The INDEPENDENT, July 19, 2000
Between the Bookends
Letters to tbe Editor:
irons are being added as they choose items that
have been entered in the system and will short
ly be issued library cards with personal bar
“You have to suffer to have fun,” has become codes. With each new step of the process, ex
a joke fibout a way of life in our family, since my citement increases with the knowledge that,
husband first said it to our children as they were upon completion, checking materials in and out,
complaining about all the work associated with record keeping, and patron searching will be so
preparations for a camping trip years ago. It much more efficient (and yes, “fun”).
seems that everything worth having or doing
When Dana Stabenow’s latest Kate Shugak
takes effort and inconvenience before it be mystery, Midnight, Come Again, was acquired
comes reality. This can be said about the paving and read last month, it became apparent that the
of Weed Avenue and the accompanying side story made reference to circumstances of which
walk construction. With its completion, we can Vernonia readers knew nothing. This has been
now have “fun” or at least have easy and im remedied with the purchase of Hunter’s Moon.
proved access to the library and its parking. Be sure to read Hunter’s Moon first. Stabenow
Thanks for bearing with this inconvenience dur lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and writes not only
ing the past month.
the Kate Shugak series, but the Liam Campbell
Summer Reading is in full swing. Two dozen mysteries, all of which I highly recommend.
youngsters and their accompanying adult super
Craig Lesley’s new release, Storm Riders, is
visors have enjoyed the space stories and crafts the book that I would recommend this month. It
as we celebrate “Ticket to Tomorrow.” Wednes tells of the challenges and tragedies of Clark
day, July 19th, and Wednesday, August 2nd, Woods as he raises his Native American foster
there will be two special presentations with sto son, Wade. Wade, born with fetal alcohol syn
rytellers Anne-Louise Sterry and Tom Mc drome is not only disabled but also disturbed.
Cormick, respectively. Tom McCormick’s after Despite doubts concerning Wade’s connection
noon of fun will
with
the
be paid for with
“ZZZZZZZZxxxxxxxxeeeeeehhhhhpppp-zap!” drowning of a
a grant from
small girl, as
Extra-Terrestrials come to Public Library well
the Oregon Li
as the
brary Associa
at 701 Weed Avenue in Vernonia.
p r o b le m s
tion. July 2nd
Wade
causes
Wednesday, August 2, 2000, 3 p.m
will be the last
in Clark’s new
Master storyteller Tom McCormack will bring aliens to life as
of the craft, sto
m a r r ia g e ,
he takes the audience on a rollicking adventure! The “storyfel-
ry
sessions.
Clark
vows
la” uses his intergalactic tactics beyond the time/space spec
We
will
be
not to give up
trum. Come & hear the Star-flue open our galaxy to new
making space
and abandon
things. Bring your TICKET-TO-TOMORROW and
helmets
and
Wade.
Lesley
Read-lnto-The-Future
(literally!)
c e l e b r a t in g
brings to life
The Sci-Fi hijinks is followed by a futuristic furry-tale, where
with traditional
the beauty of
the kids will learn the Dirt-work song (to the beat of thunder
“float” fun. You
Wade’s Tlingit
from down-under). This is followed by the rhythmic root-flue as
and your chil
Alaskan vil
the listeners rock-out to chapter’s rapture!
dren are wel
lage, as well
This presentation is made possible by a grant from the Ore
come to join us
as to pockets
gon Library Association and is sponsored by the Craig Berk
for this summer
of the East
man Family, the Wells Fargo Foundation, Oregon Public Broad
fun at 3 p.m. in
Coast and the
casting and the Washington Mutual Foundation.
the library.
Portland and
Progress has been a little slower on the au Oregon City areas of Oregon. A native of Ore
tomation of library materials, with vacations tak gon, Lesley’s previous novels, Winterkill and
ing precedence for some of the volunteers and The Sky Fisherman, are to be found in the li
for me. (Can you imagine that vacations are that brary’s Oregon section. The library collection
important?) To date, a total of 2,283 items have had a marvelous beginning with the donation by
been entered in the computer and a total of 75 Glenda Jones. Not everything has been correct
volunteer hours have been spent on the ly catalogued yet, but do check this section,
process. This represents savings of $1095.00 if which will contain selections by Oregon authors
the items had been sent to a company to be con and books about Oregon. (The library’s comput
verted, or $487.50 if minimum wage had been er search contains an Oregon Visual Search
paid for these hours worked. The process is be button too.) Give it a try.
coming slower, also, because some items are
harder to find and to catalog properly, and be
cause a general weeding and repair of materials
Vernonia Library 701 Weed Avenue
is taking place. Not only are materials being cat
Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
alogued from the present collection, but newly
Tues., Thur. 2 p.m.«7 p.m.
purchased items and donations are being
Sat 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
processed at the same time. Look on the
Preschool Story Time, Mondays, 10:30 a.m.
shelves for these new additions and be sure to
Phone: (503)429-1818
.............
............................................................ —
use Athena to search the library’s collection. Pa-
By Nancy Burch, Librarian
Vernonia Public Library
Mootilda cow
disappeared
has
To the Editor:
Mootilda is a plywood cow,
painted black and white, and
stands about 4-1/2 feet tall by
about 4-1/2 feet wide. She has
large round eyes and a peace
sign on her back. Her perma
nent marker necklace bears
her name, “Mootilda.”
She was a part of my house
and family and has been sitting
out in front of my house for the
last two years. Sometime be
tween the evening of July 2,
and July 4, she disappeared
from my fenced yard. Maybe
whoever took her thought it
would be fun to blow her up for
Fourth of July festivities, or
thought she would make a cool
addition to a fort. I hope the lat
ter, for it disturbs me to think
that she met her demise at the
hands of her captor and a fire
cracker.
What I’d like to tell you about
her is that she is about 25
years old. A friend of mine
handcrafted Mootilda when he
was 10 years old. She acted as
a guide to folks visiting his par
ents’ vineyard in Yamhill Coun
ty. He repainted her a number
of times and still couldn’t get
her eyes right, as they seem to
be in a constant state of sur
prise. The peace sign on her
back represents how he felt
about the 70s.
While she might just be a
plywood cow with strange
googley eyes to whoever took
her, she’s a part of my history,
and I’d like her back, whole or
in pieces, if that’s how she end
ed up. If you read this and have
Page 3
try Garden, Mike James Horse
shoeing, and West Coast
Bank.
The next Ridge Riders
meeting will be held July 27 at
7:00 p.m. in the Vernonia Li
brary. For more information,
please contact George Belling
ham at 429-9523.
do I stand where our forest
was, in clear cuts and clone fir
starts as far as the eye can
see, with tears in my eyes, all
alone.
What once was our water
sheds are now vast rapid water
delivery systems. Streams and
storm sewers for mud and toxic
run-off of aerial sprayed poison.
Vernonia Ridge Riders
Mountain springs, skunk
cabbage marshes and delicate
cover that keep water
July 4th fun great ground
pure and clear are crushed by
because of you
heavy machines, then sprayed
to lifeless sterility with the guid
To the Editor:
ance of our state Forestry De
We would like to thank partment or the “Oregon Depart
everyone who helped make our ment of Mass Destruction” or
4th of July 2000 a huge suc “Department of Deforestation.”
cess. First of all, thank-you to
Well-meaning “forestry” stu
the weatherman - you didn’t dents are not taught the sci
rain on our parade! It’s always ence of what native forests
nice to see so many dressed in have for us to learn, but the
red, white and blue for the pa junk science of lumberyard
rade. We wish to thank every forestry and what Wall Street
one who participated.
wants them to think.
A big thank-you to Ray Pel-
So standing amidst collaps
ster for putting out the flags ing mountains, the streams and
along Main Street. Others to sea filled with mud, I see where
thank are Marcie Gwin for the salmon went. They fell vic
preparing the letters to solicit tim to a board of forestry made
donations, Vernonia Sentry for up of timber company execu
printing notices advertising the tives; corporate dictators who
Spaghetti Feed at Lew’s, and tell our government what it can
for donating the treats that and cannot do, and spend our
were handed out to all partici tax money-millions of dollars
pants in the parade. Pat and each year-on propaganda.
Darlene Knight for holding the
A sixth grader could tell you
Spaghetti Dinner with all pro this is a constitutional conflict
ceeds going to the fireworks of interest, but where have all
fund.
the lawyers gone?
Thank you, also, to Vernonia
In June alone, ODF auc
Fire Chief Paul Epier and the tioned off 50 acres of public for
volunteers from the Fire De est to be ciearcut, closing
partment, without them we campgrounds and destroying
couldn’t afford to have a fire horse trails largely in slide
works display. [Pyrotechnician] prone areas sensitive to threat
Kathy Brekken and her crew of ened coho. Ciearcutting isn’t
volunteers always do such a multiple use, ODF, it is destruc
great job. The ambulance crew tion of public property.
and the fire department crew
Thank you
for standing by and being
L.W. Denison
ready to help. Our Vernonia po
Vernonia
lice department for their help in
street blocking and making
Campuses receive
everything run smoothly during
beautification help
the parade.
Have you ever noticed Cub
Scout Pack 201, cleaning the To the Editor:
The Vernonia Elementary
school grounds the morning af
School
Campus Beautification
ter the parade? They do a
great job and deserve a special Project took a step toward
thank-you. Thank-you to the completion Thursday when a
school district for the use of the group of moms painted lines
for various games on the pave
grounds.
The donations were great ment at Washington Grade
this year. We have a reserve to School.
The moms names are with
hold over for next year - who
her, please return her to my knows - maybe we can have a the picture on page 1, but also
yard. I’m not interested in who bigger display in the years to helping were students Stacy
took her or why, I just want her come.
and Lindsay Lennen, Kristin
back.
It is great to live in a town Cota and Lindsay Shaw, who
Jamie Jones where we have so many won baby sat for the moms while
Vernonia derful volunteers. Last, a they worked.
Generous donations from
thank-you for the help from all
the
following also helped make
Poker Ride support of our Vernonia Pride mem
bers. See a list of fireworks the project possible: Vernonia
really appreciated
donors elsewhere in the paper. Hardware, Western Auto, Mey
Once again, a big 4th of July er’s Auto Body, Vernonia Auto
To the Editor:
Parts, Holce Logging Co.,
thank-you to everyone
The Vernonia Ridge Riders
Sword Logging Co., Buckner
Vernonia Pride
would like to extend a big thank
Land Salvage, Alan Hein Con
Enid Parrow
you to all its Poker Ride spon
struction and the City of Ver
sors. Donations were received
nonia.
from Pacific Harvest, Cascade Where have all the
Future plans include a stor
Horseman, Boot Hill, One Hour lawyers gone?
age unit for outdoor playground
Photo, Marilyn’s Tack Shop,
equipment at WGS.
Simply Delicious Catering, To the Editor:
Again, thank you all.
Where have all the lawyers
Canby Farm & Garden, Lazy T.
Kirk Sherrill
Tack, Elkhorn Tack, L&J Feed, gone? Where have all the
District
Project
Coordinator
Noetic Pet, Frog Valley Ranch, forests gone? Where have all
Kala Cota
Hanks, Gardeners Supply, the mountains gone? Where
Community Coordinator
Topnotch Feed, Ohler’s Coun have all the salmon gone? Why