Kindness predominates in community as neighbors help each other out
Classified ad in the Bee: "Farm skidding wench. $1,000. Priest River area." One reader dropped me a note asking what the "wench" did to earn $1,000. "She must be really something to go for $1,000," the astute writer wrote.
This winter has brought out the very best and worst of our neighbors.
On the very best list:
"Thank you to Jay and Phillip for their kindness on Tuesday afternoon after already helping another truck make it up a steep Sagle Road hill, they then got in our truck and drove two very scared girls down Sagle Road's hairpin turns and all the way home.
"They then set up our generator as we had no power. Thank you for going the extra mile, you are very appreciated."
This note was dropped off at the Bee by a grateful Mom who was enjoying her first winter here with her daughter.
"It's great to know you live in a community like that," Mom wrote. The men drove them all the way to Camp Bay. The men told her there are a lot of people who live in the community who would do the same thing.
Here's another:
Ed Solce is an 84-year-old blind man who lives in Clark Fork. He wrote:
"I have an overabundance of snow, which is beyond my ability to remove, so I called the high school.
"Barbara answered and said Casey McDonald, the high school geography-history teacher is the director for the junior class citizen program. Within a short time, Casey appeared with 10 students with shovels in hand.
"They cleaned my walks and drive with vigor, vitality plus camaraderie. This was a realistic and practical program for we disabled seniors. This was a God send.
"Since it was a God-send, I called God and the operator answered and said "Long distance calls to heaven are $500 per minute, but in your case deposit 25 cents. It is a local call because Clark Fork is not that far from heaven."
One of the e-mails I received this week wondered if a car runs up on a snow berm to get out of the way of another vehicle, is it committing "bermicide?"
I also promised I would mention in this space anyone who ordered Girl Scout cookies through the Daily Bee office last week. Many did. Here are a few and I will mention more next week.
Colleen Spickelmire, on behalf of Panhandle State Bank, ordered 10 boxes; Sally Lindemann was good for a few boxes and a person with the last name of Cherry ordered a bunch.
Full disclosure: The reason I am listing people is that I have a daughter who is selling Girl Scout cookies. I have talked to a lot of people who love Girl Scout cookies but can't find a Girl Scout to sell cookies.
Brittney, Devyn and Sheri have all taken "cookie calls" this week, and my future sales girl has thanked them. We still have two more weeks to sell, so if a Girl Scout hasn't spoken with you and you have a hankering for Thin Mints, call 263-9534. Operators (OK, Brittney, Devyn and Sheri) are standing by.
I'll be very excited to let you know how many cookies the Sandpoint Rotarians buy today.
Clarification from last week's column: Ed Ostrom ran for Sandpoint City Council and had the help of Ben Stein's money.
Jay Leno liked the way a Bonner County dispatcher described how a deputy broke up a "gaggle" of elk along a county road recently. The elk agreed to disperse. Leno featured this snippet a few weeks ago on the Tonight Show. The elk are reportedly shopping around for an agent.
David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.