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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2019)
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon In the PINES By T. Lee Brown Writing my own verse My girl, my girl, don9t lie to me/ Tell me where did you sleep last night/ In the pines, in the pines/ Where the sun don9t ever shine/ I did shiver the whole night through When The Nugget asked me to start a new column, my husband suggested I call it <In the Pines.= I laughed and agreed. I9d been involved with a couple events using the phrase, like Writing in the Pines. I9ve long loved the song. It9s dark and sticky like molas- ses, like pitch. Maybe you know the classic Leadbelly version, or Nirvana9s famous MTV Unplugged set. Maybe you know the other big branch of this shadowy American tree, the <lon- gest train I ever saw= songs popularized by Bill Monroe and Dolly Parton, filled with lonely <hoooo-hoooo=ing: I asked my captain for the time of day/ He said he throwed his watch away My favorite versions are in the Leadbelly tradition. It isn9t clear what, exactly, is going on in the pines. Wandering lost? Prostitution? Tell me where did you get that pretty little dress/ And those shoes that you wear so fine?/ I got my dress from a railroad man/ And my shoes from a driver deep in the mine Some versions, her hus- band9s been decapitated by a train. Other versions, it9s her father. His head was found in a driving wheel/ But his body never was found The Ellison clan9s ver- sion of the song, circa some hundred years ago, tells of a young Georgia girl raped by a soldier. It9s his head on the railroad tracks this time. And the girl? She flees to the comforting anonymity of the pines. My girl, my girl, where will you go?/ I9m goin9 where the cold wind blows I came to Sisters Country sick all over. The ponderosas provided a place of shadow and solitude. Where darkness and mystery lie? There lies the potential for transforma- tion. There I began to heal, physically and spiritually. I picture the Georgia girl undergoing a mythopoetic underworld journey in her pines. Race issues cling to the song9s lineage, which includes versions titled <Black Girl.= To those issues I bring only my privileged, white-lady consternation about cultural appropriation. Gender issues? They9re here, too. The person being interrogated in this song is always female. I grew up during the 1970s and 880s, wearing my pink glitter T-shirt that read <Girls Lib.= Theoretically, the exis- tence of that shirt means I am a fully liberated woman in an equal society. <Anything you can do, I can do better,= as the <Free to Be You and Me= song exulted. Out here in a little place I like to call Reality, that child- hood fantasy doesn9t play out. Gender equality is still a new idea, hastily slapped over mil- lennia of keepin9 women in our place. Sometimes I like being in my place. I love cooking meals from scratch and hang- ing out the laundry, caring for my menfolk, spending time with kids. Other times, though, I get uppity. I grew up reading the same books and watching the See IN THE PINES on page 17 NEW DINING EVENTS & HOURS 7 Fair loaded with experiments, demos <The science of today is the technology of tomorrow,= said physicist Edward Teller. This year9s Sisters Science Fair is loaded with scientific experiments, demonstrations, competitions and much more to steer us into the technology of tomorrow. The fair will be held at Sisters High School Saturday, March 16 from noon until 4 p.m. and everyone is invited to come and experi- ence the fascinating science of today and tomorrow. St. Charles Medical Center will educate about healthy eat- ing habits and will bring infor- mation about intriguing health careers. They will also bring their resuscitation dummy to teach or refresh knowledge about the correct method of resuscitation in the event we are witness to a person who has stopped breathing or has no heartbeat. Sisters High School biol- ogy teacher Rima Givot will have plenty of activities to keep everyone enthralled with the science of today and technology of tomorrow. Microscopes allow visitors to investigate the world in min- iature and there will be plenty SISTERS 549-9388 Andean Blue Opal, Pearl, White Topaz, 14k & 22K of microscopes and students to interpret what is seen. As skills increase, visitors can move onto micropipetting, chemical pollutant research, or perhaps explore the fascinating mis- sion of the RECON Asteroid Citizen Science Project. Then they can move fur- ther along to the skies for some technology of tomor- row. OMSI will have a sophis- ticated planetarium and high school students will have tele- scopes set up. Outlaw Aviation and Sisters Airport will have a demonstration of their flight simulator starting at 1 p.m. The Rocket Club will offer an opportunity for students to build and launch rockets at the high school. If this seems too astronomical for you, then head over to participate in the paper airplane contest. It9s a fun challenge open to all ages to try their hand in fold- ing, launching and flying the paper gliders that originated in ancient China. The world of critters will not be forgotten, with an exhibit on the migra- tion of mule deer in Sisters Country from Project Animal Migration (PAM). They will be showing movies every half hour so be sure to check out their schedule. Then make sure to learn about the evolution of horses at an exhibit from COCC along with a captivat- ing display of fossils. Mike Reile, from the Sisters Ranger District, will have a fish exhibit that includes live fish. The SciArt Contest chal- lenges students to use their imaginations and <find the art in science.= Stop and see a display of elementary, middle and high school entries and marvel at the creativity and inspiration of these potential scientists of tomorrow. Once again, the Design, Construct and Compete (DCC) Contest will take over the high school gym and this year the elementary students will be racing balloon cars, and middle and high school students will participate in a complicated and challenging tennis ball launch. Cash prizes will be given to the winners, so don9t miss out on this challenge. To find out more about the Sisters Science Fair visit the Sisters Science Club web- site at sistersscienceclub.org. Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben General, Cosmetic, Implant and Family Dentistry ~ Your Dentist in Sisters Since 1993 ~ We are here to help you smile with confi dence! 541-549-0109 | 304 W. Adams Ave. | Sisters FIBER+TEXTURE HAWAII OAHU AND MAUI APRIL 29-MAY 6|$2,899 PPDO Pearl Harbor excursion, Maui Includes 4 Breakfasts in Maui, 2 lunches, 1 dinner (Luau)! Includes airfare. Price subject to air availability! ALASKA CRUISE MAY 26-JUNE 3, 2019 Inside cabins starting at $1,949 PPDO . 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Sundays 11 a.m.-2 p.m. m m. in the Lounge CHOPS Bistro Limited availability CANADIAN RAIL OCTOBER 16-23 $2,499 PPDO O Or r j join oiin us during d uriing regul regular lar d dining i niing hours Tuesday through Sunday Lounge opens at 4:30 p.m. | Dining Room at 5 p.m. 370 E. Cascade Ave. 541-549-6015 E Experience i the h best of beautiful Canada! Includes air, transfers, taxes, train, tours, 2 breakfasts and hotels! Price subject to air availability! Connie Boyle 541-508-1500 Box 615 Sisters, OR 97759 541.549.6061 311 W. Cascade Ave., Sisters, Oregon