Cottage Grove Sentinel
Community
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THURSDAY | DECEMBER 24, 2020
Betty Kaiser: Chatterbox
Pet Tips
‘n’ Tales
Santa and his Helper
Betty Kaiser
(Dear Readers, For the
last 20 years, it has been
my tradition to share an
old-fashioned holiday
story in this column.
This year’s story is a
repeat from an anon-
ymous reader in 2009.
The premise is simple:
we’re never too young
(or too old) to practice a
random act of kindness.
The setting is small town
America, about 1950.
Our narrator is an eight-
year-old youngster.
He begins …)
I
was just a kid when
I had my Christmas
adventure with Grand-
ma. I remember tearing
across town on my bike
to visit her one Decem-
ber day. Before I left, my
big sister had dropped
the bomb: “There is no
Santa Claus,” she jeered.
“Even dummies know
that!”
I immediately fled to
my grandmother be-
cause I knew she would
be straight with me.
Grandma was not the
gushy kind, never had
been. She always told the
truth and I knew that the
truth always went down
a whole lot easier when
swallowed with one of
her “world-famous”
cinnamon buns. (I knew
they were world-famous
because she said so.)
Grandma was home
and the buns were still
warm. Between bites, I
told her everything. She
was ready for me.
“No Santa Claus?” she
snorted. “Ridiculous!
Don’t you believe it!
That rumor has been
going around for years
and it makes me mad;
just plain mad!
“Now, put on your
coat and let’s go.”
“Go? Go where,
Grandma?” I asked. I
hadn’t even finished the
last of her world-famous
cinnamon buns.
‘Where’ turned out to
be Kerby’s General Store,
the one store in town
that had a little bit of ev-
erything. As we walked
through the store’s door,
Grandma handed me
$10.
That was a bundle in
have a coat. I knew that
because he never went
out to recess during the
winter. His mother al-
ways wrote a note telling
the teacher that he had a
cough.
All of us kids knew
that Bobby Decker didn’t
have a cough; he didn’t
have a good coat!
I fingered the $10 with
growing excitement.
I would buy Bobby
Decker a coat! I settled
got out of the car. She
and I crept noiselessly
and hid in the bushes by
his front walk. Then she
gave me a nudge. “All
right, Santa Claus,” she
whispered, “get going.”
I took a deep breath,
dashed for his front
door, threw the pres-
ent down on his step,
pounded his door and
flew back to the safety of
the bushes and Grand-
ma.
for The Sentinel
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
• As the year comes to
an end, I want to remind
everyone again to please
be mindful of the weath-
er and slow down. There
have been far too many
accidents lately, people
cutting corners and driv-
Found a Peanut
“No Santa Claus?”
Grandma snorted.
“Ridiculous! Don’t you believe it!”
those days.
“Take this money,” she
said, “and buy some-
thing for someone who
needs it. I’ll wait for you
in the car.”
Then she turned and
walked out of Kerby’s.
I was only eight years
old. I’d often gone
shopping with my
mother but I had never
shopped for anything all
by myself. The store was
big and crowded, full
of people scrambling to
finish their Christmas
shopping.
For a few moments, I
just stood there, con-
fused, clutching that $10
bill, wondering what to
buy and who on Earth to
buy it for.
I thought of everybody
I knew: my family, my
friends, my neighbors,
the kids at school, and
the people who went to
my church.
I was just about
thought out when I
suddenly remembered
Bobby Decker. He was
a kid with bad breath
and messy hair and he
sat right behind me in
Mrs. Pollock’s grade-two
class.
Bobby Decker didn’t
on a red corduroy one
that had a hood to it. It
looked real warm; he
would like that.
“Is this a Christmas
present for someone?”
the lady behind the
counter asked kindly as I
laid my $10 down.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied
shyly. “It’s for Bobby.”
The nice lady smiled
at me as I told her about
how Bobby really need-
ed a good winter coat. I
didn’t get any change but
she put the coat in a bag,
smiled again and wished
me a “Merry Christmas.”
That evening when
Grandma helped me
wrap the coat, a little
tag fell out and she
tucked it in her Bible.
We wrapped the coat up
real pretty with paper
and ribbons and wrote
“To Bobby, from Santa
Claus,” on a gift tag.
Grandma said that
Santa always insisted on
secrecy. Then she drove
me over to Bobby Deck-
er’s house. She explained
as we went, that I was
now and forever official-
ly one of Santa’s helpers.
Grandma parked
down the street from
Bobby’s house and we
Together we waited
breathlessly in the dark-
ness Finally, the door
opened and there stood
Bobby.
Fifty years haven’t
dimmed the thrill of
those moments spent
beside my Grandma,
shivering in Bobby
Decker’s bushes deliver-
ing his gift.
That night, I realized
that those awful rumors
about Santa Claus were
just what Grandma said
they were — ridiculous!
Santa was alive and well.
We were on his team.
And to prove it, I still
have Grandma’s Bible
with the coat tag tucked
inside:
$19.95...
• Lorane Grange has
no activities or meetings
until January, if things
get better. Any Granger
with community service
needs to get it turned in
by the end of December.
• Lorane Communi-
ty Association reported
a very successful time
gathering for the Christ-
mas boxes for communi-
ty needing a little help.
They were able to help
19 families and 41 kids in
Lorane and Crow to have
a better Christmas.
• Once again, wishing
everyone a very Merry
Christmas. However you
are able to celebrate, be
thankful and enjoy each
minute — even if your
gathering is small.
Well, that’s it for this
year, folks. As we pray
for peace on earth and
good health around the
world, let’s also be alert
if we see someone who
needs a Santa’s helper.
It might be us — what-
ever your age may be.
Merry Christmas and
God Bless you all!
Contact Betty Kaiser’s
Chatterbox at 942-1317 or
email bchatty@bettykaiser.
com
LORANE COUNTRY NEWS
Contributed by
Lil Thompson
By Mary Ellen
“Angel Scribe”
ing way too fast.
Let’s take the season
to think of others on the
road.
• Staff and students
are out for the next sev-
eral weeks. They can re-
lax and enjoy family at
home. As the Crow High
School principal said, ev-
eryone has worked hard
and deserves a break.
City offering temporary service options through Jan. 4
The City of Cottage Grove is
responding to the OHA restric-
tions in the following ways until
Monday, Jan 4.
• City buildings are closed to all
public access; Middlefield Pro
Shop will have limited capacity.
• For Planning, Zoning &
Building information, call 541-
942-3340 for assistance.
• For Water or Sewer Service,
Utility Bills & Finance, call 541-
942-3346 for assistance.
• For City Manager/City Clerk
or City Council matters, call 541-
942-5501.
• For the library, call 541-942-
3828 or email holds@cottage
grove.org for curbside pick-up of
library materials.
Access the library card catalog
online at www.cottagegrove.org/
library.
No computer access allowed.
Homebound delivery service is
available also.
• Meetings: All guests must
attend virtually with meeting link
information at www.cottage
grove.org
• City staff: Some will work
from home to reduce risk of
exposure and only one City
employee in City-owned vehicles.
Speak your peace. Write a Letter to the Editor today.
Email Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com
Christmas miracles do happen! Peanut’s amazing
rescue reunites her with her best friend, Teeger, and
mother, Rossi, making it the second time she’s been
rescued. Who says that only cats have nine lives?
T
he children’s song “Found a Peanut” fueled
Rossi to search for her lost 10-year-old dog,
Peanut —a sad-eyed Dachshund mix recently res-
cued from “death row.” Three weeks earlier, what
started off as a routine walk turned into a night-
mare for her and her new family.
The temperature was 25-degrees when Rossi’s fa-
ther took Peanut and her dog-brother, Teeger, out
for their walk. At the bark park, when he let the
dogs off leash, Peanut bolted across the park, over a
four-lane road and up the mountainside.
Her father phoned and told Rossi the upsetting
news, so she left work and searched until midnight.
Overnight, it snowed six inches. Poor Peanut, an
emotionally shattered, skittish, small, short-haired
Californian rescue was lost in the worst of condi-
tions for survival.
“LOST” flyers went up and family and friends
donned winter clothes, boots and gloves. They
searched everyday — missing work, meals and
sleep.
On day five, at 10 p.m., a woman phoned saying
she had seen their posters and just saw Peanut run-
ning.
“The sighting gave us hope,” said Rossi. “Peanut
was surviving one of our coldest winters on record.”
The search team headed over and searched hours
before calling it quits.
The next morning, it snowed again, leaving them
hopeful because the snow would mark Peanut’s paw
prints. But they only saw the threats of raccoon and
coyote prints.
“It was so cold,” said Rossi. “We would search, go
home, make tea, warm up, dry our coats and head
back out.”
The next day, they purchased brighter flashlights,
warmer snow boots, base layers and thicker gloves
to withstand the cold.
Meanwhile, poor Teeger had become depressed
and stopped eating and playing with his toys.
On day eight, there was a second Peanut sighting
at 10 p.m. She was traveling towards Rossi’s father’s
home, only four blocks away, but had the four-lane
road blocking her path.
“We placed her bed and some of my clothes in
the locations where she was seen,” said Rossi. “We
folded the clothes and checked to see if she had
made a bed. Each night we set up a new area with
hot chicken and a kennel. Nothing! The police also
kept a lookout for Peanut.”
Everyone was losing hope for the tiny dog’s sur-
vival.
Then I (Ellen) had a dream that Peanut looked
me directly in the face. I phoned Rossi in the morn-
ing and said, “I think Peanut is alive!” When I told
her where I lived, Rossi said Peanut was spotted on
my street that same night.
“I tried to keep my game face on,” said Rossi, “but
I lost 10 pounds in tears. Peanut is all I thought
about. People kept saying, ‘Don’t give up, Christ-
mas miracles do happen.’”
On day 18, Rossi’s phone rang. “My heart flut-
tered” said Rossi. “I just knew this person had good
news.”
And she did.
The caller discovered a small-shivering scared
dog hiding in her back yard. She carried Peanut in-
side for warmth and phoned declaring, “I found a
Peanut!”
“It was three days before Christmas,” said Rossi.
“Our shattered family was back in one piece. Teeger
See PEANUT 2B