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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2021)
2 Wednesday, March 24, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer¾s name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday. Hospice House needs expansion to keep pace with area growth To the Editor: Access to quality medical care is critical, and most of us plan carefully to ensure that we have resources in place in the event of accident or illness. In Central Oregon we are fortunate to be able to quickly access a broad range of these services. For those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one, we know that end-of-life care goes well beyond the acute care services available to us. It also involves profound See LETTERS on page 17 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday PM Showers Mostly Cloudy Sunny Mostly Sunny 50/32 46/28 57/32 65/34 Sunday Monday Tuesday Mostly Sunny Partly Cloudy Sunny 61/29 53/30 62/34 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Email: editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Easterling Creative Director: Jess Draper Community Marketing Partner: Vicki Curlett Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May Owner: J. Louis Mullen The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $55; six months (or less), $30. First-class postage: one year, $95; six months, $65. Published Weekly. ©2021 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is pro- hibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. Night training... Sisters Fire District firefighters strive to get as much realistic training as possible to respond to any type of incident. The district continues to actively recruit volunteers. PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK Got a great photo of life in Sisters Country? Send your high-resolution photo to editor@nuggetnews.com. N It’s all about the little things By Gretchen Matos Guest Columnist The <Cruelest Miles,= by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury, is a well- researched, and superbly written history of the epic diphtheria anti-toxin dog- sled relay run from Nanana to Nome, Alaska in 1925. The authors do a wonderful job of researching and relat- ing detailed background information on the Eskimo and Athabaskan peoples, the use of and breeds of dogs and dogsleds, the estab- lishment of Nome, and the advent of air travel in Alaska, all while weaving in the characters and drama of a deadly diphtheria epidemic in Nome after freeze-up. In the midst of this com- pelling story this description of Nome stood out: <Nome relied on a spirit of coopera- tion and good citizenship, a surprising transforma- tion in light of the town9s recent and sordid history. It seemed as if every citizen has an unofficial duty, and each took it very seriously. The trails were maintained in part by volunteers who made sure wooden stakes marking the route were kept in place, and the widow Rattenburg sewed the red cotton pennants that marked the trail for miners heading out & and shopkeepers kept their stove stoked in case a traveler needed to warm up.= This spirit was true out- side of Nome as well, and led to common men and women being ready to step up to do uncommonly heroic acts. Harry Pika, an Athabaskan musher, learn- ing of the relay, hooked up his team without a moment9s hesitation and moved to his assigned spot. He was severely short on money but did not think twice about this volunteer mission. His com- munity needed him. Another musher, Edgar Kallands, was settling in to rest after a long haul in cold conditions. But, <before the sweat on his gloves had dried, he was up again and ready for the call.= Person after person made an effort to find anti-toxin, carefully package it, com- municate logistics, and offer up their skills to ensure the effort to get anti-toxin to Nome as quickly as possible was successful. These men would not have braved 30-to-50-plus mph winds and minus- 60-degree weather, risking life and limb and dogs (many of which died) if they had not regularly done the small things for others. It struck me then that community starts 4 and, one could argue, ends 4 with the small things. If doing the small neigh- borly things is not part of my character, it is not likely I9ll be <ready for the call= when the big thing comes. The wisdom of Jesus9 words came to mind, <treat others (or more actively 8do9 for others) as you9d like them to treat you (as you9d like them to 8do9 for you).= Simple and profound. T h e r e 9s l o t s l i k e that going on in Sisters Country. Kiwanis Club and Wellhouse Church have food banks where you can work or donate to supply food to families in the area; they have other volunteer oppor- tunities as well. The Council on Aging of Central Oregon provides lunches for seniors; check out their donation and volunteer opportunities. A group of women at Sisters Community Church gathers twice a month to sew beau- tiful quilts that are given to men and women in shelters, to children and to families. Who knows how such a simple gift of warmth might save a life or comfort a soul who thought no one cared? Sisters Trails Alliance accepts donations and vol- unteers to help maintain our local trail system. Did I mention volunteers with Deschutes National Forest, Homeless Leadership Coalition, and Circle of Friends? If you aren9t involved, there are a myriad of ways to get involved. These examples are the tip of the iceberg (to stick to my Alaska theme) of others displaying a spirit of coop- eration and good citizenship here in Sisters Country. I9d like to challenge us all to do the same thing. Do some- thing small but helpful for your community regularly. If volunteering isn9t your thing, you can still cooper- ate by holding a door open, taking in a neighbor9s trash can, talking to a neighbor (safely of course), calling or sending a note checking in on someone in your circle. Notice what someone might need and do something help- ful. Realizing this is our community and the little things we do are what make us ready to answer the call should the big thing ever come. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.