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| Closure of Hamilton recycling center prompts changes in how people reduce waste |
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| By Rod Daniel |
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For more than 35 years, Ravalli Services, Inc. has helped folks in the Bitterroot Valley recycle their waste, accepting aluminum cans, cardboard, newsprint, office paper and other materials that would otherwise end up in the county’s swelling waste stream.
On April 30, Ravalli County’s only full-service recycling center – located on the corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and N Third Street in Hamilton – is set to close its doors. Ravalli Services’ CEO Mike Sadowski cited significant financial losses in recent years as the main reason for the board’s decision to shutter the operation.
The recycling program lost $40,000 in the most recent fiscal year, and recent years have seen similar losses.
“Ravalli Services is doing fine – we’re financially sound,” Sadowski said. “But we cannot, as a business, continue to lose money on our recycling program.”
Ravalli Services Corp. provides a variety of services for adults with disabilities. The recycling operation and thrift shop were originally started as a way to provide employment for some of its clients. The thrift store continues to employ clients, but for several years the recycling operation has not employed clients.
The company currently serves a little more than 60 people.
The bottom line
Manager Mark Hammond has worked at the recycling center for 12 years, during which time he’s seen the market for recyclables fluctuate dramatically.
“It’s a complex, market-driven business where 80 percent of the product gets exported,” Hammond said. “We’ve seen some good years where we’ve been profitable, but in recent years those profits have disappeared.”
One bright spot in the business, he said, is aluminum cans, which are made in the U.S., recycled, and put back to use in the U.S.
“Aluminum can be recycled over and over again indefinitely,” he said. “Cans have always been an important part of our operation.”
Hammond said he ships out an average of about 15,000 pounds of cans every six weeks.
The many tons of aluminum cans to come through the facility are separated and baled before being shipped by a broker to Colorado, where they are melted down and reused. Hammond said arrangements with the broker are usually made a month in advance.
Cardboard is less predictable, he said. Because the price paid per bale of cardboard is less than for aluminum, and because cardboard bales are much heavier than cans, the cost of shipping weighs heavily in the formula.
“In 2005, it cost more to ship (cardboard) than to process,” he said. “That’s when we started charging people for their cardboard.” (The recycling center currently does not charge for cardboard.)
Since then, the price of cardboard has fluctuated. “In December 2009 the price paid at the mill was $85 per ton, last month it was $160 per ton,” he said. “We ship about 30 tons, or 60 bales, every week”
Hammond said most of the cardboard goes back into liner board, increasing the amount of post-consumer content of cardboard on the market.
Mixed ledger paper and newsprint are also accepted and baled at Ravalli Services, but because of the relatively low price paid, “it’s very easy to lose money on them,” he said.
Waiting in the wings
Just a few miles south of Ravalli Services on U.S. 93 another business removes its share of solid waste from the waste stream. Bitterroot Auto Removal takes anything metal, according to owner Clint Nickerson, and in order to control the amount that comes in, Nickerson charges $10 a yard for his service.
“If we didn’t charge for it, we would have more than we could handle,” Nickerson said.
In order to meet what will soon be a need in the community to take other recyclables, Nickerson is in the process of acquiring a license from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to start a full-scale recycling business.
“Our future plan is to take scrap metal for free and to pay for non-ferrous metals like brass, aluminum, copper and stainless steel,” he said. “Eventually, we’d like to do cardboard and paper. It’s pointless to see that stuff go into the landfill.”
Nickerson’s application for a recycling license is currently under review with DEQ in Helena, he said, and a number of steps have to be taken before a license is issued.
Rural dilemma
Montana recycles 15 percent of the solid waste generated annually, according to DEQ. And according to Montana’s Integrated Waste Management Plan, by 2015, recycling and composting should divert 22 percent of solid waste from landfills.
Seattle boasts a recycling rate of 50 percent and San Francisco recently surpassed its goal of recycling 70 percent of its solid waste.
Recycling is a challenge in Montana due to its relatively low and dispersed population and its distance from the processors that use the recyclables as raw materials in their operations. But the willingness of Montanans to recycle is on the rise, Hammond said, even though rural areas have been slower to jump on the recycling bandwagon.
“There are about 40,000 people in Ravalli County, and out of that I’d assume between 5,000 and 7,000 are active recyclers,” he said. “I have to admit I’d like that number to be higher.
“Missoula, on the other hand, is hopping. I saw Allied Waste purchase in two hours what we would purchase in a week. I was a little jealous.”
Because of the higher demand for recycling and the higher population, Missoula is able to recycle items that Ravalli Services hasn’t been able to take.
“People’s biggest disappointment in us has always been that we don’t take plastic or glass,” Hammond said. “But with our size operation, it’s just never been profitable.”
Currently, Missoula has four locations where recyclables such as cardboard, paper, aluminum and steel cans are accepted: Missoula Recyclery, 3207 Broadway; Pacific Recycling, 2600 Latimer: Allied Waste, 3737 Coal Mine Road; and University of Montana Drop-off, 32 Campus Drive.
Community support
Unloading cardboard from his car at Ravalli Services, Dan Hamacher from Victor is disappointed the recycling service is closing.
“People are going to start burning their paper and cardboard and garbage rates are going to go up,” Hamacher predicts.
After moving to the Bitterroot six months ago from Bozeman, Hamacher has utilized the Hamilton recycling facility, but he notes that Bozeman, like Missoula, offers more options for recyclers.
“It’s a shame this is closing,” he said. “You can just take a look at the landfill to see the need for this. I think they ought to charge everybody a buck a month and keep this place open.”
On March 18, the Hamilton City Council held a special meeting to address the closing of the Recycling Center. With two county commissioners present, the city council vowed to work with the county and Ravalli Services to see if there’s a way to keep the recycling center open.
“We all agree we want to see the (recycling) center stay open,” Councilor Al Mitchell said. “We just have to explore ways to do it. We certainly understand that Ravalli Services can’t run this business at a loss.”
In the meantime, Mark Hammond is getting used to the fact that the business he has had a hand in shaping will close at the end of the month. Hammond will stay on with Ravalli services doing maintenance, but he also has plans to try and open a recycling business in Stevensville.
Like Nickerson, he’s working on getting a permit from the state to recycle.
“We’re researching what we can take,” he said. “We’re reasonably sure we will take aluminum cans, cardboard and newsprint, but nothing is final yet. We’re still a ways away from opening.
“Right now the market for recycling is good, and people are interested in it. I’d like to think we could make this work.”
Ravalli Services Recycling remains open Monday though Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the month of April.
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HISTORY: Cabin Fever & Dog Tail Soup
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By Wm. W. Whitfield
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Now that spring has finally sprung, we can all look back on the passing season and assess the time we spent muddling through the dark, chilly days of winter. Of course I’m not implying that wintertime is completely without merit, in fact I normally get a lot of research done during my over-extended months of hibernation. Actually, wintertime is the perfect season to curl up with a good book and catch up on some reading. Still, cabin fever gradually sets in, and I soon become restless and bored with my customary pursuits. Eventually I get the irrepressible urge to hit the open road, and jaunt freely over some unknown trail to the height of a panoramic view, where I can see life unfolding fresh and revitalized with the melting snow.
This past winter I immersed myself in some subject matter that drew me far away from my usual historical meanderings. For a while there I got onto a Gothic Novel binge that brought me from the weird world of Wilkie Collins, to the sullen settings of Joseph LeFanu. And yet there was still plenty of time for me to continue my regular foray into the long-gone lifestyles of men who made up the early decades of Montana History. I also found time to reread some of my old favorites, and a couple of interesting stories managed to impress me during my snowbound retreat. Both reminded me of just how good we have it these days.
High in the Beaverhead Mountains there is an old gold mine nestled firmly into the side of a rocky alpine cirque, with a few rough and tumble cabins hugging the shoreline of a beautiful little lake. The following story comes from Al Noyes, who was an early Big Hole pioneer and held an interest in the mining works at the time the incident occurred. Alva J. Noyes came to Montana in 1866, as a young lad traveling with the last of the Fisk Expeditions. According to his reminiscences in ‘The Story of Ajax’ the isolated mine was the site of an unforgettable case of cabin fever at its worst. The Ajax Mine was situated so high up in the mountains that mining operations were usually called off during the winter months, but one year a couple of bunkmates decided to stay on and try to make some off-season progress in the digs. Mr. Noyes reported that no work was actually ever done that winter, but “it was during that time that Jim ‘Deafy’
Thompson killed ‘Dutch’ Gus in one of the cabins near the mine.”
Apparently, their confined quarters had become a little too close for comfort for the boys, so Jim made up his bed outdoors and Gus occupied the cabin. One morning Jim came in before Gus was up and stirring, and casually asked about the coffee. “I’ll give you all the coffee you want!” said Gus, adding a couple of choice expletives to the end of his harsh invitation. No sooner had the words left his lips, than Gus pulled up his rifle and took a shot at Jim. The bullet just missed Jim’s head, and lodged in the side of the cabin. In attempting to dodge the bullet and get out the door, Jim accidentally closed the door in front of him, while Gus was busy trying to get another cartridge in the chamber of his rifle. Luckily, Jim noticed that his six-shooter was laying on a shelf by the door, and he grabbed it and put a sudden end to the fray.
Jim made his way down the mountain and in to Jackson, where he promptly gave himself up to the local authorities. Somebody said “Maybe the man isn’t dead, Jim.” To which Jim replied, “Yes he is, I looked at him, and he’s dead as hell!” A number of men went back to the scene of the crime with Jim Thompson and found the general situation to be just as he had described it. The trail up the mountain was covered in waist deep snow, which made it virtually impossible to carry out the corpse. The only alternative was to tie a rope around the ankles and drag Gus out that way. This method proved completely unsatisfactory, and eventually they had to put the noose around his neck to get him down the hill. The plan actually worked a little too well, and old Gus got out ahead of them a couple of times. All of that tugging on the rope while snaking him through the dense timber and trying to slow him down on the steep slopes tended to dislocate his neck bones, and it stretched out to more than what would normally be considered a natural proportion. In the end, the posse finally got ‘Dutch’ Gus interred at the Jackson Cemetery, and Jim ‘Deafy’ Thompson was justifiably exonerated through a claim of self-defense. Talk about cabin fever! It just might make you think twice before asking for a hot cup of coffee in the morning.
This next story comes from ‘Trails Plowed Under’ by Charlie Russell, who proves that he was nearly as proficient at telling stories as he was at painting them. In this particular tale Man’s Best Friend kindly fills in for one of the bunkmates, and there really isn’t even a cabin involved, instead a brush hut will have to serve the purpose. The protagonist for this outing is a man simply known as ‘Dog Eatin’ Jack, and it will become evident as the story progresses just how he happened to obtain his rather descriptive moniker.
It seems that before Jack had turned to prospecting, he spent some time trapping beaver. One winter he left his band of horses to graze in the foothills where there was plenty of feed on hand, and a lot less snow. He and his trusty old dog followed a creek up into the timber where he built a comfortable lean-to and went about stringing his traps out along the stream. He didn’t have a lot in the way of grub, but there was ample game in the hills, and he figured that his rifle would hold them over if all else failed. Jack reported that the snow came early that year, and there was lots of it. About three days after the snowstorm passed through, he stepped on a loose boulder and sprained his ankle, which put him out of commission so that he could barely do more than keep his fire alive.
Meanwhile, old Jack was starting to run out of the necessary provisions and was forced to eat a couple of beavers that he had thrown out after taking off their pelts. When the beaver was all gone, Jack’s old dog managed to bring in a snowshoe rabbit that he’d caught, and Jack cut it in two and gave the dog the upper portion and kept the hindquarters for himself. That single rabbit was the last game they got. Jack says that the old dog went out hunting every day but didn’t get anything, and he knew that he wasn’t holding out on him because his flanks were way too thin for him to have been feeding on the sly! After four days with nothing to eat, Jack says his dog started eyeing him with a nervous look. The dog reckoned that Jack was thinking about putting him in the pot, but he had him figured all wrong. Old Jack would rather choke to death than kill and eat his bunkmate. Just the same, by the sixth day Jack was beginning to size up the dog as he was lying next to the fire. He made a note of the fact that his faithful hound had a long meaty tail, and he started thinking to himself, “Oxtail soup! What’s the matter with dog tail?”
By the eighth day Jack’s hunger and the pain in his ankle had made him plumb loco, and he couldn’t get that darn dog’s tail off his mind. Just before noon the dog was quietly sleeping by the fire, when Jack craftily snuck up on him with the axe. In a matter of seconds it was all over, and the dog went yelping off into the woods, while Jack stood there crying his eyes out with the dog’s tail in his hand. The water was already boiling in the kettle, and as soon as he’d singed the hair off of it, the tail was dropped into the pot. Jack hastily turned a couple of flour sacks inside out and added them to the soup, and there was just enough dust left in them to thicken up the broth a little. It was almost dark when Jack finally filled up on his dog tail soup, and he was actually thinking it ended up making a pretty good stew. Of course it would have been even better without the unsavory taste of guilt he was experiencing after wolfing down a meal made from his faithful friend’s tail! No doubt he was hungry enough to have easily finished it off, but he decided to save some just in case his old partner came back to camp.
Jack says “It must be midnight when he pushes into the blankets with me. He’s as cold as a dead snake, and while I’m holding him tight, I’m crying like a baby.” After the dog had warmed up a little, Jack got up and threw some wood on the fire and called his old friend over. He offered up the leftovers to the old dog and he ate it all up hungrily, apparently not even recognizing the flavor of his own tail! Afterwards the two bunkmates crawled back under the covers just as contented as could be. Then, just before daybreak, the old dog slipped out from under the blankets, whinin’ and sniffin’ the air, with his ears up and his short bloody stump of a tail waggin’ excitedly. Jack looked out to where his dog was pointing and he saw a great big bull elk standing twenty-five yards from the lean-to. In a few seconds he had a bead on him, and dropped him with one shot. Old ‘Dog Eatin’ Jack says the meat from the bull elk was tough, but it was enough to get them through their rough spot, and I’m guessing it probably tasted a tad bit better than dog tail soup!
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HEALTH: Gallbladder disease during pregnancy
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| Submitted by: Frederick M. Ilgenfritz, MD, FACS |
More than 4 million children are born each year in the United States. Of the mothers, between 0.05 and 0.3 % develop gallbladder problems during their pregnancy. That is between 2,000 and 12,000 women each year. Another 250,000 women have gallstones but remain asymptomatic.
Gallbladder problems typically occur in patients who have the 6 “F’s”. They are most often: Female, in their Forties, Fertile (pre-menopausal), Fecund (have had children), Fat (overweight), and have a positive Family history. Having described the typical patient, it must be said that both men and women develop gallbladder disease, it is seen in teenagers as well as octogenarians, and in thin as well as overweight patients. Gallstones form in the gallbladder from over concentrated bile which precipitates crystals which then form stones over time. The stones can block off the small duct which connects the gallbladder to the main bile duct. This results in the cramping pain from obstruction of the duct and inability of the gallbladder to empty.
The events which bring a patient to medical attention for gallbladder disease are varied, but typically involve a fatty meal and relatively sudden onset of severe crampy upper abdominal pain. It may be located under the breastbone or the right side ribs. The pain is often associated with nausea but vomiting doesn’t relieve the symptoms. The pain may radiate around the ribs on the right side to the back. The patient has a difficult time finding a comfortable position. The symptoms are severe enough that medical advice is usually sought either from a personal physician or emergency department. There may be a history of similar, less severe attacks in the past, and a family history of gallbladder problems.
The evaluation by a physician will involve laboratory studies which may indicate some inflammation of the liver and/or elevation of the white blood count. Vital signs to include temperature, blood pressure and pulse are assessed. A physical exam is performed and patients with gallbladder disease will have tenderness in the upper mid abdomen or under the upper right ribs. An ultrasound of the gallbladder is performed which can demonstrate gallstones. It may also show thickening of the gallbladder wall or fluid around the gallbladder. In some cases there are no stones present and the gallbladder looks normal on ultrasound. A HIDA scan may be done to assess the function of the gallbladder in those cases. A HIDA scan involves injection of a radioactive tracer and so is not a good option during pregnancy.
The pregnant patient presents some increased challenges for management. The diagnosis of gallbladder disease can be fairly simple if gallstones are seen, and particularly if there is thickening of the gallbladder wall. In this case it is merely a matter of timing the treatment for the optimal outcome. Treatment for gallbladder disease is removal of the gallbladder surgically either laparoscopically or as an open operation. Conservative management, with pain medication and non-fat diet will allow many patients’ symptoms to improve. If the problems have developed early in pregnancy the likelihood of recurrence is unfortunately high. With a pregnant patient, there are actually two patients. It may be in the mother’s best interest to have the surgery as soon as possible, but for the baby it is well established that the best time is the second trimester. At this point the period of organ formation is over so the chance of major malformations or fetal death is reduced. The uterus is still small enough to allow a laparoscopic approach. In the final trimester, uterine irritability is greater and the risk of premature labor goes up. It is also more likely that an open operation will be needed due to the uterine size. If possible, a surgeon will delay surgery in a patient with a gallbladder attack early in pregnancy until the second trimester. Similarly he will delay surgery late in pregnancy until after the child is born. Surgery can be done during the other times but with some increased risk. Ultimately, the mother’s health takes priority and if the symptoms cannot be controlled, removal of the gallbladder becomes necessary. In most cases the baby comes through the experience safely.
Gallbladder disease during pregnancy is an unusual but not rare condition. The evaluation generally involves laboratory tests and an ultrasound examination. Treatment is surgical and is best done in the second trimester but can be done whenever necessary. In the majority of cases the mother and child do very well.
Questions or comments can be addressed to Frederick M. Ilgenfritz, MD, FACS, c/o Bitterroot General & Vascular Surgery, 1150 Westwood Drive, Suite C, Hamilton, MT 59840 or visit www.bgvs.us.
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REAL ESTATE: Recovery from the Burst of the Real Estate Bubble
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| By Darwin Ernst |
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We all seem to have been touched in some way by the recent recession. Many people did not want to even label it a recession, because when the false economy was ignored everyone seemed to be happy. There are many reasons for the current economic recession and the real estate lending industry has many targets for blame, so now legislators, regulators, and professional organizations are asking how to avoid a similar problem in the future.
There are a veritable plethora of activities taking place to assist with the transition to a smoother real estate market now that we are closer to recovery from the turbulent waves created by the burst of the housing market bubble. Make no mistake, we have not seen the end of foreclosures in our market area, but the local real estate market will eventually return to a much more stable environment.
The “shadow” lending industry (non-bank lending industry) is becoming more regulated. This includes raising the education and licensing requirements of the mortgage loan brokers, who were originally not regulated. The mortgage “brokers” were originally spawned from the bank’s desire to outsource the mortgage origination process and the federal and state regulatory agencies have since discovered that the non-regulated mortgage originators were responsible for a large portion of the most toxic loans.
Federally regulated banks are raising the requirements for obtaining financing, which means borrowers must have higher down payments, higher credit scores, and verifiable incomes. Stated income loans are no longer acceptable.
The real estate appraiser qualifications have been elevated. Prospective appraisers must now obtain higher education and more experience to obtain a license. The Appraisal Foundation is also creating an Appraisal Practices Board (APB), which is responsible to provide support and guidance to those individuals within the financial lending environment who require knowledge of appropriate, and effective valuation methods and techniques.
In addition, the Montana Board of Real Estate Appraisers is actively pursuing legislation to provide regulation of appraisal management companies (AMC) that evolved from a need to promote independent real estate valuations and eliminate potential collusion between unethical loan originators and real estate appraisers.
The government sponsored entities (GSE) are currently under government control. The two largest GSE are commonly referred to as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The GSE were originally sponsored by the government in an effort to provide liquidity to banks that originated mortgage loans. They purchased the mortgage loans from the banks, bundled the loans into mortgage backed securities (MBS), and then sold the MBS to investors on Wall Street. The new governmental conservatorship of the GSE has resulted in more oversight of lending practices and the ability of the GSE forcing loan originators to buy back toxic mortgage loans.
Wall Street has also undergone many changes that minimize the ability of those who can gamble with MBS. The volume of toxic mortgage loans created by lax lending practices and further exaggerated by the over-rated and over-leveraged process related to MBS were minimized by raising the cash reserve requirements of the lending institutions and creating stricter oversight of the rating and trading systems of MBS on Wall Street.
The local real estate market is experiencing elevated volumes of real estate listings that are bank-owned properties through foreclosure and properties that are potential foreclosures. The increase in foreclosures is partially due to the current economic recession and partly due to the lack of monies available to the homeowners from available lending sources. The small banks are struggling to survive due to the increase in their non-producing real estate assets, the mortgage brokers are closing their doors due to increased regulation and liability for buying back toxic loans, and the largest banks have more stringent lending practices and increases in their capital reserve requirements.
The volume of mortgage brokers in Montana has decreased by 50% since their peak in 2006-2007, according to Christopher Romano, the Compliance and Licensing Manager for the Montana Division of Banking and Financial Institutions. Real estate agents and appraisers have also been adversely affected. The volume of members within the Bitterroot Valley Board of Realtors has diminished by more than 33% since 2009. Because the renewal cycle for licensed real estate appraisers is March 31 of every year, there are 159 Montana licensed appraisers that have not yet renewed their licenses for 2010-2011 and it is unknown how many will renew prior to the deadline. Ten licensed appraisers in Montana have already placed their license in the “inactive” status and only six of the nineteen appraiser trainees have renewed their license so far. It is hopeful that the attrition within these professional organizations will ultimately result in a higher standard of professionalism and retain the more ethical and experienced service providers for the future benefit of the borrower, as well as the financial lending institutions that rely on these professionals.
Borrowers are also recognizing their role in the loan application process and that full disclosure is warranted to prevent upside-down mortgage loans (when the value of their real estate is worth less than the amount that they owe on their mortgage loan). Upside-down mortgage loans also happen when there is a significant decrease in property value; unfortunately, the majority of the upside-down mortgages in the local market area were caused by over-inflated property valuations in combination with borrowers who misreported their debt to asset ratio on their mortgage loan application.
The potential for recovery from the burst housing bubble on the local level is dependent on the actions of legislators, regulatory agencies, banking institutions, mortgage loan originators, real estate investors, appraisal management companies, real estate appraisers, borrowers, and anyone else involved in the local mortgage lending environment. Supporting efforts toward financial reform will result in a more stable real estate market and assist in resolving the current economic depression.
Darwin Ernst, SRA e-mail: darwin@tekboys.com Montana Licensed Real Estate Agent, Realtor, Montana Residential Certified Appraiser, Designated Residential Member of the Appraisal Institute, Montana Real Estate Appraiser Board Member, and President of Independent Valuation Solutions, LLC
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| COOKING: Venison Manicotti |
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| By Chef Vince |
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With April, as in past years, I can hardly wait to get to the great outdoors and hike and fish. With the fall it was the same with hunting season. Both seasons provided good opportunities to see the country and enjoy what nature had in store for me.Well, this reminds me of a distant fall when I was much younger and had just moved to the great Northwest. I was a desert rat and knew nothing of the great forests. What I am about to share with you is a true story. However, I have embellished it a bit ,and stretched the facts a bit. You might say that this is a tale told best around a camp fire with good friends. My Southern Oregon hunting trip will forever live in my memory.
I never had gotten turned around in my old haunts and the following experience was an eye opener. The mountain country with its canyons, ridge lines and trees should not be a problem, or so I thought. A couple of buddies and I had arrived at our hunting destination and commenced to make a plan of attack to outsmart those wily deer. They tell me to “Go down that canyon, up that draw, turn to the right and follow the ridge line for about two miles. We will meet at the stump of a burned out jack pine two more draws over. You got that down?” I said” no problem I’ll see you in a couple of hours”. I did not tell them that I was to proud to admit I did not understand anything they said, let alone know what a jack pine was or looked like.
I just figured “ No sweat, it can’t be that tough.” I thought I was prepared for any adverse problems. It was about sixty-five degrees, and sunny. I had on a T-shirt, orange vest, and carried a sandwich in my pants pocket, a knife, matches and plenty of ammo. What could go wrong? So off I went. I was hiking along and failed to notice how thick the trees were getting and the sky was dark. I looked up and to my amazement there was no ridge line, no mountain top, and no landmarks that I could see from where I was to Bombay, India!!! Of course I did not worry about my situation. I simply sat down, got myself situated and began to scream, weep and generally fall apart. When I calmed down I noticed a bit of a chill in the air. I believe it was called sleet and snow and a layer of ice was forming on my bare arms (remember just a T-shirt and vest? ). Well, I decided to back track and find a spot to sit down and eat my sandwich. This would make me feel better and collect my thoughts. I should have been a bit more observant because I sat down under the only yellow jacket nest that had not gone into hibernation. They really enjoyed attacking my ham sandwich and me. Needless to say, I regained the warmth of my body by running at high speed, while at the same time, falling and doing some great backward flips and tumbling. I left the ham to the jackets, keeping only the bread. I do believe I scored a 10-10-10-10-10 on the judges score cards for originality. You know I could swear I saw them smiling when they bagged the meat from my sandwich.
I forgot to mention, that while sitting under the Yellow Jacket nest, unknown to me I had a hole in the crotch of my pants. This allowed access to certain parts of my anatomy to a nest of mighty big carpenter ants that decided I would be a good meal. So this gives you a good picture of this guy doing back flips through the air in his shorts while swatting at ants and Yellow Jackets all the while clinging to his sandwich.
This brings me to another thing I learned. Did you know that a bear can smell sandwich bread from at least eight miles away or more?, and are also very hungry before going into hibernation? Need I go on? I am absolutely sure that bear said, “ Next time hold the mayo.” So in addition to having a compass (GPS’s were not around then) ,one should also carry an extra sandwich--one for you and one for the Yellow Jackets and bears. A good bear deterrent spray, if such a thing was around then, would have been real handy.
Well this leads me to this month’s recipe for Venison Manicotti.
What you need...I like a fresh marinara sauce myself
• Two pounds ground venison burger
• Two eggs
• One teaspoon salt
• One small onion - chopped fine
• One cup grated Parmesan cheese
• One teaspoon black pepper
• One tablespoon dried parsley
• One clove minced garlic
• Two cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Two packages manicotti noodles
• Your favorite spaghetti sauce recipe
What you do
Mix well all the spices, eggs and grated cheese with the venison, holding aside the Mozzarella cheese and the noodles, then set the meat aside. Having made your spaghetti sauce earlier have it warmed and ready to use. Boil the manicotti noodles according to package instructions and cool off with cold water to stop the cooking process. In a large baking dish, coated with vegetable spray, cover the bottom with the prepared sauce. Now, stuff each noodle with the meat mixture, being careful not to tear the noodle while stuffing. Continue to fill all the noodles and neatly line them one behind the other. Totally cover the manicotti with more sauce. You do not want them be dry. Lastly cover the sauce with the shredded Mozzarella cheese. Place in a pre heated 350 degree oven and cook for thirty to forty minutes. A good gauge is when the dish is bubbling all over with the melted cheese, it is done. Serve with toasted Italian bread and a ,tossed salad.
Until next month enjoy your April and may God bless you and yours.
Wildlife Chef Vince
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