Author: paedwards

Sweet Lorane Community News, October 14, 2021

October 14, 2021Newspaper Columns, , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge-Tribune News
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
October 14, 2021
By Pat Edwards

Unfortunately, our Kansas City trip did not turn out the way we had hoped. Oh, we had a great visit with family the first night we got there on Wednesday… and we were able to attend the beautiful wedding… and Jim did look extremely handsome… but it did not end well.

The day after we arrived, our daughter, Gloria, got a phone call from her sisters saying that Gloria’s beautiful English Mastiff dog, Cappy, was not doing well. He seemed to be suffering separation anxiety when we left. He wouldn’t eat and was reluctant to go outside. As Gloria’s constant companion, and normally a sweet, loving dog, he became despondent and a bit surly. By the day of the wedding on Friday, we knew that something was terribly wrong with him. Kelly and Michele suspected he had suffered a stroke and was becoming more and more unresponsive. They tried getting him in to see every veterinarian in Lane County, but could not be guaranteed an appointment. Finally, on the day of the wedding, his regular vet told them to bring him in at 2:45 that afternoon and they would try to see him as soon as they were able.

With Kelly and Michele’s help and Jim’s and my full support, they were able to get us an early flight out on Saturday morning so Gloria could return home to be with Cappy, in hopes that he would respond to her presence. As soon as our plane landed at 11:30 that morning, Kelly took Gloria to the vet’s office where Cappy had spent the night, and Michele drove Jim and I home. As soon as she saw him, Gloria realized that Cappy was basically “gone.” He was breathing, but there was no recognition and no response to any kind of stimuli. As she held him, sobbing—and as her sister, Kelly, held her—Cappy was mercifully allowed to cross the “Rainbow Bridge.” Our whole family is heartbroken.

Too many times, Jim and I have had to say “goodbye” to our own very special “fur-babies.” It’s perhaps one of the hardest things we’ve had to do in life. Over the years, pets have been special members of our family who gave unconditional love and it’s so hard when we lose them. Many have been rescues, so our time with them is frequently much shorter, as it was for Gloria and Cappy. In these days of the pandemic, political tensions, mask mandates, distrust of life-saving vaccines and stress of everyday living, our pets are important family members that provide a steady, comforting sense of normalcy to our lives.

Jim and I relish the joy we were greeted with when we arrived home. Toby and BB (our dogs), and Jo-Jo and Oreo (our house cats)—even our outdoor kitty, Xena—were all, obviously, happy to see us. They provide a stability that we especially need in this phase of our lives.

Bless them all, and Rest in Peace, Sweet Cappy.

Sweet Lorane Community News, September 30, 2021

September 30, 2021Newspaper Columns, , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge-Tribune News
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
September 30, 2021
By Pat Edwards

Once again, I have begun packing bags for another trip… this time for both Jim and me, and our daughter, Gloria, is accompanying us. Some time ago, we were invited to attend the wedding of Jim’s niece, Caitlin Edwards, who is the daughter of Jim Edwards, Jim’s namesake nephew and his wife Theresa who live near Kansas City, Missouri. We’ve been hoping to be able to reciprocate their attendance at our granddaughter’s wedding several years ago, but were unsure what the COVID situation would be by October. Since the three of us are fully-vaccinated, and since Jim and I are scheduled to get our booster shot before we leave, we made our reservations.

This past week, I’ve been trying to figure out what we will wear to the wedding. It will take place in, I assume, a large, Catholic church in Kansas City. Almost every wedding we’ve attended in many years has been an outdoor, fairly-informal affair, so I’ve been struggling to figure out what we can pack and wear at this more formal event without having to go out and buy new duds that we’ll probably never have occasion to wear again. I’ve been going through closets that I haven’t visited for awhile, and found two garment bags hanging at the back of one. In them both were memories of times gone by. One contained the beautifully preserved medium-blue suit that Jim wore to present one of our daughters in a pageant that she participated in as a teen. I zipped that one back up. Even though I knew that he’d still look splendid in it, I figured that, after 40-some years, the color, at least, was probably out of date. I then unzipped the other to find a much newer navy blue sports jacket, gray slacks, a dress shirt and his favorite tie. Perfect!

After laundering the shirt, I got out my iron which hasn’t seen much use over more recent years. As I began the familiar routine of ironing the collar, sleeves, front and back, a flood of memories came back to me.

My mother, bless her heart, kept house beautifully when my sister and I were growing up. She cleaned our rooms, fixed our meals, sewed and ironed our clothes for us and provided us a happy childhood that didn’t include much instruction on how she did it all. My sister, B.J., took after her; I did not. I was the teenage daughter that worked outdoors on our farm, hoeing, irrigating, and row-bossing the 5 acres of strawberries and 15 acres of pole beans on our farm in Lebanon, while B.J. stayed in the house and helped fix meals for the rest of us.

When I went away to college at Linfield in 1960, I became friends with Connie (who I just visited in Montana), and we were needing to find a way to make some spending money. We came up with a great idea of offering to iron shirts for the boys at Mac Hall, across the green from our dorm. I think we charged a ridiculous amount of $.50 a shirt and because we were all required to dress up for Sunday dinners at the Commons, we lined up some regular customers. The trouble was, both Connie and I were farm girls, and neither of us had really learned how to iron properly. By the time we had earned about $3.00 each, we came to the conclusion that we’d better give up on the idea of becoming rich at our new venture and our business came to a screeching halt.

Remembering this story made today’s ironing task much easier. Jim is going to look great. As for me, the dresses that I considered either no longer fit or have gone out of style. I’m going to take the easy way out by wearing black slacks and a dressy blouse. I understand that black is always in style… just never wear white to a wedding.

We’re ready! Kansas City, here we come!

Sweet Lorane Community News, September 23, 2021

September 23, 2021Newspaper Columns, , , , , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge-Tribune News
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
September 23, 2021
By Pat Edwards

Last week, my column was a bit shorter than usual. I was preparing for our grandson’s, wedding, and the following day, I boarded a plane to fly to Helena, Montana, to again visit my good friend, Connie, who was recently widowed. So, it’s been a busy week for sure.

Despite a steady drizzle during the outdoor wedding, it was beautiful, and to make amends, Mother Nature put on display, a magnificent rainbow that stretched across the sky above the wedding party. Jim’s brother, John, and his wife, Vicki, were gracious enough to provide the venue for Kevin and his bride Jazmine on their beautiful property bordering the Coast Fork of the Willamette River in Saginaw. We got a bit damp during the ceremony, but the last-minute decision to erect large tents the day before kept the food and attendees dry at the reception. What could have devastated most couples, allowed Kev and Jazz to relax, add humor to their day and enjoy the large group of friends and family who attended. In addition, I had the honor of being walked down the aisle on the arm of… and seated by… Brent Haxby, our grandson-in-law, who was officiating his very first wedding since earning his license. It was a good day.

Sunday morning, I once again boarded a plane which took me, via Seattle, to Helena, Montana, where my long-time friend, Connie Ruhlman, lives. It’s been a rough time for her since Dick died last spring and, although her daughter lives close by, she’s a victim’s advocate and is on a rapid response team for the FBI; both jobs require her to be on the road a great deal. Our short visits together have allowed us to reconnect and reminisce about our days at Linfield College and all of the many years we have stayed close friends while living far apart. It’s a friendship that we both cherish.

Back home, I’m ready to get back to working on the layout for our upcoming Groundwaters anthology, which was beginning to take shape before I left. Our local writers are beginning to get back into the spirit of writing and a lot of excellent submissions have come in and will be included.

When I returned from Montana, Jim and I drove over the construction area on Stony Point. All but a small segment at the south end of the project was paved and lined with guard rails. The short portion that is still being worked on at the top is still one-way and being regulated by traffic lights at each end, so we ask everyone going through there to follow the rules of the road… red means stop; wait for it to turn green before proceeding. It’s such a simple concept, but there are still those who are impatient and try to sneak through, causing nerves and tempers to fray. It won’t be long before this section will be completed. The Lane County Department of Public Works, which oversees it, is hoping to be done with all of the finishing work by mid-November at the latest. Traffic should be able to proceed without flaggers or lights before then, however.

The Lorane Grange held its election of new officers at their September meeting. Randy Eschleman was chosen its new Master and Gary Lutman, the Overseer. Other positions were retained by those holding them last year.

The Lorane Christian Church continues to hold Sunday services both indoors and in the parking lot for those who do not want to wear masks. Those who stay in their cars can tune to a radio frequency that carries the service though the speakers. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Happy Autumn everyone! I’m ready.