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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2017)
VIEWPOINTS Saturday, February 11, 2017 East Oregonian The first lesson of guitar T hirty-some years ago, I worked for a woman who owned a sizable chunk of Marin County, California. I tended half a dozen jumping horses, two hundred pampered sheep, one too-friendly dairy heifer, four free-range hogs, fifty feral chickens, a couple of random ducks and two gangly, loud-mouthed peacocks. I slept in a one-room hired man’s shack with a blue- eyed cowdog. My pre-teen daughter slept in the boss’s big brown farmhouse with nine neutered, spayed and spoiled-rotten house cats. One morning at breakfast, the boss announced that she was going to view art in France, that she would place a few thousand bucks in an account, and the place was ours to run. We were to help ourselves to the stash in the freezer. The farm pretty much ran itself. The lambing was over for that year. Other than moving sheep from one pasture to the next, mucking the horse barn once a week and feeding grain each morning, I had plenty of spare time. So my first act was drive into town and purchase a new Yamaha acoustic guitar, an assortment of picks and a “Mel Bay Method for Guitar” book. The dog and I hunkered with Mel Bay in the bunkhouse for a week, until my fingers were blistered and I had almost learned where to place them to play three chords in the key of D. A month later I was a one-song wonder, able plunk along in the key of D as I crooned “I Ride an Old Paint” to an audience of sheep. In a moment of humility prompted by boredom in the eyes of an old ewe, I decided I needed help with my career and opened the Yellow Pages in search of a guitar instructor. When Tina got out of her folks’ new blue Oldsmobile I knew I might be in over my head. She was dressed in full concert attire, lengthy black dress, hair in bun, cat-eye glasses, dark stockings. She tiptoed through the peacock manure carefully to the trunk of the car, extracted a hand-crafted guitar case, then carried it up the stairs into the cat-perfumed parlor of the main house. I paid in advance for the lesson, 20 bucks for an hour. Tina opened her case, propped the lid against the once-Victorian-now- Goodwill couch, and lifted her very classy Italian classical guitar onto her lap, where she began wiping down the strings with a rose-colored cloth. I propped the lid of my Martin case against the same couch and readied my ego for the slaughter. That first half of the lesson was entirely devoted to the manner in which one properly holds the guitar. The thumb of the fretting hand is positioned just so against the center of the neck, the wrist arched just so, the fingers poised just so, each assigned a particular string and fret. The plucking fingers, too, each had a discrete task. Then she asked me to demonstrate what I knew about playing the guitar. I launched into “I Ride an Old Paint,” glancing up from staring at my left hand while the cowpokes in the song were taking my pony from his stall and tying my bones to the saddle. I caught the same look in Tina’s eyes I’d once seen on my mother’s face when she discovered that the bright and neatly wrapped package we’d found beside the road contained chicken guts. Murray the Dolt saved me from the I propped the lid of my Martin case and readied my ego for the slaughter. Quick takes New education secretary Betsy DeVos was confirmed Tuesday as education secretary. Are Helix Grizzlies now on the endangered species list? — Frank Duff Make-up plan for snow days Why send out a survey at all, if there were options on it that shouldn’t have been offered and the final decision goes against how the majority voted? — Kristi Kelly The (Pendleton School) district made a difficult decision adding the extra days to the end of the school year. Yes, it lessens summer by a bit and bites into extra time for vacation, but the children come first and their education is of utmost importance. They’re required a certain amount of school hours every year and that needs to be met regardless of opinions. — Ashley Fowler Winter hurting wildlife It’s also going to kill off a lot of those bark beetles that have been killing the forest and a few other pest insects that won’t live through the extended cold blasts. It’s not all bad news. Plus more snow means fuller lakes, more irrigation water available and lower fire danger so more outdoor activities. — Christopher Spencer Travel ban overturned This is checks and balances. It’s how our Constitution is set up. Otherwise, the presi- dent would be a dictator. Just be thankful the courts will be there no matter which party is in power. They are the best protection against any tyranny by the majority. — Patricia Lovejoy So let me get this straight ... it says clearly in the constitution that the president has power to do exactly what he did and presidents before him, including Obama, have done similar travel suspensions. — Jason Lange We need a wall and we need to stop letting everyone in. — Anne Farley Dirkes One of the great lessons of the Twitter age is that much can be summed up in just a few words. Here are some of this week’s takes. Tweet yours @Tim_Trainor or email editor@eastoregonian. com, and keep them to 140 characters. Editor’s note: In an effort to get more local voices and more good writing into your newspaper, the East Oregonian is introducing a group of columnists that will rotate appearances in each Saturday edition. J. D. Smith has worked as a golf course greens mower, hay waddie, auto parts runner, bookstore clerk, sheet metal fabricator, pulpwood logger, sawmill worker, ranch hand, one-room schoolhouse teacher, pump mechanic, janitor, magazine editor, stage carpenter, house carpenter, and combine operator, among others. He won a National Book Award in 1972 for his part in publishing the “Whole Earth Catalog,” and several “Best Weekly General Column” awards from the Idaho Press Club. He currently works as a grant writer, mostly because he forgot to consider a retirement plan. Have feedback on the columns? Email opinion page editor Tim Trainor at ttrainor@eastoregonian.com. critique. He was a special needs house cat. Just as Tina was relaxing her tight smile, ready to mash my dreams into a gooey pulp, Murray sauntered into the parlor, spun a couple of quick brodies, put it in reverse, parked in front of the guitar cases and sprayed a full load of pee all over the velvet interiors. Tina managed an E above high C when she screamed “Ohhhh, noooo!” Murray shook his tail a few times, winked at her, dodged my boot and scampered away toward the kitchen. Tina was in shock as I tried to soak up Murray’s indiscretion from her guitar case with my snot rag. She carried the guitar and case separately back to the Olds. I wrote a check on the Page 5A J.D. S mith FROM THE HEADWATERS OF DRY CREEK ranch portion of my fortune for $350 to cover the cost of a new case, and we agreed that she was probably not a suitable person to teach me how to play the guitar. It has taken three decades for Murray’s indiscretion to evaporate, almost, from the guitar case. The incident did have ancillary effects, though. I realized that something must be done about the cats. In this column next month I will share my further adventures in feline deportment as Gunther Grabbenbutt, house cat trainer. ■ J.D. Smith is an accomplished writer and jack-of-all-trades. He lives in Athena. Tangling with Trump not worth the risk T uesday’s editorial in the East on it since Oct. 1, remains a million Oregonian reminded us we dollars out of balance. are a state that embraces, The editorial to which I referred celebrates and welcomes earlier applauded state officials for immigrants and refugee residents. their strong stance while at the same I couldn’t agree more. We have time noting Oregon stands a good for years, and I agree with that chance of losing its federal funds sentiment. both now and in the future. Whether My own father came to we like federal funds and controls George Dundee, Oregon from Scotland Murdock or not, the loss of those funds after World War I and I am would have a devastating impact on Comment grateful our family has been Umatilla County. In the worst case permitted to live in the greatest scenario, as noted country in the world. by Rep. Boquist, we could I also fully understand the contribution also find ourselves left immigrants, both documented and off the list for highway undocumented, make to the economy of projects. Umatilla County and to our respective As a result, Oregon’s communities. Prior to coming to Umatilla budget shortfall could County I was in Franklin County, balloon well beyond its Washington and had the privilege of leading current projected level a school district with a 75 percent minority as would the budget for population. I was deeply immersed in Umatilla County. If we migrant issues and emerged with a strong lose the federal funds respect for the work ethic of those who because of a philosophical fuel our agricultural economy as well standoff by our governor as other local industrial ventures. I am it will impact public safety, mental health, likewise aware of the contributions workers public works, special transportation, from foreign lands make to all kinds of community justice, public education, public workplaces across the state and the nation. health, agricultural research stations, and That being said, however, while I am a host of other programs immediately. In troubled by the travel ban imposed by the long run, it could impact the roads and the president, questions surrounding its bridges which are vital to Eastern Oregon. legality will ultimately be sorted out as the And those are only programs in which the country deals with its new-found interest county has a stake. in presidential executive orders and their There are times when we need to weigh consequences. Executive orders are his the consequences of our actions and perhaps prerogative as have been demonstrated leave the decision of vulnerability to local hundreds of times by each of his three entities. predecessors — led by President Clinton The aforementioned editorial said it and followed in order by President Bush. is worth the risk — a risk that places in Knowing our state leaders and their jeopardy not just our own local safety and values, I am not surprised by their response our economy, but the lives of our most to the ban and would expect them to protest. fragile citizens should the funding go away. However it concerns me that the reaction In addition, if we are denied the federal might extend to moves that could place our funds, which appear to be a secondary federal funding in jeopardy. I don’t know if consideration to taking this stand, what will there is a precedent for withholding federal we say to the hundreds of our friends and funding from states in a case such as this, neighbors in Umatilla County who will but I also don’t know if it isn’t possible. find themselves unemployed? In the same This is a new era and times are changing. edition of the newspaper we were reminded Our state has a $1.8 billion shortfall. the economy of Portland is recovering three Umatilla County’s budget for the coming times as fast the economy of rural areas. year, despite the fact we have been working We can hardly afford to lose hundreds, if not thousands of family wage jobs. If the funds are withheld there will likely be a complicated legal assault, but that could take precious time being resolved. I have worked very hard in the past few months to acknowledge that my role as a county commissioner should be nonpartisan and that I should seek to consider and value the views of all of our residents. In preparing these comments I have sought to focus on reality and pragmatism, not differing ideologies. As the commissioner assigned the task of assuring this county operates with a balanced budget while serving the needs of all citizens efficiently and effectively, I am also charged with the task of assuring we have the resources to do so. Being faced with the challenge of finding $1 million, it would be painful to exacerbate the process by seeing that amount doubled by actions over which Eastern Oregon apparently has no control. Certainly we need to preserve concepts of free speech and freedom of thought. But at the end of the day, we need also be sure we aren’t fiddling while Rome burns. When our ability to responsibly balance the budget is placed in jeopardy, I am obligated to put personal beliefs on the shelf in favor of responsible stewardship of our programs and working to assure the well-being of our residents. And with that in mind, I question the wisdom of playing chicken with a president who has made it abundantly clear he is willing to carry through on his promises regardless of the backlash. Doing so at best could result in a very hollow victory accompanied by tremendous losses. ■ George Murdock is a former editor and publisher of the East Oregonian and currently serves as a Umatilla County commissioner. He has been the budget liaison for the county since taking office in 2013. The loss of federal funds would have a devastating impact on Umatilla County. LETTERS POLICY The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
