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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2020)
Cottage Grove Sentinel Community B1 THURSDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2020 Betty Kaiser: Chatterbox Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales While not perfect, our election system works if we vote Betty Kaiser Greetings, fellow vot- ers! Four years have gone by since our last presi- dential election and it’s time to vote again. To say the least, this year of a deadly pandemic and politics has been over- whelmingly exhausting. I will be so glad when both of them are over. Since the office of pres- ident in the United States was established in 1789, some 45 men have served as president. The first, George Washington, won a unanimous vote of the Electoral College — a feat that has not hap- pened since. The other day I sat down and read the pres- idential list, beginning with Washington and ending with Trump. What an interesting and diverse group of 45 indi- viduals have served in the same governing position. I was 21 years old when I cast my first presiden- tial vote in 1960. I grew up in a politically divided family and discussions were heated. I vividly re- member watching con- ventions on television with my grandfather. So, I registered as a Republican because my mother’s family were dogmatic Republicans. Dad was an equal- ly dogmatic Democrat from Missouri like Harry S. Truman. He and ‘his’ president were both “The buck stops here” kind of men. However, dad later voted for — praised and supported — Ronald Reagan. Along the voting path, I became an Indepen- dent voter. I vote for the person that I feel is most qualified, honest, has the country’s best interests at heart and is experienced enough to run the coun- try. I am still a registered Republican, but misguid- ed party lines or candi- dates don’t buy my vote. Since my first vote, no two elections have been alike. Some results I agreed with. Others I didn’t. What I do agree with is the system. It’s the only way to make your voice heard and it mostly works. One of my voting ad- ventures was after Chuck and I moved our little family of five to Ventu- ra, Calif., in 1964. At that time polling places were sometimes held in homes on the outskirts of town. I volunteered our ga- rage. A couple of other neighbors and I went to training classes and on election day we opened the garage door at 8 a.m. and worked steadily un- til the “polls” closed at 8 p.m. Then we counted the votes! After we moved to Or- egon in 1989, I remem- ber voting at the Cot- tage Grove Grange until vote-by-mail began in 2005. Yea! As far as I’m concerned, that was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I think most Oregonians agree. Hopefully, the rest of the country will get on the band wagon soon. Ballots have been mailed for next month’s election and it won’t be long until we know which candidates have won. Who will win? Who knows? Let’s be honest, as we rush to the finish line, it’s been a nasty campaign trail, complicated by the horrible COVID virus and more. Historically (minus a pandemic), this is not unusual. Almost anyone can run for President and say what they want to. Running for the highest office in the land has few qualifications. If I read the Constitu- tion correctly, even you and I could run for pres- ident. It says: “No person except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Consti- tution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have at- tained to the age of 35 years, and been 14 years a resident within the Unit- ed States.” Term limits were add- ed later. The result has been a mixed bag of outstand- ing, good, bad and me- diocre presidents. I read somewhere that four years in the Oval Office is a bit of a fruit salad of domestic, foreign, politi- cal and personal activity. You must be prepared because you never know what will be in the bowl. The following names are often listed as the top 10 rated (or great- est) presidents. Most of the lists I saw based their decisions on leadership qualities; closely followed by education, morals, lawfulness. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln of- ten vie for the first spot. Sometimes (but not al- ways!) they are listed in this order: • Abraham Lincoln • Franklin D. Roosevelt • George Washington • Theodore Roosevelt • Thomas Jefferson • Harry S. Truman • Woodrow Wilson • Dwight D. Eisenhow- er • Ronald Reagan There are also lists of what are called “forgotten presidents.” These presi- dents usually served ear- ly on for only one term and/or died in office. They are rated as aver- age or poor by scholars suggesting that people are more likely to re- member “the greats.” In no particular order they are: • Millard Fillmore • Franklin Pierce • Warren G. Harding • Chester A. Arthur • Rutherford B. Hayes • James Buchanan • Martin Van Buren • Zachary Taylor • James Garfield • William McKinley Soon we will know who has inherited the #46 fruit bowl. So, agree with the system and VOTE! P.S. Still unsure who to vote for? Check out some online quizzes like: www.newsweek.com/ who-should-you-vote- 2020-presidential-elec- tion-this-quiz-will-tell- you-1491318 Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bet- tykaiser.com Halloween ‘Howl’ car cruise in The Grove Oct. 31 The Chamber of Com- merce, Downtown Cottage Grove and the City will be holding the Halloween Howl Cruise on Saturday, Oct. 31 from 3 to 5 p.m. on Main Street from River Road to Seventh Street. The cruise will be a drive-thru Halloween Trick or Treat event providing safe activity in regard to COVID-19. Trick or treaters will re- main in their vehicles. Ve- hicles will line up on South River Road and then drive through Main Street and receive treats from partici- pating businesses or orga- nizations. The treats will be pack- aged and presented to the children as they pass by on Main Street. Organizers are encourag- ing people to drive through and not walk through the event as pedestrians will not receive candy. Cloth face masks are highly recommended, but not required when driving through the event. Participants may also dress up and send a picture to the ‘CG Candy Gram’ Facebook page to partici- pate in the costume contest. LORANE COUNTRY NEWS Contributed by Lil Thompson for The Sentinel TOGETHER, WE Rotary believes healthy communities are strong communities. That’s one reason we’ve worked tirelessly to help immunize 2.5 billion children against polio. Bringing the world closer to eradicating a deadly disease — that’s what people of action do. Learn more at Rotary.org. World Polio Day October 24, 2020 Rotary of Club of Cottage Grove • Lorane Christian Church will contiue their in-church service outside in cars on 89.1 until we’re in a much safer phase. Inside, masks are be- ing worn and everyone is practicing proper dis- tancing. • The annual trunk ‘n’ treat in the Lorane Christian Church park- ing lot is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 to 7 p.m. Everyone will be wear- ing masks and keeping distancing even though they’re outside. All are asked to put their candy in a sealed baggies for the kids to take one or possibly wear gloves to hand them out. The idea is to make sure all our kids have a fun, safe evening. • The traffic lights are up on Stoney Point, narrowing to one lane, just south of Shaffer’s house to the top of the hill. Please be patient as the lights appear slow to allow cars in each direc- tion to safely and slowly go through. Let us all slow down as there are many signs in- dicating what to do. • Lorane Grange meets next on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m., observ- ing all guidelines with masks and distancing. Still no dinner and bingo evenings, but searching ways for safe fundraisers. By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” ‘Diesel’ Runs the Family Terri and her daughters Abby, Ava and elderly Labra- dor, Reilly, are used to “Diesel” running the show. (This column was first published Oct. 24, 2018) “O ur family’s six-year-old Labrador, Diesel, ap- pears to have consumed a magic pill as a puppy to expand into his over-sized height and 110-pound weight,” laughs Terri. “We joke that his puppy chow must have been named, ‘Miracle Grow.’ His massive body and tail are weapons of household destruction. He is table height and can clear any table with one wiggle or swish of a tail. Our daughters, Abby and Ava, love playing with their furry brother who is a combination of joy and rambunctious that makes us smile every day.” Labs love water, but Diesel steps it up a notch; he is passionate about fishing with his Daddy, Jereme. As soon as the dog sees a fishing pole he can’t contain his joy. It is a win/win for Diesel because car rides and hik- ing are his other favorite things. When asked, “What do you want to do?” his bark response sounds like, “Go!” When he catches his family snacking, he lets them know that he wants to “share” by sitting directly in front of them, all the while his front paws do a little jig dance. Diesel is not the family’s only pet but the craziest, caus- ing them to laugh hysterically as he does “zoomies” around the house for no reason. “He’s a big lovable, wiggly, goofball who thinks he be- longs wherever we are,” said Terri. “He squeezes himself on our bed along with our two cats. As mellow as he is, he is also protective. When my husband is out of town, Diesel sleeps with his head on dad’s pillow positioning himself so he can see into our daughters’ room.” As much as Diesel loves car rides, he is forbidden to go with his older dog brother, Reilly, to the vet clinic. “Diesel is too protective. He won’t let the veterinarian examine his elderly brother. He winds himself around Reilly so the vet can’t get close,” said Terri. “Our two dogs and two cats have taught our children compassion and about the unconditional love that only comes from pets.” Three years ago, the family lost its 11-year-old dog, Maggie. Terri said Maggie’s passing taught the girls about death and the important place that dogs hold in a family. “We all mourned, even Diesel,” Terri said. When the family lived in Georgia, both Diesel and Reilly were bitten by copperhead snakes. Reilly was bit- ten in the back leg, Diesel in the face — which tells you a lot about their personalities. Right after it happened, Terri thought Diesel had a tennis ball in his mouth. Then she saw that he was swollen. “He is such a big-love bug, that I bet his feelings were hurt that something would bite him,” said Terri. “We rushed him to the vet and he did great.” In the spirit of optimism, Terri had to rename her dog and cats’ massive shedding to “magical fibers of joy and love.” “Our four fur babies have taught us unconditional love, acceptance, to hold our heads high, be confident, and ask for what we need,” said Terri. “Their ‘presents’ gift our family with comfort, laughter and pure joy. We wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. Also, our UPS driver finally admitted, ‘Your dog smiles at me!’” TIPS: The Furminator brush is a helpful tool to pet house- holds because it catches 80 percent of the fur before it hits the floor and breeds into dust bunnies. The Humane Society of Cottage Grove says, “Stop putting dogs in truck beds. 100,000 dogs die each year from jumping or bouncing out of moving vehicles. They are a danger for vehicles driving behind them as they land on them from this unsafe method of trans- porting.” “I love my cats because I love my home, and little by little they become its visible soul.” —Jean Couteau Write us about your fun pet at angelscribe@msn.com
