Trego's Mountain Ear

"Serving North Lincoln County"

Tag: Trego Montana

  • Homeless Students

    Spending time on the school board provides a lot of information.  Some goes into the brain and must be forgotten unless a later incident brings it up.  Some are opinions that seem irrelevant, but are important to the person sharing them.  Recently, I’ve learned that a student can have a home but still be homeless.

    Part of it is a social thing.  People like to own their own piece of the west – and raw land, particularly when it is less accessible and remote from the electric grid, is more affordable.  Here is the publication that defines homeless for Montana’s Office of Public Instruction:

    OPI Guidance for Substandard Housing Determination (Unsheltered) for Students Identified as Homeless 

    Homeless Liaisons should consider multiple factors when determining if a family’s or unaccompanied  youth’s situation meets the criteria of homelessness due to substandard housing.

    • Home must have a solid foundation and a roof that does not leak
    • Security locks must be on all exterior entrance doors
    • Home must be free from insect or rodent infestation
    • Home should have no more than five unrelated persons living in a single-family dwelling, or no more than two family members for each bedroom in the home
    • Each room must have a window or duct to provide ventilation, and interior air must be free of harmful pollutants such as mold
    • Home must have electric service and at least one electric outlet in each room
    • Home must have adequate heating facilities, and hot and cold running water
    • Home must have a separate kitchen and bathroom, each with an operational sink
    • Kitchen must have space for storage, preparation, and serving of food, including a refrigerator and stove or range with oven
    • At least one bathroom must have a bathtub or shower, flush toilet, sink, and offer privacy
    • Every sleeping room must have a window or door providing access to the outside

    Additional factors that should be considered:

    • The family’s financial situation and ability to obtain suitable housing
    • The overall care of the children, including personal hygiene, cleanliness of clothing, nutrition, and healthcare

    *Adapted from guidelines from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

    It seems a bit unreal to live in a community where a family can pay over $1000 per year in property taxes, and find that their child is homeless.  Still, if you can own your home, free and clear, and still be homeless, it does say something about equality.

  • A New Ice Age is Coming

    Some of the stuff a guy reads is contrarian.  That’s OK – science moves ahead by questioning the existing explanations.  Science World has an article describing the potential for a new “mini-ice age” hitting us around 2030.  It isn’t my field, but I did teach Indians of North America – and my timeline started as the glaciers retreated 10 or 12 thousand years back.  The article is here.

    The article describes

    The plummeting temperature will then lead to something called the “Maunder minimum”, which is referred to a previous mini ice age that occurred between 1646 and 1715, turning London’s Thames into a frozen river, scientists claimed. The latest research, led by maths professor Valentina Zharkova at Northumbria University, is built on a previous research that predicts the movements of two magnetic waves produced by the Sun. It also foretells rapidly decreasing magnetic waves for three solar cycles that will begin in 2021, and last for as many as 33 years.

    According to the model, the two magnetic waves will become increasingly offset during Cycle 25, which peaks in 2022. During Cycle 26 between 2030 and 2040, the waves will become out of sync, causing reduction in solar activity by as much as 60 percent.”

    The article looks as if English is a second language, but I tend to look at graphs and charts first.  Personally, I’d prefer a little warming for my elder years.  Still, professor Valenkhova has some items that are worth looking at – this chart shows weather (or climate) from the Maunder minimum to roughly now:

  • Our Communities by ACS Numbers

    I listened to a comment about the median household income in Trego – and defaulted to my professional statement before retirement – “That’s American Community Survey data, and it’s not very good for small communities.”  When I checked it, the $36,458 median household income for Trego translates as “somewhere between $27,478 and $45,438.  ACS data has its uses, but it has to be used with a lot of caution.

    So here’s a little ACS data on our communities – you can check for margin of error (MOE) here.   I wouldn’t recommend using any of the numbers without reviewing MOE – but just sharing the data shows the variance.  It’s safe to admit that my household was one selected for the ACS. With two retirees at home, I didn’t hurt Trego’s school enrollment rate, I raised the percentage of bachelors degree or above, kept the employment rate down, and raised the median age.

    Trego CDPFortine CDPEureka CCDRexford Town
    Population5153176,47078
    Median Age60.527.950.153.3
    Median Household Income$36,458$68,036$40,827$30,481
    Bachelor’s Degree or more26.10%19.20%22.40%0.00%
    Veterans6.80%16.20%12.90%16.80%
    Poverty9.50%5.20%20.40%23.60%
    School Enrollment97.80%72.30%81.90%100%
    Employment Rate40.20%59.50%38.30%20.60%
    Housing Units2831773,71673
    Occupied Housing Units2371442,79646
    Disabilities31.10%18.80%26.70%65.90%
    Children under 189.30%32.50%22.10%13%

    It looks like the Fortine sample drew some younger respondents.  Eureka CCD with a larger population and larger sample is probably closer to correct, and the town of Rexford data is probably close to useless because the small sample size almost guarantees sampling bias

  • In Case You Missed It

    In Case You Missed It

    This time last year, we were writing about the Health Hazards of Loneliness (many!), Irish Democracy (not exclusively Irish), trying recipes: Frybread (good) & Dried Corn Soup (we’re doubtful), and learning about the insects we see at this time of year, both indoors and outdoors (Crane Flies).

    How unhealthy is loneliness?

    Are isolation and loneliness actually bad for our health? Do they increase the risk of dying?

    Irish Democracy

    I started looking for a definition of “Irish Democracy.”  Found all sorts of descriptions of government in the Republic of Ireland – but nothing that described the unorganized ignoring of laws that lack popular support.  The term “Irish democracy” refers to uncoordinated, wide-spread civil disobedience.  An example is a sign in the window requiring face masks by order of Governor Bullock – and once you’re inside, you’re the only one masked. I started into a store, pulling my mask on.  The guy in a Stetson alongside me was humming “Desperados waiting for a train.”  I haven’t…

    Fry Bread

    South Dakota’s official state bread is Fry Bread – Probably the best I ever tasted was with wojapi when I visited the Lower Brule Reservation.  I was fortunate to meet, and get to know, Mike Jandreau, who was Tribal President.  His first question was, “What do you know about tribal sovereignty.”  I could answer competently because I had traveled with Joel Clarenbeau as he studied the topic.  The Lower Brule Reservation was settled under the leadership of Chief Solomon Iron Nation (1815-1894), a man who accomplished a great deal for his people.  I don’t have the…

    Dried Corn Soup

    Once, when I visited the Lower Brule, I was served soup made from dry field corn.  There was no large explanation, just the opportunity for the wasichu to recognize how tough the times were in the first days of the reservations and the last days of the buffalo.  While it’s not five-star cuisine, the recipe probably has a place with anyone who stashes a couple bushels of dried corn in the emergency rations stash. 1 lb. lean boned beef, cut in cubes1 tbsp. bacon drippings4 c. water1 c. dried corn1/2 tsp. salt Brown meat.  Add water;…

    Winter Crane Flies: widespread and little-known

    As I was walking over to my in-law’s place one chill and sunny afternoon, I happened to spot a fly. A gangly, long-legged fly, seeming to bounce up and down in the brisk winter air. Unlike the cluster flies lining the edges of our ceilings, this one was fairly active, despite the temperature.

  • Annual Trego Christmas Bazaar

    Annual Trego Christmas Bazaar

    If the Bazaar had fewer crafters than in previous, it wasn’t obvious. Things were spread out and elegantly displayed as ever. There were old favorites, of the usual sort -a raffle quilt, baked goods, scarves, hats and mittens, baby blankets and little booties, some jewelry and a variety of elegant ornaments. Pottery -mugs, as well as pennants and magnets. Additionally there were conk paintings and wooden bowls, neither of which I recognized from previous years.

    Cookies and hot beverages were available, and it was a pleasant chance to get out and see people, as well as to shop locally. Folks seemed quite pleased for the opportunity to resume holiday traditions.

    The Bazaar began on Friday and ended Sunday -if you missed the chance, many of our local crafters can be contacted, and the historical village bazaar remains online.

  • Canadian Television

    Canadian Television

    As we prepared to get back to Trego, one of the things we anticipated was getting Canadian TV channels again.  It had been about a quarter-century since we enjoyed that particular form of entertainment – so we bought a special, long range antenna to bring them in.  Sadly, developments and improvements as we passed into the third millennium eliminated the repeater stations that had made it possible in the eighties.

    Still, the goal wasn’t forgotten – merely filed away for later use.  Finally, I found a search routine that brought Canadian TV series from the past to my computer screen.  Here are some of the enjoyable Canadian programs I’ll be enjoying during the long evenings of the upcoming winter.

    Corner Gas – This program went on for five years, then had about three years of an animated version, centering on the minimal life of a gas station/convenience store operator in Dog River, Saskatchewan, 40 miles from anywhere.  Search it out on youtube – it’s worth watching.

    Kim’s Convenience – the parental Kims (Korean immigrants) run a convenience store somewhere in Toronto.  It’s a bit more current than Corner Gas, but takes humor into a few politically incorrect areas.  I didn’t find much on youtube – a few outtakes, but it’s just a search away.  It ran from 2016 until last April.   The scripts were written by the same writers that did Corner Gas.

    There are 72 episodes in Due South – the first episode is available on youtube.  It’s a combination of comedy and crime, and looks like a story about an RCMP guy working with a Chicago cop. 

    It looks like Trailer Park Boys is also available – this one had a seven-season run while I was far south of the 49th parallel – and it looks like they’re available on youtube.

     It may be a while before I get a current episode of “this hour has 22 minutes” – but I can get back to watching Canadian TV.