Wednesday, July 3, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Of a certain
AGE
Sue Stafford
Columnist
Still doing
for myself
My son Josh was here
recently to get his motor-
cycle that has been parked
in my garage since March,
when he and his wife
moved to Phoenix. (Yes, I
miss having them in Bend!)
He left this morning to ride
back to Arizona. While
here, he expressed again a
concern he had voiced sev-
eral times recently over the
phone.
<Mom, aren9t you sorry
to not be having a big party
to celebrate your 75th birth-
day?= (He9s 48).
I had told him before
that, <No, I don9t mind at
all,= but I don9t think he
believed me. He asked me
what I did to celebrate, and
I think my answer finally
convinced him.
I spent my 75th birthday
mowing the lawn, doing my
laundry, and changing the
bed in the guest bedroom.
And I went to Bi-Mart to
pick up a new prescrip-
tion for blood pressure
medication.
Nothing out of the ordi-
nary, right? But I followed
my list with telling him that
I actually celebrated the
fact that I was able to eas-
ily do all those things for
myself. I live without assis-
tance in my own home that
is paid for. I have a car that
is paid for that I can drive
anywhere, anytime. I cannot
only perform all the basic
activities of daily living, but
my mind still functions.
My good fortune extends
to the place I have cho-
sen to call home for the
last 15 years 4 a friendly
little town surrounded by
magnificent natural beauty,
where it takes less than five
minutes to get anywhere
in town (if you know the
back ways during the sum-
mer months). Deer wan-
der through my yard, this
time of year bringing their
spotted fawns for a visit.
Cultural events fill the cal-
endar with an extraordinary
variety of entertainment
year round, especially for a
town of 2,800.
My body is beginning to
show a little wear around
the edges but, by and large,
I have no major medical
conditions, except a few
extra pounds that would be
beneficial for me to lose.
I just received word from
my ophthalmologist that an
issue with my cornea has
healed (which he originally
had said it wouldn9t do). I
wear glasses most the time,
but only because they9re
easier to find if I have them
on my face. I have no hear-
ing aids, cane, walker, knee
braces, or support hose.
Although I9m not sure
what 75 is supposed to look
like, it does feel good when
my two sons and occasional
friends remark that I don9t
look 75, assuming I look
younger and not older.
I am blessed to have
long-time friendships, some
of which span 70 years. I
can remember both the first
and last names of almost
everyone in my first-grade
class, and all my teachers, at
Sylvan School in Portland.
My life has been full
of meaningful family rela-
tionships. My two older
brothers are still living and
we talk every week on the
phone. I have experienced
the joys and trials of moth-
erhood and marriage.
My work-life has
involved a multitude of
interesting and rewarding
jobs, mostly being in ser-
vice to others. I started out
in the National Teacher
Corps right out of college
and then moved on to the
United Way, to practicing as
an expressive arts, horticul-
tural, and substance abuse
therapist, to the Transitions
coordinator for hospice
after moving to Central
Oregon. Currently, I have
my freelance writing work
that I truly enjoy, and that
hopefully helps keep my
mind sharp.
Total freedom is mine
every day to decide what
I9m going to do or not do,
with no major hindrance
from physical or mental
maladies. I have lovely new
friends and acquaintances
in my life since moving to
Sisters. Good fortune has
indeed smiled broadly on
me.
Yes, Josh, I had a great
deal to celebrate 4and I
celebrated by doing the
very things I still can do for
myself.
A friend with a mutual
birthday expressed it per-
fectly. She sent me an email
saying we were celebrating
our <diamond anniversary.=
I like that much better than
being <three-quarters of a
century.=
Logs from Sisters
project sold
By Ceili Cornelius
Correspondent
The log decks that line
the Sisters side of Highway
20 will soon be finding new
homes.
On Tuesday, June 25, the
auction for the log decks
created during a massive
tree-removal project along
Highway 20 was completed.
All of the decks were sold
at a bid of $100,000 to the
Ochoco/Malheur Lumber
Company 4 $14,000 above
the minimum bid. The haul
of the logs to their new home
was to begin on Monday.
Some of the money
received from the sale will
go back to the U.S. Treasury.
Some will go into local trust
funds in order to improve the
sale-area forestland. Some
will also be used for future
removal of dead and dying
trees. Goss Co. LLC handled
the logging project on a con-
tract for $225,300.
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PHOTO BY GARY MILLER
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