Sorted by date Results 426 - 450 of 476
This week Vicki picked “COLD BETRAYAL” by J. A. Nance. It is an Ali Reynolds novel. Ali Reynold’s longtime friend and taser-carrying nun Sister Anselm rushes to the bedside of a young pregnant woman hospitalized for severe injuries after she was hit by a car on a deserted Arizona highway. The girl had been running away from The Family, a polygamous cult with no patience for those who try to leave its ranks. Meanwhile, married life agrees with Ali. But any hopes that she and her husband, B. Simpson, will finally slow down and relax now that...
Outside Christmas lights hang from several evergreens in my yard. They brighten up the dark Christmas sky and make it feel that the birth of the Christ Child is happening probably right down the block. The wind is howling but there is little snow and temperatures are not below zero. Inside the house is bright with old, old lights and Christmas Decorations. The fireplace is blazing; sort of the centerpiece of indoor decorations but on the mantle is this tiny Japanese Christmas house village that is very old and as beautiful as any tiny Christmas...
My goodness but Vicki has gone almost risqué with her two selections for Christmas! Both stories are by Diana Palmer and both are classic love stories in a keepsake edition that will heat up your winter. So, be careful when you read them. Let’s not get too heated up! “THE WINTER SOLDIER” Everyone in Jacobsville, Texas, steered clear of taciturn Cy Parks-------everyone but the spirited Lisa Monroe, who electrified the formidable loner with her tantalizing kisses. Their fiery passion escalated when the soldier returned from the line of duty--...
Contact the Senior Citizen Cooks at 378-2405. Lunches include an entrée, dessert, vegetable, salad, potato and drink and most cost $5.00 unless otherwise noted. Menus for the coming week are as follows: Wednesday, December 30 hot turkey sandwich, salad., veggies and dessert. Thursday, December 31 New Year’s Eve, Closed Friday, January 1 New Year’s Day, Closed Monday, January 4 beef stroganoff for the Lunch of the Week! Tuesday, January 5 Birthday Dinner which is roast beef and all the trimmings. Donna said that this 7 UP salad is very good...
When thinking about how Christmas was observed fifty or sixty years ago in this area, really, it is not much different than now. For some families, if possible, there was a Christmas Eve service to attend although for many, churches were few and far between, especially if living in the country. So, getting to church if not possible was handled at home with a Bible verse or several about the Christmas Story and the singing of hymns which everyone seemed to know, church or not. The Tree When...
Charlie Russell loved the Christmas season. He loved most everything to do with that magical season and when he lived, he made it even more magical. Russell would carve gnomes, elves and Santa's along with fairies at Bulls Head Lodge all summer long and bring them back to Great Falls to give away and decorate his home and studio. During storms on Lake McDonald, after the tamarack needles would fall, the needles would form a ball about as big as a baseball. Charlie would collect those balls and...
Most everyone in our section of Montana has heard the story of Shep, the amazing dog who met the train for years thinking his master was on it. His master's dead body was put on the train for burial elsewhere and Shep knew that his master would be back to get his friend. That story is in book form. It can be found on line and in most bookstores around Montana. It is a great book to give to grandchildren or children, nephews and nieces for Christmas as it is the story of man and dog, something...
Several weeks ago "The Mountaineer" asked Big Sandy English teacher, Miss Voellek, if she would have her high school students write a Christmas story, then have them judged at the school and submit the best three to "The Mountaineer" and we would use them in our annual Christmas issue. We were amazed last year at the Christmas stories that came from the high school. We were even more amazed this year as the top three stories are simply great. We know that you readers will be as amazed as we were...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the staff and students at Big Sandy public schools. School will resume from the Christmas Break on Monday, January 4. The first semester of school will conclude on January 19. Semester tests will be held on Monday and Tuesday, January 18 and 19. See the school’s webpage for the semester test schedule. A very special thank you to Tami Houle and her wonderful staff at the Mint for their hospitality and donations for the staff Christmas gathering. The nacho bar and salad were amazing! Thank you! Thank y...
This spring while reading an issue of “The Mountaineer” in Big Sandy I came upon the mention of a young girl in the elementary school that during an open house had dressed up like Tavie Kipp. That rang several bells so I called the girl’s mother, Amy Wortman who farms down by the mighty Missouri and asked how they knew the name. Amy told me they had read of Tavie Kipp’s adventures in a book called “Retracing Kipp Trails” by Jim Arthur. Matter of fact Tavie Kipp’s stories in the book made such an impression on the parents that they named th...
From September 5 through the 15th Bob Nelson was in Alaska on a hunt with two of his sons, Mark and Lance who both live in Fairbanks, Mace Mangold and two Alaska residents. As Bob describes the hunt which yielded two grizzly bear and three moose, it is more than a little like a mystic experience. Read "The Bear" by Faulkner or see the movie "The legend of Bagger Vance" and you will begin to know what hunting, camaraderie, family and friends begin to mean to Bob Nelson. And how they all...
There are many great Christmas stories. Some contain sadness, others emote just the sure joy of the season. The best of all Christmas stories has a wonderful ending but contains some paths in getting to that wonderful resolution at the end. I call this one “A sad boy’s reward”. It is no secret in my family that my father drank way too much. Around Christmas he was prone to go on a toot most anytime. What made that especially bad was that his drinking disposition was horrible, filled with bad things happening to his family. Hollering, swear...
It is not often that Big Sandy residents can purchase products locally to use as stocking stuffers that are made right here in Big Sandy. Bob Quinn's Kracklin' Kamut is one product that is made here and is readily available in many local stores. Not only that but FFA chapters all over Montana are selling the salty snacks made from the ancient grain called Kamut. Most all chapters of FFA, including Big Sandy, have many of the Kracklin' Kamut for sale and the proceeds help the Chapter in its fund...
Ellaraine Lockie sent "The Mountaineer" a poem we had published before. Called "Abandoned Garden", the poem was just recently published in "Songs of Eretz Poetry Review". We had used this poem a year ago if memory serves but in the review Ellaraine said she was inspired by an article I had written about my grandmother's garden. I wrote that story because all of her life, my grandmother planted flowers. I know she was told that if civilization was to come to these Montana range towns, it would...
Unofficial minutes are out from the School Board meeting of November 17th. Trustees present were Kurt Strutz, chairperson, Darin Genereux, Diana LaBuda. Trustees absent were Brad Weaver and Brandon Gasvoda. Staff present were Brad Moore, superintendent, Maryetta Engle, clerk and Heather Wolery, elementary lead teacher. After a call to order, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. There were no guests present. Minutes were approved from the last meeting. There were no public comments to the Board, no correspondence, no old business. In new...
Wednesday, December 9 midterm for the second quarter. Friday, December 11 teacher in service day. No school for students! On Friday there is wrestling in Chinook and at CJI is the pre season basketball tournament. Girls play Dutton/ Brady at 11:15am. Boys play Dutton/Brady at 1pm. Saturday, December 12 wresting at Glasgow. Preseason basketball tournament continues. Girls play Power at 2:45pm. Boys play Power at 4:30. Monday, District FFA Convention in Big Sandy all day. Tuesday, December 15 Elementary Christmas Concert at the High School...
It is almost all over now. It is kind of like waiting for Christmas, isn’t it? It is actually just three days until the Christmas Stroll hits Big Sandy. Here is the thing. We all have seen strolls when it was 50 above and we have seen strolls when it was over 30 below. Either way, it is a day to have fun, eat more of your share of Christmas goodies and have still more fun. Whether you have to wear your long johns or not, you are guaranteed a great day, that day in Big Sandy! Chamber President Lisa Meyers said that everything is ready to go. C...
Some people dream of things like ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings. Tomi Simenson dreams of wild mustangs, Miles City Artistic Competitions, fields of purple sage, cowboys, ranch stoves and all things western. Good thing she can vent those dreams. Tomi works with several art medias like pencil, charcoal and water color to name a few. A Couple of years ago Tomi added photography to the mix to make her art even more interesting. Whatever the medium, the art is western. It allows her...
Most everyone in Big Sandy, and adjoining Class C schools, knows that Ronnie Simpson has taken the head coaching job for Big Sandy Varsity boys and girls. That seems sort of overwhelming but then Ronnie Simpson is no ordinary coach. His assistants are Cheryl Strutz for the girls and Pete Jerrel for the boys. Simpson modestly says of coaching his two teams, "I am just going to do it. It is simply two practices and it is similar things we do for both teams." And if that wasn't enough, Simpson is...
Marla Ray, representing library fund raisers, Dee Pribyl and Ann Quinn were in “The Mountaineer” this week updating the fund raising efforts for the new library. Since construction has started on the project, it is good to know that the group does not have a long way to go with fundraising to reach their goal. Matter of fact, they need to raise short of $90,000 with a couple of grants in the works that would lower that to about $70,00. The group is still working on grants as well. A grant for around $20.000 has just come in. The fun...
When I was a little boy in the winter often my friends and I went to movies. Mostly it was the Lyric where you would get a cartoon, serial, and double feature for 14 cents. But then there was the walk home. I veered a block out of my way not to pass the Funeral Home. (After seeing "The House of Wax" it was a four blocks out of my way not to go anywhere near where dead people were.) With my friends it was a chatty walk probably to a sleep over. When alone and during the Christmas season I loved t...
There was a story in a newspaper the other day about how much Thanksgiving dinners have changed with the advent of Black Friday and people shopping for “fantastic” bargains earlier and earlier as mainly big box stores try to entice buyers in before those buyers can go anywhere else. This story was dated New York and started out, “Last Thanksgiving day Kimberly Mudge and four others left in the middle of their Thanksgiving meals to head for the mall.” “They barely finished,” said the hostess. “They thanked me, put their plates on the counter a...
"The Mountaineer" invited all professional cooks in Big Sandy to participate in a special Thanksgiving interview. Most accepted. A few did not. Answers were very revealing. For instance many cooks like to cook alone. What does that do to the open concept living that is so popular these days? Some cooks said the best short cut to cooking is not to cook at all. Go somewhere else and bring something. Most all had bad experiences in cooking for Thanksgiving dinner. One of the best answers of all con...
One of the most endearing events in the Big Sandy Christmas Stroll is Breakfast with Santa that happens at the Mint Family Room where Tammy and her crew really go all out to provide breakfasts for children and adults who want to see Santa and his elves and get their picture taken with him. The event goes from 8:30am to 10:00am. All children eight and under are invited to have breakfast with Santa. It costs five dollars per child and for that the child gets a special “Christmas Breakfast”, gets to talk with Santa and parents or grandparents wil...
Parents and guardians are reminded that school starts at 8am sharp. There has been a rash of tardies the last several weeks. Students are expected to be in their seats ready to go at 8am. Please allow extra time for bad roads, inclement weather, etc. It is a disruption to everyone in the class when students arrive late. It appears that winter is here, so please make sure students are prepared by wearing warm coats and having hats and gloves on hand as well. There are students showing up to school with no coats or with very light jackets. School...
