Author: paedwards

Sweet Lorane Community News, March 25, 2021

March 25, 2021Newspaper Columns, , , , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
March 25, 2021
By Pat Edwards

Jim and I no longer have grandkids at Crow schools these days, but our oldest great- granddaughter is in kindergarten this year in Roseburg. We’ve always made a habit of going to all of the programs, plays, concerts, games and other athletic events they participated in over the years. We’ve missed that so much, but we’ll have a few great-grands old enough to fill their shoes before long. This year, knowing that local kids, who are “attending school” are also missing out on so many of the same things, and it tears at my heart.

In the past month or so, though, I have been elated to see the school bus once again traveling up the road that borders our property to pick up and drop off students who live on the hill above us. Strangely, our dogs, BB and Toby, are even more thrilled that the school bus is back. They have virtual clocks in their heads that tell them when it’s time for the yellow school bus to turn onto our road and their very favorite thing is to race it along the inside of our fence until they reach our property’s boundary. It’s a game with them that they sorely missed.

Recently, I read that athletic teams were forming. On the district’s website is a photo of a Crow football team practicing for a game. Each member is properly distanced and each is wearing a mask. I’m not sure when the photo was taken, but it shows the determination our students have in making life this year as normal as possible.

Right now, it’s volleyball season though the school year is fractured. Teams are now playing games that are being live-streamed on Facebook whenever possible so that fans can watch.

Even better, the Crow administration announced that for their game against Mohawk played last week, each volleyball player was issued three spectator tickets. That way players could invite 3 family members to attend and the family groupings would spread out in the bleachers to keep distanced—everyone wearing masks, as well. Those players whose family was not able to use their allotment of 3 tickets would be allowed to share them with teammates. What a great way to let the team know that someone really is watching. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be playing in a quiet gymnasium.

Apparently, wrestling is in the works, as well. Last month, the Crow Grange #450 hosted the First Annual Steve Boehringer Memorial Breakfast for the Cougar Mat Club. Breakfasts were picked up in the parking lot to take home this year, but knowing the organizers, it will become a popular “sit-down” event in coming years. This year’s proceeds were presented to Crow wrestling coach, Troy Jenzsch, who trained many years ago under the late (and great) Crow wrestling coach, Steve Boehringer, who lost his life in an automobile accident. The proceeds will be used for items like equipment and scholarships to middle and high school students who need assistance.

While we are on the subject of Crow schools, the district has announced that it is needing two community members to volunteer to fill out the Budget Committee. The commitment covers 1-3 meetings per year in April and May for a term of 3 years. If interested, you are urged to contact Lee Ann Hartwig at 541-935-2100 or lhartwig@cal.k12.or.us to learn more.

And, from Jim and me… Go Cougars!

Sweet Lorane Community News, March 18, 2021

March 18, 2021Newspaper Columns, , , , , 2 Comments

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
March 18, 2021
By Pat Edwards

As a weekly columnist for two local newspapers, I have found it difficult in the last year to come up with something to write about each week. Oh… there have been plenty of national and world-wide things to write about, but trying to write about what’s been happening locally in our community of Lorane has not been easy. The war on COVID-19 that has necessitated the shutdown of so much in our lives, has taken its toll on all of us, but with the arrival and beginning of the distribution of the vaccines, the skies seem a bit bluer as we look to the future.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, without much locally to write about, I have tried to use my columns as a way of journaling these truly historic, remarkable and tragic times we have been living through that have affected our lives in so many ways. Many of us have lost people who have personally touched our lives—family members, friends, acquaintances and even celebrities—to COVID-19. They are among the 538,000 deaths caused by this horrible disease in the U.S. to date.

The pandemic has been bad enough, but we have also had to endure a close-up and personal view of the tragedy Mother Nature can wreak upon our neighbors and friends living in the path of this past summer’s wildfires throughout Oregon, destroying homes and entire towns and leaving devastation in their wake.

Political tensions that began throughout the nation over the response to the coronovirus protocols calling for the wearing of masks and social distancing became more pronounced when the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, an African-American who died at the knee of a Minnesota police officer, came to the forefront in June.
These same political tensions grew and accelerated through the summer and fall and by the time that the November 3rd Presidential election came around in the midst of a pandemic, we were a nation divided and our world exploded on January 6, 2021 when insurgents stormed our nation’s beautiful Capitol Building to try to nullify the outcome of the election.

I wrote about each of these events in my columns, but those weeks in between were a challenge. Because of COVID, local events, activities and in-person school throughout Oregon were cancelled, businesses closed, travel has become rare and dangerous and the economy has declined. Working, studying and staying at home has been the norm for almost everyone whose situation will allow it. Most meetings and family and social contacts have been done via Zoom, face-timing or other electronic means. We women have forgotten what we looked like with makeup—especially lipstick— and many men have grown beards.

Those blue skies that I mentioned at the beginning of this column are a sign that maybe—just maybe—there will soon be family gatherings, vacations, summer festivals, camping, barbeques and other social activities that I can write about once again.

Jim and I got our second Pfizer COVID vaccine last Sunday. I felt a little “unwell” for a couple of hours on Monday, and by Tuesday and Wednesday, with the sun shining, my energy level was back. Fortunately, Jim had no adverse reactions to the vaccine.

With the renewal of spring 2021, hope and happiness are on the horizon and, quite frankly, I’m ready to smile again.