Page 11
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Water rule:
drink when
thirst calls
Retired emergency responder Mark Russo (Photo by Scott Jorgensen, IVN)
Former firefighter and medic Russo
now singing a different tune in valley
bulance medic. But a nag-
said.
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
ging back injury forced him
The Russos also have
IVN Staff Writer
Mark Russo, 50, still
to get a series of X-rays,
acquired a fleet of vehicles
remembers his first winter in
which revealed that he had
during the years, including
Cave Junction.
ankylosing spondylitis, an
two hearses, a Greyhound
It was 1972; he was 16
incurable disease.
bus and four fire trucks.
years old. And having
“I had it for years, but
But out of all the items
grown up near San Diego,
didn’t know it,” Russo said.
he’s collected, Russo is
he was fully unprepared for
“I was told at that point that
fondest of his music collec-
the weather conditions that
I should not work at all. It
tion. Most people may pre-
he soon would face.
was a total blow to me.”
fer CDs and more modern
“I had never lived any-
Russo reluctantly quit
media, but Russo, a self-
where where it snowed be-
working and tried going
described “avid music
fore,” Russo said. “It was 10
back to school to become a
lover,” likes to stick with
below for two weeks.”
paramedic. However, being
vinyl.
Fortunately, Russo survived
in constant pain made it dif-
“I have thousands of
his “baptism by ice,” and he
ficult to concentrate, so he
records, and they sound
has adjusted to the Southern
abandoned his efforts.
every bit as good as CDs,”
Oregon lifestyle -- and
“It became painfully
Russo said. “They have a
weather -- quite well during
obvious that I couldn’t func-
depth and presence that the
the years.
tion,” Russo said. “So I de-
digital format doesn’t pro-
Russo was born in
duce.”
Hollywood, Calif. in 1956,
Russo is particularly
and attended Fallbrook
proud of a recent purchase
He’s planning a bigger,
High School in San Diego
-- a “pristine” copy of Iron
County. He moved to Cave better Blackberry Festival Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-
Junction with his family,
Da-Vida” that he just ob-
for August 2007
who owned a grocery store
tained via E-Bay.
in town for two years.
That album ought to fit
Russo has witnessed a
well with some of Russo’s
cided it was time to retire.”
lot of changes during the 34
other favorites, which in-
Russo describes the
years he’s spent in Cave
clude works by Credence
next phase of his life as
Junction. In his early days
Clearwater Revival and Eric
“kind of a sad time.” His
here, the town’s population
Clapton.
days were spent riding his
totaled slightly more than
“If he played it, I have
bicycle into town looking
300. Local phone numbers
it, know about it or am look-
for cans and bottles to earn
only had four digits, and
ing for it,” Russo said.
coffee money.
calling out of the area re-
This year, Russo used
“I had a group of bud-
quired operator assistance.
his love of music and the
dies, and we’d drink coffee
valley community for the
There was also the strong
and stay warm in the restau-
annual Wild Blackberry
countercultural element that
rants,” he recalled.
Arts & Crafts Festival. He
the town boasts to this day.
But it was during this
and his wife took the reins.
“Back then, it wasn’t
time that Russo met his
And although the event
unusual to see a girl walk
wife, Judy.
is still months away
down the street topless with
She was a waitress. The
a basket on her head,”
(August), Russo is already
two fell for each other al-
Russo said. “It was rare, but
“experimenting with ideas”
most immediately.
it did happen.”
on how to improve it. This
“Before we knew it, we
Russo began his even-
year’s festival had four
were making life plans, even
tual career path in 1980,
bands; for the 2007 edition,
though we hadn’t even gone
when he went back to
Russo wants to have more,
on a date yet,” Russo said.
plus multiple stages and an
school, got his GED and
The Russos married two
area for children.
started working for Illinois
and a half years later, and
In the meantime, Russo
Valley Fire District (IVFD).
are just as happy as ever.
often can be found at Art’s
A federal grant enabled him
“Judy is my best friend,”
Red Garter, spinning re-
to be paid while training to
Russo said. “We do every-
cords or singing karaoke.
be an Emergency Medical
thing together.”
Although the music aspect
Technician.
Though the couple has
is mostly a hobby, he does
The grant eventually
no children together, they
earn some from his work at
expired, and the district
have assembled an impres-
the Garter.
could no longer afford to
sive collection of pets, in-
“I’ve been told I sing
fund Russo’s position. But
cluding four cats, a dog,
Country really well, but I
luckily, he was able to land
three iguanas, three horses
don’t like Country,” Russo
a job at Ace Ambulance in
and an aquarium full of fish.
said. “I can sing just about
Grants Pass. He stayed there
“The next step is to
anything after hearing it a
until 1984, when IVFD of-
build an ark, I guess,” Russo
couple of times.”
fered him a paid position.
He also worked for the for-
mer A-C Valley Ambu-
Outback Septic Services
lance, based in Kerby.
Servicing The Illinois Valley Exclusively
With IVFD he was a
staff captain and mainte-
If it has been 5 years or longer since you last
nance officer. He served two
pumped your septic tank-Now is the time to
years on the district board of
set your appointment before the rain starts. Cost is
directors, including two
terms as president. As well,
$300.00 for a 1,000 gallon tank with an exposed lid.
he earned numerous cita-
Additional Costs:
tions, including several for
Dig
&
Expose
Lid Minimal $50.00 Charge
“Most Responses.”
In 1987, Russo decided
Emergency Call Out Fee $100.00
to open a teen-age club in
Cave Junction. It began at a
(541) 592-6307
couple of locations before
settling into the building that
now houses Stevereno’s
Family Restaurant.
Russo’s life changed
What is important is to keep learning, to enjoy
considerably in the mid-
challenge, and to tolerate ambiguity. In the end
1990s. He had to close the
there are no certain answers.
teen club when the building
was sold, and Russo was
- Martina Horner -
back to working as an am-
By MINDY HERMANN
Americans are big
drinkers -- of water, that is.
We keep bottles of wa-
ter in our cars, at the office,
in our gym bag and in our
briefcases or purses.
I don’t remember what
we did before bottled water
became so popular, but I bet
we didn’t drink as much.
Most Americans get
plenty of fluids, according to
a report by the Institute of
Medicine (IOM), the scien-
tific body that establishes
nutrition recommendations
for Americans. In fact, aim-
ing toward a goal of eight
daily glasses of water in
addition to other fluids in
your diet probably is not
necessary.
IOM recommends a
total of approximately nine
cups of fluid daily for
women and 13 cups for
men. Remember, however,
that everything we drink
counts -- water, milk, coffee
and tea, juice and soft drinks
-- as do water-rich foods like
fruits and vegetables.
Of course, water is calo-
rie-free, which makes it an
attractive option.
“Use thirst as your
guide,” advises Jo Ann Hatt-
ner, a nutrition consultant in
San Francisco. “Drink when
you’re thirsty, and you
probably will get enough
fluids during the day.”
Hattner points out that
older adults are the excep-
tion. “Older adults often
don’t have a good thirst
mechanism, so they won’t
feel thirsty even though their
body needs fluids.”
Be sure to drink a lot if
you are physically active,
live in a hot climate, or are
taking a vacation to a warm
or dry climate.
Include foods that are
high in liquid to help keep
your body hydrated. Start
the day with Whole Grain
Total topped with milk and
fresh fruit. Enjoy soup or a
large salad with your lunch.
Include vegetables at dinner,
along with fruit for dessert.
Hattner suggests being
aware of the color of your
urine to determine whether
you’ve had enough fluids.
She added, “If it’s light
in color, you’re fine. If it’s
dark, then your urine may
be too concentrated, and you
need to drink up.”
(NAPSA)
T HE B ED S TORE
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Twin, Pillow-Top sets - $189
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337-A Union Ave., Grants Pass
Mondays - Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
541-474-2939 FAX: 541-474-3772
Very clean used beds, liquidations, and factory rebuilds.
Complete beds: frames, mattresses, and box springs.
Check out our great prices on new and used furniture.
Phone us at 592-3080
We will do everything we can
to help you, I guarantee it!
Jeff Stiles
Open Daily
Fridays 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
All other days 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
An honor to serve
Illinois Valley
for more than 20 years!
Mon-Thurs, 6 am-7 pm
Fri, 6 am-8:30 pm
Sat, 7 am-8:30 pm
Sun, 7 am-7 pm
Downtown Cave Junction
DINNER & MUSIC:
Join us for great food, fine live
entertainment, & romantic danc-
ing under the Christmas lights!
Steaks, Seafood, & More.
IN OUR DELI:
Friday: Art Walk
~Finny’s Veggie or Meat
Lasagna
~Jann’s Crispy Chicken
Salad
Swedish Potato
A great night of music with the Il-
linois Valley’s own band,
“Jefferson”.
Saturday:
Try our Saturday night dinner
specials!
~Jeff’s Chicken-fried
Steak
~Chicken Enchiladas
Old-time fun, Country music by
Dale Hopper.
Choice
NY STEAKS…….$6 99 lb.
nicely aged
SALAD…………..$2 49 lb.
Hot or Mild, Italian sausage
LINKS……………$2 49 lb.
We have FRESH, Wild
-caught Salmon & Cod.
CHRISTMAS
IS COMING:
We have a very nice selec-
tion of value-packed
GIFT BOXES….$19-$68
Come see them or check
out taylorsausage.com for
details.
Please try us for lunch or breakfast.
Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, only $2 every day!
The direction in which education starts a man
will determine his future life.
- Plato -
It’s the time of year when people slow down and get together and value what’s
important in their lives. The Holiday season is magical and has a way of
making lasting memories for friends and family. Home Valley Bank has
looked back to what our customers have brought to us over the years and
would like to truly express our gratitude. The relationships we build with our
customers, business partners, and with our friends is another way we give
back to our community, and its our best way of saying thank you.
Celebrate the season!
Cave Junction
Grants Pass Offices
Kerby Ave.
MEMBER
FDIC
541.476.HOME (4663)
www.homevalleybank.com
4th & G Streets
Mill & F Streets
Union Avenue