The ll-ppii. r (.aiette-Tlmes, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, August , IMM-FIVE,
Alary Bryant feted upon retirement
Farmin g high stress occupation,
says OSU Extension specialist
J ' 1 ( f
Close to Home,..
Mary Ann Ccrullo
Llamas
(continued from last week. )
Something tells me that somewhere out there, there just
may be one or two folks who Just can't be bothered with
sunburnt shoulders, padded belts, and top-heavy packs that
accompany many backpacking trips these days.
Well, I've got just the ticket for you:
Llamas.
That's right, those funny, four-legged creatures with
polnted-fingernailed feet, a camel face, and rabbit ears.
They may not be your first choice for a house pet, but they
sure are handy on the trail.
I'm not Joking. One mustn't make light of an animal, who
, manages to carry 60 to 80 pounds of camping gear and still is
light on his feet. .
One of the positive aspects about the llama is thai with
their deft two-toed feet they keep an easy prancing pace of
two or three miles per hour without damaging the fragile
terrain which other pack animals are known to do.
They don't kick or spook and are easily controlled. What's
also handy is their low intake of food and water. Plus, llama
fur Is thick, providing protection from both heat and cold
and, at the same time a perfect pad for its back.
Llamas make "going back to nature" an easy, comfortable
experience for those who would rather not be their own pack
animal. They also make it a pleasurable trip for families with
children.
One thing about them that would be disconcerting for me
though, is the heart failure I would have rounding a bend and
coming none to nose with the face of a wooly llama.
Have you ever met a llama by surprise while hiking in the
Cascade Mountains? I wonder what our Northwest deer and
elk must be thinking.
For those who are interested in "llama trips" in Oregon,
here are two places I know of to contact : Llama Treks, Camp
Polk Road, Sisters, OR 97759; and Inca Roads Trail Service,
800 Tyler Creek Road, Ashland. OR 97520.
IEfood PricES bib Our Bag
PUT THEM IH YOURS
Magnum QiSmW
3EEQ Zj plus
12 oz. deposit
Bottles & Cans
6 pak
-PEPPERS
7 ffn
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DATATAES Ci3,
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SAUSAGE
Bulk Pork
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19
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GRAPES
Seedless
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lb.
lbjy vE2
Prices
Effective
Friday thru
Thursday
Boneless
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STRIP Shell
99
1
City dweller who (hink life
on the farm is free of stress
need to take a closer look at
their country brethren, points
out Marcelle Straatman, Ore
gon State University Exten
sion human development
specialist.
Concern about weather,
prices, equipment failure and
"plain hard work" add to
irritation and fatigue that may
be masked from casual visit
ors or bank loan officers.
Today's farmers are man
aging large sums of money,
being affectH by events in
other countries and trying to
keep up with the latest
advances in scientific and
technological developments.
Farming remains a dangerous
occupation with a high risk of
accidents.
Stress has its good points,
the specialist points out."
because the body's reaction to
threats provides greater
strength and faster reactions
which are important to human
safety and survival. After the
threat is over, the body
returns to normal.
However, in cases of mental
threats or prolonged stress,
"stress energy" is not used
for physical exertion. The
strain on the body continues
and fatigue or serious illness
can result.
Among farmers, it's reason
able to suspect that the most
stress comes not from the
daily possibility of physical
harm, but because of concern
about unresolved issues and
worry about whether or not
they made the right choices.
Like others, farmers carry
many problems with them,
rather than finishing them off.
Mrs. Straatman notes.
A check of behavior and
attitudes likely would show
that concerns or "stressors"
fall into categories seldom
recognized or dealt with such
as anger, fear and resent
ment. Like many, farmers go
along without taking action to
resolve fears, over-load and
under load, technological and
life changes, and other uncer
tainties. Some scientists investigat
ing the problems of stress
point out that it can prompt
creative thinking that finds
inventive ways to handle
troubling situations. But when
many things go wrong at once
or over a long time, body
defenses weaken.
Not every farmer reacts to
stress in the same way. Each
judges stress according to how
serious the problems seem to
them . Some people seem to be
"stress seekers" who function
best when time and pressure
are most intense. Others just
don't get as worked up.
The individual's belief sys
tem will determine how
stressful a situation is. If a
farmer thinks farming is
boring and unrewarding, then
each new stressor adds fresh
insult to an already trouble
some burden, Mrs. Straatman
explains.
If the fanner finds his work
challenging and rewarding,
problems are more quickly
resolved. They are just part of
the job.
No one has "magic coping
skills," the specialist empha
sizes. Most people have not
learned how to use or control
stress to keep life on a steady
course.
BARGAIN i
OF THE '
MONTH
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5 Seasons
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Tlie mis-use of stress energy
is evident in the drug industry
that supplies billions of drugs
to keep people in low gear and
in vitamins to pep them up.
even though no drug or
vitamin has ever solved a
stressful problem, she points
out.
As stress multiplies, acci
dents are more likely to
happen. When the stress cycle
gets rolling, it's important to
resolve as many issues is
possible, control what's pos
sible to control and forget
what's not important now, the
specialist advises.
A 1979 survey of Iowa
farmers revealed that stress
was not intense enough for
most to impair their health.
However, the unpredictable
. in their work exaggerated
tendencies toward insomnia,
habitual smoking, heavy
drinking, irritability and rest
lessness, all of which interfer
red with judgement, job
performance and family rela
tions. Because each farmer has a
different tolerance level, ef
fects of stress are hard to
measure. However, each per
son seems to have a point at
which excessive stress takes
its toll in lower job perform
ance and vigor.
The farmers said that the
amount of stress depends on
how important an incident is
to them, how many things are
happening at once and how
long the unwanted situation
continues.
They know they are stressed
when they feel vague physical
discomfort, have emotional
outbursts, are unable to relax,
experience mental confusion
or have periods of anxiety and
depression. Some feel tired
and apathetic.
lfW.5wiS"r'P
Ml
Extracts Juices, Strains Vegetables Presses
OHNNY
45
JELLY STRAINER
Strains Jelly Juices, Soups
Marmalades,' Butters, Relishes
Open Cooking and "Hot Pack", Preparation of Fruits and Vegetables
Preparing Canning Syrups and Juices
Porcelain Finish, Resists Stubborn Fruit Stains, Odors Won t Transfer
s. si
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The top stressors reported
by the Iowa farmers were
death of a spouse or near
relative, days when nothing
goes right, machinery break
down, disease outbreak, death
of a valuable animal, loss of
help or no help when needed,
high debt load, production loss
to disease or insects, poor
cash flow, weather-caused
delays, government regula
tions, uncertain crop yields
and balancing work with
family responsibilities.
More than 50 percent of the
men and women in the study
reported using a combination
of strategies to combat stress.
They leave a problem, change
their attitude, resort to a
hobby or recreational acti
vity, or sleep and relax.
Leaving a problem means that
the situation has little signifi
cance in relation to survival.
Underlying most mental
stress is a resistance to
change, Mrs. Straatman be
lieves. Change is constant and
adaptation is a stressful
process.
,. Farmers can never be
totally prepared for change
because each day calls for
new creative action. Farmers
1;velop a high level of useful
sensitivity to threatening sit
uations, but this sensitivity
ess cause them to exaggerate
a danger or lose sight of the
fact that a real threat may not
exist, that they can choose to
avoid it, or counter-balance it
with alternative actions.
"Choosing a way to handle
today's stressors will not take
care of tomorrow's, but the
blueprint for stress manage
ment can be called upon daily
to meet new and different
situations," Mrs. Straatman
pointed out.
PERFECT RECIPE FOR
BLANCHER
Boil and Drain (Blanch) Any Bulky Food !
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FOOD PRESS 985
Removes Skins & Seeds Without Peeling
APPLE - PEELER
Peel Slice Core
PRESERVING KETTLE
Made Especially For Preserving Jams,
Strife G0OTajQi
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Mary Bryant (center), "Bill Kuhn (left),Bob
Debbie Young and Shirley Connor
Upon her retirement Mary Bryant, Hep
pner, was honored with a party by friends and
co-workers last Thursday.
Cake and punch were served to over 32
guests at the la w offices of Abrams and Kuhn,
where Mrs. Bryant has worked for the past 13
years.
46 participants enjoy reading program
Forty six participants of the
lone summer library program
received a certificate of parti
cipation at the closing party
held Friday at 2 p.m . The Rev.
Cathy Barker entertained
with group music.
McDonalds of Pendleton
gave hamburger. French fry
and shake passes in coopera
tion with summer library
programs.
Special awards of passes
HOME
COVERED POT
21 qt. 16 oz.
. With Rack
aaBSBl mmr mm mm mm mm mm mm, mm mm mm mm mm
7 qt. 4 oz.
Fruits, Rices, Potatoes
FOOD MILL
3 Utensils in 1
Masher
LADLES
were given to the following
outstanding participants:
Pre-school - Dan Beck ;
Grade t - Danielle Stefani:
Grade 2 - Nancy Morter:
Grade 3 - Terry Clough;
Grade 4 - Rollin Bradfield:
Grade 5 - Jill Nelson;
Grades 6-9 - .Ashley
Conklin.
Jerry Anderson won the
search for the lost planet, by
locating the planet.
CANNING!
- n
i i r,"nmwiirirrii
BOWLS
35
Ricer
Jellies,
(5
v v Z-V v -iJ
Strainer
Granite Wave's, Easy-Clean
Convenient Handles
For Pouring and Lifting
a
Abrams,
Asked what she would do now that she is
retired, Mrs. Bryant said, "Relax and enjoy
life."
. In addition to her employment at Abrams
and Kuhn, she also worked nine years at the
Morrow County Courthouse, and three years
for the Morrow County School district.
Besides all 46 children
receiving a certificate of
participation, 20 other individ
ual passes were given in
special areas, such as reading
the most fiction or nonfiction
books, or writing the most
book reviews, attendance,
etc., in each grade. In all. 202
non-fiction books and 125
fiction books were read and
114 book reviews were written
during the program.
1
120
95
Ill
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