Fern Ridge-Tribune News
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
September 9, 2021
By Pat Edwards
Mother Nature has begun hinting at the possibility of fall in the air this past week. Not only are the temps a bit cooler, but I understand that a few drops of rain fell the night before last. Then, there’s the big red maple tree that stands guard over Jim’s tool shed beside our driveway. Many of its green leaves have turned bright red and are beginning to skitter away in the breeze. That “skitter,” I know, will eventually become an avalanche which I’ll have to deal with later on, but I will welcome the season change this year.
My poor, parched flowers in the beds around our house and at the bottom of our road are getting as much well-water as I feel comfortable giving them right now. We have a large storage tank that stays filled to supplement our water usage during the summer, but our neighbors who live on the hill above us have to haul water to their homes and I feel guilty for using any more than I have to, even though I know that, most likely, we aren’t connected to the same source. So, I’m managing to keep the flowers alive, but they’re not looking too happy right now. We will all welcome the first good rainfall, I know.
Labor Day has ‘come and gone’ this year and I understand that the Crow-Applegate-Lorane students are back in class again. I can only imagine how excited most of them were to get back to in-person schooling with their teachers and classmates and to a sense of normalcy, but I also understand what a strain this must be for the parents who are worried about the health and safety of their unvaccinated children under the age of 12 during these scary times. I admit to being a big proponent of the wearing of masks until a vaccine for these children is available or until we get a handle on the spread of the Delta variant of Covid. I dislike wearing masks in public everywhere I go, but even though Jim and I have been fully vaccinated since April, we understand that by continuing to wear them, we may prevent spreading the virus to someone who isn’t… including our local school children. That’s important to us, despite our own minor discomfort. If we can all get on board the “same train” with the goal of defeating this variant and preventing other, more harmful ones from developing, maybe we can all once again concentrate on making our lives and relationships a whole lot better than they have been this past year and a half.
In addition to the return to classrooms, our high school and middle school students have begun their fall sports schedules. Football and volleyball teams have been formed and have already started on their game schedules. Oh, how we miss the days of sitting on the benches or walking the sidelines, cheering on our children and grandchildren each sports season. The good news is that our oldest great-granddaughter, Harper Lorane Furlong, started her first week as a first grader at Glide and plans to enroll in soccer, I believe. We hope to make some of those games soon. We’re so excited to begin rootin’ for a new generation.
While we’re on school news, I want to alert our parents and other interested residents that the Crow-Applegate-Lorane School Board meeting on September 16, will be taking place at the Lorane Grange from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. If you have any concerns or just want to find out how the in-person classes and health and safety measures are doing in the district, plan on attending. It will be open to the public, and masks will be required.
In addition, the Lorane Grange will be sponsoring another family Dessert and Bingo Night on Friday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. There was a good attendance last month even though masks were required. We had a fun evening with good camaraderie and lots of laughs. Please plan on joining us.
The Crow Grange, after a year’s hiatus, will be bringing back its own bingo nights beginning Saturday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. There will be no dinner provided at this first one—only desserts—but the plans for the future events to be held on the first and third Saturdays of each month will include dinner. Contact Connie Suing csuing@hotmail.com or 541-556-2609 for more information.
All Things Lorane 