The Drive To and Return

                As mentioned in this post,  I thought Highway 140 was quite beautiful at some parts and quite scary at others.  The idea of a 50 foot drop and no guard rails is rather creepy.  But that is the way Roland wanted to go - and he was driving.

                I thought 140 seemed scarier driving north than it did driving south - which is ironic, as the drop is on the south/west side.  The drive didn't seem quite as long, either.  But Denise and I had taken I5 through Medford because she wanted to see the temple.  I just  had Roland go by way of Highway 138 to Highway 97 where you can choose to go north up through Bend and over through Boise, or you can drive down south to Lake View and Winnemucca.  

                The Nevada route is only about 30 minutes faster than going through Idaho - provided there isn't any construction or other barriers that might interfere with the normal route, but going south requires a lot more traction and winding - which I somehow didn't believe our car could handle.  But it did.  There were many who'd been praying for our safety and we made good timing, I think.

                Jeanie passed away on the 6th and our plan was to leave on the 7th.  It was Jenna's final week of school and she'd been planning on dressing up for each day.  She'd been looking forward to her final week of school this year and to watch her 8th grade friends graduate.  She cried when Roland told her that she would not return to school.  

                I was appalled at Jenna's behavior - obviously thinking more about the inconvenience of her own plans than for thinking about her brother and the grief that he may be suffering.  Death is rarely convenient for any of us.  I did talk Roland into allowing her to go to school one last time.  We still needed to go to Roseburg to get a rental car and bring it back to the house in order to pack it up.  There is ALWAYS a delay when Roland plans things.  Wednesday was an early day, and we could check her out even earlier if we needed to.  There was no sense for ALL of us to go to Roseburg, and I didn't want to watch Jenna idling any time that she could have spent at school.

                We had made arrangements to pick the car up between 8:00 and 8:30.  We were contacted by the rental company just before we left the house.  We were told the car would not be available until later and that they would contact us.  We had planned to go to Roseburg on some other errands - the delay of the rental would make things easier - I thought.  Roland could do all the driving and we wouldn't have to worry about the second car. 

                The rental company never called back, and so we decided to just go there.  There had been five people waiting for rental cars.  All the cars that were supposed to be available were still out - all the cars that were on the lot that looked like they might be available had expired tags.  We had tried other options, but are actually limited in Roseburg and didn't want to gamble on driving another 90 miles to a larger city if we might encounter the same problem with another rental car company. We still didn't have a car when Jenna returned home from school and so said a major prayer and ended up taking our own.

                The GPS was taking us through Sutherlin, but I knew we could get through on 138 which was in the opposite direction.  We probably wasted a half hour driving back and forth before we finally got on route.  Our daughter-in-law, Carrie, commented that our disability of getting out of Oregon sounded like the makings for a sitcom.

                Roland said he would return through Boise and Bend. 

  
                We passed many orange barrells. 

No workers or slowdowns - probably due to the wind - except for after crossing the border from Idaho into Oregon.  Loose gravel caused us to slow down.   Tar was being poured ahead.  There was actually a utility truck  with its flashing lights that led the cars in either direction - I think it was at least a mile long.  I'm not exaggerating.  It wasn't bad.  It had been the only slow down of the entire trip. 

                Once we got to Hines, we stopped at a Dairy Queen to have lunch.

Reasons to Hate June

               Two years ago this month, we were contacted by a property rental with availability.  I have a friend who had said she'd be driving to Newport the following day.  I talked her into leaving a day early so that I could ride with her and she could take me to my destination. 

                Two years ago we parted ways.  After securing the rental, Denise dropped me off at the gas station where I planned - and eventually did catch a bus.  I was somewhere between Boise and Salt Lake June 6, 2015 when my brother called to let me know of my Uncle's passing.

                Facebook memories have provided memories of the trip and of Uncle Ross's passing.  My daughter-in-law Jeanie passed away exactly two years later.  She is the third child of her mom and dad to pass away within the last eight years.  All three children were each been 32 of age when they passed.   All three children died in June.

                After the funeral, Jeanie's mom had invited everyone to their house for "refreshments" - it was more like a potluck meal.  Jeanie's dad announced that Jeanie's mom might have to leave as her father is in the hospital with cancer and was taking a turn for the worst (although leaving your mortal body is sometimes really not the worst - though that is often how it's expressed) but she was still there when it came time for us to leave.

                Roland's sister and husband grilled Jeanie's parents to make certain that Biff would be alright.  They seemed satisfied which I was grateful because it helped back up my own thoughts which I had tried to relate to Roland (I am much better at sorting my thoughts out on paper than verbally in my head).  We came home without Biff or Ally - which is fine.  I truly believe that Biff needs his space right now that Roland unintentionally might not allow.  Biff has to cope at his own pace - not anybody elses.  His in-laws have at least been through this before.

                Biff didn't know that it is proper to ask others to participate with the funeral - assigning them pall bearer or for prayer or whatever.  Randy, Tony and Roland all fulfilled their roles without question.  None of them knew they were involved until they saw their names on the program. 

                We listened to a program on the way home.  The speaker was relating an experience where a man had been away from his family for three years.  "Three years is a long time"  Jeanie and Biff were married three years ago in April.  "Three years is not a very long time".

It was so Windy, it blew off Jack's eyes

                I don't dislike Jack-in-the-Box but I can't say I'm an avid fan of their food.  Jack-in-the-Box does not exist in Salt Lake, and so the only time I've been is while vacationing on the west coast and it just happens to be convenient.  We've been to the one in Roseburg a few times, but not very often, which makes me wonder how it is we had even ended up with three antenna balls.  Jenna and Roland like them because it somehow makes our car easier to spot.  Well, I don't have radar eyes and if it is smaller than the tire, it is not big enough for my non-observant eyes to spot.

                The wind blew each day during our trip except for the Friday we went to Wheeler Farm.  That day was hot.  I suppose if I had a choice, I would take the wind.  I don't guess it would have mattered.  I would have probably felt comatose either way.  Roland says it takes 10 days to acclimatized.  I'd forgotten about the adjustment we had gone through during those first couple of weeks after we had arrived in Oregon.  Must just have an effect on older people however.  Jenna's body certainly didn't seem to notice.

                It just feels so weird to me that after having lived in a state for over 50 years that I would need a longer time to adjust to being there than my vacation time would allow.  Who would have believed I'd be wiped out so quickly?  In addition to dry throats and fatigue, I was experiencing heat rash.  That was a new one for me.

                Our first day on the road landed us in the small town of Lake View.  The wind was blowing really hard. 

I asked the waitress if it was normal.  She seemed a little freaked about it when she answered,

                "NO!  Not even in March.  That's when we get the most wind.  But nothing like this!"

                I don't think it was windy when we'd gone through Nevada.  But it wasn't as hot as I think of Nevada as normally being. Although it was windy in Salt Lake, it wasn't as windy as it had been during our travel.  Especially on the return back to Oregon.  Once the rain stopped, Roland was hanging onto the wheel trying to keep the car on the road.  I asked him if he felt like he was driving through the eye of the storm.  He said yes.

          Tractor Trailers (another name for Semi-Trucks or 18wheelers; a name I actually never understood until watching them moving with the wind) would pass us by and the "trailer" part would be swinging all over the road.

               I saw a green mile sign that was bent in half (couldn't even read how far apart what towns they were as the information was upside down)

                I think the face of our first Jack antenna  ball we had just faded in the sun.  But Roland claims that the wind blew them off sometime during our travels. 

In an Instant . . . Plans Change

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.

Libraries; News Review Rocks

"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. 

Volunteer effort will allow City of Reedsport to assume library operations

by KCBY Tuesday, March 28th 2017

“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       

Last day: Myrtle Creek patrons saddened by library closure

• CARISA CEGAVSKE | Senior Staff Writer The News-Review
• Mar 31, 2017 

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:

Campus library an option for Douglas County book lovers

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. 

Wheeler Farm

        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

Lots and Lots of Thoughts

     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.

Life Changes . . . and Connections

        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.

Social Media

            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.   

Not Quite the Same Ratio

          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.

Trial and Error

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.