The River Journal, Jan. 2010

Because there’s more to life than bad news

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A News MAGAZINE Worth Wading Through

As temperatures move steadily downward, our fun on the water becomes

JANUARY 2010

Michael White, Realtor

BS Forest Resources & Ecosystem Management For land, Ranches, and Homes with Acreage

Harry Weerheim Sales Associate, R E S o R t

R E A lt Y

You will get more knowledge skills and service Óän°Ó ä°nx ÊUÊwww.nor thidaholandman.com

Residential & Resort Specialist Captain & EMT, Schweitzer Mtn VFD Experienced Home Builder 208-610-6577

690 ACRES - borders the Clark Fork River & National Forest with paved county road access. VIews are spectacular in all directions, you can see to Lake Pend Oreille & Schweitzer Mtn. Property is 1/3 productive pasture lands & about 2/3 forest land. Power & phone on site, plus a little year-round creek. Easy to subdivide. $3,500,000

640 ACRES of SomE of thE moSt pRoduCtivE lAnd in North America!

240 acres of Palouse farm fields, 400 ac of prime timber land with a big year-around creek, awesome views, and wildlife galore. It even has an old farm house, well, electric, phone, new rocked road and paved access! This is the perfect property for farming and ranching, survival, family or corporate retreat. Bring Offers! Asking $1,700,000

240 ACRES of foREStEd lAnd With beautiful lake, mountain and valley views. Four contiguous parcels (two 80-acre and two 40-acre) borders USFS on multiple sides. $799,500

undER GRound houSE on 130 ACRES bordered by two big creeks & timber company land!

IncludeS well, electric plus solar and generator backups, two good log cabins, shop & greenhouse. New interior road system & county road access. Awesome views. Priced as vacant land, only $599,000!

thiS GEoRGEouS 85 ACRE property features deeded waterfront, borders public lands, and has river & mountain views. Located about 9 miles down Lakeshore Dr. from Sandpoint on county roads. This exceptional land is nicely forested, with plenty of usable land.Three parcels sold together or separately. Asking $925,000

8 ACRES w/ 800’ of WAtERfRont, where the Pack River meets Lake Pend Oreille. adjacent to Idaho Club! Boatable into Lake Pend Oreille. Great road access, building pad in, perc tested and gorgeous views of river, lake, mountains & wildlife. Bring all offers $995,000

LIST NEW

ING

40 ACRES with gorgeous lake views, county road frontage, less than one mile to Clark Fork, ID power and phone are in the road, property is flat on bottom and up on top for excellent building sites. Unparalleled views of Lake Pend Oreille, River, valley & mountains. $199,500

DU E RE PRIC

Georgeous 25 Acre Kootenai Riverfront Estate very nice 2007 home is 3930 sq’, hardwood & tile floors, Corian counter tops. Huge shop with full office, foyer-sitting area and full BaRm both house and shop have hydronic heat, wood fired or electric and backup generator system too! Awsome cedar barn, fully insulated, top of the line stalls, tack room and arena. Nice new cabin on the river. Extensive water system throughout property, entire property post and rail fenced, perfect walk out waterfront, views, too much to list, see website... $1,200,000

BEAutiful, old WoRld Monitor style Barn/ House, on 20 acres, just a few minutes to Sandpoint.

Property has lake views, pond, forest and meadows, with nice walking trails throughout and great views.

House is unfinished on inside, currently set up as shop & apt. Asking $399,000

DU E RE PRIC

niCE, WEll Built homE on 27 AC Located on a paved county road 10 min. north of Bonners Ferry. This 3 Bd/3Ba Super Good Cents Energy Home was built in 1996 to CA building codes & is quality throughout. Nice property, hike to public land & lakes, great views. Backup gen. elect. $324,900

Nice little, well built cabin on 5 acres with additional lake view bldg site. Sunny Side area, just a short walk to Lake Pend Oreille! Cabin has sleeping loft, kitchen, bathroom and laundry. Road to building pad w/ lake view, septic and well on site. Asking $185,000

DU E RE PRIC

20.6 ACRES IN THE KELSO LAKE AREA At the end of Sunset Road... sits about 7 ac of good, usable land with nice forest and great views, plus an additional 13ac area of subirrigated pasture / wetland/ shallow pond with farming or grazing potential.. Owner Financing $59,900

CED

CED

2008, niCE, nEW, WEll Built 3Bd/2Ba in Kootenai, ID just minutes to downtown Sandpoint.

This home features beautiful wood work, vaulted ceilings and great views. Nearly a half acre lot is biggest in subdivision and access is all on paved roads.

Large two car attached garage $224,500

CED

17 ACRES w/ SAnd CREEK fRontAGE beaver pond, nice forest,good- usable land, power & phone,and cabin. Less than 10 ml to Sandpoint, 1 mile off paved co. rd, 3 parcels sold together for $99,500

20 ACRE piCtuRESquE fARm & RAnCh,.

Quaint & beautiful horse property with good home, barn & shop. Pproductive pasture, nice views, county maintained road, Easy access into public lands, town or lake. Asking $399,500

GOOD 3 BEDROOM STARTER HOME. Just 7 blocks from downtown Sandpoint, big yard equals three lots, zoned for a triplex and excellent long term, stable renter for the investment minded. Asking $199,500

E PRIC

Very Nice 15ac property with one big pond, one little pond, beautiful views, good usable land with nice mature trees, forest and meadows. Well built,3 story, Alternative energy house, with passive solar design is about 90% “ dried in” and ready to finish your way.

Owner financing available, Asking $179,000

RE D U

CED

Beautiful lake view 21 Ac parcel, aprox ten miles to Sandpoint, Selle Valley, awesome views of Lake Pend Oreille, valley, selkirks and cabinet mountains, flat / benched & sloped land, road to building site roughed in, appraised Oct 2009 $175K Asking $170K

WHY LIST WITH MICHAEL? Consistently ranked top in sales. Your listing advertised in Page | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010 more magazines and websites. Member of Cd’A and Selkirk MLS, doubles your exposure.

January 2010

The Polar Bear Plunge (picture couresy Ellen Weissmann) is just one way to have fun on the ice.

See story on page 7

Meet Lake Pend Oreille through the eyes of Uncle Bud See story by Ralph Bartholdt on page 4

Celebrate winter with a Sandpoint tradition. See story by Trish Gannon on page 3 (Photo Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce)

Mystery blue spiral over Norway reminds us of what’s not known about aural displays. See story by Jody Forest

Also...

on page 12

~just going with the flow~ P.O. Box 151•Clark Fork, ID 83811 www.RiverJournal.com•208.255.6957

SALES Call 208.255.6957 or email trish@riverjournal.com

PRESS RELEASES (Email only) to editorial@riverjournal.com

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

Ministry of Truth and Propaganda Cartoonists

Departments Editorial

Cover

A News Magazine Worth Wading Through

Jody Forest dgree666@sandpoint.net

Touched by an angel, conservation is not preservation, the end of Christmas, concerns about funding Medicaid, an exploration of names and the treatment of veterans.

8..........Veterans’ News 10-11.....Outdoors 12.........Education 16-17.....Food 18.........Faith 20-21.....Other Worlds 22-23.....Wellness 24-25.....Obituaries 26.........Politics 27-29.....Humor

THE RIVER JOURNAL

Scott Clawson, Matt Davidson, Kriss Perras

Regular Contributors

Desire Aguirre; Jinx Beshears; Laura Bry; Scott Clawson; Sandy Compton; Marylyn Cork; Dick Cvitanich; Duke Diercks; Mont. Sen. Jim Elliott; Idaho Rep. George Eskridge; Lawrence Fury; Dustin Gannon; Shaina Gustafson; Matt Haag; Ernie Hawks; Hanna Hurt; Herb Huseland; Emily Levine; Marianne Love; Thomas McMahon; Clint Nicholson; Kathy Osborne; Gary Payton; Angela Potts; Paul Rechnitzer; Boots Reynolds; Kriss Perras Running Waters; Sandpoint Wellness Council; Rhoda Sanford; Lou Springer; Mike Turnlund; Tess Vogel; Michael White; and Pat Williams

9 Politically Incorrect Twilight sleep 13 The Hawk’s Nest Life of a knee “We are what we repeatedly 14-15 Love Notes do. Excellence, then, is not an No ‘mads’ in Maui act, but a habit.” Aristotle 25 Currents RAC(king) up money Proudly printed at Griffin Publishing in Spokane, Wash. 509.534.3625 25 The Scenic Route Contents of the River Journal are copyright 2010.

A future of hope of any material, including original 27 From the Mouth of the River Reproduction artwork and advertising, is prohibited. The River The people of Wally World Journal is published the first week of each month

A pair of jim’s (Jim Seyfert, left and Jim Mellen, right) say, “come on in, the ice is fine.”. Photo by Sandii Mellen

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.

GRAND OPENING Sunday, March 6

The Heron Hens Sweet Shoppe open 7:30 to 2 Wed-Sun 150 Railroad Ave. Heron, Mont

Coffee, specialty drinks, pastries, donuts, croissants & cookies 406-847-8308 • HeronHensSweetShoppe@gmail.com

Hwy. 200 • Clark Fork, Idaho

Let’s re-open the Boar’s Breath in the old Heron Store!

Please come support the Boars Breath. I, Dennis Varga have been trying to relocate the Boars Breath to Heron. The location you all know as the Heron Store and Cafe. There will be a public meeting during the first week of February. The meeting date, time and place has yet to be determined, but believe it will be the first week of February in Heron at the Community Center. I do not want a raging bar, but do want to provide someplace for the locals to go, grab a bite to eat, take in some sports and have a beer or two. Please come state your concerns—good or bad—and I will try to provide satisfactory answers, solutions or compromises to all.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at DennisV777@hotmail.com.

HELLO HOPE! Coffee drinks, sandwiches & soups

Need reliable, high-speed Internet service?

Call for a free site survey today! Intermax serves many areas of Bonner County from Dover to Hope.

208.762.8065 - Coeur d’Alene 208.265.3533 - Sandpoint www.IntermaxNetworks.com

OPEN THE DOOR TO THE PERFORMER HIDDEN INSIDE YOU

Tryouts for the 2010 FOLLIES on January 13 & 20 by appointment only.

Call 208-266-0503

local tradition for nibblers and samplers.

Over a dozen restaurants will participate from 5 to 8 pm at the Sandpoint Events Center at 515 Pine St, offering their “best specialties at bite-sized prices.”

You can spend the day shopping downtown and pick up a “Passport to Prizes.” Just half a dozen stamps on your passport from participating businesses enters you into a drawing for a number of prizes, including season passes for two to the Festival at Sandpoint, lift tickets at Schweitzer, and more.

On Friday, don’t miss the winter Art Trek from 5 to 7 pm (see ad on page 5 for a list of locations). Enjoy original artworks and complimentary hors d’oeuvres while you visit with the artists. Also from 5 to 8, Taylor Parker Chevrolet at 300 Cedar St. will feature short action films on skiing and snowboarding. And from 6 to 7 pm, the always enjoyable Bioluminescence Fire Dancers will hypnotize you with their ohso-hot dance moves at the Pend d’Oreille Winery, located at 220 Cedar. From 6 to 9 pm, the Jeff Jones Town Square will feature the crowd-pleasing Rail Jam and Bonfire.

This is considered to be one of the biggest events of Winter Carnival, a freestyle contest for skiers and snowboarders to show off their most acrobatic moves.

On Saturday, start things off from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm with a family fun day and coffee tasting at 524 Church, as Evans Brothers Coffee Roasting introduces you to

hand-crafted coffees along with food, live music and indoor and outdoor activities for kids of all ages. Saturday night, the traditional torchlight parade and fireworks takes place on Schweitzer Mountain as the sun falls.

On Sunday, from 10 am to noon, it’s arguably one of the funnest events of the season—the K-9 keg pull at Eichardt’s Pub and Grill (212 Cedar). Dogs pull empty beer kegs as they race along the snowy alley (snow will be trucked in if Mother Nature fails to oblige); smaller pups can pull an empty beer can if the keg is a bit much.

Bring your own dog to race, or just stop by to watch. Either way, you won’t regret it, and it all benefits the local animal shelter!

And what about that adult spelling bee?

It’s not a part of Winter Carnival this year but go ahead and mark your calendars because the event, sponsored by the Bonner County Daily Bee, will take place on February 5 in the community room at Panhandle State Bank. The Keokee team (which includes yours truly) will be back to defend their title. You don’t want to miss it!

Then catch your breath and get ready for downtown Sandpoint’s second blast of winter fun—Madcap Mardi Gras, which takes place this year on February 11 through February 16, with a special kickoff Bayou Bash and Masquerade Party at Cafe Trinity on February 6 (visit www.sandpoint. org/mardigras for more information).

-Trish Gannon

Photo credit iStock/Al Lemire

Early January and, unlike last year, the moisture falling incessantly from the skies in many areas is mostly in liquid form—mud season is already making an appearance.

But no need to let that get you down, as the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association, and the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, partner up for the 2010 Winter Carnival!

And you don’t have to wait to get started.

Some of the area’s best restaurants and wine bars and offering up special pricing and even special menus to liven up the dark days of winter: look for them from January 14 through February 16 (covering Winter Carnival and Mardi Gras, too!)

Who’s participating? Try 41 South, Slates, the Hydra, Dish, Jalapenos, Ivano’s, Oishhi Bar, Eichardt’s, Arlo’s, MickDuff ’s, Chimney Rock, Trinity, Bangkok Cuisine, the Fifth Avenue and Connie’s Cafe!

And it’s not just special pricing. There’s free items and special events and more.

How ‘bout a three-course meal for $20?

You can get that at 41 South. Or that same 20 bucks can get you two gourmet burgers, seasoned steak fries, two soft drinks and a slice of homemade Mud Pie at Slates. Twenty dollars at Dish will get you a choice of one of three entrees, and one of two salads, plus a glass of house red or white wine, To learn about more great deals, visit online at DineAroundSandpoint.com Winter Carnival officially kicks off on January 14 with the Taste of Sandpoint, a

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page

Fishing with Uncle Bud

Photo and story by Ralph Bartholdt

Dress him in a fuzzy beard and he is Santa.

Aside for that Ultra-light rod that he clutches while wistfully eyeing the mountains, streams and lakes nestled there, he is a good mark.

Bud Larsen, though, isn’t the magic elf.

He is a former Army sergeant major who for almost 15 years has dipped lures and lines in North Idaho’s streams and rivers looking for fish.

He does, however, have an eye on the holidays, hoping the book he recently published will be wrapped in pretty paper and nestled under a lot of Christmas trees.

That is why “Fishing With Uncle Bud” was released six weeks before Christmas.

Not so dumb for a bait fisherman, says the 73-year-old author of the self-published book that recounts his years fishing the Panhandle.

Larsen, who grew up in the Tri-Cities and moved with his wife Marianne to Bonners Ferry in 1996, is a combat veteran of Korea who did two tours in Vietnam. Fishing hooked him when he was a first sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It healed him in a sense.

“I had an ulcer,” Larsen said. “It was so bad that I had to go to the hospital.”

The doctor said he would release him on one condition.

“What you need to do is go fishing,” the doctor said.

Larsen was enrolled in the Army’s engineer school and told the doc that he was too busy to fish.

“I’m not going to release you until you agree to go fishing,” the doctor insisted and assigned Larsen to a fishing guide in the Lake of the Ozarks.

“The first day out I caught a 6-pound

bass and that was it,” he said. “The next day I was down at the credit union to get a bass boat.”

That was 35 years ago and although he has tried what some allege is a more noble pastime—fly casting—for Larsen, fishing means hunting spiny rays such as bass, panfish and the toothy pike.

His preferred method: an ultralight spincast rig with line that eventually reaches out to a worm on a hook.

“I’m a dyed-in-the-wool bait caster,” said Larsen, a big man who blames the flutter in his hand and the limp that he braces with a cane on his many years in the rain and wet as a field soldier.

“I’d rather go cross-eyed watching a bobber,” he said.

He tried fly fishing, but the elegance of the 11 to 1 cast and the loop swirling out tightly wasn’t something his blue-collar

Page | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

demeanor subscribed to.

“I used to practice like crazy,” he said.

“But, I never could get it right. Any sport that makes me so darn mad, I’m just not going to do it.”

As a kid on the Columbia and Snake rivers, he chased everything from carp to salmon, he said. But, as any young man with a lot of time on his hands, fishing was taken for granted an eventually abandoned for other pursuits like chasing girls. Larsen first saw North Idaho in the late 1940s when, for three consecutive years his swim team made the finals and competed in a big meet in Coeur d’Alene. After the meet, the coach cut he and his teammates loose. They traded the pocket money they had earned working the Washington, Oregon and Idaho wheat fields for a trip to Bonners Ferry to hunt and fish the Kootenai River Valley and tomcat after Bonners Ferry cheerleaders.

“I fell in love with the place,” he said.

The experience remained fixed in his mind throughout his years in the Army.

When he retired, he started and sold a computer business, and a fish smoking venture on the Washington peninsula.

He and Marianne took the earnings and traveled by RV to North Idaho to see how time had marked the land.

“Not much had changed in 45 years,” he said.

They didn’t deliberate long, and decided to stay.

Larsen befriended Ralph Anglen who wrote a fishing column for the local newspaper called “Anglin’ with Anglen.”

When Anglen got too old to write the column and quit, Larsen implored him to continue. Instead the fishing author handed Larsen the reigns. For five years he wrote an on-line column called “Fishing with Uncle Bud.” The column was popular among North Idaho readers.

“It took off like a damn rocket,” Larsen said.

The book of the same name is a compilation of columns that appeared online, covering fishing holes, and fishers from southern Kootenai County, Shoshone and Benewah to Bonner and Boundary County.

Mostly though, it is about people, Larsen said.

Ask him his favorite passage and he’ll give a number.

“Page 104. The Boys of Summer,” he said.

The story recounts a time when he worked as an Idaho Fish and Game volunteer taking water temperatures at lakes across the Panhandle. He was at Spirit Lake when a passel of boys on bicycles slid down the gravel in a trail of dust to the lake’s public

dock and began fishing off the pier.

He spent several hours with them and remembers one of the scabbed-kneed youngsters telling him that he was playing hooky from Bible School.

“Don’t tell anyone,” the boy said.

Larsen didn’t hesitate when he replied, “The Lord is gonna forgive you, son.”

To Larsen fishing is akin to a Sunday sermon, it’s just that good of a thing.

“We are truly blessed here,” he said.

“With this book, I finally did something good in my life, and I hope it’s around for a while.”

“Fishing with Uncle Bud” is available locally at Bonners Books (208-267-2622) and Far North Outfitters (208-267-5547) in Bonners Ferry,

WINTER ART TREK Friday, January 15 • 5 to 7 pm at downtown galleries and shops

Wander from shop to gallery around downtown Sandpoint to see original artworks by a plethora of fine local and regional artists. Nosh on complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks while you dissect the objects d’art, with the artists on hand to quiz and converse. Pick up self-guiding maps at locations all around town.

H Tango Cafe 414 Church H Pend d’Oreille Winery 220 Cedar H Cedar St Bridge Market Cedar St. Bridge H Petal Talk 120 Cedar H Meadow Brook 205 Cedar H Ivano’s Ristorante 102 S. First H Hallans Gallery 323 N. First H Zany Zebra 317 N. First

H Northwest Handmade 308 N. First H Art Works Gallery 105 S. First H Zero Point 330 N. First H Dish Home Cooking 1319 Hwy 2 H Artist’s Gallery at Schweitzer 10000 Schweitzer Mtn Rd. H Winter Ridge 703 Lake H Common Knowledge 823 Main H Fairy Tales 105 Main

Sandpoint Winter Carnival 2010

www.DowntownSandpoint.com

Brought to you by the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association and the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page

Where would we be without

The Angels Over Sandpoint ?

by Trish Gannon

Five kids. No heat or water in the trailer. And now hours cut again, to just four hours a week.

A single mom. Hours cut at work and then her roommate moves out.

House fire. Family there to help but new baby’s arrival is imminent and all baby items were lost.

Cancer. Thank god for insurance. But there’s the deductible, and the twenty percent, and now all the gas for treatments...

When people reach their limit, the Angels Over Sandpoint step in to help. Their mission: to embrace the gift of life. And they do so by organizing events where people can come together in fun and companionship, and by lending a hand when the need arises.

They come from all walks of life, espouse all types of political viewpoints, yet share in common a desire to better their community by helping, and to fund that help through fun.

“We’re not really the angels, you know,” said Paula Marcinko, a member of the Angels since its inception in 1997. “The angels are those people who have touched us who have moved on. We’re just here trying to make it

happen, helping out those who need us.

“It’s a lot of work, but then you look at the results,” she explained. “You’ve brought people together who had a good time, and you’ve raised some money to be used to help those who need it in your community.

That’s what keeps me going.”

It’s a simple incentive that works for all the 40 to 50 (mostly) women who make up the Angels Over Sandpoint.

“Part of our history is to have fun while we’re alive,” she said, “to laugh and dance and have a good time. So we have fun events and we raise some money.”

Those fun events include the SemiNormal, Semi-Formal New Year’s Eve bash, recently concluded, and the upcoming Follies, a production, often pretty close to X-rated, that’s a mainstay of Sandpoint’s Madcap Mardi Gras celebration.

It’s a variety show that offers up music, dance, men in drag, cleavage (real and otherwise) and short, comedic skits spiced with a dash of political commentary and an extra-large helping of off-color—way offcolor—humor. If you’re easily offended,

they warn, don’t buy a ticket.

Gail Fendley, known around town as “Velma, Queen of Fun,” is also a founding member of the Angels Over Sandpoint, and is a main force behind the Follies. Modeled after a similar production performed each year in Durango, Fendley says the show, now in its eighth year, far surpasses what she had originally conceived.

“We are just blessed with the abundance of talent in this area,” she said. The local show features approximately 20 acts in a two-hour period. “In Durango, probably 70 percent of their show is lip-synced,” she said. “Here, almost no one does that.

Everyone wants to perform.”

And it’s not just singing: last year’s show featured a re-enactment of the popular 60s television show Laugh-In, performances from local dancers, and various forms of stand-up comedy.

The performers, by the way, are not just volunteers; they also purchase their tickets for the event, so that the maximum amount of money possible is raised to help support the Angels’ mission. With on-stage talent, front of house workers, and a smooth-assilk backstage crew, there’s 60 to 70 people putting their talent to work on behalf of people in the community.

“That’s really important,” Gail pointed out, “because in the last 18 months, our assistance requests have quadrupled.

There’s a lot of need out there, so help is needed more than ever.”

An important part of the show comes at intermission, as the “naughty nuns” head out into the crowd with giant condoms in which Follies attendees can make additional donations. “The crowd that comes to the Follies is always very giving,” Gail said.

“When it’s all over and I reflect on the talent, the laughter, and the money we raised to help people in our community, I know we’re doing what Kathy would have done if she were still here.”

The idea for the Angels started when Kathy Pelland was killed in a car accident on the Long Bridge back in 1997, and a group of her friends, in mourning, decided to honor her memory by doing what she had done best—helping other people. They give money to those who need it, cut and deliver firewood for those who don’t have the resources to do so themselves, provide home-cooked meals or other support as is necessary, and are there for many who would otherwise have nowhere else to turn. They even help to fund an annual

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scholarship, in partnership with the Festival at Sandpoint, for an area student with a talent in the arts.

“It could be you who might need help,” said Paula. “None of us expects to be there, but then you get sick, or you lose your job... no one’s immune.”

The biggest project the Angels undertake is to provide school supplies each and every year to local students who need them. Each student is allowed to pick out a backpack of their choice, and they’re also provided with a bag full of basic school supplies—everything from pens and paper to scissors and kleenex. This last year, Angels secretary Carol Beeber reported they gave out backpacks to 902 local students, so the need is large.

For this particular project, the Angels send out a donor letter asking people in the community to contribute what they can. Everything else they do is funded, for the most part, by the money they raise while having fun; at events, garage sales, dances or whatever comes to mind.

“We’re really blessed to live where we are,” Paula remarked. “Maybe it’s just we’re a smaller town and you hear about it more, but I think people here are incredibly giving. There’s a lot of people who care and they’re all helping.”

You can become one of those, become an “Angel” while you’re still alive, still dancing, still having fun. Visit their website at www.AngelsOverSandpoint. org, call 208-597-3670, or send an email to angelsoversandpoint@gmail.com to volunteer to help, and see what’s needed.

Or simply mail them a check, to PO Box 2369, Sandpoint, ID, 83864. The Angels are a 501c3 organization, so donations are tax-deductible.

You can also support the Angels by buying tickets to the Follies, which takes place this year on Friday and Saturday, February 12 and 13, at Sandpoint’s Panida Theater. The show this year will be emceed by local veterinarian Rob Pierce.

Tickets are still just $20 each, and are available, beginning January 15, at Petal Talk, Eichardt’s, Eve’s Leaves and online at the Sandpoint General Store (www.

SandpointGeneralStore.com).

Tickets have sold out early each year, so get yours right away.

Photo, facing page: if you don’t recognize these local men in drag, we won’t name them, but they are two among many who throw modesty to the wind each year to help out the Angels with the Follies production, a major fundraiser for the Angels’ efforts to help those in our community.

If you’re not careful, winter ‘water’ sports can leave you

On Thin Ice

Throughout what seems to be alwaystoo-short summer days, Lake Pend Oreille, along with the area’s many smaller lakes and rivers, becomes the focus for summer fun.

Boating, swimming, water-skiing, fishing... it seems there’s always something to do on the water. And then the temperature drops.

When winter’s snow begins to fall, many head up the mountain with skis and boards only to hurl themselves with speed down again. Others, of a more hardy bent, strap on the snowshoes and explore their favorite forest trails shrouded in a blanket of white.

But there’s a band of people for whom cold and snow only make the lake and other water bodies more attractive.

What can you do on a frozen lake? Skating and ice fishing are obvious choices, and for those with a passion for their sport—say Jim Seyfert, Jim Mellen and mountain biking— the water in all its frozen glory becomes an irresistible new trail.

“Whenever someone comes up with a really stupid idea, I am all ears,” laughed Jim Mellen of his friend Jim Seyfert’s idea to take their mountain bikes out on frozen Lake Pend Oreille last year. “I like the lake, I like ice, and I like biking, so it seems like a good marriage. I like doing new things and I figure that at my age, I had better do all I can while I still can,” he added.

Jim Seyfert says of that first trip, “That ride was just after that long period of single digit temps we had, and we all felt it would be super safe to go out on the ice at that time. The ice was thick, I think you could have driven a truck over it. A little fresh snow made it easy to ride on.” And what drove the impulse? “Not to be too glib, but it’s true...

(1) because it’s there, (2) we have studded tires on our bikes and (3) first and foremost we are bike riders and it just seemed like the right thing to do! Being a little crazy, doesn’t hurt, either.”

The pair have gone out on the ice many times since, and so far, the results have been good. “We have not fallen through the ice,” Mellen said, “but it has creaked a few times and it got a bit slushy in a couple of places on our last ride. For safety, definitely use the buddy system and try to stay where it is shallow.”

Seyfert added, “Jim Mellen stepped through some thinner ice at a place where we were crossing a stream inlet into the lake,” and he follows up with words that indicate a true ice hound. “Don’t really think he even got his foot wet, but it was a little scary when it happened and thrilling for him,

by Trish Gannon

I’m sure.” (Emphasis added.)

Matt Haag, a conservation officer with Idaho’s Department of Fish and Game, warns that ice in North Idaho is “a different beast” and requires “special attention” before you venture out to play.

For Matt, ice is not accessible until it’s at least four inches thick. Remember that four inches thick at water’s edge might not be four inches thick in the middle of the lake where you want to play, so go carefully.

At 5 inches thick the ice should support a small four-wheeler or snowmobile; make sure there’s at least 15” of thickness (there’s not that right now) before you head out over frozen water in a small truck.

In fact, when it comes to cars and trucks, Matt points out, “In our part of Idaho driving a full size vehicle out on the ice is not only stupid it could get you a Darwin Award.

Driving an ATV or snowmobile should only be considered after a careful analysis of the ice depth. Typically 5 inches of nice clear ice is a minimum for ATVs, or snowmobiles.

So stay off the water with your big rig.

Like I said earlier, ice thickness at the edge of the water, when you first step on to it, is no guarantee of ice thickness once you begin to move. “The big factors that influence ice thickness are wind and current,” Matt explains. “If you are fishing bays on the big lake look for signs of ice stacking from high winds. Wind can make for extremely uneven ice. Ice will form further out on the lake and blow in toward shore in sheets. The ice will stack on top of one another or even worse yet, the frozen chucks that floated in will freeze together in an uneven mess.

This produces thick ice with weak thin ice connecting the chucks. Current from various sources such as underground springs, culverts, and creek outlets can erode the underside of the ice. If you are unaware of the location of these potential hazards it could make for a wet, cold day.”

Jim Seyfert adds, for safety’s sake, “Don’t do it alone, just in case. Don’t ride out too close to the water’s edge (duh!) and look ahead for changes in the ice and listen as thin ice will creak first as you go over it (just before it fails!).”

The Jims are part of Pend Oreille Pedalers bike club in Sandpoint; visit the website at PendOreillePedalers.com to learn more.

And if you play it safe you might find out, when you get your bike out on the ice, what Jim Mellen did: “I forgot to mention... ice biking is a blast!”

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page

Veterans’ News The treatment of veterans Gil Beyer, ETC USN Ret. vintage@gotsky.com

When I told Trish that I would try to write this column on a regular basis I had no idea where it might take me. I wanted this column to have value for area veterans and to, hopefully, elicit some discussion on issues of importance to veterans throughout the country. I was, in essence, walking into something blind. I read all of Joe’s articles and was taken by his passion for the way we have treated those that we send off to defend America.

Our national track record on the treatment of returning veterans is checkered at best. Those hundreds of thousands who came home after World War II received the hero’s welcome they had earned and deserved. With the passage of the GI Bill a new dynamic came into being in this country. With the passage of that bill an entire new class of Americans was created.

Prior to World War II the people who went to college and became the leaders of business and politics were the sons of the wealthy. The GI Bill gave lower and middle class veterans ready access to institutions of higher learning and is directly responsible for the creation of an entire new class—an energized, upwardly mobile, educated upper-middle class. Now, that is the way we should treat those that we send into harm’s way.

Since that high water mark the national treatment of our returning heroes has been spotty at best. During the Viet Nam war we had numerous incidents of our veterans being spat upon and cursed as they got off airplanes in various American cities. These men and woman were not responsible for the sins of their leaders in Washington. It was the worst example I can think of ‘killing the messenger’. We are still paying for this travesty with higher costs for prisons and mental hospitalizations. We have thousands—maybe tens of thousands— of veterans who have ‘dropped out’ of society and are non-participatory in their communities. Of course World War II was a ‘popular war’. After all, we were saving the world from fascism. The war in Viet Nam never was a ‘popular war’ and the people we sent there paid a terrible price to their psyches and their value in our society.

I believe that the way we treat our veterans reveals a great deal about our nation’s values and views. We should NEVER send our young men and women into

harm’s way without a clear threat to our nation—never! The previous administration sent our best and brightest into Iraq with a misrepresentation of the threat involved to our national security (I won’t call it a lie even though I believe that the invasion of Iraq was based on a clear distortion of the truth). I firmly believe that we should never sacrifice our national treasure on a political whim—these young men and women deserve much, much more from their political leaders.

Last month I spoke of Senator Coburn holding up a bill that would provide benefits for those caring for the severely disabled coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. I mentioned that the junior Senator from Oklahoma appears to have no problem with funding wars—his objections appear to be in dealing with treating those who return from those wars. He, and his cohort from Oklahoma, Senator Inhofe, appear to be totally committed to supporting our troops in the field as long as it doesn’t provide for an exit strategy from that conflict. Idaho’s senators—Crapo and Risch—appear to be in the same boat as Coburn and Inhofe. They have, and will, vote to fund the wars but not so much when it comes to supporting veterans’ benefits and programs.

It seems to me that if you are eager to send people to war you should be eager to support those who have done what you asked of them. Our serving military personnel are the best we have. They perform honorably, tirelessly, under adverse conditions and ask very little of us in return. They have given their best and should be given our respect and best in return.

Ron’s Repair

I’ll close this piece with a short paragraph or two about my uncle. Arthur H. Lauer Jr, died in June 2007—finally succumbing to the cancer that he fought for a long time.

He was a veteran from the Korean War period. To the best of my knowledge he never left CONUS but he served. He wasn’t a warrior—he was a musician who was attached to an Air Force band. That doesn’t and mustn’t diminish the value of his service—he served. And that is more than 90-plus percent of today’s population can say. After his discharge from the Air Force he went on to a highly successful career in the music field and was quite well known in the Chicago area and beyond. One of his many contributions to society is that he wrote the original music for McDonald’s ‘Big Mac’ jingle way back when. I believe that he was still collecting residuals on that piece of work when he died.

Why am I writing about a relative who died over two years ago? Well, simple. I just learned of his passing the other day. He led a very quiet and isolated life—focusing on his music to the exclusion of family. He made his mark where he choose to make it. I doubt that ‘veteran’ was one of the descriptors he used for himself but he was a veteran and I’m positive it did contribute to who he was.

May all enjoy a Happier New Year and may you always remember that the freedoms you enjoy were granted to you by the people that have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces—regardless of the job they did while in that uniform.

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Page | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

Politically Incorrect

In Twilight Sleep, Dreaming Trish Gannon

trish@riverjournal.com I can’t say it was high on my thingsI-want-to-do list, but early on a snowy December morning I found myself standing as an observer at the Pend Oreille Surgical Center while Dr. Mark Savarise performed a colonoscopy on David.

Let’s take it as a given that once you reach a certain age, it’s a good idea to have a well-trained doc slide a camera up your butt to take a good look around. If you find yourself with the ability to be on the receiving end of this procedure, you probably should take advantage of the opportunity. And if you find yourself with the ability to observe such a thing—well, you may surprise yourself and discover you find it fascinating, as I did.

The lower bowels are an amazing structure and watching them on film is no more gross than, say, watching that alien eat its way out of Sigourney Weaver’s gut.

Not everyone’s cup of tea, admittedly.

While Dr. Mark was a camera maestro, however, the true fascination for me was in the hands of Dr. Stuart Gall, who with his magic potions, ensured that David remained asleep during the procedure, and only during the procedure.

Oh, what a difference 163 years can make.

Back then, opium and alcohol were the main resources available to surgeons when physical intervention became necessary to healing, and both could only be used in moderation. (Occasionally, a quick punch to the jaw, inducing unconsciousness, was also used.) Those resources not only contained risks within themselves, they rarely served to keep a person unconscious throughout a procedure. Therefore the best surgeons around were the fastest—three minutes was about the maximum amount of time allowed for any surgery, given the agony involved for both the patient and for the doctor responsible for it.

It would be hard to describe what

medicine was like before the invention of anesthesia, but writer Fanny Burney, who underwent a mastectomy in 1811, did it for us. She pictured it thusly: “When the dreadful steel was plunged into the breast, cutting through veins, arteries, flesh, nerves, I needed no injunction not to restrain my cries. I began a scream that lasted unintermittingly during the whole time of the incision, and I almost marvel that it rings not in my ears still! So excruciating was the agony... I remained in utterly speechless torture.”

It beggars the imagination to ponder what types of medical problems might have convinced a person to let the surgeon provide a solution. While we all have heard about “biting the bullet,” the sad reality was that the pain and trauma of surgical intervention itself prior to the gift of induced sleep often resulted in the death of the patient.

Then, in 1846, a dentist in Boston gave the first public demonstration of ether as an anesthetic; by the end of the year, its use had been observed by a quiet laborer’s-sonbecome-medical-man, London’s Dr. John Snow.

When used successfully, ether was much preferred to alcohol or opium, but successful use was intermittent. For every patient where anesthesia was victoriously induced, another would fail to go under at all, while some would wake up during the middle of a procedure and others would simply not wake at all. A better record than alcohol, opium or a hard right hook, but better was not best.

Snow began investigating how to best control the dosage given, and developed a chart that determined dosage vis a vis the temperature of the room, as he knew the concentration of any gas varies by temperature. He also began work on developing an inhaler, allowing greater control over the dosage given, and explored the biology of the gas as well. He built a mastery of this subject through research conducted in his own home. “There is something wonderful—and more than a little ironic—in this image of Snow the teetotaler, arguably the finest medical mind

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of his generation, performing his research.

He sits alone in his cluttered flat, frogs croaking around him, illuminated only by candlelight. After a few minutes tinkering with his latest experimental inhaler, he fastens the mouth piece over his face and releases the gas. Within seconds, his head hits the desk. Then, minutes later, he wakes, consults his watch through blurred vision.

He reaches for his pen, and starts recording the data.”* It’s hard to imagine finding a researcher as committed to his work today; Snow’s courage and insatiable desire to know allowed for medical advances likely undreamed of in his time. And as Dr. Stu pointed out to me, it undoubtedly also led to the existence of unknown numbers of people whose ancestors would otherwise have died without the interventions allowed for by a reliable anesthetic.

How times have changed since 1846.

Dr. Steven Shafer, associate professor of anesthesia at Stanford University, began practicing in 1985, a time during which he believed anesthesia had reached its pinnacle. He writes of the state of anesthesia today, “For example, who would have predicted the introduction of Duzitol?

This remarkable drug, derived from the urine of sheep fed shiitake mushrooms, has a remarkable spectrum of activity. Duzitol is an hypnotic, analgesic, anxiolytic, amnestic, muscle relaxant, and aphrodisiac. There are many other new drugs introduced... but only Duzitol does it all!” This is just one of the miracle anesthetic drugs in use at present, a lexicon that includes hyptiva (“...the closest thing to an anesthetic switch. You turn it on, the patient turns off. You turn it off, the patient turns on.), cycloflurane, dexsed and suxuronium.

David was wheeled into the operating room alert and undoubtedly apprehensive.

Minutes later he was in twilight sleep and dreaming. And just moments after the conclusion of the procedure, he was waking again, with no memory of the interim.

Shortly thereafter, he was headed home.

Snow would have been amazed. Fanny Burney would have been envious. Sigourney Weaver might even have coveted the same.

And I was quite simply enthralled.

You can learn more about the Pend Oreille Surgery Center and the services they provide by visiting their website at www. pendoreillesurgerycenter.com. If you happen to stop by, tell them that Trish and David say hi.

Despite his work with anesthesia, Dr. John Snow is best known for his role in discovering the source of cholera. An excellent story about him and his achievement can be found in “The Ghost Map,” by Steven Johnson.

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page

A Bird in Hand

Snowbirds: not just folks who can’t settle down Mike Turnlund

mturnlund@gmail.com Hey, can anyone out there sing Snowbird

by Anne Murray? If you can, you are probably near fifty years of age. If you can’t, that means you probably don’t care. But for me, back in the day, I found Anne Murray to be a heartthrob. And she liked birds. I mean, what can be better for a 10-yearold male discovering both girls and birds at the same time?

So what is a snowbird? It is one of the common names affixed to the Darkeyed Junco. In Canada, where Anne Murray is from, this bird is a summer visitor and leaves to more southern climes for the winter. In much of the United States, the Junco becomes a harbinger of winter as they return to their “other” home, bringing the colder weather with them. In our area they are not as commonly understood as “snowbirds,” that term being relegated for those human folks that can’t seem to settle down in one place for more than six months at a time.

There are many different forms of the dark-eyed junco, some of which were formerly separated into different species.

Now the different types are bunched together, and separately are considered subspecies or races. There are two that concern us for this article: the Oregon Junco and the Slatecolored Junco. The differences are not that great for the average birder and you are most like to have the former than the latter, but let’s take a look at “our” snowbirds.

Look for a sparrow that is predominantly black in color. The Slate-colored Junco differs from other sparrow-like birds with its distinctive black coloration that covers its head, shoulders, back, tail, and its wings (hence, “slate-colored”). The clearly separated white or buff belly and similar coloration under the tail is also evident.

Another important field mark is that pinkcolored beak. It can really stand out in some individual birds. This particular subspecie is

can range from light brown to dark brown, but brown nonetheless. There is a clear demarcation between the dark head, neck, and nape with the rest of the body. And guess what? Both races have those dark-eyes.

The calls of the Junco will have already embedded themselves into your subconscious mind, being as common as they are. But hearing a bird and identifying that same bird can be a challenging task. The Junco makes two typically sounds. The flocking call or alarm call sounds like someone The Oregon Junco kissing the air. An easy enough sound for us to make, but can you imagine trying to make that sound without lips?

Juncos can! The other sound is the bird’s song. It sounds like a machine gun being shot in short bursts of chirps.

If I’ve piqued your interest, search the Internet for a link to the junco’s calls.

You’ll understand what I have written above when you hear the sound files.

Perhaps you can come up with a better description. Send it to me via the online edition. Now you’ve gotten my curiosity up.

Juncos will come readily to feeders during the winter. They are also just as apt to feed below the feeder on any seeds that spill onto the ground or the typically only a winter visitor, thus truly a snow. During the summer you’ll find them in snowbird. the lower branches of shrubs or searching for The other form of dark-eyed junco we’ll goodies among the leaf litter. see is the more common of the two and, like Okay, all together now: “Beneath this most of us, a year-round resident. This is the snowy mantle cold and clean, the unborn Oregon Junco. Like its slate-colored cousin grass lies waiting for its coat to turn to green the Oregon Junco has that a pink beak and The snowbird sings the song he always a white (or buff) belly. But instead of that sings, and speaks to me of flowers that will monotonous black color scheme, the Oregon bloom again in spring... .” Yes, that is a good Junco changes things up with brown or rusty- description. Happy birding. brown shoulders, back and flanks. The wings

It’s still hiking season! Let the ‘Friends’ help get you there!

Hikes planned for this season range from easy walks into Lightning and East Fork Creeks to very strenuous climbs to Scotchman, Star and Goat Peaks and Mount Vernon. Sign-up information is available online at ScotchmanPeaks. org/hiking/current-hiking-schedule These hikes are led by experienced winter hikers and open to anyone with appropriate physical abilities for the hike. This is a great way to visit the Scotchman Peaks during a time when the wilderness puts on a different face. These hikes are also an opportunity learn about the Friends’ mission to obtain permanent protection for the 88,000acre roadless area straddling the Idaho-Montana border just north and east of Clark Fork. For more information about the hiking schedule, visit the Friends website at www.scotchmanpeaks.org and click on “Hikes.”

Page 10 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

The Game Trail

A difference between preservation and conservation Matt Haag

mhaag@idfg.idaho.gov Wildlife conservation is a concept that has been around for many years dating back to ancient times.

As a matter of fact, you can find some verses in the Bible referring to the use of wildlife and more recently, relatively speaking, Kubla Khan was credited with the first established hunting seasons sometime in the 13th century.

The concepts of wildlife conservation have come a long way since then. Today wildlife conservation is a science, challenging hypothesis and ideas for the betterment of man and wildlife. However, the foundation and goals of wildlife conservation have not changed purpose: to ensure the wise use and management of renewable resources. If we use the resources in a smart manner, the living organisms that we call renewable resources can replenish themselves indefinitely.

Wildlife preservation, on the other hand, is an entirely different concept, yet encompasses the same goals as wildlife conservation. Preservation is another means of protecting or saving a resource by setting land aside as “forever wild.”

Preservation means no consumptive use of timber, wildlife, or other resources.

Both preservation and conservation have and will play an important role in the resources we have today and in the future. The challenge comes in utilizing the concepts in the correct manner.

Unfortunately there are some folks who side with one concept or the other and have no room for accepting both as means to conservation. Most times it involves people who are for preservation and nothing else. These are folks that believe we should always have a hands off approach to resources no matter what the issue. History has taught us many times that preservation alone is not a viable solution.

Initially, wildlife management in the United States was skewed toward preservation.

In the early 1900s, for example, wildlife managers attempted to preserve

a mule deer herd in the remote Kaibab Plateau of Arizona. Hunting was banned, and predators were destroyed. The results were severe overpopulation, habitat destruction, and mass starvation. The Kaibab Plateau was opened to hunting in 1929, which brought the population into balance with the habitat. Today, a large, healthy herd of mule deer inhabits the area.

Around the same period, a similar event took place in Pennsylvania. Deer had been brought into the state after the native population was thought to be extinct.

With most of the predators eliminated and little hunting allowed, the herd grew out of control. As the food supply dwindled, thousands of white-tailed deer starved to death.

From these hard lessons, wildlife managers learned that there is more to conserving wildlife populations than just protecting them. We’ve discovered that nature overproduces its game resources and that good wildlife management yields a surplus that can be harvested by hunters.

The David Thompson Preserve on the Sam Owen peninsula in Hope is another prime example of the concept of preservation exceeding its usefulness.

During the 1940s in Idaho there was a game preserve or bird sanctuary in almost every county. That included the David Thompson preserve in Bonner County and the Myrtle Creek preserve in Boundary County. However, in the 1960s the Idaho Fish and Game commission eliminated all most all these preserves except the two I mentioned previously. I don’t know the history of why the David Thompson preserve is still in existence, but I guarantee this has been a political decision rather than a biological one. A trip through the David Thompson preserve should alarm the casual observer on the health of these deer. Sixty years of inbreeding and poor nutrition has taken a heavy toll on their genetics and subsequent appearance. What a shame that we are doing this to our deer; I think it’s time we stop “protecting” these animals and return health to this suffering herd through wildlife conservation. What do you think?

I hope this New Year is the best one yet for all of you. Don’t forget to purchase a new 2010 license before heading out this year, and respect our great resources of North Idaho. Please, take the time to get your kids outside and teach them the principles of good wildlife conservation.

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Focus on Education

Response to Intervention—what is it?

Dick Cvitanich

Superintendent, LPOSD

dick.cvitanich@lposd.org Last spring the Lake Pend Oreille School District received a grant from the Idaho State Department of Education to become a pilot program in the implementation of a Response to Intervention process. In doing so, the district will become one of the first medium-to-large district to promote RTI as a district-wide focus. The state and other districts are watching us closely to gauge our progress because, if successful, others will adopt our efforts.

So what is RTI? The standard definition is that it is “the practice of providing high quality, standards-based instruction and research-based interventions, matched to individual student academic, socialemotional, and behavioral needs.” Whew!

What this really means when shedding the jargon of the education world is that we teach; we evaluate what students are learning; we adjust our teaching and add additional supports and interventions when needed. It implies that we use data to drive our decisions, give students what they need to be successful and have clearly defined

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outcomes and steps to ensure students reach those outcomes. Data drives our decisions around what students need.

In short, all of the above implies a shift from teaching to learning. For many years, educators taught the material and students either mastered the content or didn’t. In that system the focus was on teaching. RTI helps us to look more precisely at student learning. It is no longer enough to simply teach the material. We want students to learn the material. When they aren’t successful we must find out why and try to ensure they do.

Of course, the above is easier said than done. It is difficult to know why some students do not master content. It could be lack of effort, specific learning disabilities, teaching practices, outside influences, and a host of other reasons. The goal is to find that reason and then double efforts to prevent failure. We know that once students fall behind, the time and energy needed to catch up can be overwhelming. As a result, RTI, when implemented well, promotes early identification of those who may be at risk for failing to reach their potential.

We are told by others that full district implementation could take up to four years, with particular challenges at the high school level where students work with multiple teachers. However, we are working hard district-wide to move our implementation forward regardless of the challenges, and hope our efforts can be realized more quickly than the four-year window.

Our community will be hearing more about our progress as the year moves forward, as will other districts across the state. Members of our planning team have been invited to present to other interested school districts across the state in April. We look forward to our process that is designed to help every student be successful in our schools.

Council website at tristatecouncil.org.

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The Hawk’s Nest

The Life of a Knee

feeders and patiently waiting until she can watch the wild animals getting drinks in photosbyhawks.com the back yard. Holidays have been spent relaxing with family and friends sharing ernie@photosbyhawks.com meals, gifts and love. Plus there was the Her knee hurts; not constantly, but support of sitting, often cross-legged, in often enough she has to consider it as she meditation and contemplation. plans activities. Even with planning there Now that the decision has been made, are still times she has to stop what she’s it is time to get even more strength into doing and ice it, and she is sometimes not those muscles around the knee to help able to start again. the healing process. Exercises directed by The surgeon reported a worn out knee a physical therapist are magnetically held that he needs to replace completely, so my to the refrigerator door, and each morning wife has a date with Linda leans against the an orthopedist in early kitchen island lifting, January. bending and swinging In January, that time her legs. While she looks of new beginnings forward to the new knee, just after the winter she expresses her gratitude Solstice and the holiday for how her body and the many people call the “old knee” have supported beginning of a religion, her thus far in her journey. she will have a beginning This may get us with her new knee. in trouble with some The knee that hurts neighbors, but we would is not a bad joint; in fact, like a good snowfall for it has served Linda very shoe shoeing before she well. It played softball goes in for surgery; her on the neighborhood physical therapist said it diamonds of Cleveland, isn’t likely she will get any Ohio many years in afterwards unless spring ago with friends and “The following winter it walked in the steps of St. Francis and St. Clare on the steep, doesn’t come until May or siblings. There were winding cobblestone streets of Assisi, Italy.” Photo by Ernie Hawks.

June. Even we don’t want days of walks and swims to deal with that. still hiked in the Canadian Rockies climbing on the beaches of Lake Erie and shopping, Around the house we are preparing a downtown, on Euclid Avenue or going to steep trails that traversed below glaciers bedroom downstairs since she can’t stress until the winding path reached the top and the top of the Terminal Tower. the new knee on the stairs for a few weeks.

It danced at hops and proms and, as crossed the ice fields. The knee walked Folks send emails every day asking if they a young lady knee, it walked the halls of along lakes beneath a canopy of sub-alpine can get us some meals to have in the freezer. hospitals caring for others—some who fir and stood for hours watching moose, There seems to be some concern about my were having knee surgery. That knee elk and bears as they browsed. Fields of cooking and Linda’s healing at the same walked campuses at Kent State and later wild flowers were irresistible as she put time—we have pretty bright friends. at Metropolitan State in Colorado until she light, gentle tracks among them.

Mostly we are looking forward to the One summer she made sure that knee let it carry her to a profession as a nurse spring. With brisk steps, due to the new got wet in the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth practitioner over 30 years ago. knee, she will be out hiking trails looking Trekking through the Rocky Mountains of the Chesapeake Bay, and later by wading for wild flowers and trying to spot babies of Colorado it explored vistas and waterfalls, in the Pacific Ocean.

The following winter it walked in the in their natural habitat. There are plans for ridges and valleys, developing a love for the strolling beaches in Hawaii as well, climbing mountains. That love was rivaled only by a steps of St. Francis and St. Clare on the to the rim of volcanoes, and for hikes closer love of walking on ocean beaches, letting steep, winding cobblestone streets of Assisi, to home in the Cabinets, Selkirks and Coeur the surf roll in around her, sometimes as Italy. Standing in a crowd of thousands the d’Alenes. knee celebrated the beginning of a new high as the knee.

We hope for future trips in Peru and This wonderful knee supported year on the San Marco Piazza in Venice, maybe a trek in Tibet as well as in the Utah pregnancy and parenting as it carried the discovering new friends in spite of the wilderness areas. additional weight and walked the floors language barrier.

Moreover, we will enjoy her new With her knee she helps the thinning rocking and soothing a crying child. mobility right here taking care of our Playing, crawling on the floor, helping build of our forest and brings in several cords of forest, swimming in the local lakes, picking theatre sets in high school and dancing firewood. But the care for the knee wasn’t huckleberries, and dancing—to the music at Ana’s wedding were some of the many always strenuous. It also experienced the of many talented musicians, we know. love of a good book or enjoying fellowship adventures of motherhood.

My hope is that I can keep up with her.

Linda knew to take care of herself as with friends on our deck watching the flickers and nuthatches vie for space at our

Ernie Hawks

she teaches others to do the same, so there were many hours spent in maintenance, doing yoga for flexibility and strength, as well as massages. Maybe this is how she was able to get by longer than many professionals thought would be possible.

She knew that “taking care of it” with rest only would not allow her to live her life fully, so she probably pushed its limits a bit. And perhaps, it also helped keep her leg strong.

That is why as the knee wore; it still worked in exam rooms caring for others. It

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 13

Love Notes

No “mads” in Maui Marianne Love

slightdetour.blogspot.com

billmar@dishmail.net

When my daughter Annie asked if I wanted to spend the first week of December with her visiting Iceland, I did not exactly warm up to the idea. No offense to Iceland. I hear it’s a fascinating and beautiful country. Nevertheless, if someone wants to escape Sandpoint any time during the winter, Iceland is probably not likely to land on the short list of choices.

So, that idea fell by the wayside, and I figured she’d given up her plans to set off on yet one more adventure before 2009 ended. At the rate she’s going, by the time Annie reaches my tender age of 62, her bucket list of “things to do before I die” could turn pretty short itself.

After climbing Mt. Rainier in 2008 and visiting Boston and Hawaii, Annie’s itinerary this year has included a week in Ireland, a climb up Mt. St. Helens with her dad, a visit to New Mexico, a business trip to Salt Lake City and hundreds of miles spent traversing the Northwest. In May, she ran her first-ever marathon in Vancouver, B.C., and later accompanied us to Chicago for a family reunion.

If at first, you don’t... Well, a little later, Annie contacted me once again with a travel plan. This time she succeeded in convincing me to accompany her on a trip. Indeed, Maui sounded a whole lot better than Iceland, and, at the time, travel packages were relatively inexpensive. I still came up with excuses, like “too close to Christmas,” “spending all that money,” “January or February would be better, etc.”

But prices would never be better, and Annie had to use those vacation days before the year ended.

I also recalled my painful regret earlier this year of wanting so much to go with her to Ireland. Unfortunately, my sense of responsibility overruled my desire, and I’d been kicking myself ever since. Sometimes we’re just too responsible for our own good, I later reasoned.

Soon, I was saying “Yes, I can.” Soon, I was hurrying to get Christmas “to dos” completed early. Soon, I was arranging for Jennifer down the road to check on dogs and horses each day while I was gone. My friend Cis promised to keep in touch with my mom each day during that week while Bill and Willie would do chores. Soon, I was flying to Seattle and later spending that first night attending Annie’s Groundspeak, Inc. company party. After a few hours of sleep, Annie and I were sitting side by side on a long flight to Maui.

Before going, we had made one promise to each other. I had requested that if we went on this trip, there would be no “mads.”

“Mads” occasionally happen when Annie and I spend a few days together, especially traveling. Annie quickly agreed, adding, “Well, if you’re on your good behavior, Mom, we’ll have no problems.”

That was reassuring.

Besides behaving, I also took on another responsibility, and that was to take no responsibility. Early into the trip, after failing to bring my warm clothes for the drive to the frigid zone atop a 10,000-ft. volcano (even though I had a good excuse), I cautioned Annie not to think her mother had turned into an imbecile permanently.

“I’m so responsible all the time that on

this trip I’m absolving myself of having to think, plan, decide or do anything besides coming along for the ride,” I explained.

“When I go back home, I won’t have such a luxury.” Annie, the consummate planner, seemed quite all right with that. After all, we would be several thousand miles away from anyone who knew us.

Or, so it seemed.

Turns out my cousins from Washington state had arranged a similar vacation to Maui, the same week. Before leaving, we learned of their plans on Facebook, where we learn most everything these days.

So, there was the very real danger for Annie of Mom looking stupid in front of cousins, but my daughter still didn’t seem too concerned. What we didn’t know was that we would also run into people from Sandpoint halfway through the trip.

This all happened when I was still trying to maintain my good behavior the day we went snorkeling at Molokini with my cousins. Prior to that four-hour boat trip, accented by whale tails, bobbing sea turtles and friendly dolphin escorts, my aptitude for snorkeling had pretty much matched my ability to ride a wave. I had experienced my introduction to both activities along some of the magnificent Maui beaches.

Never before had I swum in the ocean.

That was obvious the very first day in Kihei when several giant waves spanked me worse than my parents ever did. For further punishment, they sometimes swept me off my feet, putting my body into full spin cycle before dumping me in the sand.

Later we tried snorkeling. I had not yet mastered riding waves when Annie tried to rig up my snorkel, seeming perfectly content that the mouthpiece to the tube

Question: What is the biggest threat to Lake Pend Oreille?

Answer: Perpetual pollution from the Rock Creek mine.

Protecting Lake Pend Oreille since 1996 Page 14 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

providing all-important air almost reached my mouth but not quite.

“Not quite” didn’t seem right to me, even in my temporary imbecilic state of mind.

So, I told her to go on out to the water, and I’d take care of the snorkel. Finally figuring I had it in place, I said a “Hail Mary” and headed for the water. Well, those nasty waves would not stop harassing me, once again sending me every which way but loose. Invariably, the snorkel would fall out of my mouth, salt water came pouring down my throat and my swimming suit threatened to pull a Janet Jackson on me.

“This is supposed to be fun????” I thought. When the waves and that saltwater weren’t pestering me, mounds of sharp coral suddenly jutting up out of nowhere in the churning, sand-filled water kept me floundering in a constant escape mode.

Still, I kept remembering “good behavior.”

So, I maintained a heroic (for me anyway) demeanor for Annie (a veteran of two Hawaii trips who was loving every minute) and pretended a lot. At Molokini my snorkel/swimming experience turned out much better. I actually could concentrate on viewing those colorful fish and began to think I might even get the hang of this.

About half an hour into the experience, however, my stomach suddenly announced, “Get to the boat. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200... just get to the boat.” An instant tinge of nausea was the motivator.

I learned later that several other firsttime snorkelers had experienced similar discomforts, some worse than others. In my case, the temporary gastrointestinal misery subsided once I reached the deck.

The crew had warned us earlier that we’d be hungry. For a person who rarely eats lunch, it was all of 9 am by the time I’d gobbled down that cheeseburger and chips at a record pace. Never has food tasted so good.

Later, while walking across the deck, I satisfied my curiosity about two tall, slender women standing side by side.

“Are you twins?” I asked.

“No, but we’re sisters and we get asked that a lot,” one said.

“Did we hear you say you were from Sandpoint?” a gentleman in their group asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“So are we,” one sister said. Turns out Gail and her friend Cameron had moved to Sandpoint a year ago. Of course, the “small world” conversation took off, and I worked really hard to be on my best behavior.

That behavior continued throughout the week as Annie and I drove the magical island in our rented Chrysler convertible.

We snapped pictures of beach after beach, of gorgeous landscapes and of stunning sunsets. We sampled more cheeseburgers in Paradise aka La Haina, hiked in a bamboo forest, visited historical features, tasted our first ice shaves (now the rage of Hawaii, thanks to Obama family visits), ate fresh bananas and the “world’s greatest banana bread” from roadside stands. I think my sister Laurie’s is much better, by the way.

We enjoyed our spacious condo at Kamaole Sands Resort in spite of ants dining on any food left on the counter. We strolled through outdoor Hawaiian-style Christmas craft shows and observed how the upper half of the other half vacations in posh oceanside hotels. For me, Maui provided a week of delightful sensory overload.

I’m glad my daughter talked me into leaving behind responsibility and ice-cold North Idaho temperatures for a week. I returned fully refreshed and much more enthusiastic about tackling Christmas craziness.

When Annie dropped me off at Sea-Tac Airport for my flight to Spokane, I gave her a hug and said, “Thank you for everything, and we didn’t have one “mad” the whole week.”

“Well, you know what I said about ‘good behavior,’” she quipped.

Maybe if I’m really good I can go back to Hawaii some day. For now, as we trudge on through the inevitable and long North Idaho winter, I’m still enjoying a fresh supply of sunny, warm reflections of Maui, which make it all more bearable. Plus, if I feel a hankering for some shave ice, I think I can find the ingredients pretty easily.

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January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 15

in celebration of

Local Food

squash

of the

Inland Northwest I have been having a glorious time preparing the various winter-stored vegetables that we produced this year. I’ve always enjoyed the rich foods of fall and winter. But this year, our homegrown squash have taken my appreciation of curcubita to a level far beyond my previous affection. There’s something about the earthy thick skin, hollow seedy insides, and intrinsic sweetness of the orange flesh that makes me go “mmmm”. Pumpkins are only the beginning. Long creamy butternuts.

Dark acorns begging to be stuffed. Elegant delicata, big blue hubbards, warty french heirlooms. There is incredible diversity in the squash family, and each variety’s flesh is as different in texture and flavor as their colorful outer appearances suggest.

Winter squashes are truly a gem of the darkest season, bringing deep earthy flavor and color to our plates. If cured properly, most squashes will store all the way ‘til spring in a room at about 50-55 degrees. Exceptions include squash in the C. pepo family, such as delicata and acorn squash. These can still be stored for a few months, but try to use them up by early January for best eating. Check on squash regularly, as they will typically show a small soft spot before going completely bad. You can still enjoy most of these fruits by simply cutting away the spot before or after cooking. Squashes can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways, and I am busy trying them all out this season.

Slowly but surely, I am testing every kind of squash we grew for the best "pumpkin" pie base. So far, I think butternut has been my favorite, with Long Island Cheese (an east coast heirloom)

by Emily LeVine hollow space after first roasting them open-side down.

and orange-smoothie pumpkins coming in second and third. Though I hear many chefs say buttercup is the best pie quash, I found it too dry and mealy.

The most important thing is that if your cooked squash is at all moist, drain it in cheesecloth or a strainer for at least a few hours before using it as a pie filling. Cooks Illustrated says the key to a good pumpkin pie is to pre-bake the crust, and to have the filling good and hot before pouring it into the crust.

This way the custard will firm up quickly, and not have a chance to curdle first. I even went out on a limb and used an almond and butter crust this year, which gave the whole pie a nutty, hippie kind of vibe. It was OK, but I’d stick to classic crust next time.

Our delicatas are absolutely candy; dare I say better than fresh tomatoes? In the summer I keep a shaker of salt in the garden to enhance my heirloom tomato fetish; but my delicatas need no augmentation. No french finish salt, freshly ground cinnamon, sweet cream butter, or first run maple syrup can better the flavor of a simple roasted delicata. The best part is actually the skin, which on this variety is quite thin and thus edible.

Sweet dumpling squash, pictured above, are a delicata in a nice, round, stuffable form. Try tucking some sausage and wild rice, or apples and butter in the

With its first name being “winter”, the most logical thing to make with these squash (after pie, of course), is soup. For me, there are two potential routes for squash soup. One is a basic herbed soup, usually with sage as the main flavor. The other soup I make is a coconut curry squash soup.

Simply add curry powder (heavy on the ginger) to the sauteed onions and garlic, and then blend in a can of coconut milk at the end, when you might add cream or milk. With proper seasoning, this soup is warming and scrumptious, and leftovers can be used as a sauce over vegetables and steamed rice. Yum.

Don’t forget to use excess squash puree in baked goods. Pumpkin bread is good, but toss in a cup of dark chocolate chips and some pecans and you have some downright goodness. Pancakes can be dressed up with squash too, as well and biscuits, muffins, and sandwich breads. Any way you prepare them, squash are, in my opinion, a gift from the gods. Enjoy!

Emily LeVine is resting from her first season of growing produce and cut flowers for Red Wheelbarrow Produce in the I begin almost every squash recipe the same way: Selle Valley. If you have ideas, Cut the fruit in half longways, and scoop out the insides with a spoon. questions, or comments, or topics Lightly oil the innards, and place face down in a baking pan with you’d like to read about edges. Pour in enough water to get it a 1/2 inch deep. Roast at 400 regarding local food, please contact her at degrees until the squash has almost collapsed and is VERY soft.

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 16 localfoodchallenge@gmail.com

Local Food of the Month: squash

Duke’s Food Obsession Chicken Ciabatta Duke Diercks

duke@riverjournal.com

So, it occurred to me the other day that the two of you who actually read my column might want a recipe instead of my rambling on about food memories, or ingredients or the like. Imagine that. It also occurred to me (this was a big day) that you might, dear reader, appreciate a recipe that tackles the problem of eating on a budget. As the father of three children that my wife claims are mine, I commiserate with all of you who are trying to cook and feed your families on a budget.

In fact, I was going to write this month about the humble and amazing egg, mainly because it is a very cheap and delicious protein source, but then I was simultaneously writing about a chicken dish I make regularly at home for a post on my website (www.bbq-recipesfor-foodies.com) and I realized that this family favorite fit the bill for a delicious budget conscious recipe.

I too scour the weekly grocery fliers, and try to limit the cost of meat to $4 a pound, preferably less. The two protein sources that come in regularly in this range are, you guessed it, ground beef and chicken. But I am rarely satisfied with that $4 a pound number. In fact, the only time I buy chicken, is when I can get it for $.99 per pound or less. This applies to whole, bone-in chickens and unfortunately, no they are not free-range organics. My point here is that whether you want to trade up to organic or not, you will always find the cheapest price for a whole bird. The main reason is simple: little or no labor involved in cutting up the

chicken.

The challenge then becomes how to gussy up chicken after the standard recipes get tired, and if you buy it whole, how to satisfy only white lovers or dark lovers. The recipe that follows is one of our family’s staples. It would make a great lunch, dinner, or Super Bowl party food. It is: Chicken Ciabatta.

The technique is simple: I like to brine a whole chicken overnight, roast it, and while it is still warm, remove the meat. Then I put all of the meat and crisp skin together and pile it on a loaf of ciabatta bread slathered in an herb mayonnaise (or if you want to impress- an aioli.) I then pour the juices on the meat and top it with the other half of bread. It is really, really good. The only minor difficulty is pulling the meat off of the bone while it’s hot. For this you will need to buy some latex gloves to insulate your hands, or buy some platex dish gloves that you keep separate from the ones used to clean the toilet.

So here we go:

Brine: ½ cup salt ¼ cup sugar 2 qts. water 2 bay leaves Mix until dissolved. Brine chicken overnight.

1 Loaf ciabatta ( I especially like the ones from Pine St. bakery even—the “day olds” work great for this.)

Aioli: 1 cup mayonnaise.

Juice of 1 lemon 1 Tb. dried herbs (or fresh. The freeze dried herbs from Litehouse work great for this) Water Salt and pepper Mix to your liking. Thin with water as necessary Roast the chicken whole, no need to truss or anything. Just plop it on a cookie sheet or roasting pan and cook at 425 for about an hour. Remove and let rest for 15 minutes, tented with foil. Reduce the oven to 325 and stick in the bread while the chicken is resting.

After 15 minutes, glove yourself, and pull all of the meat off of the bones saving the skin if you desire and don’t care about the added fat. Save the carcass for chicken stock!

Split the ciabatta in half and generously slather it with the herb mayonnaise. Pile on the chicken, pour over any juices, and top with the other slathered piece of bread.

Mangia mangia.

Feeds 6 at the cost of about $1.25 per person. To see step by step pictures, go online and look at www.bbq-recipes-forfoodies.com/roast-chicken-recipe-whole. html.

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Children’s Intro. Taekwondo, Karate and Self Defense ($20/for 3 sessions 3:15-4pm, starting Jan.11) • Little Mozart’s Session #2. (Music Conservatory of Sandpoint offers 6-week course: $75 for birth6yrs.) • ECO Art (4:30-5:15pm Tues. or Thurs. at Comm. Hall $20/3 sessions) • Simple & Nutritious Beginner Cooking (3:15-4:15 Tues. or Thurs. at Comm. Hall $20/3 sessions w/meals) • Intro. to Tumbling w/Sandpoint Taekwondo (ages 7 & under, Wed. Jan. 20, 9:30-10am, $7/person) ADULT: Budget Cooking (5:30-7pm Tues./Thurs. at Comm. Hall $20 for kids 12 or under $29 for 13+/3 sessions w/meals) • Health, Beauty, and Wellness (Wed either 3:15-4:45 or 5:30-7pm $30 for 3 weeks – take home products) • Mom’s Learn to Ski at Schweitzer (Jan. 12,19, &26 $160 includes lessons, tickets, rentals -10:30am) • Intermediate to Advanced Bridge (Wednesdays 7-9pm for 8 weeks) • U.S.C.G.A Boating Skills and Seamanship ($50/11 wk. Course Mondays 79:30pm VFW Hall) • Backcountry Decision Making (Feb. 10, 6pm with US Forest Service) FREE! FAMILY ACTIVITY: Creative Workshop (Jan. 16: 1-4pm at Comm. Hall $3 for ages 13+ and $2 for ages 6-12) • Women/Teen Self-Defense (Jan. 20, 6-7pm, $15/includes session and take-home workbook) • Night Ski/Board January 22 ($8 tickets) • Moonlight Snowshoe @ Schweitzer (Jan. 27 7:30pm, $30/person including gear and trip leader)

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 17

Gary’s Faith Walk

Is Christmas Over For You? Gary Payton

gdp.sandpoint@gmail.com

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Is Christmas over for you? Oh, I understand. The flurry of shopping is finished. The bags of discarded wrapping paper have long made their way to the curbside or the dump. And, well, perhaps the Christmas tree is even lying outside in the snow or disassembled in a box. But, is Christmas really over for you?

At Christmas Eve services around the globe, tens of millions listened attentively to the nativity story, the story of the birth of Jesus. Tens of millions watched children reenact the story as part of the worship service: Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus (whether a doll or a squirming newborn), shepherds, accompanying sheep, perhaps even a camel and a donkey. The story from the gospel of Luke creates ways to engage the entire family. But, our celebration can move far beyond a Christmas pageant and personal gift giving if we allow it.

The season of Christmas, the 12 days of Christmas, can continue. This year, Epiphany, is celebrated by western Christians on or near Wednesday, January 6. From the gospel of Matthew, it is the day to mark the arrival from afar of the magi, the three kings, the wise men who paid homage to the newborn king. For these three pilgrims the journey had been long and difficult. Coming from the east, they had likely battled wind and sand, barren desert, perhaps even marauding bandits.

Leaving behind their comfort, positions, and prestige, their faith carried them across the desert until they could witness the new beginning manifest in the baby Jesus.

In my faith walk, the fullness of the

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season and these January days mean Christmas is not over. Indeed, the annual renewal of hope which flows from candlelit worship on Christmas Eve is just the beginning. I need that renewal, but I also need the movement forward through the church year. Epiphany, marking the arrival of the magi, reminds me that the way is difficult, that I too will journey through life’s desert places to follow a star. I am reminded that the gift will not be found in the riches of a royal palace, but in the simplicity of common places where the night sky can be seen and animals surround.

I am reminded that leaving ways of the past behind are a requirement to receive fully the gift of Christmas.

In our family, our youngest son sets out the crèche each year. It is a hand carved assembly of figures created by a Russian woodcarver from a city northeast of Moscow. The magi never join the shepherds and animals as the crèche is brought out of its tin. This year the magi remained far away behind a picture frame on a bookshelf. Slowly as the days flow beyond December 25, they inch their way along the window sill, then to the edge of the piano, and finally on Epiphany they too join the joyous scene.

The movement of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem, of the magi across the desert, of the holy family to Egypt all reminds me that spiritual journey is ongoing. It is not fixed in a single day, in a single prayer, in a single year. My journey continues accompanied by divine presence and encouraged by others who are also following the star.

May your journey in 2010 be blessed!

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Page 18 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

The Scenic Route

Solving our Problems Sandy Compton

mrcomptonjr@hotmail.com www.SandyCompton.com

After a brilliant, bone-chilling day, the sun has gone down in Heron, Montana, but across the river, Star Peak, Billiard Table, Sawtooth, Clayton Peak and Scotchman glow like burnished silver. They will soon turn brilliant pink, then deep rose and finally blue-white before darkness falls on the western Cabinets—the Scotchman Peaks.

I can say this without looking, for I have been watching this since I was old enough to watch, but I will go look anyway. I am writing in the room where Betty Ann Tillapaugh taught me to read. The mountains across the river have been part of my horizon for most of my life.

This week between Christmas and New Years is marked by crystalline. Slanting rays of the sun have come into my kitchen and office and through my goggles on Schweitzer’s ski slopes. The moon grows fatter each night, building itself up to the last blue moon of the decade, scheduled to arrive early on New Years Eve, depending on where on Earth you happen to be standing at the time. Orion takes all night to stalk across the southern sky. Cassiopeia hangs overhead at bedtime. Ursas both arrive overhead in early morning. Winter’s sky is turned upside down from summer’s skies.

Much of our world was turned upside down, too, during the now-dying decade of the Aughties. We sat through the end of the last decade, century and millennium in varying states of apprehension, but Y2K,

that ballyhooed end of the universe, didn’t happen. But 9-11 did, for which we were as unprepared as a kick in the crotch from our best friend.

Before, we watched a presidential election come down to chicanery on an order not seen since Tammany Hall. After, we wandered in grief, rage and denial through murky months of posturing by politicians while decisions were made that have dumped thousands of lives and billions of dollars into the black holes that are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the meantime, Columbia burned up over Texas. We reelected a man who is judged to be the most incapable president in our history. On the greed of the few, we boomed and then, boy, did we bust. Our country became as divided as at any time since the Civil War, and remains split by selfserving ideologies and pundits who seem intent on keeping us from talking to each other. We should, by the way, tell them to shut up and sit down.

We are still in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are still digging out of a lingering recession.

We are still tolerating hysteria peddlers, hate mongers and finger pointers disguised as “commentators.” But, we are also still here.

We are still Montanans, Idahodians, United States citizens, North Americans, earthlings.

We are still humans, which is the most incommon thing we have going for us.

We humans are a frail species with big imaginations. If we couldn’t think and had our evolution still made us what we are physically, something would have eaten us long ago. Naked, we are slow, weak and defenseless, but clad in and equipped with what we have wrought with our ingenuity, we are nearly unstoppable.

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If we were only as intelligent as we are ingenious. We often invent things that, should we have any kind of foresight or conscience at all, we would burn their plans and have our minds erased so as never to think of such a thing again. Witness the atomic bomb. Germ warfare. Television in its current state of use. The Edsel. Billie Bass.

But we also think of new ways to cure old diseases, methods by which to get medical care into places where none has been before, ways to bring water to places long parched, incredible new ways to have fun, methods by which to get off this planet and into space and back again. We write new poems and sing new songs and find new ways to help each other every day. We are a hopeful species, as hopeful as we are ingenious and sometimes unintelligent.

So, I have hope for us humans.

In the past ten years, I’ve made many friends, and lost some too, some to the irrevocable processes of time and some to my own foolishness. I’ve learned much and much of what I have learned has taught me that I know very little. I have struggled with God and still not gotten my own way and even found myself grateful for that— sometimes.

I have learned that, if I let it, the world will continually surprise and amaze me in subtle and often not-so-subtle ways.

Last summer, I looked down at Heron from Star Peak for the umpteenth time and noted, to my surprise, that my vision of the town had been wrong for a long time. It’s not laid out in a neat east-west alignment, as I had always believed. The room I learned to read in doesn’t face due south. Heron and its buildings sit at right angles to the railroad that built it, which runs through at about 15 degrees south of east and north of west.

This discovery caused me to squint and go “harrumph,” and finally laugh. My prejudices and preconceptions, even about things as basic as direction, are sometimes pretty well set. Little revelations like this one (and many larger) give me pause and allow me to take a look at other things I believed to be “true” with a mind pried open by surprise.

So, I urge you, when the sun goes down in your neighborhood, even though you might have seen it a thousand or ten thousand times, to take a little time to go and look.

Even my lifelong horizon has changed since I began to watch it. I am sometimes surprised by how much; sometimes by how little. You may be surprised, too.

Sandy Compton has contributed to The River Journal since 1995. He is the chief story teller of The StoryTelling Company and author of Archer MacClehan & The Hungry Now and Side Trips From Cowboy (www.bluecreekpress.com).

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 19

Lite Lit The House in the Night Tess Vogel

tessievogel13@aol.com

THE HOUSE IN THE NIGHT by Susan Marie Swanson, pictures

by Beth Krommes

Have you ever wanted to just sit down and not watch the news because it seems like all that we hear and see today is about how everything is bad and getting worse, and you just want to read something that illuminates a reassuring order in the universe? Well then, “The House in the Night” is what you’re looking for! The way Susan Marie Swanson wrote this book will make you smile. Yes, it is a small book and at first glance you would think that it was just a children’s book, but it can be for any age. Beth Krommes’ illustrations just add to the magic the book holds. Whether you are reading to your little ones or just for yourself, “The House in the Night” is an absolute pleasure to read.

The House in the Night shows that even in the darkest of night there is a house full of light. Throughout the book there is a list of events that occurs, and at the end you see how they are all connected. This book is a great comfort to those who have read it. For those of you who read to their children, this book is a must have, just the pictures tell a delightful story about a calm, happy place to be when things seem scary. “The House in the Night” is an inspiration to look at things in a positive light, that everything will somehow seem better. This book is great to read to your little ones before they go to bed because it makes the dark a little less scary.

I have read many short stories but this is definitely one of the best. The way that Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes have put this book together is utterly remarkable for children and adults of any age. “The House in the Night” has won the Caldecott Medal, an award given to a book that has outstanding illustrations for a children’s book. I agree that this book deserves to have won because the pictures just jump right into your imagination.

I rate this book a five because of its wonderful pictures and storytelling.

Personally, I love to read books, but they are mostly about fantasy and fiction so when I received this book from my mom, I wasn’t so sure that I would like it, but I read it and I fell in love with it!

Valley of

In ThE

ShadowS with Lawrence Fury

Werewolves of Bonners Ferry

“A Few Needful Things” Stephen King Something a little different to start off my third year with the Journal.

When Trish first asked me to do this column, it was after she learned of my planned book of areas ghost stories and accounts of unusual phenomenon. In other words, the material I had was finite and indeed, I would be close to running out by now if a number of people had not come forward with accounts I was not aware of when I began these column.

Now, though, I still have enough stories to at least run though this year. We’ll see what comes up after that. Among upcoming columns, Spirit Lake, our local lake monster, the house that floated down the river years ago during a flood, the Tanner House, and a haunted car that gives ‘Christine’ a run for her money and more. Also on the horizon, a wider view of the mysteries of the world with Trish’s indulgence: ‘Shadow Science’, but that’s for the future.

Now, however, a few brief tales to kick off 2010.

For our friends in Bonners Ferry, well, they seem to have a slight problem with werewolves, at least according to one resident and her visiting sister-in-law from Sandpoint.

On the outskirts of Bonners (I won’t mention which side), a woman and her husband were hosting her sister-in-law one October weekend. The visiting woman was standing near her upstairs guest room window after dinner, talking on the phone, when suddenly a face appeared in the dark window. The face, if it could be called that, was what she described as wolfish, but too flat to be that of a normal animal.

Screaming in fright and dropping the phone, her sister-in-law and brother came bounding up the stairs. When she could finally get out what she had seen, her brother smirked and suggested Bigfoot, (as in my November account). Shaking her head in annoyance she insisted it had the fangs and features of a wolf, but was strangely

flat-faced, with a foreshortened muzzle.

The next morning, the ground was searched and sure enough, there was a slight impression of a wolf-like print, but human sized with five toes at the top, like that of a human, and the addition of claw impressions just ahead of the toes.

What did she see? A werewolf? Whatever it was, how was it able to look into a second story window? In any event, the woman from then on has refused to return to her brother’s house, forcing them to visit here in Sandpoint.

Then there’s the woman in Rathdrum who suspects she was haunted by her dead husband until putting her foot down.

The woman, after the death of her husband from a heart attack, had traded in his beloved pickup on a new car. At once, the car began experiencing electrical problems.

Panel lights flashing, the car stalling out on the road, only to mysteriously restart.

Nothing a mechanic was able to do could explain or fix the problem. She was on the verge of taking the car back to the dealer when one night the car suddenly went stone dead driving home from a friend’s house. She got out, stood by the vehicle and on impulse yelled: “Enough!” In two seconds, the lights suddenly came back on, the engine purred and there was never any trouble again. Of course, the ghost wouldn’t let his wife get in the last word. She would often find the back room in the house where a lot of his stuff was stored with the ceiling light on every day after she was sure she had turned it off. The woman decided to allow this slight symbol of defiance. In a way, she felt him close and it comforted her.

Finally, a brief and now former resident of the Westwood condos had one experience while his wife was still in bed as he got up early for his job and sat at the bar between the living room and kitchen drinking coffee.

The sound of someone unseen, walking across the carpet towards the front door and, as he looked, the door suddenly opened about six inches. Nothing else followed, but another abode became available soon after and the couple moved, quickly.

Here’s to a spooky, thrilling New Year in the Valley of Shadows.

Page 20 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

From ThE

Files

of The River Journal’s

SurrealisT Research BureaU

A Norwegian light show reminds us of mysteries in light

by Jody Forest

The incredible light show over Oslo, Norway in early December of last month, despite being later traced to a failed Soviet missile launch, was at first assumed to be yet another anomalous manifestation of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). It serves to remind us that eerie phenomena still holds more than a few mysteries behind its undulating, curtain-like folds of shimmering lights.

For instance, according to modern Northern Lights researchers, the lights cannot descend below 80 kilometers, yet there are hundreds of well-attested accounts, many done with instruments, of auroras appearing between observers and nearby terrestrial objects. Out of scores of accounts I’ll quote just one, from a radio engineer in the Northwest territories: “The auroral curtain was pale green and a two-story building could be seen beyond and through it. No sensation could be felt on walking right into the curtain, which disappeared from the view of anyone approaching closely; however, other people a hundred yards away could readily see the observer enter and pass through the curtain.”

Occasionally too are reports of auroral “odors,” chiefly ozone and sulfur, or auroras with unusual geometries (such as the spiralshaped Russian rocket trail over Norway) like loops, arches, balls of fire, sawtooth shapes and more. Then there’s a possible related phenomena called “sky-brightening” in

There’s Hope if you need physical therapy.

There’s also Sandpoint.

which these rare, milky-white enhancements of the night sky are strong enough to read newspapers outdoors at midnight. I’ll quote from only one of hundreds such accounts; “I awoke briefly at 3 am and noticed my room was bright as day. Knowing there was no moon, I went out to the patio and to my surprise saw everything illuminated with a pale greenish light so intense we could read by it, the atmosphere was hazy and we could not make out the stars and the light seemed to be general and came from no fixed direction.”

Then there’s still other poorly understood auroral phenomena; so-called “black auroras,” intensely black, welldefined arches, streamers, and curtains similar to regular auroral displays only obsidian black! There’s also banded skies— vast arrays of luminous strips or bands stretching from one horizon to the other.

The “Andes Lights” may be yet another form of poorly understood auroral display, “There are, at times, a constant play of searchlights about the Andean summits, the color pale

yellow. The most striking feature is that during earthquakes they are especially magnificent. During the Great Chilean Earthquake of 1906, along the entire Andes the whole sky seemed to be on fire from searchlights flashing wildly from the peaks and summits.”

I could go on in this vein for a while but space forbids, and the bizarre, related phenomena of St. Elmo’s Fire or balled lightning both rightly deserve bloody, despicable, columns of their own so I’ll leave you for now. For those interested in researching further, most of the witness quotes I’ve used are from the book “Lightning, Auroras, Nocturnal Lights and Related Luminous Phenomena” by Wm. Corliss. ‘til next time; Yours for a Strong America and All Homage to Xena!

“That is the way,” he pointed.

“But there are no steps” I replied.

“You must throw yourself in, there is no other way.”

George MacDonald

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January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 21

A Holistic Approach to

Flu, Fever, Coughs & Colds by the Sandpoint Wellness Council www.SandpointWellnessCouncil.com

A homeopathic kit in your home and a class on how to treat acute illnesses empowers you. You can avoid staying up all night coughing or making those trips to the pharmacy for cold and cough medicines, but most importantly to avoid taking antibiotics. When you do catch a cold or the flu, you can treat yourself and you will soon become confident in your ability to recognize the remedies you and your children need. When your child wakes in the middle of the night with a fever and an earache, you will feel confident knowing you can treat the problem and see it resolve in an hour.

Your child avoids suffering all night and most importantly avoids a week-plus long course in antibiotics. Just as you learn to manage your family’s budget, you can learn to manage your family’s acute illnesses.

Fever often accompanies infections. It may be the only apparent symptom in the early stages. Fever is often a beneficial phenomenon, as a warning of an infection, but also a part of the body’s defense against the infection. Elevation of body temperature reduces the growth of, and often kills, disease-causing organisms.

It also stimulates the production of interferon, a chemical that inhibits viral reproduction and increases white blood cell mobility and activity to rid the body of bacteria and virus. Temperatures above 106 F are rare, can be harmful, and medical evaluation is needed.

In most cases, rather than worrying about the fever, one should pay attention to the illness responsible and try to aid the healing efforts of the body. As long as the fever isn’t too high, the fever is best

left to continue its work as part of the body’s effort to heal. Rest and plenty of liquids to replace the body fluid lost due to sweating along with an appropriate homeopathic remedy is all that is often required.

Homeopathic belladonna and aconite are the best medicines to try during the first stages of a sudden fever. The symptoms that indicate homeopathic belladonna are a red, flushed face, intensely hot skin, reddened mucous membranes, and glassy eyes with dilated pupils, and often deliriousness. The skin can be so hot you notice the heat lingering on your hands after you touch it. There is often restlessness and agitation. Children may hit or bite.

Homeopathic aconite is indicated when the fever comes on suddenly and the patient is anxious, restless, and fearful or when the fever comes on after exposure to wind and cold. Mentally the patient is alert, unlike belladonna, but often frightened. Often the patient is hot and has a thirst for large amounts of cold drinks.

Homeopathic Ferrum Phos is a medicine that may be needed early in a fever when symptoms develop gradually rather then suddenly as with belladonna and aconite.

These remedies can be given every hour in the 30C potency until symptoms abate.

Influenza or the flu is an acute infection of the respiratory tract that is of viral origin. Symptoms of the flu are runny nose, cough, fever, general weakness, and muscular aching. The patient looks and feels more ill than if he or she had the common cold.

The flu often lasts three to five days in healthy people, but the severity varies from year to year and from person to person.

Regular, seasonal flu can be life threatening for the young and the elderly.

Homeopathic treatment speeds recovery and substantially reduces the

discomfort.

The symptoms indicating homeopathic gelsemium are classic for the flu and should be considered if you can’t find a better fit. The person feels tired, weak, heavy, and sick. Often they want to be left alone, not because they are irritable, but because they are too weak to interact.

The eyelids are heavy and droopy and the face dull lacking expression. Chills are common running up and down the back.

Typically there is little thirst in spite of the fever. A runny nose, sore throat, and headache are also common.

Homeopathic bryonia should be considered instead of gelsemium when we see physical aggravation to motion, irritability, and aversion to company. The patient lies still because it hurts to move with muscle and joint pain. Even moving the eyes can be painful. They have an intense thirst for cold drinks often with a dry hacking cough and constipation.

Homeopathic rhus tox is indicated when the muscles are achy after lying still for a while. The patient feels worse when trying to move after being still for some time, but the pain subsides after moving for a short time and limbering up. Sleep will be difficult because it is too uncomfortable to keep still. They are likely to be chilly and their aches and pains better when external heat is applied. Dry mouth and lips, sore throat and hoarseness often accompany the other symptoms.

Homeopathic eupatorium peroliatum is indicated when severe aching and pain is felt as though from deep within the bones, especially the back. Often we see a runny nose, red eyes preceding body aches. Often the patient has chills between 7 and 9 am and a great thirst for cold drinks which can result in nausea.

Homeopathic oscillococcinum is a remedy to consider in the early stages of the flu when there are few distinguishing symptoms.

(Editor’s note: the 2009 H1N1 flu has acted differently than seasonal flu, and caused severe illness in people not normally considered ‘at risk’ from seasonal flu.

Although not currently circulating in the U.S., it is believed it will return in January or February. Visit the CDC website on flu (www.flu.gov) for information, and consult a medical professional if you believe you have contracted this flu.)

Coughs occur when the body reacts to viruses infecting the lower airway, including the throat, trachea or bronchi. A cough may be shallow or deep, dry or loose depending on the location and severity of the infection and on the strength of the person’s healing defenses. A cough tends to last longer than a head cold, but the person almost always recovers on his own. Croup is caused by a viral infection of the voice box and breathing passages

Page 22 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

of the upper chest and is characterized by a harsh, loud, barking and ringing cough.

Bronchitis is caused by inflammation of the bronchi, the large breathing tubes that lead from the trachea to the lungs.

The associated coughs are lingering and fairly severe accompanied by fever.

Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs that interferes with breathing with a deep and rattling cough.

Homeopathic belladonna, aconite and ferrum phos are often helpful and should be applied as described above.

Allium cepa (red onion) is a remedy that responds well to the symptoms that red onion creates when preparing it in the kitchen. There is a profuse, bland tearing of the eyes with a burning nasal discharge and often frequent sneezing with a tickling of the larynx that leads to a dry cough so painful it makes the person grasp the throat while coughing.

Bryonia is used when the cough is dry and spasmodic and is painful when breathing deeply and moving. The person may need to press his hands to the chest to limit movement when coughing.

Causticum is a common remedy for laryngitis when there is a constant desire to clear the throat, often due to post nasal drip. The person tries to cough more deeply in an effort to dislodge mucus Please call any of us or visit our blog at www. sandpointwellnesscouncil.com to ask questions or leave comments. Our goal is to be a resource for our community; our blog is your forum to interact with us and other readers.

Sandpoint Wellness Council members: Krystle Shapiro, BA, LMT, CDT,Reiki, Touchstone Massage Therapies Oncology Massage Specialist 208.290.6760 Owen Marcus, MA Rolfing 208.265.8440 www.align.org Mary Boyd, MS, PT Mountain View Physical Therapy 208.290.5575 J. Ilani Kopiecki, BA, CMT Integrated Bodywork and Craniosacral Therapy 208.610.2005 Robin & Layman Mize CBS Quantum Biofeedback 208.263.8846 Chris Rinehart Homeopathy 208.610.0868 Will Mihin, Chiropractic 208.265.2225 Suzanne Avina Herbology 208.946.6640 Peter Mico Yoga 208.265.1570

This photo from the CDC illustrates why it’s important to cover your coughs and sneezes in order to avoid sharing your illness with family and others close to you. deep in the chest and is often worse first thing in the morning.

Spongia is the most common remedy for the croup with a barking and harsh cough that sounds like a saw through a dry pine log.

Drosera is a remedy with a dry spasmodic cough that is also barking or ringing. There is often a tingling or tickling sensation that excites the cough in spasms and is worse by eating or drinking.

The cough that indicates Rumex is not croupy or barking but shallow and is set off by breathing cold air and becoming chilled. Even small temperature changes that may occur from walking from room to room may set off the cough.

Each of the remedies discussed

has its own particular characteristics, sensations, and modalities. After taking a course on prescribing acute homeopathic remedies and experimenting for a short time, you can become confident and proficient prescribing for yourself, family and friends. Homeopathy is also effective for chronic conditions like depression, asthma, fibromyalgia, and arthritis, but needs to be prescribed by a professional homeopath.

I offer four-week courses that meet twice a week in the evenings and sell homeopathic kits with the most commonly used remedies. Acute homeopathic prescribing is a skill that parents find useful and empowering. Call me to learn more. Chris Rinehart CHOM, CCH Certified Homeopath. 208-610-0868

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January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 23

Sale

Masons. He enjoyed traveling and spending time with family.

JOYCE (HOFFINE) CAMPBELL Joyce Lee Campbell. June 27, 1941—December 29, 2009. Born in Sandpoint and a 1959 graduate of Sandpoint High. Attended two years at Sandpoint Beauty School, then worked for 40-plus years at the Vogue Salon, the Hair Hut, and Hair Tenders. She was a member of Aerie No. 589 Fraternal Order of Eagles. She enjoyed bowling, crossword puzzles, reading, fishing, hunting and spending time with her family and grandchildren.

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www.LakeviewFuneral.org MAJ. (RET.) JAN CHRISTENSON USAF Jan Christenson, December 19, 1953— November 29, 2009. Born in Quonset Point, Rhode Island and grew up in California, graduated high school in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Held a BS in electrical engineering. Served in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Mountain Home, Idaho.

Moved back to Bonners Ferry when he retired.

Enjoyed hunting, fishing, restoring vintage vehicles and riding motorcycles. Served as President of the board of North Bench Fire Dept., and as a member of Boundary County’s Planning & Zoning committee.

GRACE (BELL) DUNN Grace Gladys Dunn, February 20, 1917— November 30, 2009. Born in Frederick, Maryland and worked as a waitress until marriage to Peter F. Dunn. Raised and showed the first line of Black Angus cattle introduced to the U.S. Moved to North Idaho in 1976; also spent 17 years in Florenze, Ariz.

Enjoyed westerns (books and movies), soap operas, word search puzzles and cooking.

JEAN (JACOBSON) MCSHANE Jean Ann Jacobson McShane, August 19, 1926— December 6, 2009. Born in Ottosen, Iowa and grew up on the family farm. Was spelling bee champion for the county in 1939; won awards in English and world history in high school and was first place winner of the 1940 District Declamatory Contest. Held a degree in English and became a teacher and became involved in community theater. Married, and lived in Arizona and southern California, then lived in Spain after her husband died. Moved to Sandpoint in 2001.

Competitive Scrabble player and avid reader and crossword puzzle fan.

JENNIFER EISELE Jennifer Louise Eisele, December 6, 1974— December 15, 2009. Born in Santa Clara, Calif., lived in Utah and Colorado while spending summers in Elmira, Idaho. Moved here year-round in 1993.

Moved to Sandpoint in ‘95 and was a regular figure at the public library, Safeway, the St. Joseph’s soup kitchen, the Farmer’s Market, the Healing Garden, and nearly every bookstore in town.Worked at the state liquor store in Sandpoint, loved reading, poetry, science fiction and snuggling with cats. Enjoyed hand-stitching fleece blankets. Lived four months after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

MARTHA (CAMP) THOMPSON Martha Oma Thompson, September 29, 1927— December 27, 2009. Born in Los Angeles, Calif., worked for Hughes Markets until retirement in the 1980s. Moved to Sandpoint in 2001 to be close to family. Member of St. Joseph’s Church and the BGH Auxiliary. Loved to read and shop and was a regular hospital volunteer.

RAYMOND ANDREWS Raymond Wilson Andrews. October 30, 1925—December 28, 2009. Born in Soperton, Wisc. and worked for the Civilian Conservation Corp before serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Reenlisted with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. Lived in Chicago and worked for the Teletype Corp.; moved to Tuscon, Ariz. in 1971 and worked for Mountain Bell until his retirement. Moved to Sandpoint, Idaho in 2008. Was a proud member of the VFW, the Shriners and the

Coffelt Funeral Home, Sandpoint, Idaho.

Get complete obituaries online at

www.CoffeltFuneral.com JESSE VANHORN Jesse Donald Vanhorn, September 9, 1923—December 2, 2009. Born McCool Junction, Nebraska, served in the US Army Air Corp during World War II, worked in planer mills in Colville, Wash. and Kootenai, Idaho. Considered one of the top lumber graders in the Pacific Northwest. Loved music and dancing and won several jitterbug contests.

Died from complications of a massive stroke.

ROGER LEE RICKETT Roger Lee Rickett, August 7, 1968— December 7, 2009. Born in Spokane, Wash. and a member of the Idaho National Guard. Lived in Sandpoint since 1989 and was a cabinet maker. Loved anything to do with the outdoors, especially hunting, fishing and swimming. Died after a sudden illness.

HARRY GROANVELT Harry Lee Groanvelt, April 16, 1946— December 9, 2009. Born in Sandpoint and served in the U.S. Army in Viet Nam as an aviation mechanic. Lived in Portland, Ore. and worked as a welding inspector. Moved back to Sandpoint in 1984.

Reviewed plans and projects for Precision Cast Parts until his retirement. Avid hunter and fisherman.

MILDRED MORELAND Mildred H. Moreland, July 8, 1916—December 15, 2009. Born in Banner Co, Neb., raised in Wyoming, attended secretarial school in California and then went to work for the Pentagon during World War II. Moved to Cheyenne after the war and worked for Wyoming Dept. of Health and Welfare. Moved to Sandpoint in 1952. Worked as a secretary for local radio station KSPT and worked at the hospital for 35 years. Enjoyed reading and crossword puzzles, greatest joy was family.

WILLIAM JOHNSON William Clyde Johnson, July 16, 1994—December 22, 2009. Died tragically from injuries in a skiing accident.

Born in Sandpoint and was a sophomore at Sandpoint High School. Member of the cross country team and a gifted musician, playing saxophone, guitar, bassoon, bagpipes and trombone. Also enjoyed SCUBA diving, wakeboarding, snowboarding, swimming, skiing, and lacrosse.

CHARLES COWARD, JR. Charles “Buddy” Coward, Jr. October 8, 1957— December 28, 2009. Born in Fort Meyers, Fla. and moved to Sandpoint in 1990. Worked at Idaho Electric and Pastime Sports before focusing on farming. An enthusiastic sportsman but a farmer at heart.

NAOMI FRAMPTON Naomi Eleanor Frampton. November 29, 1918— January 1, 2010. Grew up in Woodlynne, New Jersey and studied English and journalism in college. Loved to sew, write poetry and play the organ.

Page 24 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

Currents

Forest Service Dominates RAC Dollars Lou Springer

nox5594@blackfoot.net

The biggest landowner in Sanders County pays no taxes. This situation has existed since the U.S. Forest Service became the land stewards of timbered mountains, and wasn’t too much of a loss to county revenues during the heyday of timber harvest. The taxes paid through logging subsidized county roads and schools until the profitable timber was harvested. The screams must have been heard as far as Washington D.C. In 2000 the Congress created a vehicle to funnel Payment in Lieu of Taxes to timber dependent counties. Called the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, some of the money could be shuttled to community-driven projects, if the county commissioners appointed a committee (to be called Resource Advisory Committee) to choose projects.

Still with me? Everything is in place for multiple requirements: money and government. One requirement called for a diverse membership on the committee, thus I received a call from one of our commissioners: “Lou, you’re a member of Sierra Club, aren’t you?”

“No way, I don’t agree with their stand on logging.” He questioned me further, sounding more and more desperate with each ‘no’ answer. Did I belong to any regional environmental groups? Any state groups?

He told me they were having a hard time finding an ‘environmentalist’ in Sanders County to serve on the RAC. I confessed to membership in our local conservation group, Cabinet Resource Group, but he didn’t think it was credential enough to pass the Department of Agriculture requirement.

They couldn’t find any Sierra Club members, so eventually settled on me, and in 2002, wearing–I swear to God—a name tag identifying me as Environmentalist I attended my first RAC session. Many of the other members were acquaintances from my past Forest Service employment, and both District Rangers also sat in the meetings as non-voting members. And being government there are an incredible amount of strings attached. The tightest noose is that the projects have to be on National Forest Land or directly affect National Forest Land.

Our committee worked on high sounding ideals for a vision statement including promoting local employment and educating local children. I wrote seven or eight newspaper articles encouraging people to

submit projects. We contacted local service and church groups for proposals. There was nearly nada response; in the six years of funding, only two projects have been suggested by regular people. Both were readily funded.

The Forest Service cannot be faulted for filling the vacuum. The money—sometimes as much as $250,000—is available. The Forest Service has dozens of wish list projects; some are worthy, some are just downright silly, and some would have problematic consequences. Over half of the RAC money has gone to fix man-made problems on National Forest of miles And they don’tlands. have Hundreds to—after all, don’t ofweroads must be maintained or closed Americans believe if it’s ours, it’s ours and Culverts be replaced, andre-sloped. we can do with it must what we want? Or landslides re-vegetated, and introducedis weeds, killed. and we want it, then A couple years ago, while stopping for you have to give it to us and ifFalls you don’t, gasoline to drive to Thompson for a then you sponsor terrorism and we’ll RAC meeting, the gal running the cash register engaged me in conversation. “My By the way, China wants that oilYou as daughter worked with you in 1978. well.her Remember China?

The people who were Y.C.C. crew leader.

Best job she’s ever had. us Sheall really to work loaned thatlearned money?how China’s oil that summer.” is around 6.5 billion barrels consumption those great cosmic intersections a One year,ofand is growing at 7 percent every occurred at the meeting evening, year. It produces about 3.6that billion barrels when Cabinet presented their everythe year.

Does District this math look good to proposal to operate a Youth Conservation anyone? Can anyone other than Sarah Corp employing eight local teenagers and George Bush believe we can inPalin resource management.

It received drill our way out of as thishas problem?

Anyone unanimous approval, each successive who doesn’tBoth thinkLolo we better hit the Ranger ground YCC request. and Cabinet running to figure out how to fuel what we Districts now run an eight week YCC want fueled with ofsomething other than program at a cost $30,000 per season funded

by RAC. deserves Finally, a project that fulfills oil probably to go back to an the mission statement: employ locals, educate kids. : I could go on The big $70,000, forever, butgrant you’llthis quit year, reading.

So onewent final towards railroad crossing bars to be placed discussion for the American public.

First, at the crossing on the road to Finlay Flats let’s have area. a true,Both independent analysis of recreation AVISTA, the water what happened on September 11, 2001. power agency, and the Forest Service wanted TheEven official explanation this. though the crossingsimply isn’t ondoesn’t USFS hold is water one of thoseagency “who land andwater. doesn’tThis effect quality, knew what,that when” questions that must be folks argued it was an important safety issue.

If so, several RAC members observed, answered—and people/institutions must either Burlington Northern or Department of Transportation pay for the Speaking of should accountability, youwhole might thing.

RAC’s share the that railroad crossing be surprised to of learn I would not bars could an fundeffort two more YCC crews.

But, support to impeach President when you are the token environmentalist Bush after the November elections. First, in Sanders County, you don’t have a lot of because that’s late,suggest and second, clout.

If I had clout,too I would to quit because more than Bush been monkeying around with Paymenthave in Lieu of involved in crimes against the American Taxes and have the federal government just people.

What would like to see are pay taxes like any Iother landowner. charges (at the least, charges of treason) brought against Bush, Cheney, et al. Bring the charges and let’s let the evidence of

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January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 25

BOOTS REYNOLDS

A Seat in the House

Medicaid funding concerns George Eskridge

Idaho Dist. 1B Representative

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idaholeginfo@lso.idaho.gov 1-800-626-0471 Health care reform legislation has been a primary effort of Congress over this past year. The House passed its version of health care reform in November and the Senate passed its legislative proposal on Christmas Eve day at 7 am. There are distinct differences in the two pieces of legislation and the Senate and House will need to meet together in committee to reach agreement on final legislation that can be presented to both bodies of Congress and then, if passed by both the Senate and House, forwarded to the President for his approval before health care reform becomes law.

In the hours before the Senate voted on its version of health care reform the Senate leadership negotiated a deal with Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska on Medicaid funding requirements for his state and an insurance tax exemption for non-profit insurers in his state to obtain his support.

Medicaid funding is provided by both state and federal funds and there is concern among many state legislators that provisions now contained in proposed health care reform will require more funding by the states. Senator Nelson’s agreement supposedly provides that the federal government will fund 100 percent of the cost for new Medicaid recipients for Nebraska residents. It was also reported by at least one news media organization that Senator Nelson also obtained agreement for an exemption from the insurance tax paid by non-profit insurers in Nebraska that is not applicable to other states except for Michigan.

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and/or constitutional. In an attempt to answer the question I contacted both Idaho Senator Mike Crapo’s office and the Idaho Attorney General’s office for a legal opinion on the agreement.

Senator Crapo’s office did not have an opinion at this early date, but office staff stated that “there are several senators checking into this now to see if this (the agreement) goes against the constitution.”

The Attorney General’s office had already received several calls before mine questioning the legality or constitutionality of the agreement but had not developed an official opinion because the agreement would not be in force until health care reform legislation would become law.

I was informed, however, that if the agreement was implemented it could have a problem in that it might violate federal uniformity of tax laws requiring that one state not be taxed differently than another state. As stated in the beginning of this article, the Medicaid program is funded both by the federal government and individual states based on a federal funding formula.

As I understand the information from the Attorney General’s office, Senator Nelson’s agreement would increase federal funding for Nebraska on a scale larger than provided by the formula, thus would be counter to uniform tax laws.

Many would say that this type of agreement is not unusual in negotiations involving passage of federal legislation; others feel that this particular agreement goes beyond appropriate negotiation and should not be supported.

It will be interesting to see if the agreement between Nebraska Senator Nelson and the Majority Party Leadership survives in the coming weeks ahead as Congress attempts to pass health care reform legislation. I anticipate that if a national health care reform law is passed and the agreement with Senator Nelson allowing special treatment for Nebraska is implemented that other states would challenge the agreement.

At about the time this issue of the River Journal hits the street the Idaho legislature will be close to convening the 2010 session.

The legislature convenes on January 11 and as we proceed through the session I welcome your input on issues that are important to you. You can contact me in Boise by e-mail at infocntr@lso.state.id.us or by mail at State Capitol Building, P.O. Box 83720, Boise, Idaho 83720-003. I can also be reached toll-free at (800) 626-0471.

Thanks for reading! George

Page 26 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

Scott Clawson

acresnpains@dishmail.net Plenty, actually. I’ve been wantin’ to dwell on this for quite a while; ever since it became a fad to hyphenate last names. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against maintaining one’s lineage but I could see a problem or two right off the bat. Words are like numbers in that they all add up to something. So let me indulge in some “word math” for illustration purposes.

To start, simple combinations ain’t so bad as we’re kind of used to ‘em by now.

Ann-Margret was the first one I remember catching my attention, say around 1965. Of course, I was more interested in her acting abilities than her hyphen. It might have been like a deer in the headlights sort of thing for a kid of thirteen. I thought it was kinda sexy, I guess. About ten years later, I met a hippie couple who actually tied the knot legal like and kept both last names.

She was liberated (braless) and he was ‘stoned immaculate,’ but offered plenty of support in his own way. His last name was Bare, and hers happened to be Buttz.

This got me to thinkin’ about some interesting combinations that could arise down the timeline. What if (bear with me) Mr. and Ms. Bare-Buttz had a girl and she fell in love with a boy who’s parents just happen to be Luce-Nutts. No matter how you organize ‘em, the preacher is going to have fun at the wedding. Later, they won’t exactly lend themselves to a political career of any length either. Can you imagine havin’ that moniker on yer name tag and goin’ door to door introducing yourself and shakin’ hands of prospective voters or even potential customers with a line like, “Howdy, ma’am, I’m Harry Luce-Nutts-BareButtz and I’m runnin’ fer Senate! Allow me to explain my platform.”

So, for those of you who are still with me, let’s carry it a but further. What if Harry and his lovely partner have a boy; an innocent little guy who will someday grow up and fall madly in love with an equally innocent little girl whose parents just happen to be Withall-Most-Aneff-Gutzs.

Give this scenario enough generations and even our little phone book of the northern Idaho Panhandle will be too big to lift. On the other hand, it could become a major source of personal entertainment. One in every bathroom, so to speak.

Give it a couple centuries and family names could tell whole stories or even poems! One bright spot, I s’pose, would be Congress not being able to get beyond

roll call, and thus not pass anything they manage to dream up.

A couple of weeks ago, on a Sunday evening before dinner, the power went out. After I lit a few candles and wound up the dog for something to listen to, I sat down with the “Black Book” for a little light reading. It was time to do this y reason of power failure if nothin’ else. My wife of 37 years (and should know better by now) thought it strange for even my behavior and asked our dog Sophie to keep a close eye on the ol’ man. I didn’t have any food in front of me, so she lost interest and trained her nose on the wood stove where dinner was simmering. Besides, she’s no more stable than I am and she knows it.

ANYWAYS, with pencil and grocery bag (I always specify paper) I started down page one. It began easy enough. Wow, right off I got Aasguard. That oughta be good for something! And so it went, until I found Ziel. I was too exuberant even to stand up.

Actually, my legs had gone to sleep three days prior. Two weeks, several thousand hours and probably a large spike in my ocular acuity score later and I’m still sittn’ here cross-eyed in front of ‘mac’ with a big pile of garbage bags covered in names.

Now what? Without a super computer to categorize this gibberish into nouns, verbs, adverbs and the like, I’m kind of overwhelmed. Not only that, but I realized right off that I’m gonna need some names with conjunctive endings or beginnings in order to make some sense out of the infinite amount of possibilities that could be drawn from even our scrawny local book.

I ain’t as repugnant at rittin’ as I am at math but I immediately recognized a time constraint! Trish would no doubt be peeved. I’ve heard ya don’t wanna be ‘round when she peeves, so I’m desperate to make this deadline!

I wrote down roughly 1,600 ‘names of interest’ not counting those that might come in handy like Yotter, Izatt, Yoos, Frum and Havin that I’ve dug up since the first run-through. I didn’t have to make any up! They all belong to real folks. I’m just here to illustrate some possibilities so bear with me a bit. There also seems to be an exhorbitant amount of near misses. I nearly cried several times while trying to finish a phrase out with a name I knew should be in there but no banana. Ban-Amas is the best I can muster. Perhaps with Spokane or Seattle books and a few years of research, I could have the examples I’d be happiest with. Tufte-Eiter! U. Cant-Haven-Evey-Thun.

See what I mean?

Let’s start off in first gear with Frost_ Meye-Butt. Not bad on its own but follow it up with Endahl-Meye-Fehlings and it starts to sound like a hard-up country tune!

Follow it up with another generation and this epilogue could possibly take shape: Butt-Albee-Allgood-Winn-Hell-Friesz-Over.

Classic!

Shift to second and here’s a minister with the good fortune to have the legal conglomeration of Pray-Withall-Uher-Hart.

Then he falls for one of his flock who just happens to be a Giggle-Tickle-Tee-Hei. It should be enough to make one go celibate somewheres. Well it could’ve been much more colorful, I assure you! Like if it was instead the prefix to Thunn-Sharon-OverlyHigh-Kalanic-Tart. I doubt if he’d even make bishop.

This practice could even get confusing at times with names like North-SouthEasterly-West or Luse-Nuse-Lynch-Mobbs, Blacken-White, Duman-Smart and others I can’t even begin to print here.

But in the interest of time and getting on with my life (and my chores), I need to keep this short, relatively speaking.

Relative to what, I do not know. So here’s a list of some of the ‘possibles’ that would inadvertently turn heads at any roll-call.

Howe-Auer-Yee-Feeling, Howitt-HurtWinn-Mabutt-Wendt-Down, Yotter-FixThaut-Lause-Nutt, Lett-Mee-Upp-Plese, Baade-Nusz, Albee-Back, Morris-Onley_ Wasti, Hankey-Pankey-Orcutt-Mee-Free, French-Fry-Frum-Yoder-Day, Baade-HabetsDye-Hard, Pretty-Poteet-Butt-Still-Spitz, Smart-Aleck, Nosworthy-Picker, SlippySlorp-Slinger-Smerker, Duck-DownDuffus_Durflinger-Stuck-Upp, Drum-RollPlese, Utter-Sweet-Nutting-Sinn-Maier, Pardon-Mee-Yow-Smails-Rank, Dart-Vader, Dorame-Fargo-Latta-Dow, Derry-Airey, Whealy -W iley -Wooley -W inkle-Twidt, Whelp-Nope-Maybee(!), Bourbon-Wine-Erp, Fiellen-Crappo-Butt-Holden-Meye-Owen, Tryon-Asplint, Plante-Yher-Butt-Werry-Fitz, Blanc-Page, Burn-Mitale-Butt-Gentle, WongWay-White, Long-Day-Driver-Till-Yurek, Gold-Digre, Crabb-Foote, Sherwood-LoveSom-Giggle-Fitz, Auer-Klever-Kidd-CantFix-Dacar, Humann-Barrier, Doolittle-Favor, Butt-Head-Aho, Frum-Deforest-WendtDewolf, Cant-Buckle-Mee-Belt, BehringBaade-Nuse, Little-Duce-Coop, ByarsSellers, Albee-Back-Winn-Spring-Does, Mellon-Head, Yoder-Goforth-HavenAho-Laut-O’Hare, Izatt-Aneff, Spitz-UppWionde, U.Bent-Meier, Bolten-Nutt, Kikkas-Bunn-Berner-Meaney-Reamer, Continued on page 29

January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 27

From the Mouth of the River

If it had been a race for excitement in December around here, Santa would have come in a distant third. First place, of course, would have to be when the bottom dropped out of the thermometer without any cushion of snow for Mother Earth. And running a very close second was the return of Sara Palin to her place of birth, Sandpoint, Idaho. She didn’t return because she was homesick for old friends; after all, she left here when she was just a baby. She actually stopped by to sign her new book, “Going Rogue,” which some of the local fellows from Chipmunk Falls mistook to mean skinny dippin’. They were disappointed when they couldn’t find any nude pictures of her in the book. The most asked question of her was, of course: “Are you going to run for the president in 2012?” At which point she would ask, “Who do you want this book signed to?”

If you’ve noticed, all her book signings have been in small to medium size towns and cities in middle America. While she’s getting down and rich with the local folks, her entourage is running a continuous survey as to how people would vote if she did run for office. Seventy-four percent of the women would vote for her while 60 percent of the men would if their wives were present. However, if the wife was not present, 97 percent of the men would vote for her. But if she were to take a page from the book of the ‘rogue’ father of her daughter’s illegitimate child and did a centerfold for Playboy her popularity would take a significant leap forward. While the women’s vote would drop off by 10 percent, the men’s vote would pick up past 110

percent with the lesbian vote jumping by over 20 percent. This would make her a shoo-in if she picked a young handsome feller as a running mate. Someone for the girls to giggle over. I know you thought that 110 percent was a little much, but don’t forget, this is the presidency we’re talking about here and anything can happen when the votes get counted. Remember when Bush was elected? Florida had a third more votes for him than they had residents. Also, she would have to run as an Independent in order to draw votes from both sides of the fence. Of course, all of this is just speculation, except that part about it being brass monkey cold. And even that has its benefits.

Yep, ice fishing started this weekend and we all met on the ice to fish and talk about Tiger Woods and what was he thinking?

Well, it was obvious what he was thinking as well as what he was thinking with. Women couldn’t believe how long it took for him to get caught and the men from Chipmunk Falls couldn’t believe there were no ugly women involved. Stubby says of the girls at Chipmunk Falls, “You don’t know what ya’ got until after the weddin’ and ya’ gets all them winter cloths offa her.” And the men are not much different. Titsy McGillas said she found another set of long handles on her second husband when she gave him his spring bath!

Speaking of clothes, have those of you who are connected to the Internet been getting those emails from friends or associates of people photographed at Wal- Mart stores around the country? A lot of those pictures were taken in California stores and many are taken in stores from the south. This is the most frightening thing I have ever seen Americans do in public. There are semi-nude people with everything hanging out.

Some with no underwear on unless it’s on the outside of a skimpy mini skirt and that’s just the men! Now, we are not talking about Victoria’s Secret models here. We’re talking about people with the words, ‘Double Wide’, ‘Wide load’, and ‘Use Forklift Only’, written on their back side. And other things like, “If I’m farting I’m backing up”, and “What the f**k are you looking at?” Some of

Boots Reynolds

these people think, “Soap and Water” is the name of their dog and the only time they get wet is while waddling through the parking lot. They seem to think that shoes and shirts are all that is required to go out in public anymore.

At our Wal-Mart I see even some of our local children are learning to be slobs by wearing their pajamas and house shoes to the stores now. Trying to make a statement I guess. All they gotta do is put on two or three hundred pounds and they are there.

This kind of behavior in public is wrong in so many different ways. Restaurants would not serve these people as it would be illegal and unsanitary. I guess Wal-Mart will now have to have a dress code person at the door along with a greeter. “If it ain’t covered don’t bring it in here.” People at Wal-Mart who handle fruit and vegetables have to wear gloves to handle food, while these slobs not only fondle all the fruit and vegetables, they sample them as well.

Bonnie Shields, my artist friend from Gold Creek, just got back from Las Vegas.

Said she spent twenty minutes in a WalMart store down there and couldn’t sleep for two days. She was exposed to sights no normal person should have to look at.

We have a neighbor who just moved here from California and he said wait until you see what’s coming. Down there morals are considered a family defect. And right when we thought American morals couldn’t sink any lower it’s taking a nose dive. Mark my word, the next reality show on TV will be, “What I saw at Wal-Mart.” It will be a state by state competition, with the winners getting a free pass to Fred Meyers. Thank your stars we live in a cold climate where most folks are smart enough to cover up!

Even then you still see some pretty scary stuff.

I know it’s been really cold at your house this past month but thank God it’s winter ‘cause this would be a disaster if it was

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Page 28 | The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| January 2010

Names- Continued from page 27 Albee-Wright-W inn-Eightme-Wong, Howe-Dewey-Cheatam, Craven-Sain-Fees, Hey-Bubb-Shutt-Derr-Trapp, Yotter-PaayDebill, Ogle-Mee-Wadel, Izatt-Yher-Best-

Angle, Hardie-Hard-Harder, Argo-FlickUher-Neighbors (simply too many choices to mention here), Hay-Udink-Watts-Upp, Streich-Wong-Balfour, Baremore-Bunn, Eachon-Avery-Wannous-Worthy, IzattAnast-Tee-Book-Uher-Reading, Mee-BrainBoyles-Over, and Onan-Onanon. Okay,

I made that one up, but I had to stop somewhere!

Well, you get the idea. I don’t see it workin’ to anyone’s advantage. But it might be worth it just to see if this ever pops up: Shuck-Buck-Muck-Duck-LuckSchmuck-Tucker-Click-Amen!

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January 2010| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 19 No. 1| Page 29