features Bob Beadling on Keyboard. Bob benefitted from these resources for along with delicious Apple and Quinoa has been a professional musician for thousands of years. Interest in NTFPs salad, and of course desserts hiding most his adult life working in Las Vegas, has quickened in recent years, borne of under glass domes on the counter.

Hollywood and directing orchestras for people’s interest in wild-collected foods, The Cafe is the heartbeat of Hope, more than one musical production. He, but also from people’s desire to bring Idaho.

On Fridays at 3 pm stop by for a like many residents up here, escaped to more gifts of the forest into their home. wine tasting, which can be educational a quieter lifestyle, but didn’t leave his Research conducted in 2000 estimated and fun.

On Fridays, there are art talents behind. He fills the Cafe with the total Pacific Northwest regional classes from 10:30-12:30 with many of warm and mellow tunes traversing an wholesale value of the NTFPs at $278 our local artists. eclectic collection of music from movie million.

Saturday afternoons in April the sound tracks to Chopin.

In April 2017, UI Extension is offering artistic side of the Hope Market Place Bob’s music literally becomes a two workshops in Coeur d’Alene on will host New York based Jonathan sound track to the visual potpourri you these products.

Soard who will teach a series of classes experience with the colorful paintings Growing Forest Mushrooms will in drawing.

He specializes in the human and sculptures displayed on the walls cover techniques for growing a variety body and stretching beyond portraiture. around the cafe. of edible forest mushrooms, including Space will be limited so call Kally at The second Sunday of each month oyster and shitake mushrooms. The 264-5696. features the duet of Beth Pederson and program will be held from 6:15 pm to Everyone is safe at the Hope Market Bruce Bishop. Both are well known 8:45 pm on Thursday, April 27, at the Place, and the Outskirts Art Gallery. around the community, and this venue Kootenai County Fairgrounds (4056 N. Come hear some good music and sip is one where you can actually hear the Government Way in Coeur d’Alene) in something that tickles your fancy while lyrics and melodies of their original Building #2.

Bob Beadling is tickling the ivories or songs. It is so tranquil to sit and listen to Forest Edibles will cover the range Bruce and Beth are strumming their good music while gazing at the expanse of edible non-timber products that can guitars. of Lake Pend Oreille.

Continued on next page But in true cafe form there is also Page

April 2017

Quinoa—The New Mountain Crop Straight from Peru…one of the most complete sources of protein can now be grown beautifully in your very own backyard. Quinoa (pronounced keenwah) has been called the great “new grain,” especially for those who seek a gluten-free, nutty alternative to rice.

Besides being a great source of fiber, quinoa contains nine essential amino acids, cancer fighting anti-oxidants and also high folates and phosphorus for your bones.

We are fortunate here in the North Idaho/Montana range because quinoa likes cool nights and daytime temps no higher than 90 degrees. You will want to start your quinoa inside now in April since it likes warmer soils for germination and requires about 100 days to fully develop the seeds used

Mushrooms, Cont’d

by Nancy Hastings

Get Growing

Nancy Hastings grew up on a 300+ acre farm and now is co-owner of All Seasons Garden and Floral in Sandpoint. She and her husband John have been cultivating community gardens and growing for 16 years in North Idaho. You can reach them with garden questions or sign up for classes at AllSeasonsGardenandFloral (at) gmail.com

in cooking. In early May, transplant your starts out to a sunny, well drained spot. Plant them about one foot apart and in the back of your garden, since these beauties will get about 4-5 feet tall and shade other veggies if planted too closely. You may want to use red or black plastic mulch under the plants and between the rows to discourage weeds since quinoa closely resembles both pigweed and lambs-quarters when it is young.

Because Quinoa is not a true grain but a cousin of the spinach family, the very young quinoa greens can be tossed into your salads and are also high in calcium and iron. Or juice the young greens with carrots for an energetic protein drink. Use up the older greens in stir fry or steamed with curry.

Quinoa requires very little water to grow and withstands drought better

than overwatering. The two most popular varieties, the Red Faro and Rainbow blend, mature into beautiful, richly colored seed heads in deep yellow, reds and oranges for your eyes to enjoy prior to harvest. The fluffy seed heads look a lot like amaranth and should be left on the stalk to totally dry out. The seeds can take a light frost, and should be harvested three to seven days after the first frost or when your thumbnail makes an indent in the seed.

If too much rain occurs after this, then harvest them and bring the seed inside to dry before storage. Shake the heads into a bucket or onto a screen over your wheelbarrow to separate the seed from the leaves that fall.

The most time consuming part of quinoa is soaking the seed prior to cooking. Real grains are encased with a hull, but quinoa is covered with a film called saponin, a bitter coating that fends off the deer and birds from eating your crop, but requires 4 to 5 rinses to clean off. Put your seeds you want to use for dinner in a mason jar filled with water to an inch from the top and screw the lid on. Agitate ‘til the water is cloudy, strain the seeds, rinse and repeat four more times. Cook it much like rice with equal parts seed to water.

Boil 10 to 15 minutes and experiment with your favorite seasonings to enjoy!

Creative Commons photo by Kurt be harvested from forests. The program Stueber will be held on Friday, April 28, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds (4056 N. Government Way DiLuna’s Presents: in Coeur d’Alene) in Building #2.

The featured speaker for all of these programs is Jim Freed, a Washington State University extension forester who has worked intensively in this field for over 40 years. Those wishing to participate should pre-register at the University of Idaho Extension Office in Kootenai County by Friday, Doors Open 5:30 April 21. Registration is limited. Each program has a $15.00 registration Music at 7:30 fee to cover resource materials and Special guest Little Wolf refreshments. Registration flyers are opens Saturday Night also available at http://www.uidaho.

Jenny Anne Mannan edu/extension/forestry. These programs 220 Cedar St. Sandpoint opens Sunday night are co-sponsored by University of Idaho 208.263.0846 Extension and the Idaho Department of Lands.

April 2017 Page

John Craigie April 8 & April 9

Gearing Up for 90th County Fair A Fair History

by Trish Gannon

It was back in 1927 when Bonner County celebrated what’s now said Livingstone, “and there will be a tug-of-war contest as well. We’re looking considered its first county fair.

Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, for teams of 6 to 8 people now, so put exhibits were featured at the Methodist your team together! community hall (still located at 4th “We’re going to have stilt walkers at the fair, and the Metal Mulisha— and Oak in Sandpoint). Livestock were displayed across the street at it’s a motorcycle trick team.”

Anderson’s Garage. The fair was so Bull riding will take place successful with the community that, Aug. 11. according to The Daily Bulletin in 1931, Ideas for the fair “... provision was made in the county that are still in the budget in 1928 to properly finance the works include mutton event. As a result, an agreement was busting, a motocross, worked out so that the fair buildings and a petting zoo, if could be constructed in the city park Livingstone can find one at an affordable price that’s area.”

Those buildings, located next to USDA certified.”

Sandpoint’s War Memorial Field in the As always, Livingstone will host a pre-fair for Bonner County location that is now home to the Bonner Historical Society and Museum, stayed students, where local kids get an up in service for the next three decades, but close and personal look at the farm and by 1968 the county was accepting bids agricultural activities they might not for the construction of buildings at new have been exposed to. There are up to fairgrounds, on North Boyer, where it a dozen hands-on activities for students still operates today. to participate in, and their efforts will The description of the fair in that be exhibited during the fair. This takes 1931 article referenced above could place on May 25 and 26. go a long way toward describing the And Livingstone’s favorite event, the fair today: “The Bonner County Fair is After-fair, will take place on Aug. 15. unique in that it is an absolutely free fair Here Livingstone travels to The Bridge without admission charge or entry fee, Assisted Living to share a variety of where people can come and exchange exhibits and animals from the fair. ideas on agricultural problems and While the fair is getting a lot of demonstrate by their products what attention, Livingstone’s “other” hat— can be done in this county of ours.” facilities manager—means she’s always That’s as true now as it was then but 90 busy booking and planning events that years later, there’s even more. And with keep the grounds in use all year long.

Livingstone in charge, a lot more.

Some upcoming events at the There was actually a fair before the fairgrounds include: Lost in the 50s first fair: the 28 August 1968 News (May 18–21); Basketball Camp (June 12–16 ,Aug. 21–25 and Dec 6–29); Circus Bulletin wrote, “The first fair, known as the Sandpoint Fair and Market Day (June 15); Bull riding (June 17); Horse Exposition, was organized by the Power Collides and Inland Northwest Sandpoint Commercial Club and held in Sheep Jackpot show (both July 1); that organization’s quarters. Although Rodeo (Aug 4–5); Fjord Show (Aug 25– it was begun almost spontaneously, 27); Funky Junk Show (Sep 1–3); Last the fair still managed to receive 250 Horse Show (Sep 9–10); Senior Center Dance (Oct 14); Preparedness Expo (Oct entries... The public visited the exhibits in large numbers and hailed it as a 28) Christmas Fair (Nov 18).

Bonner County Fairgrounds is located success.” But support for the fair was spotty until 1927, when the first annual at 4203 N. Boyer in Sandpoint, and can county fair was considered to be held. It be reached at 208-263-8414. The fair has been held every year since. now owns a golf cart which is available -Trish Gannon to transport handicapped fairgoers from the parking lots into the fair.

April 2017

Sometime it’s a scary thing walking into Rhonda Livingstone’s office at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. The Fair and Facility manager for the county is always a whirlwind of activity—so many ideas spill out of her it can feel like being caught up in Niagra Falls just trying to keep up.

Enthusiasm shoud be her middle name.

Despite the stubborn petulance of the winter that won’t go away just outside her windows, Livingstone is in overdrive, planning for the county fair, held this year August 8–12. It will be the 90th annual fair for the county.

“Of course, we’ll focus on our 90year history,” Livingstone explained.

“All the way around the main exhibit building we’re going to have a progressive history wall. We’re inviting anybody and everybody who might have photos, information, or memorabilia from earlier fairs to share it with us this year.” For those who do, the deadline to submit items in June 15.

Another submission request they’re putting out to the public is for names for the Bonner County Fair’s new mascot— a Brahman bull.

And if you’d like to put your agricultural art skills to the test, this year’s fair will feature a contest of Scarecrows by the Decade; I can only imagine what the ‘80s Disco Scarecrow might look like.

A special project for the fair this year comes from Livingstone’s administrative assistant, Sheena Feidler. A booth will be set up at the fair where fairgoers can create tie blankets and rag dolls.

The finished products will be donated to children with cancer. “My daughter was in intensive care as a preemie,” Feidler explained, “and we’ve never forgotten the children we would see in the hospital. She’s 18 now and we want to do something to give back to them.”

Any in the community with fabric or yarn to donate (smoke-free, pet-free only), can do so through the end of July.

In other fair activities, “The Demo Derby will have a team heat this year,” Page 10

Getting ‘Smart’ is Easier Now than Ever

by Dustin Gannon • dgannon@cbidaho.com These five awesome and quick smart home upgrades will help your home stand out among the rest.

Home Automation System ($50-$200) If you haven’t jumped on board this technological advancement yet, it’s only a matter of time before you do. These little speakers can do so much for your home and we’re just in the beginning.

Grab yourself a Google Home device, or an Amazon Echo. They synchronize to a vast amount of different smart home devices. The Echo, powered by your friendly assistant Alexa, can be set up with your Amazon account and you can order everyday items like dish soap or cooking seasonings with just a simple voice command. They can connect to your smart thermostat, lighting and security systems or you can ask them to play music, give you updates on the weather or on current events as well.

These pieces of equipment certainly have a bright future that will appeal to more people in the years to come.

bathroom counters, or near your bed or home office desk, having an outlet with two USB ports can be extremely convenient. Let’s face it, just about everyone has a smart phone or a tablet or some device that has USB charging and power cables. These outlets might not seem like a necessity, but they are a great feature to have in your home as well as another quick improvement you can do, that would attract the eyes of potential buyers if you’re in the market to sell.

With some 4 packs of these outlets going for as little as $55 on Amazon, this is a very cost effective upgrade that can bring your home forward in this digital age.

pops up out of nowhere. What if your smart idea WAS THE LIGHTBULB!!

(Insert mind explosion meme here.)

The idea of walking into a room and having the lights come on automatically is child’s play compared to what’s available now. How about being able to change the color of your light bulb from your phone?

You can do a warm white for evenings, a cool white in the day time, or randomize it with every color of the rainbow if you hate your pets! You know that guy that’s been stalking you the past month? You can now have that red room experience he has when he’s developing his secret photos of you. These bulbs are completely Touchscreen Deadbolt by Schlage (est. customizable from your phone where Nest Protect Smoke & Carbon Monoxide you can set automated timing to turn off, $180) Detector ($99) Am I the only one who has tried or you can set a timer for it to gradually Something that most people wouldn’t increase the light in the morning for that inserting a key into a lock upside think to upgrade would be the smoke down? Every. Single. Time. Or have you ‘I love sunrises but I’m not a morning detector. You know, that thing that ever just straight up lost your keys? If person’ affect. Auto dim the lights from wouldn’t stop beeping so you broke it you’ve answered yes to either of those your phone to impress the date you just off the wall, wrapped it up in towels questions, upgrading your deadbolt to cooked for, or have a giant rave party; and stored it in a forgotten drawer next a touch screen combo lock might be the possibilities are endless. While this to a copy of Stephen King’s It, your perfect for you. Not only will it bring isn’t a very cheap option for your home, student loan bills and other things that ease of access with security, it creates they do use close to 84 percent less you don’t want to deal with for the next a wonderful feature to attract buyers energy than other bulbs and have smart 100 years. The Nest Protect can connect to your home if you’re thinking about features that definitely bring your home to your smart phone so you no longer selling. If you left the house and can’t into the future. have to wave a broomstick around like remember if you locked the door or not, These five products are just the tip blindfolded 7-year-old getting ready to don’t worry. You can program it to your of the iceberg when it comes to smart home automation system so you can lock punish a piñata. Simply walk up to it home customization. We’re in a digital and turn off the alarm from your phone. or unlock from the web or your mobile world that changes more in an hour Easy! It will also send alerts to your device. To top it off, this touchscreen today than it would in 50 years in the phone if you’re not home so you can be deadbolt has a built-in alarm system past. If these ideas aren’t for you, I’m notified of a problem no matter where with three different alert settings! With sure there is already something out you are. Simple and quick to install, this a price tag under $200 it’s an affordable there more suitable for your tastes and if instant upgrade makes any home more and effective product that you’ll use not, it’ll be here soon. attractive to those who love the digital every day.

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Thanks to his reliance on Smart Light Bulbs ($30 ea.)

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April 2017 Page 11

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Harbingers of Spring Forget the weather: watch the birds!

by Mike Turnlund • mturnlund@gmail.com As I write this current edition of Bird In Hand it is the middle of March and it is snowing. Heavily. The weather service warns me that there will be an additional four inches of the white stuff before it is finished. Four inches on top of the two inches that fell last night. I’m not complaining, just saying…

Weather is a tricky thing in our part of the world, as what the calendar shows and what is outside aren’t always in sync. The calendar might indicate spring, but the weather tells me otherwise. And Schweitzer Mountain Resort backs me up on this, as they have extended their ski season through the middle of April.

But we don’t need to refer to the calendar or the weather to know when spring is here. We have the most reliable indicator right near us: birds. Birds tell us the time of the year, because their lives depend upon it! They come north when they time is right, just as they head south for the same reason. Birds are our harbingers of spring. So, let’s look at some species that can give us

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hope that winter is indeed waning and warm weather lies ahead. Regardless of what the National Weather Service might say.

Robins. Ah, robins! I love the American robin. Some of you might note that you see a robin or two yearround. This is correct if you live in a town with lots of resources for a few lone birds to get through the winter.

This was true for me when I lived in Sandpoint (I’ve since moved to a more rural, out-of-town location). Robins can sustain themselves on a wide variety of foods, such as frozen driedup fruit picked from your cherry tree or the neighbor’s mountain ash. But they prefer worms and will spend the summer ridding your lawns of those nutritious soil borers.

Take careful note of the first robins you see this spring. If

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April 2017

you’re astute, you’ll notice that they’re all males. The male robins arrive weeks before the females in order to establish territories in anticipation of breeding season. In contrast to the browner females, males have dark, if not black, heads and shoulders and their chests are a much brighter shade of orange. And they arrive ready for business, chasing each other around the neighborhood, scrambling to claim and then maintain their own little fiefdoms before the ladies arrive. It’s hard to set up a home if one doesn’t have a home territory!

Nothing heralds spring like the melodious martial music of the male American robin greeting us on these early spring mornings. Yes, to us their songs are the beautiful opening peeks of summer, but to the other male birds they’re warnings: “Stay away, this is my territory, and I’ll fight to defend it!” Gotta love nature, it’s a battle zone out there!

Swans. Tundra swans always seem to be in a hurry to get north to their Arctic breeding grounds. They are among the first bird species to migrate north and among the last to migrate south. I saw my first Tundra swans this year in February, at Denton Slough and on the still-frozen Pack River flats, both areas extensions of Lake Pend Oreille.

But more swans will be coming. And don’t always assume that all of the swans you see are Tundras… there might be some Trumpeters in the mix.

Review your bird guides carefully so you can differentiate between the species.

Osprey. As a rule, most osprey arrive in May. But there are consistently a few early birds (pun!) that show up in late

April. With the many lakes and rivers in our region, as well as a plethora of nesting boxes, osprey thrive here. In fact, I’ve never been in a place with so many ospreys! Next time you’re out

tooling around in the country, start counting osprey nests.

You’ll be amazed!

Osprey come north to our region for one reason: reproduction. And I take that as quite a compliment that they choose to hatch and

raise their children here.

Cormorants. What, you’re you expecting another song bird?

Cormorants are anything but! By the time you’re reading this column, the Double-crested cormorants will have returned. I see them careening in the wind toward the south end (west side) of the Long bridge (Highway 95) on my way to Sandpoint. You’ll especially notice their manic wing beats. And there are many of them toward Clark Fork at the driftwood “bone yard” along Highway 200. There they’ll often be seen sitting on the pilings with their wings outstretched, drying them in the breeze. Cormorants aren’t particularly beautiful birds, but they’re elegant in their own way. And when they come, they come. They’re here. So, spring is here too!

Bald eagles. The surest sign of spring

being around the corner is watching the Bald eagles. Have you ever seen a pair of eagles, talons locked, cartwheeling in the sky? Even, sometimes, swirling toward earth? They’re not fighting, they’re loving! That’s courtship, baby, eagle style. And even though Bald eagles mate for life, that doesn’t stop them from courting when the time is right. For eagles, spring time means babies. So, if you see a pair of amorous eagles swirling and twirling in the air, falling toward the earth below, look away. Give them some privacy! And know that spring has sprung.

This time of the year is a great time to be birding, regardless of what the weather seems to be. Birds know

exactly what time of the year it is, so when our harbingers arrive, rejoice.

Even the old Farmer’s Almanac can’t call it like our feathered friends. Happy birding!

All photos Creative Commons via Wikimedia

A Bird in Hand

Do you love birds, and want to know more? Check out Mike’s bird photos, online at birdsidaho. blogspot.com.

Proud to Provide Environmentally Conscientious Construction and Consultation P.O. Box 118 • Hope, Idaho • 208.264.5621

April 2017

Page 13

A Local’s View of the Scotchman Peaks

by Sandy Compton • sandy@bluecreekpress.com

Just to be clear, my name is Sandy Compton. I’m Program Coordinator for Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

I’m involved — and invested — in moving the Scotchman Peaks from its status as a proposed wilderness to the National Wilderness Preservation System — Wilderness with a capital W. On both sides of the border.

My family has been in the Clark Fork Valley for 100 years. My maternal grandparents arrived at Cabinet, Idaho, on March 17, 1917. My mom and dad brought me home to the Blue C Ranch in 1952. My first hike in the Scotchmans was into the east fork of Blue Creek at the age of three in 1954.

I grew up near Clark Fork, where my family has shopped and had many friends for decades. We swam and picnicked at Sam Owen, ate at Herschell’s Lighthouse, bought new school jeans at Emma’s and gas from Wally Erickson and Bob Hayes. I moved — first with family and later as an adult — between Idaho and Montana several times before settling just east of the border 30 years ago.

So, I’m not a newcomer — and I don’t drive a Subaru. But my sister does.

My territory is bounded on the west by the Selkirks, the east by Thompson River, the south by the Clark Fork/Coeur d’Alene divide and the north by the Kootenai River. Like most territories, it has fuzzy edges, but the closer to the middle, the wilder it gets, and more well-defined. At its center is the heart of the Scotchmans.

So, I have my own selfish reasons for working to designate the Scotchman Peaks as Wilderness. I wish to keep a refuge from our technology- and machine-filled world; where a body can be on the ground without dragging along a culture that insists on separating humans from their planet.

I want a chunk of nature’s best work available to visit — without fences, roads, power lines, motors, streetlights or any of the things the modern world uses to delineate and control the environment. I wish to save a place like that for my family. And your family.

Recently, FSPW encountered resistance to the idea of designation from some members of the Hope-Clark Fork community and a few other, rightleaning, people from Bonner County — and other places. In response to these concerns, FSPW facilitated a January meeting in Clark Fork. The opposition co-opted the meeting, but it was FSPW that set it up in response to their concerns and attended in good faith.

A recent letter to the editor stated that FSPW was “shamed” into doing so. Why would we be ashamed? FSPW has always been open and forthcoming about our goals, intentions and methods.

Since FSPW began in 2005, we have sponsored, organized and presented our proposal at hundreds of public events, a number of which were in Clark Fork and Hope. FSPW has faithfully distributed its newsletter, Peak Experience, in both communities since 2005. The local and

regional newspapers — the Bonner County Daily Bee, Sandpoint Reader, River Journal and the Spokesman Review — have published hundreds of articles about FSPW efforts and events.

For the past 8 years, FSPW has granted scholarships to Clark Fork High School seniors. The Scotchman Peaks Annual Plein Air Paintout has been based in Hope since 2010. Since 2011, FSPW volunteers and staff have helped keep the East Fork, Morris Creek, Regal Creek, Goat Mountain and Scotchman Peak trails open for all users, including hikers, hunters, trappers and stock users. Anyone who attended a Clark Fork Fourth of July Parade in the past decade must have noticed the FSPW presence, since it’s won “best float” many times.

FSPW has provided outdoor education and opportunities to kids from Clark Fork High and Hope Elementary.

FSPW volunteers have trekked hundreds of miles on both sides of the Lightning Creek drainage doing weed surveys to help protect native forage and provide healthier wildlife populations.

We’ve planted hundreds of willow and cottonwood slips in an effort to mitigate streamside damage caused by floods that continue to ravage the drainage.

FSPW continues to work in Lightning Creek and the Scotchmans to see what can be done about restoring the keystone species, whitebark pine.

The letter-to-the-editor writer also stated that because FSPW “controlled the mic,” at our meeting in Clark Fork,

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Answers to Some Community Concerns How will hunting, fishing and wildlife management be affected?

Section 4(c) of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Act (SPWA): “Nothing in this Act affects the jurisdiction of the State of Idaho with respect to fish and wildlife on public land in the State.” Wilderness designation will not affect traditional uses of this area. Hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, photography and berry picking are all allowed, and preserved, by Wilderness designation.

The Friends of Scotchman Peaks and their award-winning marching band in the 4th of July Parade in Clark Fork back in 2009. Photo by Trish Gannon. some people who wanted to speak against the proposal “left early.” I was in charge of the mic. My job was to keep comments pertinent and respectful, for which I was yelled at several times and threatened physically at least once.

My experience was that those who wanted to speak against the proposal got their opportunity and did so, often in loud, accusatory, and somewhat uninformed voices. The loudest “protesters” included Redoubters who grew up elsewhere and brought their questionable ideas for a “brave new world” to the Inland Northwest not so long ago. A number of them didn’t live very near eastern Bonner County, for that matter, and many left before supporters of the proposal had their say.

Some opponents to Scotchman Peaks Wilderness designation wish to make it a divisive, us-against-them issue.

They cry foul and assert that they have been kept in the dark about the Forest Service’s planning process. If they’ve been in the dark, maybe it’s because they’ve chosen to keep their heads in the sand. They assert that they have been slighted, ignored and left out, and then snap at us when we reach out to them.

FSPW has never viewed the issue as divisive, but as unifying. We have

always sought input from others, worked to find common ground and collaborated with a hugely diverse group of people, organizations and businesses.

The proposal for Wilderness in the Scotchmans has had supporters in Hope and Clark Fork since the beginning, from all across the political spectrum.

FSPW is not “fighting for wilderness” in the Scotchmans, but “working for Wilderness.” FSPW is not against something. We are for something, something we feel will benefit many, including the people of Hope and Clark Fork, their children and their grandchildren. The Friends are working for Wilderness, and we will continue to do so.

The Scenic Route The Scenic Route is also a book collecting many of the best of Sandy Compton’s essays. It and his other book are available at Vanderfords in Sandpoint, The Well Read Moose in Coeur d’ Alene and online at bluecreekpress.com.

Visit his Facebook page at facebook. com/sandycomptonwriter

How will access be impacted? Access to the proposed wilderness would not change with designation. The forest plan for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests prohibits the use of motorized and mechanized vehicles within the area proposed for wilderness. A wide range of recreational activities are permitted in Wilderness, including: hiking, backpacking, climbing, berrypicking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, skiing, mountaineering, photography, wildlife viewing and bird watching.

What about fire, insects, and disease?

SPWA Section 5 allows the Forest Service to “take such measures within the wilderness area as determined to be necessary for the control of fire, insects, and disease.”

How are search and rescue operations impacted? Helicopters have landed in the Scotchman Peaks several times in recent years for health and safety purposes. Wilderness designation would not limit this. The Wilderness Act of 1964 allows search and rescue officials to use motorized vehicles and aircraft in “emergencies involving the health and safety of persons within the area.”

For the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Act text, map and boundary descriptions, visit http://bit.ly/2o43c24.

The National Parks Service answers questions about Wilderness at http:// bit.ly/2naMyJ3

April 2017

Page 15

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Our Biannual Blood Sport (or school levy) Doesn’t Solve All Problems

by David Keyes • davidkeyes09@gmail.com Replacement levies in Idaho are commonplace for one of two reasons: the state underfunds education in this state or school districts are poor stewards of our money.

Seems like the yes voters lineup behind the first definition while the no voters are squarely behind the second.

Unfortunately, since the vast majority of Idaho school districts run replacement levies every two years, an act of civic responsibility has become a biannual blood sport.

By now you know Lake Pend Oreille School District passed its replacement levy on March 14 by a healthy margin.

In fact, every North Idaho school district ran a levy this year and each of them passed.

There was a very impressive getout-to-vote effort in the LPOSD. The letters to the editor, signs, sign wavers, students and many others made sure levy day didn’t come and go without the voting world noticing.

Here’s a quote that sticks with me: “Public education does not exist for the benefit of students or the benefit of their parents. It exists for the benefit of the social order.

“We have discovered as a species that it is useful to have an educated population. You do not need to be a student or have a child who is a student to benefit from public education. Every second of your life you benefit from public education.

“So let me explain why I like to pay

taxes for schools, even though I don’t personally have a kid in school: it’s because I don’t like living in a country with a bunch of stupid people.”

–John Green In other words, I want my children— who will ultimately decide the quality of senior living facility in which I will live out my days many years from now—to be educated enough to find the right one. And, as a bonus, I won’t mind if the folks who work at that facility are educated enough to understand proper dosages of appropriate medications and the difference between an enema and a toothbrush.

Education matters.

Let’s crunch a few numbers.

These numbers are from Mose Dunkel and his Rosebud Facebook page.

He does a great job on that page and, in my opinion, did the best job of all media in sharing information leading up to and following the vote.

If you are on Facebook, go find the Rosebud page if you are interested in keeping up, contributing or just like to watch people interact.

Dunkel compiled the yes and no votes from the three most recent levy votes— we’ve added the percentages: 2017: 4,991 yes to 2,801 no with 7,792 votes cast. (64 percent in favor.)

2015: 3,497 yes to 1,515 no with 5,012 votes cast. (70 percent in favor.)

2013: 2,626 yes to 1,876 no with 4,502 votes cast. (58 percent in favor.)

2011: 3,577 yes to 2,163 no with 5,740 votes cast. (62 percent in favor.)

April 2017

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This septic pilot project is being 2009: 3,965 yes to 2,699 no with introduced in order to letters complytowith Facebook pages and in thewater Gas • Convenience Store 6,664 votes cast. (59 percent in favor.) quality standards as determined by the editor.

Unofficial Historical Society 2007: 3,642 yes to 2,058 no with Federal Cleanwon’t Water Act.a Designated A bandage cure patient if to 5,700 votes cast. (64 percent in favor.) protect water quality,enough, the plan,and known the malady is serious that as If you see the world as if your school “Total Maximum Load” for Lake Oil Changes isathe major problem Daily with the biannual is half full of funding, you can’t help but Pend Oreille,levy. addresses nutrient issues Tire Rotation supplemental Sooner or later, the notice that the recent levy not only had school district is going to have to spend by appointment the most yes votes, the margin of victory money In of something addition, serious—like many lakeshore new was the second highest in a decade. homeowners participated in a survey schools.

(2007 is rounded up from .6389 while inUnfortunately, 2007 concerning a variety of water Idaho’s state leaders 2017 is rounded down from .6405.) quality issues. toAs is aturns make it difficult pass bond out, or a their 208-266-1338 If you see the world as if the plant facilities levy for the construction The River Journal - A News Magazine Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol 17 No. 18 | November 2008 | Page 5 school system is half empty of qualityWorth Wading of a school. education and educators, then you can’t While supplemental levies require 50 EVERGREEN REALTY help but notice the highest amount of no percent plus one vote to pass—a simple votes during the last decade happened majority —a bond needs 66.6 percent in this contest. in favor to be approved, and a plant Sales Associate, GRI Both sides got out to vote and that is facilities levy needs 60 percent if they not necessarily a bad thing. ask for an amount more than two-tenths People have forgotten that of one percent but less than threesupplemental levies are just that. In tenths of one percent of property value, Idaho, it means they are funds raised and two thirds of voters must approve from the public to supplement what the anything higher. Think about that. For district receives from the state. While every no vote cast in a bond election, for some might see this as extra money or example, three yes votes must be tallied padding, anybody who spends any time in order for the measure to pass. looking at this district’s budget knows That is a tough go, even when there that supplemental really means trying isn’t organized opposition like there is to hold on to the basics of providing a these days. quality education.

321 N. First Ave. - Sandpoint Kudos to the district for getting out It is really a bandage. The bandage the most yes voters in history and to 800.829.6370 stops the bleeding but doesn’t cure the the educators who must defend their 208.263.6370 patient—especially when the patient profession and educate our children EvergreenRealty.com bounces between dead last and the 49th through the maelstrom that erupts SchweitzerMountain.com state for public funding in this country. every two years.

Here’s a shout out to Mississippi While Idaho is beginning to spend for occasionally keeping us out of more on education, it is still not the the basement as well as being an right formula if we really want to raise embarrassing answer in Jeopardy. informed, empowered and an educated Whatever Your Event Needs “I will take $200 under states that future. shirk their responsibilities to their We’ll talk about this again in two citizens, Alex.” years…

“And the answer is… the state that’s the worst for funding their public schools.” Hint: it is not Idaho this year for a change.

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In the last two weeks of the Idaho legislative session, the GOP supermajority introduced several bills that will probably not do much for most of us. They introduce these bills late in the session for two reasons. The first is purely logistic- they know there isn’t enough time to rally a lot of opposition to whatever they put foreward and, they know they have the numbers to push through anything they wish. The second is harder to explain. It seems that they equate numbers with accomplishments.

Just when it was believed that things were coming together to end the session the House imploded. The more Conservative House members went into ‘slow down’ mode and insisted every procedure is followed exactly. Every ‘i’ is dotted and every ‘t’ is crossed. Yes, that is a proper way to legislate, but is it a good use of time?

Under normal circumstances the reading of the entire bill being discussed is waived. It has to be a unanimous decision so a single ‘no’ requires a complete reading. Any dissenting vote means the entire bill must be read by the Clerk aloud. By requiring the complete reading it leaves less time for actually debating the merits of the bill under consideration.

The Senate passed ten bills on the 24th while the House was in recess trying to convince some members to allow waiving of the reading. These slowdowns took the 2017 session to the end of March. More and more it appears that the tail is wagging the dog. More conservative representatives are slowing down the process and the taxpayers will pick up any additional expenses. As to why the process is being slowed down it could be to force changes in various bills that must be passed to fund state government.

One of the major funding bills to be passed before adjournment was Transportation. According to Betsy Russell’s reporting for the SpokesmanReview, that bill (SB 1162) fell apart in the Senate.

The new transportation projects in SB 1162 would have been funded with more GARVEE bonds. We still owe almost $565 million on the bonds issued in 2005. These outstanding bonds won’t be paid off until 2031. How far Page 18

Idaho Legislative Wrap-Up

by Gil Beyer • 40vintage@gmail.com down the road do we want to push our debt? Senator Shawn Keough explained GARVEE Bonds this way: “One analogy might be that it is like a credit card that we maxed out and have paid off some of the balance and so could max it out again. One argument to be made might be the payment remains the same as it has over the last several years and comes off the top of Idaho’s federal transportation dollars D.C. sends us and so it’s okay as we really need the work done in those state road corridors. Our

Here in the Middle

A retired Navy man, Gil Beyer has been active in local politics.

stretch of Hwy 95 is one of those corridors. If the theory still holds that it is cheaper in the long run to build at today’s prices rather than save the money and build at tomorrow’s prices then perhaps re-issuing the bonds makes sense.”

I question the wisdom of maxing out the credit card. In view of the President’s proposed federal budget, it appears Idaho’s transportation funding is likely to be reduced. That makes paying off those bonds somewhat problematic. As of right this minute it looks like all bills on transportation funding are in crisis.

SB1162 was sent back to the Senate Transportation Committee for further work right before the senate adjourned for the year.

Way back on March 14 school districts throughout the state asked voters to approve supplemental levies simply because the Legislature still fails to adequately fund education. All but one of those supplemental levies passed, proof positive that voters value

education more than the majority of our legislators. After all, the Idaho State Legislature has been in violation of a Idaho Supreme Court ruling that the Legislature adequately fund education since 2001! We have had almost two decades of out and out refusal by your legislators to adequately support your children. Is it any wonder that over 90 school districts have had to ask local voters for supplemental levies? Yet these same scofflaw legislators keep getting returned to Boise to further reduce our children’s chances for a better future.

Without any penalties attached to the Court’s ruling, Legislators simply ignore it.

One sure success this legislative session was the repeal of the 6 percent grocery tax. That bill passed the House and Senate and is headed to the Governor’s desk. Otter has said he opposes the repeal, but has until April 10 to either approve or veto the bill.

The elimination of this tax will greatly benefit the majority of Idahoans but will cost the state approximately $80 million in annual revenue that will have to be found somewhere.

Another item of some interest was reported by the Spokesman Review on March 21. A spokesperson for U.S. Congressman Labrador filed a complaint with the U. S. Capitol police early last month about members of the group LC Indivisible regularly asking for a Town Hall meeting with the congressman.

The group from Latah county is part of a nationwide program billed as “a practical guide for resisting the Trump agenda.” Scott Carlton, who works out of the congressman’s downtown Lewiston office, declined to comment when contacted by the Lewiston Tribune and referred all questions to Doug Taylor, Labrador’s spokesman in Meridian. Can it be that having to face his constituents makes the congressman uncomfortable? Since Labrador, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, was a solid ‘No’ vote on Trump’s proposed health care bill to repeal and Continued on next page

April 2017

Federal Budget Proposal Has Impact on Research The Connection Between the Dept. of Defense and Parkinson’s Disease

by A.C. Woolnough • acwooly@gmail.com

In the entire federal budget, there is only one line item specific to Parkinson’s Disease research.

Amazingly, this expenditure is buried (but not hidden) in the budget for the Department of Defense. The Department of Defense? That doesn’t make sense!

Unfortunately, it makes a lot of sense.

Near the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, a Balao-class submarine, the USS Bowfin (SS-287) is on display.

Coincidentally, my father served on the USS Kraken (SS-370), another Balaoclass submarine, during WWII. The last thing on anybody’s mind in those days was concern for harmful environmental exposure. It’s anybody’s guess what chemicals, solvents, explosives, and other substances like asbestos were present. In fact, the name for the most common paint primer was red lead.

Wrap-up, Cont’d replace the Affordable Care Act, and has been a Repeal and Replace advocate for over six years, what does he have to be afraid of?

In the course of one day the House passed (by a 43 to 26 vote) a resolution to authorize the Department of Lands to issue an annual report on which lands were open for public use and how to best access those parcels.

In the afternoon the resolution was given ‘reconsideration’ when a House member questioned the term ‘managed use’. After discussion it was determined there were state land parcels that had no legal access and the resolution was overturned by a vote of 22 to 47.

Representative Mat Erpelding (D Boise) was astounded by this turn of events.

This resolution would have been of significant help to anyone that wishes to use Idaho’s public lands.

I hope for the best from our legislators and know that most are sincere in their efforts to do their best for Idaho. Too often, however, it seems like we have serious disagreements on defining what is best.

My dad (and, yes, I am extremely proud of his service) went on to serve for another 35 years in the U.S. Navy, including the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. Years later, like many veterans, he developed Parkinson’s Disease. As a side note, our family

All Shook Up A.C. Woolnough is a member of PDF’s People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council spent two years in Japan in the mid1950s during its rapid economic and infrastructure rebuilding period. Once again, there is no telling what we were exposed to.

In late 2012 I began to get occasional tremors and was diagnosed with PD the next year. Coincidence? Genetics?

Environmental exposure? Bad luck? It’s impossible to know for sure, but let’s return to the Department of Defense.

It took years before there was a willingness to officially admit that exposure to Agent Orange (think Vietnam) caused various cancers as well as other chronic diseases.

In fact, recently the VA established that veterans who develop PD and were exposed to Agent Orange no longer have to prove (my emphasis) a connection between the two.

Adding another piece to the puzzle is the statistically abnormal number of Gulf War (and later conflicts) veterans with PD or early onset PD. Why? The increased number of soldiers exposed to IEDs and the resulting traumatic brain injury has a strong correlation and seems to suggest a cause.

In 1997, Congress funded the Parkinson’s Research Program, which

continued every year with varying levels of financial support. The sequester dramatically decreased those budgets, and the program has been trying to make up lost ground ever since.

Earlier this year, for the third year in a row, I participated in what is now the Michael J Fox Foundation Policy Forum in Washington DC. More than 200 people from around the country (35+ states represented) joined together for two days of learning the content of our proposal, the process for meeting with legislators and their staff, and how to navigate to and from the various office buildings. On the third day, we climbed Capitol Hill to meet with our respective senators and representatives to present our “ask fors.”

As an astute reader of this column, you have already surmised that one of the proposals we submitted was for continued funding of the Department of Defense grants for Parkinson’s Disease research, with a small increase to move toward pre-sequestration levels: from $16 million to $20 million.

That’s not even a rounding error in the total budget. President Trump has already spent that much for his golfing weekends at Mar-a-Lago.

Although the DoD’s budget is slated for a big increase this year, President Trump’s proposed budget does not show much support for medical research (the NIH budget is gutted).

In the past 100 years, three generations of Woolnough’s have served in the armed forces (Army, Navy and Air Force). How many Trumps have served?

If we truly want to support our veterans, it is time to do more than paste a yellow ribbon on our cars. We must insist our legislators provide full funding to address the needs of those who already served.

Reach Your Legislators The website USA.gov offers information on how to contact your state’s U.S. Congressmen via telephone, email and mail.

April 2017

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A New Kid in the House

by Ernie Hawks • ernestmhawks@gmail.com New toys are scattered over the floor to trip over. Each time I walk across the room the playthings have moved, turning the traverse into an unmapped mine field.

There is a new bed in our room near ours. This means we awaken each morning, a little earlier than we have in the past, in order to take care of toilet details.

There is new and special food only good for the newbie in the house. During every meal, there is activity beyond the two of us.

We can no longer simply sit down and watch a movie from start to finish without interruption.

In other words, now there is more than just us to take care of and think about. How could this have happened, especially this late in our lives?

It started with a trip to the animal shelter a few months ago. We had checked online and, seeing a middleaged dog with several special needs, our hearts were opened to the idea of, once again, becoming dog owners. Or a dog’s people. Some calls were made to check on the needs. A veterinarian discouraged it. Not only were daily medicines necessary but also blood tests and occasional scans, all adding up to quite an expense. Still, there was a need to take a look at this little unfortunate fellow.

We had been talking for a couple years about getting another dog. Nikki received her final shot a few years ago, leaving us with only a cat running around. She is quite easy to care for; we know and understand her needs.

But another dog in our lives never really fell off the radar. A small dog that could travel well in either our car or pickup would fit into the household nicely.

So, after eating lunch, not far from the shelter, it seemed like a good idea to check out this poor guy who needed a home. He was a pleasant fellow but was considerably bigger than we had anticipated. In addition, care was going to be even more extensive than we thought—probably not a good travel Page 20

Waya loves our granddaughters and owned them immediately.

They can do almost anything with him. Most adults, however, bring out a high pitched, loud bark. It, no doubt, was learned as a stray when the adults he encountered were less than kind. He met the grandkids first and was very protective when their parents came in. It took some time and a few treats, but he is now friends with the girls’ folks.

Shortly after he came home with us, Linda had to be away for most of two weeks. This meant we had a lot of guy time together. He loves Linda but there is a distinct bond between he and I. As we hoped, he is a good traveler and already has a few trips under his collar. Adjusting to a stable life in the woods, he is busy training us to teach him to stay, come, and hush. Hush is important each time a visitor comes and is getting better.

So, the new kid is, in fact, a small dog named wolf. He likes to run and takes off like a drag racer each time a ball is tossed across the yard. Sometimes he just gets the “zoomies” and races at a streaking speed in big circles. If a snow berm or ATV happens to be in the way, he clears it like a high jumper.

Sometimes the little dog named wolf likes to sit on the back of the couch.

Unless I’m sitting there, when he then tries to sit on my head, but not before he has licked the bald spot clean.

I think we are trainable and will be good dog people.

companion for us nor would it be good for the him. After a difficult decision, we sent the dog good vibes for the right and perfect people to take him. It wasn’t easy since his ability to love was equally as high as his needs.

I suppose our hearts had been opened by being in his presence and as we walked out a little dude caught my eye. We had seen him online also but, from the picture, did not feel a strong draw. Now the energy was different.

His dark brown eyes and sweet spirit started to reel us in.

I said, “Look at this,” and Linda mentioned we had seen him, but were not smitten. This time was different.

He didn’t bark but made eye contact with us, so we took him out for a walk.

He was unsure and a little scared. Still, something got through the invisible shield he had up and we knew he wanted to be with us. Back inside we were told he was about five months old, a dachshund-terrier mix and probably would not get much bigger than his current fourteen pounds.

He had been a stray so was rather skittish around people but he took to us.

He had been in a foster home for a while and was house trained, which was important.

Someone had named him Waya. A quick Google search of that name told us it was Cherokee for wolf. What would it be like to have a fourteen or fifteenpound wolf around the house? I looked up the name and found the “a” sound in Cherokee is pronounced the way the letter sounds in father. We were not fond of that so we called him Why-a and he likes it.

Soon it became obvious we belonged Ernie Hawks is the author of “Every Day to him. He is neutered, in good health is a High Holy and now at home near Athol. We Day: Stories of introduced him to the cat. He really wants to play and be friends, but the an Adventuring cat will have nothing to do with it. One Spirit,” available of those cat needs I mentioned earlier on Amazon, is that she needs her space and usually Kindle or in wants to be alone. Still, he tries to play your favorite until she swats, hisses and growls at bookstore. him.

The Hawk’s Nest

April 2017

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April 2017

Page 21

by Scott Clawson Maxamillion Putz, of 114 Humbug Lane, was on his way to town.

Entering the Cocolalla Flats inside the chaff trail of just under two tons of hay obliterating the hindsight of the overloaded 3/4 ton pickup wallowing under it, he checked his own rearview, where the up-Doppler reflection showed a presumed empty northbound Canadian cattle moo-ver about a hundred yards back, doing roughly 70.

Conserving fuel, he drafted the wafting chaff into the slow lane and waited for the inevitable sign: that big puff of diesel soot indicating the owner’s desire to shave two seconds

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off his return voyage by breaking the speed limit on the only piece of asphalt straight, level and long enough for him to do so. Proud of his driving record, Max stayed legal and let the two teamsters duke it out, both equally determined to get ahead down the backstretch of life as we know it to be on the glorious open road.

As he’d done out of habit from thirtyodd years of driving this particular patch of Hwy 95, he also thought about some other signs, along the lines of those old Burma-Shave commercials his childhood eyes used to see poked in the dirt beside lonely stretches of

Idaho prairie pavement as he peered out over the enameled windowsills of the family sedans so many decades ago.

He could never remember though, after sixty years of tryin’, any of the classic one-line-at-a-time banter hand lettered on those old poetic signs, except for the one that would forever leave the smell of burnt rubber lingering in his mental library: “Don’t lose your head - to gain a minute - you need your head - your brains are in it – Burma-Shave.”

Partial to his brains and instead of fruitlessly getting headaches from the people who seemed to inspire sayings like this, he’d gotten in the habit of making up his own little verses to fit the varied situations over the years, often sung to whatever melody was coming through the radio at the time.

This provided lighthearted moments of entertainment instead of the usual foul language and headaches common to everyday driving. He kept a little recorder handy just in case he came up with something worth hangin’ on to. Instead of Burma-Shave, though, (and to avoid potential lawyers from suddenly appearing), he’d long ago substituted Berm-a-Save, inspired by so many people flying into them after violating one or more of the countless rules associated with slippery surfaces.

“Sometimes you lose – sometimes you win – If you’re gambling now – you’d better think again” – Berm-a-Save!”

He’d come up with that after getting passed on two inches of slush by a Washington plate in a northerly direction with no visible ski equipment on a Friday afternoon, the cocky grins fully indicating they were casino bound.

That is, until they were busy indicating “Aaiiiiiiiii!” followed by the calling of AAA. Max hasn’t been the only one to notice that the richness of irony and sardonic humor fade quickly in the glaring light of state laws requiring the sane to stop and render assistance to the ignorant who plant themselves in snow berms or on the occasional inanimate Peterbuilt, Freightliner, treeline or bridge abutment. He had also been a volunteer fireman/paramedic

April 2017

for a time and all too often had to stop to administer emergency roadside admonishments to those in desperate need.

Another inspiration involving inertia, ignorance and this time freezing rain, came moments before he recorded: “The hurryder you go – when icy or wet – the closer you follow – the behinder you get – Berm-a-Save!”

But sometimes slippery isn’t available so wildlife steps in whenever possible to provide a little pucker factor to break up all the monotonous commuting going on, leading Max to ponder the age old mystery—why do hundreds of people seemingly live in Bonner County but drive south for work or play if not for all the pleasurable wildlife sightings as they pass (but seldom wave at) hundreds of people doing the exact opposite out of Kootenai County? If anybody could figure this out we could probably save some gas for our grandkids to waste.

He was still working on his lyric response to a recent “afternoon coronary” where he had to brace for impact not only from the fanny of the doe running across the road but the grill of the tailgater on his ass only to hear the skitter of hooves on the pavement beside him mixed with the screech of burning rubber and coming eyeball to deer snot as the thud of a yearling’s nose bounced off his side window and ran off towards its mother. Why Max didn’t have his window down for the full experience at that particular moment still made him scratch his head

in wonderment and, he figured, was absolutely profound testament to lucky breaks (or Angels) wherever they strike.

For a time, Max even entertained the idea of putting up his own signs to lightheartedly educate those who don’t think all that often (it would seem) about such things as: leaving highbeams and/or fog lamps on whenever and wherever they happen to be going (if not to highlight their own personal level of oblivity?), or how many out of the nearly two dozen bulbs devoted to signals and illumination are actually working on the outside of their car.

Then there’s going faster in a passing zone than they do before or after it; the physics of loose garbage exposed to wind-tunnel conditions; merely texting instead of clearly thinking; and the evils of tailgating, stupidity of speeding and the profound joy of wildlife clearing your grill in the nick of time. All put to fable on foible, rhyme on reason.

He decided against making and installing his own versions of humorously instructive roadside signage but not because he was lazy or even cheap, but mainly on account of the possibility of lawyers again forming out of thin air and causing liability litigation brought on by idiots causing accidents by parking to steal his work for their personal collections.

But he did manage to record a few hits for his own enjoyment: “A passing lane let go to waste – lets others go whom are in haste,” or “Those who twirl - and do-si-do – are often those thinkin’- they were going too slow,” or

“When push comes to shove – ‘stead the Devil, be the Dove.” His favorite, though, was shortly sweet: “Driving distracted – may get you impacted – Berm-a-Save!”

And so, for another decade or two, he thought about starting his own electronics outfit instead. This would produce literally millions of miniature reader-boards used to flash out messages in one’s back window to the unconscious driver behind such practical thoughts as “The closer you get – the slower I go,” or “Unless you’re my proctologist, get away from my tailpipe,” or “Do you see that pretty blue light on your dashboard? THAT’S YOUR F#<&’n HIGH-BEAM INDICATOR, ASSHOLE!!!!”

He thought on this long and hard (mostly about the money) and in the end realized that redefining “texting and driving” in this manner, in an “open carry” state, would only make things worse instead of more educated (much like social media).

Acres n Pains

Scott Clawson ruminates on life somewhere in the backwoods of Careywood, and turns it all into humor. And he’s even on Pinterest now! (Facebook, too.)

AcresnPains@dishmail.net

April 2017

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