A8 COFFEE BREAK East Oregonian Saturday, December 18, 2021 DEAR ABBY Educator feels homeschool past carries stigma today DEAR ABBY: I was homeschooled K-12. I now have multiple master’s degrees and work for a public school. I returned to my hometown and, with hard work and dedica- tion, have moved up the career ladder in my district. While I love my job, I also value and respect the fact that my mom chose to home- school me. I can’t change my childhood, so I embrace all of those who are part of a village to raise and educate children. My challenge comes when I am asked what year I graduated, or other questions about my schooling. (They assume that since this is my hometown, I attended school in the same district in which I work.) If I reply with, “I was homeschooled,” I get shocked silence, and feel I must somehow justify my mom’s choice to homeschool me (something over which I had no control). This isn’t just from colleagues, but also parents and staff . In addition, our district tors, so the error can be corrected. likes to feature alumni who work at the DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have district and who chose to return to their been married for seven years. He provides fi nancially for our family, while hometown to give back. Well, I work part-time. My husband is I meet one of those criteria, but an “open book” when it comes to I cringe when they mistakenly announce my name as an alumna discussing our personal fi nances in a public forum, not knowing with others, while I am extremely private about this type of informa- how to handle it. Please advise. tion. — EDUCATION LOVER IN ARIZONA Recently, our neighbors stopped DEAR E DUCAT ION by, and he told them what we paid JEANNE LOVER: I think it is time for you for some work we had done on our PHILLIPS house, which they did not ask to to stop being self-conscious about ADVICE know. I was appalled that he did it, the kind of education your mother gave you, which equipped you to and asked him after they were gone attain not one, but multiple gradu- not to tell people such private infor- ate degrees. Rather than “cringe” and hide mation. I’m very uncomfortable discussing the fact that you are not an alumna from the our salaries with others, while he thinks it’s district, discuss this with the administra- something for all to know. We’re a middle-class family, and I’m by no means embarrassed by our fi nances, but I think it’s preferable to abstain from discuss- ing these matters with others. He thinks it’s rude not to tell people what we pay for things and how much we make and save. Is it common practice to discuss personal fi nances with others? — PRIVATE LADY IN NEW MEXICO DEAR PRIVATE LADY: Rude?! Nowhere is it written that people “have” to discuss their fi nances with anyone other than one’s spouse, immediate family or CPA. Keeping quiet about fi nancial matters is not a breach of etiquette; it’s good judgment. What your husband is doing could be perceived as bragging, which creates resentment and jealousy rather than impresses others, and anyone who reads my column knows it can drive people away. DAYS GONE BY 100 years ago — 1921 The buff alo carcass which will be distributed to Pend- leton people by the Pendleton Trading Co. is expected to arrive here tomorrow, according to information which has been received by the management of the store. It will arrive on the Northern Pacifi c. The buff alo will be placed in the window which will be specially decorated for the purpose. Orders for the meat have been received by the company for several weeks. 50 years ago — 1971 Round-Up residents who delayed until this weekend purchasing their Christmas trees learned in many instances that they didn’t have as many from which to select as in previous years. Commercial cutting permits were issued at the U.S. Forest Service offi ce in Pendleton for only 346 trees, down considerably from the number issued in 1970. Two reasons were given for this: There were fewer trees in convenient locations for commercial cutters and heavy snow in the mountains made it diffi cult to get into the commercial areas. Only about a dozen commercial cutters obtained permits. One of them got a permit for 100 trees, but was able to get only 20. The Forest Service sold 1,846 individual tree cutting permits. Last weekend, despite the snow in the mountains, individuals streamed into the forests to cut their own trees. The sale of aluminum trees in Pend- leton was about normal, merchants reported. 25 years ago — 1996 A little bit of Pendleton is standing in the desert of Phelan, Calif. The old courthouse, the Byrd School and Dr. Fred Vincent’s residence, which used to stand where the Elks’ Club is on Byers Avenue, live in miniature in the home of E.B. Casteel. The newly completed courthouse was a particular labor of love for Casteel. “From 1931 to 1938, my father was the county clerk,” he recalled. “My mother took over and was there until around 1955. I grew up in the courthouse. For fi ve years, we lived right across the street. I mowed the lawn, and I used to wind the clock in the clock tower.” All of Casteel’s replicas have personal meanings to him. He recreated Byrd School in Pilot Rock because his mother was schooled there. Casteel’s wife, Theresa Arnre- iter Casteel, was the daughter of Dr. Vincent. Casteel’s joy obviously is in the creation of these landmarks of his personal history. He has given them to the Umatilla County Historical Society to exhibit as they wish. THIS DAY IN HISTORY On Dec. 18, 2019, the U.S. House impeached President Donald Trump on two charges, sending his case to the Senate for trial; the articles of impeach- ment accused him of abusing the power of the presidency to investigate rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election and then obstructing Congress’ investiga- tion. (The trial would end in acquittal by the Senate.) In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitu- tion. In 1863, in a speech to the Prussian Parliament, Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck declared, “Politics is not an exact science.” In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery, was declared in eff ect by Secretary of State William H. Seward. In 1892, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” publicly premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia; although now considered a classic, it received a generally negative reception from critics. In 1917, Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” and sent it to the states for ratifi cation. In 1940, Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941.) In 1944, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government’s wartime evac- uation of people of Japanese descent from the West Coast while at the same time ruling that “concededly loyal” Americans of Japanese ancestry could not continue to be detained. In 1956, Japan was admitted to the United Nations. In 1957, the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the fi rst nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States, went on line. (It was taken out of service in 1982.) In 1958, the world’s fi rst commu- nications satellite, SCORE (Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment), nicknamed “Chatterbox,” was launched by the United States aboard an Atlas rocket. In 2000, the Electoral College cast its ballots, with President-elect George W. Bush receiving the expected 271; Al Gore, however, received 266, one fewer than expected, because of a District of Columbia Democrat who’d left her ballot blank to protest the district’s lack of representation in Congress. In 2003, two federal appeals courts ruled the U.S. military could not indef- initely hold prisoners without access to lawyers or American courts. Ten years ago: The last convoy of heavily armored U.S. troops left Iraq, crossing into Kuwait in darkness in the fi nal moments of a nine-year war. Vaclav Havel, 75, the dissident play- wright who became Czechoslovakia’s fi rst democratically elected president, died in the northern Czech Republic. Five years ago: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a military camp in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, killing at least 52 soldiers; the Islamic State group’s Yemen-based affi liate claimed responsibility. Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor died at her Los Angeles home at age 99. One year ago: The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arse- nal, as the Food and Drug Administra- tion authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health; a vaccine from Pfi zer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech was already being dispensed. Vice President Mike Pence became the highest ranking U.S. offi cial to receive the fi rst dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the shot was safe. The National Hockey League and players reached a tentative deal to hold a 56-game season in 2021 beginning in mid-January. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Roger Mosley is 83. Rock musician Keith Richards is 78. Movie producer-direc- tor Steven Spielberg is 75. Actor Ray Liotta is 67. Comedian Ron White is 65. R&B singer Angie Stone is 60. Actor Brad Pitt is 58. Actor Rachel Griffi ths is 53. Singer Alejandro Sanz is 53. Actor Casper Van Dien is 53. Coun- try/rap singer Cowboy Troy is 51. Pop singer Sia is 46. Country singer Randy Houser is 45. Actor Katie Holmes is 43. Actor Ravi Patel is 43. Singer Chris- tina Aguilera is 41. NHL defenseman Victor Hedman is 31. Actor-singer Bridgit Mendler is 29. Atlanta Braves outfi elder Ronald Acuña Jr. is 24. Elec- tro-pop singer Billie Eilish is 20. CHURCH DIRECTORY First Christian Church The Salvation Army COME WORSHIP WITH US AT THE COUNTRY CHURCH 215 N. Main • Pendleton 10:30 - Worship Service Sundays at 11:00am In Person worship Sundays at 11:00am 5:30 Family Fellowship Meal • 6:00 Bible Study 32742 Diagonal Rd. Hermiston, OR Office Phone: 541-276-5358 Hours: M-F 9:00am-1:00pm PENDLETON LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH Sunday Service: 9am & 6pm Tuesday Kingdom Seekers: 7pm Wednesday Bible Study: 7pm We offer: Sunday School • Sign Language Interpreters • Nursery • Transportation • & more! Pastor Dan Satterwhite 541.377.4252 417 NW 21st St. • Pendleton, OR 97801 www.facebook.com/ PendletonLighthouseChurch Solid Rock Community Church 140 SW 2nd St Hermiston, OR 97838 541-567-6937 Worship Service: 11:00AM Sunday School: 9:45 Pastor Wilbur Clark (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) Center for Worship & Service Sunday Worship Service 9:30 - Sunday School Wednesday Bible Study COME AS YOU ARE 150 SE Emigrant (541) 276-3369 FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church 565 W. HERMISTON AVE. Iglesia Católica Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles 565 W. HERMISTON AVE. in Mission for Christ LCMC Sunday Worship.........9:00 AM Bible Study......10:15 AM Red Lion Hotel ( Oregon Trail Room ) Redeemer Episcopal Church 241 SE Second St. Pendleton (541)276-3809 www.pendletonepiscopal.org PendletonPresbyterian.com Sunday Holy Communion: 9am Wednesday Holy Communion: Noon M-F Morning Prayer 7am on Zoom Worship Services On Facebook 10:00am Sundays All Are Welcome Community Presbyterian Church 14 Martin Drive, Umatilla, OR 922-3250 Worship: 10 AM Sunday School at 11:30 201 SW Dorion Ave. Facebook.com/PendletonPresbyterian OPEN HEARTS – OPEN DOOR www.graceandmercylutheran.org Sunday Worship 8:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. (Nursery Provided) Fellowship, Refreshments & Sunday School Check Out our Facebook Page or Website for More Information 541-289-4535 Pastor Weston Walker Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA (First United Methodist Church) 191 E. Gladys Ave. / P.O. Box 1108 Hermiston, Oregon 97838 St. Johns Episcopal Church N.E. Gladys Join Ave & Us 7th, Hermiston 541-567-6672 JOIN OUR INCLUSIVE CONGREGATION ON OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS Services 9:00am Sundays In-person or streaming on Facebook or Zoom To advertise in the Church Directory, please contact Audra Workman 541-564-4538 or email aworkman@eastoregonian.com