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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2017)
A10 Community wallowa.com THREE minutes with ... Michael Cooler MICHAEL COOLER Alt Ed Classroom Instructor December 27, 2017 Michael Cooler and his wife, Sara, moved to Wallowa County four years ago and bought a house in Enterprise last summer. He was born in Bend, grew up in Lakeview and attended Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, Calif. “Throughout our 20s, my wife and I were able to work remotely for a small tech company based in Taos, N.M.,” said Coller, 34. “We could live and work anywhere as long as we had Internet access. We spent five years in the Eugene area before moving to Yachats and then Tidewater on the Oregon Coast. The Internet work was slowing down, so we decided to move to the ‘big city’ of Enterprise to change things up.” Cooler has worked at Building Healthy Families for four years but says he’s never figured out an appropriate job title. “I spend my mornings in the Alt Ed high school classroom where I teach Spanish and computer apps,” he said. “I help people with computer issues, manage our Facebook page and do odd jobs like dishes. The BHF leadership and my cowork- ers are uniformly awesome. The students are (99.9 percent of the time) really wonderful, and are kind enough to laugh at my lousy jokes.” Q. How did you “discover” Wallowa County and what brought you here? A. My wife and I are native Oregonians and we’d never heard of Wallowa County until six or seven years ago. We were watching PBS and a program came on which fea- tured the Wallowa Lake Lodge, the tram, and the hiking to be found in the Wallowa Mountains. I think the words “Lit- tle Switzerland” were mentioned. Sara and I are avid hik- ers and backpackers. Since coming here, I have been abso- New Year. New You . A new year is just around the corner, what are you waiting for? Wallowa County Chieftain lutely blown away by the rugged beauty and relative solitude of the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hells Canyon. I’m excited to spend many more years exploring and experiencing this unique place. Q. What is your impression of the county and its people? A. Wallowa County is one of the best places I’ve ever been. I feel very comfortable here. It’s so off the beaten path, and some of the nicest and most interesting people live here. For such a small area there is a good mix of all types –– people who know how to get along and get things done. Q. You and your wife are cat people? A. We have two older cats, Sal and Penny. Sal never stops meowing, and Penny is scared of her own shadow. At some point I started pretending to be cat-obsessed with the students at school, and then at some later point, I couldn’t remember if I was still pretending. Now I am known as the cat guy, and students bring me cat figurines and t-shirts. I own more than one ugly cat sweater. The thing I like about cats is that they know how to relax and take it easy. Q. What is the first book you remember checking out at the library? A. I can’t say for sure. One I remember reading early on was “Devil on My Back” by Monica Hughes, which was kind of eye-opening and disturbing if I recall it correctly. Growing up I spent a lot of time in the library with my mom because she was the librarian at the grade school. BARGAINS OF THE MONTH ® While supplies last. 59.99 1500W Infrared Quartz Heater W 210 040 1 M-F 8AM-6PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM Sale Ends 12/31/17 Holiday Season Garbage Schedule For Our Valued Customers & Friends Don’t wait until the new year to get gambling help. Call toll free today 1-877-MY-LIMIT or visit the website OPGR.org. Help is always free and confidential. All of us at Rahn Sanitary Services would like to take this time to express our sincere THANK YOU for your continued business and support! This year our office and garbage routes will NOT be operating Christmas Day, Monday, December 25, 2017. This will mean all Monday schedules will be picked up on Tuesday. There will be no other changes to the rest of the week. Our office and garbage routes WILL operate our normal collection routes on New Years Day and the remainder of the week. We are again, offering a one month discount if you pay for the entire 2018 calendar year. This offer is for can service accounts only. Payments must be made by the end of January Just a couple reminders for the upcoming year: * If you know yo will be missing a pick-up, you must call in ahead to receive credit. * * For those who dispose of kitty litter, please bag it up. * * Our trucks leave the office a 5am, have cans out the night before or by 5am. * * Office policy for can size is 32 gallons and one handle must be intact. * * We ask that can weights do not exceed 50 lbs, as we still “throw cans” manually. * * When calling for services after hours, please leave your name, address & phone number. * Building Healthy Families 541- 426-9411 • oregonbhf.org Merry Christmas Happy New Year Thank you Wallowa County for your continued support! Happy New Year! 800 S. River, Enterprise • 541-426-9228 • carpetoneenterprise.com