The River Journal, Nov 2012

Because there’s more to life than bad news

A News MAGAZINE Worth Wading Through

Order of the Court: Mining Permit Must Protect Rock Creek Bull Trout

Local News • Environment • Wildlife • Opinion • People • Entertainment • Humor • Politics

November 2012 | FREE | www.RiverJournal.com

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A News Magazine Worth Wading Through

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STAFF Calm Center of Tranquility Trish Gannon-trish@riverjournal.com

Ministry of Truth and Propaganda Jody Forest-joe@riverjournal.com

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.� Aristotle Proudly printed at Griffin Publishing in Spokane, Wash.

509.534.3625 Contents of the River Journal are copyright 2012. Reproduction of any material, including original artwork and advertising, is prohibited. The River Journal is published the first week of each month and is distributed in over 16 communities in Sanders County, Montana, and Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties in Idaho.

The River Journal is printed on 40 percent recycled paper with soy-based ink. We appreciate your efforts to recycle.

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• TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY Nov. 23 at 5 pm. Arrival of Santa!

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FREE PARKING IN CITY LOT THANKSGIVING THRU NEW YEAR’S DAY Art galleries • unique boutiques • carolers • Santa Claus • smiles • local award winning restaurants • holiday lights • a historic theater • holiday programs • dancing • art workshops • historic downtown • memories

Edward Jones received the highest numerical score among full service brokerage firms in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Full Service Investor Satisfaction StudySM. Study based on responses from 4,401 investors who used full-service investment institutions. Fourteen investment firms that received a representative sample of investor opinions were measured on seven factors: investment advisor; investment performance; account information; account offerings; commissions and fees; website; and problem resolution.

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Photo courtesy Bonner County Daily Bee

Thank You

The right of Americans to vote for their representation in government was a hard-fought battle. From the first shots fired in Lexington that launched our nation into a battle for its independence, to the 15th amendment, passed in 1870, that gave the franchise to men of color, some of them former slaves, and finally into the 20th century, when in 1920, with the passage of the 19th amendment, women were given full citizenship rights, many have fought and died for this right. Jenise and I would like to thank all of you who took the time to go to your polling place and cast your ballot in this ongoing experiment in republican democracy.

Our special thanks go, of course, to those who darkened the oval next to my own name as one of your chosen representatives to the Idaho legislature. I appreciate and respect the honor given to me by the voters of this great state.

Remember: Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Together, we can build a better tomorrow.

George Eskridge Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect George Eskridge, Verna Brady, Treas.

11 17 4. A BIG WIN FOR BULL TROUT Montana Supreme Court rules against mining permit for Rock Creek Mine.

5. LOCAL BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS There’s something on this list to please every reader.

7. LEADERSHIP THEN AND NOW Justin Henny’s and his grandfather, Burdette, and their opposite approaches to fatherhood.

9. BARRED OWL Mike offers some information on the local Hoot Owl. A BIRD IN HAND 10. CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IN THE WOODS Matt explains what will change if voters choose to adopt a Constitutional right to hunting and fishing. THE GAME TRAIL 11. NAMING TRADITIONS If the first to publish get naming

5 rights, Ernie might be in the lead. THE HAWK’S NEST 12. DOWNTOWN CALENDAR Take a look at what’s happening in Sandpoint 13. DISABLED VETS AND DEAD BEATLES When national organizations get in the way. SURREALIST RESEARCH BUREAU 14. WHEN DISASTERS RAGE Extreme weather offers the chance to reflect on the role of government. A SEAT IN THE HOUSE 15. FOUR CONCLUSIONS Sandy’s search for the truth. THE SCENIC ROUTE 16. VETERANS ARE BETTER OFF Gil argues that veterans have made gains in the last four years under Obama. VETERANS NEWS

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13

17. PILGRIMAGE Gary’s recent trip to Russia takes him to the home of Leo Tolstoy.

GARY’S FAITH WALK 18. OBITUARIES 19. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FRACKIN’ Scott’s rhythmical tribute to the pursuit of energy at all costs.

SCOTT CLAWSON 20. A MASTER HUNTER Boots is as talented with wildlife as he is with fish. Plus, a personal note about what’s to come. FROM THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER COVER PHOTO: Rock Creek Meadows, by Trish Gannon.

Where are YOU in this picture?

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A Win for Bull Trout in Montana’s Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court voided a key water quality permit for the proposed Rock Creek Mine on Monday, holding that the state’s use of a permitting shortcut would not sufficiently protect Rock Creek’s threatened bull trout population, a resource of “unique ecological significance” under state law.

The Rock Creek Mine is a controversial mining project that would excavate for silver and copper underneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in the lower Clark Fork River drainage near Idaho.

The Supreme Court upheld a decision issued by a Montana district court in July 2011, finding that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality violated Montana’s water quality laws when it issued a general construction permit that would allow the mining company to degrade Rock Creek, instead of preparing an individual permit specifically designed to protect Rock Creek’s uniquely sensitive resources.

The Supreme Court agreed, citing the final environmental Impact Statement, which described Rock Creek’s bull trout population as “an essential stock for conservation purposes,” and the stronger of the “only two stocks in the Lower Clark Fork considered to have enough individuals to avoid significant risk of extinction.”

Construction of the mine would discharge massive amounts of sediment to Rock Creek, increasing sediment loading by 38 percent overall. Fine sediment smothers bull trout eggs, dramatically decreasing survival. The discharge, slated to occur for five to seven years, would

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encompass the full seven-year life span of a bull trout.

“The mine’s impacts to Rock Creek and its bull trout population would be devastating,” said Jim Costello of the Rock Creek Alliance. “The state knew this, but chose to treat this discharge as insignificant by issuing a general construction permit that ignores the importance of Rock Creek.

“The Rock Creek bull trout population is critical to the recovery of the species in the Clark Fork Watershed,” said Bonnie Gestring of Earthworks. “This decision prevents the company from cutting corners to avoid protecting Montana’s native trout.”

The court agreed with the four plaintiff organizations, which include the Rock Creek Alliance, Earthworks, Clark Fork Coalition and Trout Unlimited, and issued a summary judgment voiding the permit. The court’s action precludes any construction activities until the state prepares a detailed, site-specific permit for the mine in accordance with state law, and with full public review.

Karen Knudsen, executive director for the Clark Fork Coalition, was gratified that the Supreme Court upheld the decision. “The court validated our contention all along that Rock Creek is too important to dismiss.”

The proposed mine is widely opposed by a diverse group of businesses, local governments, and conservation and sporting organizations in the region concerned about the long-term pollution the mine would generate.

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November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page

Another Way to Buy Local This Year

I often receive books in the mail to review, particularly when they’re written by local authors. Because we don’t have a regular ‘book review’ feature in this magazine, these books constitute an ever-growing pile at the edge of my desk, waiting for the opportune time to write about them in bulk.

Guess what? It’s now an opportune time, as thoughts turn to the holidays (yes, it really is time to think about shopping for Christmas). When you’re looking to give a gift, what could be better than sharing some of the local knowledge and talent that’s represented by this collection? Most are of a size that’s perfect for stuffing a stocking, and all demonstrate the high level of storytelling talent we find in our communities.

Consider the following:

Body of a Dancer. By Renee D’Aoust.

Published by Etruscan Press and selling at retail for $15, this 171-page paperback is a story of Renee’s time as a modern dancer in New York in the 90s, including her training at the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance.

Renee, who spends part of her time in Clark Fork and part of her time in Switzerland, is a gifted writer telling a gritty story of the brutal life of a dancer today.

You can purchase this book directly from Etruscan Press ($12, http://tinyurl. com/b4oxrbw), online at Amazon, or from local booksellers.

The Friction of Desire. By Sandy Compton Yes, that’s our Sandy Compton, and The Friction of Desire (it’s not what you might think) is his fifth book.

Published by his own Blue Creek Press, the 190-page fictional paperback tells the story of Larry —60, depressed, and a recovering addict—as he tells it in a series of meetings with his psychiatrist.

Sandy, whose column, The Scenic Route, is a regular feature in these pages, writes in a way that all can identify with as he tells the stories of love, pain, fear and redemption that weave through all lives.

You can purchase the book directly from CreateSpace ($12.95, http://tinyurl.

com/a2bo5vq), online at Amazon, or from local booksellers.

Hunted. By Dale Selle Published by the Bonner County Historical Society, Hunted tells “the true story of outlaw Mike Donnelly and his sidekicks, whose history of crime and punishment in the Pacific Northwest—including the murder of William Crisp at Hope, Idaho in 1923— spanned a period of 40 years.” This book offers a unique view of life in our area in the early decades of the last century.

Dale Selle was a high school teacher in Washington and Idaho for almost 20 years before spending the next two decades as a volunteer for the local historical society.

The 220-page paperbook can be purchased at the museum (611 S. Ella in Sandpoint), or with a credit card by phone (208-263-2344) for $18.

Jailhouse Grub­­—Sanders County Jail Recipes & and History of Old Jail Museum. By Fredi Pargenter A 103-page, comb-bound paperback published by the Sanders County Historical Society, Jailhouse Grub looks at local history through the eyes (and records) of the county jail. Included are biographies of all the sheriffs who served at the jail, plus some of their more famous cases, interspersed with dozens of vintage photographs and almost 50 recipes of food served in the jail (cooked by the sheriffs’ wives). “Wild game, fish, berries, lots of potatoes and farm-grown vegetables were the main ingredients of jailhouse grub” and the book features several wild game recipes.

You can buy the book locally in Thompson Falls for $10, or purchase by mail (the $12 includes shipping) from SCHS, PO Box 74, Thompson Falls, MT 59873.

Legendary Lake Pend Oreille Idaho’s Wilderness of Water. By Jane Fritz and Friends Although we’ve mentioned this book before in the River Journal it’s well worth another mention.

Published by Keokee

Books, this 419-page paperback includes hundreds of photos, including 16 pages of the legendary work of Ross Hall, plus 16 full-color plates.

A collection of stories introduces you to the 111-mile story of this truly legendary lake, including public recreation sites, paddle routes, guides to the lake’s fish and fisheries, plus a guide to more than 30 hiking trails along the lakeshore.

Author Jane Fritz is an award-winning environmental journalist and oral historian, and is joined in these pages by local writers Kevin Davis, Gary Hassler, Cate Huisman, Marianne Love, Heather McElwain, Patrick McManus, Jim Mellen and Dennis Nicholls, along with a forward

by Hazel Hall and an introduction by Francis Cullooyah.

You can buy the book at the Sandpoint General store online ($24, http://tinyurl. com/arme3o9), at Amazon, or at local book stores.

On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods: The Northern Reaches. A geological field guide to northern Idaho and the Channeled Scabland.

By Bruce Bjornstad and Eugene Kiver Another Keokee Books guidebook, Ice Age Floods is a geological view of North Idaho and the Channeled Scablands.

With 480 pages, this paperback guides the reader to “experience, firsthand, the striking aftermath of the Ice Age floods.”

Information on 39 hiking/biking trails, five driving tours and two aerial tours will allow you to witness 19 types of land forms and 65 flood-features in the landscape you see around you every day.

The book is $26 online from the Sandpoint General Store (http://tinyurl. com/ae2kuyw) and can also be purchased from Amazon and at local book sellers.

Priest River And Priest Lake: Kaniksu Country.

By Marylyn Cork, Jeanne M. Tomlin, and Diane E. Mercer Part of the Images of America series from Arcadia Publishing, this 128-page paperback includes over 200 black and white images from the early years of settlement in Kaniksu

Continued on next page

November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page

Books- Cont’d from previous page

Country—some of the untrammeled wilderness of North Idaho’s Panhandle region.

Written and compiled by three respected western Bonner County historians, the images are an unforgettable testament to the determination and grit of the area’s early settlers.

You can buy the book directly from Arcadia Publishing ($21.99, http://tinyurl. com/ao6u2pc), online at Amazon or from local booksellers.

A Smidgen of Sky. By Dianna Winget This 208-page paperback published by Harcourt Children’s Books is a young adult novel that tells the story of ten-year-old Piper and her attempt to call off her mother’s upcoming wedding, and the new family it will bring.

Dianna is a local resident who grew up in the Pacific Northwest and, as a stepparent, has first-hand experience with the creation of new families.

Her debut novel can be purchased online from Amazon as both a paperback and a Kindle version (retail $16.99/$11.99), or at local book stores.

A Third Grade Guide to Sandpoint. By Farmin/Stidwell Elementary Third Grade Students This 118-page paperback would be worth buying simply for the photo of a moose in Pend Oreille Bay (taken by our own Jerry Luther) on the cover, but it’s much more than its cover.

This series of essays written by a group of third-grade students at Sandpoint’s Farmin Elementary covers everything from fishing derbies to wolves and Dog Beach through Lost in the 50s, offering a youthful perspective on why this area is such a great place to live.

Guided by teachers Rick Price, Diane Copley an Becky Charvoz, this is a fun book featuring the stories and illustrations of over 60 local students. You can purchase it directly from Amazon ($7.95) or at local book stores.

Tiger Hunting (and other adventures) On Christ’s Mission in Old India. Compiled by Frank, Joyce & Christina Coupal.

Twenty-seven years as missionaries in India provided Herman and Mildred Reynolds with hundreds of stories and now those stories are finally seeing print

as the result of the efforts of their daughter, Joyce; son-in-law, Frank; and great-granddaughter Christina in this 188-page paperback published by Blue Creek Press.

“The Reynolds brought miracles to the Gonds in the forms of literacy, the newspapers soaked in Lysol Mildred took to every childbirth she attended and Herman’s double-barreled tiger gun.”

You can buy the book directly from CreateSpace online ($14.95 https://www. createspace.com/3715320), or at Amazon.

Until the End of the Ninth. By Beth Mary Bollinger.

“There are moments in baseball that sparkle with magic. And moments that break our hearts. And then there was the moment in 1946 when one minor league baseball team’s hope for magical moments came crashing to a fiery end.”

This is the true story of the Spokane Indians 1946 season and its fiery punctuation in the flames at the bottom of Snoqualamie Pass. This 192page paperback, published by Rooftop Publishing, is also the fictional story of what might have been if ghosts were real, and if someone also betrayed by destiny and fire—Joan of Arc—was keeping an eye on an American baseball team.

Author Beth Bollinger is a Spokane attorney with a love for baseball, and an appreciation for a gutsy group of boys, many of whom had just returned from war, and their ability, it seemed, to always pull it out in the end... until they didn’t.

The book is available at Amazon ($14.95/$9.99) in both print and Kindle version, as well as at local book stores.

The Wild & Weedy Apothecary. By Doreen Shababy.

This 384-page paperback published by Lewellyn Publishing was described by Pubblisher’s Weekly, as a “wellconsidered alphabetic valentine to natural healing...” and Susan Weed, author of the Wise Woman herbal series, warns “Those who dare delve into this book may emerge with catnip on their breath, mud on their knees, wild fruit juices on their hands and a mysterious, satisfied smile...”

Doreen, a resident of North Idaho since her teenage years, has provided a well-sourced and indexed guide that’s an essential ingredient of a wellstocked bookshelf for those interested in “practical know-how and food for the soul.”

You can buy the book online in both print and Kindle versions at Amazon (retail $17.95/$9.99) or from local book stores.

-Trish Gannon

THE BEST PART OF REACHING THE TOP IS THE VIEW. WE CAN HELP YOU GET THERE.

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November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page

Family Leadership, Then & Now

Tim Henney

Burdette and Justin Henney —two approaches to fatherhood Burdette Henney was a highly celebrated “yell king” at the University of Southern California in the late 1920s. Red-headed “Carrots” Henney became locally famous for originating the Trojan War Horse in the student card section at the Los Angeles Coliseum where USC played and still plays home football games.

Head yell leaders with their coneshaped megaphones leading cheering sections of obedient, white-shirted students holding large, colored cards were big stuff at Pacific Coast Conference (eight schools then, 12 today) games from the 1920s through the 50s.

Born dirt-poor on a Kansas farm, he was student body president at L.A.’s Lincoln High, went to SC on an academic scholarship and joined a fraternity populated by football players, some of them All Americans. At SC he comfortably cultivated and was at one with what Los Angeles in that era considered its best and brightest. He rode his beloved USC Trojan Horse of cards for the rest of his life.

Indeed, his calling card was a small desk blotter with a photo of the Trojan War Horse in the SC cheering section.

In the 1930s Burdette announced SC football halftime activities at the Coliseum. Heading his own insurance agency in downtown L.A., he served as president of The Trojan Club and the Downtown Optimist Club, which met at the locally historic Biltmore Hotel in the heart of the city. After SC home football games Burdette would quaff gin martinis with pumped up alumni at the venerable Jonathan Club, also downtown and a stone’s throw from the urban SC campus.

As did many other Jonathan Club cronies, Burdette proudly carried in his wallet a large, shiny, gold-colored badge attesting to his appointment as an honorary deputy during the durable reign of L.A. Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz. In those distant days the Los Angeles sheriff was among those who ran that burgeoning city—a city without freeways, smog, the Dodgers or Dodger Stadium. Disneyland, in nearby Anaheim, was avocados and orange groves.

Hollywood was making movies like Gunga Din, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz and King Kong (the original). In pop music, Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters were as good as it got. The City of Angels seemed more angelic then.

Burdette and his first wife, a privileged Long Beach, California flapper named Harriet Helen Harriman, whom he met in college, had a son and a daughter, then divorced in 1935. The children were reared in Long Beach, mainly by nannies. In the late 30s and early 40s Burdette took the son to sit with him in the Coliseum’s fieldlevel announcer’s booth at SC football games, into the players’ locker room afterwards, and to annual Rose Bowl battles in Pasadena when SC represented the Pacific Coast Conference, which was often. Saturday morning trips with his dad to the Coliseum football games were happy and memorable. Burdette’s nickname for his son was Pete. En route to the L.A. Coliseum, in a Packard with white sidewalls, they would pass mules or goats munching weeds by the side of a rural road and Burdette would yell, “Pete, what are you doing out there!” And if the mule or goat happened to be taking a poop then the glee to both Burdette and the son was magnified. “Pete, is that you I smell?” etc. etc.

The son sometimes accompanied his dad to downtown L.A. Trojan Club meetings and to the Jonathan Club. There he played solo billiards while Burdette imbibed and talked football with fellow SC boosters at the polished mahogany bar.

Before dissipation stole his life, Burdette annually rode a horse up a rugged coastal mountain pass with fellow members of Rancho Vistadores, attired in Stetson, chaps and boots. His mounted colleagues, Los Angeles quasi-cowboy businessmen and most of them USC alums, included Sheriff Biscailuz. The ride was a luxurycatered, early California-themed, harddrinking week of male camaraderie.

Burdette and his business buddies in the 1930s and 40s didn’t know many Jews, Blacks, Latinos or Orientals—and didn’t want to. At a classic 1939 USC/UCLA football game at the Coliseum, he scolded his son, then 8, for cheering for a speedy, black Bruin halfback from Pasadena Jr. College named Jackie Robinson. Yes, the

same. “Coloreds” like Jackie Robinson carried razors and used them on white boys, he told his son. He also said boys need to always lift toilet seats when they pee, something Jews did not do.

SC’s most emotional, important football game in those years was Notre Dame, coached by Knute Rockne. Burdette said to his son that Notre Dame players were Catholic and played dirty. Because of his love for and trust in his father, the son believed into his teen years that The Fighting Irish played dirty football.

Wrong advice notwithstanding, the boy loved and admired the father, and vice versa, and they had grand times together.

Today the son carries cherished memories of his dad, warts and all.

Once wiry and famously gregarious, Burdette grew soft, paunchy and jowly from round-the-clock gin, little exercise and thick, marbled, black market, World War II steaks slathered with butter before backyard barbecuing. The son, up from Long Beach for the weekend via Pacific Electric streetcar, ate his fill, then hunted rabbits with a new Savage 22 rifle in the sage-covered hills above the stately Chevy Chase Drive home in Glendale. Becoming increasingly booze-fueled and bellicose, Burdette insulted and bored old friends and new neighbors, who backed away.

A lauded campus leader as a 21-year-old undergraduate at a private university, known then as now for its local social cachet and clout, 25 years later he hadn’t a friend.

Trout fishing near Big Pine, California in 1948 with his wife, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 46. The son, a high school junior in Long Beach, was stunned into deep despair, which lasted decades. The father’s dreadful, open casket, Forest Lawn funeral was attended

by Sheriff Biscailuz, former SC athletes and L.A. business chiefs, most of whom undoubtedly carried gold pseudo-sheriff badges in their wallets. Burdette’s third wife, Nora Lane, a 1930s movie actress in early Westerns, killed herself with Burdette’s six shooter in their canyon home a month to the day after he died. A note read, “I can’t go on without him.”

Justin John Henney of Sandpoint, Idaho, 46 at this writing, was born to Jacquelynn and Tim Henney 18 years after his grandfather died at that age.

Continued on next page

November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page

Fathers- Cont’d from previous page

Some in Sandpoint know Justin as the guy who twice rode his unicycle nonstop to the top of Schweitzer Mountain in the competitive annual nine-mile bike ascent.

Justin doesn’t own a six shooter or (gasp!) any other sort of shooter (he trusts his North Idaho neighbors to be nice and doesn’t run scared). He owns neither a suit nor an honorary deputy’s badge. His pals are of every faith, age, color and sexual orientation.

Few are wealthy or famous. He downs an occasional beer or rum punch and, at the same age that Burdette died from overindulgence and sedentary choices, the grandson bikes, runs, swims, works out at a gym, skis, kayaks, hikes and sails—usually with family or wayward boys in tow. Being a role model for troubled teenage boys is how he earns his living.

Justin has never been invited to ride California’s coastal mountains on a horse with garrulous pre-John Wayne wannabes in cowboy gear—and wouldn’t accept if he had. Rather, he telemarks Schweitzer and camps out at Green Bay with his family and with kids who have been kicked out of their homes by at-wits-end parents. In the course of his job he comfortably befriends and is befriended by the boys’ bewildered parents, many of them well-heeled and well-known. But cultivating high rollers or wheeler-dealer political big shots isn’t his gig. He is a dedicated environmentalist and a Democrat. He doesn’t agree with the National Rifle Association that citizens need to own AK-47 automatic combat weapons. (To openly feel that way about the NRA in North Idaho—and throughout much of our beloved West—takes gumption).

Justin the grandson has a loving wife who worked her way through college and will never be in a Hollywood movie yet is brighter, prettier and more savvy

than many who are. She and her man would rather rear their two daughters in Sandpoint than in Brentwood, Beverly Hills or Santa Barbara. The life they live together is a life without pretend badges, six shooters, buttered marbled steaks, well connected associates, ubiquitous booze, or suicides. It is a life which happily includes all, or at least most, not merely the pompous and prominent.

Perhaps one can attribute the lifestyle differences of grandfather and grandson to the starkly divergent decades and social attitudes when each was 46.

There seems little question, however, at least to this writer, as to which lifestyle represents success, joy and family responsibility in these times. Perhaps the most compelling rationale for Justin’s life choices over his granddad’s is that the grandson at 46 wants to be around when his daughters are in high school and college so that they and their mother can continue to love and need him. With any luck at all, this family’s future will be full, contributive, rewarding and joyous.

Justin at 46 lives like he intends to be around. And he will be. Burdette at 46 did not—and was not. It still hurts.

K&K Thanksgiving Fishing Derby Nov.17-21 & 23-25

www.lpoic.org Eugene Ballet’s

The Nutcracker

Clark Fork Baptist Church

Main & Second • Clark Fork

Sunday School............9:45 am Morning Worship............11 am Evening Service...............6 pm Wednesday Service.........7 pm Call 266-0405 for transportation

Bible Preaching and Traditional Music

Why drive to town when there’s better things to do?

December 3 • 7 pm

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Page | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| November 2012

A Bird in Hand Michael Turnlund

Barred Owl

The Hoot, Hoot, Hoot Owl

Owls are sometimes tough to add to one’s birding life list. They simply operate on a different schedule from us day-loving humans. And even if you make the effort to meet them on their terms, that is, you head out after-hours—good luck! By that time the theme song of Mission Impossible should begin echoing through your mind.

It just doesn’t work that way: our conehappy, color-loving eyes were never meant to part the shadows. But fortunately you do have your ears!

Like its cousins, the Barred Owl is often best identified by its song. And the wideranging Barred Owl will not be confused with any other night denizen, though maybe a lunatic! Its distinctive call has earned it the common name of Hoot Owl. I think the best mnemonic for this species’ call is who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-foryou-all. And that is what it sounds like, though with a whinny sound at the end.

It’s a treat! A great way to hear this bird’s song is to listen to the audio file at the Bird Lab of Cornell University’s website.

It’s fun! And chances are you’ve heard the Barred Owl many, many times already— you just never knew who it was.

The Barred Owl is actually one of the owls I more commonly see. It is one of those birds that you stumble upon, rather than find by intent. I encounter it most often during the fall hunting season, while strolling through the woods, especially on overcast days. Though nocturnal, it is commonly active around sunrise and sunset. It is a big bird, about the size of a large grouse. These birds will be predominantly a rusty brown color speckled with white, giving the bird a mottled look. The face is white. The breast and belly are also light colored, though streaked vertically with brown. Some birds replace the brown with grey, though the other patterns hold true. Other important field marks are the round head that lacks

ear tufts, and the dark eyes. Most other owls have yellow eyes, so the dark orbs of the Barred Owl are a great help for making a definitive identification—assuming you can see them.

As I have noted previously in other articles of The Bird In Hand, the Barred Owl is yet another eastern species of North American birds that has been moving westward these past decades. A distribution map of the Barred Owl shows that this bird is predominantly found in eastern North America, but its population also stretches across a fringe of the boreal forest of Canada and into Alberta and British Columbia and from there down into And they don’t have to—after all, don’t the northern Rockies of the United States we Americans believe if it’s ours, it’s ours and the Cascade Range of Washington and we can do with it what we want? Or and Oregon. Indeed, the successful expansion of the Barred Owl into westernis and we want it, it then North America is now so earnest that you have to give it to us and if you don’t, is pushing out its cousin, the endangered then you terrorism andcalls we’ll Spotted Owl.sponsor There have even been to kill Barred Owls to protect Spotted Owls.

Crazy Bystuff! the way, China wants that oil as As might assume, well. you Remember China? the TheBarred peopleOwl who feeds predominantly small mammals loaned us all that on money?

China’s oil like chipmunks, and billion squirrels. consumption is rabbits, around 6.5 barrels Interestingly, they themselves are every a year, and is growing at 7 percent commonly preyed upon by the Great year. ItOwl, produces about Horned meaning the3.6 twobillion tend barrels not every year.

Does this math look good to to coexist as the one becomes the other’s anyone? anyone other than dinner.

It’sCan an owl-eat-owl world outSarah Palin and George Bush believe we can there! drill this problem?

So,our on way thatout nextofhunting trip at Anyone elk camp, listen forwe thebetter distinctive who doesn’t think hit the ground vocalization of theout Barred Impress running to figure how Owl. to fuel what we your “That, my friends, wanthunting fueled buddies: with something other than isoil Strix varia, formally the Barred probably deservesknown to goasback to an Owl, though also commonly called the Hoot Owl.” They may not be impressed, : I could go on but at least you can demonstrate you can forever, but you’ll quit reading.

So one final be pedantic with the best of them.

Happy discussion for the American public. First, birding! let’s have true, Michael independent analysis of You canareach at mturnlund@ what happened on September 11, 2001. gmail.com The official explanation simply doesn’t hold water. This is one of those “who knew what, when” questions that must be answered—and people/institutions must

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November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page

The Game Trail Matt Haag

Constitutional Rights in the Woods

November always had a chance to vote. I’m not allowed to speech, assembly, and religion? If we start brings the reality that have an opinion outside my home walls, opening up the constitution to these “addwinter is coming, the and I suppose I’ll continue to be a puppet ons,” what else can we expect down the daylight hours are shorter, because my job is important to me and road? the rain, the cold, and of course the deer my family. However, the The Idaho Fish Are we the only state to have such season is in full swing. During election & Game Commission, which sets policy an amendment proposed? Hardly not; years it’s my favorite time, because all for our agency, and is allowed to have Vermont made the rights to hunt, the campaign signs come down and the opinions, has publicly supported this fish, and trap a part of their original endless political ads come to an abrupt amendment. constitution in 1777! Since the mid-1990s, stop. As annoying as the political games So what happens if this amendment 12 other states have added a similar can be I hope you all made some time is not passed? Hunting, fishing, and amendment to their constitution with to vote this year. You know you can’t go trapping are not constitutional rights Kentucky, Wyoming, and Nebraska around complaining about things unless and life goes on. Does that mean Idaho voting along with Idahoans this year. In you voted!

Fish & Game will be doing business any 2010 Arizona voters shot down a similar If you did vote you probably noticed different? Nope. amendment. the proposal to add a new section to the So what happens if this amendment Like I said earlier, I’m not allowed Idaho Constitution “to provide the right is passed? Idaho Fish & Game will retain to have an opinion, so I’m merely just to hunt, fish, trap, including by the use authority to regulate wildlife by the use of bringing up some opposing ideas and of traditional methods, are valued part biological and population sciences. Those subsequently relaying what it means for if the heritage of the State of Idaho and residents of Idaho who want to hunt, fish, your Fish & Game Department if it passes shall forever be preserved for the people or trap must purchase a license and are or doesn’t pass. and managed through the laws, rules and subject to the laws of partaking in such Regardless, the key to successful proclamations that preserve the future of activities. The amendment goes on to say wildlife management is providing quality hunting, fishing, and trapping; to provide that it does not prohibit the suspension of habitat and applying good science to that public hunting, fishing, and trapping hunting, fishing, or trapping licenses for preserve, protect, and perpetuate Idaho’s of wildlife shale be a preferred means of unlawful behavior. It’s business as usual, wildlife populations. Then, and only then, managing wildlife... .” as I far as I am concerned. However, will we have viable populations that are If you voted “no” you dismissed you always have to be cautious when subject to hunting. Any true sportsman this proposed amendment to the Idaho making a change to the constitution, as it understands that basic principle.

Constitution and it leaves the Constitution leaves things open to judicial review and Happy Veterans Day to all our Vets just as it was written. If you voted yes, you interpretation. out there, thank you for your service to supported making hunting, fishing, and Some argue that this amendment our Nation and the sacrifices you and trapping a constitutional right in Idaho. would protect our hunting heritage from your families have made. For those brave For many years the Idaho Fish and opposition groups trying to remove the souls who never made it home to their Game Commission has not supported element of hunting in the North American loved ones, you are not forgotten. The attempts by lawmakers to escalate Wildlife Management model. The Sandpoint District Conservation officers hunting rights to the constitutional level.

Idaho Fish & Game Commission argues would also like to wish you all a Happy However, last March the Idaho Legislature that support of the amendment would Thanksgiving as well. Remember to take passed a joint resolution, HJR2, and after prevent that from happening and allow the time to be thankful for the natural weeks of debate it went on to the House the Department to continue with our resources we have here. It’s all our jobs to and Senate, eventually reaching approval. mandate to “preserve, protect, perpetuate take care of it responsibly. Please take the This time, our Fish & Game commission and manage” Idaho’s wildlife. time to make that call to report poaching. supported the proposed amendment as Some concerns, even from hunters, Citizen’s Against Poaching hotline 800well. trappers, and fisherman, is whether 632-5999, your local sheriff’s office or local We, as a state agency, the Idaho Fish this amendment is really something we game warden. Thank you! and Game, are prevented by law from need to add to the constitution.

Isn’t the Leave No Child increase nutrients, such as nitrogen and Council website at Inside tristatecouncil.org. taking a position, which is why I’m Constitution reserved for protecting You can reach Matt at matt.haag@idfg.gov. or writing this article now that you have basic human rights such as freedom of call at 208-946-0671.

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PageJournal 10 | The Journal - A News Magazine Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. No. 11| November 2012 5 The River - ARiver News Magazine Worth WadingWorth Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol 17 No. 18 |21November 2008 | Page

The Hawk’s Nest Ernie Hawks

We finally found all of our gear on a rock beside Alice Lindy Lake. It had been a tiring, eleven-mile day with a net elevation gain of about eleven hundred feet. Not bad, but remember that was net. Another factor: the trailhead was at 9,500 feet.

Alice Lindy Lake is a pure little tarn above the tree line in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. She lies in a basin to the west/southwest of Mount Lester and just south of a long ridge strewn with granite fragments broken from its sheer sides. The Highline trail passes her shore to the north, just before starting up Lester Pass, a thousand foot climb.

Coming to the lake basin from the northwest, the trail scrambles up a steep and rocky slope over a lip into a small hanging valley. Views out of the valley are stunning. Henderson Peak, a sharp saw tooth, rises to over 13,500 feet and is only about five and a half miles away. The pinnacle and the glacially marred crest to its south create a horizon to the northwest rivaling any wilderness setting I have ever experienced.

You may wonder why you have never heard of such a wonderful spot. Isolation is not the only reason; the name is not on any maps. I must assume that is simply a gross oversight on the part of all cartographers everywhere.

I’ll share a little history. Alice Lindy is my two-year-old granddaughter. She has never been in the Wind River Range but was in the same state for a few hours a year ago.

As we prepared for a hike into the Winds we noticed there were several small lakes that had no names. As I studied the area on Google Earth I saw the same phenomena. So when we needed to tell the outfitter where to leave our stuff, all we could do was point to one of those nameless lochs on the map and say ‘here,’ hoping he found the one we intended.

Without geographic names, locating is very difficult. There is the system of longitude and latitude but who can remember all those degrees and minutes and seconds, sometimes even tens and hundreds of seconds?

So I decided to do the world of geography a favor and name this one, beautiful little spot after Alice Lindy.

After all she is one beautiful little girl, so it seemed to fit.

Alice Lindy Lake is a 5- or 6-acre mere filled with clear pristine water fed from a couple of bubbling mountain streams.

Mount Lester, a rubble-sided, ridge-like peak, dominates views to the east. Its

A New Location on the Map vertical sides rise directly from the basin three thousand feet to its summit. Like all of the range where this pure water lies, the shore is mostly grayish-brown stones varying in size from baseballs to large trucks; however the bottom is mostly mud.

When we filtered our water we had to be careful not to stir up the dirt and clog the system. Sitting on one of the large boulders just below the water line was the only way to bathe. The water is cold in early September, when we were there. However, it’s quite refreshing after a day of hiking or for a morning face wash.

I am not sure what the official system is for naming locations, however, I do know that when a place gets called something long enough by enough people the name sticks, even when it isn’t official.

So here is what I did. I took some photos of Alice Lindy Lake and posted them on Google Earth with that name.

If this works I’ll be looking for a place to name Ernie.

My plan now is to hike back in with Alice someday and show it to her.

One of the guys I was with has a newborn granddaughter. He also found a lake to name. When I told him of my plans to come back with Alice he said, “I don’t know, I’ll be over 80 by then.”

I said, “We hear of folks over 80 hiking like this all the time.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure I’ll want to.”

“If your pretty little girl, (and she will always be your pretty little girl) wants you to, you will want to.” I said.

He laughed and nodded.

We day hiked for the next four days, once into Titcomb Basin, a glorious granite cirque gouged out by glaciers. A few remnants still hang on the jagged peaks.

There was a day when we followed Fremont Creek. That day we took a dip in the pool below The Big Waterslide, a natural spillway draining one of those

many unnamed lakes. The water pours down a stone face about 40 feet high.

Never quite free falling but cascading over polished stone, like a slide – thus the name.

It is close to The Jane Lakes, a designation that encouraged me to name Alice Lindy Lake.

On each trek back to our base we had to make that steep climb up tht very rocky trail into the basin below Lester Peak.

Since it always came at the end of the day I started calling it Humor Hill, because I seemed to leave my sense of humor on it each time. I think, considering my attitude, it was a very benevolent name.

Others, far less kind, had crossed my mind.

We spent several days exploring the hills and ridges surrounding Alice Lindy.

It allowed vistas into many of the valleys and gorges, through passes and gaps of the Winds. Alice is not the only reason I want to go back, the scenery is extraordinary.

After using the wonderful spot I had named as our base for five nights, it was time to start the two-day hike out. We had not arranged for the outfitter so, for the first time on the trip, we carried full packs. The eleven miles was broken up this time by a night on Barbara Lake. I don’t have any idea who Barbara is but I bet it was named the same way as Alice Lindy Lake.

The next day we hiked back to the car.

By mid afternoon we were sitting in a hot springs and that night rented a cabin where we slept in beds for the first time in two weeks.

In a dream I was hiking with a pretty little girl up the hill to Alice Lindy Lake.

She named it Ernie Hill.

Reach Ernie at ernie@PhotosByHawks.net. The Photoshop creation above uses one of Ernie’s photos, combined with a photo taken by John Brierley.

The Scotchman Peaks Keep ‘em wild.

For our Families, For tomorrow. www.ScotchmanPeaks.org

Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness

November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page 11

Photo by Gary Lirette

Holidays in Sandpoint!

Traditional Kick-off at Jeff Jones Square

Nov. 23

DOWNTOWN SANDPOINT EVENTS SANDPOINT EVENTS

November

9 Avalanche Center Film Fundraiser 7 pm Panida Theater. 265-6686 9-11 Library Wine Tasting Weekend Pend d’Oreille Winery, www. powine.org 265-8545 10 SARS Ski Swap, Bonner County Fairgrounds, 9-2, www.SARS.net 10 Book Launch Party and Author Event with Dianna Winget at Vanderfords. 2 pm. 263-2417 10 Life After Service: North Idaho Veterans film at Panida, 3 pm, $5.

263-9191 10 KRFY 88.5 Benefit Concert. Di Luna’s 7:30 pm. $10 263-6429 10 Acts Theater Production Camp, 7 pm, Panida Theater, 263-9191 10 Classical Music Concert 7 pm, venue TBA call 265-4444 10 Songwriters’ Circle, Panida Theater, 7:30 pm 263-9191 16 Bonner General Hospital Craft Fair 8-4 at the hospital 16 A Bash for Cash, 7 pm, Panida Theater 263-9191 17 Last Call at the Oasis, free screening, 7 pm, Panida Theater.

17 Holly Eve. Sandpoint Events Center. 208-263-8956 17-21, 23-25 K&K Thanksgiving Fishing Derby LPOIC.org 264-5796 18 StoryTelling Company, Ivano’s.

Reservations call 263-0211 23-Jan. 1 Holidays in Sandpoint Traditional kick-off at Jeff Jones Square 29-Dec. 1 Festival of Trees, Sandpoint Events Center. http:// bit.ly/YASdXS

December

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1 Christmas Fair. Bonner County Fairgrounds 9-4 2 Christmas for Africa Gala 5:30 Sandpoint Events Center 208-263-9311 LukeCommission.org 3 The Nutcracker 7 pm Panida Theater 263-6139

PLUS: Monday Night Party with KPND at MickDuff’s. Enjoy football and more every Monday.

Trivia every Tuesday night at MickDuff’s, 7 to 10 pm.

Tuesdays with Ray, Trinity at City Beach, 6 to 8 pm.

Winery Music - Live music every Friday night at Pend d’Oreille Winery Lounge Music with Neighbor John, Thursdays 6-9 at 41 South.

Live music, Coldwater Creek Wine Bar, 7-10 on Fridays.

Page 12 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| November 2012

FROM THE FILES OF THE RIVER JOURNAL’S

Surrealist Research Bureau

Disabled Vets & Dead Beatles In September’s issue of TRJ I told the true tale of how a group called the Disabled Veterans National Foundation raised over 60 million dollars on behalf of injured veterans but that not one penny went to veterans. Instead the whole sum went to lining the pockets of the organization’s executives.

There was a lot of feedback over that article, most of it from PR executives at the national office of the DAV.org claiming that “their” DAV had absolutely no involvement in the whole mess abd no affiliation whatsoever with the group Disabled Veterans National Foundation, which caused the scandal in the first place. Up front I want to state for the record there should be no confusion: the two groups are completely separate. If you consider donating to injured vets and want to be sure of where your dollar goes, I’d suggest giving straight to your local chapter. In our area that’s DAV Chapter # 15/c/o VFW Hall/1325 Pine Street/ Sandpoint, Idaho 83864. All funds raised are used solely to assist local veterans and their families with emergency food and medical grants, heating bills and emergency firewood and their books are always open for examination at their monthly meetings.

I helped raise funds to start up our local DAV Van Fund. We started this program to give veterans a ride to and from their appointments at Spokane’s VAMC. The program has been running now for many years and is a more than worthy local cause. The most frustrating part of the fundraising were the roadblocks put in our way by the national DAV, which forbade us from requesting funds outside of our own county. An example may suffice.

When the ex-Beatle George Harrison died, he left the bulk of his then $250 million dollar estate to benefit programs set up to assist the handicapped and disabled. I immediately sent in a request for a grant application, intending to ask for a mere $5,000 to seed our Van Fund. I thought we had a good chance, seeing as how our request was so relatively small and the need was so great. Unfortunately, I had to get prior approval from the national DAV office as well, and I was told under no circumstances could I request funds from the Harrison estate.

The reason, it turned out, was simply that the headquarters of the Harrison

Jody Forest

estate (based in Liverpool, England) was outside of Bonner County, our sole fundraising locale. I was, and still am, furious. $250 million dollars to be used on behalf of the disabled and we weren’t allowed to even ask for a portion of it? As it turned out, no DAV organizations even applied for any ex-Beatle funds, and they were all distributed elsewhere.

We were fortunate in that a few local charities helped take up the slack (DAR Wildhorse Chapter, Selkirk Realtors, Angels Over Sandpoint, and Panhandle Bank in particular all came through in spades). Still, that long fundraising effort ended up taking twice as long and left a bad taste in my mouth regarding the national fundraising efforts of the DAV. There were a lot of other roadblocks put in our way which I won’t get into here.

My point, if I have one, is that I agree with the “official” DAV that they are not the group (Disabled Veterans National Fund) that dishonored themselves.

However, I still find it difficult to believe that group has been gathering funds for years and that the “official” DAV knew absolutely nothing about it. What I’d like to see, though don’t really expect, is for a thorough investigation to take place with the results posted on the DAV’s website for all to see. That “evil” Veterans Group is still soliciting funds, Their website still asks for donations with no hint of scandal.

As I write this I learn they donated some chef’s hats and coats, football pants and other items to an organization called U.S. Vets, then claimed an $800,000 tax deduction for them! (See this CNN story for more information: http://tinyurl. com/aymcgzu).

Once again, If you’d like to donate and help local veterans I’d suggest giving to the local chapter so you can be sure the money is used strictly locally (at the address in the second paragraph). We can also always use volunteer drivers on the Van Project so if you have a good driving record and are healthy, please call or stop by the Bonner County Veterans Service Office at the Federal Building in Sandpoint or call (208) 255-5291. ‘til next time, keep spreading the word; Soylent Green is People! All Homage to Xena!

November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page 13

A Seat in the House

Rep. George Eskridge

Major disasters such as the one that occurred as a result of Hurricane Sandy that created havoc on the east coast— particular in New York and New Jersey— results not only in personal injury and costs but also creates a major impact on local, state and federal funding resources.

At the time of writing this article, the preliminary information available to me indicated early estimates to rebuild highways were at least $29 million dollars, and at least $30 million dollars is needed to hire temporary workers to help with cleanup of debris resulting from damage to property and infrastructure. The final cost is estimated to be in the 50 billion dollar range.

A large percentage of this funding will go toward clean up, infrastructure rebuilding, and other community needs; however, a portion will also be used to repair or rebuild homes, providing rental assistance and other funding for individuals impacted by the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had already approved the distribution of more than $40 million in temporary housing aid and other assistance to over 90,000 victims of the disaster at the time of writing this article.

Given the severity of Hurricane Sandy and its resultant deaths, personal injuries and property damage, I asked our own Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security how well prepared our state and local government agencies are to meet the needs of Idaho citizens in the case of a major disaster such as the one experienced in New York and other eastern states.

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When Disaster Rages In comparing the storm in the east to a possible similar event in Idaho it should be recognized that Hurricane Sandy was a slow moving event that gave individuals and government entities a great deal of time to get prepared in an effort to mitigate the damage that was certain to occur. In Idaho’s case it is more likely that we will not have the luxury of a slow moving occurrence, as we would be more likely to suffer from a major catastrophic disaster such as “an earthquake, flood, severe winter storm or out-of-control wildfire.”

Given that we may not have advance notice of these types of disasters Idaho Homeland Security “has and continues to help citizens, groups, associations, businesses, and government agencies to plan for such events.”

Just a few weeks ago the Bureau conducted “the Great Idaho Shake Out event,” during which the Bureau passed out training materials to educate citizens on the potential dangers of an earthquake as well as information on what to do during such a disaster.

The critical lessons learned from this type of exercise as well as from actual disasters such as that on the east coast was 1) a need to have 72 hours worth of food, bottled water, warm clothes and alternative lighting available. 2) a need for each family to have a plan of what to do in the event of a given disaster; if family members are separated because of school or work does the plan identify a place to meet and a communication plan to inform other family members as to where other family members are located?

The Bureau has information available on “how to build a plan to find and rejoin family members in an emergency, where to go, how to get there and when to go there or when to shelter in place.” This type of information is also available on the Internet.

We also know that one of the very first casualties in any major disaster is loss of communications and electricity.

Our Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security continues to work with local and federal government agencies to “provide redundant communications capabilities, supporting our first responders who must provide that vital link back to those who can bring aid and resources to the impacted areas.” Bureau staff also emphasized that “individual citizens can help themselves.” They should be sure to have a radio and fresh batteries to obtain

available information as well as other action as mentioned above in terms of a plan of action in the event of a disaster creating emergency conditions.

At the same time we cannot and should not expect government to duplicate assistance provided by other means such as adequate insurance coverage when available.

A lady who lost her home in the Hurricane Sandy devastation area who was being interviewed by the media stated that it was the government’s responsibility to replace her home. Is this a realistic expectation of government assistance?

Insurance is a complicated topic, and some homeowners will be surprised to learn that insurance companies now require a “hurricane deductible” or even wind or storm deductibles (in 18 states) that must be paid before insurance will kick in to help. These deductibles are generally 1 to 5 percent of the home’s value, so a person owning a $250,000 home might have to pay $12,500 out of pocket before insurance will pay. In addition, most polices do not cover damage from flooding at all, and many policies have “anti-concurrent occurrence” clauses which state than when damage occurs from two causes (say, wind and flooding) neither will be covered.

Government assistance would appear to be justified in removing debris, emergency protective measures, repair and replacement of highways and other infrastructure, but is it reasonable to expect government to pick up costs that insurance companies will not pay? Or to pay costs when a homeowner didn’t bother with insurance to begin with?

I am sure there are opposing opinions on the responsibility of government assistance as a result of natural disaster damages, but at the least we should take advantage of information provided by the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to enable us to be prepared as much as possible in the event of a national disaster such as that created by Hurricane Sandy.

Thanks for reading and as always feel free to contact me with issues of importance to you. I can by reached by phone at (208) 265-0123, by mail at P.O. Box 112, Dover, Idaho 83825 or by e-mail at geskridge@house.idaho.gov George

November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page 14

The Scenic Route Sandy Compton

The Four Conclusions Concluding a Search for the Truth

after all of my seeking God and peace, it is be grateful for what little they have. In Once upon a time, I was asked by time now for God and peace to seek me.

In gratitude, I’m a piker.

Somebody—or believed that I was—if this game of hide-and-seek, it’s my turn A fourth conclusion, then, is that I would give up the woman I loved for to be found.

I didn’t ask to be born, nor judging others for their beliefs, ignorance, world peace. I agreed—eventually—that, did anyone on this planet. If I was, indeed, education, poverty, wealth, success, as a decent human, I would have to. And, I blessed with a life—and I think I was—the failure, living conditions, history, culinary did—again, eventually. After arguing and Giver of that life is somewhat responsible habits, dress, customs or any other posturing and trying to make deals and for giving it to me. diversion from my own culture is counterrationalizing for a few years—or was it a So, I have stopped seeking, for the productive and really also none of my decade?—I finally did. most part, though after a hard day, week, business.

This giving up was accomplished in month, year—of which sometimes there As a friend once said to me, “The less my search for The Truth, and I believed seems to be no end—I still tend to whine I judge others, the happier I am.” Amen, it would lead to something remarkable, and wonder what in the world God is up to. sister! and it did. But, it wasn’t what I wanted or At the risk of apostasy, I question God as to I fail this—often. But, it doesn’t add envisioned. World peace did not ensue.

God’s purpose in all of this. At the risk of to my personal peace when I engage in In fact, the world has since gotten less being Job, I ask God, sometimes, just who judgment. It only brings me closer to peaceful; crazier, more violent, more the heck He thinks He is, playing with us my own failings, exposes my foibles and unpredictable. But my world, the personal humans as She does. frequent mistakes. space in which I live, has become more But, so far—here is a third conclusion— This is not all bad. Pointing that finger peaceful. The Truth was that this woman it appears to be none of my business.

So, makes me increasingly uncomfortable with I loved did not love me, and moreover, it I do the best I can every day with what my own points of departure from living wasn’t in her to do so. And, I have become I have to work with and let God be God the life that is good for me. And, The Truth at peace with that, which is what I can do and me be me—an error-prone, ignorant, is, I think, that God wants us to live a life for world peace. Funny how that works. sometimes frustrated and angry, but that is good for us. Not self-indulgent, It’s been 25 years since I embarked trending toward more peaceful human. nor self-centered, but a life that makes on that search for The Truth in earnest, Don’t get me wrong.

I love God, us happy through what we see to be right during which I found and embraced The Whoever God is; particularly for all action and striving for personal peace.

Truth perhaps as many times as it has been This sort of life is the great hiding place years. Each time, though, it was eventually the gifts of living on this planet in the place and time that I live.

I am awed and in the cosmic game of hide and seek. If we revealed to me that I was, at least partially somewhat confounded by the Grace I are going to play, let us find an incredibly and sometimes wholly, wrong. Speaking experience every day. In world news and good place to hide. Let us quit seeking so of funny stuff, it is somewhat hilarious history, I find myriad places and times hard for something we know not what and in retrospect, watching the clown me that I might otherwise have been placed let God instead find us busy tending the run from one Truth to the next. There is and breathe a sincere and fervent “Thank garden She set us in. Let us play hide and also the hilarity of relief in knowing that, you!” for when and where I fell into this seek by rules in which God finding us is as more than likely, I don’t have to do that planet.

How can I not? important and fruitful as us finding God. anymore.

But, it’s easy to say “Thank you,” for And let everyone have a turn.

In seeking The Truth, I also sought Sandy Compton’s latest book is The where and when I live. Others say the same God, for I believed—and still do, for that prayer living in a mud hut in Africa or Friction of Desire. Find it online at www. matter—that God is where The Truth under siege in some Middle Eastern city bluecreekpress.com.

This story first appeared lies. In the search, I read Thomas Moore, or marching to a death camp in Siberia in the River Journal in 2010.

Viktor Frankl, Marianne Williamson, or Eastern Europe—they continue to Don Miguel Ruiz, Depak Chopra, The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, The Bible, When I Say No, I Feel Guilty, The Shack, The Road Less Traveled, Addiction and Grace and dozens of other self-help, spiritual and religious books. In each of these, I found nuggets, strands, hints and clues—even an occasional Answer, as I initially viewed 220 Cedar St. Sandpoint Chopra’s Seven Laws of Spiritual Success— 208.263.0846 but in a quarter of a century of reading, research, prayer, reflection, meditation and memorization, I did not achieve a lasting peace or find the God I thought I sought.

I have come to some conclusions about this.

The first is that I will never quite know what is The Truth, no matter how hard I seek it.

The second conclusion, then, is that November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page 15

DiLuna’s

Catering to your Needs

Veterans’ News Gil Beyer

By the time this issue comes off the presses we will know in what direction this nation, region and state are headed for the next two to four years. The composition of the United States 113th Congress will determine whether we go forward, backward, or suffer from the same gridlock that we’ve endured for the past two years. I’m in hope that the number of those representatives in thrall to Grover Nordquist has been significantly reduced and that many of the freshman class of 2012—from either party—don’t view ‘compromise’ as a dirty word.

The question has been asked by the GOP’s nominees, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” The answer given by most reputable economists has been a resounding “Yes!” But you wouldn’t know that if you listened only to Fox or AM Talk Radio. The truly amazing thing is that we are indeed better off than we were four years ago. The economy, in spite of GOP Congressional obstructionism, has been growing — albeit slowly. Housing starts in September nation-wide were the highest since 2008.

Our relationships with the rest of the world’s nations are better than they were under the previous Administration and most of the men and women that were sent in harm’s way to faraway lands have come home. Those remaining in Afghanistan have a defined timetable to look forward to.

Services required for our returning service men and women have improved dramatically. The backlog is still large but efforts are being made to speed up the processing of claims. The VA’s funding has finally been increased commensurate with the demands of the years of war we’ve fought. That’s not to say that there isn’t much left to be done for our veterans, but over the last four years great strides have been made. But these gains can only continue in a positive direction if the President has another four years in office. Imagine the effects of the Ryan Budget on our veterans— veterans that aren’t even mentioned in that budget. Former South Dakota Senator Larry Pressler, a Republican with 22 years of service in the House and Senate and with two combat tours in Viet Nam, has endorsed President Obama in a nationally distributed letter, that said in part, “And let me be clear: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would be disastrous for

Veterans ARE Better off than Before America’s service members, veterans, and military families.”

I have hopes that this information has been widely disseminated and that all veterans have finally voted in their own best interest rather than believing the ‘malarkey’ that the GOP has been handing out for over 30 years.

I have hopes that the theory of “Trickle Down Economics” will finally have a stake driven deep into its black, specious heart. It didn’t work over 30 years ago during the Reagan administration. It didn’t work during Bush I or Bush II and it won’t work any better under another GOP administration. Those that have the wealth stay that way by holding onto it. They don’t take any risks that may adversely affect their wealth. Only through a progressive tax structure can the entire nation benefit. We must all pay our fair share if the whole country is to prosper over the long term.

If you are a woman I hope that you’ve seen the dangers that a Right leaning administration would present to you and your children. I don’t believe that government—at any level—should be involved in the highly personal and intimate decisions that any woman might make. Those decisions should be made within the family and in the hearts of those most affected without any governmental interference.

I’ve watched all three debates and I’ve seen the dismissive and disrespectful tone used by the GOP’s nominee towards women, minorities, retirees and the Office of the President. He does it when in private settings among ‘his kind of people’ and in public on a national stage.

I totally understand that all politicians say things that they believe will garner support —and large donations—among the groups they address. What puzzles me is how they can say the complete opposite in a different venue and appear to be just as sincere. Someone once said, “When you can fake ‘sincerity’ you’ve got it made.” If this is true, the GOP nominee [possibly our newly elected President as of this publication] will have reached that level in spades. There is an old saying that goes, ”Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.”

On a topic closer to home I visited the newly relocated VA clinic in Ponderay in early September to make inquiries about a hearing test. My “What was that?,” “Say

again, please,” and “Can you turn up the TV?” was starting to get old to friends and family. When I retired from active duty in July 1980 it was suggested that I go to the Spokane VA hospital and have a physical to ascertain if I qualified for a disability rating. It was found that I had significant hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears. This and some other minor anomalies earned me a 20 percent disability rating and got me a small monthly stipend over the past many years.

In short order the local clinic had set up an audiology appointment in Spokane; I was tested and it was found that, while my hearing loss had not changed significantly over the past 32 years, thanks to some new programs I qualified for hearing aids. At a second appointment I was fitted with a pair of state-of-theart devices. I also received instructions on the care and feeding of these small wonders; a set of replacement batteries and assorted kits and cases. The total cost to me —as a disabled veteran—for the hearing aids, batteries and kits: ZERO! If I had not been rated as a disabled veteran the co-pay would have been $50. I will also receive free batteries and other supplies with a simple mail-in or on-line request for as long as I need them.

The lessons learned here folks, if you are a veteran, are these: 1- we need to get off our butts; 2 - break out that old DD214, and 3 - and talk to the good people on the second floor (there is an elevator) of the Kaniksu Heath Services Clinic on Hwy 200 in Ponderay (behind Paul Bunyan’s Burgers). The number of the Ponderay VA clinic is (208) 263 0450. If you’ve lost your original DD-214 a new one can be gotten online at www.Archives.gov/veterans/ military-service-records.

I also made an appointment and got a free flu shot. While there I picked up a copy of the latest Department of Veterans Affairs “Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors” booklet. They are free for the asking.

Until next month stay safe and remember our young men and women serving in all branches of our military— overseas and at home. They are the ones who ensure that we continue to enjoy the freedoms we have.

Page 16 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| November 2012

Gary’s Faith Walk Gary Payton

Pilgrimage: a journey or search of spiritual or moral significance, generally to a shrine or location of importance to a person’s faith or beliefs.

I began my journey with a paperback copy of Anna Karenina and the latest biography of Leo Tolstoy stuffed in my backpack. By local commuter train, I headed south out of Moscow toward the city of Tula. Then, in a short taxi ride, I arrived at Yasnaya Polyana, the estate where Tolstoy lived and wrote for most of his 82 years.

Spiritual authors suggest a pilgrimage has three essential parts: leaving home, entering into a time of liminal space and time of retreat, and returning home in a new way.

I certainly had the leaving home part down! Seven thousand air miles from the Inland Northwest, surrounded by the language and culture of Russia, the taxi’s radio blaring popular rock tunes from Moscow —“Toto, we’re not in Sandpoint anymore!”

A liminal space relates to a sensory threshold, an intermediate place, often barely perceptible. Indeed, as I entered the 1,000 acre grounds of the estate I felt a movement back in time. In only a few short steps, I was transported to the closing decades of the 19th century and Tolstoy’s external life in this place. Broad walkways lined by towering birches now golden in late fall. Draft horses grazing amidst the trees in the fruit orchards.

Pilgrimage

Geese skittering and honking through mud puddles. The smell of manure and straw piled outside the low slung barn.

And, across the lake, the imagined houses of the hundreds of peasants who once tilled the soil and harvested the grain to make Yasnaya Polyana profitable for Count Tolstoy and his family.

Amidst this space the “time of retreat” were the hours of ambling through birch forests, sitting quietly on wooden benches, enjoying borsch made fresh from the season’s beet crop, and reading both novel and biography. Throughout, I reflected on the physical and the spiritual life of this extraordinary man.

If “returning home in a new way” is the key element of pilgrimage, then I am truly in a new place. Most persons who know the name of Leo Tolstoy do so through his novels War and Peace, Anna Karenina, or The Death of Ivan Ilyitch. I was one of those persons. But now I have also come to know the winding spiritual journey of his life. This journey included his own “creed” based on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount; his treatise calling for individuals to live a moral life regardless of family, society, and government; and, his ongoing dialogue with religious and philosophical guides whether they were Evangelicals, Quakers, Shakers, or Buddhists.

Now, days after returning from Russia, what is the “spiritual or moral significance” of visiting this “shrine” that is Yasnaya Polyana? At its core, it is my

deepened understanding that this walk I am on is indeed a journey. A week, a month, a year, even a decade do not mark the boundaries of spiritual journey. For me, the honest answer is the journey lasts a lifetime. And what of the questions of life’s meaning, one’s relationship with God, and relationships with others? My understanding today is that the clarity of last year’s answers are not the answers for this year and ought not to be the answers of next year. And I have been retaught the lessons of learning from the wisdom literature of the world and to question the dogma which so constrains much of faith tradition in the world today.

And to think it all began with a simple train ticket, a paperback novel, and a biography. The journey continues.

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November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page 17

PASSAGES Roger S. ANDERSON March 7, 1936 - October 5, 2012 www.LakeviewFuneral.com

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Mark HILLERY April 30, 1951 - October 9, 2012 www.LakeviewFuneral.com

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Adalma Hines DILLARD March 7, 1947 - October 12, 2012 www.LakeviewFuneral.com

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Patricia (Patty) Jenner SCHOONOVER JUNE 29, 1934 - OCTOBER 14, 2012 www.LakeviewFuneral.com

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Siri Hillmer THORKELSON June 6, 1919 - October 2, 2012 www.Coffeltfuneral.com

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Evalyn Rose McINTIRE July 1, 1918 - October 5, 2012

Wish you had your own cute cat photos to post on Facebook? Don’t wait—the Panhandle Animal Shelter has dozens of models to choose from! Stop by and visit at 870 Kootenai Cut-Off Rd. in Ponderay.

Join the meme!

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KORBY LENKER Sunday, Oct. 14

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George William MUNDELL Sr. May 6, 1933 - October 19, 2012 U.S. Marine Corps veteran www.Coffeltfuneral.com

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Gary Edward VAUGHAN September 28, 1938 - October 29, 2012 www.Coffeltfuneral.com

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Elmer George DEXTER December 16, 1928 - October 30, 2012 U.S. Air Force veteran

220 Cedar St. Sandpoint 208.263.0846

www.Coffeltfuneral.com

Veterans and Active Military Invited to Free Lunch Veterans Day is a very special Holiday when our grateful nation honors the thousands of men and women who at great personal sacrifice stepped up to serve our country. There were volunteers, but also draftees and those who joined the defenders from National Guard and reserve units.

We probably have said thanks to some individuals, but a few private citizens in our community are taking this opportunity to thank all veterans and active duty military by sponsoring an informal but heart felt free Lunch on Sunday, November 11 and Monday, November 12.

The location is the Sub Shoppe in Kootenai, located next to Squeeky’s on Hwy 200. Owner LeAnna Porath and her mother Barbara will be joined by friends and supporters Jim and Marti Ashford and Dave and Laurie Wall in sponsoring the event . Many Sub Shoppe customers share a reminder of the importance of defending our freedoms in the person of LeAnna’s grand daughter Scout. This curious, charming, and loquacious kindergartner clearly deserves a secure homeland.

Everyone involved hopes that you will attend the more formal observances of Veterans Day, but come by for a great lunch and some hometown thanks. Please call 2630244 if you need more information.

FOR VETERANS 10 Nov. 1200 at Tango Café in Sandpoint Marine Corps league Luncheon $15 per person 10 Nov. 1500 at the Panida Theater “Life after service” local film debut. Cost $5 per person 10 Nov. 1900 Priest River VFW Post Wall of Honor 11 Nov, 1100 at War Memorial Field Veterans Day Ceremony 11 Nov, 1300 at Sandpoint VFW Post Veterans Day potluck dinner. All veterans and families invited.

11 Nov. 0800-1500 and 12 Nov. 0800-1600 at Kootenai Sub Shoppe All Veterans Free Lunch 12 Nov 0900 at Sandpoint High School Coffee/juice and pastries in Library—Social time.

0900-0954 Veterans Day show in Auditorium.

12 Nov 0915 at Southside Elementary Veterans Day Program

Page 18 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| November 2012

A frackin’ we will go, a frackin’ we will go, we’ll make so much denario when a frackin’ we all go.

It came about in ‘48 to get more oil to extricate.

There was oh so much to lubricate so a frackin’ they did go.

Then came the notion to go inside those shale deposits strewn far and wide.

By going this way they continued our ride so a frackin’ they did go.

It was all so easy to get the okays by injecting money before election days and passing laws that they did phrase so a frackin’ they did go.

“With a little help from our man Dick ‘The Clean Water Act’ is no longer a trick.

We’re absolved of complying with a thing so thick so a frackin’ we shall go.”

“They’re secrets, you see, what we put below to fracture the earth and increase the flow Special things we’d rather you do not know as a frackin’ we all go.”

“If you go surfin’ due to consternation over rumors of problems through observation good luck with all of the obfuscation while a frackin’ we all go.”

From Mexico to Canada & shore to shore they’ll drill and blast & bore & bore until, by God, there aint no more so a frackin’ they will go.

All they had do was wait and whittle at both sides of the aisle from down the middle ‘til a barrel of crude cost eighty and a little then a frackin’ they would go.

They play us easy with rhetoric and fear.

“There’s enough out west for a hunert year and if you hear different then turn a deaf ear as a frackin’ we will go.”

Never you mind all the water it takes to frack each well from rivers and lakes let alone the methane, ozone and quakes as a frackin’ we do go.

And no need to worry about our ‘next’ of kin for those generations we bequeath our sin and the fact that without us they’d never have been!

So a frackin’ we all go!

On a lighter note: this poem was the culmination of a couple hundred hours of research causing nausea, bleary eyes, neck stiffness and headaches while mulling over the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing of subterranean gas and oil deposits, or “fracking” for short.

My only wish is for you to do some research of your own to develop an understanding of just where we’re going with this idea. It deserves your sincere attention.

Here are a few places on the web to start looking. Try to keep an open and inquiring mind.

Trust only the facts and take notes. Dig. Simply Google: http://tinyurl.com/bxo9oqf 350.org, The Halliburton Loophole, Ecowatch.org/shale fracking, the ‘fracact’, gag orders associated with gas fracking, Bakken oil shale deposits, Marcellus Shale Coalition, Fracking.org/fracking reports, USGS fracking study, Dangers of fracking.com, Frackfocus. org, Bakkenwatch.org, Truth-out.org/news/ item/9934, Inglewood oil field fracking, Delaware Riverkeeper Network/fracking waste, Truth-out. org/item 8740, the Missoulian.com/article on Blackfoot Indian Reservation/ fracking.

As a parting shot: If they’re so certain the process is safe, then why are the gas frackers exempt from complying with The Clean Water Act of ’75 signed into law by Pres. Nixon (amended by the Bush/Cheney Energy Policy bill of 2005, often referred to as the Halliburton Loophole)?

Scott Clawson

acresnpains@dishmail.net

November 2012| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| Page 19

Becoming a Master Hunter

Did we have a great summer or what?

If it got too hot to fish you could always go swimming, goggle at the girls on the beach, play in the water, or just lie in the shade. The wildlife got into summer in a big way, finally catching up on the weight they lost over a long and cold winter and a wet spring. I, on the other hand, put on weight over the long cold winter and apparently it decided to stay throughout the summer and into fall. The wild fruit has been a bumper crop this year, helping the bears and coons fatten their babies.

Of course, our cherries ripened first and just like long lost relatives who discovered you moved to God’s country, the critters all decided to visit us until the food ran out. A young sow and her cute cub showed up the night before the cherries were ready to pick. They climbed up the first tree and pigged out, breaking a limb or two. The next night they showed up and devastated the second tree. So, I hot wired both trees. That’s right, I connected a livestock fence charger across to both trees. Momma bear was not impressed. She crawled most of the way over the wire, then it lit up her butt.

She shot to the top of that cherry tree, pushed her cub out on a small limb at the very top and would not come down. I found them there at 4:30 in the morning.

Even our old dog, Tess, did not faze them.

In fact, I think Tess was just encouraging them to hang in there and bring a little excitement into her otherwise dull life.

This bear incident would have made a great movie. Walt Disney would have loved to have filmed this just to prove to the world how much bears and humans are alike. First, she threatened me with some bear profanity and I returned with some of my own and at one point when I was referring to her family heritage she covered the cub’s ears. Finally, after using all the words of discouragement I could think of, I unhooked the wire and took it down from the tree. She didn’t care and wasn’t budging. So, I hosed her down. I stood there with the garden hose turned on high and she let out a squall of bear profanity so loud the cub covered his own ears.

That’s when she decided to empty out all the cherries she had eaten for the last two days. It looked like about five gallons of cherry pie filling. We backed out of the garden and waited. Then around 10:30 she had had enough so she came down to the lowest limb and stopped.

Then she did something a human would do. She slid one hind leg slowly down

BOOTS REYNOLDS

the tree, feeling with her foot for the hot wire. Not finding it she went back up on top of that limb and crawled out head first until the limb bent down close enough to the ground, then jumped off. The cub followed and they headed for the nearest woods as fast as they could.

They were back the next day, but gave a wide birth to the garden and this time she and the cub were only eating serviceberries. Cherries just didn’t seem that appealing anymore.

Now, I know that the Northwest Indians believe the bear is their brother and is almost human, but they observe bears in a different light than we do.

Lovie and I have been observing bears doing their thing for a long time now and, yes, some of the things they do are quite humanistic. For instance, serviceberry bushes are about the size of a man’s arm and grow up to twenty feet tall. They are too small for a grown bear to climb, so our little momma bear stood on her hind feet and reached as high as she could and pulled the limbs all the way down to the ground, eating berries as she went.

Then she sat down on the limb so she and the cub could clean off the rest of the berries. At first I thought this was a novel accident until I watched her do this to all the berry bushes in that group.

Pull them down and sit on ‘em until she and the cub could clean all the berries off each limb. One funny thing happened during this procedure as she stepped off of a limb before the cub was done eating.

Unfortunately, it was standing astraddle of the limb and was shot up into the top of the stand of serviceberry bushes where it began to eat as though that was a normal reaction.

As a youngster we read the story of Johnny Appleseed, the young man who went through the woods planting apple seeds to assure that future generations would have apples. But, here in the Northwest it is the bear that scatters the apple seeds. Each fall, with a belly full of apples, he deposits seed everywhere he relieves his bowels. That’s why you’ll find apple trees in the oddest and sometimes most remote places throughout the woods. It’s a good thing all the seeds don’t sprout because if they did, you couldn’t see the forest for the apple trees.

Sportsmen throughout the world have hunted bears for trophies and early settlers hunted bears for food, rendering the fat out for cooking. It’s not unlike the fat on hogs, except bear fat is considered the best for baking pie crust. As a young man growing up in the South I read everything I could about bear hunting in the outdoor magazines and was excited to hunt for my first bear when I arrived in Idaho.

The Pack River bottom is covered in berry bushes and when fall came so did the bears. Each evening we could hear the bears pulling down berry bushes as our home was just a short distance from the river. One evening I found myself hidden behind an old stump overlooking a bend in the river. No sooner had I got set down when out of the brush across the meadow stepped a black bear. I rested my rifle on the stump and waited. The bear was strolling straight to me. When he got to within a hundred yards he stepped up on a log, exposing his chest, which would have been a perfect kill shot. But I was raised up to take a neck shot on elk, deer and antelope so you wouldn’t ruin any meat.

Just at that time the bear turned his head and looked across the river and I took the neck shot. The bear jumped as high as any high jumper and came down over the ten foot bank and into the river.

I ran as fast as I could to get to him, afraid he would escape out the other side of the river. In the mean time the bear was thrashing wildly in the water. By the time I arrived on the spot where the bear went over the river bank the splashing had stopped. There, ten foot below me, floating in the river, was my first bear.

With help from all the neighbors and our pickup we finally had the bear hanging from the rafters in our barn. By the time the hide was skinned down to the bear’s head it was mentioned by several onlookers how much the bear’s carcass looked like that of a human. It was at this time our neighbor, Jim, pointed out that there were no sign of a bullet wound. This statement opened up the opportunity for me to brag on my shooting ability.

“My dear fellow, one does not waste precious meat where I come from. First one learns to shoot. For instance, I shot this bear right behind the ear in the neck,” I said, “not wasting an ounce of meat.”

“Show me,” he said.

We skinned the hide down over the bear’s head and found no bullet wound in the neck or head. After closer examination we found a small nick in the skin just under the jaw where the bullet had broke the hide. Apparently, the bear’s reaction to the impact of the bullet shocked him into jumping up and landing upside down in the river, which caused him to panic and to breathe in too much water and drown. I have made a lot of great shots in my hunting career but to scare a bear to death with one shot is one for the record books!

From Mouth the Magazine River Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 21 No. 11| November 2012 Page 20 |the The River Journalof - A News

On the Dark Side: a note about the future

As I sat there by the phone waiting for the next telemarketers to call , I got an actual phone call. It was from my personal surgeon—I say personal because he has cut on me so many times we trade recipes, Anyway, he said I should stop by his office and pick up my folder on my way to see a doctor named Holbrook at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane. Said he wanted him to check over some of my x-rays This new doc received the x-rays first while I waited in the outer office, and when he asked to see me I walked in to a huge, well-decorated office. He was sitting behind a large, polished oak desk and standing on either side of him were two large gentlemen who looked a lot like federal agents. “These are my associates,” he said, with a wave of his hand. “Now, let’s get right to it. You have a large cancer deposit in your stomach; I can cut that out, put you on chemo over in Coeur d’Alene so you wont have to drive so far for your treatments. And If everything goes well you’ll have six months to live. Be in Spokane the night before in a cheap motel nearby and have nothing to eat, drink or be merry from the night before. My secretary will schedule your operation and give you some paperwork to fill out. Oh, and I will give you some pills that will help you with your appetite.”

“Appetite,” I said. “Are you crazy?

There’s nothing wrong with my appetite.

I eat like a pig and have put on several

pounds this month and as for as this cancer goes, this is the first time I have heard about it.”

He was quietly looking over his glasses at me and finally said, “Would you excuse me for a minute, I’d like a word with my associates.” When I returned he had reread my files and re-discovered I had a large growth in my stomach. He didn’t want to lose the money on the operation so they scheduled me for an operation and took the growth out. It was scar tissue created by a military hospital in Houston; that’s where they let kids practice on you until they get their doctorate.

Cancer, the word no one wants to hear but are looking for it everywhere. Is this a cancer on my breast? There’s a lump there.

No, wait that is my breast. I just know I have cancer my grandmother had it, and when the word comes that you do have cancer... you panic. “Oh, God, I’m going to die.”

Well, that was a while back and now I have cancer throughout my body. They have done just about everything they can do for and to me. So for the next few months I will relate to you what happens in chemo and other cancer treatments, until they through dirt in my face. Dying isn’t funny, but getting there has its moments.

Annual Customer Appreciation Sale!

November 25 thru December 22

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In the Bonner Mall at the JC Penney entrance

HOLLY EVE

A Sandpoint Tradition presented by Eve’s Leaves

Saturday, November 17 at the Sandpoint Events Center Doors open at 6 pm

•Complimentary champagne and the Taste of Sandpoint hors d’oeuvres dinner featuring 24 fine restaurants!

•Live & Silent auctions •Fashion Show •Live music Emceed by our own Queen of Ireland

Win a golf & stay package at the Coeur d’Alene Resort or even lunch with Ben Stein! These auction items and more!

Benefits: The Festival at Sandpoint, Panida Theater, Pend Oreille Arts Council, Community Cancer Services & the Bonner Community Food Bank Ben Stein photo © Creative Commons

Christmas Craft Fair At the Bonner County Fairgrounds • December 1

• Fair open 9 am to 4 pm • FREE Admission • Food • Live entertainment This annual event provides a great opportunity to do your holiday shopping under one roof, featuring unique gift items from local craftspeople and artisans.

• Visit with Santa from noon -2 pm

Inspired by Pinterest?

Display your creative talent and/or products with a vendor table ($9) or an 8x8 booth ($18) plus 10% commission.

To reserve your space, registration and payment must be received no later than Nov. 26. Registration forms are online (http://tinyurl. com/ay32s9o) or stop by our office at the Fairgrounds.

Call 208-263-8414

Make it a Hometown Christmas!