Columns

No one plans to date after 50, but you never know the details life will hand you: divorce, death of a spouse, boredom, aloneness - it all leads to one thing. You find yourself being half of a couple in a couple’s world. Such a conundrum. You were once half the age of 50 and probably a couple, now you are twice as old and twice as alone - or at least it feels that way; it’s the hand you’ve been dealt. Dating at 20 is one thing. It is beautiful. You are beautiful and the people around you (and willing to date you) are equally beautiful.  You all wear the magical cloak of youth, and that cloak is dazzling and vivid - nothing short of spectacular. It is health...

Montanans appreciate locally grown food, from vegetables to fresh-picked huckleberries, raw honey, and grass-fed beef. Can we say the same about our wood products? Your community would rally to keep a local rancher in business… won’t you do the same to keep a local sawmill in business?  ...

Last month the President of the Montana Senate established a select committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform. We were appointed to that committee along with Democrat and Republican legislators and members of the public. Before our first meeting, partisan attacks were leveled at the President and the commit...

I read something today that changed my perception of the concept of confidence. It said something along the lines of:  “Confidence can’t be seen or heard. It can’t be created by anyone but you.” I found this profound.  I’ve always believed I lacked confidence....

One headline in the Salt Lake Tribune has stirred up the agricultural community across the West. It proclaims that hamburgers and cows are the culprits behind the droughts, and by eating fewer burgers, Americans could save the environment. Sound familiar? Last spring Ireland made international headlines with...

It was a serious day in the garden. Various vegetables gathered to witness the much-anticipated criminal fraud case against corn. Corn had filed a countersuit claiming defamation of character and vegetative discrimination. These historic proceedings would hopefully answer the question plaguing the human and ...

With the completion of the poll of the Legislature on whether to override the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 442, I want to explain my consistent opposition to the bill, including voting against overriding the veto. The bill would have incorporated $16 million in annual expenditures for county roads in...

Last week, this column touched on the topic of complicated grief. It’s defined as a grief that includes a heightened state of mourning that keeps one from healing.  When you heal from an injury, that injury exists no more. The same can’t be said about grief. Grief never goes away. It neve...

A recent University of Montana survey confirms what legislators have been hearing from our constituents: Montanans are seriously concerned about several issues that they say are negatively impacting quality of life.  Among the findings, 90% think that urban sprawl eating up open lands is a problem, 8...

Life is complicated. I think we can all agree to that.  But beyond life - well, lots of the details are complicated. Relationships. Families. Love. Deciding on the right toothpaste. Which properties to buy in Monopoly. Choosing between The Voice or American Idol. Survivor or The Bachelor. Texas Hold&...