A8
OUTDOORS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
SHOOTING THE BREEZE
There’s nothing quite like a wooden stock
I
like walnut stocks.
There are situations where
they may not be ideal and so we
have laminate wood, synthetic, rub-
ber and alloy chassis-style stocks as
well, but certain of these in my opin-
ion have the aesthetic appeal of a
handyman jack.
When I was a rookie, attend-
ing hunter’s safety
class, one of our
instructors was a
gunsmith. Maybe
Mr. Jankunis was
biased by profes-
sion, but he told
us something there
Dale Valade
which I’ve never
forgotten: “Buy guns that you like
looking at. You’ll spend way more
time carrying them around and look-
ing at them than anything else!”
Even the nicest walnut stocks
will scratch, dent, ding and fade with
time. Not to worry: These can be
refi nished.
In middle school for a wood shop
project I fi tted and fi nished a myrtle-
wood stock for my sister’s Savage
110 .243 hunting rifl e. My grand-
father had gifted her that gun, and
although he had done most of the
Contributed Photo
The author’s recently refi nished walnut stock.
hard work, there was still some inlet-
ting and sanding that needed done
before I could apply the fi nish.
I carefully laid the barreled
action into the stock, fi led, sanded
and cut the bolt handle recess. After
that I sanded everything, going with
gradually fi ner-grit sandpaper using
the wet and dry method. Dampen-
ing a clean shop rag and wiping it
on the stock causes the little wood
fi bers to stand up like fi ve o’clock
shadow to be sanded off again.
When proper fi nish sanding is com-
plete, the surface of the wood will
feel as smooth as glass.
Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil is
the product I have used most fre-
quently over the years and for good
reason, it works! Their stock refi n-
ishing kits feature step-by-step
instructions and their fi nishing and
conditioning products.
The .243 turned out super-nice
and was the fi rst of many others
to come. One such was a Pre-64
Model 70 Winchester that belonged
to a friend of my father-in-law. It
was a family heirloom that would
never be sold yet had been verily
used in the Idaho backcountry put-
ting venison in the freezer for three
generations.
I could tell Roy had his doubts
when he dropped it off , but after
painstaking care over the space
of two weeks it was ready. Roy
couldn’t believe how authentic the
hand-rubbed fi nish looked on the old
O utlook
SENI
R
Belated Happy St.
Patrick’s Day! We
celebrated with the
traditional meal
of corned beef
and cabbage along
Rose Coombs
with carrots and
potatoes, a broccoli
salad, a dinner roll, and — ta-da — a scrumptious brownie.
Don’t know if brownies are a part of a traditional Irish meal,
but we had ‘em anyway! And I told the cooks that I can’t
usually eat corned beef, but what they made for today I had
no problem eating! In fact, there was enough for supper, too.
Good deal for $5, don’t ya know.
Our meal sponsor was Ginger Kendall in memory of her
parents, Chet and Carol Johns.
Our deliverers for the day included Gwynne, Carlos, and
Mary for home deliveries and Tom, Carla, and Ginger for the
pick-up people. Carla had to fill in for Pam H. today due to
an injury. Get well soon, Pam. Thanks to all who did their
duty.
We had our monthly board meeting and decided to take the
plunge and REOPEN for in-house dining on April 6. The
meal will be served at noon, as per usual — two years ago. If
you still want to have a meal-to-go, and are not on the Meals-
on-Wheels program, you still may have one. But you will have
to come into the building and go through the serving line just
like everyone else. But tell the server that it is a takeout, and
Prairie City
Seniors
they will put the meal in a takeout container instead of on a
plate. The price will be $6 to cover the cost of the container.
To eat in-house will still be $5 for those over 60 years of age.
Update on the bursitis in my foot: I haven’t put the
alternative medication on for a week and all seems to be well!
Hallelujah and PTL! Thanks for all your prayers.
Spring has sprung. My daffodils and tulips are poking
through the gravel/dirt. Still watching for carrots…
Quote from Janie B. Cheaney in World magazine: “Did the
lockdowns work? Two years after they went into effect, it’s
reasonable to expect an informed answer, and new meta-
analysis from Johns Hopkins University provides one. It’s
long and detailed, but boils down to a No. That is, close
examination of data from 34 reliable studies could find no
clear correlation between strict lockdowns and COVID-19
infection rates. The benefits of shutting down small businesses
and larger gatherings were questionable.” (March 12, 2022)
No comment, just reporting.
Matthew 9:35, 36 “Jesus went through all the towns and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news
of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he
saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Plans and
preparations
are in
John Day
full swing to have
the building ready
Seniors
for in-house dining
on April 4. Be
Elise Huskey
watching this space
for further news
about progress and
timing. The new flooring will be put down on March 29. The
kitchen window is protected from visitors. The cooks will be
serving the food to each attendee from the window. No food
will go to waste. Any food not served will be assigned to fill
the to-go dishes for deliveries to shut-ins.
Thank you all for returning your rinsed dishes to be
sterilized and reused. This really helps with our finances.
Along with in-house dining there will be door prizes like we
used to have. You must be present to get one of them so …
see you there.
The food the week of St. Patrick’s Day was great. The corned
beef was great and those brownies were so rich I had to eat a
bit at several meals to finish it; a great ending to a great meal.
Thank you, Shay and Kim, for the delicacies.
All you bingo players will be glad to hear that bingo will
begin when in-house dining does. Keep watching this page to
be sure. Does this sound like a normalcy plan to you? It sure
does trigger the memory, huh?
If you are interested in playing pokeno on Friday afternoon
for a couple hours, come on down to the senior center or call
541-792-0202 for more information.
For Thursday, March 24, Shay and Kim are preparing taco
spaghetti, cheesy garlic bread, salad of their choice, and
s’mores bars for dessert. This meal is sponsored by Farmers
Insurance. Thanks to Farmers for supporting our senior
center.
Monday, March 28, lunch will be shepherd pie, broccoli
salad and lemon curd cake. Yummy yummy.
The volunteer drivers for Monday deliveries will be Blue
Mountain Hospital crew, Peggy Molnar, Jeanette Julsrud,
Joyce Atchley and Patty Davis. Thank you all for your effort,
time and expense to make lunch possible for many shut-ins in
our area. Without you and all the other volunteers, our center
cannot be successful. You are so appreciated.
To reserve lunch, be sure to call 541-575-1825 by 10 a.m. or
so on Monday and Thursday and pick it up between 11 a.m.
and noon at the front entrance. Thanks.
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.
Monument -- All
those who came for
lunch on Tuesday,
we stuffed ourselves
with meatball sub
sandwiches that Terry
Soo Yukawa
Cade and Carrie
Jewell prepared.
We also had curly fries, a fresh green salad, and chocolate
brownies for dessert. Yes, it was a delicious and hearty
meal that we all enjoyed and we thank our cooks for their
wonderful job of making us such a tasty treat.
Our greeters at the table were Kristi Guimont, Bob Cockrell,
and Jan Ensign. They welcomed the guests, collected and
counted up the money. Linda Abraham led us in the flag
salute and made the announcements. Yours truly prayed
the blessing over the meal. Max Breeding won the free meal
ticket.
Here are the following announcements: The senior center
is encouraging people to come and partake of the meals at
the senior center. The purpose of our senior center is for the
people to meet together as a community. They would like to
serve the takeouts for people with health issues that would
prevent them from coming and participating at the senior
center. There will be an extra charge for the takeout meals to
cover the cost of containers.
Persons wanting a second serving need to make a donation
equal to the meal in a labeled jar to help cover the costs of
paying the cooks.
Because of a leak in our senior center’s roof, flooring will
need to be replaced in the kitchen. This will occur in May/
June. We will need volunteers to help unhook electric
appliances and turn off plumbing and then hook them back
up afterwards. The senior center will be closed for at least one
week or more.
Calling all prayer warriors out there. Jimmy Cole went into
the hospital for he had low oxygen levels and so he is in St.
Charles Hospital in Bend. He is doing better and being his
ornery self when I spoke with him on the phone but he still
needs our prayers. I believe the Lord can and will do a miracle
in Jimmy’s life and he will be used as a testimony unto the
power of our most gracious and majestic God!
Leah, my bottle baby goat, now has two companions. Lilly
had a set of twins and rejected one of them. I don’t know why.
So I brought her up to the house, and her name is Choco.
For those of you who are wondering where I get these names,
sometimes my kids help me name them. Choco is, well, dark
chocolate in color, hence the name Choco. Ha. I had them in
the house at night when it was super-cold but now they are
outside with Belle. All three of them love to be cuddled! Billy
has a beautiful and soft coat. He is going to be a very nice-
looking goat. I am still debating whether to leave him intact
or band him.
I feed these babies three times a day with a bottle. I am
looking forward to weaning day.
Psalms 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD: Surely I
will remember Thy wonders of old.
Monument
Seniors
Winchester. He paid me twice what
I asked for the work because he was
so pleased.
Most recently I refi nished the
stock on my hand-me-down Ruger
M77 in .220 Swift. Using the meth-
ods and materials aforementioned, it
turned out great and will last another
lifetime.
Not only is a good fi nish a won-
derful aesthetic, but it has other
functions to boot. A well-sealed wal-
nut stock will not be aff ected by the
swelling and warping that accom-
pany those rainy day hunts. Reg-
ular cleaning and oiling your rifl e
stock will continue to keep it sealed
against the elements.
Wooden stocks may not have the
appeal to you that they hold for me,
but they are far from irrelevant even
today. If your old favorite is grow-
ing dim from years of use, it may be
time to bust out the sandpaper and
linseed oil!
Have you ever refi nished a
wooden gunstock? Write to us at
shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com
and check us out on Facebook!
Dale Valade is a local country
gent with a love for the outdoors,
handloading, hunting and shooting.
BIOSMILE
Family, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry
165 NW 1st St., John Day
541-575-0363
Open
Monday-Thursday
DrJ@BiosmileDental.com
We offer a wide range of primary
care and medical treatment.
Zachary Bailey, MD • David Hall, MD • Raffaella Betza, MD
Zachary Bailey, MD • Janessa Sickler, DO • Emily Lieuallen, DO
• Janessa
DO • Emily
DO
James Cook,
FNP • Sickler,
Erika Adams,
FNP-C Lieuallen,
• Caitlin MacCoun,
MD
• Nora Jennings,
Healey, FNP
Clark, DNP
Brian
MD • Shawna
Robyn Jennings,
MD
Available Monday - Friday
180 Ford Road, John Day • 541-575-0404
Huffman’s
SELECT
MARKETS
Quality Healthcare ...close to home.
170 Ford Road
John Day
541-575-1311
112 E. 5th
Prairie City
541-820-3341
422 W. Main, 1st floor • John Day
If you have any questions or think you
know of someone who might benefit,
call: 541 575.1648
241 S. Canyon Blvd. John Day • 541-575-0529
T roy Hanson - Funeral Director
S281370-1
S284997-1