Everyday Heroes, Senior Phone Friends, Neighborhood Activities, UFOs, Navigating Life Through Fiction, Plant-Based Meat

Everyday Heroes (0:00:00) What makes someone a hero to you? Oftentimes when we hear the word hero, we think of masks and capes and incredible superpowers. But what about the unsung heroes that are on the frontlines in hospitals, grocery stores, and on the road delivering packages just to name a few? During these quarantine times, these people have gone above and beyond, putting their lives at risk to make our lives easier. Recently, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Jim Brickman released a new song celebrating these heroes in our lives and the impact that their work has on us. We have him here with us on the phone to talk about his brand-new song, “Everyday Heroes”. Senior Phone Friends (0:16:09) Seniors are extremely lonely during this time, especially those that are in assisted-living homes. When they belong to the high-risk demographic, you can’t exactly go and visit them. There is something you can do, though! You can talk to them on the phone. It would be awkward to talk to a random stranger, though. That’s why Big Sky Senior Services came up with the idea of Senior Phone friends where you can get assigned to someone to talk to! Here to tell us all about this wonderful service opportunity is Suzanne McKiernan, the Big Sky Senior Services Volunteer Coordinator. Socially Distant Neighborhood Activities (0:35:44) I don’t know about you, but I’m so excited for summer to be here. And while you might be aching to start up the grill and invite the whole neighborhood over to celebrate the warm weather and school being over, the current pandemic is forcing us to keep our social distance and adapt. But just because we can’t do what we normally would this time of year doesn’t mean we can’t still have a great time with our neighbors... while social distancing of course. To help us plan fun events with our friends across the street is friend of the show, Carrie Ann Rhodes. She’s here to share her ideas for pandemic approved neighborhood activities. UFOs (0:50:36) With everything else going on right now, this news might have gotten lost in the mix—but a few weeks ago, the Pentagon declassified videos of Unidentified Flying Objects (aka UFOs) that Navy officers spotted on their radars. This isn’t the first time this has happened or the first time we’ve seen videos like this. But they’ve left us wondering if there really is life beyond our little planet. And what do these videos mean for alien believers and scientists who study these sightings? We wanted to dig a little deeper, so we invited Michael Panicello, state director of Mutual UFO Network, Connecticut to share his thoughts with us. Navigating Life Through Fiction (1:07:38) Do you sometimes feel like no one understands you? I think part of the beauty of literature is that it provides an opportunity to connect with a variety of different characters. You can almost always find one who you think has similar characteristics or tendencies to you. Knowing we’re not alone and seeing how others handle difficult experiences –even if all of this is happening in a fictional world –can inspire us and help us navigate our own life.To discuss with us how to navigate life through fiction is Celesta Rimington, an author of fiction herself. Plant-Based Meat (1:24:52) As a parent, many of us have tricks up our sleeves that we use on our kids to get them to healthier foods. Well as adults, have you ever thought to consider that maybe companies are playing the same tricks on us? For example, have you ever heard of the Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat? These products are both made with plant-based meat that, believe it or not, look and taste identical to real meat. Well today, we have food and nutrition expert of over 20 years, Toby Amidor, on the show to share with us exactly what plant-based meat is and what its health pros and cons are.