Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Here we are again at the end of another year, embroiled in the age-old debate, do I make a New Year’s Resolution or not? For several years I held firm that I had enough challenges in life that I did not need to place another obstacle in my path that could cause me to trip up and fail. So, I met my resolution every year, to not make a resolution. Easy success. But last year I thought, “Why not?” For 2023 I made a resolution to find new adventures. I had hopes to each month try something new,...
November. Thanksgiving. Gratitude. Gratefulness. All wonderful words and all worth considering. This is the month David and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. I am grateful that God sent him into my life and that God gave me the wisdom to see the gift he is to our family. And the gift he continues to be. However, I tend to try and look beyond our small world and see the larger world around us. And as I consider what is happening in the world today, I find myself turning towards the foundation...
Next Month David and I will celebrate 37 years of marriage and adventures. Most of our adventures came out of our “pioneering spirit.” David always saw himself as a farmer, loving the time he spent with our livestock and working the tractor around the fields. I was always happy to be the farmer’s wife, gardening and canning and living the homesteading lifestyle. There was always something that needed to be done and something to learn, while we both also worked full time jobs off the farm. I jus...
QUESTION AUTHORITY!!!! This was a bumper sticker from the late 1970’s. I recall seeing it around town, wondering why people would want to question authority. I was young enough that ,to me, authority was mostly Mom and Dad and teachers at school. But I was intrigued enough to ask some older friends in the neighborhood about why they were questioning authority, and who that was. For them it related to the politicians who had entered into the Vietnam war. Many were still reeling from the loss of f...
One thing I share with my husband is a strong work ethic. We jokingly tell people that work is our hobby. We enjoy the results of our efforts, and I’m not just referring to the financial aspects. There are also benefits of community involvement, having a purpose for each day and being able to share resources with friends and family as we give back. We have been blessed with being able to see opportunities and follow up on them. But we also have experienced times when opportunities were not p...
The summer of 2023 for me will always be the summer of change. Shifting family roles as generational changes occurred, creating new relationships with other family members based on a new place they achieved in the hierarchy of life. And a new appreciation for the generational threads that hold families together. So, as I considered topics for my column this month, I found I was torn. Opening my new property assessment provided ample thoughts to fill my 900 words with. Preparing to co-host an...
“O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming…” Francis Scott Key, an American patriot, was sent to negotiate a prisoner’s release from the British while the battle for Fort McHenry raged. The negotiations were discussed on a British vessel tied to his American ship. Once the details were completed, the British kept Key under guard to prevent him from sharing with the Americans any military secrets that he might have observed wh...
What is a slice of life? A glimpse, a moment, a glance at a segment of a well-lived life? As I’ve written this column for a few months now, I’ve covered many different aspects of life. But this past month I’ve been thinking often about what it means to have lived a “well-lived life.” According to a Harvard research study that followed participants for more than 80 years, the key to longevity and happiness, my own interpretation of what a well-lived life might contain, is joy. The outcome o...
I have been thinking about writing this column for several weeks now. On February 28, 2023, Oregon introduced House Bill HB2002. As I read the context of the bill, mostly related to gender affirming (changing) actions for children, I literally felt sick to my stomach. I encourage you to look the bill up yourself and read the bill. In a nutshell, this bill would require parents/taxpayers/parent’s insurance companies to pay for gender affirming (changing) treatments to minor children without p...
Mark Twain was famous for quipping, “What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist only takes your skin.” As I sit to write this there are two more days to complete your tax return and make the timely filing deadline. While it might have been easy for Mr. Twain to make a joke, many people struggle to complete their returns and get them in on time. And a growing number of disgruntled Americans debate the legality of even being required to file a return. Bar...
As I start writing this month, I am reeling from a bad day. No matter what I tried to accomplish on this day, it ended unfinished. I should probably share that in the past three weeks I had a hand surgery, my husband had a shoulder surgery and my father is not doing well as he ages. So a lot of stuff to deal with. And of course, that requires dealing with insurance and billing and records departments and on and on. So, my bad day was a day of hearing “can’t do” responses. How did we becom...
I so appreciate being able to write about differing aspects of what affects our lives. When I was considering topics to write on, I began to think of the people who have influenced my life. Whether they have been a large part or just breezed in to leave behind a change, all have contributed in some way to help me grow and develop to be the person I am today. One of the earliest mentors I had in my life was Mrs. Barbara Cooksey. As the Mother Advisor to my young Rainbow Girl Worthy Advisor, she...
As I write this, our State Legislature is meeting in Helena, holding committee hearings and meetings regarding what the people of Montana are asking their representatives to move forward in the form of bills during the legislative session. I have always been fascinated with the political system we have in America. I was further intrigued when our daughter was introduced on the House floor in Oregon by Senator Gary George, to read a speech into the House record. While the political process is...
It’s that wonderful time of year again. Christmas is a wrap; gifts are put away and the effort to toss out the old to put the new in place has begun. For many, not only is there a tossing of old items but a symbolic tossing of old habits. And thus, the New Year Resolution season is upon us. Ask around and you’ll hear many resolutions being bantered about by folks. During my career as a social worker, I was required to attend many seminars. One in particular, comes to mind this time of year. It...
As I write this it is a week before Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays of the year. I am busy planning my menu and ordering amazing pies. I’m preparing beds for the family who will arrive and fun things to do while they are here. And I’m thinking of all the things I am blessed with and grateful for. I am so thankful for my husband and that we have a home our family can travel to, for my parents being able to celebrate with us this year. I’m grateful that I’m able to prepare a holiday...
Those of you who read my columns know I love to read. As a child I loved the library. I still recall the white wire chairs with the pink, orange and yellow seats in the children’s section and the location of my favorite books. Although if I were to return, I’m sure a remodel has changed all that! As children we were read many stories. Mostly fables or fairy tales of one sort or another, always with a lesson to be learned. Lately I find myself musing over some of the stories we were read and thin...
I grew up in the high mountain region of Lewis County, Washington, a short drive from the base of majestic Mount Rainier. I was raised in the midst of logging country. Many of the people in our community made their living from logging, either by working in the woods or driving log trucks. Many people filled jobs in the mills, creating needed wood materials from the harvested trees. Crew trucks headed into the woods early in the morning and chainsaws ran most of the day. Helicopters lifted loads...
Where were you? On September 11, 2001, most of us can recall where we were when we heard the news. The United States of America was attacked on our own soil by the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda. American lives were taken, not lost, but rudely and brutally taken. Buildings were destroyed and financial loss to our country ensued. Fear became a palatable part of the fabric of America. Terrorism had reached our soil in a large way, and many responded with paralyzing fear. Fear that kept them...
In the hutch in my dining room, I occasionally glance at the gavel I was presented with when I was installed as Worthy Advisor of the International Order of Rainbow Girls, Auburn Assembly #11. A beautiful silver gavel my parents proudly surprised me with to celebrate the beginning of a year-long term serving our local community. The year serving as Worthy Advisor I credit with forming the foundation of who I am. My advisor was Barbara Cooksey, an incredible woman who had a heart of service as...
Not to age myself publicly or anything, but back in the dark ages when there were limited sports for girls, I did take a chance and try out for the boy’s flag football team with two friends, Tina and Michelle. Because we were young and fearless and fast, we all made the team. Perhaps our coach was also ready to make a stand for girls in sports. We played one game in our school district before being removed from the team and offered the opportunity to be cheerleaders. Evidently parents from t...
In college one of my favorite courses was entitled “Humans Being.” It was an interesting study on what it means to be human. We explored various concepts, facts and emotions, taking an in depth look at differing views and responses to common themes of being human such as happiness, forgiveness, love and one of the most interesting for me, death. Why was it interesting? Because as a child I was raised to believe no one gets out of life alive, so I was surprised that for many, death is a dif...
As I moved into adulthood it was a clear expectation by my parents that I would be an active participant in my role as a voter. That I would take time to become knowledgeable of the issues presented on the ballot and the candidates running for office. As Louis Brandeis, an Associate Supreme Court Justice said, “The most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill, is that of private citizen.” I was raised to believe that role, as private citizen, was the most important one...
After a short drive down Highway 200 or through any neighborhood in Sanders County, it becomes apparent an election is underway. Candidates have filed, signs are up, meet and greets and candidate forums are being held. Letters to the editor in support of one candidate or another are appearing. Some of us may wonder, “What’s the fuss about?” In the United States we are fortunate to have free elections. A right not granted to all citizens of the world and a right that was hard fought for by gener...
Are we doomed by not knowing history? As a middle school student, I recall disliking history class. My instructor was dry as old corn husks and made history just as exciting. What was the point? All those people were dead anyway. I studied the textbook trying to keep my eyes open to read enough to say I had completed the assignment, absorbing little. High school changed that for me, I learned to love history. The teacher made a difference. Studying the Second World War in high school was...
While doing some research for the book group that meets monthly in Thompson Falls, I stumbled across results I found unbelievable. According to the Pew Research Center (2021), less than 25 percent of adults read a complete book per year, including audio books and plays. I had to do a double take. Less than 25 percent of adults read a full book per year? Of course, I thought, this is only one survey, so I began to dig deeper, believing that as much as I love a good book, most other people do...
