Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 959 - 983 of 1549
Christmas will be here before we know it. Time marches forward at the same pace every day. Doesn’t it seem time gets away from us? In all the hustle and bustle of life, it is vital that we slow down. A consequence of not being contemplative is the possibility of missing the truth of Christmas. On the very first Christmas, at the birth of Jesus Christ, there was a diabolic plot which was intended to disrupt the very plans of God. Humanity often has seen the likes of this. Thwarting the sovereignty of the Almighty wasn’t to be. News spread reg...
Cookbooks are still not obsolete because recipe websites are terrible. The grinch gets a bad rap. He never hated Christmas, he just hated people. The social acceptability of farting versus peeing yourself swaps when you’re in a body of water. Some people believe that secret societies of wealthy people run everything and use us all as pawns, but that’s really just society. They aren’t even secret about it. If you sleep 7 instead of 8 hours a day you’ll technically live 3 years longer. Deer don’t connect headlights with danger because the sun h...
Dear Editor, Freedom House, a non-profit NGO conducting research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights, recently reported that US democracy is in decline and has been for the last decade. They urgently recommend reforms to reverse this nefarious trend toward authoritarian rule. They listed several reasons for our decline, which, in my opinion, can be summed up to the extreme forces in play on both ends of the political spectrum. The far-left liberals and the ultra-right-wing conservatives, neither of whom understand...
Dear Editor, Let me start by saying that corn used to be my most favored vegetable when it came to canned veggies, anyway. When I had good teeth, I would devour corn-on-the-cob like it was going out of style back in the day. Even to this day, I like my cornbread made with...you guessed it...creamed corn. But here’s where we come to the crux of the matter. It’s no big secret that corn, the delicious vegetable that saved our Pilgrim forefathers from starvation, has little to no nutritional value! Furthermore, studies have shown that the ind...
I had an experience on Monday while covering the horrific bus vs van accident. The incident is something I cannot ignore and is what spurred this editorial. In February 2009, Dallice Smith was killed in a car accident on Highway 69. She was a friend, a former teammate on softball leagues, and someone the majority of our community knew by sight. At the time of her death, I worked at the Ledger. When news of her accident broke, the former owner and Editor of the Ledger chose to run photos of the scene. I disagreed with his decision, but I was...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. Take that to heart and try to see the silver lining when an obstacle gets in your way. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 It’s one thing to stand by your views, Taurus. It’s another to stubbornly refuse to listen to others when they make good points. Be open-minded this week. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 You may be juggling too much at one time, Gemini. If you’re finding it difficult to manage your time, reach out to a friend or colleague for help. They’re ready and willing. CANCER Jun...
To avoid a piece of paper from folding, you put it in a folder. We laugh at animals for having funny mating rituals but humans probably have the most complex and frustrating mating rituals of all. We could be waking up in the body of a different person every day with their memories and all and we would have no way of knowing that. Han Solo and Shrek dress the same. The modern version of ‘if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound’ is ‘if a good deed happens and no one is around to film it, did it happen?’ If you...
Dear Editor, On November 10th and 11th, Cardwell and the Whitehall Schools presented the military Veterans of the surrounding area with multiple patriotic programs that were a salute to the military Veterans’ service. These patriotic presentations were incredible in their content and preparation! The children at Cardwell School were well-rehearsed and enthusiastic in their songs and poetry! The Veterans, parents, and families that were present were treated to a typical “Panther” show! At the end of the program, all the children presented the V...
Dear Editor, I realize that this is a rather touchy and perhaps even volatile issue, but it needs to be addressed if only to further educate people. This letter is in response to last week’s Letter to the Editor, co-authored by Timothy Bennett and Sally Erickson, regarding both the safety and wisdom of the push to vaccinate our children. Before I go too far, though, I DO want to reiterate that I don’t disagree with much of what they wrote. Maybe they could have exhibited a bit more kindness and understanding, however, although I ack...
Dear Editor, We’ve lived in Whitehall for over 17 years. It has been a sweet little town to raise our girls in! People caring about one another, neighbors watching out for neighbors, very few litterbugs or people breaking the law. However, it saddens my heart to see, these last few weeks, the amount of garbage thrown on the side of the road. And this isn’t just outside of town, but right on Legion Avenue. This is a blatant disrespect to our community. Along the same lines, the illegal use of garbage dumpsters that don’t belong to the dumpe...
Dear Jo, Are you competitive? I am!!! There is going to be a local Christmas light display contest and I want to win. Actually, I MUST win!!!! I find myself driving around town checking on who is decorating, and thinking to myself, “I will buy more lights, more tinsel, more yard displays and more, more, more!!!!” How can I stop before I put myself into debt or worse? Signed, Ready to Self Destruct! Dear Self Destruct, First, DO NOT self-destruct, or do anything that will be worse. You need to settle the heck down, take a few deep breaths and...
Hello readers! Please accept my apologies for another week without a Name to a Face article. This has been a very active little town this past week, and I am so blessed and honored to be a part of all of it. Since this is the week of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take some time to tell you all how thankful I am for all of you, this article, and the opportunity that Liz has given me with the Ledger. I am so blessed to be able to interview you and present such articles for you. This article is meant...
In conversation last week, many people in two different states shared worries of pending economic trouble. Uncertainty might be the keyword; Montana might be more secure than other parts of the country. I don’t like doomsday talk at Thanksgiving. We’ll have turkey and all the trimmings; you may as well. For those of us who have been blessed with an abundance, I cannot get away from this virtue: thankfulness. Believe that God desires for us to continually grow in thanksgiving. When our hearts are full of His love, thankfulness is as well. Ove...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, family tops your list of priorities. You are likely to spend considerable time with loved ones in the days to come. Relish all the opportunities to enjoy one another. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 You may feel uneasy or worried for unknown reasons, Taurus. Trust your gut in this instance and steer clear of trouble should it try to find you. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, focus on keeping your cool even if others are trying to provoke you. Be the bigger person in all of your interactions. You have great control of your emotions....
While everyone knows my passion for Halloween, some might be surprised that I adore Christmas as well. I love Christmas cookies, singing carols, lying under the Christmas tree and looking up into the lights, and finding the perfect present for my loved ones. I may think that our stores start pushing Christmas a bit too early (come on, before Halloween is here?!) However, I definitely could get behind celebrating year round because of the following: 1. Holiday music is so happy and cheerful! Jingle Bells gets stuck in my head in the middle of...
Dear Editor, We were saddened to see the article on the front page of your November 10th issue parroting, without question, government and pharmaceutical industry talking points regarding the safety, efficacy, and necessity of COVID vaccines for children. What we see in this article is a great deal of both questionable information and unwarranted certainty. The article presents statements of alleged fact which do not align with our own five years of research into vaccines, or with the statements of hundreds of thousands of respected...
We have collectively accepted the standard of tying shoelaces, while there are so many other different ways to tie. If Apple and Android ever come together to have the same charger, the world will know peace. Sneezing while driving is honestly a near death experience. Ukulele songs sound either too happy or too depressed. The main qualifier for something to be be used as a base for a musical: it needs to be something that does not look like you can make a musical out of it. The different blood types probably have different tastes and probably v...
Dear Jo, I’ve got a question for you. I hope this isn’t beyond the pale or anything, but why is it becoming more and more acceptable for women, models especially, to let it all hang out so to speak, as long as that slippery little (she) devil, the nipple is covered? Not that I am complaining, but this kind of behavior seems to be growing in popularity! Since the gland in question is pretty much a glob of fat, shapely as it may be, and the nipple actually serves a purpose, could that be the answer to my query? Might it be that simple? Sig...
Thanksgiving: a break for many; a burden to many more. I admit to being old-fashioned in this and it will be a break for most of my household, except the cook. If only the country would go back to the time of rest around the holidays. Some go hungry and find themselves alone. Maybe it would be a good idea to find at least one person or another family who could benefit from our abundance. One can be generous through a simple invite to dinner or by surprising another family with a drop off meal. It seems to me that our family always has more...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you may not jump out of bed excited to work, but things may change in the next few days. Pleasant interactions at the workplace play a factor into your good mood. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Stop and smell the roses as much as possible, Taurus. Cherish the good things you encounter, whether they are big or small. Take advantage of an opportunity to indulge. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, don’t let trivial things distract you from the bigger picture. Even if a small opportunity does not initially seem like a big deal, it c...
Dear Editor, As far as conspiracy theories go, one might note that the the subject of climate change has been growing in popularity over the past few years, maybe as much as a decade. I’m not a scientist, so I’m not even going to try to convince anyone either way as to whether there’s something to it, or even if it’s as bad as they say. I’m definitely not going to say either, that it’s all just a bunch of hogwash, because I know there’s SOMETHING to it, if only that it’s as simple as our Mother Earth protesting being raped (a comment that I’ve...
Dear Editor, As the Jefferson Valley Museum continues to grow, financing becomes a problem. Thanks to the generosity of The Country Store, The Jefferson Valley Community Foundation, and Barrick Gold, a research/resource room will soon be completed and ready for service. Last year was particularly bleak with lack of visitors due to COVID-19, but it has been a much better 2021 season. There have been several new collections of history of the Whitehall area brought to the Museum. These will be...
Everyone wants you to go the extra mile, but no one gives you the gas to do it. Dreams make no sense. One part of your brain is making up the story and another part is experiencing it and genuinely being surprised by what happens. Someone’s parent may have used you as a bad example for their kids. Cartoons are more fun to watch as an adult. It makes it easier to notice the jokes and secret messages that you would have missed as a kid. There is a chance that someone you know will use your death as an excuse to get out of a social obligation t...
Dear Jo, Here they come! The holidays, that is! Along with all that “holiday spirit” come the expectations, the inevitable weight gain, seeing family you might be better off keeping your distance from, etc. It’s not like I’m all HUMBUG or anything. I just have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. How can I make it?! Any ideas? Signed, Not a Grinch Dear Grinch, Well, there is no avoiding it; the holidays come whether we are ready or not. Although you say you are not a grinch, nor a humbug, your letter leads me to believe you actuall...
For a moment, picture yourself as Bob Ross or Picasso and on your palette there is only white and black paint. No matter how many times you mix the two colors together the results will always be a shade of gray. One drop of black dramatically changes the tone of the white, never to be pure white again. Many remark that we are living in a gray world, asserting that truth is often canceled. I, for one, believe truth still matters. Wholesome virtues have been part of human society: truth versus deceit is a long standing battle. The noble trait of...
