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, November 19, 2020

November 19, 2020Newspaper Columns, , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 19, 2020
By Pat Edwards

Lane County’s Public Works Department has issued another update for November on the Territorial Highway’s “Stony Point” project. Here is the text of what was sent to us this past week:

“Lane County’s primary goal this winter is to maintain safe travel through the construction site for all users.

“Construction is still underway at this time but varies based on weather conditions. We anticipate construction will shut down for the winter within the next month.

“The contractor is currently armoring the embankment on the north end of the construction site. There is noticeable road deterioration in this area and the armoring should prevent further decline. A large slide is not anticipated as this area is also supported by the tie-back stabilization system that was constructed early this summer. Additionally, the traffic signal has been moved further north and the length of the single travel lane has been extended to encompass this area.

“County staff and the contractor will continue to monitor the project site throughout the winter to ensure the road stays safe to travel.”

Much of the road through the work area has now been made into a single lane of traffic with either flaggers or a traffic light at each end. This has made those of us driving through it feel much safer as large cement dividers keep us away from the precipitous edges of the road, but we are finding that this week, since the length of the single lane has been extended and while flaggers are being used, the waits have gotten to be 20 to 30 minutes in length before cars at one end or the other are allowed to proceed. Residents who have posted about the long waits on Facebook suggest that anyone planning to go through that area add another half hour to their travel time schedule to ensure they get to appointments on time.
Another comment to that posting helped to explain that the long waits were caused by “the equipment working right next to the road needing to swing out into roadway while working.”
In any case, it appears that the actual work will only proceed for a short while longer before it is halted for the winter. At that time, the wait at traffic signals will be adjusted to shorter periods.

Like so many of you, our family is having to adjust our Thanksgiving plans this year. Those who know us have heard about our big family get-togethers here at our house, but we have decided to sacrifice this year’s celebration of thanks and family to help ensure that we can all be together next year. I’m going to put the big turkey in the oven as usual Thursday morning, and our two daughters, Gloria and Michele, and our son Rob, will come over in the afternoon to help Jim and me with the rest of the big meal. When it’s all prepared, each will take enough food to their own homes to feed their own small family groupings. Before we eat separately, however, all of us will join together with our daughter, Kelly, in Arizona, and other close family members at their own homes by Zoom so that we can say grace together and give our thanks for all that we do have and have been blessed with. We usually hold hands around our big dining room table to say grace, but this year, we’ll be connected in our hearts.
I am going to miss snuggling our babies and reading to our older great-grands as well as visiting with their mamas and papas so much this Thanksgiving Day, but we all feel that it’s something that we need to do, not only for ourselves, but for the health of our communities.

May God bless each and every one of you this holiday season. We are all in this together and if we do what we must now, our future Thanksgivings can return to true celebrations of thanks and love.

Sweet Lorane Community News, November 12, 2020

November 12, 2020Newspaper Columns, , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 12, 2020
By Pat Edwards

Following the stress and skyrocketing emotion that we are all feeling following this year’s presidential election and, more recently, the mandates necessitated by the spike in COVID-19 deaths across the nation that all but cancel Thanksgiving, we are all desperately looking for rainbows. I’m hoping to distance myself for a few minutes and bring a bit of much-needed humor in this week’s column by sharing a story I wrote many years ago that kind of fits the holiday season and, even better, has no political implications…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buzzard Duck
By Pat Edwards

Buzzard Duck was a member of that large mute breed of black and white duck that looks like it has a hamburger patty wrapped around its face… the Muscovy Duck. He came to live on our farm many years ago when someone gave him to us (that’s one of the “perks” of living on a farm… you get all of the animals that your friends and acquaintances no longer want!).

Buzzard Duck had the run of the barnyard along with an assortment of chickens and a pair of turkeys. Because he didn’t have a mate, he had to use his imagination. He took a shine to his own image that reflected from a piece of bright, polished aluminum that patched a large hole on the bottom of the barn door. B.D. stood before his reflection for hours on end, whispering sweet nothings to it in duck-fashion, and caressing it’s smooth surface with his head and beak. He was so enamored with his own image that we didn’t think that any of us existed in his mind. But, apparently, he did feel he owed my husband, Jim, a debt of gratitude for feeding him each day.

One day, Buzzard Duck was in rapt discussion with his reflection, as usual, while Jim was hammering away on a piece of equipment in the barnyard. Jim was completely oblivious to the fact that our huge Tom Turkey was nearby. Tom, who had long before instilled terror in the hearts of our 4 children, especially our youngest daughter, Kelly, by chasing them across the barnyard whenever they ventured near, began to circle Jim, preparing for a full charge.

Then, with wings spread and neck extended, the turkey sped (as fast as a 50 lb. hunk of white meat can speed) straight towards Jim. Jim was at first unaware that he was a target, but when he heard the rustle of feathers, he looked up to see a black and white duck streaking past him. When he turned around to see where Buzzard Duck was going in such a hurry, he saw what looked like a potential game of “Chicken” between a turkey and a duck. It was the turkey that put on his brakes and made a retreat for the far reaches of the barn lot with a very mad Buzzard Duck in fast pursuit. When B.D. figured that Jim was once again out of harm’s way, he calmly returned to courting his aluminum mate.

It was not too long afterwards that we found someone who had a female Muscovy who was looking for a mate. It was to be Buzzard’s reward for saving the dignity of his benefactor.

And a few months’ later, it was Thanksgiving—no, we didn’t eat Tom, but we did find him and his mate a new home. Kelly and her sisters and brother were able to cross the barnyard… unarmed once again, and they all are living happily ever after.

Sweet Lorane Community News, November 6, 2020

November 5, 2020Newspaper Columns, Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 6, 2020
By Pat Edwards

On this early morning of Friday, November 6, I woke at 6:30 a.m. with only about 5 hours of sleep. I have been struggling to know what I can write about in this column—what I could say that would mean anything. As with almost everyone in our country, the presidential election has held our attention these past days. It is still undecided, but we are on the brink of the remaining votes determining the outcome. At this point, approximately half of my friends, family and neighbors are full of hope, while the other half are hurting badly and/or are full of rage. It’s been a close race and it’s obvious that the effects, regardless of the eventual outcome will affect all of our lives for quite some time to come.

I firmly believe that whether red or blue, we are a nation of good people who truly love our country. Somewhere along the way, we have lost track of how to talk—and LISTEN—to each other, and that is going to have to be something that we must all adopt as our main priority as we move on.

On election day, I found a famous quote that I shared on my Facebook page:
“United we stand; divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy the union upon which our existence hangs.”According to Wikipedia, Patrick Henry used the phrase in his last public speech, given in March 1799, in which he denounced The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, but it is generally attributed to the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, both directly in his fable “The Four Oxen and the Lion” and indirectly in “The Bundle of Sticks.” Sadly, it applies so aptly to our nation today.

We must allow our democracy to work. We must begin listening to each other in order to learn how we can begin to resolve our differences.

Let’s move forward. Our family, friends and neighbors are still the wonderful, good people we have always known they are. We can no longer be black, white, brown, red, blue or green. We live in a beautiful, technicolor world, but we must remove the color labels we’ve put on each other and let our love and respect wrap us with the many beautiful things we share and shield us from the differences that separate us until we can peacefully find a way to make them positive influences in our lives. Whatever happens from here on, we must do whatever we can to heal our wounds and become one nation again.

God Bless America!