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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2018)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, December 26, 2018 FARMER’S FATE What does the mother say? By Brianna Walker For the Blue Mountain Eagle As a mom, do you ever feel like you repeat the same phrases every day? “Don’t touch that.” Too late, great globs of grease squished through their little fi ngers as they play in black goo blobbing from the grease Zerk. You may also holler this at them as they reach for an expensive-looking vase at someone’s house, or maybe just as they reach for your clean jeans with their grease-smeared fi ngers. “Don’t eat that!” This phrase is used all the time. We rely pretty heavily on the “10-second rule” at our house. OK, honestly it’s more like the “25-sec- ond rule.” Even so, there are still limits. Dirty food is one thing, but frosting with pine needles or ants? Or just handfuls of dirt? I feel I am constantly saying things like, “Don’t lick the sand. Don’t eat the rocks.” This phrase includes, but isn’t limited to, leaves, sticks, bugs, small toys, coins and their sibling’s dessert. “Pick up your toys.” You may as well make a record- ing of this and play it over an inter- com system every 30 minutes or so. It doesn’t matter if you are in the tractor, swather or their room. They will get out enough toys to cover the entire fl oor. Even with constant reminders, toys will be left out. The amount of toys is directly proportional to the chance that you will be walking barefoot — especially in the case of Legos. “Don’t hit!” This one covers a multitude of situations. Don’t hit your brother or the cat. Don’t throw balls, rocks, sticks or anything else toward the house — they’ll hit a window. Easy on the dirtbikes — you don’t want to hit the machinery com- ing off your jumps. Watch the rake behind the tractor; you don’t want to hit the fence. “Don’t climb up there!” If there is anything that can be climbed, I have faith that two lit- tle boys will fi nd it. Smiling faces wave happily over the edge of peaked haystacks — or from the tops of orchard ladders, little feet barely touching the top rung as they struggle to reach the next branch in the tree. When they can’t think of their own things to climb, my husband will put them on bales and raise them as high as the hay squeeze will reach. “No, no, no!” You remember the recording of “pick up your toys” suggested ear- lier? I think this is another well-de- served time for a recording. I try to say “yes” as often as I can, but “no” still comes out more than any other word. No, you can’t eat the cat’s food. No, you can’t bring the mouse in the house. No cake for breakfast. No lambs in your bed. No Muck boots for church. No, you can’t use the toilet brush to scrub your toy cars. No, the cat doesn’t want to take a bath with you. “Shhhh. Just listen...” This comment is practically worthless, but that doesn’t mean it gets said any less. It comes at times when there are loud discus- sions over the rules of a game, or when instructions need to be read, but everyone already “knows” the information. It often follows the phrase “no, no, no.” Usually with tears and “but Mommy,” upon which I try to clarify with “Shhhh, just listen ...” “You’re my favorite boys in the whole world.” This one is usually met with “I know,” and probably will have an eye-roll too when they get older. It’s often said at bedtime as they close their mischievous eyes and I smooth their hair and kiss their forehead. It’s also said to kiss away owies and ease their tears. Some- times it’s whispered to myself during moments of frustration to remind me that “this too shall pass.” Recently, my 2-year-old decided he needed a bigger chore than just picking up his toys. He took it upon himself to start taking out the kitchen garbage. He pulls out the liner, does his best interpre- tation of tying the strings, replaces the liner, then drags the sack (that is often as big as he is) out to the dumpster. He takes great plea- sure in doing this and often dumps the trash several times a day — whether it needs it or not. Then one evening as I tossed an egg shell into the trash, he turned and gave me a stern mom-look. “Mommy! No!” “What’s the matter?” I asked. What happened next surprised me on many levels. “Don’t put icky garbage in there,” he pointed adamantly at the trash. “Parker try to keep garbage clean. Mommy can’t put icky gar- bage in. No, no, no. Take out!” I started to explain what the garbage can was for, but he interrupted. “Shhhh, just listen. Parker try keep it clean. Don’t make mess, Mommy! Parker loves Mommy, but Mommy can’t make mess!” What else to say? I “cleaned up” my eggshells as I repeated again to ears that apparently were listening, “You’re my favorite 2-year-old in the whole world!” Brianna Walker occasionally writes about the Farmer’s Fate for the Blue Mountain Eagle. WHERE TO WRITE GRANT COUNTY • Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-575-2248. • Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@ centurylink.net. • Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net • John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-575-1721. Email: cityjd@ centurytel.net. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@ cityofl ongcreek.com. • Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by Contributed photo Leica Geovid rangefi nding binoculars have a laser rangefi nder built in. SHOOTING THE BREEZE Knowing the distance By Dale Valade For the Blue Mountain Eagle Many are the times we as hunt- ers have gotten lucky when it comes to guessing range. Some are seemingly extraordinarily good guessers while others have a trusted system. These systems sometimes involve the scope ret- icle or comparing the size of the deer with nearby landmarks. Many and varying are these systems, but none so sure as what modern tech- nology provides. Laser rangefi nders, like so many other household items we use these days, were originally invented for military applica- tions. My research revealed the fi rst laser rangefi nder came to be in 1964 and was created to be used in tanks. During the Vietnam War, handheld rangefi nders were being experimented with for use in scout and sniper applications. Those who were there will be the fi rst to tell you that these were question- able in their reliability. Today, laser rangefi nding equipment is super reliable and as ubiquitous as Remington Core- Lokt ammunition. There are products available nearly everywhere for every need and budget. The pock- et-size handhelds are more than is needed for most big game hunters, some reaching clear out to 800 yards reliably. The features are endless, calculating for bow, rifl e, shotgun slug, blackpowder or handgun. They can be programmed with your ballistics charts, account for weather, shot angle and altitude. Some binoculars and rifl e scopes come with laser ranging technol- ogy, all designed to help John and Jane Q. Hunter make better shots. Knowing all this information is revolutionary indeed. I, for one, feel confi dent to 300 yards in my “guessing” abil- ities. That being said, there are times I’ve missed purely because I missed my guess. I’m sure many of you experienced hunters and shooters can relate. The real joy of these laser rangefi nders is the removal of any need to guess. You can know the distance for a fact. Caution and experience will teach you what you can and can- not do. These rangefi nders are not infallible. Any target that doesn’t refl ect light will be a poor conduit for your ranging efforts. Often- times a rock or tree near your tro- phy animal is a much more effec- tive target for the laser to measure the distance. Any brush or branches that might get in your line of sight can result in a false measurement so make sure you have a clear shot for the laser and, of course, the bullet. Keep fresh batteries handy. I’ve seen bad reads from failing batteries as well. While it’s yet another piece of gear to acquire and carry, a laser rangefi nder can literally be the dif- ference between bringing home your next trophy or having another winter of “tag soup.” The days of “Kentucky Windage” and “Ten- nessee Elevation” are numbered. Pony up the cash. You won’t be sorry. What’s your distance measur- ing method? Email us at shoo- tingthebreezebme@gmail.com. We would love to hear from any and all! Dale Valade is a local country gent with a deep love for hand- loading, hunting and shooting. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Free bus service fantastic To the Editor: Wow! What a wonderful thing it is that People Mover will be offering up free rides in the val- ley; I can’t think of another place in the world and certainly not in the country where the government makes free transport available to its citizens. I think it is fantas- tic, and I will be taking advan- tage of this extraordinary service regularly. Richie Colbeth John Day L ETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank- you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Richard Hanners, rick@bmeagle.com Community News .................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Administrative Assistant ..................Makenna Adair, offi ce@bmeagle.com Offi ce Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, offi ce@bmeagle.com 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .........................................$40 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$51 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offi ces. 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