COMMUNITY
Blue Mountain Eagle
A8
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
GRANT COUNTY
SENIORS
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Of kid clubhouses, man caves and she sheds
A
reporter interviewed the owner of a
newly constructed “retreat cottage” a
few years ago.
The owner said, “When I realized I
needed a place to write, to relax, to recharge,
I got right to work and hired an architect, a
contractor and a professional decorator.”
Her “cottage” sported Greek columns, an
antique French piano and hand-loomed rugs
from Morocco.
I needed a place to write, relax and
recharge. I got right to work and lugged a
wide-carriage, manual Remington type-
writer to the utility room and hefted it onto
the open ironing board. I slid a secondhand
chair into place. A dictionary and thesau-
rus reclined on the shelf beside the laundry
detergent, and a feed store calendar tacked
onto the wall next to the washing machine
completed the look.
The need for a quiet spot away from the
bustle of life seems to flow through the fam-
ily’s DNA. When my mother and her sister
were children, they clutched their dollies as
they scooted to their secret spot beneath the
lilac bushes.
When I was young, I
yearned for an apple tree
where I could climb into
branches, munch fruit while
reading a book and remain
out of reach of younger
brothers armed with bore-
Jean Ann
dom and the on-tap for the
Moultrie
garden hose. With regret, no
trees grew in the back yard.
I constructed a retreat around the clothes-
line using worn chenille bedspreads, a bag
of clothespins and rocks to anchor the con-
traption which resembled a landlocked diri-
gible. Inside my summer retreat, the heat
level reached to oven “bake-out clean.”
When I had young children, they loved to
build hideaways with cardboard boxes and
blankets over kitchen chairs.
When older and after a move, the chil-
dren declared that they had found the perfect
clubhouse — an abandoned building from a
chicken, egg-laying business.
“The building is dusty and musty,” I said,
“and probably has rodents, along with the
old farm equipment stored there. When the
door is closed, I can’t see or hear what you
are doing.”
“We told you it was perfect!” a son said.
Through the years, as I’ve moved my
“retreat” out of the basement utility to a
spare bedroom after kids left for college,
I’ve read of the variety of places used for
personal space: clubhouse, man cave, she
shed, hunter’s cabin, art studio, office,
den, shack, tent with the hike part of the
experience, as well as a corner of a barn,
out-building or inside a vehicle. These
spaces are used to plan, ponder, eat, nap,
tie fishing flies, reload shells, study garden
catalogs, daydream, tinker, practice, read,
learn new skills, make lists, exercise —
can be hobbies or handwork, quiet or filled
with music, overlook water from a lake to a
watering trough.
Each a place to relax and renew.
Currently my “retreat” is a folding camp
chair I move around as needed.
Moultrie is a freelance writer in Grant
County, who wrote this piece while sitting in
a camp chair, eating ice cream and watching
quail scurry past.
OUT OF THE PAST
75 years ago
Lost hunter finds way to
Ritter
According to the Tuesday’s
East (Pendleton) Oregonian,
John Farrington, 60, manager
of the Pacific Telephone & Tele-
graph Co., of The Dalles who
was lost in the Blue Mountains
since Sunday afternoon, found
his way to safety late Tuesday
morning, emerging from the
hills at Ritter.
50 years ago
Emert, Wheelers tapped by
S&WCD’s
Grant County’s two soil and
water conservation districts
have named two conservation
rancher of the year candidates
whose files are now being stud-
ied in area competition involv-
ing seven Eastern Oregon
counties.
The nominees are Delbert
(Slim) Emert of Ione and Izee,
candidate of the Grant County
Soil and Water Conservation
District, and Everett and Nadine
Wheeler of Kimberly, the Mon-
ument Soil and Water Conserva-
tion District nominees.
Last year Seneca rancher
Bob Lemcke was the first East-
ern Oregonian to be awarded the
honor.
Eagle file photo
From 50 years ago: Delbert ‘Slim’ Emmert of Ione and Izee was nominated as conservation rancher of the year
by the Grant County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Arm, ear, eye, gum, hip, jaw, leg, lip, rib,
toe. So what’s all that? The answers to the
three-letter body parts quiz. Did you get them
all? Now if you really want to further your
education, you can research what those names
are in medical
jargon.
Prairie City
Moving
Seniors
right
along,
our meal for
Rose Coombs
the last day
of September
was hamburger
and all the fixin’s. We also enjoyed a maca-
roni salad, a fruit cup, a piece of corn on the
cob and our birthday cake. All very tasty and
quite filling. Thanks to cooks Laura and Travis
and helper Tom for a great meal. We appreciate
Carlos and Luann for making the home deliv-
eries every week. Ginger and Pam were at their
respective stations to make the pick-up deliv-
eries. Thanks so much to all our volunteers.
Speaking of which — hmm, wonder what
part of speech that phrase is — faithful volun-
teer Del Lake got the swamp cooler all winter-
ized, so we declare that summer is officially
over. Ahem.
If you have a menu (sent out with all the
meals in the bag) you might notice that some-
times it doesn’t quite agree with what we actu-
ally have to eat. Is that a problem? Not really.
We always have good food. It’s all a matter
of supply and demand. Sometimes what the
cooks have planned in the fresh veggie/fruit
category is not available so a substitution has
to be made. But we always get our money’s
worth!
We also want to thank Rod Kuhn for the
tomatoes that he donated to the cause. Carole
Garrison also brought in a box of pears to be
distributed to one and all. Thanks also to those
who have made cash donations recently. Your
generosity is greatly appreciated. This includes
the Ye Olde Thrift Shoppe, too.
Have made great progress in the garden
project. Finally remembered that I found a
“benchmark” in the plot when I first started
making a garden bed back in 2016. I took
a photo of it and carefully covered it with a
cairn to protect it. So, wonder why I haven’t
come across it in my digging this year? Oh,
well. That’s a new project within the project, I
guess. To be continued.
They eyelids are healing nicely, I presume.
The absorbable stitches are kinda itchy. Some-
times they really sting! I just hope that they
are really being absorbed by my body! Dad
had a stitch that didn’t get absorbed after his
first heart surgery. It finally worked its way up
through the skin to where we could get a hold
of it with a pair of tweezers and get it out. He
had an indentation ever afterward in his chest!
So you can understand why I am concerned.
Psalm 139:13, 14 “For You created my
inmost being; You knit me together in my moth-
er’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully
and wonderfully made; your works are won-
derful, I know that full well.”
Redeemer
Lutheran Church
Come Worship with us at
John Day Valley
Mennonite
Church
24/7 Inspirational Christian
Broadcasting
Meeting every Sunday
at Mt. Vernon Grange Hall
Tune into KSPL 98.1 FM
Sunday School ...............................9:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship ............10:50 a.m.
For more information,
call 541 620-0340
Pastor Leland Smucker
Everyone Welcome • 541-932-2861
P rairie
B aptist C hurch
238 N. McHaley St., Prairie City
Sunday School (all ages) .......9:00 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship .10:30 a.m.
Awana (Oct.-Apr.) ................3:00 p.m.
Youth Group .........................5:30 p.m.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Catholic Church
Corner of S Canyon Blvd and SW 2 nd
Mon. - Fri. Mass - 12:05 pm
Saturday Mass - 5:00 pm
Sunday Mass - 9:00 am
Holy Days Mass: Noon & 6 pm
Confession: Saturday 4:00-4:45 pm
Anytime by appointment
541-974-8638
St. Anne
Monument -
2nd & 4th Sundays at 12:30 pm
Office Hours
Monday - Friday 9 am - 12 Noon
Sunday Worship • 9AM
2 Corinthians 5:17
Every Sunday in the L.C.
Community Center
(Corner of Second & Allen)
Contact Paster Ed Studtmann at
541-421-3888 • Begins at 4:00pm
FIRST
BAPTIST
CHURCH
Sunday School ...................... 9:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship .. 10:50 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship .. 10:50 a.m.
No Mid-week Services
Pastor Jesse Gosnell
300 W. Main, John Day
541-575-1355
627 SE Hillcrest, John Day
st
1 Sunday Worship/Communion ..................10am
3 rd Sunday Worship/Communion/Potluck ...4:30pm
2 nd , 4 th & 5 th Sunday Worship .........................10am
Wednesday Evening Bible Study .....................6pm
For information: 541-575-2348
Community Church
SUNDAY SERVICE..............9 am
SUNDAY SERVICE ...........9 am
541-932-4800
EVERYONE WELCOME
(541) 575-1326
johndayUMC@gmail.com
126 NW Canton, John Day
Food Pantry Friday 3-4PM
Like us on Facebook!
FIRST CHRISTIAN
CHURCH
541-820-3696
www.prairie-baptist-church.com
Pastor David Hoeffner
Pastor Keith DeHart
JOHN DAY
UNITED
METHODIST
CHURCH
MT. VERNON
PRESBYTERIAN
Sunday School ..................... 9:45 am
Sunday Worship ...................... 11 am
Fox Community Church ............. 3 pm
Sunday Evening Bible Talk ......... 6 pm
Saturday Men’s Study ............... 6 pm
Full Gospel- Come Grow With Us
541-575-1202 Church
311 NE Dayton St, John Day
Pastor Al Altnow
Cornerstone
Christian
Fellowship
139 N.E. D AYTON S TREET , J OHN D AY
541-575-2180
Sunday Worship Service 10 am
Sunday Youth Group 3 pm
Thursday Celebrate Recovery 6 pm
Pastor Levi Manitsas
cornerstonejohnday@gmail.com
ccfjd.org
CHURCH OF THE
NAZARENE
Sunday School .......................... 9:30 am
Sunday Worship Service......... 10:45 am
Sunday Evening Service ...........6:00 pm
Children & Teen Activities
SMALL GROUPS CALL FOR MORE INFO
Weekdays: Sonshine Christian School
St. Thomas
Episocopal
Church
Join us on Facebook
live Sunday 10am
Like us on Facebook!
Pastor Randy Johnson
521 E. Main • John Day • 541-575-1895
www.johndaynazarene.com
59357 Hwy 26 Mt. Vernon
Seventh-Day
Adventist
Church
SATURDAY SERVICES
Celebration of Worship
JOHN DAY
110 Valley View Dr.
541-575-1216
Head Elder ..........................541-575-2914
Bible Classes (all ages) .................9:30 am
Worship ...........................................11 am
LONG CREEK
E. Main Street
541-421-3033
Head Elder .................................421-3468
Bible Classes (all ages) ......................2 pm
Worship .............................................3 pm
Jr./Sr. High
Youth Connection
Sundays 5:30pm
Youth: 0-6th Grade
Midweek Service
Thursdays 6:30pm
Youth: 0-6th Grade
Wednesdays at 6:30pm
Overcomer’s Outreach
Mondays at 6pm at
LWCC
A Christ-Centered, 12-Step
Recovery Support Group
Pastor Sharon Miller
541-932-4910
www.livingwordcc.com
S209977-1