Biff works as a security guard He gets bored patrolling and calls us often. Just a week and a half ago he mentioned an upcoming weekend getaway. His in-laws were planning on taking him, his wife, and the baby.
Biff had looked forward to Spending Time in the pool with Jeanie and Ally. He had made arrangements for getting the time off from work. He was home when Jeanie fell. He couldn't get to her quickly enough. The autopsy showed that she had a clot in her lung. Perhaps that is what caused her to fall. We had planned to visit with family members in Utah the second week in August. We have two granddaughters turning two that month. Carrie had called Jeanie on a Monday to ask if she wanted to celebrate the girls' birthdays at the same time before our return to Oregon. The following Monday we were all at Jeanie's funeral. Biff held Ally over the casket for one final view. Ally held out her arms and called, "Mommy" one last time. I watched Ally watch the lid being closed over her mother.
"As a result of
declining timber receipt and dwindling reserve funds the Board is tasked with
making very difficult decisions to ensure that basic public safety needs and
other essential services for the community are met." stated County
Commissioner Chris Boice.
Those
are the last words found on the Douglas County Library home page.The web page may appear to offer more options, but they are no longer linked to
anything.It's a dead page.
This
was the caption on November 30, 2016 Charlotte Herbert wrote the following
letter to the News Review Editor:
Stop the talk, vote for the library
" How can anyone think library
supporters have not thoroughly explored ALL funding solutions? Library staff
and supporters have been thinking about alternative funding for 20 years. Ever
since 1996, when repeated budget cuts made our libraries fall below minimum
standards.
"Can we use volunteers?
Josephine County now funds and operates its four branches by relying on many
volunteers. This is so unworkable that both staff and volunteers are now
planning a May 2017 ballot measure like ours. Can cities pay more? Not one city
has stepped forward in the past five years to help Douglas County run the
library. Can't donors step in? We have donors, but they do not fund operations,
just "extras," like new books.
"The Save Our Libraries
Committee has boxes of research on libraries and how to fund them. They've done
countless interviews. They've held countless public meetings . . ."
To add to that concern, this was
posted on November 19, 2016: "Once upon a time, we were so dedicated to improving our community
that we as a county banded together to form a single library system. It was
well funded and fully staffed by professional librarians. The branches were
open often enough that people could visit them regularly. And a beautiful new
library was built to house the Roseburg branch, in part thanks to generous
donations from the Ford family.
"It
was emblematic of a time when we looked forward, planned for the future,
invested in our kids, valued learning. "It’s
a good story, yes? But it may turn out to have a very unhappy ending. The
voters’ rejection of a library district this month, we may well be facing the
demise of the Douglas County Library System. "Since
you are reading this editorial right now, we assume you are generally in favor
of literacy."
On November 30, 2016 Carisa Cegavske, Senior Staff Writer
for The News Review wrote:
"There were
tears from a Glide teacher who said she “just can’t believe people failed” a
library district measure earlier this month, and cheers for the father of a
home-schooled girl who raised money for the library through a bake sale."
It's not that voters were opposed to keeping libraries opened so much as it
was against paying even more in taxes.Evidently the city of Sutherlin had already opted out before the bill
was proposed.Property taxes were/are
too high before the bill. There was
talk about Reedsport possibly joining forces with Coos County, which seemed to
make sense in my mind.It always
appeared to be disjointed whenever I looked at the map
It
actually takes less time for us to get to Coos Bay than to Reedsport - not that
I've ever been to Reedsport.I was told
that it is over a two hour drive.
“The Reedsport
library is one of the most important places in Reedsport.” [says Reedport's librarian
Sue Cousineau]
Cousineau is also optimistic.
“The Reedsport library will be here one way or another because the people in
this area care so much about their library.”
Cousineau will stay on through April to help volunteers set up their reading
room. Then, after 13 years running the Reedsport Library, she’ll be out of a
job.
I provided a link
for this next article in this post
MYRTLE CREEK — The Myrtle Creek branch of the Douglas County
Library System closed its doors Thursday.
In its final hours, library patrons read and talked, used the
computers and collected books, as a documentary film crew from San Francisco’s
Serendipity Films moved around them, gathering stories for a film on the
history of the American public library and the challenges those libraries face
today.
And the challenges in Myrtle Creek and Douglas County are very,
very real. The county government, strapped for cash, announced it would be
unable to fund the county libraries through the end of the year. A November
ballot measure that would have created a library district tax to keep the
libraries opened was rejected by voters. Subsequently, the closure dates were
announced — April 1 for the 10 rural branches and May 31 for the main branch in
Roseburg. A task force has been convened to seek a long-term funding solution.
Meanwhile, library boards, city councilors and a host of book-loving
volunteers are scrambling to fill the breach in Myrtle Creek and other cities
around the county.
There’s been a library in Myrtle Creek in some form for 105 years,
and quite a few town residents say they have no intention of giving it up.
Already, 35 volunteers have signed up to work shifts at the library and they
plan to reopen it on July 1.
On Thursday, the prevailing mood at the library was sadness.
Karen Rivera, mother of 12-year-old Jaime Rivera, wiped away tears
as she talked about what the loss meant to her and her daughter. It was hard
enough adjusting to a small library open only part-time after they moved here
from Salt Lake City a couple years ago. She and Jaime were reading the book
“Zillah and Me” together Thursday. They’ve been reading together since Jaime
was born.
“I’m really bummed,” Karen Rivera said. “The library offered a way
for us to get together, to feed our minds. We’ve always been a poor family, and
being able to go to the library programs has given our family something to do for
free.”
“Being able to borrow books from the library to gain information,
that was awesome,” Jaime said. “Now this is going to be ripped away from us,
and it sucks.”
This wasn’t Marilyn Brouillard’s first rodeo, though. Brouillard,
longtime volunteer and incidentally the mayor’s wife, lived in Redding,
California, almost 30 years ago when the Shasta County Library System closed
down.
Back then, her son checked out a collection of books beginning
with the words “The Last.” On Thursday, Brouillard copied his example.
She checked out 10 books with titles like “The Last Star,” “The
Last Sin Eater,” “The Last Battle,” and “The Last Apocalypse.”
She doesn’t know if she’ll get to read them all before the final
book return date of April 25.
“I just never thought I’d go through this a second time,” she
said.
She said she’s impressed, though, by the number of people who have
signed up to volunteer.
Myrtle Creek Librarian Hannah Merrill is out of a job, but said
she tried her best to make the library’s last day a happy one for the people
who love it. She said she plans to return to school to get an English degree,
and would like to become a fiction editor.
“I’ve always had a love for books,” she said.
Connie Earp wondered where the children would go. The library is a
source of knowledge for them, she said, and she loves watching their little
faces light up during story time.
To have that disappear, she said, “it’s just the saddest thing.”
Five-year-old Jameson Bury clutched a book about dinosaurs as his
mother wondered what they’d do until the library reopened with an all-volunteer
staff in July. His mother said she visits the library every week with Jameson
and his little brother.
“I can’t read library books for story time any more,” Jameson
said. Asked if that made him feel sad, he nodded.
“I’m really depressed about it,” Melissa Bury said. “They’ve grown
up with this library. It’s someplace we really love to come.”
Carissa had already left when the Myrtle Creek Library board members held their final meeting (see here) On April 30, 2017 News Review gave us this story headline:
WINCHESTER
— Umpqua Community College is inviting the public to visit its library. As
Douglas County commissioners move forward with plans to close the county’s sole
remaining library in Roseburg, UCC wants the community to know its library is
still an option for people who love books.
“We
just want the public to know they still have a place to go and check out
books,” McGeehon said.
The
library is open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m. on Fridays. The library is not open on weekends. For more
information, call 541-440-4640. HBO put out this news segment video:
Some cities have been working at creating a library or at
least offering a reading room strictly staffed by volunteers.The city of Riddle has continued to fund
their building.As Jenna had a dentist
appointment in Riddle about a week before we went out of town, we stopped by and she signed up for their
summer reading program - even though Myrtle Creek will also be sponsoring a
reading program in addition to Coffenberry Middle School.
I grew up in the Midvale East 4th ward
(Church boundary) and each year the members would drive to storm mountain for
an annual bbq dinner and ward party.There were always a variety of activities offered to each age group -
though the teenagers (for the most part) would forego any planned activity and
try their hand at hiking to Doughnut Falls - and often succeeding.
Before Kayla was born, the location had
changed from Big Cottonwood Canyon to Wheeler Farm - which actually was a
shorter drive and more family oriented, but not totally a big hit with the
teenagers.We hadn't taken into account
that Wheeler Farm was a safer and more practical area overall.
I have seen this photo attached to two blogs; I don't
know who to give credit to for taking it. I think it's
a great representation but I will remove the picture
if the artist asks me to.
I think I appreciated it more after I
became a mother.I have many scrapbook pages
of Jenna and Wheeler Farm all from different years.Her most favorite thing to visit was (and I
think still is) the farm equipment.
On Friday, Randy had suggested that
spend some time there as it is free and it would perhaps help Biff to cope and
move on.It was the only overly warm day
we had this last week.It was the only
day when the wind wasn't blowing.
Tony and Rochelle had been unwilling or
unable to meet us as her brother was getting married the following day and then
moving out to Pennsylvania.Bittersweet
memories of when Tony and Rochelle moved to Texas right after they were
married.
in addition to the tractors, Jenna has always had her picture
taken as she looks through window in the clubhouse
closeup of her and the two nieces who accompanied us
There were many things I hadn't seen before including this;
Jenna was in Granite School District the entire time we lived in Utah
My head is so full right now.
I'm tired.
My fingers will never catch'
up to my brain.
I've written thoughts about
the library but have not
posted them. I've taken countless
amount of pictures that
I still haven't viewed.
I finished my algebra and
entrepreneurship on Saturday.
Two more classes started Monday
but I haven't . . .
still . . .
I've done the daily checkpoints
and started a research for my posts
which will need references.
Right now I am just way too tired to
comprehend anything more.
We returned to Myrtle Creek about
three hours ago. I feel the tiredest that
I have ever felt in my life.
For those who read my post on a regular basis,
you know that it contains a hodgepodge
of thoughts and posts.
You ain't seen nothing yet . . .
I've got more
tucked away in my brain.
I would like to write and post them all.
They will not be chronological.
I can guarantee you that.
Before we moved to Tri City, I had a
premonition that one day Roland and I would be involved in helping to raise
Ally.It's not that I was trying to
write Jeanie off into the next life - although it wasn't unexpected.There was concern that she would die before
Ally had finished school.Ally will be two
in August and therefore has not even started school.And just because I had that premonition
doesn't mean Biff will be packing up and moving to Oregon any time soon.It may not be in his plans to come to Oregon
at all - unless Roland talks him into it.Biff does have other options - or will have.
His mother comes from a rather large
family, and although half have now moved on to the other side, he does have
family in Wyoming.One aunt wrote me to
say that Biff is welcome to stay with them.At first it puzzled me.Why would
she offer to put up this young man that she doesn’t really even know?
She and her husband have two daughters. One of them had actually been named after Biff’s
mom.His maternal grandparents had raised
their eleven children on a dairy farm. When Roland had gone back to visit, he
went out with the family to milk the cows and feed and whatever other chores
are involved.They thought he was a hard
worker and had actually offered him the farm for his future.But Roland was a city kid.He was having fun at the farm, but wasn’t
confident or even had an interest to take over.
I hadn’t thought much about it until
now.I know there was a brother who
lived in Ogden who had planned to move their with his wife and take over.He had coached the high school wrestling team
and taught classes during the school year.By summer he would take off for three months to go boat fishing in
Alaska.I believe it would be the last
Alaskan adventure he had lined up before the move back to Wyoming.Only he went to his bed sometime during the
time that the fishing boat was in the water. One of his comrades had gone to wake him and learned
that he had passed during his sleep. Wyoming wasn’t meant to be for that
brother.
But now I wonder, maybe the request came
not just to assist Biff, but allow Biff to assist them at the farm.Biff said cows just happen to be Ally’s
favorite animal.
Before he and Jeanie were married, he
spent a lot of time in Syracuse with her family.He practically lived with his in-laws before
they were married as we'd see him less and less.Because of Jeanie's health, and then her
mom's health, and I'm certain that finances were a factor, they had never moved
out from her parent's house.I would
think it would be awkward for all of them to have him continue living there. But
I don't know.
My brother-in-law Bill is really good
friends with his late wife's family and keep in touch. Even Kayla has become friends with her family. I know I have mentioned on at least two
posts, that Roland and I have actually had more contact with his late wife's
family than his own.So there are
possibilities.
I sent an email to his mother's oldest
sister (this is not the same one as the one in Wyoming) to let her know.She was actually
the first person I contacted - even before my own family. I can't even explain
why - except that it felt important to let her know.Perhaps Ally and Biff could stay with her
while he's adjusting to transition.I
think she lives the closest of all of his relatives - including his
brothers.Perhaps that's why I felt
impressed to write her.
Of course I had to tell Kayla.Both of our husbands have been in Biff's
shoes.Biff was six when his mother
passed away.There will be a viewing
tomorrow night and the funeral is set for Monday.Two locations so far apart from one
another.Probably an equal driving
distance from the ward where our three boys finished junior high and graduated high
school. I had asked the bishop to post a link on the ward page in facebook (as
I, myself do not have access to it) He wrote back to say not only would/did he
post it to the pages (plural) but would announce it in sacrament meeting as
well.I hadn’t expected that.
There are so many thoughts flowing
through my brain right now.I hope to
get at least half posted.May Biff find
the strength that he will need to carry on and proper guidance and assistance
from the rest of us.We all have been
truly blessed.
I am the
administrator of two groups in facebook.The first is a Relief Society page that I had started for the ward that
I'm in as it has been the only not to have a ward or RS page, and I missed it.The second group Jenna and I had volunteered
to get started in April (I believe) after Myrtle Creek Library closed its doors
and several library users wanted to form a group in hopes to reopen the
library.The group page has existed for
less than three months, but twice as many members and A LOT of contributors.Though each says she really appreciates the
group page, getting other sisters to post their thoughts on the RS page is like
pulling teeth.We have twice as many
members in our "Friends" group and thankfully I'm not the only one
who has been posting everything.
We had a
meeting last night for the "Friends" group, and I will have another
one this morning with the Summer Reading Program committee.Myrtle Creek does a city wide yard sale each
year for four years now.It will take
place in two weeks - which doesn't give our group much time for renting out
booths and tables as suggested by one member.No one in our group has a key to the library nor permission to use
facility (although Marilyn often gets her way with the mayor - it's still
something that has to be voted on by the council) and so we'll be setting up shop
at the old laundry mat (which actually is where the last two meetings were held
- it is weird hearing projected voices of the acoustics that are very different
from the City Council building or Nazarene church where we used to meet) and so
I posted the information last night before I went to bed.Thus far there have been three shares - one
included the Winston Wire (I'm guessing their newspaper) Wow.
"Friends"
caught on like wildfire. Would like to see that with the RS page.
Since living in Myrtle Creek, I have
NOT missed the horrible traffic accidents that we encountered on a daily or
weekly basis - some just fender benders, but some involved lost lives - not to
mention totaled cars.
My son lived not to far from this accident and was interviewed about what he saw
We've been in Oregon for almost two years
now.I have been in one line of slow
moving cars as there had been an accident in one of the intersections in
Roseburg.I can also remember an
employee at Figaro's pointing to the line of cars on I5 and reporting how far
ahead the accident was.I would have
never noticed the line of cars on my own.Perhaps my eyes believe it appears more in the distance than younger
eyes do.
We ran a few errands last
yesterday.After we had crossed the
parking lot and had gotten out of our car, Jenna and I noticed flashing lights and
went to investigate.I had seen police
cars and sheriff cars before - but never with lights on.It looked like a fender bender.Here in Myrtle Creek.On Old Pacific Highway.The first I have known about in the last two
years.I like that ratio much better
than in Utah.
This is the accident that held up traffic for my sister and Brother-in-law last night.
We're not gardeners.I must have mentioned that at least a dozen times.Our marigolds went from looking like this
to looking like shredded wheat.Apparently Marigolds need to live in their pots for a
while before they are planted in the ground so they can get used to the
surroundings.Reminds me of goldfish
having to be tempered while floating in their bags
Roland and I went out this morning to gather up the dried
up marigolds to add to our compost.We
allowed the marigold seeds to fall back in the bed.Hopefully it will make for having marigolds
next year.Or perhaps we should have
planted them in pots and allow them to germinate in the greenhouse we had put
together.
Our neighbor had given it to us;I think she's just trying to weed out some
"junk" that has collected in her yard over the years.She sent the greenhouse parts in three bags -
but no directions.Thus Roland and I
shared an Ethel/Lucy moment - or perhaps Lucy and Ricky . . . we don't believe
that all of the parts were there.Our
greenhouse doesn't look like the picture that was included.
Ours doesn't have as many shelves.Roland has several plant starters in the
greenhouse, along with our tools.Can
you see them?or are they well
hidden?LOL
I guess we're too late to start planting anything more
for this year.Spinach still doing
well.Beets are coming up.We're learning what needs full sun and what
we should have planted in the more shaded area.Trial and error.We're not
gardeners.
I've
turned in the math assignment for this week and have taken the assessment.One more week and assessment to go.This
is how I truly understand math:
If
Bob is waiting for his bus at the corner of Lupis and Vine on a Tuesday and he
is eating Strawberry ice cream, but not quickly, and his melted ice cream is
dripping onto the sidewalk before the bus comes;meanwhile, three cars have passed and none
have bothered to offer Bob a ride, how far is the sun?
If
Lisa has agreed to babysit for Mrs. Brown, and walk the dog for Mrs. Green and
water plants for Mrs. Plumb, what color is Lisa's shirt?
If
Hector collects rocks and balloons and gives one balloon to Kathy for nine
seashells, what day of the week is it?
I
do like my instructor.I wish I had just
one ounce of her passion.But I
don't.It's math.I've found some videos that have been
helpful.Others are . . . what??????I came across one video in which the Berstein
Bear was showing me how NOT to do
the math - okay it wasn't the actual Berstein
Bear - itt just felt that way as he demonstrated at least six ways not to do it
before he demonstrating the correct way.IF he shows me the correct way.He pretty much lost me at polyominols and what this letter could be and
what this figure could represent . . . huh?
I
did come across one over twelve minutes long and for the most part was easy to
follow.But what are you supposed to
think when the instructor of the video starts yawning?I'm with you Pal.I was there before the video even started.I know I'm not the only person who hates or
doesn't get math.My class is full of
lost individuals.
Sometime
between 3 and 5 this morning there were numbers and factors taunting me.They were laughing at me while I slept.Some were dancing to the soundtrack of La La Land.That was weird.I don't appreciate these numbers haunting me,
bullying me.Gosh, just let me sleep! It's
bad enough I have to deal with algebra when I'm awake (actually I did take a
nap before completing my assignment as the equations really did put me to
sleep.
I
HATE Algebra.I still have two more
weeks of "What the heck?"I finally
posted my discussion - which I normally try to do on Monday or Tuesday, but not
with this class. My brain has a major cramp.We're supposed to solve- or
rather break down the simplified so that it reads with complication and I can't
do that if I don't understand it.That's
only part one.In part two the class is
supposed to explain why we need Quantitative literacy . . .wha-wha-what?Quantitative whatnow?
I
did a copy and paste for a reference I might consider using later on.It came out like this:
Sometime between the birth of brother Corey and the arrival
of my sister Kayla, my parents decided to finish the basement.I moved from my upstairs bedroom to the
coolness of the basement. They also had
a phone put in at the end of the hall next to the laundry room.
I don't know how old I was, but suspect it was after I had
graduated high school when I heard the phone ring.Mom had already answered the upstairs phone
by the time I got to it.Out of curiosity,
I went upstairs to inquire about the phone call.Mom said that it was her visiting teaching
partner and she'd be leaving pretty soon.
She had just started watching the movie "The Shop Around
the Corner" with Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart and asked me to
continue watching it for her so that I could tell her what she had missed.We had a VCR, I think I offered to record
it.Or perhaps the recorder wasn't
working.I don't remember why we didn't
record it.I allowed myself to get roped
into watching.
"The Shop Around the Corner" is an old movie from 1940.It surprised me that mom had not seen it
already it, as she certainly had watched a lot of old movies and I had
suspected everything with Jimmy Stewart but either couldn't remember or had missed
this one.
The characters' names were Klara and Alfred.They both worked at the curio shop (at least
I think they did) and didn't seem pleasant toward one another - mostly her to him.
During the course of the movie we learn that each of them has a penpal they are
currently writing but it is done secretly so not as to reveal each other's
identity.Eventually Alfred learns that he
and Klara are penpals to each other, but she doesn't learn the truth until
toward the end of the movie.
The entire time I was watching it, the plot just seemed so
familiar to me.I know that I had never
seen "The Shop Around the Corner" before, but I was able to predict what events
would happen.How is it that I
knew?I finally figured it outjust before my mom returned.
She had been watching "In the Good Old Summertime" just
a few weeks prior and had been telling me that Judy Garland's character had
been receiving anonymous letters from Van Johnson's character, and she'd been writing
to him - and he knew, but she didn't.I
really hadn't been interested nor do I recall ever seeing it the entire way
through.But apparently I had watched
enough to see the similarities.
So when she returned home to ask me about it, I turned to her
and said, "This is In the Good Old
Summertime without music."
"No"
I don't know why she didn't want to
believe me.So I started pointing to
different characters and described what their role was.
"Okay, that girl, there (I did not
know Margaret Sullivan by name) she and Jimmy Stewart have been corresponding
using false names.And he knows it, but
she doesn't know it."
She asked me two or three questions
which I don't recall, and I answered accordingly.Finally, she came up with a question that
only applies to one movie, but not the other.
"What about the violin (or other
stringed instrument; I forget)"
"What violin?"
I can't even remember what explanation
she gave of why it was important to the story.
"There is no violin.But there is a curio box"
"Oh, this is not the same movie at
all."
According
to IMDB.com, "In this musical remake of The
Shop Around the Corner, feuding co-workers in a small music shop do not realize
they are secret romantic pen pals." We did not have (or know about)
IMDB back then and so I was unable to prove my point.
Several
years later, "You've Got Mail" was featured in Theatres.Instead of Penpals, Kathleen Kelly (played by
Meg Ryan) and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) would email one another.Rather than exist as co-workers, they were
actually business rivals.I love that
movie.I loved Meg Ryan's
character.Of the three, it is my
favorite.
