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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2017)
A4 Opinion wallowa.com December 13, 2017 Wallowa County Chieftain A perfect gift for a teacher You know your child’s teacher works hard, and your child would like to get that special teacher something during this season of giving. Your child has probably been learning about developing healthy eating habits and staying physically active. Maybe you’d even like to model that behavior through your choice of a gift. But what are your options in the land of cookies, hot chocolate and candy, candy and more candy? There are food and nonfood items that you can give that will convey your appreciation to your child’s teacher and with- out going into debt or adding to the sea of sugar laden goodies. If the teacher is a coffee drinker, consider giving a pound of coffee beans. If it’s tea he or she prefers, how about a selection of Ann Bloom teas with a nice tea cup. Tea cups are inexpensive at second-hand stores. Fresh fruit and nuts are always welcome as a mid-afternoon snack. Homemade granola or trail mixes are easy to make. The OSU website, Foodhero.org, has a recipe for DIY Trail Mix that can be customized to fit almost anyone’s preferences and can be made in large quantities for multiple gift giving. Now that there are gluten free items available, the snack can even be made gluten-free and nut-free for anyone with special dietary restrictions. If your child’s teacher likes to cook, a homemade spice mixture or a basket with the makings for a dinner can’t be beat. This is especially welcome during a hectic work week when the teacher comes home and needs to make dinner for a family. Wallowa County is famous for its abundance of handmade and homegrown items. From soaps to lotions, hand- knitted items or even a dozen fresh eggs with a bow all lend them- selves to gift possibilities. If you sew, knit or crochet, a nice pillow is fun and easy, especially if it’s one that can be taken into the classroom for others to enjoy. If there is a photographer in the family, a scenic photograph from one of your family trips in an inexpensive frame (again, think thrift store) is an idea. Teachers spend a great deal of money out-of-pocket for supplies that are not covered by the school budget. A gift card to Safeway or Walmart, where school and program supplies can be purchased, is never out of style. A gift card to a local coffee shop is also a welcome gift. Although the holidays are fraught with foods high in sugar, fat and calories, it’s possible to enjoy some sweets and still maintain a healthy eating plan. Cookies or breads that rely on dried fruits and nuts, instead of a lot of sugar or butter, make for a nice food gift. Homemade vinegars, mustards and pick- led vegetables are easy to make and low in calories and sugar. If you have home-canned items, such as applesauce, those can be turned into gifts, too. Whatever you decide, your children’s teachers will appre- ciate the thought, and knowing you recognize their hard work is the best gift of all. Happy holidays! GUEST COLUMN Ann Bloom is a nutrition program assistant for the OSU Extension Service in Wallowa County. She can be contacted at 541-426-3143. etters to the Editor are subject to editing and should be limited to 275 words. Writers should also include a phone number with their signature so we can call to verify identity. The Chieftain does not run anon- ymous letters. In terms of content, writers should refrain from per- sonal attacks. We do not routinely run thank-you letters. You can submit a letter to the Wallowa County Chieftain in person; by mail to P.O. Box 338, Enterprise, OR 97828; by email to editor@wallowa.com; or via the submission form at the newspaper’s website, located at wallowa.com. L USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 Office: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore. Phone: 541-426-4567 • Fax: 541-426-3921 Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884 Enterprise, Oregon M eMber O regOn n ewspaper p ublishers a ssOciatiOn Publisher Editor Reporter Reporter Newsroom assistant Ad sales consultant Office manager Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Paul Wahl, editor@wallowa.com Stephen Tool, stool@wallowa.com Kathleen Ellyn, kellyn@wallowa.com editor@wallowa.com Jennifer Powell, jpowell@wallowa.com Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com p ublished every w ednesday by : EO Media Group Periodical Postage Paid at Enterprise and additional mailing offices Subscription rates (includes online access) Wallowa County Out-of-County Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Wallowa County Chieftain on the Internet Wallowa.com facebook.com/Wallowa | twitter.com/wcchieftain POSTMASTER — Send address changes to Wallowa County Chieftain P.O. Box 338 Enterprise, OR 97828 Contents copyright © 2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Volume 134 1 Year $40.00 $57.00 Changes for women, minorities When you live as long as I have, you see a lot of change. My grandfather saw more. Born in 1881 and died 1985, lived in the Wild West and lasted 15 years after we put a man on the moon. In 1912, he traveled from Saskatche- wan to Los Angeles to watch the Wright brothers fly their airplane. After that, he traveled through Mexico for eight months while Pancho Villa was racing around try- ing to get a revolution going. Grandpa transitioned from horse and buggy to automobiles then to tele- phones, radio, TV, two world wars and jet airplanes. He was voting when women couldn’t vote or own land. He suffered through Prohibition and the Great Depression of the ‘30s. When he was about 100, I asked him what he thought was the biggest change in ranch- ing in his life time. Without hesitation he replied, “satellite TV.” In my case, I guess I can sum it up as transitioning from an occasionally work- ing crank telephone with switch board operators to cell phones with recorded messages. Minorities and women have made great strides in the 76 years I have hung around. Minorities have gone from being discriminated against in every way to being given preferential treatment in hir- ing and education through programs like Affirmative Action. Women once were confined to their homes and told to get in the kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. When I was a kid in Saskatchewan, women were not allowed in bars at all. If a woman wanted a drink, she had to do it in the privacy of her own home and hope the community club women didn’t smell it on her breath. On Saturdays when everyone went to town, the women shopped while the old man relaxed in one of the bars. I can remember women waiting in the car with OPEN RANGE Barrie Qualle the motor running to keep warm while their husbands socialized over a beer. They would stop men entering the bar and ask them to send their husband out, and if he felt like it, he would. It’s a won- der some of them didn’t die from carbon monoxide waiting in an old car with the engine running. Women in Alberta were better off in that they were allowed in the bar with an escort. When I joined the work force, the glass ceiling women have dealt with was firmly in place. All doctors were men and nurses were girls. The attitude seemed to be that women were subject to raging hormonal variances and could not be relied upon to make good decisions. They were told “don’t bother your pretty little head about it.” Most of the women in the office were secretaries or data entry girls with little chance of any- thing more. As things changed, there was a reali- zation that there had been a huge waste of resources in the past. Women were given more responsibility and better jobs but were paid less than their male counterparts. There might be a little of that still going on. Recently there has been a rash of TV celebrities and politicians getting in trou- ble for past indiscretions with women. Some of their behavior was pretty egre- gious, but some of it was what would have been called dating in the ‘70s. I grew up during the sex drought of the ‘50s and was pretty shocked and amazed by the turn of events called the ‘60s. My friend Doyle Gellerman and I were discussing the recent scandals and firings of movie moguls, TV personalities and politicians. There seems to be an awful lot of maleficence going on, and one of the ladies was even paid $32 million by a TV host to hush up about his behavior toward her. That should be a wakeup call for men in power that don’t act like gentlemen. Doyle and I wondered if we might have a case to bring against some of the women that in the past plied us with liquor and took advantage of our low self-esteem when we were young and vulnerable. I have pretty much healed from that but Doyle I fear is scarred for life. The days of treating women poorly and getting away with it are pretty much over. Corporations and government are con- ducting long overdue seminars on sexual harassment. Woe be to those who disre- spect women or minorities any more. I guess attitude adjustment and change will always be with us. I have seen a lot of it. We will have to be resilient in the future because a lot of it is happening awfully fast. Some of the changes in attitude were sure necessary. Legislation like Affirma- tive Action was necessary to give a leg up to minorities. They damn sure needed it. However, I think there should be a sun- set on some legislation and once a group has been given an advantage for sev- eral decades, the law should be revisited to determine if it is still necessary to give any group a huge advantage in college entrance or hiring. Equal opportunity and fairness should always be on the books. There comes a time when ability and productivity should determine who gets the advantage regard- less of gender or race. But then we always have human nature to deal with. Hard to legislate that. Barrie Qualle is an all-around work- ing ranch hand, author and ranch rodeo enthusiast. He lives in Wallowa County. 4-H Congress was inspiring adventure GUEST COLUMN While most families were sitting down for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, I was traveling across the country to the capi- tol of Georgia for the 2017 National 4-H Congress. This event is undoubtedly the highlight of any 4-H member’s career. There were 975 delegates present from 44 states and Puerto Rico. Friday began with tours of the World of Coke (the soft drink was invented there), CNN News and historic Atlanta. Then all 975 members attending gathered in the grand ballroom for get-acquainted activi- ties and a pin exchange. Saturday morning included speeches from Sonny Perdue, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and an Atlanta school offi- cial. Then the day was full of leadership activities and speed networking, where I met people from all over the country. Then we were immersed in an evening of culture at the international night where there was cuisine from 15 different coun- tries and an authentic hula dance from the Hawaii 4-H delegation. Sunday’s assembly was dominated by Deidre Schreiber Eugen Schoenfeld, a 92-year-old Holo- caust survivor with the best sense of humor you’ve ever heard as well as being a Professor Emeritus of Georgia State University. For lunch we went out to Pitty Pats Porch, the restaurant that makes an appearance in the famous movie “Gone With The Wind.” We spent the evening at the Atlanta Cultural Center where we learned about Georgia’s Native American history and even learned a ballroom dance or two. Monday, I had the opportunity to vol- unteer at the Atlanta Community Food Bank that serves more than 6 million peo- ple annually in Atlanta and its 27 sur- rounding counties. To put that in perspec- tive, the entire state of Oregon is home to roughly 4.1 million. Then we were edu- cated on poverty and how we can help in our communities. Tuesday, after one last speech from NFL motivational speaker Dan Clark, we boarded our planes and began the 2,379 mile trek back to God’s Country. One quote by Martin Luther King Jr. made me think about the impact we all have the potential to create: “If I cannot do great things, I will do small things in a great way.” Another quote by speaker Dan Clark has inspired me to apply to be on the plan- ning team for the 2018 National 4-H Con- gress. He said: “It isn’t the size of the town you come from, it’s the size of your dream.” I would like to thank the Wallowa County 4-H Leaders Association and our community for their support to make this life-changing trip possible! Deidre Schreiber is a Wallowa County 4-H member. Mother Nature, make the fog go away, please ... doned into a snake pit rather than Santa’s I’m not normally impacted by Sea- sonal Affective Disorders but the fog, WAHL TO WALL lap.We spent some time listening to the clouds and general dreariness the past few days has really played on my psy- che. Even with a quick trip to Lewiston seeking sunshine, I was in tough shape by Monday night. In addition, the mind-numbing cold that came with it was difficult to escape. It’s been a while since I remember feeling that cold –– although the air temperature was in the 20s most of the time. Fortunately, Mother Nature’s dour attitude about things didn’t dampen the Enterprise Winterfest celebration. The warming barrels were a welcome attrac- tion this year. Paul Wahl What the Wonderland Pop Up Market lost in size it made up in quality. Kudos to everyone involved in that endeavor. I had never sampled “chestnuts roasted on an open fire” before. I will probably not do that again. I think it must be an acquired taste. Watching the wee ones interface with Santa was a blast. There are always a few who seem to think they are being aban- karaoke performers sing Christmas carols and finished Saturday with the parade. We are on the waning end of Christ- mas events for 2017 and, for that matter, the entire year. This is the season we begin thinking about the top 10 news stories for the past 12 months. That feature will likely publish in the Jan. 3, 2018, edition. It’s always a high- light for me to work on compiling the story. We have listed our selections and asked folks to help rank them on Face- book. Check it out and let us know what you think.
