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I would like to take this opportunity to thank a particular employee that works for the Flathead County Road Department. He stands out above the rest and should be commended, at least with my particular experiences.

I used to spend the week with my brother and his wife, in Kila, on Springhill Road. Anyone that lives here knows that Springhill Road can be very dangerous in the winter. My sister and I would always decline going into town in the winter months unless my brother drove us, due to the iciness and sliding down the road. We would decline until my brother drove us in.

There had always been plowmen on Springhill Road in the winter, but they did the minimal plowing — just enough to push the snow off the road, nothing else. One time I stayed at my brothers for three weeks, while they were away. I already knew I was not about to drive down into town by myself on that road that was so dangerous in the winter months. So I hunkered down for the long haul. Well, imagine how surprised I was when I walked out and checked the road and it was not only plowed, but an employee had taken the time to go over and above the plowing of the road. This particular employee plowed the road first, then made those grooves and ruts in the road so it wasn’t so slick, and then (a novel idea) the employee also put sand on the road. Springhill Road in Kila was actually drivable in the winter!

I found out who this particular employee was so I could thank him personally for going over and above on their job. He took the time to do it right. He wasn’t in a hurry so he could get to another road quickly. He was more interested in quality than quantity, and that is rare these days. So a great big “Thank You” to Mr. Tim Buck. You should be commended on a job well done! Keep up the good work! —Rebecca L. Wilke, Kalispell

Why we need separation of church and state

Mr. Trepanier’s Dec. 10 letter in the Daily Inter Lake claims “... there are only two important books in our world that are of importance — the Holy Bible and the Constitution of the United States.”

Given this mindset its easy to see why some pursue an interpretation of Constitution’s First Amendment as a “separation of church and state.”

Let us hope that it is not a “fictitious” separation because those in Mr Trepanier’s “our world” do not include hundreds, and likely thousands, of spiritual beliefs that do not rely upon the writing of long deceased, white, Jewish, men as sole and uncontested definition of God; and non-believers. —Bill Shaw, Columbia Falls

Thanks for doing plowing!

A huge thank you to Kalispell city, Flathead County, and all independent plow operators. We had a long planned social gathering for Wednesday evening and when we reluctantly headed into Kalispell from the south end of the valley at 4 p.m., we were astonished how fabulous the main roads, parking lots, side roads were well plowed and no worries driving into town. You leave your families in the middle of the night so the rest of us can do whatever it is we must leave the safety of our homes and drive in snowy weather. Great job. Thank you so much! —Larry and Rose Cutrone, Kalispell

All I want for Christmas is peace and quiet

Christmas is a time of reflection, of gift giving, of peace, of friends and family and good will toward men; unless of course you have neighbors, like mine, reminiscent of the Bumpus clan of “The Christmas Story” fame.

My new neighbors, who moved here last year from out of state, brought their herd of dogs with them and I haven’t had a moment’s peace since. My peaceful mountain home is no longer the refuge it has been in the past as the constant barking of a multitude of dogs is a constant source of irritation, including when they escaped their enclosure and found their way into my horse paddock. My neighbors have assured me that they would take action, but the barking continues.

I have contacted Animal Control in an attempt to get some relief from this invasion on my right to peace and quiet. Their response was shocking and laughable; in order for Animal Control to take action, I have to … wait for it! … keep a bark log! A bark log? You just can’t make this kind of stuff up!

So in addition to having my right to enjoy the solitude of my home infringed, I now have to write down dates and times for every incident. This ridiculous requirement further increases my stress levels as I now have to constantly stop what I am doing to record the constant incidents of noise coming from my neighbor’s home. Christmas is indeed a time of reflection, of gift giving, of peace, of friends and family and good will toward men — unless you have the Bumpus clan as neighbors. —John Mello, Kalispell

Christmas program in Bigfork was inspiring

I want to thank the Crossroads Church in Bigfork for putting on a wonderful Christmas program. We are new to the area and I do believe I lost my Christmas spirit somewhere along the way during our painful but necessary move from our home in Colorado to Montana. I rediscovered the true reason for the season through song, music, and comedy at the Church’s “Christmas Live” presentation. So much work and talent has gone into this special show! I highly recommend everyone catch the last performance (and the Christmas spirit) on the 22nd, 7:30 p.m., at the playhouse in downtown Bigfork. It’s perfect for any age, and IT’S FREE! Thank you, Crossroads! Merry Christmas to all! —Dee Armstrong, Bigfork

A political holiday wish list

Here are some political opinions expressed through a holiday wish list.

Dear Santa. Please bring the following gifts to all of humanity: Please serve a court order to Donald J. Trump requiring him to knock on all doors around the White House and introduce himself as a registered confessed crotch grabber. Please put a lump of coal in Mitch McConnell’s stocking. Please put a brick of your lowest grade welfare cheese in Paul Ryan’s stocking. Please tell Roy Moore to stop asking teenage girls if they have been naughty or nice, then drooling down the front of his shirt if they say naughty. Please bring Mike Pence an “I’m with Stupid” T-shirt. Please bring Sean Hannity a new chew toy and update his rabies shots because he is starting to froth at the mouth. Please bring Roger Stone a conscience. Please bring Mr. fiscal responsibility, Ryan Zinke, an Uber gift card so he can take a break from using private jets or military helicopters to go EVERYWHERE. This next one may be too much to ask, but here goes. Please Santa, after you are done delivering gifts to all the good girls and boys, can you take Kellyanne Conway with you? Please bring Paul Manafort a bedazzled electronic ankle bracelet with a STRONG lock on it. Above all, please Santa, bring a very special gift. Load up your sleigh with any elf who has investigative experience and put him or her on indefinite loan to Robert Mueller. Give Robert a pat on the head as he sleeps and make sure to watch over him in the months to come. He has been a very good little boy. —Todd W. Cardin, Kalispell

Plowing above and beyond the call of duty

I would like to take this opportunity to thank a particular employee that works for the Flathead County Road Department. He stands out above the rest and should be commended, at least with my particular experiences.

I used to spend the week with my brother and his wife, in Kila, on Springhill Road. Anyone that lives here knows that Springhill Road can be very dangerous in the winter. My sister and I would always decline going into town in the winter months unless my brother drove us, due to the iciness and sliding down the road. We would decline until my brother drove us in.

There had always been plowmen on Springhill Road in the winter, but they did the minimal plowing — just enough to push the snow off the road, nothing else. One time I stayed at my brothers for three weeks, while they were away. I already knew I was not about to drive down into town by myself on that road that was so dangerous in the winter months. So I hunkered down for the long haul. Well, imagine how surprised I was when I walked out and checked the road and it was not only plowed, but an employee had taken the time to go over and above the plowing of the road. This particular employee plowed the road first, then made those grooves and ruts in the road so it wasn’t so slick, and then (a novel idea) the employee also put sand on the road. Springhill Road in Kila was actually drivable in the winter!

I found out who this particular employee was so I could thank him personally for going over and above on their job. He took the time to do it right. He wasn’t in a hurry so he could get to another road quickly. He was more interested in quality than quantity, and that is rare these days. So a great big “Thank You” to Mr. Tim Buck. You should be commended on a job well done! Keep up the good work! —Rebecca L. Wilke, Kalispell

Why we need separation of church and state

Mr. Trepanier’s Dec. 10 letter in the Daily Inter Lake claims “... there are only two important books in our world that are of importance — the Holy Bible and the Constitution of the United States.”

Given this mindset its easy to see why some pursue an interpretation of Constitution’s First Amendment as a “separation of church and state.”

Let us hope that it is not a “fictitious” separation because those in Mr Trepanier’s “our world” do not include hundreds, and likely thousands, of spiritual beliefs that do not rely upon the writing of long deceased, white, Jewish, men as sole and uncontested definition of God; and non-believers. —Bill Shaw, Columbia Falls

Thanks for doing plowing!

A huge thank you to Kalispell city, Flathead County, and all independent plow operators. We had a long planned social gathering for Wednesday evening and when we reluctantly headed into Kalispell from the south end of the valley at 4 p.m., we were astonished how fabulous the main roads, parking lots, side roads were well plowed and no worries driving into town. You leave your families in the middle of the night so the rest of us can do whatever it is we must leave the safety of our homes and drive in snowy weather. Great job. Thank you so much! —Larry and Rose Cutrone, Kalispell

All I want for Christmas is peace and quiet

Christmas is a time of reflection, of gift giving, of peace, of friends and family and good will toward men; unless of course you have neighbors, like mine, reminiscent of the Bumpus clan of “The Christmas Story” fame.

My new neighbors, who moved here last year from out of state, brought their herd of dogs with them and I haven’t had a moment’s peace since. My peaceful mountain home is no longer the refuge it has been in the past as the constant barking of a multitude of dogs is a constant source of irritation, including when they escaped their enclosure and found their way into my horse paddock. My neighbors have assured me that they would take action, but the barking continues.

I have contacted Animal Control in an attempt to get some relief from this invasion on my right to peace and quiet. Their response was shocking and laughable; in order for Animal Control to take action, I have to … wait for it! … keep a bark log! A bark log? You just can’t make this kind of stuff up!

So in addition to having my right to enjoy the solitude of my home infringed, I now have to write down dates and times for every incident. This ridiculous requirement further increases my stress levels as I now have to constantly stop what I am doing to record the constant incidents of noise coming from my neighbor’s home. Christmas is indeed a time of reflection, of gift giving, of peace, of friends and family and good will toward men — unless you have the Bumpus clan as neighbors. —John Mello, Kalispell

Christmas program in Bigfork was inspiring

I want to thank the Crossroads Church in Bigfork for putting on a wonderful Christmas program. We are new to the area and I do believe I lost my Christmas spirit somewhere along the way during our painful but necessary move from our home in Colorado to Montana. I rediscovered the true reason for the season through song, music, and comedy at the Church’s “Christmas Live” presentation. So much work and talent has gone into this special show! I highly recommend everyone catch the last performance (and the Christmas spirit) on the 22nd, 7:30 p.m., at the playhouse in downtown Bigfork. It’s perfect for any age, and IT’S FREE! Thank you, Crossroads! Merry Christmas to all! —Dee Armstrong, Bigfork

A political holiday wish list

Here are some political opinions expressed through a holiday wish list.

Dear Santa. Please bring the following gifts to all of humanity: Please serve a court order to Donald J. Trump requiring him to knock on all doors around the White House and introduce himself as a registered confessed crotch grabber. Please put a lump of coal in Mitch McConnell’s stocking. Please put a brick of your lowest grade welfare cheese in Paul Ryan’s stocking. Please tell Roy Moore to stop asking teenage girls if they have been naughty or nice, then drooling down the front of his shirt if they say naughty. Please bring Mike Pence an “I’m with Stupid” T-shirt. Please bring Sean Hannity a new chew toy and update his rabies shots because he is starting to froth at the mouth. Please bring Roger Stone a conscience. Please bring Mr. fiscal responsibility, Ryan Zinke, an Uber gift card so he can take a break from using private jets or military helicopters to go EVERYWHERE. This next one may be too much to ask, but here goes. Please Santa, after you are done delivering gifts to all the good girls and boys, can you take Kellyanne Conway with you? Please bring Paul Manafort a bedazzled electronic ankle bracelet with a STRONG lock on it. Above all, please Santa, bring a very special gift. Load up your sleigh with any elf who has investigative experience and put him or her on indefinite loan to Robert Mueller. Give Robert a pat on the head as he sleeps and make sure to watch over him in the months to come. He has been a very good little boy. —Todd W. Cardin, Kalispell