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2 weeks ago | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
“I don’t call myself a painter,” she confided, “I paint, but I’m not able to say, ‘I’m a painter.’” This, dear reader, is imposter syndrome: a person who has created dozens of pieces, sold them, maintains a shop both online and in a retail location, and still is unable to call themselves a painter.
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3 weeks ago | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
Did we even have a spring? It feels like summer has been summering with a vengeance! And as such, I’ve been in the mood for summer reads and vengeance – HA! Not normally a suspense/thriller person, I’ve found myself devouring books that leave me jumpy, which I then counter with books that calm me down and make me feel cozy, which I then complement with books of spice…and I have no complaints. In May, I read 13 books, of which 11 were four stars or more.
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1 month ago | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
Thunderstorms are eagerly anticipated in our family. We’ll snuggle together and listen as nature showcases her abilities, the way thunder can growl a gentle warning and boom a ground shaking threat. I love the reminder that not everything is about us or controlled by us, that we’re momentarily irrelevant. I crave that reminder that we’re not as powerful as we think we are, that it’s not our place to judge.
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1 month ago | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
As we head into these stunningly beautiful days of spring, the bulbs we planted in fall blooming brightly and the bulbs we planted a few weeks ago storing up the energy to follow suit, the race to read as much as possible before my free time is spent on the river and in the mountains gripped me (it helped that the library got a new series of books in that’s scream-calling me). Thanks to that new series, I read 24 books in April, 19 of which were four stars or better.
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2 months ago | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
As a kid spending summers with family in Arkansas, I was tasked, along with my cousins, in the keeping of the chicken houses. Every morning, afternoon, and evening, we’d fight over who had to take which of the three aisles and then we’d wave our arms forward and back, shooing the chickens before us one slow step at a time, our eyes on the floor, looking for the chickens that didn’t move.
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2 months ago | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
The Clark Fork Valley Hospital Foundation brought Tanner Laws back home to Sanders County for a rockin' fundraiser at The Rex in Thompson Falls on Saturday. Playing a mix of well-known favorite covers and original compilations, Laws helped the Foundation raise more than $3,500 toward the purchase of a bedside ultrasound machine for the emergency department. "Last year, the Foundation was able to donate $80,000 to bring 3D mammography to the County.
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2 months ago | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
Dear fellow itchy gardeners, it’s still not time! I promise. There is snow on the heart of Silcox, there are freezes in the forecast; while you can get to work on starts, you will have to consume your hands and minds with other tasks for just a while longer unless you have a way to successfully protect your young seedlings. May I suggest reading some books to take your mind off planting, and to calm your hands? In March I read 15 books, eight of which were four stars or better.
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2 months ago | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
Twenty-five families celebrated the 7th Annual Community Baby Shower last Saturday at the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls, where expecting and new mothers, along with their guests, were treated to lunch and raffle prizes. Decorated in blues and pinks, with baskets and balloons at every table, and blue Valley Bank piggy banks, the Lodge was transformed into a receiving room.
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Mar 19, 2025 | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
"What a great turnout!" Chelle Mitchell exclaimed as she surveyed the crowded room of people supporting the rebranding of the Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce to the new Sanders County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner last Saturday at The Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls. The chamber proved its slogan "Better Together" to be true, drawing crowds from Clark Fork, Idaho, to Plains.
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Mar 19, 2025 | 
scledger.net | Sunday Dutro
Every woman I’ve encountered over the last week has apologized profusely for yawning and then followed the yawn with a wondering question of explanation. For some, it’s the full moon. For others, the Spring Equinox. Still others blame planetary alignment or the time change. I’ve been blaming perimenopause, which led me to wonder: is it only the women? Unless you’re their partner or maybe if you’re another man, men tend to keep their complaints to themselves.
