Of a certain
AGE
Sue Stafford
Columnist
Reach out and
stay connected
To my way of think-
ing, there are a multitude of
good reasons for living in a
small town, especially here
in Sisters where neighbors
help neighbors.
Since taking a tempo-
rary leave from my writing
assignments for The Nugget,
I have received kind offers
of help and a lovely hand-
written note from a Nugget
reader whom I9ve never met,
wishing me well. Friends
and neighbors have been
checking on me regularly.
My neighbor, Jim, cleared
my driveway and front walk
after our last snow. I guess
I just started my social dis-
tancing a little early, for
which I am thankful.
Last Thursday, the spirit
of caring here in Sisters
came right to my front door.
I have enjoyed a rewarding
relationship with the Sisters
Garden Club, initially as an
active member the first few
years after I moved here.
More recently, I have been
writing articles about their
annual Quilts in the Garden
tour held the Thursday of
Quilt Show Week.
The garden club has
always been generous with
their monetary support of
various community pro-
grams and organizations.
Last week their generosity,
totally unexpected, extended
to me. Two of their mem-
bers, Tim Toth and Ruth
Palmer, brought me a beau-
tiful white orchid plant with
a colorful heart-shaped plate
on which to set it and a gen-
erous gift certificate to an
online food delivery service.
To top it off, Ruth and Tim
raked up all the pine needles
and cones in my front yard
(and there were tons).
The kindness and gener-
osity of the Sisters Garden
Club toward me, is an exam-
ple of the way Sisters resi-
dents pull together and offer
support, not only in times of
difficulty but year-round.
Currently, we are all
living through an unprec-
edented health crisis that is
impacting every facet of our
lives. We each have the abil-
ity to do something. Call and
check on elderly or disabled
neighbors. Offer to help out
a family with children out
of school or parents out of
work. Run errands, deliver
groceries, pick up prescrip-
tions, leave a surprise like
home-baked cookies or a
bouquet of flowers on some-
one9s doorstep. Drop a line
to a friend. Let someone
know you are thinking of
them.
We are all in this
together. Whether or not you
can leave your house, reach
out and stay connected.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
15
Running commentary: the forest soothes
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
As I watched my dogs
Kinzua and Raven race up
the red cinder 1008 road
just north of Cold Springs
Campground, I paused to take
in my surroundings: mature,
sun-splashed, yellow-bellied
ponderosa pines towering
over the manzanita covered
forest floor, birds singing
songs of spring, and a smell
of thawing ground.
If we9ve got to practice
social distancing, our forest is
the place to do it.
We Sisters Country people
understood long before the
coronavirus that we live in a
special place, but being able
to walk in the woods rather
than sheltering in place made
me feel more grateful than I
have felt in a long time.
Simple pleasures.
Getting outside is good
for the body and soul, maybe
now more than ever before.
Thank goodness we can still
bike, hike, run, climb. Given
that until at least April 28
school as we know it will be
off-limits, some of my friends
in education are embrac-
ing the chance to begin a six
week (or more) training pro-
gram to prepare for running
races that will, hopefully, be
available in late spring or
early summer.
I think we are all looking
to find some order in our lives
that have been turned upside
down by this pandemic.
Planning a training regiment
is a good way to do that.
Portraits OF SISTERS
PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG
The forest is good for the soul.
Spring races throughout
Central Oregon are being
called off or postponed. Sean
Meissner, longtime director of
the Peterson Ridge Rumble,
pulled the plug on the race
originally scheduled for April
26. Seventeen years of exis-
tence has made the Rumble
almost a rite of spring for
distance runners and I know
Sean is heavy-hearted to have
to nix the event for 2020.
We are social beings and
runners love to gather. Even
today as I soaked in the soli-
tude of the forest I did feel a
sense of loneliness for part of
the time. The beauty of nature
is enhanced when shared, so
I imagined whether I could
invite all my running friends
to meet at the 1008 road,
safely spaced apart, and do an
out and back run in which we
could at least simply wave or
say a quick hello as we passed
one another on the course.
Since I don9t want to cre-
ate a health hazard or get on
the wrong side of the CDC,
I won9t be <organizing= such
an event, but I do hope I will
at least see 4 albeit at a safe
distance 4 some of you out
on the trails in the weeks to
come.
But, looking to the
future, with the loss of the
Rumble and perhaps other
local events, it might be a
good idea to gather a group
together for AFTER the pan-
demic has lifted and organize
a new run, one to celebrate
resilience, cooperation, com-
munity spirit, our natural
surroundings, and even life
itself.
Any takers? Feel free to
contact me if you have ideas
at charliekanzig@gmail.com.
The intricate workings of a time-keeping device
Andrew Dekeyser. A watchmaker
for Beacham’s Clock Company, he dove into
don’t deter
the art of horology early in his high school years.
Influenced by a family of engineers, Andrew says the
precision of watchmaking intrigued him. He graduated
from watchmaking school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
in 2007 and joined Beacham’s in 2013. Over the years
he says the variety of devices he works on keeps his
interest. And after seven years, he no longer hears the
persistent flutters and ticks of the clocks visitors come
to experience. When you walk into Beacham’s you can
find Andrew’s trained eye looking closely at the intri-
cate workings of timepieces, he’s quick with a smile
and equipped for all your questions. Just don’t ask him
PHOTO AND STORY BY
Cody Rheault
what time it is.
This week’s “Portraits of Sisters” presented by The Nugget Newspaper.
Future portraits are available for sponsorship, call 541-549-9941 or email ads@nuggetnews.com for information.
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