Columns

In its most simple form, life is composed of beginnings, middles and endings.  Often much of our focus is on the beginning and endings. They are exciting. They are newness and the shredding of the old. They are the adrenaline rush of life.  We look forward to our first day on the job. We wait for the last day of school. We anticipate the birth of a baby, or the time when the children have left the nest. We plan for retirement or a new vacation home. Beginnings and endings – they make up the exhilarating mile-markers of life. But as life-changing as those beginnings and endings can be, they don’t encompass the essence or majority of life. That, my friends is th...

We are excited to present, “Meet the Library Apps” hosted by our Technology Librarian Sierra Ross. On Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m. come meet Sierra and the library’s collection of websites and apps providing eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more. Sierra will introduce you to seven unique di...

Wildfires – almost an inescapable fact of life around the northwest. Every year thousands upon thousands of acres of forest go up in smoke in the waning months of summer. Powerful, shifting wind patterns move smoke hundreds of miles resulting in unpredictable air quality: clear skies one day and thick ...

Growing up in rural Utah, I had incredible public hunting opportunities just like so many in Montana have enjoyed for generations. I spent time with family and friends, pursuing mule deer and elk on both public and private lands in what were the defining moments of my upbringing.  That all changed wh...

The American Families Plan federal budget, is a groundbreaking expansion of health care, education, and prosperity for hardworking families.  They say the budget will make taxes fairer, create jobs, mitigate climate change, and improve education and health care.   Tax Fairness The budget is...

In Washington, Congress is debating how to help families get back on their feet after a challenging 18 months. However, with so many Montanans still struggling, we cannot afford to return to the way things were. We need to move forward to something better.  While businesses are grappling with the fal...

Cheese – sometimes soft and creamy, sometimes hard and brittle, but no matter the form, always delicious. Growing up in Montana, I was well accustomed to all the classics: Cheddar, Colby Jack, Provolone, Mozzarella, and Swiss. When I relocated to Switzerland, I had the doors flung wide open to a whole ...

“If you don’t have time for things that matter, stop doing things that don’t.” Courtney Carver.   This column is dedicated to busy, and those of us who might describe ourselves as such.  We’ve all been there. Most of us are probably there right now.  ...

I have always kept quiet about opinions I have read in the Journal, but the article published, “Slices of Life” by Jill Pertler, Syndicated Columnist, sent off a chilling nerve up my spine. Her views on forgiveness, are just that, her views. They are certainly not God’s views.   The...

Weeks ago I started out contemplating a list of seven words that led me to some universal life truths.  I wrote about two: kindness and compassion. I had three more columns written and in the hopper when one of life’s universal truths happened. My computer crashed and all my information was los...