October 2014 Montana Best Times

Denton School’s joyful secretary
Getting the shot
Big Horn County pastor
Weather trackers
A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and Better
M
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October 2014 — 2
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Savvy Senior ............................................Page 3
Bookshelf .................................................Page 5
Opinion ....................................................Page 4
Volunteering .............................................Page 19
On the Menu ............................................Page 20
Calendar ...................................................Page 21
Strange But True ......................................Page 22
INSIDE
News Lite
City marks birthday with mega bratwurst
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Residents in the southwest Illinois
city of Belleville celebrated its 200th birthday with a 200-foot
bratwurst, complete with a 200-foot bun.
Larry Schubert and his team from Schubert’s Packing Co. in
Millstadt used about 120 pounds of meat to make the brat, which
volunteers grilled Sept. 21, the final day of the city’s bicentennial
celebration, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.
A few days earlier, a saloon hosted a half-size practice run for
grilling the mega-bratwurst.
Lindenwood University and Southwestern Illinois College ath-
letes helped march the bun down a main thoroughfare, making a
wide turn in a parking lot to finish the delivery. The athletes also
helped roll the bratwurst onto a 200-foot metal grilling trough.
Event organizers decided not to pay a fee to have the bratwurst
record attempt recognized by the World Record Academy.
The event raised $1,600 for local food pantries.
Christie not alone in Springsteen fandom
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — It’s no secret Gov. Chris Christie is a
Bruce Springsteen mega-fan, and New Jersey residents don’t
seem to mind the obsession.
That’s according to a new Monmouth University/Asbury Park
Press Poll that was issued Sept. 22 in honor of the Boss’s 65th
birthday.
The poll finds nearly half of Jersey residents say Christie’s
obsession is “kind of cool” — more than double the number who
find it a little embarrassing.
And the governor’s in good company. More than 40 percent of
those polled described themselves as Springsteen fans, while 34
percent have Springsteen music in their personal collections.
More than half also feel a least a little proud knowing the Boss
hails from their state.
The poll of 802 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus
3.5 percentage points.
Dear Savvy Senior,
I understand that there are several types of flu vaccines
being offered to seniors this flu season. What can you tell
me about them?
— Cautious Senior
Dear Cautious,
Depending on your health, age and personal preference,
there’s a buffet of flu shots available to seniors this flu sea-
son, along with two vaccinations for pneumonia that you
should consider getting too.
»Flu shots options
Just as they do every year, the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention (CDC) recommends a seasonal flu shot
to almost everyone, but it’s especially important for
seniors who are at higher risk of developing serious flu-
related complications. The flu puts more than 200,000
people in the hospital each year and kills around 24,000 –
90 percent of whom are seniors. Here’s the rundown of the
different options:
Standard (trivalent) flu shot: This tried-and-true shot
that’s been around for more than 30 years protects against
three strains of influenza. This year’s version protects
against the two common A strains (H1N1 and H3N2), and
one influenza B virus.
Quadrivalent flu shot: This vaccine, which was intro-
duced last year, protects against four types of influenza –
the same three strains as the standard flu shot, plus an
additional B-strain virus.
High-dose flu shot: Designed specifically for seniors,
age 65 and older, this vaccine, called the Fluzone High-
Dose, has four times the amount of antigen as a regular flu
shot does, which creates a stronger immune response for
better protection. But, be aware that the high-dose option
may also be more likely to cause side effects, including
headache, muscle aches and fever.
Intradermal flu shot: If you don’t like needles, the
intradermal shot is a nice option because it uses a tiny
1/16-inch long micro-needle to inject the vaccine just
under the skin, rather than deeper in the muscle like stan-
dard flu shots. This trivalent vaccine is recommended only
to those ages 18 to 64.
To locate a vaccination site that offers these flu shots,
visit vaccines.gov and type in your ZIP code. You’ll also
be happy to know that if you’re a Medicare beneficiary,
Part B will cover 100 percent of the costs of any flu shot,
as long as your doctor, health clinic or pharmacy agrees
not to charge you more than Medicare pays. Private health
insurers are also required to cover standard flu shots, how-
ever, you’ll need to check with your provider to see if they
cover the other vaccination options.
»Pneumonia vaccines
The other important vaccinations the CDC recommends
to seniors, especially this time of year, are the pneumococ-
cal vaccines for pneumonia. An estimated 900,000 people
in the U.S. get pneumococcal pneumonia each year, and it
kills around 5,000.
This year, the CDC is recommending that all seniors 65
or older get two separate vaccines, which is a change of
decades-old advice. The vaccines are Prevnar 13 and
Pneumovax 23. Previously, only Pneumovax 23 was rec-
ommended for seniors.
Both vaccines, which are administered just once, work in
different ways to provide maximum protection.
If you haven’t yet received any pneumococcal vaccine
you should get the Prevnar 13 first, followed by Pneu-
movax 23 six to 12 months later. But, if you’ve already
been vaccinated with Pneumovax 23 you should get Pre-
vnar 13 at least one year later.
Medicare currently covers only one pneumococcal vac-
cine per older adult. If you’re paying out of pocket, you
can expect to pay around $50 to $85 for Pneumovax 23,
and around $120 to $150 for the Prevnar 13.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box
5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.
Jim Miller, creator of the syndicated “Savvy
Senior” information column, is a longtime
advocate of senior issues. He has been featured in
Time magazine; is author of “The Savvy Senior:
The Ultimate Guide to Health, Family and
Finances for Senior Citizens”; and is a regular
contributor to the NBC “Today” show.
October 2014 — 3
Vaccination Options Available
to Seniors this Flu Season
I miss manual typewriters.
I work on a computer for a living. I email, I text. In fact, I’m
writing this very piece on a laptop. But I miss typewriters.
You could even define us baby boomers not as those folks born
after World War II between 1946 and 1964, but rather as the gen-
eration that grew up with typewriters and then made the big
switch to all things electronic.
I love those electronic tools and gadgets, but I still miss type-
writers.
Because when you had to type things like a letter — that’s the
equivalent of an email today, kids — it took forethought. You
weren’t writing what your fingers thought, but what your mind
thought. Since the words went down so slowly on paper, you had
to compose those words and sentences in your head far ahead of
the steel bars striking the paper. Then you had to put the paper in
an envelope and get it to the mailbox.
The very slowness of the process forced you to reflect on your
words before you sent them out, unlike the rapid fire of an email
where you blurt out the first thing that comes to your mind and
then hit the “Send,” an action often followed by a pang of regret or
chagrin over what you just said. In the age of the typewriter, that
whole process was dealt with before you licked the envelope. The
typewriter saved millions of people from embarrassment, because
there was such ample opportunity to change course and save face.
Without autocorrect and a delete key, the manual typewriter
also forced us to type carefully — it was a pain to use white-
out and wait for it to dry — and write well. You didn’t see abbre-
viated words and Facebook emitocons and LOL’s in the age of
the typewriter.
I still have my old Smith Corona, my faithful companion for so
many years, in my closet. I haven’t used it in forever. It needs a
few repairs. I may never get it out. But I’m never getting rid of it.
Because it’s a symbol, a reminder of the beauty of language and
forethought that is so scarce in this hurried age.
— Dwight Harriman,
Montana Best Times Editor
October 2014 — 4
Opinion
What manual typewriters teach us
A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and Better
M
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Dwight Harriman, Editor • Tom Parisella, Designer
P.O. Box 2000, 401 S. Main St., Livingston MT 59047
Tel. (406) 222-2000 or toll-free (800) 345-8412 • Fax: (406) 222-8580
E-mail: [email protected] • Subscription rate: $25/yr.
Published monthly by Yellowstone Newspapers, Livingston, Montana
By Montana Best Times Staff
There are plenty of folks around Montana who put their
weather faith in an old standby: The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
And if they do, they’d best brace themselves. The Almanac
is predicting another teeth-chatteringly cold winter.
With its traditionally 80 percent accurate weather forecasts,
The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts that this winter will be
another arctic blast with above-normal snowfall throughout
much of the nation, a recent Almanac news release says. What’s
more, the extreme weather will continue into summer 2015,
which is expected to be predominantly hot and dry.
“Winter will bring a frosty bite and next summer will be its
mirror opposite, so get ready for a one-two punch” says Janice
Stillman, editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, in the release.
In addition to preparing readers for what it calls a “weather-
ific” year, the 2015 Old Farmer’s Almanac is chock-full of advice
to help them cope with whatever comes along, such as:
• LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. Humans are lucky that
they do not live on Jupiter, where the Great Red Spot hurricane is
three times Earth’s width. This is one of 24 strange facts about
the universe to help keep things in perspective.
• SMITTEN? HEAD TO THE KITCHEN. Romance may be
only a sprinkle, sip, or spoonful away. See “Hungry for Love?”
for ingredients that can be used for a love potion.
• THE FOOD OF LIFE ... IS FOOD. We all need to eat,
and leave it to the Almanac to be a top source for “farm to
table.” Learn how to catch the biggest fish, grow garden greats
(the vegetables everyone loves), add pizzazz with Asian greens,
and satisfy the need for something ooey-gooey and oh-so-deli-
cious with recipes from the Almanac’s new Comfort Food
cookbook.
• DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. For example,
according to the Almanac article “Beat the Odds,” being in a
major earthquake in the northwestern United States in the next 50
years (1 in 3) is more likely than being struck by lightning in any
12-month span (1 in 700,000). These are just two of the many
stats that will help with understanding likelihood.
• THE CLOCK TICKS ON. Where does the time go? There
never seems to be enough. For example: The average person
sleeps almost 27 years! Americans and Canadians will spend
almost a year commuting. Time goes by quickly, so learn how to
make the most of it.
• BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP. Looking your best is as
easy as opening the pantry for a few safe, easy, and budget-
friendly home beauty remedies. Think: chickpea facials, walnut
scrubs, citrus splash toner, and more.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been in publication since 1792.
It has half a million fans on Facebook and 4.5 million unique vis-
itors each month to Almanac.com, the news release sates.
Bookshelf
October 2014 — 5
“The 2015 Old Farmer’s Almanac”
Western Edition
• Yankee Publishing Incorporated •
Softcover • 272 pages • 5 1/2” x 8”
• $6.99 • ISBN 0078-4516
Blizzards, droughts,
and hurricanes!
2015 Old Farmers
Almanac warns
of ‘weather-ific’
extremes
By Amorette Allison
Montana Best Times
MILES CITY — The National Weather Service Cooperative
Observer Program is the Nation’s weather and climate observing
network of, by and for the people.
More than 8,700 volunteers take observations on farms, in
urban and suburban areas, national parks, seashores and moun-
taintops. The data are truly representative of where people live,
work and play.
The Coop was formally created in 1890 under the Organic Act.
Alex Collie
While Alex Collie (pronounced Coal-ee) and his son, Alex Col-
lie Jr., both of Ismay, and Ingrid Brown and her family, of Pow-
derville, haven’t been watching the weather since 1890, both
families have been keeping track of the weather for 60 years.
The elder Collie tells how, in the spring of 1950, the year after
he married his wife, Lois, two men from National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration turned up at his ranch with a rain
gauge and asked him to measure precipitation and snow depth.
He said sure and has been doing it ever since.
He has been doing it long enough that, “It comes naturally to
me — if it rains, I go out and measure it, and if it snows, I go out
and measure it,” Collie said.
While he doesn’t make temperature or other observations, he
said he does “write down if we have a severe storm.”
Collie has a number of amusing weather stories that come from
October 2014 — 6
Montana ranch families have tracked weather for generations
Photo by Vicki Stephenson, NOAA
Stacy and Ingrid Brown are pictured with the Edward H. Stoll award for 50 years of weather observation. The Brown family
keeps track of the weather on their ranch near Powderville.
Weather trackers
growing up in southeastern Montana,
although none of them relate directly to
his observer duties. He remembers a hail
storm with “silver-dollar-sized hail,” back
in the day when silver dollars were com-
mon.
He also remembers riding his horse to
school one morning when it was 45°F
below zero. He was heading due north
with his sister, past the old post office, on
their way to school. The postmaster came
out and stopped them because he hadn’t
seen the school teacher go by and knew
there was no one at the school house.
His sister, who was in seventh or eighth
grade and more socially aware than Alex,
was worried about getting trapped over-
night in the company of the elderly male
post master. Fortunately for her, about 3
o’clock that afternoon, their father came
by to escort them home.
The hottest and driest and most grass-
hopper-infested years he remembers was
in 1934 and 1936. He hasn’t had to record
drought like that in his career as an
observer.
The Brown family
The Brown family has been taking
observations eight miles north-northeast
of Powderville since April 14, 1964.
Ingrid Brown took over from her husband,
Stacy Brown, on Oct. 1, 1982, continuing
the family tradition.
In May this year, the Brown family was
honored by the National Weather Service
with the Edward H. Stoll Award for their
50 years of service. The award is named
for Edward Stoll, who was a cooperative
observer for 76 years and was the first to
attain the 50-year mark in that position.
The award was presented by the NWS
Co-op Program Manager Vickie Stephen-
son, who traveled from the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration
NWS office in Billings for the occasion.
The award was presented, according to
NWS, because of “The Brown family’s
unselfish service in weather observing and
record keeping for Powderville … provide
valuable climatic information.”
The NWS further states that “weather
records retain their importance as time
goes by. Long and continuous records pro-
vide an accurate picture of a locale’s nor-
mal weather, and give climatologists and
others a basis for predicting future trends.
Their data are invaluable for scientists
studying floods, droughts, heat and cold
waves.”
Amorette F. Allison may be reached at
[email protected] or (406) 234-
0450.
October 2014 — 7
Here are some unbelievable — but still true — Montana
weather facts from a state of Montana website:
• The coldest temperature ever recorded in Montana was
70 degrees below zero at Rogers Pass north of Helena, on
Jan. 20, 1954. This is also a national record for the lower 48
states.
• The warmest tempera-
ture ever recorded in Mon-
tana was 117 degrees at
Glendive, July 20, 1893,
and at Medicine Lake, on
July 5, 1937. Combined
with the -70 degrees Fahr-
enheit at Roger’s Pass in
1954, this makes the all-
time temperature range recorded in Montana 187 degrees.
This is the most extreme temperature range experienced in
any of the 50 states.
• The greatest temperature change in 24 hours occurred in
Loma on Jan. 15, 1972. The temperature rose exactly 103
degrees, from -54 degrees Fahrenheit to 49 degrees. This is
the world record for a 24-hour temperature change.
• The greatest temperature change in 12 hours happened
on Dec. 14, 1924. The temperature at Fairfield dropped
from 63 degrees Fahrenheit to -21 degrees at midnight. This
84-degree change in 12 hours stands as the greatest 12-hour
temperature change recorded in the United States.
• The temperature at the
Great Falls International
Airport on Jan. 11, 1980,
rose from -32 degrees
Fahrenheit to 15 degrees in
seven minutes when Chi-
nook winds eroded an Arc-
tic air mass. The tempera-
ture rose from 47 degrees
in just seven minutes, mak-
ing it the record for the most rapid temperature change reg-
istered in the United States.
• The largest snowflake ever recorded was 15 inches wide
and 8 inches deep and was described by the man who found
it, Matt Coleman, as “larger than a milk pan.” The snow-
flake was recorded at Fort Keogh, outside of Miles City, in
1887.
Photo by Bill Lane
Above and on the cover: Alex Collie
stands next to his rain gauge on his
ranch near Ismay. Collie has been
recording precipitation for the National
Weather Service since 1950.
n The coldest temperature ever
recorded in the lower 48 states was
70 degrees below zero at Rogers Pass
north of Helena, on Jan. 20, 1954.
Crazy Montana weather facts
Story and photos by Charlie Denison
Montana Best Times
DENTON – Children sprint into the office asking to use the
phone. Disheveled, a teacher comes in asking why the bell rang
five minutes early. The superintendent has a question. The phone
rings. A bus driver says something through the intercom.
Chaos. Complete and utter chaos.
But through it all, Denton School secretary Lois Roe remains
calm. A secretary for 15 years and school employee for 36 years,
this is nothing she hasn’t experienced before, and she’s on the ball.
Roe, 73, is quick, efficient and graceful under pressure, spinning
around in her chair, checking the radio and the phone, smiling amid
the stress.
It’s the first week of school. Roe expects it to be crazy, and she is
ready for it. In fact, she enjoys it.
“I thrive on work, and the work never ends,” she said. “I don’t
mind the chaos. I’ll do it as long as I am doing a good job with it.
I’m not a person who can stand still.”
A central Montanan through and through
Born in Grass Range, Roe was raised on a ranch with her four
siblings.
“Early on I was taught a strong work ethic,” she said. “That has
stayed with me. My husband, Grover, and I have tried to teach our
kids a strong work ethic, too.”
The ranch remains in the family. Her son Justin currently runs
the operation.
Her daughter Natalie lives in Fort Benton and has two chil-
dren.
“My grandkids are my pride and joy,” she said. “We spend a lot
of time going to see them. I love having them close.”
Roe is grateful her family has stayed in the area, since central
Montana will always be her home.
“I love the fresh air, I love the mountains and I love the people,”
Roe said.
Roe especially enjoys Denton.
“People are so caring, friendly and giving here,” she said. “We
are all one family, and there is so much pride for the community.
This community is amazing. People are so supportive it just blows
your socks off.”
Giving back to the community, Roe has stayed involved by vol-
unteering. For eight years, Roe was even a member of the City
Council.
October 2014 — 8
Denton’s joyful secretary loves her job
Denton School second-grade student Brodie Smith hands secretary Lois Roe the lunch count for Cindy Mapston’s
class during the first week of school. Interacting with students is what Roe loves most about her job.
Smiling amid the stress
A pleasure to be around
Roe is greatly appreciated by the students and the staff at Den-
ton School.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with Lois,” said Denton English
teacher Linda Hassinger, who has worked with Roe for more than
30 years. “She notices every detail and is extremely on the ball.
She also knows past practice, which really helps.”
Employees also appreciate Roe’s sense of humor, which is evi-
dent during any encounter with the secretary.
This was especially true during the first week of school.
“Look at you — you’re hitting the hard stuff,” Roe joked to
Hassinger after she got a diet Coke from a small fridge in the
office. Hassinger laughed and shook her head.
“This is just one way I have fun,” Roe said.
Roe also has fun with the students, often getting them to laugh.
Some stop in the office just to say hello to her.
“Bye, Mrs. Roe,” a student said while walking past the office.
“I just love these kids,” she smiled.
Best of all worlds
Roe said she couldn’t be happier about being a secretary.
“I enjoy the camaraderie I have with the students and the staff,”
she said.
But more than anything, it is the students that make it all
worthwhile.
“They make my day,” she said.
To put it simply, Roe said, the job brings her joy.
“If I’m here, I’m happy,” she said. “I see the positive in every-
body and everything. I always stay positive and I have a great
time.”
Certainly, the job has its challenges, she said, and there are a lot
of changes. For example, she is now working for her 11th super-
intendent.
However, for Roe, the job hasn’t lost its luster and she doesn’t
see herself stepping down anytime soon.
“If I didn’t feel good, it’d be different. But I wake up in the
morning and I am ready to work,” Roe said. “I am still enjoying
it, no matter how chaotic it gets.”
Charlie Denison may be reached at reporter@lewistownnews.
com or (406) 535-3401.
October 2014 — 9
Roe smiles as she takes a phone call during the first week of
school. Roe has worked for Denton Schools for 36 years.
Cozy up to the fire
(without having to stoke it)
Sip something warm
(without having to brew it)

Meet a friend
(without leaving home)

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By Marlo Pronovost
Montana Best Times
COLUMBUS — Bud Chenault is all about getting the shot.
Slipping off a school roof while trying to get a unique first-
day photo, nearly getting bitten by a rattlesnake at the Nitro
National Hillclimb, getting hit in the head by a flying rock at
the same event (thank goodness for helmets), ending up caked
in pig-mud at the county fair’s pig wrestling competition and
dodging volleyballs are just some of the hazards Chenault, 67,
has encountered taking photos around Stillwater County since
2009.
A fixture at nearly every Absarokee sporting event, Chenault
quickly established a reputation of being a phenomenal sports
photographer. But his talent extends beyond that genre. His
wildlife work of raptors flying just inches above iced-over riv-
ers, hummingbirds in flight and grizzly bears crossing a river is
compelling. And he has the ability to turn run-of-mill events
into beautiful photo opportunities by incorporating landscapes,
angles and candid shots.
A regular contributor to the Stillwater County News, Chenault
is working to carve out a spot in the senior portrait world as
well.
“It’s uncertain at this point if I will be able to be financially
successful, but it is certain that the opportunities to learn and
develop new skills in photography are almost limitless today,
and hopefully, I can provide some service to the local communi-
ties while I still can,” said Chenault. “Whatever the future
brings, I expect there will always be a camera involved for me.”
From Texas to Nye
A Texas Instruments retiree originally from Dallas, Chenault
October 2014 —10
Photographer has finely honed skill for capturing sports and wildlife
MT Best Times photo by Marlo Pronovost
Photographer Bud Chenault is pictured on the deck of his home alongside the Stillwater River in Nye, last week.
Getting the shot
first came to Montana as a 12-year-old
when he and his family visited Yellow-
stone National Park when the devastating
7.5 magnitude Hebgen Lake Earthquake
hit in the middle of the night in 1959.
Chenault describes that experience as ter-
rifying with the images of the aftermath
still etched in his mind.
His Montana experiences would greatly
improve. He married a Billings girl,
Becky, and with their three sons, began
spending summers in Nye in 1979. The
couple moved to Nye, located 37 miles
southwest of Columbus, permanently in
2009.
Although a “techie” by profession,
photography had long been an interest of
the affable Chenault. In particular, sports
photography became a finely honed skill
when his sons became involved in sports.
“I still get a lot of enjoyment out of
sports photography,” Chenault said.
Marlo Pronovost may be reached at
[email protected] or
(406) 322-5212.
October 2014 — 11
Photo by Bud Chenault
Above: Bud Chenault captured this
stunning image of a sow grizzly and a
very small club this summer as the pair
crossed a river in Yellowstone National
Park and shook themselves dry.
Photo by Bud Chenault
Above: Chenault is known around Stillwater County for getting high-quality sports
shots, such as this one of a Columbus High School high jumper.
Above: Chenault hard at work on the
sidelines of an Absarokee High School
football game.
Photo by Jennifer Schendel
Left: Chenault captured this bald eagle
flying barely above the Stillwater River
early one morning in Nye.
Photo by Bud Chenault
October 2014 — 12 October 2014 — 13
Riding the Pullman rails
Pullman Rail Journeys
revives the iconic spirit
of American rail travel
with its carefully
restored rail cars.
Photo courtesy of Pullman
Rail Journeys/MCT)
By Kathy Witt
KathyWitt.com/MCT
Your berth has been turned down, your shoes shined, your
nightcap delivered by the porter. Nothing left to do but drift off
to sleep to the rocking of the train on the tracks.
It isn’t the late 19th/early 20th century during the Golden Age
of Rail Travel, but it is Pullman, the company founded in 1862
by a man who was inspired to hit the drawing board after sitting
up all night on a train.
George Pullman pioneered luxury rail travel by creating the
very first first-class sleeping car, and then he combined this rail
experience (which also included onboard libraries and card
tables) with peerless customer service.
Travel back in time in style
In late fall 2012, Chicago-based Pullman Rail Journeys resurrect-
ed the experience, putting vintage rail cars — including a Pullman-
built 1917 round end sleeper-observation car that was originally a
coach and all faithfully restored to the original blueprints — back
on the rails. The company rolled out overnight service between Chi-
cago and New Orleans via the Illinois Central line. In October, ser-
vice will be expanded to include excursions between New York and
Chicago on the eastbound Lakeshore and westbound Cardinal lines.
The first thing passengers notice when boarding these gleaming
beauties is the Art Deco design that was endemic to the Pullman
aesthetic. Restoring the cars was a painstaking process to achieve
the historical accuracy of the original Pullman style. Diligence to
detail can be seen in the company’s re-creation of textiles, bedding,
plates, utensils — and even company uniforms.
Linens are white, as in the old days. ANorth Carolina mill has
replicated the trademark mattress ticking that Pullman used from the
1890s until the end of its operation, as well as the blankets used dur-
ing this period. Towels have been authentically re-created, woven
especially for Pullman Rail Journeys and bearing the signature Pull-
man blue stripe.
Bedrooms have either a picture window or a large single window
and are equipped with a porter call button and a shoe locker. (A
hallmark of the original Pullman service, the shoe shine has also
been returned.) They also have a private toilet in an annex within
the bedroom, along with a sink — all the comforts of home.
For passengers tucking in for the night in a Pullman sleeping car
back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the experience would have
been nothing short of luxury. Today, a Pullman Rail Journey is fully
first-class and feels like a time capsule adventure to the glory days
of train travel — but one with complimentary Wifi and cell phone
accessibility.
Travel
See Pullman rails, Page 17
By Andrew Turck
Montana Best Times
HARDIN — With a light rain falling
outside of Harvestime Evangelistic Center
the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 10,
Savannah Cairns, a pastor at the church,
stood by the pulpit to speak on the subject
of prosperity.
Punctuating her talk with the occasional
“Praise the Lord” or “Hallelujah,” Cairns,
who speaks there a couple of times a week,
told the 10 people who entered the large,
white building where Wanita Humphrey
serves as the full-time pastor that poverty
began with the fall of Adam and Eve in
Genesis.
Cairns said the need to be impoverished à
la John the Baptist — a biblical figure who
survived on locusts and wild honey — died
with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Cairns said Catholics and followers of
Eastern religions — some of whom take
vows of poverty — are incorrect in thinking
that lack of money equates to holiness. She
said without the necessary finances, she
would be hindered from helping people on
the nearby Crow Reservation.
“Prosperity in material goods is about
keeping our priorities right,” she said. “God
loves you regardless — he just loves it
most when you prosper.”
Common ground
Cairns, 70, has been guest speaking for
churches across the county and Crow Res-
ervation since arriving in January 2006. She
worked as a part-time minister since 1975
and started, as she terms it, “spreading the
gospel” full-time in 1995. On Tuesdays and
Wednesdays, she speaks at Harvestime; on
the weekends, she speaks at services in the
Crow Reservation.
Cairns grew up around horses as a child
and, while living in Seattle with her hus-
band, she raised Arabian and American
Saddlebred horses as part of a breeding
operation. At the time, a life of ministry
wasn’t foremost in her mind.
“Jesus had a calling in my life; it wasn’t
something I had ever planned to do,” she
said. “I fought it for awhile — originally,
my first exposure was Catholic, I went to
Catholic school for a few years. I first heard
the gospel in a Baptist church, got born
again and filled with the Spirit in an Assem-
bly of God church, and really started learn-
ing how the kingdom operated through
Kenneth Copeland’s ministry in the mid
’70s.”
A shared life of horsemanship, she said,
allowed her to find common ground with
people on the Crow Reservation, who may
be seen riding horses during parades or
events such as Crow Fair, sometimes while
talking on cell phones. The Crow culture is
often referred to as a “horse culture.”
“It’s not a matter of me becoming Indian
or them becoming white,” she said. “It’s of
all of us understanding the kingdom cul-
ture.”
Working with the Crow
Along with speaking at different church-
es on the reservation, Cairns said she is
often called to visit people in the hospital
and help with emergency situations. She
said the most frustrating aspect of her work
is seeing social problems both in and out-
side the reservation, including meth use and
broken homes.
“A lot of my work starts after 10 at night,
when people get into chaotic situations,”
Cairns said. “(It could be) a family fighting,
someone thinking about suicide or one of
the women kicked their husband out in sub-
zero weather.”
According to Cairns, her sermons are
often focused on the daily affairs of life and
also include subjects such as family affairs,
repentance and grace. She said the subject
she preaches on changes depending on the
calling of the Holy Spirit, who Christians
believe is one with God in the Holy Trinity
and serves as a source of inspiration and
guidance.
The Holy Spirit, she said, might feel like
a strong impression or an inner, quiet voice.
According to Cairns, the Spirit also once
spoke to her in a regular voice to tell her
that her husband, previously a Navy pilot,
would recover from his drinking habit.
“I was so ignorant of the Word and so
dense, it had to be in the natural to get my
attention,” she said. “God knew I needed
something to hang onto to stay as long as it
takes; otherwise I’d have said ... ‘I’m out of
here.’”
Meeting physical
and spiritual needs
Carol Good Luck, of Pryor, who works
for the Crow Tribe, was influential in
Cairns moving to Big Horn County. When
Cairns visited the Northern Cheyenne Res-
October 2014 — 14
Following the Spirit
Pastor Savannah Cairns works to bring the gospel to Big Horn County
MT Best Times photos by Andrew Turck
Pastor Savannah Cairns speaks at
Harvestime Evangelistic Center in
Hardin on the subject of prosperity
during a “School of the Spirit” service
Sept. 10. Citing biblical passages, Cairns
said prosperity tended to be looked
down upon in many religions, despite it
being a gift available from God.
Faith
ervation in Busby with a friend to donate
winter clothes – while still living in Seattle
– Good Luck, a parishioner at Harvestime,
brought her to the Crow Reservation and
introduced her to the area’s pastors.
“We started coming back, once a year for
five years. We’d come and minister and
bring clothes,” Cairns said. “Then the Holy
Spirit said one morning to move out there
and teach.”
Good Luck said attending Harvestime
services during the weekdays have served
as a source of comfort to her. She said
going to healing services on Tuesdays and
Spirit studies on Wednesdays have helped
in the journey with her son, who, following
a car crash, is currently in a nursing home.
As Good Luck chatted at Harvestime’s
entrance after the service, her grandchildren
sat in chairs nearby, one playing a connect-
the-dots-style computer game and the other
drinking from a water bottle. On occasion,
they got up and searched the area for cookies.
Good Luck, while also answering ques-
tions from her grandchildren, said she
enjoyed listening to testimonies from other
people in the church, and watching videos
or reading materials given to her and other
parishioners by Cairns.
“I know that these people are sincere,
they’re for real,” Good Luck said. “I come
here just to get away from everything for an
hour or two, just to sit down, listen and get
fed.”
Coming back to Harvestime
Cairns has been helping Harvestime pas-
tor Wanita Humphrey run the parish since
October 2013. Previous to that, Cairns
helped off and on before her husband’s
death in 2011 from complications related to
Alzheimer’s disease, after which she trav-
eled on the road for a year.
Just before her 2013 return, according to
Cairns, the Holy Spirit had told her to start
a Bible study in Humphrey’s church.
Cairns was initially hesitant to move
back into Humphrey’s turf.
“I thought, ‘Well, I’m not going to go tell
her I need to come to her church and start a
Bible study. Uh-uh,’” Cairns said. “It was
about a half an hour later there was a knock
on the door and it was her. She said, ‘I just
had to come and ask you: I think you need
to do Bible study at the church again.’”
With both the Holy Spirit’s and Hum-
phrey’s approval, Cairns began work at
Harvestime.
Life in the Spirit
Humphrey, whose husband was half
Crow, said she has been ministering in the
area since August 1972, looking to establish
a more inclusive place in a city that once
had “14 churches and 14 bars, but not one
church where the Native people were wel-
come.”
She said Cairns was helping to continue
this tradition of inclusiveness.
“For a long time, we didn’t have anybody
playing any music at all, we just kind of
struggled along,” Humphrey said. “That
didn’t bother Savannah that we were just
kind of going along. Some people wouldn’t
have been willing to help us, but Savannah
was.”
“I think we kind of encourage each oth-
er,” Cairns said.
“I think so,” Humphrey agreed.
Cairns and Humphrey said one shouldn’t
try to find one’s calling in life “in the
flesh,” but follow the Spirit’s guidance.
Otherwise, they said, life is far more diffi-
cult.
Humphrey, for example, said she had
meant to be a registered nurse, but followed
her calling and became a minister. After
trying to encourage her oldest son to also
work as a minister, she realized that wasn’t
his calling, and he was better suited as a
sports reporter and editor in Arkansas, she
said.
Cairns, for her part, said life without the
Spirit would be relatively boring.
“I had no idea that being a real Christian,
and having the Holy Spirit directing you
and directing your life, is one of the most
exciting things you can live,” Cairns said.
“I would have never in my wildest dreams
thought I would end up ministering on an
Indian reservation. I had some things about
my life all planned out: It was going to be
this, this and this. Well, I can tell you it
wasn’t like any of that.”
If plans go as expected, Cairns hopes to
eventually establish a new fellowship in
Lodge Grass on the Crow Reservation.
Andrew Turck may be reached at news@
bighorncountynews.com or (406) 665-
1008.
October 2014 — 15
Harvestime parishioners study their Bibles and take notes as Cairns speaks during the service. From the left are
Maureen Schultz, Marie Mische, Rhiney Mische and Harvestime Pastor Wanita Humphrey.
October 2014 — 16
By Erica Curless
The Spokesman-Review
(Spokane, Wash.)/MCT
Marge Holston moved to Spokane Valley
from Southern California and somehow left
a lot of her activity behind. That’s when she
decided to join a gym, hire a trainer and
start working out.
“I knew I needed to get motivated right
away,” Holston said between repetitions on
a weight machine pinpointing shoulder
muscles. “At 79, I can do everything I need
to do. I’m proud of it, man.”
She jumped up and headed to the next
machine, never missing a stride as she talk-
ed about living alone for 30 years after her
husband died, mowing the lawn and her
love for shoveling snow.
Although Holston is fit and active, she
was knocked down in February by the shin-
gles virus. The nerve pain was so fierce it
kept her from the gym. She lost 15 pounds
of muscle and now her regular routine is
difficult.
“Oooh, it’s almost like starting over,”
Holston said, her blue eyes squinted in con-
centration and discomfort as she lifted the
last set.
Yet if Holston hadn’t been strong and
active when the shingles hit, she likely
wouldn’t be recovering so well, said trainer
Stacy Benoscek, who specializes in helping
the aging stay active, fit and healthy.
Holston credits Benoscek for her success.
“This is why I’ve been coming to her all
these years,” Holston said.
And she enjoys the fact that her personal
trainer is also a pageant queen who recently
won the title of National Classy and Petite
Mrs. Queen in the Today’s American Wom-
an Pageant in Greenville, S.C.
To translate, that means Benoscek, who
turns 50 this year as the youngest of the
baby boom generation, won her age group
39-49 for married women under 5 feet 4
inches. Benoscek, who has won smaller
titles at the state level, represented the state
of Washington among 38 competitors.
Pageant spokeswoman Karly Rose said
Benoscek stood out because of her “poise,
class and inward and outward beauty” even
though she severely injured her knee days
before the pageant.
“You would have never known the
incredible pain she was in while wearing
her high heels and walking across the stage
without even a limp,” Rose wrote in an
email interview. “Her character and
strength inspired us all.”
That’s exactly why Benoscek said she
participates in pageants, to inspire people to
have a fitness plan for aging and longevity
— not just so they can wear a swimsuit or
look good at the class reunion. Aging
gracefully is all about strength and balance,
she said, adding that people need to start in
their 50s if not sooner.
“Wake up. You are going to live a long
time. Take care of yourself,” Benoscek said
almost like a battle cry to her fellow baby
boomers who are expected to live into their
90s. She wants everyone to start exercising
today to avoid common — and preventable
— aging problems such as humped posture,
tripping, falls and muscle atrophy.
Falls are the leading cause of injury _
including broken hips and traumatic brain
injuries — and death in older Americans,
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Experts also say
that people who train and stay strong usual-
ly heal faster after a fall and have less
chance of serious injury if they do fall.
“A title and a crown opens the door,” she
said. “You do what you have to do to get
people to hear you.”
Ever the self-promoter, Benoscek winked
as she admitted she likes getting dressed up
and rockin’ a bikini at age 49.
But then she got serious and talked about
being raised in the state foster care system,
weighing 230 pounds, having epilepsy and
a teenage son with autism. Pageant judges
often ask her why she mentions her tumul-
tuous history.
“This isn’t the ‘Real Housewives of
Orange County?’’ she said. “We all have
struggles. There is no perfection.”
Benoscek chooses to work with seniors
because she said life has given her compas-
sion. With television shows like “The Big-
gest Loser,” she said there is a current trend
in belittling and degrading fitness clients.
She sees no use for that, especially with
people who are aging and have healthissues.
Personal trainer keeps
aging clients healthy
Jesse Tinsley/Spokesman-Review/MCT
Personal trainer Stacy Benoseck watches her son Mavrick try a pull-up at Oz Fit-
ness in Spokane Valley, Wash., this past summer. Benoseck, 50, specializes in train-
ing older people to keep them healthy, but also helped her son, who is autistic, par-
ticipate in a pageant to raise awareness of autism disorders.
See Personal trainer, Page 18
Dining is a highlight, and meals are presented rather than simply
served and accompanied by liberal pours of wine, beer and cock-
tails. Tables are cloaked in white linens. Courses are unhurried.
Dinner begins with the old-school relish tray — celery sticks,
olives stuffed with pimento, spiced watermelon cubes — a tasty
delight that needed to be returned to the culinary landscape.
One doesn’t simply pass the time while aboard but enjoys time
passing in a steady unwinding of scenery. It’s a heartland view of
America you don’t get from the highway — rural and farming
landscapes lush in greenery, old railroad and industrial towns all
but forgotten, fields with grazing horses, tiny church-steeple
communities, and raw urbanscapes.
You can keep watch through the window in your compartment
or in the airy lounge where the windows offer vistas from both
sides of the car. A mesmerizing view is offered compliments of
the rear of this car: receding tracks vanishing around the bend.
It’s relaxing and peaceful — and you can enjoy it while getting to
know fellow time travelers over free-flowing drinks.
Special package
New Orleans is home to the National World War II Museum
and world-class exhibits exploring the history and impact of
WWII and the Greatest Generation. The “Greatest Generation-
Discover New Orleans” package, good through March 25, 2015,
departs from Chicago and is priced from $569 per person. Includ-
ed are overnight accommodations aboard Pullman Rail Journeys;
three nights’ accommodations at the New Orleans Hotel Montele-
one; museum admission; and a $100 dining certificate at a pre-
mier New Orleans restaurant.
More information
Pullman Rail Journeys depart Chicago’s Union Station every
Thursday at 8 p.m. CT and arrive into New Orleans’ Union Sta-
tion the following day at 3:30 p.m. CT, a 20-hour excursion that
travels 934 miles. Northbound departures from New Orleans are
at 1:45 p.m. CT Sundays with arrival into Chicago the following
October 2014 — 17
Photos courtesy Pullman Rail Journeys/MCT
Above: The lounge car is a relaxing spot to watch the scenery and meet new friends. Below: The Pullman Porter is at the service
of the guest, day or night.
October 2014 — 18
day at 9 a.m. CT. There is a VIP check-in area for Pullman pas-
sengers, with snacks and refreshments provided.
For more information about Pullman Rail Journey excursions
or packages, visit www.TravelPullman.com or call 888-978-5563.
Adventure guide to don’t-miss-moments
Relax in a dining car booth and enjoy a dinner that begins with
the classic relish tray and progresses through a salad dressed with
Pullman vinaigrette, an entree along the order of roast beef ten-
derloin, pan seared filet of salmon or spinach stuffed ravioli with
tomato cream sauce and concludes with frozen chocolate mousse
with raspberries or fresh strawberry parfait with balsamic,
whipped cream and cookie crumb topping. All served on napery
draped tables, of course, and accompanied — with quite a free
hand — by wine or spirits.
Wake after a restful night in time to photograph the sunrise and
then watch the morning unfold from one community to another
with a mimosa or Bloody Mary in hand.
Close your eyes and listen to songs pulled from the classic
American songbook on departures featuring a variety of artists
from the Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago’s premier
institution dedicated to the preservation of folk music. Music is
scheduled twice-monthly and takes place in the lounge car.
Travel between the dining car and your sleeper room, an
adventure in itself. Sometimes the train glides so smoothly along
you’ll feel like you’re on a riverboat on the calmest of waters;
other times, watch out! It’s rollicking from side to side so ener-
getically you’ll need both hands free for grabbing and balancing.
Gear to take along
Luggage space on a train, as you might imagine, is at a premi-
um. Most sleeper rooms can handle two “Pullman” size cases
(24- to 26-inch suitcases) and at least one carry-on or cosmetic
case — and back in the day, all ladies boarding the train would
have had their cosmetic case firmly in hand.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Author, travel and lifestyle writer, and trav-
el goods expert Kathy Witt feels you should never get to the end
of your bucket list; there’s just too much to see and do in the
world. She can be reached at [email protected] or Kathy-
Witt.com.
Photo courtesy Pullman Rail Journeys/MCT
To be as historically accurate as possible, each classic car has
undergone a painstakingly detailed restoration and upholds
the Pullman tradition of style, ambience and craftsmanship.
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Currently she has clients who are recovering from knee
replacements, rotator cuff surgery and chemotherapy treatments.
She also deals with nutritional concerns such as diabetes, obesity
and gout, and immune system disorders such as rheumatoid
arthritis.
Benoscek and her husband, Ken, are both certified personal
trainers who pay a fee to Oz Fitness in the Spokane Valley so they
can work with their clients there. The clients have to join Oz. Ben-
oscek said that way they can work out alone in a safe environment
with familiar equipment.
Holston is confident doing leg workouts solo but needs Ben-
oscek’s help and guidance for her upper body. Benoscek said it’s
crucial to help keep clients’ bodies in alignment while using the
weight machines.
“My job is to look at every single detail,” she said while helping
hold Holston’s shoulders in alignment while lifting. “You can real-
ly hurt yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
One of the main things Benoscek focuses on is posture, which
involves strengthening and stretching the chest, back and shoulder
muscles. This, she said, will help eliminate the sure sign of aging
— the stooped-over hump. Stretching and increasing range of
motion in all the joints is also crucial as is strengthening core mus-
cles and working on balance.
To prevent tripping, Benoscek said people have to stretch their
calves and practice raising their toes.
“The things we do here is to make your life out there easier,” she
said. “If you have no core structure to support you, everything is
hard from brushing your teeth and vacuuming to putting on your
shoes.”
Personal trainer, from Page 16
October 2014 — 19
Gallatin County
- American Cancer Society-Road to
Recovery: Drivers needed for patients
receiving treatments from their home to
the hospital.
- American Red Cross Blood Drive:
Two volunteer opportunities available: an
ambassador needed to welcome, greet,
thank and provide overview for blood
donors; and phone team volunteers need-
ed to remind, recruit or thank blood
donors. Excellent customer service skills
needed, training will be provided, flexible
schedule.
- Befrienders: Befriend a senior; visit on
a regular weekly basis.
- Belgrade Senior Center: Meals on
Wheels needs regular and substitute driv-
ers, before noon, Monday-Friday, to
deliver meals to seniors.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters: Be a positive
role model for only a few hours each
week.
- Bozeman and Belgrade Sacks Thrift
Stores: Need volunteers 2-3 hour shifts on
any day, Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-6
p.m.
- Bozeman Deaconess Hospital: Volun-
teers needed for the information desks in
the Atrium and the Perk, 8 a.m.-noon,
noon-4 p.m.
- Bozeman Senior Center Foot Clinic:
Retired or nearly retired nurses are
urgently needed, 2 days a month, either 4-
or 8-hour shifts.
Community Café: Volunteer needed, 2-3
hours at the beginning and end of the
month, to enter computer data into Excel
spreadsheets.
- Galavan: Volunteer drivers needed
Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. CDL
required and Galavan will assist you in
obtaining one.
- Gallatin Rest Home: Volunteers wanted
for visiting the residents, sharing your
knowledge of a craft, playing cards or
reading to a resident.
- Gallatin Valley Food Bank: Volunteers
needed to deliver commodities to seniors
in their homes once a month. Deliveries in
Belgrade are especially needed.
- Habitat for Humanity Restore: Bel-
grade store needs volunteers for general
help, sorting donations and assisting cus-
tomers.
- Heart of The Valley: Compassionate
volunteers especially needed to love, play
with and cuddle cats.
- Help Center: Computer literate volun-
teer interested in entering data into a
social services database. Also volunteers
needed to make phone calls to different
agencies/programs to make sure database
is up to date and make safety calls to
home bound seniors.
- Jessie Wilber Gallery at The Emerson:
Volunteers needed on Wednesdays, Thurs-
days, and Fridays to greet people at the
main desk, answer questions and keep
track the number of visitors.
- Museum of the Rockies: Variety of
opportunities available such as helping in
the gift shop and more.
- RSVP Handcrafters: Volunteers to
quilt, knit, crochet and embroider hats for
chemo patients, baby blankets and other
handmade goods once a week (can work
from home).
- Three Forks Food Bank: Volunteer
needed on Mondays and/or Thursday’s to
help with administrative duties, including
answer phones and questions, some paper
and computer work. They will train.
- Your unique skills and interests are
needed, without making a long-term com-
mitment, in a variety of ongoing, special,
one-time events.
Contact: Debi Casagranda, RSVP Pro-
gram Coordinator, 807 N. Tracy, Boze-
man, MT 59715; phone (406) 587-5444;
fax (406) 582-8499; email: debdowns@
rsvpmt.org.
Park County
- The Danforth Gallery: Volunteer help
needed with greeting persons.
- Fix-It-Brigade: Needs volunteers of all
skill levels for 2 hour tasks to help seniors
and veterans with small home repairs,
such as mending a fence, cleaning up a
yard, and weatherization.
- Loaves and Fishes and/or Food Pantry:
Many volunteer opportunities available.
- RSVP Handcrafters: Volunteers to knit
and crochet caps and scarves for each
child at Head Start, also as gifts for chil-
dren of prenatal class couples.
- Shane Center: Flexible schedules for
friendly volunteers to greet and show peo-
ple around the center.
- Stafford Animal Shelter: Volunteers
needed to play with the animals and walk
the dogs.
- Yellowstone Gateway Museum: Volun-
teers needed for a variety of exciting proj-
ects this fall.
- Various other agencies are in need of
your unique skills and help in a variety of
ongoing and one-time special events,
including with mailings.
Contact: Deb Downs, Program Coordi-
nator, 206 So. Main St., Livingston, MT
59047; phone (406)222-2281; email: liv-
[email protected].
Fergus & Judith Basin counties
- Community Cupboard (Food Bank):
Needs volunteers to help any week morn-
ings as well as with deliveries.
- Council on Aging: Needs volunteers to
assist at the Senior (Grub Steaks) and oth-
er various programs.
- Library and Art Center: Volunteer help
always appreciated.
- ROWL (Recycle Our Waste Lewis-
town): Recruiting volunteers for the 3rd
Saturday of the month to help with greet-
ing, traffic directing, sorting, baling and
loading recyclables working to keep plas-
tic wastes from our landfills.
- Treasure Depot: Needs volunteers at
their thrift stores.
- Always have various needs for your
skills and volunteer services in our com-
munity.
Contact: RSVP Volunteer Coordinator,
404 W. Broadway, Wells Fargo Bank
building, (upstairs), Lewistown, MT
59457; phone (406) 535-0077; email: rsv-
[email protected].
Musselshell, Golden Valley &
Petroleum counties
- America Reads: Tutor students in the
important skill of reading. Other tutoring
is intertwined with this program.
- Food Bank: Distribute food commodi-
ties to seniors and others in the communi-
ty; help unload the truck as needed.
- Meals on Wheels Program: Deliver
meals to the housebound in the communi-
ty, just one day a week, an hour and a
half, meal provided.
- Museum: Volunteers are needed to
greet visitors and guides to show people
around.
- Nursing Home: Piano players and
singers needed on Fridays to entertain res-
idents, also assistant needed in activities
for residents to enrich supported lifestyle.
- School Lunch Program: Help serve and
supervise children in the lunch room,
meal provided.
- Senior Bus: Volunteers to pickup folks
whom are unable to drive themselves.
- Senior Center: Volunteers are needed
to provide meals, clean up in the dining
room and/or keep records; meal provided.
- RSVP offers maximum flexibility and
choice to its volunteers as it matches the
personal interests and skills of older
See RSVP, Page 21
Below is a list of volunteer openings available through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) in
communities across southern Montana. To learn more about RSVP, call (800) 424-8867 or TTY (800) 833-3722;
or log on to www. seniorcorps.org.
RSVP
The general rife hunting season for antelope opens two weeks
before the rife season for deer and elk. That means the meat
from “prairie goats” will be the frst big game meat most hunters
will enjoy.
A very unscientifc survey of acquaintances who hunt
indicated that most hunters would rather eat antelope meat than
meat from deer and elk. Your Best Times recipe contributor
agrees with the majority of hunters.
Antelope meat has a favor that’s more delicate than meat
from deer or elk. A prudent chef is careful not to overpower
the delicate favor. An antelope is the smallest big game animal
a Montana hunter may pursue, with the possible exception of
a mountain lion. Consequently, an antelope provides the least
amount of meat of any of the big game animals. A cook can’t
afford to have kitchen failures with antelope meat when the
supply is relatively small.
The back straps of all big game animals offer some of the
fnest eating. Especially with antelope it’s important to instruct
your game processor to make butterfy chops out of the back
straps. That will double the amount of meat in each chop, which
will result in a serving that’s of decent size.
A tasty way to serve antelope butterfy chops is to saute them
in olive oil and then put butter and blue
cheese on them, cover the pan and cook
them for about 45 seconds until most of
the cheese and butter have melted over
the tops of the chops.
But there’s an even better way to enjoy
antelope. Debbie Endres, who owns
a wine and cheese shop in Livingston
called the Gourmet Cellar, recommends
a combination of rendered duck fat and
creamy blue cheese. The duck fat adds
a hint of a unique favor to the meat.
Creamy blue cheese is far superior to
the blue cheese crumbles that you may
fnd in the dairy aisle of supermarkets and it’s reasonably priced.
One part of an antelope that doesn’t have a delicate favor is
the heart. Some people prefer not to eat the internal organs of
animals — domestic or otherwise. But if you’re willing to try it,
the heart of an antelope makes fabulous sandwiches.
However you serve antelope, be sure to serve cantaloupe at the
same time. You can impress your guests with your cleverness
when you announce what is being served.
On The Menu
With Jim Durfey
October 2014 — 20
Antelope Tenderloin
Medallions with Garlic
Antelope medallions cut about 1/2 inch thick
(four per serving)
Creole seasoning
1 small garlic clove, minced (1 clove for two servings)
Olive oil
Place medium-sized saute pan over medium heat. Add
olive oil when heated thoroughly. Sprinkle both sides of
medallions lightly with Creole seasoning. Add medallions
to pan. Cook about two minutes on each side. With one
minute of cooking time left, add garlic to pan. Serve while
still very warm.
Antelope Butterfly Chops with
Duck Fat and Blue Cheese
1 butterfly chop per serving, cut about 3/4 inch thick
(teenagers and young men will eat two)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. duck fat per chop, softened
Equal amount of creamy cheese, softened
Olive oil
Heat large saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil when
pan is heated. Sprinkle both sides of chops with salt and
pepper. Place chops in pan. Cook for three minutes. Turn.
Mash duck fat and cheese together. When one minute of
cooking time is left, smear duck fat and cheese mixture
over chops. Cover pan. Cook until duck fat and cheese start
to run down sides of chops. Serve warm.
Antelope Heart Sandwiches
1 antelope heart, trimmed to remove gristle
and valves at top of heart
Water
Remove as much blood as possible from heart by rinsing in
water. Put heart in small saucepan. Add water to cover.
Bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Check for doneness.
Cool before slicing. Serve with bread, cheese and Dijon
mustard. You may honestly tell dinner guests that you put
your heart into this meal.
Enjoy cantaloupe with your antelope
— Thursday, October 2
• Columbus Farmers Markets, 4-6:30
p.m., Columbus
• Annual Glacier Jazz Stampede, through
October 5, Thurs. 8-11:30 p.m., Fri.-
Sun. 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m., Eagles Club,
Kalispell
•
— Friday, October 3
• Bozeman Straw Bale Maze, weekends
through October 31, Bozeman
• Bridger Raptor Festival, through
October 5, Saddle Peak and Jim Bridger
Lodges in Bridger Bowl Ski Area,
Bozeman
• Glendive Farmers Market, 10-11 a.m.,
JC West Park, Glendive
• Tamarack Festival and Brewfest,
through October 5, Seeley Lake
• Townsend Old Fashion Fall Fest,
through October 5, Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m.-
9 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Heritage
Park, Townsend
•
— Saturday, October 4
• Stillwater River Run & Fun Walk,
Absarokee
• Lewistown Farmers Market, Lewistown
• Miles City Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-
noon, Saturdays through October 25,
Riverside Park, Miles City
•
— Friday, October 10
• Lewistown Gun Show, through October
12, Fri. 3-7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.,
Sun. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Lewistown
•
— Saturday, October 11
• Raw Deal Run Community
Fundraiser, Big Timber
• Charlie Russell Chew-Choo, departs at
4 p.m., Lewistown
•
— Saturday, October 18
• 15th Annual Cow Patty Links Haunted
Hollow, 7 to 10 p.m., Belle Prairie Road,
Glendive
• 18th Annual St. Agnes Council of
Catholic Women Crafts, Bazaar and
Bake Sale, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., St. Agnes
Catholic Church, 1 North Word St., Red
Lodge
• Scarecrows in the Garden Festival,
Main Street, Stanford
•
— Friday, October 24
• Ghost Walks, through October 25,
Bannack
• Little Bear School House Museum
Antique Show, through October 26,
Bozeman
• 3rd Annual Brewfest, Dillon
• All Hallows Eve Living History Program,
through October 25, Virginia City
•
— Saturday, October 25
• Boo at the Zoo, Billings
• Taste of Haven, Emerson Cultural
Center, Bozeman
• 31st Annual Autumn Art and Craft
Show, Civic Center, Helena
October 2014 — 21
October 2014 Calendar
RSVP, from Page 19
Americans with opportunities to serve their communities. You
choose how and where to serve. Volunteering is an opportunity to
learn new skills, make friends and connect with your community.
Contact: Volunteer coordinator Amanda Turley, South Central
MT RSVP, 315 1/2 Main St., Ste. #1, Roundup, MT 59072; phone
(406) 323-1403; fax (406) 323-4403; email: rdprsvp2@midriv-
ers.com; Facebook: South Central MT RSVP.
Custer & Rosebud counties
- Clinic Ambassador: Need volunteer to greet patients and visi-
tors, providing directions and more.
- Custer County Food Bank: Volunteers needed for food distri-
bution Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
- Custer County Network Against Domestic Violence: Crisis line
volunteer needed.
- Forsyth Senior Center: Volunteer musicians needed to provide
entertainment.
- Historic Miles City Academy: Volunteers needed to assist in
thrift store and maintenance.
- Holy Rosary Health Care: Volunteer receptionists needed at the
front desk.
- Kircher School: Volunteer to deliver lunches from Miles City
to school, 2-3 times per week, lunch provided and mileage paid.
- St. Vincent DePaul: Volunteers to assist in several different
capacities.
- WaterWorks Art Museum: Volunteer receptionists needed, 2
hour shifts Tuesdays-Sundays.
If you are interested in these or other volunteer opportunities
please contact: Betty Vail, RSVP Director; 210 Winchester Ave.
#225, MT 59301; phone (406) 234-0505; email: rsvp05@midriv-
ers.com
Dawson County
- Local Farm to Table Store: Seeking volunteers to help clean
and sort beans, can be done at home and beans will be delivered
to you there. Also someone to help in and during store hours, 11
a.m.-6 p.m.
- If you have a need for or a special interest or desire to volun-
teer somewhere in the community, please contact: Patty Atwell,
RSVP Director, 604 Grant, Glendive, MT 59330; phone (406)
377-4716; email: [email protected].
Rent Based on Income, HUD 202 PRAC
Live On-Site Community Administrator
Free Laundry • On-Site Parking
Mailboxes on Premises
Electric, Gas, Water, Sewer, & Trash
Included in Rent
Community Room Available for Social
Gatherings & Meetings
Accepting Applications for Independent Seniors
Great News for Seniors 62 yrs of Age & Older!
COMFORTABLE & AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS
Call (406) 248-9117 • 1439 Main Street • Billings, MT
Q. So your dream has come true:
You’re an NFL coach with a tie game in
the first quarter, fourth down and three
yards to go on your own 30-yard line.
Your team is sputtering. So do you punt
or go for it?
A. Contrary to conventional wisdom, go
for it. In analyzing NFL play-by-play data
from the 1998-2000 seasons, mathematical
economist David Romer looked at thousands
of plays as well as data on punts, kickoffs
and field goals. He then used a technique
called dynamic programming to reach the
stunning conclusion: Actual play in the NFL
is way too conservative, with teams punting
or going for a field goal far more than they
should. (“Journal of Political Economy”).
Corroborating Romer’s analysis were
statistician Benjamin Baumer and
economist Andrew Zimbalist, who in their
book “The Sabermetrics Revolution” wrote:
“The risk-averse coaches seem to prefer
making the call that is anticipated by
football convention rather than the call that
maximizes expected point value. The
potential praise for being aggressive and
right apparently is more than offset
psychically by the scorn that would rain
down on the coach if the aggressive play did
not pan out.”
Q. Is it true that we humans use only
10 percent of our brain?
A. Not at all. “Time for some critical
thinking. The odds are not 90% that a bullet
to your brain would land in an area you
don’t use,” says David G. Myers in
“Psychology in Everyday Life.” Surgically
lesioned animals and brain-damaged humans
show that association areas “interpret,
integrate, and act on sensory information and
link it with stored memories — a very
important part of thinking.”
Q. Do you have “street smarts” enough
to say why stop signs have eight sides?
Where are the nine-siders? Are there
signs with an infinite number of sides?
A. You have to think back to American
roads in the early 20th century when there
were no lane lines or stop signs. Drivers
didn’t even need a license, according to
“Mental Floss” magazine. Then in 1915 in
Detroit, the first stop signs were introduced,
white and small and square, nothing like
today’s red octagons.
Then in 1923, Mississippi’s highway
department suggested having sign shapes
denote the kind of hazard ahead, the simple
logic being the more sides, the greater the
danger. For you math whizzes, oddly
enough circular signs can be regarded as
having an infinite number of sides. “Thus
these designated the riskiest hazards, like
railroad crossings.”
Octagons indicated the second most
perilous situations, like intersections.
Diamonds signaled less-risky stretches
(caution!) and rectangles were “strictly
informational” (bicycle crossing ahead).
“We still use these parameters today,
though no one knows why the nonagon
drew the short stick.”
Q. Just in case you doubt that “the
history of the roller coaster is more than
a little loopy,” ask yourself who invented
this classic ride and how long can you
stay on one?
A. “When Russian daredevils got bored
sledding down hills in the 1600s, they
decided to ramp things up by building
‘flying mountains’— elaborate five-story
ice ramps with drops as steep as 50
degrees,” say Noah Davis and Lucas Reilly
in “Mental Floss” magazine. They sledded
on hollowed-out blocks of ice, but in 1804
the French added a track and wheels, though
the wheels had a tendency to fly off. “By the
1840s, centrifugal railways featured the first
loop-de-loops, flipping riders around a
perfect circle that created G-forces three
times stronger than most modern coasters.”
As to the length of a ride, Richard
Rodriguez in 2007 spent 17 straight days
and nights on a roller coaster in Blackpool,
England — eating, drinking and sleeping
there with only a five-minute break every
hour to clean up and use the bathroom. Five
years later, Rodriguez upped his riding time
to 112 consecutive days, though he did take
the night off when the park closed.
Q. What happens when hornworm
caterpillars eat wild tobacco plants?
A. If the plants contain nicotine, the
caterpillars get such noxious smoker’s
breath that predators go reeling backward
and flee, says Susan Milius in “Science
News” magazine. As chemical ecologist Ian
Baldwin characterized it, “I think it’s
actually the first example of using bad
breath as a defense ....” Though many
creatures are themselves poisoned by the
nicotine, the plump striped tobacco
hornworm caterpillar can repurpose the
poison to generate “toxic halitosis” for its
own protection.
When attacking wolf spiders touch the
caterpillars, the night-prowlers jump away,
even though they readily eat other
hornworms that feed on plants lacking
nicotine. In Utah, for example, with its
nicotine-free coyote tobacco, researchers
attributed the disappearance of large
numbers of hornworms to these predatory
wolf spiders.
Says Baldwin, “This tobacco defense
takes its toll, however. The nicotine makes
the hornworms sluggish and stunts their
growth a bit.”
Q. When a launched firecracker
explodes in front of Southern Jiangsu
Victory Monument at Mount Maoshan in
Jiangsu, China, six bugle-like notes can
be distinctively heard, amazing and
delighting visitors. Some locals have
attributed this “mystery of the Maoshan
bugle” to “... a legendary young
trumpeter who was sacrificed 70 years
ago in a battle nearby, and whose heroic
spirit is awakened by the sound of
‘gunfire’ produced by the firecrackers.”
What is the more scientific explanation?
A. The monument is fronted by a huge
stone staircase (317 stairs total) in six flights
or subsections. According to analysis by Xu
Chen and colleagues, as reported in the
“American Journal of Physics,” the eerie
sounds are simply echoes from the stairs,
with constructive and destructive
interference yielding crisp bugle-like toots,
one for each subsection. (The Guinness
Book of World Records recognizes the
structure as “giving out the most notes
stimulated by a pulse sound.”) As Chen
explains, similar acoustic phenomena
involving flights of stairs or seat rows
include the Hellenistic amphitheater of
Episaurus and the El Castillo pyramid of the
Maya ruins in Mexico.
October 2014 — 22
By Bill Sones and Rich Sones, Ph.D.
Send STRANGE questions to brothers Bill and Rich at [email protected]
Should you punt ... or go for it?
Q. Which part of the Earth has the fast-
est diurnal spin, and why might it be
important to know?
A. As the Earth turns, points along the
equator travel a full 25,000-mile circumfer-
ence in 24 hours, for a spin speed of about
1,000 miles per hour. Points at either of the
poles move a negligible distance per 24
hours, making for a negligible speed.
Since Earth spins fastest at the equator,
countries like Russia, Israel and Ukraine
have sought to work with Brazil to gain
access to its prime launch pad at the Alcanta-
ra Launch Center, measuring a few degrees
south, as reported by Hal Hodson et al. in
“New Scientist” magazine. The added spin
speed provides an extra boost to launch vehi-
cles, reducing the thrust needed to escape
into space. Says Josue Cardoso dos Santos
at Sao Paulo State University, “Brazil is
developing a homegrown orbital launch
vehicle and, with the help of the Russian
Federal Space Agency, is designing a family
of next-generation rockets, dubbed Southern
Cross.”
Q. In long ago days, who wore the pants
in the group, putting them on one leg at a
time just as we do today?
A. Early Asians and Europeans wore
gowns, robes, tunics, togas, loincloths and
individual leggings, but an excavated tomb
in China showed the oldest known trousers
originated 3,000 years ago and were proba-
bly worn by horse riders, says Bruce Bower
in “Science News” magazine. As reported
by a team led by Ulrike Beck and Mayke
Wagner of the German Archaeological Insti-
tute, “With straight-fitting legs and a wide
crotch, the wool trousers resembled modern
riding pants.” Evidence suggests that
nomadic herders invented pants for bodily
protection and freedom of movement for
horseback journeys, as well as for mounted
warfare.
“The two pants-wearing men entombed at
Yanghai were roughly 40 years old and were
probably warriors as well as herders,” the
investigators said. One was buried with a
decorated leather bridle, a wooden horse bit
and a battle-ax; the other had a whip, a deco-
rated horse tail and a bow.
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Across
1 Pirate inducted at Coo-
perstown in 1988
9 Tuning shortcut
15 Try to pick up
16 Make wrinkly
17 Auto safety feature
18 Capital with an
Algonquin name
19 Abound
20 Many a jayvee athlete
22 Org. with an online
Patriot Index
23 Loan applicantʼs
asset
26 Barnyard cries
28 Much of the New
Testament is attributed
to him
29 Longtime Ivory rival
31 11-Down skill
32 Ins. giant
33 Citrus whose juice is
used in Asian cuisine
34 Give as a task
36 Brno natives
40 1960s role for Bam-
boo Harvester
42 Word with run or
jump
43 Self-satisfied sound
44 Requiem Mass seg-
ment
46 “The Phantom Toll-
booth” protagonist
47 Loin cut
49 Words of resignation
51 URL ending
52 Did a sendup of
54 Heroine with notable
buns
55 Pungent condiment
57 Took for a ride
61 Standoffish type
62 Like the trade winds
63 Hitching post attach-
ment
64 Stop and go, say
Down
1 Ivy, e.g.: Abbr.
2 Part of Italy where
Calabria is, figuratively
3 Curtis Cup contenders
4 Bridge do-over
5 Hurt in a ring
6 Moles may cross them
7 West Point grads:
Abbr.
8 Much
9 Hold (up)
10 Performer in every
episode of “Laugh-In”
11 31-Across pro
12 Relaxing outing
13 Super Bowl XXXIII
MVP
14 Drops during lows
21 Jump, in a way
23 Employer of vets:
Abbr.
24 Four-note piece
25 It may be up
27 Casanova
30 One might include
“Go skydiving”
32 Accommodating
35 Hackerʼs cry
37 Knight life ideal
38 Port opener
39 Braking system com-
ponent
41 Ones spotted in casi-
nos
42 Carrier to Copenha-
gen
44 Lallygags
45 Site with an impor-
tant part in a 1956 film?
46 Winless horse
47 Specifically
48 Reinforce
50 Measures taken slow-
ly?
53 Seaside strolling spot
56 Rats along the Rhine?
58 Peaked
59 Londonʼs earliest
water pipes were made
with it
60 Beginning to func-
tion?
Crossword
October 2014 — 23
© 2014 Miracle-Ear, Inc.
15333ROPA/FP4C
BILLINGS OFFICE
1527 14th St. West
Billings, MT 59102
406-259-7983
SERVICE CENTERS
Glendive
Wolf Point
800-340-3720
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Bozeman, MT 59718
406-586-5841
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18 N. 8th Street Suite #8
Miles City, MT 59301
800-340-3720
Steven Howell NBC-HIS
National Board Certifed in Hearing Instruments Science 28 years Experience in the Hearing Aid Industry
*If you are not completely satisfed, the aids may be returned for a full refund within 30 days of the completion of ftting, in satisfactory condition. Fitting fees may apply. See store for details. Hearing aids do not restore
natural hearing. Individual experiences vary depending on severity of hearing loss, accuracy of evaluation, proper ft and ability to adapt to amplifcation.
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