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.  

Women Working in the Forest Service

 During my career with the Forest Service from 1969 to 1995.

In my early years of working as a seasonal employee for the Forest Service I remember women only working in clerical positions.   In the summer of 1970, I worked as a recreation aide on the Summit District of the Stanislaus National Forest and again only women working in the office.   In the fall of 1970, a 20 person fire crew, including myself was put together on the Stanislaus to respond to a large fire burning on the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California.   This crew was all men.  We took a plane from Stockton and flew into Ontario where the fire camp was located near a large orange tree orchard.   There could have been 200 to 300 people in this camp from different agencies all over the west.  

The camp was operated by the National Guard, who provided trucks for transportation, the kitchen and a shower unit.  Convicts did the cooking.   The shower unit must have been 80 feet by 80 feet with wooden slats or many pallets on the ground to keep our feet from getting muddy as the water just went on the ground.   The entire unit had a 10 foot high canvas wall around it with shower heads on the interior spaced out every 6 or 8 feet along the edge of the canvas.   The canvas opening at one corner is where we would enter, remove our clothing and proceed to a vacant shower head.   I don’t remember the number of people in the unit at that time, but happened to look across the wooden flooring and to my amazement there was a woman taking a shower.   Not wanting to stare I quickly turned away, finished up and got out of there.  

When I went to work on the Orleans District of the Six Rivers National Forest in 1971 there was one woman working as a seasonal on the fire crew.   If I remember correctly she got romantically involved with another crew member, got pregnant and believe they got married afterwards.   There were a few other women that came from the Supervisor’s office in Eureka and worked with road engineering doing survey work.  Some stayed in the Orleans Hotel and in one instance had to barricade their doors to keep some single men at bay with whom they had been drinking beer with in the adjacent lounge.  

There was only one woman I remember that worked in the field on the Greenville District of the Plumas National Forest from 1977-79.  She was a seasonal employee working on a timber stand improvement crew.  

On the Gold Beach District of the Sisikiyou National Forest there was a woman working in silviculture.  I do not remember if she was permanent or seasonal.  There were a few women working at the Zone 2 engineering office north of Gold Beach doing a variety of field jobs related to road survey and design work, most were seasonal. 

Before I transferred to Cottage Grove in the spring of 1988, Pete Brost, the Gold Beach District Ranger transferred to the Tahoe Forest in California.   His replacement was a woman, who had been a wildlife biologist with the state of Washington.    She was the first female ranger on that Forest and some male egos, especially on the District staff were not excited about this.   Shortly after her arrival she had a meeting with her staff assistants that were all men, and she asked how many of them had a problem with working for a woman?   Two of them acknowledged they did, the timber management assistant (TMA) and fire management officer (FMO).  The FMO quit and went to work for the Oregon Department of Forestry and the TMA eventually transferred to the Willamette National Forest.   

A year or more after I transferred to the Cottage Grove District on the Umpqua Forest I learned the woman ranger at Gold Beach developed a brain tumor and died shortly thereafter.  At Cottage Grove there were women working in many field positions, both seasonally and permanent.

Today there are many women in management positions, including the Chief of the Forest Service.   They also have their own shower units at fire camps now.

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.  

The Daily Grind-Spring 2019

 Up before the sun after the usual 4 to 6 hours of sleep.  Stumble in to the bathroom with a glance in the mirror to remind me that age is getting the upper hand, then into the kitchen for a glass of water to get the bowels moving before partaking of coffee to regain consciousness.  The same old list is on the dinning room table with another older list nearby that only has half the items checked off.   Many of the items are carried over from last week.   Once the sun is up out we go to see how the garden is growing and note all the weeds that need pulling, grass that needs cutting, painting to do, fence in need of repairs and the list goes on.   The birds are singing, the spring weather is getting warmer and in general life is good.  By mid morning we are off to town for our daily bread, beans, a few other items we can not live without and prescription refills to help us make it through another day.   First stop going down the gravel road to the highway is at our mail box.  The usual bills, junk mail and an envelope that looks personal, maybe it is from a lost rich relative wanting to leave us their fortunes.   Once back home after a hectic drive through the streets of Oakland we open the mysterious envelope.   It is a free luncheon seminar for residents of Oakland presented by Smart Cremation wanting us to prepare for the inevitable.  We wonder how they got our names, but the free luncheon is tempting.   

Wonder if they give discounts for groups, want to join us for lunch?  

Big T-Storm

 Big thunder storm at about 1:30 pm produced third of an inch of rain mixed with hail all within 2 minutes.  Rain gutters could not handle the down pour.  Pictures taken from the deck.  Might be more later as there are dark clouds to the south and thunder off in the distance.   

Much more lightning and rain, some may have hit the house or nearby and the power was off and on a few times.  Almost an inch of rain now.  Most excitement since the big snow storm.   

Kanipe Comments on Logging

 For what it is worth, these are my comments to ODF for the Notification to salvage log on Mildred Kanipe Park.   You are receiving this, in addition to members of the Friends of Kanipe Park board because of your past involvement and interest in this park.   There is a legitimate need to remove some trees damaged from the recent storm to protect park infrastructure, improvements and park users.   Many of us fear it is a green light to go beyond what is necessary to satisfy the BOC and their cronies, and recent activities at Whistler's Bend is an example.  

You are encouraged to send your own comments to ODF and the county parks department (note email addresses on the following).   Comments are due by 3/28/19.

There are 29 other parks that the county plans some sort of salvage operation on in addition to Kanipe. 

The following are my comments to the Notification of Operation submitted to ODF by Douglas County for salvage logging on Mildred Kanipe Memorial Park.  These comments are based on my observations of the recent storm damage while walking through the park on 3/16/19.

The oak savanna area of the park has scattered oak trees and branches that have fallen.  The Underwood Hill road/trail is blocked with oak and maple trees just beyond the Bachelor Creek bridge.  There is also a slump on this road where half the road bed has dropped down toward the creek.   Bachelor Creek has a fair amount of oaks and maples that have fallen into or across the creek.  This may enhance fish habitat and ODF&W needs be consulted prior to any operations in this riparian area.  The Fernwood road/trail has oak trees across it east of the bridge up to the clearing toward the open ridge top.   Much of the hardwoods blocking roads can be cut up as firewood or decked for firewood cutting by permit.

 Except for one large green fir tree in a side creek and a few pole size firs west of the bridge, I did not notice any large Douglas fir trees, dead or green that had fallen.  Most of the standing dead fir trees have died within the last 5 to 6 years from drought and/or insects.  Most have little merchantability, except maybe in the bottom log (12 to 34 foot).  The average height of these trees range between 60 to 80 feet.  Many are now serving the needs of wildlife.  There will be excessive breakage if these trees are felled due to rot creating much slash and fuel loading and in some areas creating a 1 to 2 acre patch cut (small clearcuts), since many smaller trees will be damaged from falling operations.  Most the trails in the coniferous forests have fir branches and small trees across them that can be cleared by hand or ATV.  In conclusion, I saw more damage in the day use area than the back country of the park.

Prior to any operations a logging plan either for a timber sale contract or a service contract needs to be made available to the public with the county's written criteria for what constitute a hazard tree and how they will designate such trees for cutting along with an estimated volume that might be removed as saw logs or decked for later removal or as firewood.   A slash treatment plan is necessary and a map showing how extensive the skid trail system will be along with location of spur roads and landings. 

History has proven that the public must be informed and involved when dealing with this park and others in Douglas County.

Sincerely,

Mike Burke

USFS-Ret.

Timber Sale Contract Admin.

Oakland, OR 

Storm Damage

 Could take a day or two to clean this up.  Picture taken on lower 10 acres below the road to cabin.

Snowmeggeden week

 A week ago clearing 16 inches of heavy snow from roof rated at 25lbs/sq ft. and not losing more sleep thinking of the unthinkable.  Me and Kasey Hovik.

Snowmageddon Week

 It took two days to plow the driveway open with my 4 foot blade attached to the DR 15 hp unit in order to get to Wildflower Lane where a neighbor with his tractor opened it up to the highway.   At this point there was not much to go to since the local towns had lost power too and most businesses were closed, including gas stations, restaurants, fast food joints, banks, ATM machines, etc.   The Shop Smart grocery store was open in Sutherlin where one had to shop with a flash light, write the price of the product on each item as the scanners did not work and no diary, meat or perishable products were available due to the loss of refrigeration and pay in cash only.

This all started the night of February 24th with the flickering of our lights.  In the 12 years we have lived here power outages only lasted 1 to 2 hours, so we thought everything would be up and going by morning.   The next morning we woke to no power, a cold house, six inches of heavy wet snow as it continued to fall and the sound of crack, snapple and pop of tree branches breaking from the weight of the heavy snow.  My first fear was how would I grind my morning coffee beans.  My old used $50 generator saved the day.   The wood stove was fired up and operated 24/7 until the power was restored at 8 pm March 4th putting a good dent in our dry wood supply.   It became our center of life in addition to cooking some of our meals and boiling water.  My old Coleman camp stove was also put to use on our back deck.   After talking to neighbors and friends on the cell phone we started to realize the extent of the damage.  Miles of power lines had been damaged or destroyed and many roads were closed from falling trees throughout southern Oregon.  It was declared a disaster area by the state and help was on the way by utility crews, tree service companies and loggers to clear trees from roads and restore power lines.   Another storm hit us on February 27th dumping another 6 inches of snow giving us a total of 16 to 20 inches.   Our manufactured home is only designed to take 25 pounds per square foot on the roof, so I starting to lose sleep thinking the unthinkable.  Two of our friends, Janice and Kasey came to our rescue and helped clear the snow off the roof, they also brought us a care package of Costco goodies.   Our utility company, Douglas Electric CoOp informed us it could be another two week before power was restored and my old generator was not doing the job.  A call to a friend in Oakland, landed us with a generator from a man living there and he let us borrow it.  

Safety was our first concern, one slip on the snow which would freeze during the night and would be over with it.  I did suffer burned finger tips when I slipped while refueling the DR and catching myself on the hot muffler.  The snow saved me from much pain throughout the day, and the tips of those finger on my left hand are like leather now.  

All this makes me think of how our ancestors survived in the "good old days" cooking on woods stoves, oil lanterns, candles, no stores to go to, etc.  The only features we did have to deal with was the outside outhouse in the dead of winter as our water supply did gravity flow into the house and would refill the toilet tanks.  

A word to the wise--Be Prepared!

Celia & Mike

Happy New Year

 Last sunset of 2018.  Windy and cold.

Happy New Year!

The Marvels of Aging

 Now that we are advancing in age we want to share the following to let you know what to expect in your golden years.  

These thoughts come to us in the heat of the afternoon while sitting in our favorite chairs or after that nightly pee when going back to sleep is a big challenge.   Some of this is implanted in our brains from catalogs and other literature we receive in the mail these days.   They offer the latest devices for aiding the elderly in the bathroom or keeping our fronts clean while eating, or helping us move from our chairs via ejecting seat cushions, or touting the latest vitamins and ointments to keep us young.   We wonder how they know our age, or have our children given them our mailing address? 

 

One thing to look forward to, if it hasn't already happened because of rock concerts you attended, is a decline in your hearing.  We have been tested and hearing aids have been recommended. One of us purchased some and finds hearing improved (though not perfect--nothing is ever perfect).  Some of our friends have hearing aids, but still seem to ask us to repeat ourselves or can't hear when there is too much background noise. Or do we really want to hear what our spouse is saying during those serious conversations?   Do some of us not want to make the investment with rumors of our social security and medicare being cut?  And, when it comes down to it, does our government view us just as old bodies using up oxygen and taking up valuable space?

Older men can have deep intimate thoughts about their facial hair.  They especially ponder how long would those nose and ear hairs get if not trimmed?  Has any man just let them grow to find out?  Could Mike be the first, or would it be too traumatic for Celia to appear in public with him? And can we solve the mystery of why a man's perfectly normal body hair suddenly migrates to one's back after the age of about 50, and women's arm flesh sags downward as if being drawn by an invisible magnet.

If nothing else these types of thoughts distract us from all the politics and uncertainty of the world today and maybe soften our grasp on reality so that we can continue to find happiness in being alive.

 These may be great questions for you to ponder as the years go by.  

Crisis at the movie

 

While attending a movie yesterday afternoon with some friends an alarm goes off in the theater.   In addition to the sound of the alarm white lights are flashing on the walls.  My first thoughts is this some kind of drill, a joke or is there some person with a gun shooting people in the lobby.   Then a voice comes over the speaker telling us there is a fire in the building and please exit outside.  Slowly people make their way to the exit as the movie continues to play.  Before we depart I reach for the bottle of water we purchased in the lobby thinking it might come in handy in extinguishing any flames that we might encounter on our way out.  Everybody makes an orderly exist, including the elderly and a few disabled people.  Once outside in the parking lot we all mill around in disbelief not knowing what to expect next.  I look around for raging flames or a column of smoke, there is neither.   We notice an usher waving for us to return through the main entrance, so we make our way back into the theater as a fire truck arrives.   As we enter into the lobby fireman dressed in boots, yellow jackets and fire helmets stand guard and look as mystified as the rest of us.   The fireman do offer a sense of security by just being there.   There is a peaceful feeling that the fabricate of our society is still held together by some level of government that still functions properly.   While making our way through the lobby we  hear an usher say that some person had been smoking in a rest room which set off the alarm.   We find our seats, the movie is reset to where we left it, life returns to what we expect it to be and at that moment we are not sure what that is any more.    

NEPA

 Dear Chief Tony Tooke,

As a Timber Sale Contract Administrator from 1975 to 1995 on four National Forests, including the Six Rivers, Plumas, Siskiyou and Umpqua Forests, I saw first hand the need for NEPA and public input in the planning process of timber sales.   Even back then many environmental and ecological concerns slipped through the cracks causing damage to the ecosystem, especially to the watersheds and fishery resource.  

Attached is a letter to Congress on my thoughts in regards to short-cutting the NEPA process through HR 2936.

December 10, 2017

To:  Oregon Congressional Delegation

Re:  Resilient Federal Forest Act (HR 2936)

 We are experiencing catastrophic wildfires for the following reasons:  (1) suppression of fires for the last century (2) decades of even-aged management producing overgrown plantations prone to fires, and (3) drier and warmer summers due to a changing climate.  We don’t want to repeat past management practices that got us into this situation, in addition to the declining fisheries, landslides, loss of wildlife habitat and degradation of our watersheds.   In many ways we are still paying for decades of mismanagement of our public forests.

Categorical Exclusions (CE) have their place where there are no environmental concerns.  But placing an upper acreage limit for using a CE (for example, allowing up to 10,000 acres for salvage logging without an environmental analysis with the excuse that there are no environmental concerns in that size project area) is ludicrous.  What about the effects of any new road construction, reconstruction, watershed analysis and other resource protection needs?  Using a CE in this way is a prescription for disaster and destroys the public’s trust.   A CE should not be used to appease the timber industry with mass production of timber sales which could lead to speculation, as in the 1980’s, or to supplement the overcutting of their own timber lands and/or the export of those private logs to China.

There is a need for separate funding for wildfire suppression through FEMA and more appropriated funds to land management agencies for:  fire prevention by thinning, prescribed burning, development of fuel breaks, and harvest prescriptions for controlling insect and disease infestations. 

Please keep me informed on the status of this act as it progresses in the Senate.

 

Mike Burke

855 Wildflower Lane

Oakland, OR 97462                          

 farmhand.mike@gmail.com

Kanipe Fundraising

 Friday night we had our last big fundraising event for the construction of campgrounds at Mildred Kanipe Park.  It was a five-course gourmet dinner at $65/plate with a different wine for each serving. Many local artists and authors offered their works for sale, with most of their profits going to benefit Kanipe Park. The event was held at the Umpqua Valley Arts Association's lovely building in Roseburg from 6 to 9 pm.  Most of the food and all the wine was donated, and the food was prepared by a very good caterer who also donated her services.  Mike and some others served as waiters, white napkins on trays and all.  Between servings the waiters ate and drank wine in the kitchen.  By 8 pm everyone was happy, waiters included. 

Celia was to give a brief talk thanking the community for their support, but due to her glasses mysteriously disappearing, her friend Jenny graciously offered to read it for her.  When it was all said and done, members of the Friends of Mildred Kanipe Park had to help wash the dishes, which reminded Mike of KP duty when he was in the Army.  It was an assembly line type of production with people washing, rinsing, drying and putting away.  The floor became wet due to drainage problems, but not a dish was broken, and the wine continued to flow freely until the job was done.

Our agreement with Douglas County was to raise $65,000 in six months. The County would match it with funds from Mildred's trust to construct campgrounds on the park to help make it self sufficient, making it unnecessary to clearcut 20 acres on the park to fund this project.  In less than three months the community raised almost $71,000, including a $10,000 grant from an old timber family in the County.  (see attached picture of board members)

Cheers!

Celia & Mike