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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2019)
5A • COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • MARCH 27, 2019 Betty Kaiser’s Chatter Box: Pet tips ‘N’ tales Wrapping up ‘Snowpocalypse’ 2019 Betty Kaiser T he snow may have melted, and the power restored to everyone, but everywhere I go, people are telling their snow storm stories. Mother Nature real- ly outdid herself last month and when she goes wild, the results are good, bad and ugly. Let’s start with the good. It snowed! In the beginning, snow is beautiful. We ooh and ahh as the miracle white stuff coats everything. Snow is ben- efi cial. and Planet Earth needs it to regulate the temperature of its surface. When it melts, the water helps fi ll our rivers and reservoirs. A couple of years ago it didn’t snow, and we lost dozens of trees on our property. Snow is good. Th e bad? It snowed! And it kept snowing. Few of us were prepared for a heavy, wet snow to blanket everything. In taking down our power lines, it shut off our heaters and heated up our refrigera- tion. Th e snow plows opened up our main roads but closed off driveway entrances to and from our properties with three-foot-tall berms. We were totally isolated on our property. Sun. Feb. 25, we were snow- bound by late aft ernoon. No electricity in an all-electric house means no heat, water, refrigeration, fl ushing toilets, cooking facilities, lights, in- ternet, cell or land phones. Monday, we woke up to crash- ing trees, 15” of wet snow on rooft ops and ground. We turned on the generator in- termittently to use the water, stovetop or microwave but we were very low on fuel and us- ing it sparingly. Th en the Jeep got stuck in the snow trying to get out of the garage. Th e next 10 days I put in the ugly category. Th ank good- ness for a wood stove, a gen- erator and angels of mercy. Monday morning, we put on our boots and trudged out to the gate in about ¼ mile of deep snow. It doesn’t sound like much until you walk it several times in freezing weather. Th e gate was frozen shut. We needed gas for the generator, but no cars were traveling our roads, and nei- ther were pedestrians. Our ATT cell phones neither re- ceived nor sent. It’s scary to be out of contact with everyone. Chuck is still recovering from two heart surgeries and we needed help. But where would it come from? Miracu- lously, prayers were answered and miracles happened. Tues- day, our next-door neighbor, Aaron, jumped the fence and forged a path across the acres of deep snow. (He had power lines down across his driveway.) He daily stacked our fi rewood, shoveled snow, and was our contact with the outside world. His wife, Tan- Celebrate Sassy’s 15th 13th birthday at the This 'n That store, 33 N. 8th St. Cake will be served Fri, March 29 Sat., March 30 In lieu of gifts, you are welcome to donate pet food. 6 -day weather forecast THURSDAY FRIDAY 58° | 42° 61° | 39° Rain Rain SATURDAY SUNDAY 64° | 43° 62° | 46° Partly Cloudy Rain MONDAY TUESDAY 58° | 46° 57° | 42° Rain Rain ya (home with a toddler and baby) was able to contact our worried out-of-state family. Amazing! Originally, we only had enough gas to minimally work our generator for one day. It consumes about 5 gal- lons a day. Every day someone supplied the basics we need- ed. Many thanks to Steve who lives nearby, neighbors Clint and Donna, friends Sella and Morrie in C.G. for bringing us gas, groceries and more. All were answers to prayer. Still, we couldn’t leave the property. And then the Ma- rines landed! Clint and his monster truck knocked down an opening to the road and fl attened our icy driveway. We were fi nally able to leave our property on Friday, March 1, but didn’t have power until 6 p.m. Wed. Mar. 6. You can be sure that the busy EPUD and Tillamook Electric crews were a welcome sight as they strung wire and installed new poles for three days. I don’t know who was happiest to have heat again — us or our dogs Sweetie and Sammy. Th ank you! Now, a word about on-go- ing electrical problems. Th is was not our fi rst rodeo. At C.G. Lake, Dorena and other outlying areas, we have fre- quent power interruptions. We understand that we live in heavily wooded, rural areas. Transformers blow up and trees come down on the lines. But in 30 years, as the pop- ulation has grown, we have seen little progress or changes to stop our long-term electric outages. We have new meters to calculate usage and dedicat- ed workers when something happens. But we also need communication and preven- tative action. Oregon’s electric companies tell us that under- ground lines are too expen- sive. Isn’t it expensive to keep replacing lines and equipment and pay over-time? And what about the home- owners? It’s more expensive to not have electricity than it is to have it. Most households in our area do not have gener- ators. Th ey huddle in front of fi replaces and cook on camp stoves. Others spend hundreds of dollars on gas for small gen- erators. Some stay in hotels at reduced rates worrying about pets and property. Th e system needs to be upgraded to the 21st century. One fi nal good thought. In spite of the inconvenience and frustration, we have much to be grateful for. One only has to read the news about droughts, famines, fl oods, wars and destruction in oth- er areas of our country and world to know that we get off pretty easy here. So, I’m sure you will join me in counting our blessings and praying that another snowpo- calypse doesn’t visit us again any time soon! Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chat- terbox at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bettykaiser.com Indoor succulents, cacti topics of Garden Club meeting Tuesday Walk into any store lately and you will likely see a small display of succulents and cacti growing in tiny 2-inch pots; nurseries and specialty shops will likely have even more. Th e variety of whimsical shapes and sizes can make selecting just one a chal- lenge. Succulents and cacti are at- tractive to a wide variety of gardeners, from “newbies” who want to try growing for the fi rst time to experienced gardeners who are looking for new ways to add plants to their homes. But once a tiny treasure has been purchased, what is the best way to keep it healthy? Marcia Peeters from Pierce Street Gardens in Eugene will be joining Cottage Grove Garden Club on Tuesday, April 2, to talk about getting the best out of in- door succulents and cacti. Peeters will discuss the dif- ferences between cacti and suc- culents, the basics for growing healthy plants year-round in- cluding heat and light require- ments, and how much to water and when. She’ll also explain how to choose the best pots, what type of soil to use and best practices for combining several plants in a single pot. Peeters will also bring a variety of suc- culents and cacti that can be purchased aft er her talk. Her presentation “Getting the Best out of Indoor Succulents and Cacti” will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 S. Th ird St. Th e Garden Club’s business meeting begins at 6 p.m. with Peeters beginning at 7 p.m. Guests and visitors wel- come. Transmissions Plus & AUTOMOTIVE SPECIALTIES PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SERVICE SINCE 1991 Manual & Automatic Transmission Repair Tune ups 30-60-90K Services Brakes, belts, hoses and cooling system services Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust All makes and models. MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE AFFORDABLY 1 in 4 employees are ill prepared for emergency. PayneWest can develop your business’ emergency plan. Call today (541) 942-0555. PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN “WE MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN!” www.automotivespecialties.biz DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS 541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” Boodi’s Little Brother Carol was paw-plexed when a feral cat joined her dog, Boodi, in their nightly walk, in Israel! A s promised, Carol and I had another cat-chat from Israel! She Skyped to share how a feral cat she feeds “Adopted me.” However, it was really her dog, Boo- di, featured in the earlier Tips ‘n’ Tales article, “Th e Peace Maker,” that the cat fell in love with fi rst. I mean, who doesn’t fall for a handsome hero?!? Out of the fi ve feral cats in her neighborhood, for some reason, Boodi immediately treated one, Hamoodi, (which means “cute”) like family. “Seeing these two animals together fi lls my heart with love,” said Carol. “Living in Israel, nine miles from the Lebanese border, makes me wonder why people can’t get along. If this cat and dog can bridge their diff erences and love each other, why can’t neighbors?” Carol left for a two-week trip and guess who was waiting for her on her return? A neighbor had fed the cats in her absence, and as soon as Hamoodi saw her he ran to her. “Th e cat is always around when I am outside,” said Carol, “But yesterday he did the most surprising thing! He joined Boodi and I on our evening walk! It was funny seeing the two of them walking side by side. Th en, this morning, he did it again! Th is cat warms my heart and puts me in a good mood for hours. He truly makes my day and the best part is that he feels like family.” Th e dog park is a three-minute walk from their home. Hamoodi has adjusted his schedule to walk with them ev- ery day. Going to the dog park is dangerous. Th e trio traverses down the main road through town, then has to cross the town’s busy Main Street. Hamoodi is a survivor and wisely afraid of vehicles, but this did not stop him from following his newly adopted family. “Th e fi rst time the cat followed us, at the park he ran un- der a bush and hid,” said Carol. “I was concerned about the cars and arriving dogs and realized how intelligent the cat was. Th en, one and a half hours later, when Boodi and I left the park, the cat was nowhere to be seen. Just as we crossed the busy road, all of a sudden, he was walking next to me. At fi rst, I was so upset when he walked with us, but I could not prevent him from joining us. He was feral. I couldn’t catch him or put him in the house. He may be good with traffi c, but oddly he is not so clever with sprinklers! When I let him inside, he comes in wet from them. “We have Russian, Arabic and Jewish neighbors,” added Carol. “At the dog park their dogs only speak the language of their family. So Boodi and I are teaching Hamoodi He- brew as his second language — his fi rst, of course, is ‘Me- owish.’” Carol explained how, when she sits on her patio, Hamoo- di now jumps up onto her lap for attention. He must be a purr-fessor cat wanting to teach that everyone wants to be part of a family and have someone to love them and be loved by them. “Boodi and I agree,” Carol said. Tips: How does Carol handle all the pet fur on her fl oor? “I use a robotic vacuum and love it! Also, Boodi is terrifi ed of thunder and he’s found relief with HomeoPet’s Anxiety TFLN Relief Remedy. Note: Carol is having a group come to trap, neuter, spay and release the feral cats, so that next year her patio does not explode into 40 cute homeless cats. Wise choice! Facts from the Humane Society of the United States: • Each year 6-8 million cats and dogs enter shelters. • Th ree million were euthanized and approximately 2.4 mil- lion (80 percent) were healthy and adoptable — but weren’t. • Purebreds in shelters: 25 percent Th ese are the facts, so neuter and spay your pets. Don’t add to society’s pet burden or another animal’s death. Even if you can fi nd a home for your pet’s babies, that means ani- mals in shelters are killed who could have used those home. Share your fun, amazing or crazing pet tips and tales at angelscribe@msn.com or Follow Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Face- book at www.facebook.com/PetTipsandTales. Adopt loving pets online at www.PetFinder.com. For spay or neutering, call the Humane Society at 541-942-2789.
