Professional Documents
Culture Documents
November 2014
A reading foundation
One lunch at a time
Women embrace farm life solo style
Volunteer supports Israeli Defense Forces
INSIDE
Savvy Senior.............................................Page 3
Bookshelf..................................................Page 5
Opinion.....................................................Page 4
Big Sky Birding........................................Page 10
Volunteering..............................................Page 19
On the Menu.............................................Page 20
Calendar....................................................Page 21
Strange But True.......................................Page 22
News Lite
Boy, girl? Family with 12 sons awaits baby 13
ROCKFORD, Mich. (AP) A western Michigan couple with
12 sons is expecting baby No. 13, and even though theyre sticking to their tradition of not finding out in advance whether theyre
having a boy or girl, they said theyd be shocked if their streak is
broken.
Jay and Kateri Schwandts baby is due May 9, The Grand
Rapids Press reported. Even though they expect it will be another boy, the couple said they would welcome either into the family.
If we were to have a girl, I think we would go into shock,
Kateri Schwandt said. It would probably be disbelief.
If he had a choice, Jay Schwandt said he would love to have a
girl, but theyre just hoping for a healthy baby. Still, he would
like to see the effect of adding a girl to the mix in a household
with 12 boys.
Ive experienced all the boy stuff, he said. As long as we are
At New west MedicAre, we kNow you AreNt AgiNg, youre liviNg. Our plans always
keep Montanans in mind. That is why we offer low monthly premiums for your health care
coverage and an exercise and healthy aging program in every plan. After all, we are Montanans,
just like you, and we know you are only as old as you feel. Let us make Medicare simple for you.
New West Health Services is a PPO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in
New West Medicare depends on contract renewal. Phone hours of operation 8 a.m.
to 8 p.m. daily. The benefit information provided is a brief summary, not a complete
description of benefits. For more information contact New West Medicare. Benefits
may change on January 1 of each year. H2701_NW#577_9-2014 Accepted
14-NW
New W
Senio
Monta
10.7.1
AD: K
7.25x
4-colo
A Guide to Finding
Affordable Dental Care
Dear Savvy Senior,
I had dental insurance through my work for many years but lost
it when I retired.Where can retirees find affordable dental care?
Need a Dentist
Dear Need,
Finding affordable dental care can be challenging for seniors
living on a tight budget. Mostretirees lose their dental insurance
after leaving the workplace, and original Medicare does not cover
cleaning, fillings or dentures.While theres no one solution to
affordable dental care there are a number of options that can help
cut your costs. Heres where to look.
Medicare Advantage
While original Medicare (Part A and B) and Medicare supplemental policies do not cover routine dental care, there are some
Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans that do.Many of these plans,
which are sold through private insurance companies, cover dental
care along with eye care, hearing and prescription drugs, in addition to all of your hospital and medical insurance. If youre eligible for Medicare, seemedicare.gov/find-a-planto look for
Advantage plans in your area that covers dental care.
Dental discounts
Dental schools
Veterans benefits
The VA also provides free dental care to vets who have dental
problems resulting from service. To learn more about these
options, visitva.gov/dentalor call (877) 222-8387.
Low-income options
Opinion
November 2014
Bookshelf
Shaken in the Night: A Survivors
Story from the Yellowstone
Earthquake of 1959
Softcover 47 pages 6 x 9
ISBN 978-1-4996-0767-3
A poignant
firsthand account
of one the most
devastating events
to ever hit Montana
By Montana Best Times Staff
The Hebgen Lake earthquake of 1959 is the most
stark reminder in modern times that devastating earthquakes can and do happen in Montana.
The quake hit unsuspecting campers and tourists in the
Hebgen Lake area in southwestern Montana on Aug. 17,
1959, at 11:37 p.m. It killed 28 people, and a massive
slide it caused on the Madison River created Earthquake
Lake, or Quake Lake.
There are a lot of news accounts about what happened
that night, but one sees few in-depth survivor stories.
The just published Shaken in the Night: A Survivors Story
from the Yellowstone Earthquake of 1959, by Anita Painter
Thon, is a gripping example of one of those.
Thon was 12 at the time of the event. She had gone with her
family on a vacation to Yellowstone National Park when it happened. The book is not just an account of survival, but also of
great personal sorrow her mother did not survive the quake,
and her father was seriously injured, and was affected emotionally by the quake the rest of his life.
Thon describes in terrifying detail the moment the earthquake
hit as the family slept in their trailer.
The roaring sound was getting unbelievably louder and closer,
like it was headed straight for our trailer , she writes. I
remember that my heart was pounding so hard, like it was coming out of my chest
Suddenly, we were hit really hard by something. It was like
we had been in the worst automobile accident you could ever
A reading foundation
Librarians and volunteers help set up babies and toddlers for life
By M.P. Regan
Montana Best Times
DILLON A professional librarian for
over 30 years and Dillon Public Library
Director for the past decade, Marie Habener
spends an hour each week in her facilitys
basement leading singalongs and hand
movements for tunes like The Itsy, Bitsy
Spider and Heads, Shoulders, Knees and
Toes.
And reciting nursery rhymes. And playing with toys and dolls and games with the
preschool children, and parents and grandparents who enthusiastically gather each
week to spend that hour with her.
Its my favorite part of my job, said
Habener of the playful exercises and outright play that make up Books & Babies,
the early literacy program she conducts for
singing and reading are essential prereading skills that help a child learn. There
is brain research now that actually demonstrates how vital these early skills are,
added Christin, who before coming to Bozeman lived in Helena, where she worked
for Falcon Publishing and the Lewis &
Clark Library.
If you give these kids that foundation of
reading skills, then they are able to go on to
succeed at school and do great things for
their families and their communities, continued Christin.
Christin played an essential role in establishing the foundation for early reading
education programs in public libraries
On the cover: Library Director Marie Habener holds a childrens book as she sits on the front steps of the Dillon Public Library.
Above: Habener engages youthful participants in the librarys Books & Babies program each week, with songs, nursery
rhymes and all sorts of educational fun. MT Best Times photos by M.P. Regan
November 2014
Social studies
Marie Habener is pictured with children in her Books & Babies program, and their
parents, in Dillon recently.
ters in education from Colorado College.
A public library is both welcoming and
free. For many people, theres no other public place to go with an infant that is free and
open and supportive. This program gives
them a space to get together in, to share
information, to help their children and to
socialize.
The program also provides a classroom
for young children to develop their social
skills.
It was my kids first group experience,
said April Huss, of taking her year-and-ahalf-old son and 6-month-old daughter to
Books & Babies with Habener at the Dillon
Public Library.
My son was shy and daughter just kind
of watched at first. She went to Marie quite
often, if there was a song with adult interaction. Those two really connected with her,
continued Huss, of Habener, who gets hugs
from children before, after, and sometimes
even during, Books & Babies sessions.
It was really a great experience because
we were new to town and got to meet other
people. We made some really good friends
there that we still stay in contact with, said
Huss, who helped found an early childhood
literacy program at the Whitehall Community Library after moving from Dillon.
My children definitely developed a lot
of language skills through the songs and
Summer and
the reading is easy
Above: James and Edie Armstrong, of Laurel, are pictured inside the Strangers,
Orphans and Widows (SOW) food truck recently. MT Best Times photo by Kathleen Gilluly
Below: Caleb Armstrong, 8, left, and Nathaniel Rieke, 9, are shown with school
supplies that SOW provided to school children. Photo courtesy of SOW
Left: Edie and James Armstrong stand by the SOW food truck.
The truck served 2,597 hearty meals this past summer.
Familiar faces
A vision fulfilled
News Lite
Great News for Seniors 62 yrs of Age & Older!
COMFORTABLE & AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS
Accepting Applications for Independent Seniors
y
k
S
g
Bi
Birding
Terry McEneaney is ornithologist emeritus for Yellowstone National Park, and is the author of three books: Birding Montana, Birds of
Yellowstone, and The Uncommon Loon. He has been watching birds for 50 years and is one of Montanas most experienced birders.
10
Two wonderful
characteristics
Rare display
McEneaney
between the 11,990 to 12,100 feet in elevation. It was sort of singing as it was
wing-stalling. It was a beautiful sight to
behold. This unusual wing-stalling
behavior resembled the magnificent skylarking breeding behavior of the Eurasian
Skylark (Alauda arvensis) that I have
observed in Ireland on many occasions.
So next time you are in the Greater Yellowstone or throughout the mountains of
Montana and you happen to climb a
mountain summit on a nice summer day,
you might want to keep an ear and an eye
out for the high-flying, stationary rare
wing-stalling flight display of the
Townsends Solitaire.
More short stories from Lucky Feathers: Adventures and Experiences of a Yellowstone Ornithologist, will be featured in forthcoming issues
of Montana Best Times. In the meantime, enjoy Montana birds! And the Best of Big Sky Birding to you!
Bird watching questions may be sent to Terry McEneaney by writing to 1215 Lolo St., Missoula, MT 59802; emailing terry@ravenidiot.com; or visiting
www.yellowstonewildlifeguides.com or www.ravenidiot.com. If questions are mailed, include a phone number at which you can be reached.
November 2014
11
On their own
lot of money. I was fiddle-footed and fancy free, and I could go where I wanted. So
I ended up in Chester.
There, at a country dance, Biegalke met
her husband-to-be.
Im the worlds worst dancer, but he
still asked me out for a date the next weekend, she recalled.
Beulah Biegalke
12
After a few more dances, they married, then moved around some before
finding the Stanford farm for sale.
We paid $100 an acre to buy it, she
said. We didnt have much money and I
dont know how I did everything I did
made the kids clothes, took them
down the road to catch the school bus,
kept the house and made the meals,
helped with the farm. I just did what
needed to be done, I guess.
But now others run the farm, the kids
are grown and moved away, and for
some, the little house might seem too
quiet. But not for Beulah.
It hasnt occurred to me to move to
town, she said. Theres always something to do out here. I grow a little garden this year, potatoes, tomatoes and
corn mostly and I knit, tat and weave.
I dont watch TV much I dont like it
and we only get three channels out here.
I love to read, and I help with the reading program at the Judith Basin County
Free Library.
Id like to have more cows, but the
people who run them want to sell the
ones that dont calve every year. If it
were me, Id give the cows another
chance. A few years ago I had 20 head,
but now Im down to five.
Visitors are uncommon, although Biegalke said her children touch base with
her frequently.
A lot of people my age are not here
any more, but if I want company, Ill
call someone and ask them to come out
with me. We might go to town, or down
to Great Falls for a play or something.
But I dont mind the quiet, Biegalke
added, glancing out the window at the
acres of grassland blowing in the wind.
This is what Im used to and I like it.
Judy Hoge
with views across much of central Montana, was a retirement spot chosen by
her husband, Mel, to which the couple
moved in 1997. Mel died three years
ago, but Judy hasnt left.
I just dont know what Id do with
myself if I moved to town, Hoge said.
I grew up in Havre, and I was a city
slicker until I met my husband, Mel, when
I was 14, she explained. We got married
when I was 18 and we farmed at Big Sandy. Living in the country was the love of
my life. At first, we lived in a two-room
house on 300 acres with no running water,
and I was raising three kids. Some might
have hated it. I loved it.
Hoge said Mels aunts taught her how
to can produce and butcher meat.
I learned all that stuff that I needed
to know, she recalled. I would get up
at 1 a.m. to check the cows that might
calve so Mel could sleep. I worked the
garden. I just felt like it was my life and
I needed to make the best of it. I had
wonderful neighbors. Everyone helped
each other.
The hard work made for a happy life,
Judy said.
You learned to appreciate what you
had, what you got and the other people
around you, she added.
Eventually the Hoges owned a large
farm in Big Sandy, which, after many
years, they sold to purchase land in Forest Grove and where her home now sits.
We were briefly millionaires, she
said, laughing. At least we were from
when we got the check for the sale of
the Big Sandy farm until we paid for the
land we bought here.
The couple shared a good life, until
Mels heart attack changed things.
People tell me, Judy, you ought to
move to town, Hoge said. But all my
memories are here. If I lived in town, Id
be looking out my window at someone
elses house. Here I have this amazing
view. Id be listening to loud cars, kids,
other peoples music. Here its the wind
and the birds. I love it out here.
I sometimes get a little lonely, but I
See On their own, Page 17
November 2014
13
74-year-old volunteers to
support Israeli Defense Forces
Sybil Lumpkin is pictured with an Israeli soldier on her first
trip to support the Israeli Defense Forces, in this worn 2003
snapshot.
Photo courtesy of Sybil Lumpkin
Although Sybil is not Jewish, she has been studying about the
ancient beginnings of the Israelites that Moses wrote about in
Torah the first five books of the Bible and celebrating its
November 2014
14
Being a volunteer is nothing new to Sybil. She has been traveling around the world volunteering since the early 1970s. In fact,
she loves helping people so much that when she was 50, she
returned to school to become a registered nurse working in the
private sector. Her patients included people like the First Lady
Betty Ford for three years and the mother of former Beach Boy
Carl Wilson.
Becoming a registered nurse put her in a position to meet
famous people and volunteer around the world.
I went back to school because I wanted to volunteer for Medical Missions, Sybil said. I waited until my kids were gone
before I went back to school. It allowed me the opportunity to
volunteer in places like Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Recalling her time in the Philippines, Sybil said the conditions
there were very difficult.
One out of every 10 children in the Philippines has tuberculosis, she said. The children there where I served were living on a
garbage dump. It smelled so bad.
But for someone like Sybil, it was a place where she could
make a difference, and she found it difficult to leave the children
behind.
I didnt want to come home, but I had to, she said.
Back to Israel
wont fit, said Sybil. But it is all worth it. The soldiers are 18
and 19 years old ... they are just kids ... they cling to you. They
love that you are there.
She added, With Sar-El, I will stay with the IDF in the barracks for nine weeks total. After that, I hope to find places to
volunteer so I can stay longer. I want to stay for an entire year.
Sybil believes this trip is special because at her age, being
accepted to take part in the program is only by divine appointment.
They have never allowed someone at my age to go it has
to be a miracle of God, she said.
Sybil left for Israel on Oct. 13, spent a few nights exploring
the country and connecting with old friends, and then reported
for duty where she continues at the time of this writing.
Chaun Scott may be reached at ip-news@rangeweb.net or
(406) 346-2149.
15
News Lite
November 2014
16
Call for an
Appointment Today
Billings: 406-237-5500
Toll Free: 800-308-3719
Mary Messina
Cottages
Memory Care
AS SEASONS CHANGE...
Cozy up to the fire
Meet a friend
406.652.9303
4001 Bell Avenue l Billings MT
l MorningStarSeniorLiving.com
November 2014
17
Health
University of Illinois adjunct professor Fred Kummerow continues to wage war on trans fats personally from his kitchen
table and professionally through a proliferation of research papers
he is still writing and getting published.
Kummerow, who was born Oct. 4, 1914, in Berlin, prefers to
talk less about celebrating a birthday with cake and candles and
more about his paper on lipids that was published earlier this
year, or about another paper awaiting review, or about his goal to
establish a lipid research center.
He has spent his career as a biochemist pioneering research
into the causes of heart disease and trying to convince the world
and especially the Food and Drug Administration for more
than five decades that trans fats are responsible for heart failure. Not eggs. Not cholesterol in the plasma.
Kummerow, who was profiled in the Chicago Tribune when he
was 98, drinks three glasses of whole milk every day and begins
every morning with an egg cooked in butter (never margarine),
whole grains, fruit and almonds or walnuts.
Its that diet, and up to an hour of exercise every day, that has
taken him this far, he says.
And, he adds, the fact that I want to keep solving a problem.
For the good of mankind, the problem he wants to solve is
heart disease. For him right now, another problem is funding to
keep the small lab that he dedicated in 1963, the Burnsides
Research Laboratory on campus in Urbana, up and running.
And then there is the pressing need for money for a lipid
November 2014
18
RSVP
Gallatin County
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.
Park County
On The Menu
Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake
CRUST:
3/4 c. toasted pecans, finely chopped
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
CHEESECAKE MIXTURE:
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/3 c. water
2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 1/2 c. pumpkin, canned or cooked
2 c. whipping cream, whipped
Additional whipped cream for garnish
Cinnamon for garnish
20
Hot Shot
1 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur
1 1/2 oz. cinnamon whisky
Saturday, November 8
Timber
Sunday, November 9
Friday, November 21
Festival of Trees, through Nov. 22, Elks
Lodge, Dillon
Tuesday, November 25
Yellowstone Ski Festival, through
November 29, Rendezvous Trail System, West
Yellowstone
Thursday, November 27
Friday, November 14
Friday, November 28
Saturday, November 29
Monday, December 1
Christmas for the Critters, through Dec.
31, The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center,
West Yellowstone
Friday, December 5
Christmas Stroll, 5:30-8 p.m., downtown,
Dillon
Christmas Stroll, 5-8 p.m., Main Street,
Miles City
Christmas Stroll, through Dec. 6, 6-9 p.m.,
downtown, Red Lodge
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@midrivers.com.
Dawson County
- Clinic Ambassador: Need volunteer to greet patients and visitors, providing directions and more.
- City of Miles City and Montana Dept. of Military Affairs: Clerical assistance needed.
- Custer County Food Bank: Volunteers needed for food distribution Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
- Custer County Network Against Domestic Violence: Crisis line
volunteer needed.
- Historic Miles City Academy: Volunteers needed to assist in
thrift store and maintenance.
- Holy Rosary Health Care: Volunteer receptionists needed at the
News Lite
TSA finds cannon barrel in luggage
HONOLULU (AP) An airline passenger flying out of Maui
checked in with a weapon not often seen in baggage the barrel
of a cannon. Transportation Security Administration officials confirm they spotted the cannon barrel recently in the checked lug-
21
November 2014
22
do 16 (60 mph), and the previous recordholder, the Australian tiger beetle, tops out
at 171. P. macropalpis takes the gold at 322
body lengths per second.
Body lengths per second is a measure
of speed that reflects how quickly an animal
moves relative to its body size, reports
sciencedaily.com. Extrapolating to human
dimensions, the mites speed is equivalent to
a person running 1,300 mph!
Its so cool to discover something thats
faster than anything else, and just to imagine
as a human going that fast compared to your
body length is really amazing, said Pitzer
College physics major Samuel Rubin, who
led much of the fieldwork to document the
mites movements. And beyond that,
looking deeper into the physics of how they
accomplish these speeds could help inspire
revolutionary new designs for things like
robots or biomimetic devices.
Q. Whats the point of crouching on the
balls of your feet like a baseball catcher if
theres no ballgame in sight?
A. Itll get your body as low as possible
while keeping most of it off the ground,
says Lucas Reilly in Mental Floss
magazine. The point here may just be your
survival, if youre caught in a storm and are
about to be hit by lightning. Now the
ambient electrical charge may make your
skin tingle and your hair stand on end a
dead giveaway! Dead wrong is the old
notion oft repeated that the best
thing you can do is lie down flat. Experts
recommend the crouch position with heels
together, creating a circuit for the charge to
travel, allowing the bolt to ride up one foot,
down the other and back into the ground
rather than coursing through the rest of your
body.
populations; indeed Nevada, the most populous of the group, ranks 35th out of the 50
states, says Jordan Ellenberg in How Not to
Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical
Thinking. And herein lies the key: When you
are measuring rates, small samples exhibit
more statistical variability than large samples.
For example, if you toss 10 coins all at the
same time and tally up the number of heads,
the probability of getting an unusual outcome say 8 or more heads is about 1
in 20. But if you toss 100 coins instead, the
probability of getting an unusual outcome of
80 or more heads is vanishingly small.
So you can think of it this way: Brain cancer is a rare disease, and in a low-population
state, there are not many cases per year.
Ask me about the This auto and home insurance is designed exclusively for AARP
members and is now available through your local Hartford
AARP
independent agent! Call Today for your FREE, no-obligation quote:
Auto & Home
Now available in your area! 406-652-4180
InsuranceProgram CINDY JOHNSON, DARNIELLE INSURANCE AGENCY
from The Hartford.
1320 28th St WPO Box 21300Billings, MT 59104 www.darnielle.com
The AARP Automobile Insurance Program from The Hartford is underwritten by Hartford Fire Insurance Company and its affiliates, One Hartford Plaza, Hartford, CT 06155. In Washington, the Program is underwritten
by Trumbull Insurance Company. AARP and its affiliates are not insurance agencies or carriers and do not employ or endorse insurance agents, brokers, representatives or advisors. The program is provided by The
Hartford, not AARP or its affiliates. Paid endorsement. The Hartford pays a royalty fee to AARP for the use of AARPs intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. AARP membership is
required for Program eligibility in most states. Applicants are individually underwritten and some may not qualify. Specific features, credits, and discounts may vary and may not be available in all states in accordance
with state filings and applicable law. The premiums quoted by an authorized agent for any Program policy include the additional costs associated with the advice and counsel that your authorized agent provides. 107995
Crossword
Across
Festival town
46 Made aware, with in
47 Family nickname
49 Target of some reality
show hunts
50 Experts
53 Natural moisturizer
55 Cause a dramatic
reversal
57 Buck: Abbr.
58 Reef dwellers
59 Deadlock
60 Wheel of Fortune
highlight
61 They may resolve
59-Acrosses, briefly
Down
10 Recess retort
11 Colorful mounts
12 Capital of the state of
West Bengal
13 Dutch humanist
14 Rock star Nugent
20 Nepali language
24 George Straits All
My __ Live in Texas
26 On the Waterfront
director
27 Gabriela, Clove and
Cinnamon author
28 Chemical reaction
portmanteau
29 Decor attachment
30 Logical connector
33 Yield
34 Pioneer in conditioning research
36 Peaked
37 American __, North
Dakota state tree
38 Big or Little follower
39 Kabuto-wearing warrior
41 That was normal for
me once
42 Ford Field city
43 Magazine department
46 Swiss, e.g.
48 Lucie of The Jazz
Singer (1980)
49 Logician known for
incompleteness theorems
51 __ Reader: eclectic
magazine
52 Apt collie name
53 Comprehensive
54 City on the Danube
55 Sugar meas.
56 Shield supporter on
Australias coat of arms
November 2014
23