PRAIRIE CITY — This week was just chock-full of famous people’s birthdays. And Tom had some of their quotations up on the white board. Our job was to match the person with the quotation in order to determine which table got to go first, second, etc.

The first quotation: “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” Gerald Ford. “You dirty double-crossing rat.” James Cagney. “Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance?” Phyllis Diller. “I have a bad feeling about this.” Harrison Ford. Other birthdays included Orville Redenbacher, Burl Ives, Ginger Rogers, Woodie Guthrie and John Glenn. That was a lot of fun!

OK. Moving on … Volunteer Susanna rang the opening bell and also led the flag salute. Tom asked the blessing, and Sharon Thissell won the free meal. Our other volunteers included Mary, Sharon, Carla, Gwynne, Theresa, Chris, Tom and Pam. Thanks so much to each and every one of you.

We dined on hot roast beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy, a cool veggie salad, and a brownie with ice cream! With temperatures in the 90s, that cool ice cream hit the spot, don’t ya know. Good job, Pam and Pam. Our swamp cooler did its job well, too. Was a nice 75 degrees in the building.

We had our monthly board meeting after dinner with all members present. One topic of discussion was if we can get some new round tables without paying an arm and a leg to get them shipped here. Discounts are nice for the original purchase, but paying so much to get things delivered here is terrible! And the companies that sell the tables don’t want to let you know where you could go and pick them up and save the shipping charges. Now, that’s just not kosher!

So, how do you tell if a cactus is dead or not? We found one at the estate sale that probably hadn’t been watered for a very long time, but it has a lovely blossom on it. So I took it home and gave it a little sip, put it in the sun, and am hoping for the best.

Meanwhile, out in the garden, the peas have grown over the top of the 5-foot fence. Guess that new dirt I added in the spring was very beneficial to their cause. And the beets are at least 6 inches across! Because they were planted by seed tape, they had plenty of footroom. Think there are a couple of volunteer cantaloupes growing, too. The corn is 4½ feet and starting to show its silk-making stuff. The cucumbers are clamoring all over the place.

The carrots? Ah, the carrots. Nothing came of the second seed-tape planting. Most frustrating. How do the commercial growers do it?! My picking has yielded 3½ cups of shelled peas. I love to eat them raw. I think they put all their effort into growing tall and not making pea pods, though. Note to self: Next year, don’t plant the rows so close together …

The “cook” for a haying crew came in and got dinners for the crew. Yes, they even got ice cream, too! Way to go, Penny.

John 6:27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.

JOHN DAY — Being home in John Day causes me to realize how our bodies are wonderfully created. The skin is much drier and the eyes need drops and the sinuses rebel. The damp climate of Washington vs. the dry climate of Eastern Oregon. Life goes on and adjustments will happen.

On Monday, July 17, 19 in-house diners participated in lunch together to socialize, visit and be at peace away from their own homes. Fifty-seven fresh and 52 frozen meals were delivered to residents in the county. The drivers were Carolyn Stout, Carmen, Denise and Ali, of the BMH, Jeanette Julsrud, Maurita Coombs and Kathryn. Eleven people came to get a lunch and take it with them. Darlene did the announcing. Carol Roe led the flag salute.

The servers were representatives of the Living Word Church. They were Carol Clair, Chris Robbins and Rick LaMountain.

After Carol Clair asked the blessing, lunch was chicken salad-stuffed tomatoes, chicken rice soup, cottage cheese, garlic toast and apple slab pie.

Zucchini and rhubarb were donated by someone unknown and were on a table for anyone who would like some. Whoever you are that brought this in, we want to thank you for donating them.

AirMed has sent us some pamphlets explaining who they are and what they may mean to us; they are available at the desk.

Thadd’s Place and senior counseling sponsored a dance at our John Day Senior Center on Saturday, July 22, at 6:30 p.m. They had live music and free finger snacks. They did advertise this in several places, so I hope many of you took advantage of this occasion.

Marla Carleton won the Len’s card, and Steve Moyer won the free meal. Congrats, you two.

Altogether, there were 139 meals served from our kitchen on this day. Thanks to Shay and his crew.

As you can see by the above information, it takes a lot of volunteers to make this lunchtime a success to so many people in our county. A big thank-you to every one that participated in this venture and service of love for others.

On Thursday, July 20, Judy Thomas and Sonie Guttu were at the desk to greet the 17 in-house diners and the 20 people who came in to pick up their lunch. Everyone was signed in and their names put in the drawings for the day. Thanks, Sonie and Judy.

Elsie announced and Tom (sorry, forgot your last name at this moment) led the flag salute. Thanks, Tom.

Fifty-four fresh meals were delivered all over the area by Peggy Molnar and Cindy Coombs, Shermayne and Ken Bothine, Pati Davis and her three granddaughters, Lexi, Emma and Zoie. We got to meet the girls during lunch; they were all so pleasant. Thanks to all of you for your service of love for others.

The Methodist Church members, Sherry Feiger and Cathy Smith, were the servers of this great lunch. After Sherry asked the blessing, we dined on roasted pork loin and french fries with homemade pan gravy, navy beans, dinner rolls and Darla’s homemade chocolate chip cookies. Thank you, Darla, they were great.

We lost a great pillar of our community on July 12. Jimmy Maples left his earthly body and went to be with his Lord. We will miss him dearly, but we know where he is and will join him again one day.

Our librarian has received a great number of informative books for the library, so she is in the process of going through all the books and clearing very old ones out to make room for new ones. She is changing the rule now so we will need to return books after reading them. There will be a stamp inside the book saying where it belongs, so returning will be no problem for you.

Ron Smith won the Chester’s card, and Dave Pasko won the free meal. Congratulations to both of you.

Ninety-one meals went out from our kitchen today. Thanks to Shay, Darla and other assistants.

Psalms 37:4-6 Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. (What a great promise.)

MONUMENT — Boy, the weather over here is really heating up! We have had temps in the high 90s and into the 100s. I am not too fond of this hot weather, but it is making my tomatoes and cucumbers grow like crazy. My Korean melons are loving the hot weather as well. So I guess I can’t complain too much.

Terry Cade and Carrie Jewell made us beef burritos with all the fixings, green salad, rice and refried beans, and chocolate cookies for our dessert. My stomach must be shrinking in my old age because I am not eating as much as I used to! Ha. We thank our cooks for the wonderful cooking and we are so ever grateful.

Our greeter at the table was Bob Cockrell. He checked in all the guests, collected and counted up the money. He led us in the flag salute and made the announcements. Yours truly prayed the blessing over the meal. Roger Lawrence was the lucky winner of the free meal ticket.

We will have bingo on July 29 at 5 p.m. They play bingo on the last Saturday of the month except this coming September. They play 10 games, share a potluck dinner, and then play another 10 rounds. They have a blackout game and, depending on how many people attend, the pot could be $40-$50. Come on over to try your luck.

The Monument Buckaroo and Fall Festival will be on Sept. 23. More information will be given as the planning is solidified. In the meantime, mark your calendars so you won’t miss out on this important event!

My family and I got to visit the open house for the Blue Mountain Eagle this past week. It was nice meeting everyone that works and writes for the Eagle. Thank you, Bennett (our editor) and staff, for the get-together!

My raspberries have suddenly started to ripen and I have had a hard time keeping up with picking them. I have found some that are as big as quarter. Seriously, I call them “monster raspberries.” Then, of course, there are the small ones that are the size of a pea. I guess it just depends on how much water they get. One of my girls waters that side of the garden, and so they are the size they are. Sigh. I have been able to pick quite a lot and so have been able to share some with friends.

I have been a little lazy and have kept my baby goats in their pen. That means that I have to feed them some hay. They have become quite spoiled. There are moments where they will cry and cry and carry on until I give them some grain also. I swear I think they are bottomless pits! They eat so much, it is ridiculous. I don’t think I am overfeeding them. If I tether them and have them eat grass, by the evening their tummies are bulging out so much that they waddle when they walk. Ha.

Psalms 34:22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of His servants, and none of them who trust in Him will be desolate.