Step by step brings hope for homeless

10/9/13 Chatterbox

Betty Kaiser

It’s 7 a.m. and my clock radio is spilling out the morning news.  As I snuggle down under my warm blankets for a little more sleep my mind starts to wake up as I take in what has happened overnight.

Inevitably, the news is bad.

Recently, a boat packed with African immigrants sank off the coast of Italy. In New York, arrests are being made after dozens of motorcyclists swarmed an SUV (some injured in the process), pulled the driver from his vehicle and beat him. In Myanmar, men armed with machetes to kill and destroy, continue to attack villages. The inhabitants of planet earth are literally taking a beating.

As I process this news, I don’t think I’m alone in asking, “What is our world coming to?” Nor am I the only one to look around helplessly and say, “I’m just one person. How can I help make things better?”

Well, today’s column is about one person who decided there was something she could do to help  (not harm) one segment of our population-the homeless. It’s a subject that Lane County residents are familiar with: How do we help the homeless help themselves?

I came across Anne Mahlum’s answer to the problem while searching the web for information on Eugene’s situation. The SLEEPS (Safe Legally Entitled Emergency Places to Sleep) camp protest was in full steam. The subject was so complex that the more I read, the more confused I became. “There are no solutions,” I thought.

Mahlum would disagree. She is an attractive, young, blond woman who took up running to save her sanity. Her father was an alcoholic and running was her way of dealing with his alcoholism as it affected her. Running was therapy. “Running,” she says, “really is a metaphor for life. You just have to take it one step at a time.”

At 5 a.m. on most days of the week, Mahlum could be found running the dark streets of Philadelphia. A veteran marathoner, her route took her by a shelter for the homeless where the men would cheer her on. She would wave and pay them scant attention. But one day something changed.

She remembers thinking, “Why am I running past these guys? I’m moving my life forward every day and these guys are standing in the same spot.” On that day in 2007, ‘Back on my Feet,’ was born.

Mahlum contacted the shelter for permission; got donations of running gear and invited the shelter residents to join her three days a week on a mile long run. She no longer passed them by. She was including them in her life. Requirements were simple. They must live in an affiliated facility; be clean and sober for 30 days; attend an informational session and sign a commitment form.

Other runners in the community volunteered to run with and encourage the shelter residents. Along with the male and female shelter residents, the diverse group included doctors, janitors, and students. Their run between 5:30-6 a.m. begins in a circle with a request to say your name and something you like about yourself. One man smiles and offers, “I like getting my life back together.”

When they run, “You can’t tell who’s homeless and who’s not,” says Mahlum. “All you can tell is who’s the fastest. ‘’’

The informal runs eventually morphed into a program that has returned productive individuals to society. Mahlum says it’s simple. “We’re all looking for the same thing. We all want to be appreciated, loved and supported. People don’t want to be in shelters, they just don’t know how NOT to be there.”

‘Back on my Feet’ gives shelter residents shoes and gear but their running commitment includes community and social building opportunities. With their participation in multiple activities they earn access to job training partners, housing opportunities and $2500 in financial aid. It’s a success, Mahlum says, because runners are motivated, reliable, ambitious and responsible.

One of those motivated individuals is shown in a video. Kenny joined a running team in 2008. Until then he had been stuck in a shelter. He couldn’t get out. He says, “As I began to run, my mind became healthier. My body became healthier. And my decisions became healthier.” Today Kenny says it was like a marathon to get where he is but now he’s so happy. “Working consistently around the city (in landscaping) is a beautiful thing. Now I’ve got my own place. My own kitchen. My own shower. There’s nothing like your own.”

‘Back on my Feet’ now has 10 chapters to help in their homeless outreach. And because of a simple team running program, hundreds of homeless individuals have found meaning in life. They have found light at the end of a long tunnel. Yes, they now have jobs and housing but they have something more—hope and purpose

Anne Mahlum has won many awards for her work but she’s not impressed with herself. She’s impressed with the people she’s helping. “Put people in a positive environment,” she says, and it’s amazing what can happen. I’m not the one changing their lives. They’re doing it for themselves.”

Now, every morning when I wake up to the news, I think of Anne Mahlum and our community of volunteers: our local Relief Nursery; Community Sharing; Parent Partnership; hospital and school volunteers and so many others who bring sunshine to darkness.

Yes, the world seems to be spinning out of control. But there is no end to hope. One person can certainly make a difference but working together we can change our world. Step by step by step.

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.

A waterfall destination

9/25/13 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

Ah, youth! I remember it well!  The world was my oyster and travel was my dream. Although my husband and I married young and lived frugally for many years, we always took our three kids on yearly camping vacations.  Thanks to cabins and tent trailers, we enjoyed state parks in most of the Western United States.

Once our children grew up and flew the coop, we spread our wings and did some traveling abroad. At some point in the 1980s I posted a “Top Ten Places in the world to visit” list on my office bulletin board. The goal of course, was to visit every place on the list and if possible, every continent. We didn’t quite make them all but we’ve been almost every place overseas that was important to us.

Now that we are in our 70s, we can look back and enjoy exotic memories of places like Petra in Jordan and the famous Egyptian Pyramids. But our more active youthful vacation adventures were all here in the states. They included rafting magnificent glaciers in Alaska; and hiking trails from Death Valley and King’s Canyon in California to snowmobiling the Grand Mesa in Colorado.

Aging has put somewhat of a crimp in our travel ventures. Flying over the pond no longer holds much allure for us. Bad backs and knees mean less hiking and more overlooks. We now focus on places in the Pacific Northwest and across the United States that we haven’t been. But truthfully, we are always happy to come home to Oregon.

This year we didn’t even want to fly across the country. So we downsized our travels again. We’ve always loved waterfalls so we got in the RV to check out some of the falls in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest area: The Upper, Middle and Lower Lewis River Falls. We were staying nearby on the Columbia River and decided to make the short trek from Woodland into the Lower Lewis River Falls area.

Sandra and Terry, our longtime friends and RV buddies joined us. These fun-loving travel companions just happen to have a tow-car and were the driver and co-pilot on a typical Kaiser Adventure journey into the wilderness. I am the navigator on these trips and Chuck is the resident comedian. The four of us make quite a team.

As navigator, I had prepared driving instructions via the Northwest Waterfall Survey website. It seemed to be a short hour-long drive, so we violated travel rule #1: always pack a lunch. A nearby Chamber of Commerce assured us that lunch would be easily obtained in nearby Cougar. The access description was simple:

“Easy Access: Take Interstate 5 to the town of Woodland, and exit onto Highway 503 heading east. Follow 503 east to Cougar, and continue to Forrest Service Road # 90, just past the Pine Creek Ranger Station. Follow FR 90 for 14 miles to the Lower Falls Recreation Area. Parking for the falls is to the right of the entrance. There are numerous trails along the canyon leading to several good views of the falls in less than 500 feet.”

After breakfast at Rosie’s Coffee Shop, we hit the road about 10 a.m. or so. The drive to Cougar was beautiful—densely wooded areas growing alongside deep blue reservoirs. About an hour into the drive, my husband, who is not known for his patience, began to say, ”Are we there yet?” “No, Chuck, we’re not there, yet,” we would all chorus in reply.

About that time we started driving over a series of bridges. Our co-pilot isn’t fond of heights and was getting a bit woozy. Ever solicitous, Chuck would say, “Close your eyes,” as we approached bridge after bridge and he closed his eyes! There were no waterfall signs in sight.

As the miles clicked off, the roads narrowed, traffic was sparse and tension mounted. We had passed Cougar, our last chance for lunch. We had water and protein bars but that was it. That’s when Chuck looked at me and busted us up by dramatically groaning, “We’re all going to die!” Well, we all thought we were going to die laughing!

Still, there was nothing to indicate that waterfalls were anywhere in the vicinity. I was responsible for our directions and my reputation was on the line. Our driver pulled over and asked to see the map. Yep. He confirmed that we seemed to be going in the right direction.

Right then, the pavement ended and we could see a gravel rock ‘n roll road ahead. Then someone spotted a small sign indicating that there was a campground at the end of the road. A group of motorcyclists came roaring up the road towards us. That was good news. People had gone down and come back up alive.

So down into the canyon we went, bottoming out in the valleys and repeating the now famous saying, “We’re all going to die!”

The road was rough, steep and washed out in places but the reward was worth it. The Lower Falls was a short walk outside the campground. A solid wall of water crashes into the large pool in a spectacular fashion with other falls just a few feet away. The Middle and Upper falls are accessed from this area but according to fellow sightseers not worth the trouble.

That was good enough for us. We admired the view, climbed down on the rocks, took pictures, made more memories, ate our protein bars, drank our water and headed back to Rosie’s for a very, very late 3 p.m. lunch. We were alive and well.

There is a time and a season for everything. A time for big trips and small. So whatever your age, get out and see our beautiful country before it's too late.

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.

Trivia Time!

 

9/11/13 Chatterbox

Betty Kaiser

As I write this, today is a day to stay inside and get caught up on desk work. The weather has changed. Big, black clouds hover ominously overhead; thunder is rumbling in the distance and fat raindrops are falling on the parched ground. No gardening today. Instead, I am gathering information for my annual end-of-summer trivia column.

All year I save email trivia that readers send me. For someone who isn’t on Facebook I manage to accumulate a lot of interesting Trivial Pursuit type information. The following batch of collections I randomly clumped together under “I didn’t know that!”  Check out these fun facts and see if you learn anything new:

In a five-card poker game there are 2,598,960 possible hands.

The National Safety Council reports that the object most often choked on is the toothpick.

Glass gets stronger the longer it is underwater. The only known substance to do so.

Leonardo Da Vinci could draw with one hand and write with the other simultaneously.

Adolf Hitler was Time Magazine’s 1938 Man of the Year.

The average human sheds 40 pounds of skin in a lifetime.

That sound you hear in the seashell is the echo of blood pulsing in your ear.

Ping Pong is the national sport of China.

A bride in China wears red.

In China, the day a baby is born it is considered 1 year old.

On average, the life span of an American dollar bill is 18 months.

The U.S. government will not allow portraits of living persons on postage stamps.

If you have at least 5/8 of a torn dollar bill, it can be redeemed for full value.

Ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrow to mourn the death of their cats.

Dolphins have bigger brains than humans.

A bee loses 22 muscles to sting you

An electric eel will short-circuit itself if it is put into salt water.

The great horned owl is the only animal that eats skunk.

A pigeon’s feathers weigh more than its bones.

A snail takes 115 DAYS to travel a mile.

Cats can’t taste sweet things.

Spiders have transparent blood.

Rats can’t vomit.

Female armadillos have exactly four babies at the same time and they are always the same sex.

An armadillo can be housebroken.

A rattlesnake can bite you up to an hour after it’s dead because of a reflex action.

Telephone poles in Uganda and Kenya are much higher to allow for the height of giraffes.

A female elephant can be pregnant nearly two years.

Eight out of ten people who read the word YAWN or see yawning, feel the urge to yawn.

Pretty fascinating stuff. Right? Now we’re going to move on to the handy hints department. I get these by the bucket load. Most are familiar and I delete but some are helpful. The first is really not a handy hint. It’s more like something one of my grandsons would do.

Here’s how to ride an elevator without stopping: Hold close door button till doors close. Keep holding. Select floor and do not let go of number and close door button till elevator moves. This will allow you to go straight to that floor without stops. My source said “This works on every elevator.” I haven’t tried it. Here are the hints:

A glass bowl makes a great amplifier for an iPhone.

Use bread bag clips to label cords: Keyboard, Dock, Mouse, Power

Cardboard tubes work great for organizing cords.

Use a wooden spoon to prevent water from over-boiling (shows spoon balanced across top of pot of boiling water.)

Use a can opener to safely open those pesky plastic packages.

Wrap Christmas lights around a clothes hanger and they won’t tangle.

Don’t waste your money on Swiffer towels. Regular kitchen rags work just fine.

Use sticky notes to catch debris while drilling.

Rubber band a sock over a vacuum to find small lost items.

Hanging pictures? Use a comb to hold the nail No more smashed fingers.

Several times this year folks sent me Historical Trivia dating back to colonial days. Most say, “Bet you didn’t know that!” And they were right. See if you know how these two sayings originated.

“At local taverns, pubs and bars, people drank from pint and quart containers. A bar maids job was to keep an eye on the customer and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in ‘pints’ and who was drinking in ‘quarts,’ hence the phrase ‘minding your P’s and Q’s.’

In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall for dining. The head of the household always sat in the chair while everyone else sat on the floor. Sitting in the chair meant you were important. Thus the saying, “Chairman of the board.”

Finally, a lesson in grammar that someone sent me titled: “How to Write Good.”

1.    Avoid alliteration. Always.

2.    Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3.    Avoid clichés like the plague. (They’re old hat.)

4.    Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

5.    One should never generalize.

6.    Comparisons are as bad as clichés.

7.    Be more or less specific.

8.    Sentence fragments? Eliminate.

9.    Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

10.  Parenthetical remarks (however relevant are unnecessary.

11. Who needs rhetorical questions?

Next week we’ll delve into some handy kitchen and diet hints that are lurking in my inbox. Until then—thanks! And keep sending me those emails!

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. 

Everyone is a winner at the W.O.E.

Milestone roses take first place in competition

8/28/13 Chatterbox        

Betty Kaiser

“Time flies” is the lament of life. As our local W.O.E. fair ended, I realized that the days of summer were winding down to a precious few and school days about to begin. Oh, there are still vegetables to be picked and fruit to be canned, but summer is on the way out!

One day its show time for 4-H and the next minute moms and dads are scurrying around getting their kids ready for school. There are clothes and school supplies to buy, haircut and doctor appointments to be made. Carpools and after-school care must be arranged; older kids must be signed up for classes and athletic teams. Whew. Being a parent is big job but rewarding.

I was reminded of the joys of parenting as I watched parents and children participating in W.O.E. activities. It was particularly evident in the livestock division. Clearly they were learning life skills that will serve them well in every avenue of life. It made this mother’s heart happy to see them working together.

I always wanted my kids to join 4-H but they were city kids. I was interested in animal husbandry but they were not. They liked scouting and camping but raising chickens, cows, pigs and sheep were not on their so-called bucket list. And unless it was horseback riding, my grandchildren were equally uninterested.

Of course, not having to raise animals (while I was raising kids) saved me a lot of time and money. Maybe that’s why I like going to local fairs and being around the animals so much. I get to appreciate other people’s hard work and expertise without any personal investment.

Small town events are like family reunions. You get to appreciate the achievements of other people’s children as if they were your own. Saturday morning at the W.O.E. I reveled in the joy and interaction of everyone from toddlers to teens to adults.

Sitting in the bleachers at 10 a.m. I was waiting for the Lumberjack Show to begin. Axes were being thrown at targets and participants were sizing up logs with a variety of saws. I had no idea there were so many different chain saws! In the modified division the first contestant couldn’t get his saw going and when he did, he couldn’t keep it going. Of course, as soon as he walked off the field, it started! Everyone broke into applause. Family does that.

A couple of little guys (brothers) were sitting in the bleachers near me waiting for the competition to get going. The older of the two, Gavin Williams, 5, had his very own plastic chain saw. After much coaxing, he reluctantly posed for a picture with his saw. I can just imagine that he was thinking that one day he’d be competing out on that field.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar noise. It sounded like horses. It was horses! Two members of the Cottage Grove Riding Club had ridden up from the creek and were watching the competition. Lending a little western authenticity to the event, Macie was riding her horse Seven. Courtney was on her horse Pete. Dressed in riding clothes, they were also members of the Queen’s Court.

Meanwhile, the logging contest was underway and I learned a bit about sawing and throwing that I didn’t know. For instance, did you know that in the center of the axe throw target is a can of beer? It is warm and shaken. Yuck. But if you hit it and the beer spills out, you receive extra five points. Yea!

Later, I wandered into the barn to check out the livestock. It was a busy place. In the small animal and birds category I saw a variety of birds, chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits. Goats and some adorable shaggy sheep were the biggest animals that I saw.

The kids not only showcased their projects but also demonstrated animal knowledge at very young ages. Seven-year old Campbell Ellis was incredibly poised and articulate as he stood at the exhibition table and answered questions. His guinea pig and chicken each won a blue ribbon.

 Eric Stone is only three years old but this was his second year at the fair! This tow-headed little guy was clutching a chicken that was almost as big as he was (maybe a Bantam?). Also (if I understood it correctly) he had an Olive Egger rooster! And yes, he also won blue ribbons.

The goats were so beautiful and such happy creatures. Unfortunately, I was taking mostly mental notes so I don’t have names and breeds to share. But I believe that Honey, Summer and Skye all belonged to the Saucedo family. They were gorgeous beige and cream colors. I wanted to take them and their shaggy sheep friends home to be our meadow mowers.

After I congratulated the kids, I moseyed over to the textiles, culinary and food preservation divisions. I admired the quilts and a huge squash and sunflower. Caroline Pettit filled me in on the fine points of entering preserved foods for competition as I checked out some beautiful table settings.

Finally, it was time to go and I discovered that I was a winner! In my first entry—at any fair—my beautiful Milestone roses won first place. Wow. A blue ribbon. I can’t believe it. I’m going to savor this all year long while I plot my next entry.

Thanks, W.O.E., I had a great time. See ‘ya next year!

Disclaimer:  I’m a born and bred city girl. It’s pretty clear that I don’t know a rooster from a hen. My apologies to anyone whose name I have misspelled or animal I have incorrectly identified. Corrections gladly accepted. Congratulations to all!

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.

The W.O.E.: an old-fashioned country fair

8/14/13 Chatterbox

Betty Kaiser

Every summer for 81 years, generations of local residents have happily anticipated our annual fair and now it’s here. This weekend, Aug. 16-18, the W.O.E Cottage Grove Heritage Fair & Timber Show will be in full swing, full of old-fashioned fun and entertainment.

My husband and I attended our first W.O.E. in 1989. We had been to many super extravagant fairs that were overwhelming and exhausting. This fair was different. Relaxing. A step back in time. One that allowed us to appreciate a community at work and play.

We enjoyed the small town ambiance: savored the sights and smells of animals munching hay and being groomed; and drank in the joy of laughter and neighborly competition. At the W.O.E. there are just enough animals to admire, food to eat, shade to sit under and exhibits to appreciate. Its size is ‘just right.’

Traditionally, fairs started as organized agricultural events. As far back as the Old Testament, folks came from near and far to display (and sell) their livestock. In the Book of Ezekiel it says, “They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.” That was the beginning of annual traditions around the world.

Elkanah Watson is considered the father of the American-style Fair. In the early 19^th century Mr. Watson exhibited some mighty fine Merino sheep in Massachusetts. He wanted to share his knowledge with fellow farmers and thus education was added to fairs. He even encouraged women to come and add their art and feminine perspective to new events.

Over the decades, entertainment, food, commercial exhibits and carnival rides were added. Sizewise, fairs range from small to humongous. Think Cottage Grove’s yearly W.O.E vs. The Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years in India. A record 60 million people attended in 2001 making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world. To each his own, but personally, I break out in a sweat just thinking about that many people in one place!

Every fair has a different flavor. (Pun intended.) In Tillamook, Oregon, it’s cheese (of course) and pigs. Yep. According to fair organizers, they have the only Pig-N-Ford races in the nation. The race goes something like this: Drivers, usually six at a time, pick a 40-pound pig out of a bin, tuck it under an arm, run to a waiting Model T, crank it up and drive once around a half-mile track. They change pigs and repeat the lap, then do it a third time. After three days of pigging and cranking, a champion is announced.

This being a logging town, our competitions are area appropriate. Friday night at 6 p.m. (the first night of the fair) bystanders can watch and cheer during the Ax Throw, Hot Saw, Men’s Double Buck and Modifiers contestants. Sat. morning at 10 a.m. there are kid’s events along with Women’s Stocksaw, Hotsaw, Ax Throw, Modifieds, 6 Cube Under and Big Log Stock Saw competitors.

Exhibits are mandatory. Browsing through the 10 different Divisions (Textiles, Culinary, Forestry, Livestock, etc.) and their dozens of sub classes, I determined we must have an abundance of talented individuals in our fair town. So if you have any textile skills at all, there’s a category for you. Class I is Theme of Fair (see page 8). Textile classes to enter include: crochet, knit, tatting, artistic handwork, quilting, sewing, fleece, weaving, hand spun yarn, rugs, holidays and original design by professionals.

As for all of you gardeners, check out the list in Flowers/Forestry: potted indoor plants, potted outdoor plants, cut flowers, arboreal, theme arrangements, garden craft and many sub-headings. Now is the time to show off your green thumb.

The Culinary division is huge! Bread: sourdough, fruit bread, muffins, donuts, sweet rolls and coffee cakes; Decorated and Diabetic (cakes, pies and cookies), Candy and more. Then comes table settings, categories for food preservation, fruits and farm produce. Next up are art, crafts and hobbies, amateur ceramics and both amateur and professional tole painting. There are 8 photography categories, scrapbooking, and dozens of livestock entry possibilities. Think cattle, sheep, goats, swine, rabbits, guinea pigs, poultry and more!

Maybe (like me), you’ve never entered a contest—but a blue ribbon is enticing. So do it! Enter something. Read the complete WOE publication that came in your July 31 Sentinel. “Exhibit Information” begins on page 10 under and will tell you everything you need to know. The most important thing to remember is that entries begin today (Wed.) noon—8 p.m. and the deadline for all entries is tomorrow (Thursday) from 8 a.m.—noon. 

Friday is when the fun begins. In addition to the contests, kids can play games, climb the rock wall or build and race their own derby-style cars. Everyone can check out the classic cars, have their face painted, learn about bee keeping, get a glitter tattoo, pet a critter, enter the daily pie eating contest, play bingo, listen to ghost mine stories and pan for gold. That’s just for starters. There’s more.

Entry into the fair world will only cost you $3 per person OR $2 per person AND one (1) can of food for Community Sharing. Kids 12 years and under are free. And the price of admission will include entertainment with all types of music from Americana, Bluegrass, Jazz and Blues. That’s a good deal!

Last, but not least, there’s food. You’re going to get hungry with all that running around. Fortunately, there are a variety of fragrant, fattening and fried foods available. I just throw dietary caution to the winds and chow down on fair-hearty foods like corn dogs, sno-cones and Kettle Korn. See you there!

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.

Thieves steal garden's serenity

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7/24/13 Chatterbox

Betty Kaiser

The Ina M. Daugherty Memorial Garden is a local oasis of serenity and inspiration. This private, church-owned garden is located adjacent to the First Presbyterian Church of Cottage Grove, at the corner of Adams and South 3^rd St. It invites neighbors and churchgoers to enjoy the shade of old growth trees and drink in the sweet surroundings of fragrant flowering plants. It offers free serenity.

Recently, someone(s) decided to steal the serenity. In fact, they first went all around town and helped themselves to a selection of plants that didn’t belong to them. They tipped over a planted barrel downtown, yanked out geraniums at The This ‘n That store and then brought shovels to the Daugherty Garden. There, they brazenly dug up specimen size azaleas, hydrangeas and more.

That same week, vandals were also out wreaking havoc at Pine Meadows Campground. Six young males were allegedly drinking beer and walking through the campground looking for trouble. Perhaps they were the ones who tore the porch off the entrance booth and stole a golf cart. Later, someone sped through the Primitive Campground at 4:30 a.m. waking up campers and spinning donut circles in the ground.

Ina and Warren Daugherty would not be happy. They were givers not takers and believed in building up the community—not tearing it down. Like many of Cottage Grove’s pioneers, Mr. Daugherty was in the logging business. In the early 1920s, he and a partner harvested timber until the best of it was gone. Mr. Daugherty’s partner decided to quit but he persevered saying, “We’ve built the roads and made the investment, let’s harvest the smaller trees as piling. The opportunity is where you are-not someplace else.”

In 1923 Daugherty established a wholesale lumber and piling business. It was successful and eventually moved to offices above the Knickerbocker store on Main St. In the late 1940s, he purchased the Chambers lumber mill. To pay for it, he mortgaged everything he had, borrowed from family and went deeply into debt to finance the remaining one million dollars needed.

The mill was a success but burned down in 1950. Today, South Lane Fire Dept. sits on a portion of the property and the children’s park across the way on Harrison St. was a gift from Mr. Daugherty. One of many that enhanced our city.

As profits from his businesses came in the couple partnered in giving back to the community. Some of their money established the Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center. Some was set aside to build a new Presbyterian Church on Adams Ave. Ina was very active in church activities. Warren was not much of a church goer but a great giver.

Ina worked with the famous Italian architect Pietro Belluschi in designing the building that is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1951, it is all wood and the style became known as Pacific Northwest Architecture. Mr. Daugherty donated all the lumber for the building and his wife helped with the design.

Later, the Benson property adjacent to the church was purchased from an endowment fund that the Daughertys had established in 1963. The house on the property was torn down and the site landscaped in honor of Ina, a longtime member and benefactor of the church. It was a proper memorial and recognition for one who loved flowers and was often found weeding in the church gardens.

Over the years, the property fell into disrepair: paths were washed away; vines, weeds, fallen branches, debris and general overgrowth obscured the garden’s original intent and beauty. It became obvious that a complete overhaul of the property was necessary.

In 2009 a volunteer work force headed by a master gardener, began a restoration project that continues today. Together, a small core of men and women, worked tirelessly every week. The first two years they hauled away dozens of truckloads of overgrowth revealing the good bones of the garden and (surprise!) a large cedar tree!

Slowly the shape of a classic urban garden began to emerge.

In 2011 a rose garden was established along with other perennials such as azaleas, daffodils, holly bushes, tulips and Japanese maples. The volunteers also tediously replaced 1,000 feet of path border while the weeding; pruning and general clean up continued.

In 2012, the garden underwent more major renovations and plantings. Nearly three dump truck loads of wet quarter-minus gravel were spread and compacted on the paths. Dozens more perennials were added, patches of day lilies were separated and spread throughout the garden and of course…more pruning and weeding.

Last summer, the garden was chosen to be on the South Lane Mental Health’s 4^th Annual Town and Country Garden Tour. The Daugherty’s would have been proud that their investment was still reaping benefits for others to enjoy. And it was a dream shared for all who contributed time, money, energy and sweat equity.

Today, the garden is an on-going project bringing peace and joy to the workers and all visitors. There is also documented on-going vandalism and graffiti by young people. Now some anti-theft measures must be put into place because some yardbirds wanted landscaping material for their garden at no cost to themselves.

Today, more than ever, we must always be vigilant about our properties. Fortunately,  there are now available a variety of cameras, motion-activated sprinklers and lights that can be installed to protect our stuff. I’m not sure they can bring peace of mind but they can help. Maybe one can find the Pine Meadows campground golf cart!

It’s sad. We work. Thugs steal. It has ever been this way. So folks, look out for one another. Know your neighbors. Cooperate and communicate. Teach your children and your grandchildren that private property means just that.  It’s private. It belongs to someone else. Don’t steal, deface or tear it up. Respect is more than the Golden Rule. It's also good karma.

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.

Please don't take away my newspaper news!

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7/10/13 Chatterbox

Betty Kaiser

Last month, “The Oregonian,” our state’s longest continuously published newspaper, announced it would change its focus from conventional print to Internet news. Citing revenue losses of nearly 50%, financial advisors decided that cutting the payroll (journalists, support personnel and printing costs) and going online will somehow revive the business’ bottom line.

Since the disastrous downturn in the economy, this country has lost many prominent community voices in my favorite print publications. According to “Newspaper Death Watch,” 12 major metro dailies have closed their doors and another 12 are W.I.P. (works in progress) i.e. reducing their frequency of publication or adopting hybrid online/print or online only models—all since 2007.

The Oregonian’s new delivery configuration (announced by Advance Publications, Inc. the paper’s parent company) is difficult to understand. It seems that they will continue to print seven days a week. However, home delivery to 170,000 subscribers will only be on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday along with a so-called bonus delivery on Saturday.  City newsstands (selling about 15,000 per day) will receive deliveries on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

I know this is going to make me sound like a Luddite (one opposed to technological progress) but I hope this doesn’t work. I have seen this happen in other media and publications. Those in power fire most of the veteran journalists and replace them with inexperienced, lower wage employees. Quality, all-around news coverage gives way to quick low-news briefs along with lots of AP–type syndicated news.

I love a daily newspaper with extensive reporting and a balance of local, national and global news: the obituaries, the comics, a variety of columnists, sports and the classified ads. And yes, I do read on-line news but mostly for the global perspective that I get from such websites as www.reuters.com. It’s a great resource.

So I don’t understand this generation’s lack of reading loyalty. Growing up in Los Angeles, I cut my news teeth on the L.A. Times. I was so addicted to reading their great variety of news that when we moved to Ventura in 1964, I subscribed to the Sunday Times by mail. (That quickly ended because it took 10 days to arrive at our house!)

Whether local or syndicated, I like my news fresh, interesting and trustworthy. A good newspaper can do that. In California recently I read The Tribune, San Luis Obispo. It was exciting to see the Oregon Women’s Track and Field team in color on the front page of the Sports section and read about the NCAA finals in Eugene. A real treat for a visiting Oregonian.

Another day, I read about vandalism in America’s National Parks. “Trashing Treasures” described how in Saguaro National Park, Arizona, park rangers were finding subway-style graffiti in the spiny forest. Recently, 45 of the park’s towering cactuses had been sprayed with black paint. That could be a death knell to the 150-year-old plants if the paint covers the green skin where they store chlorophyll to draw nourishment from the sun. I didn’t know that.

There was also some military news harking back to the days when I lived near Camarillo, Calif. and fighter pilots from Saudi Arabia were being trained at a nearby airport. If it was strange then, imagine how we would feel now. This news brief came from San Diego:

 “Japanese troops to train on California beaches…they will converge on California’s southern coast…as part of a military exercise with U.S. troops aimed at improving that country’s amphibious attack abilities.” The training was in response to China’s growing military might. China protested the event. Nevertheless, the drill with three Japanese warships: 1,000 service members and four combat helicopters was going to proceed. Forces from New Zealand and Canada were also taking part.”

Now, it’s true I might have been able to read the above on the Internet but it wouldn’t have had the same impact on a screen as holding it in my hand does.

My favorite on-the-road column was in the “Paso Robles Press” titled “It’s The Pitts” by Lee Pitts. It was a “can’t we all get along?” piece. Pitts, the editor of “Livestock Market Digest,” has written books such as “People who live at the end of Dirt Roads,” “Back Door People” and “These Things I Wish.” Here’s a few excerpts addressed to bridge the gap between urban and country folks:

“I’ll take the time to learn more about you if you’ll take a minute to learn about me.”

“I’ll try and keep my cows off the highway if you won’t dump your kittens off at the end of my road. We already have a cat.”

“I won’t ruin your neighborhood by moving a feedlot next door to your condominium if you won’t move next door to my feedlot and ask me to get out of town because I stink.”

“I will grant the power companies and telephone companies easements so you can have electricity and make phone calls…but please close the gates.”

“I will feed and water the wildlife for us all to enjoy but please don’t cut down my fences. And hunters, don’t shoot my cows. (They are the ones that look hungry.)”

I won’t throw my Lone Star bottles on your front lawn if you won’t throw your Bud Light cans in my front pasture.”

“I will buy your Chevrolet if you will buy my beef. Let’s all buy products “Made in America.”

I love his perspective. Columnists like Pitts make me laugh and think. So keep buying newspapers, folks. We don’t want to wake up some morning and say, “Where did my newspaper go?”

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.