The good news is that we survived a bad news year

1/11/12 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

There’s no doubt about it, 2011 was a rough year. Setting aside the circumstances over which we have absolutely no control—wars, economic downturns, natural and manmade disasters—almost everyone I know struggled through the calendar year 2011.

For some of us it was a frustrating, heartbreaking, what’s-going-to-happen-next, kind of year. It was one of those really horrible, terrible, very bad years. The kind of year that lingers in your mind forever: “Remember, 2011? Wow. I didn’t think it would ever end.”

Now, I know all the clichés about how to cope with hard times. I know that life is composed of the good and the bad. I know that rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. I also know that no matter how bad things are, they will change. Blah, blah, blah.

But let’s face it if you’re going through a tough time, you don’t need clichés, you need help. Hard times aren’t imaginary. Bad things do happen to good people (another cliché) and I noticed a lot of good people suffering this past year—accidents, financial setbacks, deaths and illnesses. Our family was no exception.

January 2011 started out with a bang—literally. Matthew, my 17-year old grandson was broadsided by a driver (who did not have the right-of-way) turning into him. His car was totaled and he spent time in the hospital with broken ribs and a collapsed lung. The car was replaceable but Matt’s chance at a college scholarship for his track prowess was destroyed.

In the fall of 2010 I had arthroscopic knee surgery for meniscus tears. I did fine. Then, early last year, I heard a pop, went down on my knees and have really never gotten back up since. As the months went by, fluid removal and many injections did not help. Another MRI revealed that I no longer have an ACL (pop!) and I’m walking bone-on-bone. So much for the lifetime benefits of exercise and aerobics classes. I can’t believe the doctors are saying “knee replacement.”

During the summer, our youngest son lost his 22-year position as the founding pastor of a church because of the economy. One-third of his congregation was out of work; they could no longer pay the mortgage or the pastor. We are now very familiar with the word “unemployed.”

In October, we lost a precious niece to suicide. We are still shocked at the unfathomable loss of a talented, vivacious and perfectly adorable young woman. It is heartache beyond description. We will always be numb with grief and disbelief.

And then came Nov. 18, 2011. That night, my husband’s sudden abdominal pain began a nightmare that turned into three Emergency Room trips, an ambulance ride, many surgeries and procedures, doctors and stays in Intensive and Cardiac Care. Over the holidays, he was in and out of hospitals for six weeks.

What happened? Well, unfortunately, his infected gallbladder burst during the initial surgery, dumping ‘sludge’ into the abdominal cavity. That resulted in abscess formations and all the complications written in fine print on those papers you sign when you go into the hospital for a procedure. He had his last procedure Jan. 4, 2012. Praise God!

So where am I going with all of this? Well, we’re just one family that was coping with wave after wave of difficulties last year. Multiply us by thousands and you’ll find a heap of hurt in our world. And it helps if we take notice that others are in the same or similar boat—just coping and trying to get through the days.

That is not to say that good things didn’t happen. Last year, like all others, love brought couples together, babies were born, friendships were made, vacations were taken, graduates went out into the world, the sick were healed, sunrises and sunsets were enjoyed. In a way, it was business as usual. Our world operates on a delicate balance between good and bad.

But balancing life during stressful times is not easy. During Chuck’s weeks in the hospital I had to force myself to look up and outside of the hospital walls. I had to remind myself that “This, too shall pass.” Subconsciously, my mantra became, “We’ve done it before, we can do it again.” Giving yourself a pep talk is not an easy task when your loved one is in a life or death situation but it is necessary.

“Tough times don’t last, tough people do,” is another cliché worth adopting. One must make positive choices during tough times and not become a victim of circumstances. Choosing to look on the bright side of things is easy to say but difficult to do when you’re weighed down with physical, mental or emotional trauma.

So how does one really cope when dealing with the horrific or unknown? I distilled my coping mechanisms down to the basics:
1. Focus on what’s important (the patient, the procedure, etc).
2. Become an advocate (for myself or others).
3. Don’t become frantic or fearful. I meditated or listened to inspirational music in the car as I drove back and forth.
4. Have faith. Keep looking up and believing.

As I write this we’re already well into this month of January. None of us know what this year 2012 will bring but I wish you hope, health and happiness. We’re all in this life together, so bring it on!


Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com

Looking back: Edison's Vision for 2011

12/28/11 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

At the end of each calendar year I find myself looking back and trying to gain some perspective on events in my personal life and the world around me. I seldom come up with any earthshaking insights and while I’m looking ahead to the future, I’m not one to make any New Year’s resolutions or predictions. Facts have always been more appealing to me than speculation.

But some people are brazen enough to predict what they think the future holds. One of those was Thomas Alva Edison, the most prolific inventor in American history. His hundreds of inventions ran the gamut from electric power, batteries, motion pictures, phonographs, sound recording and cement—to telegraphs and telephones.

History has proven Edison’s brilliance. So in 1911 when he was asked to predict what life would be like in one hundred years (2011), he was up to the challenge. But before I quote his thoughts, let’s first take a look at how different life was from today at the turn of the twentieth century.

The American flag had 45 stars. Only 6-percent of students graduated from high school and two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write. Crossword puzzles and canned beer hadn’t been invented. Crime rates were low— about 230 murders in the entire country. And of course, there were no cell phones or computers.

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years. The five leading causes of death were pneumonia and influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease and stroke. Marijuana, heroin and morphine were available over the counter at drugstores.

The average wage in America was 22 cents per hour and the average yearly wage was $200—$400. An accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year; a dentist or veterinarian $1500-$4,000 per year; and a mechanical engineer about $5,000. Ninety percent of all doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended (often questionable and substandard) medical schools.

A Sears-Roebuck catalog house with a screened porch, built-in buffet and inside bath could be purchased for about $1,100. Just 14 percent of homes had a bathtub and only eight percent had a telephone. In the entire country there were only 8,000 cars and 144 miles of paved roads; fuel was sold in drugstores. Sugar cost four cents a pound, coffee 15-cents a pound and eggs 14-cents a dozen.

It was in this environment on June 23, 1911 that the “Miami Metropolis” interviewed Edison and published his startling predictions about the future of automobiles, the discontinuation of gold as precious metal, the rise of steel and the death of the steam engine. I quote in part from “The Year 2011 According to Thomas Edison,” by an unknown author:

“None but a wizard dare raise the curtain and disclose the secrets of the future; and what wizard can do it with so sure a hand as Mr. Thomas Alva Edison…He alone of all men who live has the necessary courage and gift of foresight, and he has not shrunk from the venture.

“Already, Mr. Edison tells us, the steam engine is emitting its last gasps…In the year 2011 such railway trains as survive will be driven at incredible speed by electricity…generated by "hydraulic" wheels.

“But the traveler of the future… will largely scorn such earth crawling. He will fly through the air, swifter than any swallow, at a speed of two hundred miles an hour, in colossal machines, which will enable him to breakfast in London, transact business in Paris and eat his luncheon in Cheapside.

“The house of the next century will be furnished from basement to attic with steel, at a sixth of the present cost — of steel so light that it will be as easy to move a sideboard as it is today to lift a drawing room chair. The baby of the twenty-first century will be rocked in a steel cradle; his father will sit in a steel chair at a steel dining table, and his mother's boudoir will be sumptuously equipped with steel furnishings, converted by cunning varnishes to the semblance of rosewood, or mahogany, or any other wood her ladyship fancies.

“Books of the coming century will all be printed leaves of nickel, so light to hold that the reader can enjoy a small library in a single volume. A book two inches thick will contain forty thousand pages, the equivalent of a hundred volumes; six inches in aggregate thickness, it would suffice for all the contents of the Encyclopedia Britannica. And each volume would weigh less than a pound.

“More amazing still, this American wizard sounds the death knell of gold as a precious metal. ‘Gold,’ he says, ‘has even now but a few years to live. The day is near when bars of it will be as common and as cheap as bars of iron or blocks of steel.

“’In the magical days to come there is no reason why our great liners should not be of solid gold from stem to stern; why we should not ride in golden taxicabs, or substituted gold for steel in our drawing room suites. Only steel will be the more durable, and thus the cheaper in the long run.’”

Well, Mr. Edison missed the mark on some of his predictions: i.e. an entire house and furnishings of steel and a plethora of transportation made of gold, but some ideas weren’t so far off. Electric trains, massive airplanes, a few cars sprayed with real gold and Kindle type E-Books are certainly mini-libraries.

Now that 2011 is drawing to a close, it would be interesting to pick Thomas Edison’s brain about what the next 100 years might hold. On second thought, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Happy New Year 2012, everyone! May your joys be many and your sorrows few as you live each day in gratitude with hope for tomorrow.

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

Love is the reason for the season

12/14/11 Chatterbox        

Betty Kaiser

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in.” Matthew 25:35

Shortly after we moved to Oregon I began hearing about the Eugene Mission. This organization practices what the above scripture preaches—the Mission is love in action.  A small donation one year at Thanksgiving put me on their monthly newsletter list and I quickly gained respect for a place that really does respect, feed, clothe and shelter homeless men and women (and now their children).

This May, several ladies in my Bible Study Group (mostly from C.G. Presbyterian Church) were welcomed on a tour of the Mission. I am happy to report that none of us were disappointed with the quality of the ministry that we witnessed. In fact, I don’t know what I was expecting but I’ll tell you this—the reality of their loving care far exceeded my expectations.

On any given night the Mission has about 400 guests sleeping on the premises in warm comfort. About 200 use the day services that are available. All of this started over 50 years ago by a band of men who just wanted to love their neighbors as themselves—specifically the homeless population. They had faith but only $5 in the bank and no property or buildings. That changed.

Longtime director Ernie Unger and his praying board saw the ministry grow exponentially over the decades. This May he handed over an established work with a dozen buildings, nearly 7 acres of land, a staff of 20 and a bank account based on contributions and other income to Executive director Jack Tripp.

My notes from that visit fill me with awe. It’s like a small city—busy and bustling with hope. It’s a place where people come as a last resort. They’re out of money, they have no place to go and they certainly have nothing to eat or anywhere to sleep. But they’re in the right place. Food, Bed, Gospel and Restoration has been the mission’s mantra for over 50 years.

So on this cold December day, I’d like to share with you a few snippets of things that I saw and learned that warmed my heart.

All of the homeless guests that come into the Mission are hurting in some way. Some lost their jobs and homes in the economic turndown; some are newly divorced or their spouse has died; others suffer from lack of direction and addictions. All need hope and love.

Some of the Mission employees have lived on the streets and they know the dynamics of homelessness. They can relate to the need. Or, as our guide Lloyd said, “Basically, we just love them.” He also said that most guests come by word of mouth: “I’ve been down there. They’re good people. They will help.”

One of the Mission’s largest sources of revenue is picking up and recycling newspapers from collection boxes. The original 1954 Chevy pickup that started this project is proudly on display. Today seven large trucks pick up 3,000 to 4,000 tons of paper per month. Men participating in a rehab program tie them in bundles along with recycled mail, books and magazines and they are sent to Portland in a 40-foot semi-truck.

After three nights, a bed ticket for men costs $2 or they can work in lieu of payment. Lloyd stressed that most men don’t want a free ride. They want to help and do something. Individuals will be barred from the mission for repeated drinking or drugs. They are asked to leave for seven days to get their act together and then return.

The men’s Day Room was very impressive. The guests can read a book, play a game, receive mail, get a haircut, do laundry, take a shower or come and go as they please until evening. It was a nice place. But the expression of fear and hopelessness on faces was palpable. I wanted to give them a hug and say, “It’s going to be alright” but I didn’t know that.

Single women and women with children are the fastest growing numbers in the homeless population. At the Mission, these populations are separate from the men’s area. The women’s center is a 100-bed facility and has welcomed ladies up to 86 years of age.

Denise guided us through the women and children’s area. When the mission started welcoming children they soon learned the depth of hurt that children suffered with loss of home, pets, school and dad. Each child is assigned their very own set of pajamas, quilt/blanket and stuffed toy to take to bed with them and when they move on.

Residency at the Mission is 60 days. The first three nights are free or after that (for the women) a five minute chore around the building. The rooms are warm and homey. Not sterile and institutional. While they are there, Social Services tries to get them into housing and moms are encouraged to get their GED at Lane Community College.

And if you’re a quilter you’ll be happy to know that fresh, hand-made quilts adorn every bed—men’s, women’s and children.

The kitchen was an impressive place. Seventeen men on the Rehabilitation Program prep meals and clean up. The chef presides over four ovens, two grills, two French fryers and a 60-gallon soup pot. The day we were there he was serving lunch to about 150 transient men—vegetarian soup, rolls and ice cream (all donated).

There are rules: can’t leave the property after 5 p.m.; bedtime is 9 p.m. And the Mission openly shares the love of Jesus Christ in nightly services put on by local churches. The Mission newsletters are full of the good news that turning to God has changed lives.

The “Mission News” writes that this Christmas their guests will enjoy “a delicious homemade dinner, a hot shower, a change of clothing, a warm dry bed, a special gift package and the Love of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And that, my friends, is love—the reason for the season.

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart 
and is published in the Cottage Grove Sentinel.

Old-fashioned Thanksgiving Poems

11/23/11 Chatterbox

Betty Kaiser

I have always loved the traditional songs and stories of Thanksgiving.  As a child, I remember being fascinated with the Pilgrims who crossed the stormy seas seeking religious tolerance. They landed at Plymouth Rock in December 1620 and would not have survived that first year without help from the Native Americans who taught them necessary survival skills: how to plant Indian corn and wheat; how to use fish as manure to grow crops plus hunting and fishing skills.

The following year, the first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, after a harsh winter. Governor William Bradford, in gratitude for the harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. In turn, the colonists invited the Wampanoag Indians who, it is believed, brought the majority of the food for the feast.

It’s been nearly 400 years since that first Thanksgiving but we are still gathering together and giving thanks for the harvest and the privilege to live in freedom. This quintessential American holiday is embodied in song, poetry and prose that speaks to our hearts and reminds us of our many blessings.

Today I’m sharing two poems in the Thanksgiving spirit. The first is by Indiana’s famous poet, James Whitcomb Riley. Riley (in a Hoosier dialect) liked to praise what he called the “olden, golden glory of the days gone by.” His poem and “The Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving” by the prolific poet Edgar-Albert Guest would make good reading for all ages at tomorrow’s dinner table.

Happy Thanksgiving—to one and all!

WHEN THE FROST IS ON THE PUNKIN

James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,

And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,

And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,

and the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;

O, it's then's the times a feller is a-feelin' at his best,

 With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,

As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

 

They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere

When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here--

Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees,

And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;

But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze

Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days

Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock--

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

 

The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,

And the raspin' of the tangled leaves, as golden as the morn;

The stubble in the furries--kindo' lonesome-like, but still

A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;

The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;

The hosses in theyr stalls below--the clover over-head!--

O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock!

 

Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps

Is poured around the celler-floor in red and yeller heaps;

And your cider-makin' 's over, and your wimmern-folks is through

With their mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and saussage, too! ...

I don't know how to tell it--but ef sich a thing could be

As the Angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me--

I'd want to 'commodate 'em--all the whole-indurin' flock--

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock!

THE OLD-FASHIONED THANKSGIVING

Edgar Albert Guest, (1881-1959)

It may be I am getting old and like too much to dwell
Upon the days of bygone years, the days I loved so well;
But thinking of them now I wish somehow that I could know
A simple old Thanksgiving Day, like those of long ago,
When all the family gathered round a table richly spread,
With little Jamie at the foot and grandpa at the head,
The youngest of us all to greet the oldest with a smile,
With mother running in and out and laughing all the while.

It may be I'm old-fashioned, but it seems to me to-day
We're too much bent on having fun to take the time to pray;
Each little family grows up with fashions of its own;
It lives within a world itself and wants to be alone.
It has its special pleasures, its circle, too, of friends;
There are no get-together days; each one his journey wends,
Pursuing what he likes the best in his particular way,
Letting the others do the same upon Thanksgiving Day.

I like the olden way the best, when relatives were glad
To meet the way they used to do when I was but a lad;
The old home was a rendezvous for all our kith and kin,
And whether living far or near they all came trooping in
With shouts of "Hello, daddy!" as they fairly stormed the place
And made a rush for mother, who would stop to wipe her face
Upon her gingham apron before she kissed them all,
Hugging them proudly to her breast, the grownups and the small.

Then laughter rang throughout the home…

All afternoon we chatted, telling what we hoped to do,
The struggles we were making and the hardships we'd gone through;
We gathered round the fireside. How fast the hours would fly—
It seemed before we'd settled down 'twas time to say good-bye.
Those were the glad Thanksgivings, the old-time families knew
When relatives could still be friends and every heart was true.

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

Honoring our Veterans

Lt. Col. Kirsten Palmer and family

11/9/11 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser



As Veteran’s Day 2011 approaches, it is once again an honor and a privilege to thank all those who are serving and have served our country in the United States Armed Forces. If you’re reading this and are currently serving in the military here in the states or deployed overseas, here’s a special shout-out—Thank you!

Congratulations are also in order to a local girl, Kirsten M. Palmer, who was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force on Sept. 30, 2011 at the tender age of 38 years. She is the daughter of Ron and Linda Palmer of Cottage Grove and a 1991 graduate of Cottage Grove High School. She earned her commission in 1995 from the US Air Force Academy and also holds a Master’s Degree.

Lt. Col. Palmer is stationed in Washington, D.C. with her husband Major Roger Lang and their daughter Addyson Lang. Her title is Chief, Nuclear Logistics Integration and she works in the Nuclear Weapons, Missiles and Munitions Division at the Pentagon.

Palmer is a poster child for military recruitment. She exudes competence, enthusiasm for the Air Force, her job and love of country. Evidently her superiors noted the same qualities. At her recent promotion ceremony, the performance reports described her as dynamic, a first-class officer; a superb, inspirational leader; exceptionally skilled; and an innovative powerhouse.

Wow. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Palmer is one of thousands of veterans whom we yearly salute with pride. And here’s a little tidbit: Did you know that there are almost two million women veterans? Women have served in every conflict from the American Revolution to Iraq. During WWII almost 500,00 participated in some way; in the Korea era 120,000 women were in uniform and 7,000 were actively deployed during Vietnam.

The celebration of Veterans Day has changed over the years creating confusion for those of us who remember when it was a day set aside to honor those who died in battle or as a result of combat wounds. Memorial Day, is now the official day set aside to honor our war dead.

Our official Veteran’s Day now emphasizes on thanking the ‘living’ for their service to our country. We still remember those who have served but are encouraged to express our appreciation for those currently serving at home and around the world on our behalf.

On a national level, Veteran’s day will begin precisely at 11:00 a.m. with a wreath laying ceremony by President Obama at the Tomb of the Unknowns. It continues inside the Memorial Amphitheater with a parade of colors by veterans’ organizations and remarks from dignitaries. There is no outside parade in Washington D.C.

Later, wreathes are laid at different monuments and memorials including the World War II Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans and Vietnam Women’s Memorial; the Air Force Memorial; the Naval Memorial at the Lone Sailor Statue; at VA National Cemeteries; and a ceremonial sword cake cutting at the National Marine Corps Museum.

These are moving tributes—but how about you and me? How do we show honor and respect to those wearing the uniform and serving? Should we distinguish between veterans and combat veterans? What if we don’t know anyone in a war zone or even in uniform? There are so many questions.

I guess the place to begin is at the beginning: Respect the flag. Our men and women in the military are serving the USA and everything good that our flag represents. Most veterans hate to see it abused or neglected. As the flag passes in a parade, stand at attention and give the proper salute. Also stand for the National Anthem.

Make the most of your life. Don’t waste your time. Fighting men and women have sacrificed and provided us with freedom and opportunities that are unprecedented in other countries. Use and cherish those gifts they have given us.

Personally validate the person in uniform: Smile, say ‘thanks;’ tap your heart as you walk by; or engage them in conversation. It will be mutually benficial.

For those in war zones, take a moment to form a mental picture of their circumstances: blistering desert heat; cold, snowy nights; loneliness and uncertainty. Send small gifts to make their life bearable. Something you might enjoy. Check out an http://anysoldier.com/index.cfm for ideas. And pray for them—often!

Do something to make a bedridden veteran happy. There are many hospitalized or homebound veterans. Send notes or cards or best of all, visit a veteran in a local veterans home. But this is a little easier said than done. In fact, my idea bombed. I called both the VA Roseburg Healthcare System and the Portland VA Medical Center and got no response to my questions about visitors. If you do, please let me know.

And finally, as a confirmed dog lover, let me express my gratitude to The Dogs of War. This is something that we don’t often think about. Dogs are used by the military in war zones more than we realize. Check out: http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24412. They are heroes too.

In Guam, there is a memorial that says, “25 Marine War Dogs gave their lives liberating Guam in 1944. They served as sentries, messengers and scouts. They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps.” For them I send up prayers of gratitude and safety just as I do for their human handlers.

So, here’s to our comrades in arms—whether you march to the beat of ‘Aim High,’ ‘Above All,’ ‘Accelerate your life,’ ‘Be all you can be’ or ‘Semper Fi’ — Thank you! And may you soon live in peace.

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

10/19/11 Colorful New England

Apple Barn, Vermont

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

North Conway, New Hampshire

10/19/11 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

Inspiration from colorful New England towns

I was born with a yen-to-travel gene and I’m always updating a list of places I want to go. When I’m really bored, I don’t even mind getting lost in a strange city. I call it “a Kaiser adventure” and an opportunity to discover what’s around the next corner.

We had a few of those adventures on our recent trip to New England. Although we had been to some of the Northeast, we had not been to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont or Connecticut. So we planned a trip that included those states along with Massachusetts and Rhode Island where we had visited a couple of times.

Our goal was to visit as many small towns as possible and see if they were as charming as their pictures. We were not disappointed.

My inspiration was www.smalltowngems.com that I mentioned in a previous column. The site features appealing small towns with populations of 10,000 or less. Based on a variety of criteria, towns are either approved or disapproved as the best small town destination points for travelers.

We visited one of those ‘approved’ towns on our trip through the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. Every year, thousands of leaf peepers (such as ourselves) drive the Kancamagus Highway and view the brilliant fall foliage. This year (thanks to Hurricane Irene) the colors were rather muted but still beautiful. Colored leaves, however, weren’t our primary focus.

We were there to ride the world’s first mountain climbing cog railway up to the tallest peak in the East —Mt. Washington (6,288 ft.). The ride up was fascinating, loud and bumpy. At the summit, a sign said, “Welcome to Mt. Washington, home of the world’s worst weather.” And they weren’t kidding. A gale force wind was blowing rain sideways as we lurched into the visitor’s center. The hoped for view of four states, Quebec and the Atlantic Ocean was covered with layers of clouds. Darn.

North Conway, one of the desirable small towns on the Gems website changed our perspective. This little village with a population of less than 3,000 sits lower in the beautiful White Mountain region. The family oriented town features two covered bridges, ski resorts and Settler’s Green Village (New England’s largest Outlet mall) and a Covered Bridge Gift Shoppe, located in ... a covered bridge!

As you drive into town, however, it quickly becomes clear that their impressive Victorian train station is the town’s claim to fame. Wow. The elaborately painted turrets and gingerbread mark the building as special before you even walk in the station door. The Conway Scenic Railroad offers a variety of runs including fall foliage routes to Crawford Notch. Just being there made my heart happy.

A large green area separates the station from downtown Main Street where a Victorian theme has been maintained. Smack in the middle of the old town shopping center sits a bright white church with a copper steeple. The stone paved sidewalk running past the buildings has contrasting stones donated by residents. My favorite was a Scotty dog with the inscription, “Always loved.”

First impressions of towns and people are important. No. Conway and most of New England make great impressions. The streets are wide and clean; the buildings are painted clear, crisp and historically bright colors. Even the North Conway 5 and 10 cent Store is located in an historic building. Buntings and flags were on display everywhere. The town was quaint and inviting.

Now if there’s one way to get into trouble in a small town such as ours, it’s to compare us with another town. Or to suggest that perhaps our town could use sprucing up. So, here comes trouble: Our town can use some sprucing up. There, I’ve said it. And if you had traveled with me through dozens of small New England villages that are neat as a pin and hundreds of years old, I think you would agree.

Sure, our town has ‘good bones’ and an interesting history but we’re not ancient. And yes, we have nice people who do good things but aesthetically, we need some help. And that’s not just my opinion. I hear it from other residents all the time. In fact, the Gems website disqualified Cottage Grove from their recommended list.

Their review reads: “The downtown area of Cottage Grove has several large, interesting murals. But unfortunately, these are romantic depictions of the past, not the present. Other than the murals, I find nothing attractive about this town.” Ouch!

Now that was pretty harsh. Seems to me that most murals are depictions of the past. That’s what makes them interesting. And it didn’t even mention our downtown covered bridge or the soon to be departed Dr. Pierce Barn.

So I walked around downtown and then checked out Dr. P’s barn with a visitor’s eye. True, our wonderful barn has needed some serious attention for a long time and still does. In addition to paint and shoring up, some simple weed-whacking is needed to clean up the perimeter.

But frankly, I think our downtown is visually confusing. We have some wonderful murals that tell the Grove’s history. Our buildings tell another story and I’m not sure what that story is. Our history was in mining and logging. What should our buildings and businesses be saying now? Whatever it is, they need to say it together.

The City and many committees work on ideas for the Grove’s future. But what do you think? Is our town visually attractive? Or do we need some help? If so, where should we start? Drop me a note or give me a call and if there’s enough response, I’ll publish a list of ideas for consideration. I promise to be discreet.

In the meantime, I’ll be planning the next trip for Chuck and I to check out a different area of small town gems—maybe the Deep South.

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com

Grading the Grove

10/5/11 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

Grading the Grove

As I write this, it is late Sept. and a groundswell of activity to save the Dr. Pierce Barn from destruction has begun again. An informal group has been busy getting the word out that the campaign to save the barn is still very much alive. This enthusiastic group of volunteers has accepted the challenge to do whatever it takes to get financial support for the Grove’s gem of a barn.

Cathy Bellavita describes the effort to save the barn as “simply people who love the Dr. Pierce Barn doing what they can to save it. By spreading the word we just may find the person who wants to love it for just what it is: an in-town mini farm with an irreplaceable historic barn and all the ingredients needed to become a successful commercial enterprise and tourist attraction for Cottage Grove.”

This on-going effort to save this old barn has caused people from all walks of life (such as myself) to dig down deep and ask themselves why the barn is so important. Frankly, to some people it’s not important at all. They could live the rest of their lives without seeing the fading barn façade again.

Others, like myself, believe it is very important to save prominent landmarks. Reminders of the past bring joy and perspective to the present. Just thinking about all the animals, changes and decades that old barn has survived is good for the soul.

All across the country, people are recognizing that small town gems like Dr. Pierce’s barn are priceless.

By pure happenstance, I found a website featuring towns that appreciate Americana. The site is www.smalltowngems.com and the pictures took my breath away the first time I clicked the link. The site is not affiliated with any person or organization promoting their municipality. They are like the Consumer Reports of small towns.

The site attempts to be an unbiased source of information about places to visit with populations of 10,000 or less. They define why people like me enjoy strolling the streets of old towns and soaking up the ambiance of yesterday. I decided to see how or if Cottage Grove measures up to their standards.

First, “Small Town Gems” reminded me of what I already know — a desirable small town and its architectural gems will touch your heart and make you want to stay awhile. Cottage Grove definitely passed the following emotional tests:
1. Does this town remind you of a Currier and Ives print?
2. Do you think to yourself “I can’t wait to tell my friends about this place?”
3. Do you wonder if your camera has enough capacity?
4. Is this place similar to the town where your grandmother was raised?
5. Could this be the great retirement location you’ve been searching for?
6. Would this be a safe, wholesome place to raise children?

‘Gems’ uses lots of adjectives to describe what appeals to such tourists: “historic, small, quaint, charming and romantic.” Places such as “historic districts, attractive store fronts on Main Street, antique shops, art stores, boutiques, Victorian homes and bed and breakfast lodging.” Towns are described with phrases such as ‘A step back in time,’ a ‘picture postcard’ or ‘small town Americana at its best.’”

The ‘gems’ website outlines 34 of the criteria that earn their approval. A few of those are: Distinctive architecture, numerous buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, bike or walking path, lampposts, fountains, luxurious tree and flower landscaping, art galleries, antique stores, specialty boutiques, nearby college or university, gourmet coffee shops and bakery, ice cream parlor, free summertime park concerts, proximate to a lake, clean, easily accessible public restrooms, wooden picket or wrought iron fences, unusual scenery, a vintage train station with antique locomotive offering excursion rides and iron or covered bridges.

Towns that don’t merit their approval are clearly defined. Back in the day, we used to say, “they know how to call a spade, a spade.” ‘Gems’ comes right out and says that not all old small towns are considered special. And it’s good to remember that the word ‘old’ does not necessarily mean historic. Sometimes ‘old’ is just that—old:

“Thousands of small towns in this country advertise their downtown areas as ‘historic.’ The difference between historic and historic district can be as severe as the difference between rap and rhapsody. The term historic should be used to designate structures of historical significance. Unfortunately, in many towns, historic simply means old. And all too often, historic is used to describe buildings in such a chronic state of disrepair that they should be bulldozed from terminal neglect…and unless a municipality displays an official federal or state historic district emblem, ignore the historic baloney.”

If a picture is worth a thousand words, you really need to check out the website smalltowngems.com. The photos of their chosen towns are inspiring. Check out the murals at Barnesville, GA; the windmill in Pella, Iowa; the boat docks at Stillwater, Minnesota; the water tower shaped and hand- painted like a fancy coffee pot in Stanton, Iowa. There are 46,185 photos to keep you busy on this site.

FYI: This month, my husband and I are going to be checking out one of these landmarks and I’ll report back on how it meets the criteria.

But what do you think? Does Cottage Grove measure up to ‘Gem’ standards? Personally, I think we have many first-rate stones. They just need to be polished and appreciated. Once everyone is aware of their worth, there will never be a question of whether or not we want to keep an advertising barn icon of 1912 or spend the money on an hand carved, old-fashioned 1920s carousel. We will keep and upkeep our precious heirlooms here at home and in the family.

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