SILENCE

Sometimes silence can be my best friend.   One of the first things I do in the morning is turn the radio on to get the latest news and weather report.   After about an hour of hearing all the negative things humanity is inflicting upon it's self it's time to turn it off.    Just the sound of the wind, rain, birds and the frogs at night can be enough for me.   A trip to the city with all the traffic, construction, and other noises makes me just want to get back home ASAP.   

I will never forget when Celia and I were in Costco years ago when she was getting a hearing test when an older man left his hearing aids off to have them cleaned.   As he walked off to do some shopping he said out loud--SILENCE AT LAST!

BEING THANKFUL AT COSTCO

It was the day before Thanksgiving as I made my way through Costco in hopes of purchasing a pumpkin pie.  As I made my way through the crowd I could feel the holiday cheer with all the people trying to get through the aisles in hopes of filling their carts.   As I approached the pie coolers it was standing room only as a baker had a cart with trays of pies as he was trying to unload them into the cooler.  We all grabbed one making a dash for the checkout counters where the lines went back through the store aisles.  The person ahead of me must have had 500 items in his cart as I waited to pay for the pie.   Once outside I was thankful for surviving the ordeal and having the pie at a cost of $5.99, probably should have got two of them, but did not want to be greedy.  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

CABIN FEVER

It is now the first of March of 2023 and we all have had our fair share of winter weather and confinement to the house due to snow and icy roads, better known as cabin fever.   This got me thinking back on my younger days when I worked for the Forest Service in Orleans, California living in a small house that was half trailer comprising of the bedroom and kitchen all attached to a wooden structure that made up the bathroom and a small living room.  I guess you could call it a shack, all for $70 a month.   I was a full-time employee and I think the only single employee working on the Orleans Ranger District, except for most the seasonal employees that had 180 day appointments or about six months of work before being laid off.   The winter months of 1971 to 1974 could be lonely with no seasonal employees to hang out with after work, no woman in my life while most the other permanent employees were married and had families.   The days of winter were short, the weather could be dismal and Orleans did not offer much entertainment or social events, except sitting in one of the three taverns drinking beer with the local Indian population that were not too friendly when they had a belly full of beer.   This led me to drinking at home in the evenings and usually consuming poor quality cheap wine, the kind that had no cork in the bottle.  Having consumed a good portion of this stuff sleep was not a problem.  My reading material consisted of monthly subscriptions to Mother Earth News, The Alaska magazine and a few others.   On weekends outdoor activities such as fishing or hiking were limited due to the rain and snow at the higher elevations.  I did have a dog for company by the name of Herman, a black mutt male that I found as a puppy wandering lost along the highway one weekend.   Sometimes after heavy rain storms the highway out of town would be closed due to landslides up to a week or more.  This would prevent the delivery of the basic essentials to the local market, including beer and wine.  Sometimes panic would set in after going to the market and seeing very little available on the shelves, especially beer and that cheap wine.  

By spring time it was a relief to see some of the seasonal employees return, people to go to the tavern with or into Eureka or Arcata on the weekends.  In  January of 1975 a new receptionist was hired by the name of Christine, we were married in August of 1975 bringing an end to those lonely winters.

 

GROCERY SHOPPING

Grocery shopping is not one of my favorite things to do, but is necessary since the alternative is not pleasant.   Usually what prompts me to think about the need to go shopping is when I notice the refrigerator starting to look empty.   I prefer shopping at the Thunderbird market in Roseburg early Sunday mornings to avoid the crowds, plus they have a good selection of organic produce.    Being a creature of habit I know where things are in this market and make the same old route through the store as quickly as possible before the crowd gathers and avoid the fear of catching the dreaded virus of the day.   Most of the customers in the store during this time of day are other old men wandering aimlessly in search of whatever.    Within 20 minutes I can get my usual two bags of basic stuff for about $65 and be out the door and feel I have achieved a great task knowing I will survive another week.      

CHRISTMAS 2022

It's that time of year to be jolly, get into the holiday spirit and overlook family dysfunctions.   In my old age I feel more like scourge this time of year, but getting gifts for the grandchildren saves me from total despair.   One habit I have taken up over the years of living here is to take a picture of the Christmas tree standing in the middle of Oakland, and sending it out by email to family and friends in place of Christmas cards.  Sure saves on postage and a good way to get a response from old friends and distant relatives scattered across the country.   

  

   Merry Christmas from Oakland, Oregon!

MY DOG HERMAN

 This was my dog Herman when I lived in Orleans from 1971-77.    He was part Chow and not sure what else, mostly All-American mutt.   I found him as a puppy walking along Highway 96 near Somes Bar.   Later I was told he my have come from a litter of dogs belonging to an Indian family living in that area.   Herman would go to work with me up until the Forest Service put an end to dogs going to work with employees, maybe in 1973-74.  When Christine and I married in 1975, Herman join the family, along with Christine's two dogs.   Herman went with me on many backpacking trips and always in my pickup on road trips.  He became a bad influence on Christine's dogs at times leading them in to trouble now and then.  

On one of our monthly shopping trips to Eureka we left the dogs in the back of the pickup, which had a camper shell on it with open screen windows.   The store we were shopping at was called Bazar's, a large department store with groceries, clothing, hardware and sporting equipment.   While we were in the center of the store we could hear people laughing and gasping as all three of our dogs were coming toward us in the aisle we were in.   The dogs had ripped open one of the screen windows, got scent of our trail, somehow entered through automatic sliding door into the store and followed our scent to the aisle we were in.   It was Herman leading the way as all three dogs were happy to have found us.    

Wandering Aimlessly

 You ever have the desire to take off with no final destination in mind?    Sometime in the late 1980's when my marriage was on the rocks and feeling depressed with a sense of loss I took off with my backpacking gear and some trail food in the car.    My general destination was the eastside of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness thinking it was a good place to get away from civilization.   I left Eugene on a Friday evening after work and drove over Santiam Pass then turned north on a forest road leading to the Cabot Lake Trial head on the eastern edge of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area.    It was about a 3 hour drive from Eugene.  It was the early Fall and no rain was in the forecast, so it was a good time to get away from it all before the wet weather set in.    There were only 3 or 4 cars parked at the trail head parking lot.   I loaded up my back and took off with no destination in mind.   It got dark on me about an hour into the hike, so I just got out my sleeping bag and slept on the trail.   Early the next morning I made my way to Cabot Lake and noticed some people on the other side of the lake.    After the lake I made my way toward Mt. Jefferson and ended up on a rim overlooking the Warm Springs Indian Reservation above the tree line.   It was a desolate area where a man could wander and never be found again.   That night I don't remember where I camped, could have been back by the lake on my return hike back to the parking lot, just don't remember.  Don't even remember my drive back to Eugene or wherever I was living at the time, maybe Cottage Grove.   Emotionally I may have never left the wilderness.  

Sure wish I could wander off these days, but the best I can do is wander aimlessly around the grocery store once a week.  

A Valentine Story

 This event happened when we lived in Cottage Grove from 2000 to 2006.  Don't remember the exact year.  

While sitting in the pharmacy section of the Cottage Grove Bi-Mart, waiting for a prescription refill, I was in deep thought about the issues of the day.   I happened to look down the aisle and noticed a good looking woman browsing through items on the shelves.  Being a married man, guilt was my first reaction for looking, then I realized it was Celia, my wife.     

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sutherlin Bi-Mart

 The other day I had to make the weekly trip into the Sutherlin Bi-Mart for prescription refills and a few other items.    The parking lot was almost full, but once in the store there were not that many people.   When I returned to the parking lot I noticed some vehicles with people sitting in them, many by themselves.   There were some loggers in muddy pickups talking to each other.   A few women were talking near the shopping cart return area, but many people in their cars were just watching people come and go.   Once I got into the car I spent a little time watching people, plus there is the parade of log trucks on Central  Avenue hauling all the burned up trees from the Archie Creek Fire east of town.   It was kind of entertaining.  With restaurants and taverns closed this might be the new place to socialize.

The Daily Grind

 Usually up between 4 and 5 am after a night of wild dreams about still trying to get through high school or wondering where I left my old dog Jack.  Probably need to cut back on those sleeping pills.   Next challenge is getting a fire going, pot of coffee and running the cats out of the house after feeding them.   By 7 am record the rainfall from the last 24 hours.   For this November we received 6.26 inches, almost making the 30 year average of 6.83 inches.   Going into December the next 7 day forecast is for more freezing morning fog and temperatures not much over 40 degrees.   Sure does not help with the mental outlook during these times of isolation.   By 9 am I help Celia get ready for the day and quickly thereafter it is lunch time.   It is either left overs or a pot of soup put together in the morning.    The daily exercise program consists of walking down to the wood shed to keep the fire going or patching potholes on our gravel road when I drive down to the mailbox at the highway.    Once or twice a week drive to town for groceries, prescription refills and replenish the beer supply.    The daily chores of washing clothes, and some sort of house work is never ending.    By 3 pm it is break time as I sit in my old easy chair that Celia wanted me to get rid of years ago.   Time to read a book, think about how my ancestors survived winter on their farm in the Ottawa Valley of Ontario in the 1800's and usually fall asleep for an hour waking to notice it has turned dark outside.   Time to feed cats, make dinner, watch news and learn all the great things mankind has accomplished for the day.   Hopefully to bed by 9 pm wondering what kind of dreams are in store for the night.   

Better throw another log on the fire

Normal?

 Is there such a thing as normal or is it just a state of mind?    No doubt our social life these days is Zero, except for an occasional chat with a neighbor along the gravel road we share, or meeting someone we know in the local Bi Mart while shopping.    If it was not for the Internet we might be classified as hermits.   With this pandemic traveling beyond the local community seems out of the question, even Roseburg is becoming like a foreign country.    Just doing the monthly trip to Costco, north of Roseburg is a great adventure these days.    It is entertaining seeing all the different types of masks people are wearing in the stores, some look legitimate others look marginal like handkerchiefs or rags.    Even with the prospect of a vaccine in the near future the question arises about how effective it will be, especially for us older folks?  The annual flu shot is only 30 to 40% effective as my doctor informed me.  Probably wearing that mask for the long-term may be the way to avoid it all with or without a vaccine.    As I learned years ago there is no perfect or normal in this world.   Sometime the only escape from it all is going to the hammock, listening to the sounds of nature and enjoying a good beer.  

Living on the GI Bill

 After serving two years in the Army I was entitled to two years of school under the GI Bill.   In the fall of 1968 I enrolled in a two year forestry curriculum at Lassen College in Susanville, California.  My monthly allocation was $130 to live on.    Initially all my text books and school supplies had to be purchased from this monthly amount also.   There was some savings I had that went toward these items and my 1963 Ford pickup cost me $800 from money saved up while in the Army.

My monthly rent was $50 for a small room behind a house where I had access to the landlord’s house through the back door to use a bathroom and utilize a space in their refrigerator.  This left me $80 to cover my monthly insurance premium on my 1963 Ford pickup, (don’t remember the amount) gas and grocery money.    My diet consisted of potatoes, cereal and a few can goods, don’t remember any fresh produce or meat.    I do remember the price of beer at $2.09 for a 6-pac of Hamm’s Beer and a $1.89 for a gallon of Red Mountain wine.   After making friends with some classmates we would combine resources and share a meal at their house a few blocks away once or twice a week.   Eating out was rare, but do recall eating hamburgers and French fries at the local Denney’s now and then.

After my first year I worked as a seasonal firefighter for the Forest Service on the Modoc National Forest as a GS-3 earning $2.39/hour.  There was still a food expense, but housing was free consisting of a bed, closet and wood stove in a cabin at the Hilton Spike Camp Guard Station.   Somehow I even saved some money for the upcoming school year.

During my second year of college a friend from Willows, who had served three years in the Air Force shared an apartment with me for $150/month which included a kitchen and all the furnishings.   Our monthly allotment from the GI Bill had been raised to $175/month leaving us $100/month for everything else.    Don’t remember going without anything, even had meat in our diet and no shortage of beer.

Shopping Madness

 Went shopping at our local Bi-Mart yesterday in Sutherlin.  Place was beyond madness with people stocking up, could hardly find a parking space, never seen that many people there at once.   Got the last bags of Bob's Red Mill bean mix, so many ways it can be served; on toast, with veggies or just mixed with what ever, better known as swill.   On the way home went through Oakland to check out the Oakland (Bart's) Market, lot of parking space, no crowds, good supply of beer and assortment of veggies, so loaded up.

Time to stir the swill

Grocery Store Memories

 The earliest I can remember my parents shopping in the northern California town of Willows was 1950, plus or minus a year when we lived in the Villa Street house on the edge of town.  Milk was delivered to the front door, there was a meat market near the Willows Hotel, a bakery nearby and a produce market owned by a Chinese family up town on Sycamore Street.  A few years later came Tom's Super Market on Sycamore, just a couple of blocks from the Villa Street house.  It had everything--diary products, a produce section, lunch meats, bread, can goods, soda, and more.  A few years later after moving out to the County Road H house there was the Sani-Food Market on old highway 99 in town that had it all.   Our mother always had a hard time trying to control us kids as the younger ones ran around the market, especially brother Pat.   On one occasion Pat and his friend Johnny Feeney opened bottles of syrup and began consuming the contents.   Mom was not pleased.

Most of the surrounding small country communities of Bayless, Glenn, Ord Bend, Fruito, Elk Creek and Butte City had small stores with all the basics.  Some were a convenient stop for a soda and bag of chips while doing farm work.  I believe they are all gone now.  

My fondest memories are of the market in Orleans, along the Klamath River in northwestern California, where I lived from 1971 to 1977, while working for the Forest Service.  This store was owned by a husband and wife, don't remember their names.   At the end of the work day the store was inundated by Forest Service employees shopping for their dinners, lunch items for work or a cold beverage.  Both husband and wife operated the two check out counters as the employees had filled their carts with everything from cold cuts, what produce that was available, bread, milk, eggs, bacon and of course beer or soda.  The way to the cooler section was a well worn path.   The meat counter there was always interesting as we could keep track of how old the steaks were as some would turn a little green on one side and we suspected they were turned over from day to day.   There was some chicken on display too that looked like the skin had turned to leather.  There was a frozen meat section with hamburger which was the choice of many after looking over the fresh meat supply.   Most people made the two hour trip down to Eureka or  Arcata every month for some major shopping and some real fresh meat.  Winters there were always hit and miss at the market depending on severe storms and land slides that would block the highway along the river for days causing a shortage of food, and much panic as the beer and wine supply would dwindle quickly.  

The $30 Pie

 While driving around the country side yesterday taking in all the sights before the start of summer we noticed the bakery in Oakland was open.   What really caught my eye was the word PIE on the window.   This bakery is only open certain days of the week and since we have never been inside it was about time to see what they had to offer.   Upon entering a young lady handed me a menu of what was available and I noticed an assortment of pies sold by the slice for $6.   I asked if they sold whole pies and she said only if they are pre-ordered.   Then another woman, who was the owner said there was a marion berry pie available for $30.   Being a little shocked by the price I asked if I could see it wondering how big it was.   After seeing it was hardly 10 inches in diameter the thought of Costco pies immediately came to mind for only $6 and probably three times larger, plus how could I explain spending $30 on a little pie to Celia, who was waiting in the car.  The young woman said the crust is made from scratch in hopes I would buy it, I declined and thanked her for showing it before making my exit.   A trip to Costco is warranted soon.