All posts in May 2011
Spring Colors
The neighborhood is all in BLOOM. Today I could see blossoms everywhere and ohhhhhhhh the fragrance of the lilacs!!!!
This porch is so inviting, isn’t it?
This porch is totally hidden by the beautiful lilacs right now.
Ice Cream Social
The recently formed Miller Creek Neighborhood Council is planning the 1st Annual Ice Cream Social for Wednesday, June 29th from 5:oo-8:00 pm in Marilyn Park along Linda Vista Blvd.
This will be an opportunity for everyone from Upper and Lower Linda Vista as well as Maloney Ranch and the Lower Miller Creek Road folks to get together and enjoy the Splash Deck at the park and some music and ice cream. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and it will be a gorgeous evening. There will be a very limited agenda: nomination of new Miller Creek Neighborhood council members and public comment.
Plan to join the fun and let us know if you want to help. www.maloneyranchHOA.com
Downtown Missoula Walking Tour
This morning I participated in the Missoula Organization of Realtors’ downtown walking tour. It was a very fun & informative event that revolved around updates & upgrades to our central business district & the exciting changes to our vibrant downtown. Tomorrow I’m going to take the historic walking tour with my daughter. Should be a lot of fun! Judy Wahlberg, University District Neighborhood Advocate Volunteer
Where Can Your Dog Be Off-Leash?
It’s that wonderful time of year to get out and walk your dog. Here is a link to areas that they can be off-leash in Missoula. http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/index.aspx?nid=623
Spontaneous Percussion
Another reason I love Orange Street Food Farm: you want to set up a few drums and hold an impromptu dance session in the parking lot? No Problem! Groceries, strong coffee, and drumming…an excellent combination. Friday was one of the first sort of nice days of the season…definitely coat weather, and these dancers were the only barefoot people I saw, but it’s May, and by gosh, Missoulians are outside. The parking lot of Big Dipper Ice Cream was packed, downtown was hopping, and the Strip was Hip. It’s Spring, Zootown, rain or shine!
Dancing in the parking lot
Flowers in the Hills
The Arrowleaf Balsamroot flowers are glorious in the North Hills!!!
Oh Dear…what about the Deer?
My Mother’s Day cheer was diminished Sunday morning when I realized the few remaining tulips in my front yard had been munched off by the deer! The deer came through about a month ago and ate most of the new shoots and I foolishly thought that putting a wire cage around the last remaining bulbs would somehow keep them safe! Boy, was I wrong. Am I alone in thinking there are too many deer in Miller Creek? Seriously…I want to know if other people are as frustrated as I am.
In my opinion, The deer pack has grown larger and larger over the last 5 years. These urban deer are completely at home lounging on our front lawns and lunching on our bushes and trees. Last week a couple does stood on the grass near my car and watched me make a fool of myself trying to shoo them away! The are fearless! I had to get my 90 pound bassett hound, Daisy to stand on the front porch and Woof a couple times just to get a reaction from the deer and all they did was saunter down to a neighbors yard. The neighborhood deer are generations away from the forest, they have forgottem their roots. They have no idea that they don’t belong living in our yards! The deer have no natural enemies and a terrific food source….they are living the good life. What rights do property owners have against these giant rodents?
I am a true animal lover…I would rescue anything except a mouse….but I am really over the deer. They need to go back home to the fields and forests. Tell me what you think.
Missoula Schools Report Increase in Hungry, Homeless Students
I have mentioned this article in the blog about our local children in need. This is the article that got us going on the MOR4Kids project here in Missoula. It is a bit of a reality check to think there is this much hunger right in Missoula, and in Montana. We have been told that children learn, they learn things can be better……I think this is the community that will teach them just that. I know a majority of you are doing random acts of kindness on a daily basis. I am hoping there will be comments back with ideas, offers of help, donated items as you clean out closets, questions etc. Thank you Jamie for bringing to our attention. Here is the article, thank you for reading. http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_6fdba356-ea26-11df-b66a-001cc4c002e0.html
Our Local Children in Need of Basics
Jamie Kelly of the Missoulian posted on Sunday, November 7, 2010 an article about a big increase in hungry, homeless students.
Across Missoula County AND the state the number of children who rely on school just for food is depressing, growing, getting bigger and brings tears to my eyes. We send aid to other countries, and right off our Front Porch we have a growing crisis since 2007.
Homelessness and hunger have crept into schools where they had never seen the need, they do now.
I believe we can make a difference in this community! Many items can be shoes and clothes that are lightly used, they don’t need to be new. I have included a needs list, that has come from local schools. We are doing outreach to the schools to let them know we think we can help. I am reaching out to you, our community. I think we can ALL help.
Please feel free to contact me personally Judy 329-2017 or Missoula Organization of Realtors (MOR) 728-0560 and we will be glad to take suggestions, answer questions, or work with you in picking up items you may want to donate.
We have a golf tournament on June 23, and all those proceeds will go to this cause….we are calling the cause MOR4Kids. We will periodically put out a “call to action” to request items.
Thank you for joining in to help our own children in crisis. Requested needs lists below:
1. Food to keep on hand for children in need
2. Tennis shoes for gym classes (they do not need to be new)
Sizes 10-adult 7 for elementary schools and size 3-12 for middle schools and high schools
A couple of drives a year would be great (fall and right after Christmas)
Perhaps a drive in the summer so families know they could come in during first week of school. If they could be told in advance, perhaps they could buy food, etc. Leather shoes would stand up over time a little better. Then maybe a second drive mid-year (or after Chistmas when there are good sales).
3. $10.00 gift cards to local grocery stores. Resource specialist at the school can buy the food for the family. Families can only go to food bank one time per month.
4. Belts (do not have to be new!)
Sizes child’s extra small to adult small for elementary schools and adult sizes for middle and high school.
5. Snow boots & winter coats. (maybe available at the beginning of October-February.) Again they do not have to be new.
Gloves are always needed. Knit mittens and gloves don’t keep the hands as warm and get wet. Sturdy goves and mittens are wonderful.
6. Seeley Lake would like 5 backpacks of food for high school age students. Healthy snack food for students after school (tuna, granola, energy bars, individual canned fruits, etc)
7. Gas cards that say “for gas only”.
8. The Title 1 schools are all involved in a program titled RIF (Reading is Fundamental). This is a nationwide grant-funded program that is run almost entirely on volunteers. Each year, our Title 1 schools are able to distribute books to each of their students 3X during the year. Schools are always looking for volunteers to come and read to students during these times. The commitment is usually about 1/2 hour and each school will have its own schedule of times they are distributing.
9. In visiting with the principal at Franklin he said they are in need of about 10 Net Books. They run about $250 each. They are receiving 10, but 10 more will provide enough for a full class to use at a time.
10. Franklin (and probably we will find a couple of other schools) is always in need of food. Franklin has a small pantry to help families out in tight times. She keeps certain kinds of foods on stock such as: cereal, soup, oatmeal, pancake mix, hamburger/chicken/tuna helpers, tuna, canned chicken or turkey, vegetables, after school type snacks for children, juice, etc (kid friendly food).
Some specific school resource requests have come in as well:
1. Boys and girls socks and underwear sizes 5/6, 7/8, and 10/12 (use more smaller sizes)
2. Boys and girls inexpensive sweatpants (Wal-Mart..Hanes) sizes 5/6; 7/8; and 10/12
3. Boys deodorant (some girls, too)
4. School supplies a couple times a year (pencils, crayons, markers, folders, paper, glue, scissors)
5. Educational games and supplies for families (encourage family involvement in education
6. Christmas assistance for families in need (this request has come from several schools)
7. One size fits all mittens/gloves that you can buy for $1.00
8. Provide extra cold weather clothing, mittens, gloves, hats, coats
Franklin School’s New Playground Equipment is in USE
“It all began about a year ago,” explained Julie McLennan, a school parent, who launched the concept with Julie Merritt, another school parent.
“I knew my daughter would be playing on the equipment,” she said. “It was at least 35 years old and probably had lead paint on it, and that bothered me.”
Because other Franklin parents shared similar sentiments, it wasn’t difficult to rally support for the idea to raise funds for a new playground.
The two Julies took hold of the project, the Parent Teacher Association lent its full approval, and the fundraising for the $58,000 new playground took off.
Franklin Plyground Gets lots of Use
Everyone involved knew the project would eventually happen, but no one expected the McGrath family from Colorado to step in and offer to donate $25,000 to the cause.
On April 17th , Steve McGrath was on hand to witness the joy he had helped fund, and to help build the school’s dream with his own hands.
“My daughter was a University of Montana student who student-taught here, and truly the staff and the kids taught her as much as she taught them,” McGrath said. “And to some extent, this our family’s way of saying thank you.
“We wanted to help because this project is so inspiring, and for our family it is a thrill and a privilege to be part of this.”
Yard sales, walkathons, raffles and a host of other small money-makers helped pay for the rest of $58,000 bill, McLennan said.
Among the highlights of the playground: A massive climbing structure with two slides at opposite ends, twisted gymnastics bars and an elevated track system with sliding hand holds that allow children to glide above the ground.
Missoula’s legendary generosity was again on full display, McLennan said, and there aren’t enough “thank yous” in the world to give to the many people and many organizations that helped make the playground possible.
Lowe’s donated cement, the local iron workers union lent their expertise to the welding work, University of Montana College of Technology students helped with earthmoving and construction, but the list of helpers goes on and on, McLennan said.
Story was first reported by Betsy Cohen in the Missoulian’s April 17th edition of the newspaper: Photo’s taken by Anne Jablonski