A4 • Friday, March 26, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
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Tales from a setting of isolation
BETWEEN
THE COVERS
ESTHER
MOBERG
Since 2020 our new normal has
brought about a lot of conversa-
tions about isolation and mental
health.
Isn’t is surprising that hundreds
of years ago, on up to today, peo-
ple have been writing about iso-
lation and it’s still something that
really impacts us. We never knew
reading fairy tales about Rapunzel
and other isolated characters in lit-
erature that in 2020, a worldwide
self-quarantining and general iso-
lation would hit nearly the entire
world.
People all around the globe
have been aff ected by quarantine,
self-quarantining, and isolation in
ways we have never seen before
and hopefully will never see again
once this is past. I encourage any-
one who is having issues with men-
tal health because of these areas to
reach out, let loved ones, friends,
or your health practitioners know.
From a literature perspective,
isolation is nothing new. Digging
into classic stories about isolation,
obviously the fairy tale “Rapun-
zel,” the girl who was shut up in in
a tower is the fi rst one that comes
to mind. Grimm’s Fairy Tales is a
Literature with a theme of personal
isolation mirrors our lives during
the pandemic.
classic way to read Rapunzel, but
the library also has some fractured
fairy tales in the children’s sec-
tion as well. I personally enjoy the
beautiful drawings by illustrator
Paul O. Zelinsky. Sometimes iso-
lation is portrayed beautifully. A
tower, a beautiful girl. But under-
neath is the subtext regarding con-
trol and lack of freedom.
Alexandre Dumas wrote stories
of people who were isolated and
shut up. His novels “The Count
of Monte Cristo” and “The Man
in the Iron Mask,” both used iso-
lation as a way to shape the char-
acter and storyline of his protago-
nists; the count, and Philippe, the
hidden twin and rightful ruler of
France. The count used his time
isolated away in the Chateau d’If
to build his plot of revenge on all
those who had done him wrong
while Philippe was more a lost
confused soul and seemed almost
an unformed person when released
from his cell, yet miraculously he
suddenly becomes kingly and as
rightful king to have the ability
to run a kingdom, something that
Dumas almost seems to assume
is genetically predisposed.I’m
sure many dissertations have been
made on that topic and the twist to
this for the reader was knowledge
of Dumas’ own background as an
illegitimate son and his personal
life struggles because of it.
There is nothing more isolat-
ing than being on a deserted island
or planet all by oneself, and of
course the books “Robinson Cru-
soe” by Daniel Defoe and “The
Martian” by Andy Weir are the
epitome of just that. One man’s
struggle to survive when his only
hope of existence is himself. The
one thing these books may not be
able to fully encapsulate is how
people’s minds suff er when com-
pletely alone without contact but
both authors do a fairly good job.
Of course, all of the books I have
mentioned so far have been made
into movies.
“The Human Experiment” by
Jane Poynter was a real-life exper-
iment where eight people sealed
themselves off from the world for
a little over two years inside a bio-
sphere to see if they could survive
isolated from the outside world
with nothing leaving or enter-
ing the hermetically sealed bub-
ble. Food, oxygen, interpersonal
relationships and more were all
huge challenges these eight people
faced while in isolation in the Ari-
zona desert and makes for fascinat-
ing reading regarding how little or
how much people need to survive.
Overall people do not live well
in isolation. However, it is fasci-
nating how the human body and
brain handles isolation and that it
is also seen as the ultimate pun-
ishment by mankind. As human
beings we cannot fi nd any worse
punishment (other than death) than
to place people in confi nement
alone.
“Solitary” by Albert Woodfox
tells one prisoner’s story of how
he lived in solitary confi nement
for four decades. The triumph of
individuals over incarceration and
mental struggles seems at times to
be based on a person’s strength of
will, mind, and what their circum-
stances are.
“A Long Walk to Freedom” by
Nelson Mandela also chronicles
his journey to freedom after 25
years in jail. Reading these books
hopefully will challenge you,
make you think, but also hopefully
rejoice in the resiliency of human-
ity and the strength of will and pur-
pose that people have.
OBITUARY
Constance ‘Coni’ Wauneda Harlow
Seaside
May 18, 1932 — March 10, 2021
Constance
“Coni”
Wauneda Harlow, aka
“Grandma Bunny,” was
born in Portland to Con-
rad Weber and Wauneda
June Saunders. In her early
years, her parents went
their separate ways, leav-
ing Coni with her mother.
Her mother remarried
and, due to military trans-
fers, Coni went to live with
her grandparents, Milton
and Glorane Saunders, in
Multnomah. Coni loved
those early years, espe-
cially holidays.
Holidays were gather-
ing times, when relatives
would laugh, eat, sing, play
games and have an occa-
sional pony ride. As with
many children, Coni loved
a parade — bands, floats
and all of the performers.
Parade passion contin-
ued to grow as she par-
ticipated in the Junior
Rose Parade by building
floats and hopping down
the parade route in her
Grandma Bunny costume.
Coni started high school
at St. Mary’s Boarding
School, but graduated from
Washington High School
in 1949. High school years
were full of music, dance,
sports, education and
boys! At Washington, Coni
met Joseph (Joe) Graziano.
Coni started college,
but the allure of marriage
brought Coni and Joe
back together. In 1950,
they were married. The
marriage lasted 11 years,
during which time they
had seven children before
a divorce separated them.
Corralling seven young
energetic kids was not for
the faint-hearted. There
were the normal daily
activities of feeding, clean-
ing, dressing, laundry, yard
work, dogs, ducks and rab-
bits that she managed.
And then the un-nor-
mal surprises — fire in the
oven, hot irons left on the
floor, flooded bathrooms
and shooting a flare gun
off in the house. (Yes, we
all made it out alive.) To
preserve the house, she
would encourage outdoor
activities; fishing, swim-
ming, boating, hikes and
lots of beach trips.
In 1967, Coni’s jour-
ney in life took her across
Fremont Street in Port-
land to Margaret Lapray’s
home, carrying her ciga-
rettes and alcoholic drinks.
(Wouldn’t you leave the
house, smoke, and have
drinks if you had those
seven little angels?)
The Laprays were mem-
bers of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, with no ashtrays.
So, Coni’s next visit to
the Laprays she brought
her own ashtray. Marga-
ret and Coni’s friendship
grew into a lasting sis-
terhood. Coni joined the
LDS faith in 1970, chang-
ing her life’s direction for-
ever (without alcohol or
the ashtray).
Coni was a stay-at-
home-mother for many
years, until economic con-
ditions (or perhaps sheer
exhaustion from cloth dia-
per changing and washing)
launched her professional
career with Wallace Floor
Covering.
During her tenure with
Wallace, Coni’s creative
eye was very successful in
matching customer’s goals
with design options, earn-
ing her many awards.
Her talents were not
limited to interior design,
but extended into drawing,
oil painting, book illus-
tration, cooking, garden-
ing, knitting, crocheting,
needle pointing, person-
alized cards and T-shirts
and poetry. You can also
add flight lessons and
parachute jumping to her
accomplishments.
One customer from
Wallace was William
(Bill) Harlow. Bill was so
impressed with her, that
sometime after complet-
ing his home, he asked
her out for a date. Coni
accepted, which started a
12-year love story from
1975 to 1987, before Bill’s
passing.
Their interests included
fishing, hunting, garden-
ing, travel, dancing and
golfing. They were also
snowbirds. When winter
hit Oregon they were off to
Indio, California, to meet
friends and go golfing in
the sun for six months.
In 1989, Coni married
Ron Miller and established
their home in Seaside. She
enjoyed walks on beach
and meeting other beach-
combers. One such couple
was a newlywed Menno-
nite couple from Missouri.
They became lifelong pen
pals for over 30 years.
Bird watching became
one of her greatest plea-
sures. On the sandy
beaches, she became an
excellent clam digger with
her trusted clam gun. The
beach was also where
Grandma Bunny would
attract and spoil her grand-
children with treats, card
games, trips to the aquar-
ium and arcades.
As her legs slowed
down, she would walk to
the top of the steps leading
down to the beach. There
the older grandkids would
carry her down to the
beach to watch them play
beach games, fly kites and
gather around a warm fire.
She also enjoyed enter-
taining guests, and regu-
larly attended the annual
North Coast Iron Chef
event at the Graziano
Foodservice table.
Coni formed special
friendships. One was Ruth
Baum. Coni wrote of Ruth
in her journal, “Good
friends, like tiny sand dol-
lars, are hard to find.” Sea-
side was paradise on Earth
for Coni.
Gordon Nicholls would
be Coni’s last sweetheart.
Together they were like
“peas and carrots.” One
without the other would
not be right. Walking in
the evening of life, they
held each other’s hands
until 2010, with Gordon’s
passing.
To
summarize:
Grandma Bunny lived a
bright and bold life. She
was not perfect, learned
from mistakes, asked for
forgiveness, gave forgive-
ness, and was courageous
enough to take life’s next
step. She hopes the same
for all her posterity.
If she had a personal
motto it would be: “Love
is what it’s all about.” She
leaves each of us with this
thought, “I’ll love you
until the twelfth of never,
and that’s a long, long
time.” — Johnny Mathis,
“The Twelfth of Never.”
Please find time to listen
to it in its entirety.
Coni is survived by her
children, Mary Jo Gra-
ziano (Shannon Alfonso),
Madeline (Mike) Col-
lins, Joseph (Hannah)
Graziano,
Rick
Gra-
ziano, Christopher (Lau-
rie) Graziano, Dominic
(Janet) Graziano and Terri
(Vern) Jorgensen; as well
as 28 grandchildren; 43
great-grandchildren; her
sisters, Sandra Dunn and
Sharon Jones (Dean Sta-
novich); and brother, Dean
Jones.
Coni’s temporal body
will be laid to rest at Wil-
lamette National Ceme-
tery next to her beloved
Bill, while her spirit has
returned to paradise.
In lieu of flowers, dona-
tions may be made to
South County Community
Food Bank.
From Coni to all of Sea-
side: Thank you, city of
Seaside, utility depart-
ment, post office, man-
ager and workers all; Bob
Chisholm
Community
Center; Ken’s Market (now
Hamilton Market); Safe-
way; understanding peo-
ple, no names, big hearts;
neighbors; church; each
and everyone for making
my life remarkable … one
of smiles, tears of joy and
love, always.
I’m grateful to know
that time hasn’t changed
the spirit of Seaside …
a special place on Earth.
Again, thank you — Coni
“Grandma Bunny”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Thank you to volunteers
for vaccination eff orts
Trump led the way in
vaccines saving lives
I would like to acknowledge and thank
the many volunteers that are helping to get
Clatsop County vaccinated! The organi-
zation was much improved for my second
vaccination and I am in awe at the massive
eff ort that is going on all over the country!
thanks again for your service!
Deborah Albrecht
Gearhart
Im just an old man. I am not a Repub-
lican, Democrat or Independent. Yet I feel
the need to answer the March 19 “irrepa-
rable damage” letter. There has to be some
thought and facts put into this conversation.
Before the pandemic, BLM and Antifa were
weaponized, Trump oversaw the three best
American years in a long time. He said what
he thought and did what he said.
The only facts in that letter were the
COVID-19 stats. Trump did not cause the
pandemic. Remember, he was labeled rac-
ist for trying to contain it in China. Biden
wanted the America opened to the disease.
He got what he wanted.
Trump did however pave the way for the
vaccines that are saving lives — in record
time.
Also, this bill that was passed is worth
over $15,000 per taxpayer. It will be paid
for by increased taxes. If anyone thinks that
the fat cats will pay hold onto your wallet.
They are the ones that got Biden elected.
The rest of us will pay it back through hid-
den taxes, fees and higher prices. There will
be more unemployment.
Then there was one last statement that
seemed out of place. The one about getting
rid of Republicans “by any and all means
possible.” Violence? Really? Don’t worry,
the current regime is on it.
Robert Liddycoat
Seaside
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Contact local agencies for latest
meeting information and atten-
dance guidelines.
TUESDAY, MARCH 30
Gearhart City Council, 6 p.m.,
work session, cityofgearhart.
com.
TUESDAY, APRIL 6
Seaside Planning Commission,
6 p.m., 989 Broadway.
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
Jeremy Feldman
ADVERTISING
SALES MANAGER
Sarah Silver-
Tecza
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
Kari Borgen
R.J. Marx
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7
MONDAY, APRIL 12
Gearhart City Council,
6 p.m., work session, cityof-
gearhart.com.
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m.,
cityofseaside.us.
TUESDAY, APRIL 20
6 p.m., www.seaside.k12.
or.us/meetings.
Gearhart Small Business
Committee, 6 p.m., cityof-
gearhart.com.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21
Gearhart Parks Master Plan
Citizens Advisory Commit-
tee, 5:30 p.m., work session,
cityofgearhart.com.
Seaside School District,
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
John D. Bruijn
Skyler Archibald
Darren Gooch
Joshua Heineman
Rain Jordan
Katherine Lacaze
Esther Moberg
SYSTEMS
MANAGER
Carl Earl
Seaside Signal
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