Category: Newspaper Columns

Newspaper columns that I have written for the Fern Ridge Review in Veneta, Oregon and the Creswell Chronicle in Creswell, Oregon. I began writing them for the Fern Ridge Review on August 4, 2010; on December 6, 2012, the Creswell Chronicle began printing them, as well. I am still the Lorane columnist for both papers.

Sweet Lorane Community News, February 18, 2021

February 18, 2021Newspaper Columns, Leave a comment

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

Lane County Department of Public Works photo

The Lane County Public Works Department sent out an update on the multi-year Territorial Highway Project that is taking place north of Lorane. Phase 1 of the project, centering around the major restructuring of the dangerous curves at Stony Point was begun in the summer of 2020. The construction was paused in December and will restart this coming May. They hope to complete the Phase 1 section this summer.

Unfortunately, the Phase 2 segment, planned for Gillespie Corners to Easy Acres Drive, has been put on hold until more funding can be found. It involves the raising of the road that frequently floods during the winter and the building of new bridges along that route.

Phase 3, from Easy Acres Drive to Stony Point, is planned to begin in 2023 and continue into 2024. The interim time will be spent in designing, surveying, collecting data and discussions with property owners on how it will impact each of their properties. The county will also host community discussions in the fall of 2022 about the final design, construction schedules and traffic control in that segment.

Phase 4 involves the segment of Territorial from Stony Point into Lorane and will begin after the completion of Phase 3. A more detailed time schedule for that section will be announced sometime in 2022.

We live along the Phase 2 segment and have put off our plans to put in a new perimeter fence along Territorial until the construction was complete, knowing that the property line will most likely be changed anyway and that any new fencing we put in would have to be moved. Now, it looks like it won’t happen for several years, so I guess we’ll be planning a fence project this spring.

All of us who drive along that stretch are disappointed that the flooding problem won’t be addressed for some time yet. We were really looking forward to having that done. According to the county, however, the initial costs they had factored into that segment have risen drastically in the last year and now exceed what they have on hand. New funding in the form of grants is being sought so that Phase 2 can proceed as soon as possible.

Speaking of flooding, we are so grateful that Mother Nature has been reasonably kind to all of us in Lane County this winter. Not only have we not had any flooding at Gillespie Corners, but we have not had to suffer through the ice storm that hit many parts of Oregon north of us. How well we all remember the snow, ice and power outages of a couple of winters ago. Thank goodness we have not relived those times this winter as others in Albany, Salem and Portland have.

Other parts of the country, in places that are not used to snow and ice, have also been suffering through some really damaging winter weather. Much of Texas has been without power for almost a week because of it. Some good friends live in Helena, Montana. They are used to lots of snow each winter, but this year, Connie wrote: “This past week, our highs have been -7 degrees—and our lows are in the -20 degree range.”

Thank you, Mother Nature, for our “home sweet home.”

Sweet Lorane Community News, February 11, 2021

February 11, 2021Newspaper Columns, , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
February 11, 2021
By Pat Edwards

This week, Jim became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination. He is 81 years of age, and we are eagerly awaiting the phone call or email that will give him a time to go in for his first shot. It’s been a long time coming, and we are so thankful that our son, a granddaughter and Jim’s brother, John, have already been vaccinated. Our daughter, Michele, who is a teacher, will be getting hers next week, too. We know that, even after we have received the vaccine, we will need to continue being masked—which is no big deal, really—and socially distance until enough vaccines have been administered to make it safe to discontinue the practices that have become almost “normal.” But, I am anxious to once again be able to visit John and his wife, Vicki, who are very special friends as well as family members… it’s been too long. We have been able to occasionally spend some time with younger members of our family this past year, but our fear of possibly passing on the virus to John, especially, whose health is compromised, has kept us away.

I also look forward to the day—possibly next summer?—when we can join John and Vicki in attending a drama or a soaring musical at the Cottage Theater where their daughter, Tracy, has been a popular member of the cast in many plays, and an amazing singer.

We long for the day when we can go to town and have a leisurely lunch or dinner with each other, family or friends. Right now, when we go in to run store errands, we pick up a hamburger or sub sandwich and sit in my car to eat. It takes the fun out of lunch. The one exception that we’ve found is when we go to Taco Time in Eugene and park under a couple of fir trees in the parking lot there. There’s a resident squirrel who frequently will climb down the tree and beg for some rice from my veggie burrito, or some “tater-tot” crumbs that we toss out the window. He’s quite entertaining.

I’m trying to plan for the day when we can take a road trip or a full-blown vacation, too. They say that planning for a trip is half the fun. I don’t know about that, but it gives us something to think about.

As we work our way out from under the pandemic cloud that’s been hanging over us for so long, we are also counting our blessings. We are surrounded and protected and loved by our family who always has prioritized our welfare. We’ve been able to snuggle our great-grandbabies who are almost out of the snuggling stage now, and watch all of them grow and lead happy, joyous childhoods as every child should. Videos and photographs sent to us show Harper reading her first book, and Hayden, all by herself, catching her first lamb that escaped from their family’s holding pens. Then there’s toddler, Shiloh, helping to herd the lambs down the lane at the ranch, and little Cora taking it all in from her baby carrier on her mommy’s back.

Sawyer, who loves tractors and trucks, and his little brother, Hudson, come to visit occasionally and he heads right for the framed photo of his “Papa” on a tractor, that sits on a table in our living room. He immediately jabbers about the tractor and then points out who is sitting on top of it.

Miss Calliope just turned one recently and she gives both Papa and GiGi huge smiles when she sees us and holds her arms out for us to take her.
Then, there’s our newest little one, Josie—our daughter, Stacey’s, first granddaughter. We look forward to some cuddle time with her soon.

The world is looking a bit brighter and we all need to count our blessings—more now, than ever. It’s going to get better… but we need to make sure that we take each step as it comes so that “better” lasts a long time.