Heard's Stinky Pond At Wilbur

     The following letter to the editor was submitted by Wilbur resident Ragen Garrison. I have always admired and looked up to Garrison. He was the Oakland FFA Chapter President during the year that I first entered the Future Farmers of America program.
     I, too, am sometimes overwhelmed by the stench that is created by the Heard Farms septic lagoon at Wilbur. Depending on the time of year, all motorists traveling on Interstate 5 north of Roseburg are treated to a putrid whiff of sewage as they drive through Douglas County at Wilbur.

STINKY POND

     DEQ is having a hearing on issuing a permit to Heard Farms for application of sewage waste on more land along Oakhill Road. Heard Farms wants to expand their operation and receive more waste from outside of Douglas County.
     The hearing is November 12, 2014 at the Douglas County Library Ford Community Meeting Room, 7:00p.m. Permit # 102449, File # 109363.
     I think its been stinky enough that we don't need to make it bigger. Especially when it's for waste outside of Douglas County. They want to bring in waste from California.
Ragen Garrison
Roseburg

Ben Bradlee Letter About Flacks

Halloween Top Movies Selection

     Monte's Flicks & Pics Selection For Halloween Night

     Okay, this really isn't a flicks and pics selection, because this list consists mostly of television specials and not motion pictures. It's because I've never been a person into "slasher" movies, or stories that have a lot gore, or stories that focus on witchcraft and the occult. Alfred Hitchcock suspense movies are about as "wild" as I go, in watching movies dealing with the macabre.
     Listed below is my list of shows to watch for a "perfect" Halloween evening. Okay, maybe not perfect. But at least an enjoyable evening that won't leave you so scared that you can't go to sleep. I'm not listing them in order of being my favorites, but more about the order in which I would show these movies, beginning at dusk and ending around midnight.(?)

1. BEWITCHED - "The Witches Are Out," October 29, 1964. This is one of my favorite Bewitched episodes, where Darrin is asked to design an advertising campaign for a candy manufacturer, depicting witches as ugly crones with warts on their noses. This campaign flies in the face of Samantha's relatives who are trying to promote a positive image of witches for Halloween. Shelley Berman steals the show as the candy manufacturer who gives a melodramatic performance in his role. [I have an autographed picture from Shelley Berman.]

2. BEWITCHED - "Trick Or Treat," October 28, 1965. If there is one show on my list that must be dropped due to time constraints, I would drop this one. This episode doesn't bring the laughs to me as much as the previous Bewitched episode. Endora wants Samantha to go away with her to celebrate a traditional Halloween ceremony, but Darrin forbids it. Seeking revenge, Endora turns herself into a little girl in a gypsy costume and turns Darrin into a werewolf.

3. PEANUTS - "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," 1966. This Peanuts classic always get a laugh from me when the gang goes trick-or-treating. After the third house where they collect treats, and after the third time when they're comparing notes about what they got, and Charlie Brown always says "I got a rock"...THAT'S when I lose it. Charlie Brown, the ubiquitous born loser, endures hardships that we can all relate to at one time or another.

4. THE TWILIGHT ZONE - "Walking Distance," October 30, 1959. This is the only show on my list that does not have a Halloween theme, but I would be remiss is if I didn't include at least one episode of The Twilight Zone on my Halloween list. (It helps that this episode originally aired the night before Halloween.) Ironically, this is not a scary episode, but a heartwarming, nostalgic episode from the series. In fact, numerous critics acclaim "Walking Distance" as the best episode of the series. It's about a man who inadvertently goes back in time to his hometown, and relives past memories, and re-visits his parents while they were still alive.

5. THE PAUL LYNDE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL - October 29, 1976. I'm not a big fan of the rock group KISS, so there are some things that detract me from this one-time television special. Nonetheless, I wouldn't miss watching this campy classic that unites Witchiepoo from Pufnstuf and the wicked witch of the West from The Wizard Of Oz. Florence Henderson from The Brady Bunch singing the song Black Magic adds to the cornball antics of this offbeat special.

6. THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - 1980. I saw this version, starring Jeff Goldblum as Ichabod Crane, in 1980 at the Starlite Indoor Theater in the Green district of Roseburg. This version of the Washington Irving classic depicts a "kinder, gentler" version of Sleepy Hollow, than does the 1999 remake (more graphically violent) starring Johnny Depp, or the Fox-network series (more into witchcraft and the occult) currently airing on television. I played Ichabod Crane when my seventh grade class performed the play before our school, so I naturally would include some version of this movie on my Halloween night list.

Oregon Ballot Measure 90

     The letter listed below appeared in the Eugene Register-Guard, Thursday, October 23, 2014. I have been on the fence with Measure 90, which would eliminate partisan races during the May primary election, so that everyone's ballot would have ALL of the candidates. The top two candidates, regardless of whether they're Republican/Democrat/etc. would advance to the November general election.
     On the local level, I have been in favor of non-partisan races. That was my biggest complaint, when I ran for Douglas County Commissioner, back when the commissioner races were partisan. I felt that I had broad based support from different parties. But my name only appeared on the Republican voters' ballots in May. More than half of the voters in Douglas County never had the chance to vote for me, or against me, because my name didn't appear on their ballots, and I was knocked out of the May primary by the big-spending Republican candidates.
     On the other hand, Measure 90 could have lopsided results on the state level. There are currently more Democratic voters than Republican voters in Oregon. For example, let's say there are 60 percent Democrats and 40 percent Republican. If, for example, there are two strong Democratic candidates and two strong Republican candidates in the May primary election, the voter turn-out could end up like this: Each Democrat would split their party's vote, each receiving 30 percent of the votes...and each Republican would split their party's vote, each receiving 20 percent of the votes. Therefore, two Democrats would be the only names appearing on the election ballot in November!
      In summary, I like non-partisan races, because they allow ALL voters to vote for whomever they want during the May primary, regardless of party affiliation. However, I am concerned about the negative consequences of non-partisan races, when a strong majority of the populace is affiliated with the same party.
     However, the letter below is a tempting reason to support Oregon Ballot Measure 90. It offers an example of how a Republican candidate could actually win a statewide election, in a predominant Democratic state!
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     "Top Two voting lets majority decide"
     In her Oct. 18 column about Measure 90, (former Oregon Governor) Barbara Roberts made a great presentation for opponents of the measure (Measure 90 boosts big money's voice, limits voters' choice").
     The current system, which she endorsed, allowed her to become governor when the majority of voters in 1990 didn't want her to be.
     Roberts won the election with 45.7 percent of the vote; Republican David Frohnmayer received 40 percent and independent Al Mobley received 13 percent.
     But the vast majority of those who voted for Mobley, who was far more conservative than Frohnmayer, would never have voted for Roberts. So in a top two election, Roberts would have received at most 47 percent and likely would have lost to Frohnmayer.
     That election glitch doesn't favor either major political party. There have been many examples of third party "spoilers" affecting all kinds of candidates.
     Under the current system, we often have to choose between voting conscientiously and voting strategically. Under Measure 90 we can do both: Vote your conscience in the primary election, choosing your ideal candidate, then, if your ideal candidate doesn't make it into the top two, vote pragmatically in the general election - the lesser of two evils.
     Candidates such as Roberts benefitted from the current system, with its quirks and privileged groups. And some people naively prefer having a token presence of minor party candidates in the general election.
     But Measure 90 would provide a fair, straightforward election in which winners could truly be decided by the majority of voters.
     J.R. Wagner
     Blachly
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Muscovys Take Flight

     Muscovy ducks have always reminded me somewhat of an albatross. The drakes in particular are somewhat "dumpy," being less than streamlined, with the bulk of their weight hanging between their feet. During all of the years that we have raised Muscovys (Muscovies?), they have always been "ground" ducks.
     The last Muscovy that we had, before she met an untimely demise due to some predator, was the exception. That Muscovy black-and-white hen would use our driveway as a runway to make a gradual ascent into the air, and then fly over the rooftops of several nearby houses, before making a sharp 180-degree turn and gradually descend back to the ground in our garden.
     This past spring we obtained some Muscovy ducks again.
     (Sidenote: If anyone wonders why I would obtain some pets on a fixed income, when I might not be able to take care of the pets in the future due to my cancer: this was when I was working as a substitute teacher, fully expecting to resume full-time employment very soon. In other words, BEFORE I was diagnosed with cancer a second time.)
     This batch of Muscovys from Oklahoma seems much more airborne than the "Oregonian" Muscovys that we've had in the past. The three hens that we have, have already made a home of  "roosting" on the roof of a storage building that we have behind the house.
     The two white hens have even gotten into the habit of perching on the top of the cinder-block chimney that is beside the storage building! The third hen and one drake, meanwhile, are content to sleep on the corrugated roof of the storage building. Time will tell if the remaining albatrosses...oops, I mean Muscovy drakes...decide they are aerodynamically able to fly up on the roof.
     While I am somewhat concerned whether or not the rain can wash off the Muscovy duck "deposits" down the corrugated rooftop, I am somewhat relieved the ducks have found "higher ground" to sleep...making it virtually impossible for any opossum, raccoon, or dog, to grab one of the birds.
     "Angel," the only pure white Muscovy duck that we now have, has tapered wings and a fantail, and is streamlined like a dove. And because everyone knows that I like doves, Angel's appearance may explain why I have a rekindled interest in Muscovy ducks. They're no longer big ugly ducks that "hiss" instead of quack. :)

Democrat-Republican Clash In Commissioner's Race

     I'm posting a front-page article that appeared in the Roseburg News-Review, Tuesday, October 21, 2014. As someone who has closely monitored local politics in Douglas County the past 25 years, I find it extremely interesting how "non-issues" that are routinely ignored in some races, suddenly become major brouhahas in other races. And sometimes, people end up sticking their foot in their mouths, when they speak out on an issue, without realizing they were "on the other side of the fence" in other elections. C'est la vie!
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     Four Republicans are running for Douglas County commissioner, but one received his party’s endorsement after a competitor made a campaign donation to a Democrat.

     Douglas County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Dave Germond said the party chose to throw its support to Chris Boice after learning that Gary Leif made a contribution to Kerry Atherton, a Democratic candidate for state House District 2.

     Meanwhile, Douglas County Democratic Party leaders Dean and Sara Byers are now backing Leif, who they say is the more moderate choice among the two front runners, though their party still endorses Roseburg Internet consultant Rita Harris, the only Democrat in the race.

     Leif, 57, a Roseburg photographer, stands by his decision to support Atherton. He said Atherton is a personal friend and is helping him reach out to Democratic voters. Germond said the party’s purpose is to elect Republicans who “support the Republican cause.”

     Leif said he should be free to make donations to anyone he wants.

     “Really honestly that’s what’s wrong with our USA right now is we’re so divided by an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ and that is absolutely why we’re so screwed up right now,” he said. “That’s why we aren’t getting things done and I think it’s a travesty.”

     Germond said Leif is free to donate to anyone he wants, but that freedom is a “two-way street” and Republicans have just as much right to make their own recommendation.

     “It appears to most Americans that when the ‘bipartisan’ word comes up and the Republicans are accused of not reaching out to anybody else that it has the same meaning as the Republicans need to compromise their values every time and the other party, liberalism, has ruled the day and that conservatism has not,” Germond said. “The Republicans have always given up ground and we seem to be losing more ground every day.”

     Boice said he is grateful for the Republican endorsement, but would like to have the Democrats’ endorsement as well. Boice, 42, owner of Big O Tires in Roseburg, said he wants to serve the whole county, not just Republicans.

     “At this point Republicans, Democrats, independents, Constitution Party, we’re all trying to elect the guy who’s going to get in there and work the hardest to represent all the people of Douglas County and I believe that’s me,” Boice said. “I will work just as hard for any person regardless of party affiliation or their personal beliefs. I have respect for everyone and their beliefs regardless of their political affiliation.”

     Boice has taken some heat for his role in a MoveOn.org meeting in July 2011 at River Forks Park, west of Roseurg. At that meeting, the group — consisting of 18 Democrats characterized as mainly women over 65 — disbanded after being heckled by a larger collection of 35 tea party activists who accused them of being communists.

     Though some detractors identified Boice as part of the tea party group, Boice said he attended the meeting not to heckle participants but to learn more about them.

     “I was there specifically to sit down with the MoveOn.org people at their meeting and listen and learn their point of view. I encouraged the tea party people to do the same. I said, ‘Why don’t you just go sit down with them and listen to what they have to say?’” Boice said.

     Boice said after the group moved its meeting to a private home, he knocked on the door but was not allowed in. A video of the event posted on YouTube shows Boice sitting down at one of the tables at the meeting.   

     Rich Raynor, a leader of that tea party demonstration, withdrew his own candidacy for commissioner in July. He said he did not want to split the conservative vote and was convinced after an interview with Boice that the latter was “a philosophical match.”

     Though his opponent suggests he is a tea party candidate, Boice said that depends on how that group, which is not a formal party, is defined.

     “I believe in individual liberty. I believe in personal accountability. I believe in small government. I believe in fiscal responsibility. I believe in a whole bunch of things and if the tea party believes in those things then yeah. And if they don’t then that’s not who I am,” he said.

     Boice said during the commissioner race he reached out to the Democrats too, but was rebuffed.

“They won’t even return a call or an email which I think is unfortunate,” he said.

     Douglas County Democratic Party Treasurer Sara Byers disputes Boice’s assertion. She said neither she nor her husband, Democratic Party Chairman Dean Byers, ever heard from Boice.

Sara Byers said she and her husband have rallied behind Leif because they were impressed by his campaign group, which is made up of half Democrats and half Republicans. She also liked that Leif asked to attend the party’s annual Flegel Victory Banquet in Canyonville on Oct. 4, where he heard Atherton speak and was inspired to contribute $250 to his campaign. Leif also made a campaign contribution to Atherton’s competitor, Republican Dallas Heard.

     Byers said she believes the competition between Leif and Boice is splitting the Republican Party along ideological lines, with more conservative voters favoring Boice and moderates choosing Leif. She said she has been expecting such a split in the party since the “tea party revolution in 2010.”

     “There’s going to be a big crack happening in the party. We’ve seen it play out and now it’s continuing to play out here in Douglas County,” Byers said.

     Other Republicans in the commissioner’s race are Myrtle Creek web consultant Mark Garcia and former Douglas County sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Admire. Roseburg Municipal Court bailiff Dale Rogers is not affiliated with a party.

• You can reach reporter Carisa Cegavske at 541-957-4213 or ccegavske@nrtoday.com.
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 (Listed below are the on line responses that I posted on The News-Review's website.)
Monte Muirhead · Oakland, Oregon

     During the May, 2014 commissioner's race, the News-Review relegated the Republican party's endorsement of candidate Tim Freeman to a sidebar story inside the newspaper. During this race, the Republicans' endorsement of Boice suddenly becomes a front-page headline. Obviously, I had to read the article to see what all the fuss is about in this particular race.
      Yes, it seems odd to me that candidate Leif would donate money to two opposing candidates. What seemed even more odd is the Democratic leaders Byers supporting Gary Leif, while the Democratic committee that they serve on is supporting Rita Harris.
      On the other side of the fence is the strange way the Republican party is making such a tissyfit over Leif's donation to multiple candidates. The Republican committee sure remained mum during the May, 2014 election, when Freeman and other commissioner candidates were all receiving campaign donations from the same source: the Cow Creek Indian Tribe.
      Talk about hypocrisy! I just don't understand why this (one entity giving donations to opposing candidates) has become such an issue in this race, while it has been ignored in other races? I am registered as a Republican because I believe in fiscal conservatism (fewer taxes) and smaller government (more personal freedoms). Right now, both the Douglas County Democratic and Republican executive committees are making it difficult to feel proud in belonging to any party.

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Monte Muirhead · Oakland, Oregon

     This situation brings back memories of when, 1990s-2000s, members of the Douglas County Republican Executive Committee were openly working on (then) Democrat Joyce Morgan's bid for county commissioner. Would someone from the Executive Committee tell me WHY it is okay for Republican Executive Committee members to publicly work on a Democrat's candidacy during the primary...but suddenly it's wrong for Gary Leif to donate to both a Democrat and a Republican?

 

 

Recipe For Disneyland Clam Chowder

      Thanks to my cousin in southern California, I discovered this recipe. I never sampled their clam chowder, during the one time that I visited Disneyland in 1987. I probably don't have the wherewithal to prepare this recipe myself, but hopefully one day someone will make it for me! :)

 

Disneyland's Clam Chowder Recipe
servings: 6
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup red pepper
1/2 cup green pepper
1/2 cup celery
2 1/4 cups clam juice (I used chicken stock)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup clam, chopped (I used canned clams)
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch white pepper (I used black pepper)
1/3-1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
sourdough bread, slices (optional)
Directions: 
Melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the flour to make a roux(It will by thick). Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, then set aside.
In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the potatoes, onion, peppers and celery over medium heat until the potatoes are just barely tender, about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked.
Add the heavy cream, clam juice (or chicken broth), clams, thyme, salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce, and roux. Whisk well to blend in the roux.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more seasoning to taste.
Serve in Bread Bowls or with slices of French Bread
Recipe adapted from the Disney Magazine

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Pleasant Pets

     During a trip to Roseburg today, my mother and I stopped by the UMPQUA VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY thrift store in downtown Roseburg. When we entered the business, we saw a familiar face: John, who works at the store, and was previously co-owner of the PLEASANT PETS pet shop in north Roseburg.
      John has been a longtime friend of the family, and bailed us out a time or two. More specifically, when I had my first cancer surgery in November, 2012, I was "supposed" to be in the hospital for only three-five days. Instead, a reoccurring fever of 100+ degrees plagued me for weeks, causing me to remain in the hospital for a month. I went in after Thanksgiving and got out right before Christmas.
      This obviously posed a problem for the care of my red-tail boa constrictor. While "Jelani" could go a month without eating food, I was worried that she might need fresh water and possibly the bedding changed in her cage. While I could rely on family members to care for my doves, ducks, and geese, very few people are willing to tangle with a seven-foot boa constrictor!
      That's where John came in. He came up to our house one night to check on Jelani. PLEASANT PETS was where I had purchased the snake, back when she was a small reptile that could wrap around herself my fingers. So John was more that aptly prepared/qualified to open Jelani's cage and check on her.
      Today, when we visited the UMPQUA VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY thrift store, it had been too long since we had seen John (more than a year). But he made us feel at home and encouraged my mother to shop and look around, which she did. Because of my chemotherapy treatments, I can't stand for long and I get fatigued quickly. So I went to the book section at the back of the store, and plopped down in a chair and fell asleep, until an employee came and told me that my mother was   ready to check out.
      But John wasn't the only familiar face I saw today at the thrift store. A pair of doves, one white and one cocoa brown, were there to greet me. The same doves are not for sale and have been a fixture at the store for years. However, I did notice a new addition: a tangerine-colored dove all by itself in a separate cage.
     I always feel sorry for single doves; they require companionship. So I made sure I took the time to engage in "dove talk" with the isolated bird. It's a good thing I have cancer and need to eventually get rid of some of my pets. Otherwise, today I might have added another dove to my flock.

Sayreville War Memorial High School Hazing Hits Home

     Seven football players at Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey have been arrested over an alleged hazing incident at the school. The seven youths, ages 15 to 17, face sex-crime charges ranging from aggravated sexual assault to conspiracy and criminal restraint. Four victims were allegedly held against their will in four separate incidents.
     This, unfortunately, brings back memories of a similar incident that occurred in my hometown high school. Several students held down a boy in the high school weight room, and used a round wooden, oblong object to assault the victim.
     What prompted me to write this column is the stark contract of public awareness between the two incidents. Granted, Sayreville appears to have more of a widespread problem of hazing, than did my hometown high school, involving the one isolated incident. However, the types of assault were very similar...but how school officials addressed the problem is very different.
     Back in the 1970s and 1980s, when I was in school, hazing had been a recent memory. While my school district, and presumably most other school districts, had banned the practice of hazing....it was still a recent enough memory in many young people's minds, since they had older siblings who had been involved in such activities. I still remember hearing about the unfortunate person who had their head held in a toilet bowl, while the perpetrators flushed the toilet. Thank God such activities had been banned by the time I entered high school!
     Or had they? The sexual assault incident that occurred while I was in high school was not publicized. This was presumably to protect the well-being of the victim. Nor did school officials ever hold a school-wide "awareness" session on sexual assault, and what to do if one learns of such an incident. In a way, the school district's unwillingness or inability to address the problem before the high school student body, somehow gave the unspoken verdict that such hazing/sexual assault activities were either condoned, or not an issue that the average student should concern themselves with. Because every student was talking about the assault, why shouldn't it be addressed by the school staff?
     But I was very concerned. I was never the victim, or threatened victim, of such assault occurrences. But I was still affected. The term "pegged" began to be used by some of the students at my high school. If a student wasn't careful, he might be the next victim to be "pegged." I remember one day in my English class, the teacher pulled a student aside and asked what the term "pegged" meant. After the student told the teacher what it meant, the teacher just smiled and said nothing. Again, that teacher's response to the activity of "pegging," merely reinforced my perception that students were "on their own" to defend themselves, because the adults didn't appear overly concerned with those types of assaults.
     Contrast that with today. The sexual assault incidents at Sayreville, New Jersey are national headlines, appearing as the lead story on the evening newscasts. What has happened during the past 30 years? In the past, such traumatic incidents were handled quietly to protect the victims, and society appeared to view the issue as "boys will be boys," and offer little public awareness of the issue. Today, such sexual assault incidents become publicized in the news media, while school districts cancel the football program for the season, and use the incident as a learning experience to educate the entire student about the issue of sexual violence.
      I believe it's important that school classrooms are a "safe zone," where students who use threatening language are quickly reprimanded by the teacher (in a pro-active way), and where students know the teacher will protect/defend them against threats from other students. If I ever return to the classroom, that's the kind of teacher I will be.

The Rewards Of Teaching

     I love teaching. I wish that I could get back into the classroom. During the brief time that I spent student teaching (sixth grade social studies and English as a second language students at Jo Lane Middle School in Roseburg, and language arts students at Oakland High School), I discovered many rewards in teaching students. But I didn't realize that my short time in the classroom three years ago would yield positive results now. More about that later in this blog entry.
     The students loved me at Jo Lane. They planned a surprise party for me on my last day. I had been there two terms, or two-thirds of the school year, so I had become a "fixture" in the classroom almost as much as their regular teacher.
     During the surprise party, they showered me with sweet treats (I got to go first in the line at the baked goods buffet), and one student even gave me a bag with an apple in it. How sweetly appropriate! To top it off, the students had each signed their names and written a thank you message to me on a giant sheet of roll-out paper.
     To be honest, teaching high school students presented more of a challenge. After hearing the reports that teaching seventh grade students was the hardest year for teaching, I was surprised to have encountered difficulties at the high school, after my smashing success at the junior high level. But to be objective, I should have expected it. Having been taught by a popular teacher for the entire year, suddenly a newcomer enters the classroom spring term with a different teaching style.
     I endeavored to break that barrier by introducing some innovative student-centered activities that I learned attending Graduate school at the University of Oregon College of Education (jigsaw exercises, small-group student presentations, etc.). But despite resistance by some of the students, the experience was still a positive one, in the sense that I learned multi-tasking first hand! During my section on teaching the novel The Great Gatsby, one student just didn't "get it," regardless of how many times I tried to explain the plot to the student.
     I sought some advice from the special education teacher, who found a graphic novel of The Great Gatsby, where all of the characters looked like space aliens. Don't think that wasn't an interesting challenge, trying to incorporate a customized lesson plan for that one student, while I was teaching the "regular" novel to the remaining class!
     But I never gave up on my high school students. During the two weeks that I worked as a substitute at North Medford High School, one student told me that I was her favorite substitute teacher. Why? Because I was the only substitute teacher who came to class prepared with a lesson plan, instead of other substitute teachers who talked all period and gave the students "busy work" to do.
     During the last 26 months that I've been battling cancer, I assumed that my short tenure as a teacher had been forgotten by students. But I was wrong. This week I visited a restaurant owned by the parents of one of my former students. The mother and daughter came in to the restaurant while I was there. They came to my table, excited to show me the paperwork from a school evaluation session where they had just been.
     The daughter had received straight As in all of her classes, and received glowing recommendations on her coursework by her teachers. It had been three years since I had taught the daughter, but her family nonetheless remembered me and wanted to include me in the good news they had just learned.
     I would love to return to the high school classroom. A class on "Detective Fiction" based on my Detective Fiction class that I took at the University of Oregon. Or an "Asian Literature" class, again based on a class I had at the UO. How about an  "Old English" class, where I can introduce students to Paradise Lost in a contemporary lesson plan that's easy to understand, based on the semester-long "Milton" class that I took? After taking "Advanced Shakespeare" in college, I would love to teach a full year of the subject, one semester of the tragedies and one semester of the comedies. Or, my first love of social studies would be enhanced in teaching an "Advanced Placement U.S. History" class, incorporating some of the work I did in a Graduate level course of the American Revolution.
     For now, while I battle cancer, I have to content myself with reading some of the books and coursework that I studied in college. At least I'll be able to keep my own mind sharp, even if I currently don't have the opportunity to help sharpen the minds of today's youth.

How Pumpkin Pies Are Really Made

jj

     I normally wouldn't post a picture or column about something that "pushes the envelope." However, I am making an exception in this case, because the above picture reminds me of a joke that my father used to tell. He would sometimes tell alternative jokes in his early years.

     So, here is the joke...I only had to "bleep" out one four-letter word, but that will be painfully obvious to the reader what that word is, when you read it in the joke.

 

     There was this traveling salesman who was on his route one day, and he had to go to the bathroom really bad. Well, since there were no bathrooms around and the only thing in sight was a pumpkin patch, he cut open a pumpkin and did his duty into it.

     He figured he would be back this way soon and he would bring a shovel and bury the pumpkin and nobody would be the wiser. Well, a few weeks later he is back and he has his shovel, but the pumpkin patch has been harvested. So, he shrugs and gave a little chuckle as to what someone is going to find in the pumpkin.

     Well, a few years later he is at a pub nearby where the pumpkin patch was, and he laughingly relates the story to a local in the bar. Well, the local guy gets this look on his face and runs over to the phone and says:
     "Hello Sy, This is Vy, That was **** in that pie."

 

     Due to memories that come and go over the years since my Dad passed away, I'm not sure if this is a perfectly accurate rendition of my Dad's version. The term "hobo" may have been used in place of "salesman," and the man, Sy, was calling home to his wife, Vy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhododendron Sale: So Many Colors, So Little Space

     Decades ago, one of my older sisters planted three rhododendron plants. They all eventually passed away, the last one due to construction workers trampling the area when they installed a foundation under my parents' house. I don't remember what colors they were or where the third bush was planted.
     Last year, when my mother was in physical rehab., I decided to pursue a long-time goal of replacing the rhododendrons, one of my mother's favorite flowers. I purchased a pink one from Wintergreen Nursery at Winston, and a dark purple one from Lybarger Nursery at the Douglas County Master Gardeners' annual plant sale at the fairgrounds.
     The pink one is still green and budding, but it hasn't grown since last year. It sits at the SE corner of the house, where one of my sister's bushes once stood. The purple one was planted at the NE corner of the house, another one of my sister's locations, but alas, the purple one is full of brown leaves and looks like it may have passed away as well. It didn't help things several months ago, when I accidentally pulled a garden hose around the plant's base, causing the bush to partially uproot.
     TODAY, my mother and I visited a nursery west of Drain (www.kelleygreennursery.com) that was having a sale on...you guessed it...rhododendrons. They had three shades of purple from violet blue to dark purple (but no black purple). They had white, yellow, orange, and red rhodies. When the owner said the word yellow, my mother's favorite color, I knew my mother would want one. We actually had gone there to purchase a dark purple one to replace the one that I had ravaged.
     The nursery owner told us the yellow ones are extremely popular. While they're not exactly rare, they are hard to come by. In the spring, when the nursery truck brings the rhodie plants from the farm down to the roadside stand along Highway 38, they don't even bother to unload the truck of yellow rhododendrons. That's because customers will scoop them all up within a matter of hours.
     What happened? You guessed it...we purchased BOTH a "Horizon Monarch Yellow" and a "Anah Kruschke Purple" plants. When my mother asked if they had any beet red rhodies, the owner brought out another "Anah Kruschke" plant, before he realized they were the same color. I guess dark purple and beet red aren't too apart on the color spectrum.?.
     It's a good thing we don't have more open space around the house. Otherwise, we might have come home with a white, orange, and a different shade of purple plants. As it is, I'll struggle to find some space to plant the yellow one, probably near the NW corner of the house, partly under the shade of a Locust tree by the garage, but in direct contact with the afternoon sun.
     I'm a little more optimistic about the rhododendrons we purchased today. For one thing, they're about three feet tall with buds on them, more than twice the size of the rhodie plants I got last year.

Recipe For Cauliflower Entree

 

 

 

No, I'm not on some recipe binge with my recent blog postings. I've just seen a few recipes on Facebook that caught my eye. This recipe is one of the only recipes I've seen that meets my requirements for a naturopathic diet: No sugars, no starches, no pasteurized products, and no natural flavorings added. As long as the produce is organic (to avoid getting produce that's been genetically altered), this is a "safe" dish to eat for people with cancer.

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Lisa Robertson QVC

-1 head of cauliflower cut into small florets
-1 red onion, cut in large pieces and separated into single pieces
-1 whole garlic peeled and minced
-olive oil
-s...alt
Toss together, roast in single layer
400 degrees for 1 hour
yummy!!!!

Recipe For Hawaiian Chicken

94.9 WOLX with Cynthia Smith and Fred Warner

SWEET HAWAIIAN CROCK-POT CHICKEN--EASY AND YUMMMY!!
2 lb. Chicken tenderloin chunks
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar...
1/3 cup soy sauce

Combine all together, cook on low in Crock-pot 6-8 hours...that's it! Done! Serve with brown rice and you have a complete, easy meal!!