Cottage Grove makes the news of "charming towns"

3/25/21 The Chatterbox

Betty Kaiser

 

Hey, Grovers! We’re Famous!

 

Did you know that our “quaint, charming village” of Cottage Grove, has been discovered and is receiving rave reviews in magazines and travel articles across the country?

 

I didn’t, until someone showed me an article in Oprah Winfrey’s “O Magazine.” In it, she rates our Cottage Grove as #2 on her Top 10 'charming’ towns to visit ASAP in the country.

 

Hmm. What do you think? Did Oprah visit the Grove or send someone to check us out? Just wondering.

 

Then I saw another travel entry from a 2019 House Beautiful magazine under the heading of “60 Charming American Towns You Haven’t Heard of But Should Visit ASAP.” They also rate the Grove as #2 on a travel list for the following reasons:

 

“The town, is known as the Covered Bridge Capital, it offers a trail studded with seven covered bridges that connect the village across rolling hillside and a series of waterfalls and rivers. The delightful setting is home to plenty of great hiking and bicycling spots, as well as several cozy B&B retreats.”

 

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Now aren’t you glad you live here? So, I’m wondering—did you move here for any of the above reasons? Or were you just born here, know it’s a great place to live and stayed here?

 Our C.G. adventure began in 1987. Chuck and I had no intention of moving anywhere from Ventura, Calif. when we first crossed over the Oregon border.

We had sold our business and were touring Oregon in our Tioga RV with a motorcycle on a rack in the back. We both thought of our visit as a tourist stopover on the road of life. What we didn’t know was that this place would capture our hearts.

We discovered C.G. by pure happenstance. We were camping at Crater Lake with no agenda. After a couple of weeks on the road, we needed a good meal, a shoe store for new motorcycle boots and a place to spend the night. Our AAA map said C.G. had it all. 

The next day, we drove into town, passed the historic Dr. Pierce Barn, then the Village Shopping Center. It housed a Hub clothing store, Tiffany’s Pharmacy and a grocery store. Sadly, all of those places are now history.

We continued on to the Main St. shopping area. Downtown was bustling with business. There were antique stores, hardware stores, banks, gift shops, Ruth and Elsie’s Dress Shop, a jewelry store, The Bookmine, Schweitzer’s Men’s Wear, Homestead Furniture, two shoe stores owned by the Hoover family and more!

At that time Safeway was also downtown, where the Community Center is now. Across the street was a Cornet store (the local five & dime). 

There were no McDonald’s, Taco Bell, etc. But there were other places to eat, including the wonderful (but now long-gone) Copper Rooster coffee shop at the Village Green

So, we ate at a tiny café near the post office: “Tilly’s Top Hat Pies.” Oh, my! Talk about great home cooking!  My husband said that tears ran down my face after just one bite of Margaret Tilly’s apple pie a la mode. Yum!

After lunch, we went to Self-Selecto-Shoes. There, manager Mike Thiess found us just the boots that we needed and then asked where we were spending the night. He suggested that we head out to C.G. Lake and Pine Meadows Campground. We did and that is where we fell in love with the house that we now call home. 

It was only later that we would discover the many other places this area is known for, including the area’s lumber and mining history. We went to Bohemia Mining Days, drove through the covered bridges, rode the Blue Goose Row River train, camped, and enjoyed the lakes. The Grove and its people had stolen our hearts. We decided to move.

As we said goodbye to our lifelong Calif. neighbors, family and friends, I remember describing the town of Cottage Grove with words like “beautiful, quaint and charming but just a temporary stopover on the road of life.” What I didn’t know was that this place would capture our hearts.

We, our moving van, cats and dogs, 2 cars and a 1941 pickup, arrived here in in a pouring rain on March 3, 1989. Our temporary stay became permanent. And every spring on our moving anniversary, as the rains come down, the flowers bloom and the grass turns green, we feel blessed that we heeded the call to a new adventure and moved to The Grove. 

So, welcome, visitors! You’re gonna like it here!

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox by 

 email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doggie Dementia means Sleepless Nights

 

2/25/21 Chatterbox   Betty Kaiser 

Hey, everyone, if you’re not a dog or cat person, you can skip today’s column because it’s all about an old couple and their equally old barking dog. On the other hand, if you fall into either of those categories—read on! 

Readers of my Critter Chatter column for the Humane Society CG, know that I love dogs.

After Chuck and I married and started our family, we included cats and dogs.  Our kids would tell you that Cinder, a Schnauzer-Cocker mix, helped raise them and the entire neighborhood of 30 kids. Those were the days when dogs went off the property to wherever the kids were.

I have lost count, but over the years our menagerie probably numbers 25 household pets plus boarding a few horses and ponies for friends.

The Beagles were our most difficult dogs—they loved to roam our California neighborhood or run a few miles away to a nearby Country Club golf course. They drove me nuts!

The big dogs (Doberman and German Shepherds) were the easiest to care for. Eventually, we added a Dachshund as companions for them and the real fun began.

Along the way, we discovered that cats and dogs do best if there are two of them to keep each other company. It’s also best if you bring all of them inside before it gets dark at night.

Dogs and cats are like kids. No two are alike and there’s always something to learn from them and about them. Our current Dachshunds are a study in differences.

Sammy is pedigreed and brown in color. He is nearly 14 years old and our security dog.  No one can get on the property without being announced by him and he really doesn’t like men with hats. Now, in his old age, he’s certainly not going to let you pet him until he gets to know you.

Sweety is a 7 year old, red sweetheart. No pedigree, 13 pounds, cleans both of their dishes every night and is our hospitality dog. She welcomes visitors with a wagging tail and kisses and will gladly sit on your lap. She can, however, hold her own with her bully brother.

This year, things were going well in our dog kingdom until early January. One night I was jolted awake at 1:15 a.m. by Sammy barking and barking and barking. He didn’t stop. Chuck slept on as I stumbled downstairs, opened his crate and he dashed to the back door. He wanted out!

He came back in, after canvassing the entire property and I put him back to bed. More barking and agitation. I finally gave up, sat down on the recliner with him and a blanket while he went to sleep.  I was really annoyed and frustrated. This was not normal. What was going on?

My reasoning was this:  it’s not unusual for us to have wildlife circle the house at night. We have a variety of critters from raccoons to skunks that call us home. The dogs ignore the deer family even when they trigger the motion lights. But up the hill recently, there’s been a lot of cougar and bear sightings.

I was wrong. The next night it started all over again. Suddenly, agitated barking all night and running around became the norm.

Sweety had to sleep upstairs in our bedroom while Chuck and I took turns getting up, letting him out and trying to analyze the situation. Some nights Chuck would just sleep with him in the recliner until morning!

Nothing worked. Finally, I took Sammy to his veterinarian for a check-up. what could the problem be? Well, in a nutshell, I interpreted his diagnosis and medication as “Doggie Dementia.”

Who knew? The kid’s dog Cinder had dementia but she just stood in a corner until someone rescued her!

So, I went home and Googled dementia symptoms. They included barking without reason, vocalizing more than usual, aggressive behavior (he growls now when I clean his paws), anxiety with unknown people, irregular sleeping patterns and… more!

For some reason, I decided that claustrophobia played a part in his night time barking so we bought him a larger, roomy, new sleeping crate with extra fluffy bedding. That, plus some meds from the doctor and an OTC calming aid did the trick. Well, at least for awhile.

At bedtime, right now, we are turning on a small light and some soft music in another room. It takes a few minutes for Sammy’s pills to work and then some nights he sleeps until nearly 7 a.m. Others he’s up at 3 a.m.!

Our job is to treat him with kindness, patience and lots of love. Keeping him calm and happy during the day is easy to do but not when he becomes anxious, stressed or confused at night.

Bottom line: It turns out that managing Sammy’s dementia is not going to be easy. There is no cure. There are times when he’s going to be stressed without a remedy and we become as confused as he is. It’s frustrating!

It looks like this is an on-going battle that we won’t win. If you have gone down this road and have some suggestions, please let me know.

                               Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox at  bchatty@bettykaiser.com 

 

 

 

 

 

HERE"S TO MORE BIRTHDAYS AND A HAPPIER NEW YEAR!

 1/21/21 The Chatterbox

 Betty Kaiser 

I had a birthday last week and by all standards, I am now officially old. Living 82 years will give you that reputation. I have previously written nostalgic birthday columns but never one during a pandemic of bad news—especially one that doesn’t include friends, parties, hugging, laughter and a birthday cake!

 

In 2009 I wrote about the excitement of childhood birthdays. My favorite memories are the ones in elementary school. They are sprinkled with fairy dust. Mother braided my hair and I carefully chose the dress that I wore to school. Later in the day, mom brought homemade cupcakes and Kool-Aid for the class to enjoy. It was a tradition.

 

That weekend, my best friends came to my house for a party. Dressed in our frilly party dresses and Mary Jane shoes, we played games and I opened my gifts. Some of my favorites were paper dolls, coloring books, jump ropes, baby dolls and jacks.

 

Then, mother brought out her delicious buttermilk cake, layered and spread with a fluffy boiled frosting that was topped with coconut. Ablaze with candles, I closed my eyes and made a wish. Then, the candles were blown out, the cake cut and served with giggles, ice cream and lemonade.

 

Each departing guest was given a party favor and this birthday girl stored enough happy memories in my heart to last a lifetime. Birthday celebrations changed as I got older but I carried out similar celebrations with my children for their memory bank.

 

My favorite, “I can’t believe I’m an old lady” birthday story happened when I turned 65. That day I left the Sentinel office to go to lunch at Taco Bell. After I ordered, the clerk leaned over the counter, smiled and said, “Are you eligible for a senior discount?” 

 

Yikes! Was it that obvious that I was “older”? Evidently it was and I graciously owned up to being a senior and enjoyed my free diet Pepsi.

 

Thanks to the Covid-19 Pandemic, this year’s birthday story is pretty boring. There were no luncheons or parties to attend and report on. However, the mailbox overflowed with cards, the phone rang with good wishes and there were lots of texts to be answered. It was all good. 

 

Coincidentally, there were several emails bluntly reminding me that at my age, I am in a very special age group—a Senager (aka a senior teenager) because I have everything that I wanted as a teenage…. just 60 years later. Think about it and then laugh.

 

One of my recent emails was a lighthearted commentary on the year 2020. It was a horrible year like none of us have ever known—even the elderly like me. We all had new and constantly changing rules to abide by thanks to the awful Covid-19 virus. And sometimes we thought we were going to cry or go crazy. Right? 

 

Well, I finally calmed down, got enough toilet paper and settled into the “masks are going to save us” mind set. Not everyone was happy.  Our lifestyle changed so abruptly that it was depressing. Some were really grouchy! Then, this New Year’s email arrived. Read the comments below, laugh and you’ll know we’re all in this together:

 

* The dumbest thing I ever bought was a 2020 planner. 

* Never in a million years could I have imagined I would go up to a bank teller wearing a mask & ask for money. 

*The world has turned upside down. Old folks are sneaking out of the house & their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors! 

*This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her dog. It was obvious she thought her dog understood her. I came into my house & told my cat. We laughed a lot. 

* Every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.

* Does anyone know if we can take showers yet or should we just keep washing our hands? 

* This virus has done what no woman has been able to do. Cancel sports, shut down all bars & keep men at home! 

* I never thought the comment, “I wouldn’t touch him/her with a 6-foot pole” would become a national policy, but here we are! 

* I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator. 

* I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to the Backyard. I’m getting tired of the Living Room.

 

Now you know that you’re not alone. Laugh and the world laughs with you! Stay well, wear your masks, keep social distancing and please…let me know when you find the Covid-19 vaccine injections. 

 

Remember—times have been tough before. This too, shall pass,,, so keep looking up.  God help us all!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my fellow Capricorns!

 

                            Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox @  bchatty@bettykaiser.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Needs Helpers by Betty Kaiser

Dear Readers,
For the last 20 years, it has been my tradition to share an old-fashioned holiday story in this column. This year’s story is a repeat from an anonymous reader in 2009. The premise is simple: we’re never too young (or too old) to practice a random act of kindness and be Santa! 

 

The setting is small town America, about 1950. Our narrator is an eight-year-old youngster. He begins …

“I was just a kid when I had my Christmas adventure with Grandma. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her one December day. Before I left, my big sister had dropped the bomb: “There is no Santa Claus,” she jeered. “Even dummies know that!”

I immediately fled to my grandmother because I knew she would be straight with me. Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. She always told the truth and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her “world-famous” cinnamon buns. (I knew they were world-famous because she said so.)

Grandma was home and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me.

“No Santa Claus?” she snorted. “Ridiculous! Don’t you believe it! That rumor has been going around for years and it makes me mad; just plain mad!

“Now, put on your coat and let’s go.” “Go? Go where, Grandma?” I asked. I hadn’t even finished the last of her world-famous cinnamon buns.

‘Where’ turned out to be Kerby’s General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of everything. As we walked through the store’s door, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days.

“Take this money,” she said, “and buy something for someone who needs it. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Then she turned and walked out of Kerby’s.

I was only eight years old. I’d often gone shopping with my mother but I had never shopped for anything all by myself. The store was big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments, I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, and the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out when I suddenly remembered Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock’s grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn’t have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note telling the teacher that he had a cough. All of us kids knew that Bobby Decker didn’t have a cough; he didn’t have a good coat!

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm. He would like that.

“Is this a Christmas present for someone?” the lady behind the counter asked kindly as I laid my ten dollars down. “Yes, ma’am,” I replied shyly. “It’s for Bobby.”

The nice lady smiled at me as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn’t get any change but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again and wished me a “Merry Christmas.”

That evening when Grandma helped me wrap the coat, a little tag fell out and she tucked it in her Bible. We wrapped the coat up real pretty with paper and ribbons and wrote, “To Bobby, from Santa Claus,” on a gift tag.

Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker’s house. She explained as we went, that I was now and forever, officially, one of Santa’s helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby’s house and we got out of the car. She and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then she gave me a nudge. “All right, Santa Claus,” she whispered, “get going.”

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness.

Finally, the door opened and there stood Bobby. Fifty years haven’t dimmed the thrill of those moments spent beside my Grandma, shivering in Bobby Decker’s bushes delivering his gift.

That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were — ridiculous! Santa was alive and well. We were on his team. And to prove it, I still have Grandma’s Bible with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.”

Well, that’s it for this year, folks. As we pray for peace on earth and good health around the world, let’s also be alert if we see someone who needs a Santa’s helper. It might be you — whatever your age may be. Merry Christmas and 

God Bless you all!

                            

Betty Kaiser's                 12/23/09 Chatterbox

 Cottage Grove Sentinel 

Contact by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com  

                                      

   

                                                 

 

 

 

 

Giving Thanks in Tough Times!

 11/19/20 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

Here in the USA we happily set aside one day every year to join with family and friends, eat too much and count our blessings. Normally, there’s a whole lotta cooking going on, grandkids to be hugged, family gossip to be caught up with and blessings to be shared. It’s called Thanksgiving

This year is a little different. The meaning of the day is the same but this time, for many people, it’s hard to find a blessing to count.

Early this year, a previously unknown killer virus —Covid-19— began making its way around the world. In spite of masks and social distancing, things have not gotten better. People are still getting sick, dying and fearful uncertainty abounds.

Then, to top it off, hanging over our heads is the most controversial Presidential Election—ever! Tempers are hot, name calling is rampant and common sense is ignored. What a year!

Looking back, I imagine that’s how the Pilgrims felt in 1621. They were pretty excited as they arrived on the shores of the New World in 1620. However, after they endured the trip across the ocean on the Mayflower, more challenges and grief awaited them than expected.

That first winter more than half of the new Plymouth colonists died from malnutrition, disease and exposure to the harsh weather. The others  were helped to survive by the Wampanoag Native Americans who taught them how to grow food and later made a peace pact with them.

The Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving is believed to be in the autumn of 1621. After a horrible year of deaths and near survivor starvation, the remaining Pilgrims celebrated their harvest with a festival as was the custom in England. The now 50 colonists were joined by about 90 Wampanoag tribesmen.
Historical accounts are sketchy but it seems that they celebrated together with joy. For 3 days, they ate their harvested crops and venison from the tribesman. They played ball games, sang, danced and ate along with the Native Americans who had helped them survive.

Each side prayed and thanked their gods during the three-day celebration. The Pilgrims were religious separatists from the Church of England and worshipped one God. The native tribe of Wampanoag was also deeply religious.They worshipped idols and paid homage to more than one God.

We celebrate this well known story as the first Thanksgiving in the New World. Unfortunately, peace didn’t last between the English settlers and their one-time Wampanoag allies. There was a horrible war in 1675 and the natives were massacred.

A yearly blessing of gratitude for harvested crops has been in place in most countries of the world for centuries and remains so today. However, it took the United States awhile to make it a federal holiday.

A woman is credited with making Thanksgiving happen. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady Book —a colonial women’s magazine—wrote letters over 36 years to five presidents requesting the holiday to unify the northern and southern parts of the country.

But it was her letter to President Abraham Lincoln that convinced him to support legislation establishing the holiday. In 1863, he proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day each November.

Later, President Franklin Roosevelt, signed a resolution making the fourth Thursday in November as the Federal Thanksgiving holiday. The date was formally approved by Congress in 1941.

So, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Some years it’s harder than others to be thankful: Times of war, the loss of loved ones and lingering illness, are especially hard. Perhaps we should think like Pilgrims.

This year, for our protection, Governor Brown has imposed rules to keep us healthy to slow down the coronavirus pandemic. Restrictions have been put on everyday activities like shopping and dining out. Limited socialization with friends and family is especially hard to cooperate with. Isolation is never fun on holidays.

At our house there will just be two of us and the Dachshunds to celebrate Thanksgiving. There will be no large family gatherings or feasting for three days. Probably no games will be played unless it’s Pinocle or UNO.

However, life will go on. Dinner will be topped off with pumpkin pie. A deer or two will wander around looking for roses in the garden. Squirrels will chase each other up the trees; birds will empty their feeders and raccoons do whatever they do!

Our gratitude will be all about the basics. We have each other, good friends and neighbors, live in a warm house, have food to eat and wildlife to entertain us. Family will check in from all over the country. Just hearing their voices will bring smiles.

Our biggest blessing will be the ones that we don’t have—like the Covid virus. And our most fervent prayers will be for those who are lying in a hospital bed fighting for their lives, mourning the loss of loved ones or homeless in the cold.

God help us all! We can do this! Have a happy memories Thanksgiving!

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox by email bchatty@bettykaisr.com

Betty Kaiser's Chatterbox

CG Sentinel

October 22, 2020

VOTE!

 

 

Greetings, fellow voters! Four years have gone by since our last presidential election and it’s time to vote again. To say the least, this year of a deadly pandemic and politics has been overwhelmingly exhausting. I will be so glad when both of them are over.

 

Since the office of president in the United States was established in 1789, forty-five men have served as president. The first, George Washington, won a unanimous vote of the Electoral College. It has not happened since.

 

The other day I sat down and read the presidential list, beginning with Washington and ending with Trump. What an interesting and diverse group of 45 individuals have served in the same governing position!

 

I was 21 years old when I cast my first presidential vote in 1960. I grew up in a politically divided family. Discussions were heated. I vividly remember watching conventions on television with my grandfather. So, I registered as a Republican because my mother’s family were dogmatic Republicans.

 

Dad was an equally dogmatic Democrat from Missouri like Harry S. Truman. He and ‘his’ president were both “The buck stops here” kind of men. However, dad later voted for, praised and supported Ronald Reagan! 

 

Along the voting path, I became an Independent voter. I vote for the person that I feel is most qualified, honest, has the country’s best interests at heart and is experienced enough to run the country. I am still a registered Republican, but misguided party lines or candidates don’t buy my vote. 

 

Since my first vote, no two elections have been alike. Some results I agreed with. Others I didn’t. What I do agree with is the system. It’s the only way to make your voice heard and it mostly works.

 

One of my voting adventures was after Chuck and I moved our little family of five to Ventura, California, in 1964. At that time polling places were sometimes held in homes on the outskirts of town.

 

I volunteered our garage. A couple of other neighbors and I went to training classes and on election day we opened the garage door at 8 a.m. and worked steadily until the “polls” closed at 8 p.m. Then we counted the votes!

 

After we moved to Oregon in 1989, I remember voting at the Cottage Grove Grange until vote by mail began in 2005. Yea! As far as I’m concerned, that was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I think most Oregonians agree. Hopefully, the rest of the country will get on the band wagon soon.

 

Ballots have been mailed for next month’s election and soon we’ll know which candidate has won. Who will win? Who knows? Let’s be honest, as we rush to the finish line, it’s been a nasty campaign trail, complicated by the horrible Covid virus and more. 

 

Historically (minus a pandemic), this is not unusual. Almost anyone can run for President and say what they want to. Running for the highest office in the land has few qualifications. If I read the Constitution correctly, you and I could run for president. It says:

 

“No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States."  Term limits were added later.

 

The result has been a mixed bag of outstanding, good, bad and mediocre presidents. I read somewhere that four years in the Oval Office is a bit of a fruit salad of domestic, foreign, political and personal activity. You must be prepared because you never know what will be in the bowl. 

 

The following names are often listed as the top 10 rated (or Great) presidents. Most of the lists I saw based their decisions on leadership qualities; closely followed by education, morals, lawfulness.

 

 George Washington and Abraham Lincoln often vie for the first spot. Sometimes (but not always!) they are listed in this order:

Abraham Lincoln

Franklin D. Roosevelt

George Washington

Theodore Roosevelt

Thomas Jefferson

Harry S. Truman

Woodrow Wilson

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Ronald Reagan

 

There are also lists of what are called “forgotten presidents.” These presidents usually served early on for only one term and/or died in office.They are rated as average or poor by scholars suggesting that people are more likely to remember “the greats.” In no particular order they are:

Millard Fillmore

Franklin Pierce

Warren G. Harding

Chester A. Arthur

Rutherford B. Hayes

James Buchanan,

Martin Van Buren,

Zachary Taylor,

James Garfield

William McKinley

Soon we will know who has inherited the #46 fruit bowl. So, if you haven't already, agree with the system and VOTE!

 

P.S. Still unsure who to vote for? Check out some online quizzes like:

https://www.newsweek.com/who-should-you-vote-2020-presidential-election-this-quiz-will-tell-you-1491318

 

                  Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox by email at:  bchatty@bettykaiser.com

 

 

 

 

HONORING COL. KIRSTEN M. PALMER

The Chatterbox 

September 10, 2020

Cottage Grove Sentinel

“

"Things can get tough but persevere.
You never know what opportunity is around the corner.”
Col. Kirsten M. Palmer

A United States Air Force retirement ceremony was held August 2, 2020, at McChord Field, Washington, in honor of Colonel Kirsten M. Palmer for her 25 years of service.

In attendance were her husband, retired Lt. Col. Roger Lang, her daughter Addyson (11), son  Archer (18 mo.), her parents Ron and Linda Palmer, brother Matt Palmer and multiple Air Force members who had recently served with her at McChord Field.

Kirsten’s career dreams began in an 8th grade science class at Lincoln Middle School. Studying the stars and planets of our solar system, installed in her a desire for space travel as an astronaut.

Her retired Air Force uncle recommended the following path to follow after graduating from CGHS in 1991: “First, become a pilot. Do that by joining the Air Force and attending the Air Force Academy.”  Kirsten set the plan in motion, applied and was accepted at the Academy.

At a summer program at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, Kirsten changed her mind about being a pilot. She spent three weeks shadowing young officers in different career fields that increased her horizons.

She says, “I spent a day with an aircraft maintenance officer and immediately knew that was the career path I wanted. Not only are you around aircraft all day but you get to lead the incredibly skilled aircraft maintainers and resolve issues that are impediments to making the mission happen.”

She earned her commission from the Academy in May 1995 but the learning never stopped. In layman’s terms, as an officer, her crew’s job was to keep the airplanes flying—to get the mission done and every Airmen home. So as she mentored, gave directions and coached others, she was always taking classes too.

During her 25 year career, Palmer served in a variety of assignments in various locations, including 11 years at the Pentagon. She finished at Lewis-McChord Field, Washington

One of her favorite assignments was at Spangdahlem Air Base and Ramstein Air Base in Germany where she met her husband Roger. They were in the same squadron. He flew the C-9 aircraft and her maintainers fixed and serviced the aircraft.

In Germany she not only met her future husband but became fast friends with several women who remain in contact today. There was also time to ski the Alps and see the sites all around Europe.

As an officer, she was always appreciative of those who worked with her. Her squadron commander at Charleston Air Force Base SC was deployed for 6 months. As second in command, she stepped in as acting commander of a 600 person unit.

She says, “It was a huge responsibility for a 32-year old but I was surrounded by a great group of officers and my Airmen flourished! We ended up winning an Air Force and Department of Defense level award for outstanding maintenance during that time period.

Later, at McChord Field, two of my Airmen had a great idea to create a tool that would maintain batteries for a C-17 easier, more cost effective and safer. They pitched the idea to Air Force leadership and 500 Airmen at a convention center. It was approved and now the base will receive a state of the art 3D printer to help Airmen do their jobs.”

The Air Force has been a rewarding profession for Col. Palmer in many ways. In addition to the satisfaction of serving her country at the different assignments, she has earned multiple education degrees (including the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy), many other major awards and decorations, as well as promotion to Colonel.  

Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end. I asked Kirsten why she was retiring now and she said:

“I figured a quarter of a century is a nice round number of years to serve my country. My priorities in life have changed. I want to spend more time with my family and be there more for my kids. They are only young once and I want to create amazing memories like I have of my Mom when I was a child.

“At some point I’ll probably get back into the job market with a part-time job. Until then, I’m going to enjoy being a Mom, catching my breath and reflect on the eventful last 25 years—the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been and the things I’ve gotten to do that I never imagined when I left Cottage Grove in 1991 and headed to the Air Force Academy.”

Thank you, Kirsten, for a job well done serving your country and being an inspiration for all young people to follow their dreams. Enjoy the memories. A new life of opportunities and challenges await. You are an inspiration.
 
                Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox at email bchatty@bettykaiser.com