Sweet Lorane Community News, August 25, 2022

August 25, 2022Newspaper ColumnsBlessings, Lorane Community Yard Salepaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge-Tribune News
The Chronicle (Creswell)
Sweet Lorane Community News
August 25, 2022
By Pat Edwards

Since I write my weekly columns on Thursday or Friday of each week, I wasn’t able to do more than mention my participation in the Lorane Community Yard Sale event last week, since it hadn’t happened yet. So, today I want to thank everyone who stopped by my Oregon Author’s tent at the Lorane Grange to visit and maybe even purchase a book. Several of you introduced yourselves as readers of my column and it was so much fun to visit with each of you. I was there both Friday and Saturday, August 19 & 20, the weather was pleasant and the sales were good, so it proved to be a good decision to participate. Thanks to all of you who stopped by.

My next stop as an author will be on Saturday, September 3, at the Oregon State Fair’s Oregon Authors’ Table. I’m really looking forward to that because it’s the first year we, as authors, have been allowed to participate for a single day. I’m trying to get a family grouping to go that day so that Jim can venture out, too. As a young married couple with kids, we loved to join Jim’s family and go the State Fair to watch the horse races, visit the livestock barns and exhibits, watch some horse show competitions and, of course, spend the day eating all of the “fair food” we could handle. It was a special day that we all looked forward to.

The Lorane community is taking a break from further events until Tuesday, September 13, when the Lorane Grange hosts a talk by State Representative, Boomer Wright. He will speak on education and possibly crime. He grew up in Lorane and graduated from Crow High School.

Then, on September 16, they will begin sponsoring the monthly “Dessert and Bingo Night” at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to mark that on your calendars for both.

To give you an update on Jim’s progress, he sailed through his Home Health physical therapy program and his amazing therapists released him this week because he’s gained a lot of strength and balance since he began. He and I are taking daily walks with his walker up the hill on the country road that borders our property. He started small—50 steps past the end of our driveway—and graduated quickly to 100 steps; after that, we stopped counting steps and began counting fence posts. I’m so proud of him and his determination to be ready for our upcoming 8-day “Fall Folliage” bus tour beginning in Boston in late September. He’s really earned some “adventure” time. In addition, in preparation for the extended vacation, we’ve signed up for a day-trip with the River Road Parks and Recreation District in Eugene for a jet-boat trip on the Rogue River next week. We’re both looking forward to getting out again and doing some things we love and have been wanting to do for some time.

If I’ve learned nothing else these past few months, I’ve realized how important it is to enjoy each day that we’re given and to look for the positives that sometimes lie under the surface of daily life. Things are not always going to be the way we hoped or expected them to be at any certain time through any stage of our lives, but especially our later years. Life is not perfect or predictable, so we need to seek out and appreciate what we have and what we’ve been given each day.

Fall is fast approaching. Let’s rejoice in the bounty of the harvest, the cooling of the temperature, the lessening of fire danger and the changes in the season. Life is good.

Sweet Lorane Community News, August 18, 2022

August 18, 2022Newspaper ColumnsLorane Community Potluck, Lorane Community Yard Sale, Lorane Ice Cream Socialpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge-Tribune News
The Chronicle (Creswell)
Sweet Lorane Community News
August 18, 2022
By Pat Edwards

Our normally quiet, little Lorane has become “busy” Lorane, Oregon, with lots of events planned within a 2-week period. The weekend of August 13 and 14 didn’t let us down as one of the busiest weekends of the year for the community. Jim and I were able to attend the events scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday that weekend. The Saturday event was our annual Lorane Community Potluck which has evolved over the years from being called the “Lorane Old-Timers’ Picnic” that has been held on the 2nd weekend in August for several generations.

When we walked in to the grange, we were greeted by many of our friends and neighbors who we haven’t seen for several months now. There wasn’t a large gathering this year, but being able to visit and be social once again was an especially enjoyable time for us. The food was excellent, as usual, as was the camraderie. The date of the potluck was changed last year from its usual Sunday slot, preceding the Lorane Ice Cream Social held on the same day, to the Saturday before in hopes of regenerating more attendance. There were a few more this year than last, but we are hoping that it will keep growing.

Then on Sunday, Jim and I came back to attend the popular Lorane Ice Cream Social that has been sponsored by the Lorane Fire Department for many years now. We brought Jim’s mobility scooter to drive around the grounds while we ate delicious ice cream and homemade pies. Jim parked inside the fire truck garage, out of the hot sun, where the food was being served and greeted more friends, neighbors and customers from our days owning the store as they stood in line to order.

After eating, we headed across the street where one of the fire trucks was parked near the bounce house, fishing booth and dunk tank set up on the church lawn. We watched as three of our great-grandchildren honked the horn on the truck as they pretended to drive it on a rescue mission, and played, bounced and slid down the water slide. Jim was tired by then, so we didn’t stay to watch them take a ride in the fire truck with other kids before heading back home.

This past weekend was the Lorane Community Sale. There were 19 sites recorded on the map for the 2-day event. It’s always well-attended and popular; this year was no exception.
Then on Sunday, August 21, the Lorane Christian Church held its annual “Worship in the Park” at Farmin’ Creek, followed by a potluck.

So, I think that with so much celebratin’ these past 2 weeks, it will soon be time to harvest our gardens, get our flower beds prepared for fall, take those final camping trips and get ready to hunker down as summer slowly begins to slip away. Labor Day will soon be here, signaling a time when school will be starting, leaves will begin turning brilliant reds, yellows and orange colors, and life for many will turn to football games, cooler temperatures and the coziness of home.

Sweet Lorane Community News, August 4, 2022

August 4, 2022Newspaper ColumnsBlessings, Life challengespaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge-Tribune News
The Chronicle (Creswell)
Sweet Lorane Community News
August 4, 2022
By Pat Edwards

Can it be August already? With all of the stress, worry and health issues that Jim and I have been facing recently, I guess we haven’t been paying much attention to anything but ourselves. There’s not much time or desire to heap worries about world and national events or even local concerns onto the load we’ve been carrying, even though they are important to us both. I have turned most of the administrating of the Lorane Facebook page over to our other admins and am thankful that I had the foresight to step down as the publisher of the Groundwaters annual anthologies this year.

It’s strange how life’s pathways can take abrupt turns and occasionally drop off the side of a cliff so that we are forced to either change direction or figure out a way to claw our way back up to the smoother roadway once again. Fortunately, Jim and I haven’t hit too many cliffs or detours during our 58 years of marriage. I’ve always said that we’ve been blessed for much of our lives and despite everything that has gone wrong these past few months, I feel, more than ever that we are. Despite a major surgery and three runs to the emergency room for Jim and a back procedure for me in the past month and a half, we’re looking forward to a future that includes some travel and activities with our big family.

Jim’s surgery was successful, and he’s working with Home Health physical therapists this past week to strengthen muscles and balance to improve his mobility. When instructed to do the homework exercises 10 times each, twice a day, he does them 15 times each, three times a day. He’s taking walks to the end of our rather long blacktop driveway and began the first day by taking “50 steps” uphill on the rural road that runs beside our house and back. Yesterday, he took 75 steps, and today, 100. So, I think that by late September, when our “New England Fall Foliage” tour is scheduled, he’s going to do just fine.

My back procedure, called a rhizotomy, was successful as well, and the lumbar pain I was having has diminished to the point where I can now use our weedeater and push lawnmower in short stints. (I just need to get myself some goggles.)

So, life is good. We’re back on smooth pavement once again and looking forward to the future.

And, we’re planning to attend the Lorane Community Potluck at the Lorane Grange on Saturday, August 13 (noon), and the Lorane Ice Cream Social the next day, on Sunday, August 14 (1:00 to 5:00 p.m.) in front of the Fire Hall. I’ve been asked to remind our Lorane residents that donations of more pies are needed this week for the ice cream social. Contact Betty Willoughby at 541-942-7539 for instructions.

I hope to see many of our friends and neighbors at both!