Sweet Lorane Community News, January 18, 2018

January 18, 2018Newspaper ColumnsBill Becker, Fuels Reduction Grant Program, Jerry Robertson, Lorane Grange Dinner & Bingo Night, Michael Matchulat, Oregon Department of Forestry, Shane Kronberger, Western Lane Divisionpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
January 18, 2018
By Pat Edwards

Bill Becker of Crow notified us that his brother-in-law, Jerry Robertson, recently passed away. Jerry was from Crow originally. His brothers, Gene and Alva, also from Crow, preceded him in death. He was married to Bill’s sister, Caroline Becker, also of Crow. Jerry and Caroline moved to La Grande in 1967 and have lived there ever since. Our condolences go out to Jerry’s family.

Remember: Lorane Grange Dinner and Bingo Night is to be held on Saturday, January 27, 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively.

The Oregon Department of Forestry, Western Lane District, is announcing its “Fuels Reduction Grant Program” that offers to provide defensible space around your home, reducing the risk of wildfire on your property. They still have room for landowners to sign up for the program. It currently centers around the Lorane area (Coyote Ridge Communities) and maps are posted on the Lorane Facebook page so you can see if your property is eligible. Best of all, it will be done at no cost to the landowner. The Fuels Reduction Crew will create a 30′ to 150′ safety buffer around your home and surrounding structures to increase the chances of saving your home in the event of a wildfire.

You are encouraged to contact their Fire Planning Coordinator, Casey Smith, with any questions or to schedule an on-site evaluation visit (541-935-2283 x244 or email, Casey.A.Smith@oregon.gov). Lorane resident, Shane Kronberger, commented that “This is a great program. ODF and Lorane RFPD have already utilized this program on one property in the community and it turned out great!”

In a column last June, I included a message from Michael Matchulat who wrote about his 2-year-long battle with Stage 4 colorectal cancer. Last Wednesday, he took another significant step in his continuing battle with the disease. He’s been on a bit of a hiatus this summer while a new program and new strategy was worked out by his team of doctors at OHSU. Wednesday was the beginning of what Michael described as a “chemically-induced hell” to rid him of the tumors that have been growing in his lungs.
Afterwards, he reported that the new direction in his treatment was rough.

“As my crushed body observed joy in everything at home, surrounded by my community, family and church, I was forced back to why I started this journey in the first place… Love. I’m living in a microscope again and I have to be careful of the petri dish of the mind and physical world around me. My thoughts must focus on goodness and optimism, which are easy goals right now as opposed to feelings produced by the ‘I-don’t-want-to-go-there’ thoughts. The list of things I can do has shrunk, but it will be replaced with another list of how to do things a new way.” (I’ve paraphrased a bit.)

In the meantime, Michael’s family, friends and community—those who have been with him from the very beginning—have, indeed, continued to reach out to him, offering up prayers and positive thoughts and, most of all, love. Even if you don’t know Michael, please add yours, as well. He is a fighter and I so respect the grit and determination that he has used to face his enemy head-on while sharing with us the real fears and uncertainties that every warrior has felt during life-and-death battles throughout history.

Sweet Lorane Community News, January 11, 2018

January 11, 2018Newspaper ColumnsCrow Booster Club, Crow High School, Deanne Corcoran, Delores Corcoran, Gloria Edwards, Hunter Heineman, Jacob Brown, Michele Kau, Rorypaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
January 11, 2018
By Pat Edwards

I just heard that a beloved former Lorane resident, Delores Corcoran, passed away recently. She and her husband Vince lived on a 20-acre farm in the Mill Camp area south of Lorane until a few years ago when they decided to downsize. Our daughters, Gloria Edwards and Michele Kau, helped them locate a new and smaller home in town and I’d like to use some of Gloria’s words in this column today.

Delores and Deanne Corcoran

“Sadly, we lost yet another long-time resident of Lorane—Delores Corcoran. Michele and I were blessed to get to know her and we grew to absolutely love both Delores and Vinny (Vincent). I see this picture with Delores and her daughter Deanne and it makes my cry… it is SO reflective of her. She had a beautiful soul and was married to the love of her life. There was no doubt they were each other’s best friend for the 52 years they were married. It brought me so much joy to personally spend time with them during our house hunting adventures! She will be dearly missed. Rest in peace Dolores Corcoran—you were definitely one of the good ones!”

Then, from the Crow Booster Club comes this request for donations: “On December 7, 2017 our high school Cougar Jacob Brown was playing basketball with the Crow High School team at Lowell and suffered a season-ending injury. He required ambulance transportation to the hospital where he was found to have a tibia-fibula compound fracture to his leg (both lower bones in multiple breaks). This required surgical repair, hospitalization, prolonged healing with severe limitations on use and function, multiple medical visits with many more to come to be able to return his prior level of function.

According to the booster club, “We have also learned that unfortunately, many of the medical bills will not be covered by their medical insurance. The Crow Booster Club is initiating a fundraiser for the Brown family to help them through this time. We are collecting donations through the end of January. One hundred percent of all donations designated to the ‘Jacob Brown Fund’ will be provided to the family.

“Any and all donations will make a difference. Checks should be made out to Crow Booster Club and sent to Crow Booster Club, P.O. Box 1228, Veneta OR 97487 or given to a Crow Booster Club member. If you have any questions please send an email to crowboosterclub@yahoo.com or reach out to any Crow Booster Club member.”

Another local fundraiser for the young Veneta boy, Hunter Heineman, who was killed in a recent motor vehicle accident was held at Yukon Jacks in Veneta this past weekend. I have no doubt that our communities will reach out to the families of these young residents. It is so heart-breaking when our children are lost or hurt. We never know when it could be our own.

Rory On a happier note, I have been spending a few days this past week puppy-sitting our little 2-month-old “grandpuppy” named Rory. She belongs to Michele and Brian Kau who recently brought her home from Roseburg. This beautiful, happy, not-so-little soul is a combination Akbash and Border Collie. The Akbash is a large white guardian dog similar to a Great Pyrenees that are used by sheep farmers to guard their herds. She currently looks like a black and white fluff-ball with huge tan eyebrows and she enchants each of us who have gotten to know her. Like all grandkids, we occasionally get her during the days, but can send her home with “mom and dad” at night. It’s been a win-win for now until she’s old enough to be able to spend her days in the big fenced yard around Michele and Brian’s home with Duke while they are at work.

Happy January, all!

Sweet Lorane Community News, January 4, 2018

January 4, 2018Newspaper ColumnsHoliday Market, Jennifer Chambers, Joe Blakely, Lorane Family Store, Lorane Grange, Lorane Movie Night, Lorane Service Station, Mitchell, Oregon Authors, Rural Art Center, Sita Sings the Blues, William Olsonpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
January 4, 2018
By Pat Edwards

Well, it’s time we leave behind “holiday mode” and return to some kind of normalcy. Our family had a busy-but-great Thanksgiving and Christmas together, but there’s something about settling back into a routine within our comfort zone following the holidays that always appeals to me.

The November and December weekends spent in the company of Joe and Saundra Blakely and Jen Chambers in our Holiday Market booth was very special. We’ve become good friends as well as “Oregon Author” colleagues and we met a lot of people and sold a lot of books, to boot! I was amazed at how much demand there was for my new The Baileys of Bailey Hill book and I ran out of them at the end. I’m trying to get them distributed to local bookstores and libraries now.

The bad part of this holiday season was that so many of us came down with some type of cold, flu or other bug. I was one of them who was a bit quiet on Christmas day. I managed to get the house in order for company, but thank goodness I had a huge volunteer crew of cooks and “bottle washers” on hand to allow me to kick back and watch the dinner and celebration unfold.

I’ve finally got a few things to tell you about that are coming up this month in Lorane, so let’s take a look.

On Saturday, January 13, the Lorane Movie Night, sponsored by the Rural Art Center, will be showing the movie,”Sita Sings the Blues” (2009). It is an animated film which has “received rave critical reviews.” It’s been described as “a tale of truth, justice, and a woman’s cry for equal treatment” created by Nina Paley. It’s the story of Sita, an Indian goddess, combined with parallel scenes from Paley’s own life and features music by jazz singer, Annette Hanshaw.

For times, prices and program events, go to the RAC website at https://www.ruralartcenter.org/movie-night

The Lorane Grange’s Dinner and Bingo Night will resume on Saturday, January 27. Dinner usually begins at 5:30 p.m. and bingo follows at 6:30 p.m. It’s a fun evening for the whole family.

Jim and I have been observing the recent 40th anniversary of the Lorane Family Store by providing a history of not only it, but of the Lorane Service Station, aka The Mitchell Store, that preceded it. There have only been two owners of the grocery store—the Mitchell family and the Edwards family—through its history. We purchased the store in December 1977 from the Mitchells who established it in 1934.

I have included a couple of stories about the history of the store on my website. The first is a story of the Mitchell Store written in 2008 by Bill Mitchell’s great-grandson, William Olsen. It is followed by the history that I included in From Sawdust and Cider to Wine which I have updated a bit for this purpose.

They can be found on my website at https://allthingslorane.com/lorane-interests/. Also, there are several old pictures of the store posted on the Lorane, Oregon Facebook page for those who enjoy the nostalgia.

Happy New Year, All!