Author: paedwards

Sweet Lorane Community News, November 7, 2019

November 7, 2019Newspaper Columns, , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 7, 2019
By Pat Edwards

What a wonderful event we had last Sunday at the Applegate Regional Theater. The Groundwaters LIVE! program was well-attended and much enjoyed, according to the feedback I have been receiving this week. Thanks to all of you who joined us as well as those who entertained our audience by reading their wonderful stories and poetry. In addition, we have received many compliments on the 2019 Groundwaters anthology that we launched at the event. Our hearts are smiling!

I stepped out of my comfort zone this last week. I’ve always loved music and whenever possible, I sing along with it… Jim and I are seasoned “car radio singers.” We know every word to the old country-western songs which Jim has always loved and the 80s and 90s country songs that our daughter played on the radio while at KUGN-FM. We frequently listen to them today as we make our way through town or on vacations.

As a teenager, I loved and appreciated classical and semi-classical music, too. One of my favorite classes in college at Linfield was my Music and Art Appreciation class, and I used to enjoy putting one of my semi-classical records on the record player while doing housework as a young housewife. I had several albums of them along with my beloved Ricky Nelson and Elvis records that kept me on task and made the drudgery of housework seem to fly by.

I can remember, about the time I was in junior high, singing “O Holy Night” over, and over, and over again for my mother, who accompanied me on the piano, while she recorded it into a tape recorder before one Christmas. I loved that song and never tired of singing it, but I never knew what happened to that tape or what she did with it after it was recorded. I think it was lost in one of our many moves. To this day, I love Christmas carols—the old ones especially—as they are so familiar to me.

As much as I loved to sing, however, I was only part of a choir for a short time. I participated in a 9th grade a cappella choir in Eureka, California for a partial year before our family moved to Portland where I finished out the year at Parkrose. I enjoyed being in that choir very much. As a very shy, newbie, freshman girl in Portland, I tried out for the school choir and nervously sang an audition with 2 other girls. I was told I had perfect pitch and was welcomed to the choir, but when we adjourned, the choir director sent us all home with sheet music to study before the choir met again. I did not have any background in reading music except for elementary piano lessons. I panicked and did not show up for the next practice… I quit the choir because I felt I was way out of my comfort zone. I’ve always regretted “chickening out” and have since, I hope, become much more responsible. We moved to Eugene shortly afterwards and I never tried out again for any type of choir.

So, it was with an admitted bit of trepidation that I agreed to join my two neighbors in attending the organizational meeting of the new Community Choir that is forming at the Applegate Regional Theater. My voice is not as strong as it once was and I can’t reach the higher notes as I used to. It also frustrates me that my voice breaks and wobbles a bit more than it did. Of course, I am 77 years of age, so I guess that’s to be expected.

Last Tuesday night, those of us who showed up for the first rehearsal were handed sheet music and were asked to sing “Carol of the Bells” as a group to show the director what we sounded like so we could be assigned our parts. Thankfully, there were no auditions, but I was suddenly back in the 9th grade, trying to figure out how to sing the alto parts that did not follow the melody in any way and were completely foreign to me because I was not able to read the music. I ended up stumbling through the rehearsal, thinking over and over again, “I can’t do this!”

Towards the end of the evening, I began to catch on a bit by listening to my neighbor, standing next to me, and allowing myself—for now—to sing the melody until I could gain a little more confidence and better understanding.

I’m not going to give up this time as I did almost 65 years ago… I’m going to give it my best shot.

For those interested in the choir, rehearsals are going to be every Tuesday evening beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Applegate Regional Theater, 87230 Central Rd., Eugene, OR, north of Crow. Call Vicki Sourdry for more info: 541-935-3636.

Sweet Lorane Community News, October 31, 2019

October 31, 2019Newspaper Columns, , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
October 31, 2019
By Pat Edwards

I spent an enjoyable day last week participating in the Creswell Grange’s Holiday Bazaar. I reserved a table at the last minute and was pleasantly surprised to sell more books than I had hoped. A bonus was that I was able to spend the day with a group of nice people and visited with many who stopped by my table to chat. Thank you, Martin and Louise McClure and Patrick Dearth, especially, for your hospitality!

That same weekend, I volunteered to help with one of the game booths at the Applegate Harvest Festival in Crow. It’s been a long time since I’ve done something like that… the last similar event I attended was the Lorane Spring Fling which was held in the Lorane Elementary School during its final year in June 2011. The article I wrote about it can be found on my website at http://allthingslorane.com under “Writings” for those of you who would like to relive it.

Our granddaughter, Stephanie Furlong, and her husband, Chad, and daughters, Harper Lorane, Hayden Rae and Shiloh Kate all showed up at the Harvest Festival, dressed in Toy Story costumes that Steph had made. It brought back so many memories as I made my rounds in the cupcake walk with Harper and then went to visit the Fish Pond and bean bag throw with her after my shift ended. The gymnasium was filled with other family groups who were all In costume. What a fun evening!

In today’s column, I thought I’d tell you a bit about the new yoga group that I have recently joined in order to work on my core strength and balance following my recent surgery. My good friend and co-editor of Groundwaters, Jennifer Chambers, has obtained her certification as an adaptive yoga instructor and has been holding classes on Tuesday and Thursdays from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Applegate Regional Theater, 87230 Central Rd., Eugene, north of Crow. The group is growing, so Jen has decided to offer another class on Wednesdays from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Classes are varied, but include chair yoga, floor movements, meditation, and balance bar work. Balance bars are provided, but you’ll need to bring a yoga mat and dress comfortably. The classes are $4 per person, per class. It’s a relaxing, no-stress way of keeping at bay the aches and pains of those of us who don’t get as much exercise as we’d like. For more info, contact Jen at jenniferbyerschambers@yahoo.com.

Speaking of Jen, she’s rehearsing to portray one of the main characters in her most recent book, “Hesitate No Longer: Abigail Scott Duniway and Susan B. Anthony in Oregon,” in an exciting new play called “An Evening With Three Great Americans” taking place at the Applegate Regional Theater on Saturday and Sunday, November 16 and 17. Abigail Scott Duniway, the character that Jen portrays, was one of the main forces in obtaining women’s rights in Oregon. One of Abigail’s harshest critics in her fight for women’s voting rights was the editor of the Portland Oregonian newspaper, Harvey W. Scott—Abigail’s own brother.

Another of the great Americans being featured is Abraham Lincoln, who will be portrayed by Steve Holgate. Steve has professionally portrayed Lincoln on many occasions around Oregon and is said to do an excellent job. The third American will be Mark Twain, portrayed by Don Schmieding. I don’t know Don personally, but I’ve heard good things about his work. This should be a wonderful experience! You can order tickets on-line at http://www.art-inc.org.

The Lorane Movie Night for this month will be held on November 7th at the Lorane Grange. The scrambled title for this month’s feature is “Het Dogs Stum eb Zarcy” (PG, 1980). Hint: it’s an action Indie film. The Lorane Fire Department is this month’s sponsor. Check the Rural Art Center’s website for more details.

The Lorane Christian Church will be hosting the annual Lorane Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 17, at 5:00 p.m. at the Lorane Grange.
The Grange will be collecting not only non-perishable foods for the Holiday baskets, but they are also asking for donation of items for the U.S. soldier that they have “adopted” this holiday season. Contact Lil Thompson 541-942-5701 for suggestions for the items needed.

In Memory of Estelle Counts

October 29, 2019Writings, Leave a comment

By Pat Edwards

Stell & Lloyd Counts

Stell and Lloyd Counts on their wedding day

It never occurred to me that Stell Counts would ever die. Knowing Stell – loving Stell – I just assumed that she would always be there. She emitted such feisty energy, such excitement for new things, and such love for her family and community, that I could not imagine her any other way. And, you know what? I believe that I was right! Stell may have left her body, but in her heaven, she is still with us.

I am currently reading a book called The Lovely Bones about a 14-year old girl who narrates the story as she looks down from heaven after her premature death. In the book, she describes her heaven as being anything she wants it to be… that heaven is different for each person. The girl chooses to spend her time in heaven observing her family and friends and the manner in which they deal with her death. For Stell, I know her heaven is similar, for I don’t think she would have wanted to live anywhere else in any other way than she actually did, and the people in her family and community will always remain the most important to her.

Jim and I feel an especially deep loss – the loss of not being able to see that wonderful lady coming into the store or attending a school function. She has had such a profound impact on our lives over the past 30 years that we will continue to look for her each day. Even though we made some drastic changes when we converted the Mitchell Store into the Lorane Family Store, she was always a vocal supporter. When Jim said that he was going to have to tear down the old store (which was gradually falling into the creek) and build a new store, her excitement and encouragement accompanied him every step of the way. When friends and acquaintances would reminisce about the old store and how differently it was “back then”, she would admonish them that “Jim has his own way of doing things and is doing a wonderful job!” When the family sold the family homes across from the store and the buyer defaulted, she would not hear of putting them back on the market. She wanted Jim to buy them and despite my hesitancy to take on rentals, she insisted that no one but Jim should have them. Between the two of them, I was railroaded into signing the contract even though I kicked and screamed all of the way.

When Nancy, Marna, and I conceived of writing the history of the Lorane area, it was Stell and Lloyd that we turned to. They knew all of the “old timers” and it was their shared confidence in us that allowed us to pre-sell enough of our books to pay for the first printing. Stell dug deep into her memory and her treasure trove of pictures and supplied us with information and leads to track down the early families of the area. When we found pictures in which people were not identified, Stell took on the project of finding out who they were. When we began planning the 1987 Lorane Centennial celebration, Stell and Lloyd were active participants and the excitement that she generated kept us all on track and helped to keep at bay any discouragement we felt in the huge task of planning.

In recent years, as her health began to fail and she was no longer able to drive, she spent more time at home, but that didn’t stop her from continuing to impact the lives of those around her. Kids, including our own grandkids, from the Lorane Elementary School, frequently stopped by her house to visit with Stell on their way home from school. She always had a cookie or a snack for them and they loved to sit with her and visit for awhile before continuing on home. She was ageless to them and helped to bridge the proverbial gap between youth and the elderly that many of us fail to even attempt.
If Lorane was a bigger community, we would be naming a building or a special project after her… “The Estelle Counts Community Center” or “The Estelle Counts Memorial.” But, we are a small community and since most of us here knew and loved her, our memorial to her should be to not let her energy or love of community die. If each one of us vows to get involved in preserving the links between the past, present, and the future of Lorane, it will evolve, as Stell would have wanted, but it will also remain a community where we can all feel we belong. And, for each positive involvement, you can be sure that Stell will be smiling from her heaven.

So, if you’re watching us now, Stell, God Bless You! You did it your way, and that’s the most any of us can ever hope for!

Estelle Mitchell Counts (1918-2002)