Sweet Lorane Community News, June 14, 2018

June 14, 2018Newspaper ColumnsBarbara Isborn, By-the-Wind Sailors, Groundwaters, Jim Burnett Sr., Oregon Coast, Shilo Inn, Yaquina Bay Lighthousepaedwards 2 Comments

I’m writing this column on Thursday afternoon, June 14. My sister, Barbara Isborn (who I’ve always called “B.J.”) and I just returned from an overnight stay in Newport, Oregon to visit with our brother, Jim Burnett, Sr. He was vacationing there with his wife Jonni for three days between chemotherapy treatments. Some of you who were fans of the Groundwaters magazine, might remember him as “Jimminy Cricket.” He wrote the “Philosopher’s Corner” feature.

Jim at Newport It was a gorgeous day on the Oregon Coast. The sun was out, the wind was light and the temperature was in the low 70s.

When we first arrived, B.J. and I visited with Jim and Jonni for a short while until Jim had to lie down for a nap, so we headed out to take a walk on a beautiful beach within walking distance of our motel where we could see the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse sitting on a distant bluff. The high-tide line on the beach was covered by millions of what we learned were a delicate type of jellyfish called “By-the-Wind Sailors.” They were an electric blue in color with transparent, rounded “sails” sticking up in the air. They live on the surface of the water and are taken wherever the wind blows them. High tide yesterday brought them to Newport.

By-the-Wind Sailor

We walked south to the jetty and then headed back, racking up about 2.5 miles or more (according to B.J.’s Fit-Bit).

Barbara “B.J.” Isborn

Pat Edwards

The four of us then spent the evening over a 2-hour dinner at the Shilo Inn restaurant which overlooked the beach we had walked on.

It was a special time… one of sharing our memories as children, the good times and the not so good, but mostly the funny, and sometimes awful things we did as kids… like roasting apples over our Halloween jack-o-lanterns, and taste-testing our sweet collie, Ginger’s “Gro-Pup” ribbon-like dog food. We quizzed each other about details of our grandparents’ ranch that was located on Powell Road, between Lorane and Crow, that only Jim was old enough to remember well… and we expressed our sadness that there was no one left who could provide us the answers.

Jim and Jonni Burnett

Jim’s cancer is Stage 4 and he has just finished his first round of chemo and will begin his second on Monday. The outlook for him, at 80 years of age, is not good, but he wore a calm serenity during our whole visit as the sun shone on us through those panoramic windows of the restaurant last night. As expected, he was still sleeping when we left the motel this morning. We had said our good-byes the night before. They planned to spend another night in Newport and then head home to Vancouver the next day and we hope to make another trip to see them soon.

I will long cherish the memories we made yesterday and know that whatever happens with his treatment, those memories will forever bind us together and define our love and respect for each other as siblings. Godspeed, Jimmy!

I’ll update everyone on the upcoming summer events planned for both Lorane and Crow in my next column. I want to dedicate this one to brothers and sisters everywhere, but especially to my own.

In the meantime, I hope that each of you has a wonderful summer planned.

Sweet Lorane Community News, May 31, 2018

May 31, 2018Newspaper ColumnsMichael Matchulatpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
May 31, 2018
By Pat Edwards

Springtime brings on the joy contained in that Lesley Gore song of long ago… “Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, everything that’s wonderful…” I’ve got the teeny-boppers scratching their heads and saying, “Who? What’s she talkin’ about?” but those of us who were around in the 1960s have probably now got that tune stuck in our heads for at least the rest of the day. (And yes… I know that I referred to that same song in this column a year and a half ago.)

I probably work harder and perspire (okay—sweat!) more profusely this time of year than any other, but it’s my favorite season. I come in the house, aching all over, but I feel good to be working muscles that are becoming more and more passive as my lifestyle slows down.

My war on out-of-control grass and weeds is finally making a degree of headway, in my favor. Oh… I still have a ways to go, but I’m seeing and feeling progress.

There’s a big event coming up in the Lorane and Crow communities that I’d like all of our friends and neighbors to participate in, even if you don’t live in either community. A group has taken on the task of raising enough funds and volunteer time and labor to try and build a home for one of our favorite young area couples. Michael Matchulat and his wife Amber, bought property in Lorane near King Estate Winery, that had on it a small, single-wide mobile home needing more repairs than it’s worth. Their intent when they got married almost 3 years ago was to replace it with a modest home. At about that time, however, Michael was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer. It’s a hideous disease that has so far involved many, many surgeries, chemotherapy programs, poking, prodding, cutting away and tampering with various parts of his body and causing a great deal of pain and discomfort. Michael has faced each procedure and decision to try something new with unwavering courage. He’s not a dreamer; he’s a realist who knows he has no choice but to face whatever fate awaits him. He’s voiced his fears, anger and frustration with us and has allowed us to accompany him on the journey that he’s been on through blog-type postings on Facebook. Many of his entries are written with tongue-in-cheek humor, but the tragic circumstances are visible just below the surface and the reality of it is gut-wrenching. I’ve included some of those journal entries in this very column in the past, so many of you have met him through these pages, too.

Michael’s future is uncertain. He, more than anyone else, knows this. He worries about leaving Amber and works at whatever jobs he can between treatments. He was a well-respected deputy sheriff until cancer brought everything to a screeching halt. The medical bills have eaten away what insurance coverage they have as well as the proceeds of an earlier GoFundMe drive.

Now, a group of can-do residents and friends in Lorane and Crow are working to raise the funds to at least put a down payment on the building of a new home on their property. A major event is being planned in Michael and Amber’s honor. It’s a community benefit that will include dinner, live music, dancing and an auction of some great donated items. It will be held at King Estate Winery’s Vineyard Pavilion on Saturday, July 7, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for both the dinner/dance ($25 per person) and a raffle ($2 each or 11 for $10) that they will be holding, as well. You do not have to be present to win the raffle.

There is a website set up where you can buy the dinner tickets on-line or you can purchase them directly from one of the organizers. Go to the Matchy Kick Ass Party Facebook page to get the link to the website, as it is too long to include here.

The Lorane Family Store also has a limited supply of the 2,000 tickets that are being sold for the raffle. For more information, donation offers or tickets, contact DeAnn Butterfield Jahnke via the FB page or Marissa McNutt Cooper (541-517-6608).

Happy 54th anniversary to my husband and best friend, Jim Edwards!

Sweet Lorane Community News, May 24, 2018

May 24, 2018Newspaper ColumnsApplegate Regional Theater, Art in the Country, Bohemia Mining Days, Color Their World, Community Yard Sale, Crow Chicken 'n Pickin, Jared Conard Black, Lorane Community Association, Misty Burris, Pamela Conard Blackpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
May 24, 2018
By Pat Edwards

The Lorane Community-Wide Yard Sale event has been scheduled for Saturday, August 4th this year. Those who want to participate are strongly encouraged to attend one of the Lorane Community Association meetings to get their sale registered so it can be included on the map that will be distributed and advertised.

You’re going to have a choice of several events in the area on August 4th. I’ll fill in details as we get closer, but here’s a suggestion:

Why not plan to hit the yard sales early to find the best treasurers, of course. Then head for the Crow Grange for a delicious lunch of barbecued chicken at their annual Chicken ‘n Pickin’ event while you enjoy some foot-stomping old-time fiddlers’ music. Then, plan on spending the rest of the afternoon and evening at the Applegate Regional Theater’s first annual “Art in the Country” festival that will be taking place a short ways away on Central Road, north of Crow. It will feature professional and amateur art displays, an Oregon Author table, two performance stages, author readings, live music, a beer and wine garden, craft and concession booths and a kids’ area among other features. Be sure to block out the whole day on your calendars!

While you’re adding that to your calendar, mark down another event which will be coming up shortly. Loranian, Misty Burris, has joined the Bohemia Mining Days board and on Friday, June 1, the board will be “facilitating a 7,000 square foot kids’ zone this year. They will be holding a public tie-dye event called ‘Color Their World,’ as the participants create a colorful border by dying retired hotel linens into wall tapestries.” The event will take place at Coiner Park from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. South Lane Mental Health, Mountain Rose Herbs and Parent Partnership are some of the sponsors so far. It sounds like fun!

Each of us is struggling with the tragedies that are becoming all too frequent in our society in the form of school shootings. The most recent one in Santa Fe, however, made the horror more personal. The son of one of our Crow High School graduates was a casualty.

Jared Conard Black was the son of Pamela Conard Black who graduated from Crow in about 1993. According to information provided on a GoFundMe page set up by his cousin, Jared had just turned 17 on Wednesday, May 16th.

“He was anxiously waiting to celebrate his birthday party that weekend and couldn’t wait for school to end on Friday. Unfortunately, this did not happen, because he was one of the victims of the Santa Fe shooting on May 18, 2017.

“Jared loved art, drawing, playing video games and people. He was a kind-hearted soul who would do anything for anyone. He was a great kid.

“Due to the family’s loss, they are going to have to pull together finances for additional expenses, travel expense, lodging, etc., for family members. They also will need to home-school his younger brother for the rest of his school years. It is just too unbearable to put another child in harm’s way in public schools.

“Instead of planning his birthday party, our family is now planning his funeral. Please help my family as they mourn the loss of our loved one and keep us in your prayers. He will be greatly missed and forever in our hearts.”

May we all keep these children and their teachers in our thoughts and work towards a solution that will once again provide them with schools that can be considered “safe places.”