Cottage Grove Sentinel
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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