Hiking in Refrigerator Canyon

One thing I really love about Montana is the access we have to the great outdoors. All across the state, there is excellent hiking and outdoor recreation. Jeff and I decided to take advantage of this access with a nice hike last Sunday to celebrate our anniversary weekend. We did about 10 miles on the Refrigerator Canyon Trail near Helena. This post contains a lot of photos, and I hope you'll enjoy looking through them. 

Within about a quarter mile, you find yourself hiking through a slot canyon. This is the actual Refrigerator Canyon and it was easy to understand why it was so-named. The canyon was much cooler than the surrounding environs, and a cool breeze was whipping through as well. I imagine it would feel very refreshing on a hot day. 

Here's a photo looking back toward the slot canyon once we had left it--

The wildflowers were blooming in great abundance along the trail. One of my favorites, Indian Paintbrush is below. There were many other flowers all along the trail as we hiked. And interesting to notice different flowers and plants as we climbed in elevation. 

The trail was a gentle uphill climb, mostly through forrest. Nothing too strenuous, but work nonetheless. 

At about two miles, there's a nice overlook with a rail fence. It would be a great spot for a picnic and a good turnaround spot for a shorter hike. Also nice for photo ops! 

We decided to press on and go a little further. 

After a while, we entered the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area, which is different from National Forrest in that no motorized vehicles are allowed in Wilderness Areas in Montana. There are a few more protections to preserve the land as it occurs. 

We kept trucking along and came to another scenic vista. Neat to see how far we had come!

When we planned our hike and left the car, we intended to do between 6 and 8 miles of hiking. We had read about a trail junction that we thought was about three miles in, and decided that would be our decision point. Turns out, the trail sign was actually four miles in, not three. At this point, we thought we were close to cresting the ridgeline and wanted to try to go for that accomplishment, so we went on, still uphill. 

After continuing on switchbacks for a another half hour or so, we started to feel like we would never reach the top of the ridge in a timely manner, and we'd already done more than we had planned. We decided to go back to the trail junction sign and stop for a snack. The downhill effort to get back to the trailhead took about half the time as the uphill climb, not surprisingly, but our legs were completely shot by the time we got there. Thankfully the wildflowers kept our spirits high!

This is a plant that I was told is called "Mountain Sunflower," but I'm not sure what it's official name is. It's cheery and so pretty. 

We encountered very few people on the trail on the way up. We did see one older gentleman with his dog at the trailhead as we headed out and spoke to him a bit. He was planning a multi-day hiking and backcountry camping excursion and was getting his gear organized as we struck out. He said he had hiked the trail "probably fifty times," and knew it very well. We didn't see another person until we had turned around and started heading down. Then, the closer we got to the trailhead, the busier the trail became. We did run into the older gentleman again and he asked how our hike was. We described how we had turned around at a point that we thought was just below the ridgeline and he confirmed that we were close, but also said that once you get to the top, there isn't a good view of anything anyway, and that we had already seen the best views by that point. That made us feel better about turning around a little early. Then he asked us, "Are you going to the York Bar for a burger?" In my mind, I thought, "Yes, Definitely!" even though we hadn't planned on it at all. At that point, a hamburger sounded too good to pass up. The man said they were really good. We thanked him and wished him well on his hike.

We made it back to our car about four hours after we had left, and were pretty tired and hungry from our effort on the trail. Jeff and I deliberated if we should stop and have a hamburger in York, which is a tiny, tiny town that you drive through between the trailhead and Helena/Interstate, or if we wanted to just get gas station snacks and get on the road for home. As we drove back down the canyon and hunger set in strong, we decided we had better stop. Plus, it's probably bad karma to ignore on-trail advice from a seasoned veteran, right? 

Pulling in at the bar, the patio was full of people. A good sign that this was the place to be. Then we walked around to the front and were greeted with this-- absolutely classic small-town Montana, right here. It's not just the York Bar, it's "The Friendly York Bar." We instantly knew we had made the right decision to stop.

 The atmosphere inside was very much a friendly, small-town Montana rustic bar. It was just perfect. The hamburger and onion rings tasted pretty good after our efforts on the trail, too. If you're ever in the area, definitely stop at the York Bar. It's definitely a slice of good old Montana Americana.

And if you're in the Helena area, the Refrigerator Canyon trail is a good one to consider hiking. We really enjoyed our hike and would definitely plan to do it again and recommend it to others. Gotta love Montana!

North Star Color Run Race Review

Have you ever done a Color Run? This past Sunday I had the opportunity to participate in one and it was a lot of fun. Read on for all the details!

Photo Credit: Roger Miller Photography, from Facebook.

The North Star Color Run was held as a fundraiser for our high school Volleyball team. The money raised will go to help fund athletes' experiences at summer skills camps. The race was organized by their head coach. Team members and coaches were also race volunteers.

This race was a 5K that started and ended at the park in Rudyard. I'm not sure how many people were there, but it seemed like around 60 actually showed up on race day. It was a Sunday morning and Graduation Weekend, so I know a bunch of people were busy with other plans. The people who were there seemed excited and I thought everyone had a good time. I saw a lot of smiles. Among the smiling faces were me and Jeff!

If you've never done or heard of a color run, the premise is simple. You run a race route and volunteers throw colored chalk on you while you run. I'm not sure if maybe in bigger races they have machines that dispense the color?? For this race, it was the volleyball team members who threw it at runners as we ran. There were different color stations at different points along the course. So, you got hit with different colors as you ran along. At the end, they doused you again at the finish line. Then, once everyone was done, we had a "color party" where everyone threw little bags of color into the air. It was a lot of fun and made for some cool photos!

Photo Credit: Roger Miller Photography, from Facebook.

Photo Credit: Roger Miller Photography, from Facebook.

The post-race snacks were good. They had water bottles, sports drinks, oranges, and trail mix. Each participant also got a yummy bag of kettlecorn. And, of course, everyone got a race t-shirt.

I snapped this one of Jeff as he approached the finish.

As for my race, personally, I was pretty happy with my performance on a very windy day. I probably went out slightly too fast in the first mile, as I tend to do in a 5K, and had to reel it in a little. Reeling it in was no problem because turning into the wind about half-way through the course was like running smack into a brick wall. I didn't use my Strava because I didn't want my phone to get dirty from the color, so I don't actually know my splits...but I can pretty much guarantee the first mile was much, much quicker than the next two.

Right away I had pulled out ahead of most of the runners and spent the entire race behind two men that were about the same pace as each other. I definitely slowed down in the wind and the last mile was actually a big mental struggle to finish. I really wanted to walk. One of the kids from my track team, Thomas, caught up to me with about a half-mile to go. I'm fairly certain he could have passed me and gone on ahead, but he stayed with me. I definitely couldn't walk with one of my athletes right there!!

The only snafu with the race was that the girls who were directing people where to go on the route were a bit confused briefly and actually directed Thomas and I to go the wrong way and take a wrong turn toward the end of the race. We ended up crossing the finish line from the wrong direction and probably cut about two-tenths of a mile off the overall distance of the race. Oops! My finishing time was 25:35 for what was probably about 2.9 miles. I was first-place female and fourth overall. I think Thomas was ahead of me right at the finish line, but I can't remember.

It really wasn't about winning for me, but it's a neat bit of luck that that's what happened. I was surprised. My time was pretty close to my 5K PR-- if I had run a full 5K I think I would have been slightly slower than my 26:10 PR. I'm really happy with that considering how brutal the wind was!

Overall, the North Star Color Run was a really fun event. My favorite part was simply being among the North Star athletes, parents, and community members. I loved seeing the volleyball girls along the course as they threw color on me and other runners. I felt great about supporting them. This is my favorite type of local event- one that combines fitness, sports, and community. I hope this is the start of a tradition! Thanks, North Star Volleyball for hosting a great event!

This is a little collage I made with a few photos I had taken. Me and Jeff are obviously the big picture. The others are me and a family friend, Kenidee, and me and one of my track athletes, Thomas.

Thankful Thursday ~ What is a Trophy Worth?

**Today's Thankful Thursday post, a day late! I had it done yesterday, I swear, I just didn't get around to publishing it!! **

Yesterday was the Montana 9C District Track and Field Meet, and the North Star Track and Field Teams, of which I am an Assistant Coach, performed very well. Our Boys team earned the First Place Team title and the Girls earned Second Place Team. Some new hardware will be added to the trophy case at school, continuing the tradition of excellence for North Star Track and Field. While pretty, shiny objects in trophy cases are cool, I think the greater story is in the the life lessons learned on a day like yesterday. When talking and writing about my own running, whenever I win a medal at a race, I like to think about how that the medal is important, but what it symbolizes is the culmination of hard work and personal growth that took place in the days, weeks, and months leading up to the receipt of that medal. It's no different for a track team earning a trophy.

These kids worked their tails off yesterday. For the first (and likely only) time this season, each student-athlete participated in five events during the meet, which is the maximum number of events an athlete is allowed to compete in. Every individual on the team had a season best or all-time-best performance in one or more of their events. Some kids even made very courageous personal sacrifices to participate in some very challenging events for the first time all season. For example, two of our boys competed in the 3200 meter run (approx. two miles), having never competed in that event before. Others made similar commitments to participate in events they may never have done, putting the team ahead of themselves. When it comes to winning a track meet, every point counts, which means that each athlete's individual efforts are important. Our head track coach stated to the team prior to the meet, "Your individual successes will lead to team success." His statement definitely rang true yesterday as individual efforts all day long added up, leading to team trophies.

As the meet began, I had the chance to watch one of our standout Senior athletes compete in her first event of the day, Long Jump. Right away, she popped out her season-best jump and as she got out of the sand pit, she had a huge smile on her face-- grinning ear to ear. I knew from that moment and from her expression that it was going to be a great day. Her jump was a great jump, but it's still only a jump. One jump out of many she has taken and will take, and it could symbolize any number of different types of "jumps" she'll make in life, metaphorically speaking. Her response and positive attitude was contagious and she carried it throughout her day. She affected every other athlete she encountered, and in the end she was nominated and won a Sportsmanship Award for her actions (as well as four First Place finishes and one Second Place finish, and several PRs!) It's a great reminder that our actions and attitudes affect everyone around us.  She wasn't the only athlete who let a smile lead the way yesterday.

Results of the Girls' 100 Meter Dash.

My own responsibilities at the meet yesterday kept me off the track for most of the day, but when I could sneak down and watch the athletes perform, I was continually blown away by the positive attitudes of each individual I came across. All day long, our North Star kids were smiling, laughing, cheering each other on and celebrating each others successes. I saw kids running across the infield to congratulate one of their peers for making it to Finals for her event. I saw two athletes give each other high-tens after their race, because they knew they had crushed it. One girl, who all season long has been nervous and very hesitant before her races approached the start line in the 800, her most difficult race and was smiling before the race even began-- and when she crossed the finish line, she had a new PR to show for her efforts.  All of us coaches, parents, and fans who attended the meet could add our own stories of positive energy that we witnessed to this list. All of this goes to prove that when we're having fun, we're relaxed, and we perform better. In life, when we're having fun and are relaxed, we are the best versions of ourselves.

This is only my third season coaching and already I have seen some outstanding individuals go through our program in my previous two years. Outstanding as athletes and as human beings. This year's crew was young. We started off the year having lost a number of talented leaders from the previous season. This year, it took us a long time to figure out who we were as a team and what we were made of. We began the year as a gathering of individuals who happened to be wearing the same blue and black uniforms, trying to figure out if and how each fit in with each other. As coaches, we spent a lot of time talking about how to motivate individuals, and also just simply figuring out each of their personalities. We also spent a lot of time thinking and talking about what events each kid would do best in personally, and how they could help the team. It took each and every practice, each and every meet to get the kids to where they are now, to be a TEAM. The credit doesn't go to us, it goes to them- the student-athletes- for putting in the hard work and recognizing their own positive results. A team is more than a uniform, and yesterday, our athletes were a TEAM in every sense of the word.

What our team learned about is what a team trophy is worth. More than anything else yesterday, they learned about the power of unity, encouragement, and positive attitude. Track and Field is just a sport, and trophies are just engraved bits of metal and wood, but what these athletes learn by participating in this sport are life lessons that will stay with them for years to come. To learn to give your best effort, even when it's challenging or scary, is not easy. To learn to put others before yourself can be monumentally difficult. To learn to be positive and celebrate the successes of yourself and others graciously is an art. More than winning races, jumping or throwing far, the team trophies the kids earned yesterday are celebrating each of those skills. That is how to earn a trophy, and that is what a trophy is worth. I hope that when they look at their trophies in the case, they remember their own individual events, but also what it felt like to be part of a team, part of something bigger than themselves.

North Star Boys Track and Field, First Place.
Congratulations, men! Looking forward to many years of continued success. :)

North Star Girls Track and Field Team, Second Place.
Congratulations on a hard fought battle, ladies! 

Should go without saying at this point, but I'm pretty thankful to be a Coach of so many fine young men and women, and to witness and be part of their personal growth and positive Track and Field experience. It's an honor and a privilege, and one I don't take lightly.

What are you thankful for this week?

From Track Meets to Food Tasting!

Yesterday was a jam-packed day for me. My day began with the track team at our first meet of the season, and ended with hundreds of Hi-Line friends and family at a local event called Men Who Cook for Women who "Wine." Long, busy day, but so fun! Read on!

Track Meet: Cut Bank Booster Club Invitational
Yesterday was our first track meet of the season. We woke up really early (for me, the alarm went off at 4:15 a.m.) and drove on the team bus to Cut Bank, MT for the meet. The North Star contingency included 16 student-athletes, three coaches, and one bus driver. Believe it or not, we are actually a large team for Class C in Montana. We were actually missing four athletes yesterday, too, including three seniors. We got to Cut Bank at about 7:30 a.m., got camp set up, and got the team warmed up, then pretty soon the meet was underway.

The wind was blowing when we got camp set up, but not nearly like it was blowing when we took it down later!

When we began competition, there was a steady wind but it wasn't too bad. By about noon, the wind had picked up considerably to about a constant 40 mph with gusts up to about 60 mph (I learned this from watching the news later. I don't just innately have a feel for wind speeds....)  We ended up leaving the meet early around 1:15, with several events still left. Our head coach decided it was just too windy and no one was likely to have a good performance in those conditions. We all agreed and packed up as quickly as we could.

Team warmup. :)

Even though the conditions were not ideal all day long, and we ended up leaving early, I think it was still definitely worth the trip. We had some really great performances, and even some All-Time-Bests for a few kids. I really have to commend our athletes for their positive attitudes all day long, too. I didn't hear much complaining at all. In fact, several people were so excited about some of their successes, they wanted to keep the success rolling and they were disappointed that they were not able to compete in some of their later-on events. It's a pretty good group of kids. One that I am inspired by every day. Next meet is in Cut Bank (again) on Thursday, if the weather is good.

Sweet swishy-sweats!! 

Men Who Cook for Women Who "Wine"
Typically referred to simply as Men Who Cook. This is a unique annual fundraiser wherein groups of men have booths of food they have cooked themselves, and wine and beer are also served. The cooks are all locals to the area and are competing against one another. Attendees sample food from each booth and can vote on their favorites. There are also games such as Bingo and Heads or Tails, door prizes, raffles, and live and silent auctions, with all the prizes and auction items donated by local people or businesses. The event is held in the Hingham Gym and typically draws a big crowd. I think last night there was probably at least 500 people, but that's just a guess. The money raised goes into a fund to help cover costs for families and individuals who have to travel for cancer treatments.

Jeff and I go to this nearly every year, as do Tom and Carol, and many, many, many of our Hi-Line friends. Stephanie joined us this year, too. It's a fun, social event that brings many people together each year for a good cause. And the food is really good, too! Even though I was pretty tired from getting up so early and being out in the wind a track meet all day, I was able to rally and put on my game face for Men Who Cook. There was some really great food this year and nice auction items. It was fun to see so many people! And this is an even that is so unique, I feel. We had a great time!

Photo by Stephanie. This plate is showing two different kids of mac and cheese, the cucumber and tomato items I described above, something that was sort of like a smokey jambalaya, a lemon souffle, and a coconut almond item...The Chinese takeout box had some fried rice and a sesame chicken wing.

 We had to get two plates FULL in order to try everything!!!

Featuring another type of chicken wing, stuffed chicken and pork roll-ups, a few types of bbq/smoked meat dishes, and a sausage and grapes soup-like dish, shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushroom caps... more items that weren't even in this picture! Sooo much food!!!

In my opinion, some of the best food items this year were the small bites that Justin Miller's group made, including a cucumber-smoked salmon bite, a tiny caprese salad tomato bite, and a Moose Drool (beer) chocolate truffle. I also really enjoyed the prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin with apple chutney, and some of the many smoked and bbq meat options. 

Even though it was a long day, it was a good day. Also, on Friday, Jeff, Tom, Carol, Stephanie, and I ran in a little Family 5K. I'll do a separate post on that soon! Stay tuned!!! 

Thankful Thursday ~ Gotta Love Small Towns!

OK. I'll admit it. I watch The Bachelor. I do! I'm not ashamed. Yes, I know it's canned and corny, sensationalized and silly. But you know what? I find that when I'm watching this show, I am smiling. How many TV shows make us smile these days? The Bachelor/Bachelorette makes me smile, and that is the main reason why I like it and keep coming back to it.

This season I have been particularly interested in The Bachelor because he is a farmer AND he's from my home state of Iowa! I really wanted to tune in and see both how Iowa was represented and how the small town, rural, agricultural lifestyle was portrayed on TV. Obviously, they don't go in depth about farming and agriculture on the show, but I do think, so far, Chris (The Bachelor) has shown that he is proud of being a farmer and is standing behind his lifestyle admirably. As he should! As should any farmer!

The show has been a little less forgiving on the small town he is from: Arlington, IA. In a recent episode, the remaining ladies had a chance to see exactly what Arlington, population 400 or so, is like. As I watched, I had two viewpoints swimming through my mind. One was as someone who did not grow up in a teeny tiny town and knows what it is like to live in a big city. The other was knowing now what it is that really makes small towns special.

Image source: www.tmz.com.
Some of the ladies shown walking around Arlington, and reacting to what they see.

In the show, the ladies have mixed reactions (or at least, that's what they show on TV. Who knows what was done or said that didn't make the final cut to be aired...) to Arlington. Some of them can see the appeal of small town life and others are shocked at the lack of big city amenities. (What did you expect, ladies?!) I think what struck home the most for me was how Chris talked about his town and showed it off. He seemed like he had some trepidation and nervousness over their reactions. On one date, he talked about feeling a little sad about his town losing businesses and feeling sort of run down. I can relate to that feeling here in our small Hi-Line towns. At least Rudyard (similar or maybe slightly larger population as Arlington) still has a cafe and a seasonally-operated movie theater!

When the Bachelor toured his date around his town, they pointed out that it was completely dead. No traffic. No people outside. And with all the defunct businesses boarded up and empty, it really looked and felt like a ghost town. Where was everybody? At the local Friday night football game!

Now, this is where the actual meat of my Thankful Thursday post comes in. If there's one thing I have learned about small towns it is that the whole community really gets behind the local school's sports teams! Here, right now, it's basketball season.  The population of our towns may not be big, but you can bet that the gym will be PACKED for a home basketball game! Even our movie theater acknowledges that small town sports are king and closes during basketball season. They know they won't get any business because folks are over at the school watching the game!  Sporting events, especially in small towns, are what really brings people together. Everyone loves to cheer on the local kids and feel pride in our community and schools!

This week at school, our basketball teams are headed to their District Tournament. Both Boys and Girls have a chance to knock of some rival teams and cause a few upsets, making it deep into the tourney, and hopefully on to Divisionals next week. At school, we had a big pep rally and assembly to send them off, planned by the parents of the Senior basketball players. I was really surprised at the turnout. Many of the players' families were present, but there was a decent number of community members there, too, just to cheer on the teams.

As the assembly went on, I really felt a great sense of pride and appreciation for this small town, this school, and this community. So, this week, I am officially stating how grateful I am to be living in a small town that takes its youth and its sports so seriously, and also makes it fun to cheer on the local team. Small towns like Rudyard (North Star Schools and community) and Arlington, IA are really where it's at when it comes to local sports. The businesses on Main Street may be closed or only open part-time, but that doesn't mean the soul of the place is dead. After having lived here and worked in the school, truly experienced what this time of year is like and the support that comes from everyone in the community, I know I am thankful and proud to call this place home! Small town that it is. :)

One Horse Town

Jeff and I saw the following sign up at the convenience store in town this weekend:

Sorry about the glare and poor photo quality, but you get the idea...

Most of us have seen posters for missing dogs or cats before? but who among us has seen a poster for a missing mini horse?

With the horse being white, she may have been camouflaged in the snow.  She also had the nickname of Pegasus, from one of the neighborhood kids.  Perhaps "Pegasus" flew away on her steady, white wings?  Clearly, she was special enough that the owners were worried about her safety and wanted her back.  I would be despondent if my pet was lost, that's for sure. 

As we drove back through town later that evening, we noticed the lost-and-found sign had been taken down.  Did this mean the horse had returned safely home? Our brother-in-law confirmed that yes indeed the horse was home and the sign had been taken down.  As he said, Rudyard is back to being a One Horse Town yet again.

What's the most unusual Lost and Found poster you've ever encountered?

Return Migration

Something I have been thinking about since the Young Ag Couples Conference is a  phenomenon called Return Migration.  This refers to people who move away from a place to live somewhere else for a while, and then move back to their original hometown.  A good example is someone who leaves home to go to college, then moves back home, degree in hand. 

I always assumed in the back of my mind that my time in the West would result in my own Return Migration back to the Midwest.  Not necessarily a move back to my hometown, but somewhere within in the state of Iowa or nearby.  Instead, I was swept up by a Montana Gentleman, Jeff,  and here I will stay, likely for quite sometime.  Jeff, however, had completed his own Return Migration back to the HiLine.  I am his Plus One.  

It often seems like people do nothing but leave this area.  Some of the best ways to encourage Return Migration include: 

• Nurturing existing small businesses and local services Like keeping your local Post Office in business...
• And creating businesses one might find in a larger town, especially those that foster community togetherness, such as coffee shops, restaurants, etc. 
• Fostering good quality of life for children and families-- building playgrounds, investing in schools
• Allowing older community members to "Age in Place," via local nursing homes and senior centers, etc.
• Encouraging friendliness, togetherness, and community spirit

I thought about this last point, in particular, the other day.  Two things happened within a short period of time that made me glad I live where I do.  Neither of these two events are really that big of a deal, but I couldn't imagine either happening anywhere else I had previously lived.  

First, we received a phonecall from the Post Office a few days ago.  I had tried to send about ten postcards out to friends and family, but I left the address off of one of them.  I'm not really sure how the Post Master knew I was the one sending them, since there is no return address on a postcard.  Maybe I'm the only Katie on the route and she noticed my signature? Either way, she took the time to call and ask what the address was so she could still send the postcard out in that days mail.  And to top it off, this was a substitute Post Master-- our normal lady was on vacation.  That could never happen in a big town. 

Second.  With the recent extreme cold and snowy weather, I was out about twenty minutes before leaving work, starting my car so that the engine would be warm when I was ready to leave.  The maintenance guys at work noticed I had gone out to start my car and went out with a broom to clear the snow off my windshield and the rest of my windows.  They did everyone's car they knew would be leaving around 4:30.  It was a kind deed they didn't have to do. Again, this has never happened any other place I have worked.  Furthermore, I can't think of another place I have worked where I would have even felt comfortable starting my car and leaving it running in an unattended parking lot for fifteen or twenty minutes.  

Small town life at its best. 

Good Bye Post Office?

WARNING: THIS POST IS ESSENTIALLY A LONG, RAMBLING RANT!  READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Unless you have been living under a rock lately, you are likely aware of the budget crisis the U.S. Post Office has been facing.  One of the solutions they have been looking at on a national level is closing Post Offices, many of which are in rural areas. It shouldn't be unexpected that patrons of small town Post Offices are upset.  Town Hall-style meetings conducted by USPS have been held in communities whose Post Office is on the danger list.  This article from today's Great Falls Tribune http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20111013/NEWS01/110130301/Post-offices-face-budget-axe gives a brief overview.  Community members can go to the meeting as a show of support, ask questions and voice their opinions.

Around here, Joplin, Inverness, Hingham, and Kremlin are all slated to close; Rudyard and Gildford would keep their offices.  To be included on the closure list, a Post Office must have less than two hours of mail-related work per day (sorting and handling of mail, decided based on some formula), and less than $27,500 of annual revenue.  In each of these offices, there is a single postmaster and no additional staff.  Though they may have a relatively small volume of mail they handle, they are also responsible for all aspects of customer service, including building and site maintenance-- shoveling snow, mowing grass, etc.

Last night I met Tom and Carol in Inverness, which is home to one of the Post Offices on "The List," for the Inverness Post Office Town Hall Meeting.  To be honest, there was a larger gathering of local residents than I expected-- maybe around seventy people.  Our Postmaster had attended a few of the other local town hall meetings held recently and said that we had a bigger crowd, and a more vocal crowd.  Even though I haven't lived here very long, I felt a sense of pride being among those gathered to voice their opinion, and a definite sense of feeling like I was part of the community.  I can only imagine how it must have made our Postmaster feel to see people turn out in good numbers to try to save our Post Office, and consequently, her job.

There was the entire range of questions asked, points made, and fingers pointed that one would expect.   Some comments were inane and unnecessary, others were extremely well-thought.

One general theme that I noticed was a definite sense of rural discrimination.  A majority of post office closures are slated for rural areas; urban areas have a lower percentage of closures on the list.  For example, thousands of offices are on the closure list nation wide.  New York City has thirty seven.  One of the major complaints of residents there is that they may have to walk more than two blocks to get their mail.  Two blocks.  Many people in rural areas have to drive much farther than two blocks to get their mail, which is often only delivered two or three days a week anyway.  People definitely feel like rural areas are being underserved already, and by closing more post offices, even more services would be stripped. The United States Postal SERVICE-- how do closures serve the people?

People worry about not having consistent access to their mail and services the Post Office provides, such as selling stamps.  Sure, you can buy stamps online.  But here, a large percentage of the population is elderly-- not likely to spend much time online buying stamps or anything else. Additionally, the point was made about medications received through the mail. Are people supposed to let their temperature-sensative medications sit in an unprotected cluster box that would be erected in lieu of an actual post office building?  They could get a new PO Box in a neighboring town that does have an actual building, which would mean driving farther away... putting more elderly drivers on the road, etc.

As of now, the solutions presented have all been relating to eliminating offices, restricting services, etc. What about a different approach?  Rather than making cuts, couldn't the USPS look at the way it operates in new and creative ways?  One person made the comment that right now, it is an "urban solution being forced on rural America." Montana is a very, very different state from New York.

What if individual Post Offices were given more autonomy?  If they were operated and managed as small businesses or franchises, operating within their own individual budget and doing what was necessary to survive for that unique office in that unique community?

What if the USPS was governed by individual states, rather than as a Federal entity.  Similar to the Department of Transportation, for example.  Each state could come up with feasible plans to manage their own postal service system.

Right now, a Post Office's income is generated only by mail it sends out.  What if income could be split between the outgoing post office and the recipient post office and any office that piece of mail stops at in between?  People handle the mail at both ends of the chain, so they should all be credited, right? It would be interesting to see how profitability and revenue numbers would change if that were the case.

I'm not going to come up with the solution here.  I'm certainly not educated enough about all aspects of the post office to do that.  They say the important thing is to reach out to our congressional leaders-- write letters (buy your stamp at the local Post Office!) and let our voices be heard that way.  For Inverness, last night's showing at the meeting was encouraging.  It is possible to save our office, at least, if we all do our part and tell Rehberg, Tester, and Baucus what our Post Office means to us, and what it would mean to lose it.

There's many more points to argue, but I have probably rambled enough here.  Time to start my letter to the Senator.

Visiting

Yesterday was all about visiting.  In the afternoon, Carol and I visited another young woman who lives in the country.  There aren't very many of us, so it's important to establish and maintain friendships and connections.  Besides that, however, she's super nice!  We were there for a few hours- spending time with her and her three young daughters.  We read books with the girls, visited, and shared orange slices.  Her husband had been fencing that afternoon and then off to the Chouteau County Fair in Fort Benton for the demolition derby.  I think we all had fun and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.  

In the evening, my husband took me to town to see a movie-- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part II.  (He's pretty sweet-- he had never seen any of the HP movies or read any of the books, but *someone* told him I had wanted to see the movie, so there we were!) The movie theater in Rudyard is the closest one around.  It is a quaint, restored old theater with one screen.  Showings are at 7pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening, but not during high school basketball season because too many people go to watch the local kids play ball instead.  There's one movie a week, and the focus is usually on family-friendly films.  

Image credit: www.panoramio.com

I would estimate there was about thirty people at the movie last night.  When I looked around at the faces in the seats, I knew about half of all the people in attendance.  I felt pretty good about that.  Some family friends spotted us walking towards the theater and bought our tickets for the show, which was really friendly.  After the movie got out, we stood in a group with them and some other couples and chatted for a few minutes before being invited to their home for a drink and another visit.  

The importance of establishing relationships and friendships in the community, to me, seems very important.  Especially as I am "new in town" and new to farming and small-town life in general.  People are generally very willing to help or lend advice or just listen.  Furthermore, over time, as more and more people move away from the area it becomes increasingly important to reinforce connections among those who are here, strengthening the community through personal relationships between families and individuals.  

We don't have an abundance of restaurants, bars, coffee shops or other places where friends meet in larger towns.  Instead, community is fostered over the kitchen table or across the living room sofa in our own homes as a meal, a drink, or an orange slice are shared with conversation, a smile, and goodwill. 

Seniors

Picking raspberries again this morning, we had a crew from the assisted living facility in Chester 'helping'.  It was a field trip, more or less, for some of the more mobile residents, and probably the highlight of my day. The two residents whom I had actually met before and remembered were Elvin and Dr. B.

Elvin did not pick many berries, but had a ball driving everybody else around the field on a golf cart.  He doesn't walk well anymore, so this gave him a way to be helpful.  As a retired farmer, I think driving the cart probably makes him reminisce about days gone by.  A lot of farming is spending time in vehicles, after all.

Dr. B is a retired doctor who lived and worked for many years in the area.  My mother in law told me today that I'm an official Hi-Line girl now that I have my own Dr. B story.  He really enjoyed picking berries- he had a huge a smile on his face the whole time he was there.  He was really getting into it, too, moreso than the other seniors. He did not want to leave!  When it was time to go, the staff were calling to him to finish up, and by now he had gotten himself in the middle of a row of raspberry bushes-- amongst the canes, surrounded.  The staff lady asked him how he got stuck in there and he replied, "Well... one step at a time!"  I was the nearest to him, so I offered him a hand getting un-stuck from the bramble-- he was afraid he'd trip and fall on me!  What a delightful man!

I had introduced myself to the daughter of one of the seniors and she knew my name, once I said it.  Being the new girl in town, everyone knows who I am, but I don't know anyone else, though I meet more and more people each day. I said my name and she immediately asked me, "How is your dog doing after his snakebite?"  Just another example of how news travels through a small community. I had never met her prior to today, but she knew enough about me to ask about my dog!  Turns out she is friends with our landlord, whom we had told about Harvey's bite right away.  All the same, it was really nice of her to ask about my dog.

Speaking of Harvey, he is doing really well.  The vaccine has helped him recover quicker than normal. He just has a little more swelling on his neck to go down, but overall, he is back to his normal, energetic self! :)