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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2017)
6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL NOVEMBER 22, 2017 of the m e n at our n e w church imme- diately took it upon them- selves to in- troduce our sons into the Oregon way of life—everything from deep sea fi shing to logging! I recently was reminded of one of those logging expeditions. Longtime logger Bill Swift got the boys up at 4 a.m. for that ad- venture! The stories Jeff and John told from that day parallel those in the book, “Bounteous Bless- ings,” by Francis A. Gillette, a resident of Yacolt, WA. In it, her daughter Cheri Mattson, pens a tribute to her father Sonny. It’s titled “An Honest Heritage— in memory of the American logger.” Here’s an excerpt: My dad’s dad was a logger. And like the miners, his sons followed. My dad said, “it was a tough oc- cupation. The old-time loggers were a different breed. Nothin’ stopped ‘em, not rain, cold, heat, wind. The only time we went home early was when the yarder or loader broke down. A lot of people got hurt, too. My oldest brother, George, died at 33…A couple of times, dad was injured and not expected to work again or even survive.” He neglects to talk much about his own brushes with death, other Betty Kaiser's Chatterbox A lways be thankful and con- tent with what you have Thanksgiving. is one of my favorite holidays. This wonder- ful day has been set aside for centuries to simply be thankful. In our country, the Pilgrims set the tone in 1621 in gratitude for their survival and a bountiful har- vest. They praised God and their American Indian neighbors who helped them survive. That tradi- tion continues to be an inspiration every November. Today, unlike the Pilgrims, most of us don’t worry about hav- ing a roof over our heads or where our next meal is coming from. We are a blessed nation. Unfortunate- ly, reading or watching the news is enough to suck the life out us and steal our joy. Sometimes we need to look for reasons to be grateful to counter-act the ugli- ness that seems to prevail in this day and age. Living in Oregon for the past three decades is one of my many blessings. As Californians, we were accepted whole-heartedly by our new friends and neighbors who couldn’t understand how we had ever lived and thrived in a big city with all that sunshine! Some than to say, “Always be thankful and try to be content with what you have. Many men worry a lifetime about retirement and never live long enough to reach it. Through life, I have found that the mind plays a very big part in making one able to survive.” Memories as far back as I can remember, revolve around a log- ger’s life. Dad would begin the day before dawn, meet his part- ner, climb into the ‘crummy’ and drive one way to work. At day- light they’d hit it hard, put in an honest day’s work and hope to make it home for supper. He’s come home covered with wood chips, even his pockets would be fi lled! We would run to see what treasures dad would have for us in his lunch pail…maybe a sog- gy crust of bread, a pinecone or an interesting rock. One time he ripped up his blue and white striped hickory shirt and wrapped it around some baby squirrels he had found…I’d sit next to him and lean into his shoulder draw- ing in the smell of his day… trees, old coffee, sawdust, fresh air, earth and sweat; greasy oil and gas from the power saw. The mundane cares of the world all seemed so trivial to my dad. He enjoyed being a cutter or faller for many of his logging year. “It’s very dangerous work but it’s exhilarating and reward- ing too,” he said. “We’d work in ‘sets’ and had to fall the tim- ber safely, yet in order. Each tree had its own place to fall. The real test was cutting on steep ground! ‘Timberrr! (A cry goes up by law!) The tree starts to creak and groan…. First in slow motion, then picking up horrifi c speed. WHOOSH! Down and with an earth-trembling WUMP! All is silent. The tree is down.” Once on the ground the trees would be ‘bucked’ (cut to size), loaded, branded and sent down the road to the mill—headed for poles, pulp or lumber. Wheth- er producing paper products or homes, the tree truly serves count- less benefi cial purpose. One large tree can provide enough lumber to frame a whole house! Once an area is logged, the land is then scarifi ed, where the brush and debris are burned. Then, even more quickly than it was harvest- ed, the area is re=planted with seedlings for the next generation. Dad says, “I have planted thou- sands of trees. Far more than I could ever cut in my lifetime.” Loggers! They’re driven by their love of honest hard work, their respect for God’s creation, its gifts— and the thrill of helping re-build a beautiful forest for the next pioneer.” I love this story. It’s another reason to be grateful for the di- versity of our hardworking com- munities and the awareness that “it takes a village to survive” just as it did with the Pilgrims. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatter- box at bchatty@bettykaiser.com Thanksgiving activites in CG Looking for things to do over the four-day holiday weekend or a Thanksgiving Day table to sit at? The Trin- ity Lutheran Church on 6th and Quincy is hosting a free Thanksgiving Day dinner on Thursday. The full course meal is served on-site only except for local shut-ins; they will be provided with a delivery service. Pre-orders can be made through today (Wednesday) by calling (541) 942- 2373. The meal begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Breakfast is being held from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 23 at the Church of Christ, 6th and Gibbs. The fall bird walk will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Interested residents are asked to meet at S. R. St. in the high school parking lot. Grace Fowler-Gore will be leading the walk on both paved and unpaved surfaces. To RSVP, call (541) 767-9717. Saturday is also small business Saturday in response to Black Friday. Local small business may have specials on items for the holidays. For residents who are ready to put up the Christmas tree soon after the turkey is gone, Christmas at Village Green is happening Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. South Lane Mental Health Continued from A1 Rolnick, community and relations de- velopment director for South Lane Mental Health says is unique. Every patient is paired with a team of mental health professionals, certifi ed coun- selors and peer supporters who are compa- rable to Alcoholics Anonymous sponsors. “They’re just people who have lived that experience and have gone through treat- ment and understand the barriers to that. They know what it’s like to face obstacles,” Serrano said. After a 90-minute intake session, individ- uals in the program start to face those obsta- cles but are guided through the program by Serrano and staff. At the rented building on 5th. St., there’s a lobby with fresh coffee, breakfast foods and a fi replace. In the summer, it acted as a cooling station. This winter, it will most likely serve as the opposite. People experi- encing homelessness are welcome to come in, Serrano said, but those seeking treatment will fi nd more than a cup of coffee. A donated pool table sits just beyond the coffee corner. Bistro tables dot the room and a foosball table is disguised as a coffee ta- ble. The lobby gives way to a music room that houses guitars bought with grant fund- ing, drums that Serrano said are popular for anger management, and amps brought in my South Lane Mental Health staff. The curtains in this room close, to give people privacy as they hold jam sessions or quietly strum through a rough patch. It’s part of the program’s approach. There are four other rooms, just like the “emotion- al” room that houses the guitars, and they revolve around the fi ve aspects of treatment. The spiritual room has an alter made by pa- tience and posters detailing the program’s spiritual foundation: love, hope, peace, joy and faith. A water fountain in the corner is meant to add a sense of calm. The physical room—or the gym—is just that. People work out there. They get stron- ger there. “It’s good for chronic pain,” Serrano said. “For people coming off opioids, there’s strength training to get their bodies ready.” A conference room just to the left of the entrance has been made to look like a professor’s offi ce. There, groups go through Ted Talks and work through the steps to recovery. All in an effort to provide a harm reduction-based treatment plan to return substance users to their lives. According to the Oregon Health Author- ity’s 2014 study on substance use, 4,182 people died from unintentional overdoses between 2000 and 2012. 15,230 were hos- pitalized during the same timeframe. The rooms and the team approach are the foundation of the substance use program but the essence of understanding and outreach is the backbone. Serrano says team mem- bers go out into the community and have worked with enrolled treatment seekers in their homes and out in the community. If someone is going through detox and is deal- ing with depression or exhaustion, the team takes up housekeeping chores with them. Trips to the grocery store, walks around town, the team reaches its patients where they are. “For them to set down the drug and pick up life,” Serrano said, “Life has to be bet- ter.” $5 off Haircut $10 off Color or Perm With Carmela Ells 541-942-4353 davesplacesalon.com 704 E. Whiteaker • Cottage Grove, OR 97424 INSTAGRAM: @davesplacesalon Off er Expires on 12-24-17 delicious NEW: Digital X-Rays (use less radiation) FAMILY DINING Implants •Teeth Whitening • Extractions Lumineers (no prep veneers as seen on TV) We’ll make you feel right at home with great food and friendly service! Daily Speicals 20% off for Active Military & Vets. Tuesday Night is Senior Night 4-8 pm. OPEN DAILY Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 6am-10pm Sun-Th ur 6am-10pm Fri & Sat. Cottage Grove Dental Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS 350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies) 541.942.7934 1590 Gateway Blvd. • Cottage Grove 541-942-7144 From Our Family to Yours… Happy Thanksgiving! We’re thankful for a successful year! We s ll have awesome buyers that we NEED LISTINGS for! If you’re thinking of selling, please call today for a free market analysis. 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