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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, December 26, 2007
It’s said that Christmas comes but once a year, although
some would disagree with that premise. I subscribe to the
belief that we can have Christmas year-round; it’s all a matter
of attitude. Oh, and gifts every month or so wouldn’t be too
bad either.
Speaking of gifts, my Dad was absolutely terrible about
wanting to know what he was getting. He would ask ques-
tions, trying to get a hint of what was inside all that wrapping
paper. He also was not above picking up his wrapped gifts
and shaking them, or squeezing them. In fact, one year we
actually discovered that each of his packages had somehow
gotten a peep-hole ripped in the bottom.
When my Mom, brother Steve and I asked him how
those holes could possibly have gotten there, he was hard-put
to answer. He finally said that maybe the cat had done it. You
know how kitties are, always wanting to open packages to
see if there’s anything in there for them. However, we did not
have a cat, so that excuse didn’t fly.
Decorating the tree was a chore that always fell to my
Mom, brother and me. And it was quite a chore, what with all
the stuff we had for decorations. Besides, in those Early Days
we had those awful strings of lights that would not light if one
light was burned out. Many will recall what it was like trying to
find that one dang bulb. And it also was a joy when several full
strings went out because of a single light in one string. My
favorite lights were the ones that bubble.
And it was all worth it. Mostly. I especially liked putting on
the tinsel, although I often was chastised for throwing it at the
branches instead of placing it with geometrical precision.
Never did do well in math, you know.
Come Christmas morn, and Steve and I were up and
panting at the tree no later than 5 a.m. No, we weren’t thirsty;
we were anxious to open our gifts. It took Forever for Mom &
Dad to arise, and we could not open any packages until they
were present for the presents. Before they’d make their ap-
pearances in the living room, there were extremely time-
consuming rituals, it seemed to Steve and me. For example,
going to the bathroom. Making coffee. You know, all that stuff
that adults find so necessary.
Then we had to have a box or large bag ready to handle
the debris from opening our gifts. Our Dad was a neat-nik and
could not abide clutter. Even on Christmas morning. Not all
the paper, ribbon and bows went into the trash containers
though. Like all parents with odd rituals (see going to the bath-
room and making coffee, above) they liked to salvage what
they could so we could wrap someone else’s present the next
December. Also, Mom kept a list of who got what from whom
so that we could write “Thank You” notes. Another tedious
adult chore that we didn’t appreciate at the time.
We had a lot of nice Christmas mornings with plenty of
gifts. Our parents treated us well. We knew that Santa Claus
had something to do with the goodies, but we appreciated our
parents nonetheless.
As for other Dec. 25-type memories, I recommend re-
reading O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. It’s a classic Christ-
mas story that captures the spirit behind the celebration. I
won’t give away the plot in case you’ve never read the short
story.
Additionally, and you probably will not be able to locate
this one, another favorite Yule tale of mine is The Christmas
Tree Express. It’s set during World War II and involves some
U.S. military personnel and civilians in one passenger car
that’s part of a long train speeding to the East Coast. The
story focuses on a mother and her young son and daughter,
on their way to say good-bye to Dad before he ships out on a
troop transport. Only hang-up, the kids will have no Yule tree,
no gifts, no Christmas. And the story goes from there as the
service personnel join forces to bring Christmas to their pas-
senger car for the little family.
Yeah, I’m a sucker for the celebration. In closing, let me
drastically summarize that famous “Yes, Virginia, there is a
Santa Claus” editorial in the New York Sun newspaper in
1897. Virginia O’Hanlon, 8, challenged by her playmates about
the existence of St. Nick, wrote a letter asking, “Is there a Santa
Claus?” And Francis P. Church, an editor, responded.
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as cer-
tainly as love and generosity and devotion exist. The most
real things in the world are those that neither children nor men
can see. No Santa Claus! Thank God that he lives, and he
lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten
thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the
heart of childhood.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Merry Christmas.
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world,
and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
- Norman Vincent Peale -
Illinois Valley News
www.illinois-valley-news.com
An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-owned and published by
Robert R. (AKA Bob or El Jefe), Editor and Jan Rodriguez
Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for
Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at
321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523
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Volume 70, No. 41
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Holiday consolation
From Lynn Boucher-Johnson
Cave Junction
I hope that the following
view of Heaven will bring
some comfort to those who
have lost loved ones this year.
I see the countless Christ-
mas trees around the world
below with tiny lights, like
Heaven’s stars, reflecting on
the snow. The sight is so
spectacular, please wipe away
that tear, for I am spending
Christmas with Jesus Christ
this year.
I hear the many Christmas
songs that people hold so dear,
but that music can’t compare
to the Christmas Choir up
here. I have no words to tell
you the joy their voices bring,
for it is beyond description to
hear the angels sing.
I know how much you
miss me; I see the pain inside
your heart. But I am not so far
away; we really aren’t apart.
So be happy for me dear ones:
You know I hold you dear
and glad that I am spending
Christmas with Jesus Christ
this year.
I send you each a special
gift from my heavenly home
above. I send you each a
memory of my undying love.
After all, “Love” is the gift
more precious than gold. It
was always most important in
the stories that Jesus told.
Please love each other, as
our Father said to do, for I
can’t count the blessings or
love He has for you. So have
a Merry Christmas and wipe
away that tear. Remember, I
am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.
747s on Main Street?
From Ed Russell
Cave Junction
I am a 35-year resident
of rural Oregon and an eight-
year resident of Illinois Val-
ley. I have been a pilot for
nearly 39 years.
I have a bachelor of sci-
ence degree in aeronautical
operations, and worked in
“product development” for
the last 10 years of my work-
ing career.
I served nearly five years
on the county’s Illinois Valley
Airport Advisory Board. I am
opposed to the “huge jet”
classification for historic
smokejumper base. It is a
pristine jewel of all the air-
ports in the world. It is a rare,
beautiful and valuable place
that we own.
I know that the first time
a 747 cargo-liner flies right
down Cave Junction’s main
street and echoes its mighty
roar half-way to Grants Pass,
all the people who wanted this
to happen will be among the
first to complain.
It will be too late.
Property values? Quality
of life? It’s our choice. Oops,
it’s not: It’s “the commission-
ers” choice.
‘A real community’
From Jill Talise
Kerby
The letters to the editor
are often the first items I read
in the paper. I am amazed at
how many thoughtful and
knowledgeable people have
come forward to address the
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important issues in our com-
munity.
I know that it takes cour-
age to speak up. I appreciate
all who have made contribu-
tions to Illinois Valley News.
It’s nice to read sensible and
informative articles that raise
my awareness on events in
this community. More of us
are showing up for public
meetings, and I sense that
there is a change in the air.
I am glad to see the show
of support for our schools, the
swim center, the library, the
airport, law enforcement, and
the concern for our public
lands that we live next to
(BLM and the forest service).
Also, the Barlow Rock issue,
the Cave Junction City Coun-
cil, the land development
issues, the “Welcome” signs
and more. I empathize with
D. Wallis and her letter to the
editor, “Gravel and Welcome
Signs” in the Dec. 19 issue.
I believe it is important
that we meet as community
members and decide on what
we want for the future of our
community. I’m all in favor
of a community forum. If we
support each other we can
make it happen.
Rappin’ on Raffenburg
From Robert H. Ziller
O’Brien
Am I the only one who is
sick and tired of hearing Jose-
phine County Commissioner
Jim Raffenberg’s whining
and ranting about what he
refers to as the environmental
“industry”?
Only a true fool would
not be concerned about a
safe living environment for
himself and his family. Only
a bigger fool can steadfastly
ignore the fact that we can no
longer continue to abuse the
planet at an ever-increasing
rate without finally having to
endure the consequences on
life as we know it during the
coming decades.
Raffenberg’s unwavering
support of BLM’s Western
Oregon Plan Revision, the
shady, ill-conceived under-
the-table rush to “expand”
Illinois Valley Airport, and
various other questionable
endeavors, clearly demon-
strates his allegiance to the
special interests, along with
total contempt and disregard
for the best interests and well
being of his constituents.
Unless he quickly moder-
ates his behavior in a progres-
sive (as in progress) manner,
he will surely join other
“regressives” such as Austra-
lia’s Prime Minister John
Howard and President George
W. Bush in the ranks of the
unemployed (or soon to be).
Not to worry, all three
should be able to find full
time gainful employment as
lobbyists for developers or
the Extraction Industry, in-
stead of just dabbling with it
as a part-time endeavor. I’m
confident that history will
reflect poorly on all of them.
I don’t think that wolves
could be introduced to South-
western Oregon because we
have too many little pigs
without brick houses.
USDA advised me to call
them hybrids. I will do that.
I just read an article by
Jeff Barnard of The Associ-
ated Press that said wolves are
finding their way into north-
eastern Oregon from Idaho. I
wish them the best of luck.
‘WOPR hides outrage’
From Dorothea Hover-
Kramer
Cave Junction
Despite the holiday
mood that I would like to
keep, I cannot help but speak
out about the outrageous plan
hidden within the Western
Oregon Plan Revisions
(WOPR) to turn much of
Applegate Valley and the
major Deer Creek watersheds
up through Kerby into new
“Off Highway Vehicle Em-
phasis Areas.”
Off Highway Vehicles
(OHV) are also known as
ATVs and ORVs,, and they
make a lot of noise, cause
significant soil erosion, and
ruin quiet forest trails. It is
evident that much of the re-
cent flooding in Washington
state was due to poor logging
practices and OHV overuse.
Within the WOPR pro-
posals are plans to turn over
half of the 2.6 million acres
public land that BLM pur-
portedly manages into
“timber management areas”
that would be clear-cut
every 80 years. Notably,
much of the areas to be cut
are in our county because this
is where the remaining old-
growth trees that yield the
most money still stand.
Additionally, the plan is
to build 1,000 miles of new
logging roads during the next
decade and thus open
more than 100,000 miles of
forest roads to “OHV Empha-
sis Areas.” These areas would
be nationally advertised to
bring enthusiasts for these
destructive sports into our
county.
The effects on quality of
our lives, our property values,
and opportunities for continu-
ing economic development of
Illinois Valley have not been
considered. It is disappointing
that at a time when public
(Continued on page 3)
A
s we come to this Christmas Season, it is our
hope & prayer that all would take time to look
upon & embrace the love of God toward us.
He took upon Himself our brokenness & gave us a
very sure hope of time & eternity
with Him.
Joy to the World, the Lord is come,
let Earth receive her King!
Wolves and meteors
From Jim Lombardo
O’Brien
I have been handling
wolves for 45 years, first as a
wild animal dealer in Los
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226 N Redwood Hwy
Cave Junction, Oregon 97523
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Friends of Lois
Wednesdays, 7 p.m.,
I.V. Senior Center
520 W. River St.
Angeles. During the 33 years
I’ve been in Oregon, two gray
wolves have lived with me for
the past 10 years.
The American name is
Gray Wolf. They have nick-
names. The timber wolf is
from the northern U.S. to
mid-Alaska. Farther north is
the tundra wolf. Even farther
north is the Arctic wolf, but
all are called the gray wolf, or
canis lupus.
Wolves have been given
a bad rep since Red Riding
Hood and the Three Little
Pigs. For the record: Not one
wolf has ever bitten a person.
A June Audubon article
says that poodles are more
dangerous than wolves be-
cause thousands of poodles
have bitten people, and
wolves haven’t. It adds that
people afraid of wolves
should find a concrete bunker
to hide from meteors.
Do wolves mate for life?
They are the same as people:
opportunists. They stay with
the same mate until some-
thing better comes along.
Blitzer, my timber wolf mate
who’s named after a TV
newscaster, got mated to
twins. He helped them de-
liver, and they did well to-
gether. I have never heard of
a male dog helping deliver.
Most animals repre-
sented as “wolves” are Hus-
kies with a little wolf in their
background. Wolves never
have their tails up over their
backs. Huskies do. I have
never seen a wolf with white
eyes; all have amber eyes.
One Cave Junction man
often brings his kids to play
with our wolves.
Four states have tried to
reintroduce wolves. The
Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition
and the Idaho Values Alli-
ance say that tourists stay
away because they think that
“wuffs will take down your
kids.” But a study by Univer-
sity of Montana reveals what
wolf-watching in the Yellow-
stone area provides the area
with $70 million annually.
More people will come
to see wolves than stay away
because of them.
On three occasions my
male wolf has been attacked
by my German Shepherds.
He grabbed one by the throat,
put him to the ground, then
gurgled, “Stay out of my
face,” and let the dog up. No,
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