COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL APRIL 12, 2017
The
Chatterbox
Why Cottage Grove?
Twenty-eight years ago Chuck and I moved from Southern Cali-
fornia (the land of eternal sunshine) to the unpredictable weather at
Cottage Grove Lake. March 1989 was our introduction to a textbook
Oregon springtime. One minute the sun was shining and the next
it was raining cats and dogs. In fact, it rained 11 inches that month
breaking all previous records.
On move-in day, we discovered that those rains had saturated the
ground so much that our humongous moving van got stuck in the
mud and had to be pulled out by Taylor Towing. You can only imag-
ine how embarrassed our driver was when a woman (!) tow truck
driver arrived to pull him out of the muck.
In California, our neighbors and friends all asked the same ques-
tions. “Why Oregon? It rains there. And why Cottage Grove?” ‘Why’
indeed. Moving to Oregon was not on our bucket list. We weren’t
retired and no jobs awaited us. We were, however ready for a little
Finian’s parents fell in love with her baby brown eyes when she
bounced into their lives. She had them at, “Awwww”.
Finian was not sure what to make of “their” new human baby -
and all its noise! Initially, she was jealous. But, she quickly fell in
love with her baby when she realized “this baby thing is going to
work” out because; crying baby + walk = longer walk and a better
sniff ‘n’ stroll day.
Finian became the nanny, “retrieving” the mom, when the baby
cried, or checking on it herself, soothing it with a wet kiss.
As her baby grew, Finian, showed the patience of a saint, sitting
immobile as the toddler yelled in her ear, grabbed her tail, but boop-
ing her nose was not allowed and quickly resulted in relocation.
Now that “her” child is three, the little girl treats Finian like a
Sesame Street celebrity!
After the child’s nap, or when Finian walks into the room, the
toddler yells “Fini” with giggles and glee.
The baby’s fi rst two words were mama and dada, but her third
was “Fini”, which she joyfully repeats a babble-zillion times a day!
Having a dog taught the toddler how to love another and be gentle.
Fini is a good teacher! She nurtures her loved ones while demon-
strating unconditional love and loyalty. This bond explains why
people remain behind in dangerous weather conditions, like hur-
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adventure and living by a lake was our lifelong dream. My husband’s
mantra is “let’s go” and my motto is “When in doubt follow your
heart.” So we did.
At the time I remember describing the town of Cottage Grove
with words like small, quaint and charming. The population hovered
around 8,000 people but it had all the basic facilities one needed:
banks, grocery stores, doctors, a hospital, veterinarians, a newspa-
per, restaurants, gas stations, schools, churches and a donut shop!
You know, a regular town.
Our C.G. adventure actually began in 1987 when we were touring
Oregon in our little Tioga RV. I thought of it as a temporary stopover
on the road of life. What I did not know was that this place would
capture our hearts.
We discovered Cottage Grove by pure happenstance. We had left
Crater Lake in the Tioga with our Honda motorcycle perched on the
back. After several weeks on the road we needed a place a decent
lunch, a shoe store for new motorcycle boots and a place to spend
the night. Our AAA map said C.G. had it all!
On that fi rst visit, we discovered there was no Fast Food Row of
places like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, etc. But there were other places
to eat including the wonderful but long gone Copper Rooster coffee
shop at the Village Green. Coming into town we also passed the his-
toric Dr. Pierce Barn, and the Village Shopping Center that housed
a Hub clothing store, Tiffany’s Pharmacy and a grocery store. All of
those businesses are now history.
It was only later that we would discover the Gateway Shopping
Center where Merchant’s Donuts became Kaiser’s Country Donut.
ricanes, to protect their pet. It is
diffi cult to leave a family mem-
ber helpless, so the pet parents
stay to comfort their pets. Pets
are an important part of our
families. Having Finian demon-
strates to her toddler that a pet
deserves the same love and re-
spect as all family members.
Play time with Finian can
be accidentally-hectic with a
tail wagging bump to the fl oor
for the child. This is a good life
lesson, that when life give us a
bump, we must get up, and play
and laugh again.
When Finian discovered that the child can toss a ball, she was
thrilled. She still has that puppy bounce and happily brings tossed
toys back to her pleased pitcher.
It is heartwarming witnessing a child and canine connection
as they smile at each other or hear a child break into spontaneous
laughter at something they telepathically understand.
And just like Forest Gump and his son, the sight of a toddler on
her favorite “blankie” with her head on her dog watching TV - well,
it makes all hearts smile. And Finian can’t rest on her laurels for
too long, as the family’s newest addition, a baby boy, is due next
month!
There, thanks to the morning coffee guys, we got to know the locals
and to appreciate the area’s lumber and mining history.
Main St. was the shopping hub. Downtown was bustling with
business. There were antique stores, hardware stores, banks, phar-
macies, gift shops, Ruth and Elsie’s Dress Shop, a jewelry store,
The Bookmine, Schweitzer’s Men’s Wear, Homestead Furniture,
two shoe stores owned by the Hoover family and more! At that
time Safeway was located where the Community Center is now and
across the street was a Cornet store (the local fi ve & dime).
That day we got some good advice and made two memorable pur-
chases. First, we had lunch at tiny Tilly’s Top Hat Pies. Oh, my!
My husband said that tears ran down my face after just one bite of
Margaret Tilly’s apple pie a la mode. It was that good.
At Self-Selecto-Shoes, manager Mike Thiess found us just the
boots that we needed and then asked where we were spending the
night. He suggested that we head out to C.G. Lake and Pine Mead-
ows Campground. We did and that is where we fell in love with the
place that we now call home.
So much has changed in nearly three decades. The town has grown.
Businesses have come and gone. A landmark has been destroyed and
others have been built (Opal Whiteley and Bohemia Parks). We even
have traffi c jams! Still, every spring as the rains come down, the
fl owers bloom and the grass turns green, we feel blessed that we
heeded the call to a new lifestyle and moved to The Grove.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and
other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail —
bchatty@bettykaiser.com.
TIPS
Angel Scribe’s daughter, Ariel, includes her pets’ names in the
nursery rhymes she sings. The dogs, cats, and babies love the spe-
cial attention.
- Place double-stick tape on top of the baby's crib railings to
prevent dogs from leaning on them.
- Neuter and spay pets to prevent/reduce possible aggression.
- Prior to baby's arrival, practice the "leave it" and "drop it" com-
mands for those "helpful" dogs who love to "clean up" after baby
has dropped toys, pacifi er, etc.
- Keep diaper pail lids securely closed and away from any curi-
ous canine "clean up crew"!
NEW: Digital X-Rays (use less radiation)
Implants •Teeth Whitening • Extractions
Lumineers (no prep veneers as seen on TV)
541-517-7362
Cottage Grove Dental
Paul Henrichs ~ Independent Agent
coverage4oregon@gmail.com
7A
541.942.9580
Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS
350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies)
541.942.7934
1133 E. Main Street, Cottage Grove
www.curves.com
W orship D irectory
DRAIN:
Gateway Family Fellowship
Church of the Nazarene
337 “C” St. Drain, OR
Sunday School 9:30am
Worship 10:45am
Living Hope Free Lunch
Wed. at 12:30pm
541-836-7051 www.drainnaz.org
HOPE U.M.C.
131 W “A” St. Drain, OR
541-315-1617
Pastor: Lura Kidner-Miesen
Fellowship & Song: 11:30am
Potluck Lunch: 12:00pm
Worship: 12:30pm
COTTAGE GROVE:
6th & Gibbs Church of Christ
195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822
Pastor: Aaron Earlywine
Youth & Families Pastor: Seth Bailey
Services: 9am and 10:30am
Christian Education
Nursery for pre-k - 3rd Grade
www.6thandgibbs.com
Calvary Baptist Church
77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290
Pastor: Riley Hendricks
Sunday School: 9:45am
Worship: 11:00am
The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm
Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm
Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove
1447 Hwy 99 (Village Plaza)
541-942-6842
Pastor: Jeff Smith
Two Services on Sun: 9am & 10:45am
Youth Group Bible Study
Child Care 10:45am Service Only
www.cgcalvary.org
Center for Spiritual Living
Cottage Grove
700 Gibbs Ave. (Community Center)
Rev. Bobby Lee
Meets Sunday 3:00 p.m.
cslcottagegrove@gmail.com
First Presbyterian Church
3rd and Adams St • 541-942-4479
Pastor: Karen Hill
Worship: 10:00am
Sunday School: 10:00am
www.cgpresbynews.com
Church of Christ
420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565
Sunday Service: 10:30am
Hope Fellowship
United Pentecostal Church
100 S. Gateway Blvd. • 541-942-2061
Pastor: Dave Bragg
Worship: 11:00am Sunday
Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday
www.hopefellowshipupc.com
“FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE”
Cottage Grove Bible Church
1200 East Quincy Avenue
541-942-4771
Pastor:Bob Singer
Worship 11am
Sunday School:9:45am
AWANA age 3-8th Grade,
Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm
www.cgbible.org
Cottage Grove Faith Center
33761 Row River Rd. • 541-942-4851
Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett
www.cg4.tv
Full Childrenʼs Ministry available
Two Services 9am & 11am
Covered Bridge Nazarene Church
152 S. M St.
541-942-4422
Pastor: Cindy Slaymaker
Sunday School: 9:30am
Worship 10:30am
Delight Valley
Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Rd. East
541-942-7711
Pastor: Bob Friend
Two Services:
9am - Classic in the Chapel
10:30am - Contemporary in the
Auditorium
Living Faith Assembly
467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612
Pastor Rulon Combs
Worship & Childrenʼs
Church 10:00 am
Youth 180 Mondays 5:30-8pm
Non-Denominational
Church of Christ
1041 Pennoyer Ave * 541-942-8928
Preacher: Tony Martin
Sunday Bible Study:10:00am
Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm
www.pennoyeravecoc.com
Old Time Gospel Fellowship
103 S. 5th St. • 541-942-4999
Pastor: Jim Edwards
Sunday Service: 10:00am
Join us in Traditional
Christian Worship
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
and St. Philip Benizi
Catholic Churches
1025 N. 19th St.
541-942-3420 / 541-942-4712
Pastor: Roy L. Antunez, S.J.
Euch. Liturgies; Sat. 5:30pm
Sun. 10:30am
St. Philip Benizi, Creswell:
552 Holbrock Lane • 541-895-8686
Sunday: 8:30am
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050
Rev. Lawrence Crumb
“Church with the fl ags.”
Worship: Sunday 10:30am
All Welcome
Seventh-day Adventist Church
820 South 10th Street
541-942-5213
Pastor: Kevin Miller
Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am
Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40 am
Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00 pm
Trinity Lutheran Church
6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373
Pastor: James L. Markus
Sunday School & Adult Education 9:15am
Sunday Worship 10:30 am
Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur
5:00pm TLC Groups
tlccg.com
United Methodist Church
334 Washington • 541-942-3033
Pastor:Lura Kidner-Miesen
Worship: 10:30am
Comm. Dinner (Adults $5, Kids Free)
2nd & 3rd Monday 5-6:00pm
cottagegroveumc.org
“VICTORY” Country Church
913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913
Pastor: Barbara Dockery
Worship Service: 10:00am
Message:
11:00am
“WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES”
Our Worship
Directory is a
weekly feature in
the newspaper.
If your congregation
would like to
be a part of this
directory, please
contact the
Cottage Grove
Sentinel
at 541-942-3325.