JOHN DAY — A volunteer is the best thing invented. Our center depends on volunteers. It takes many to just deliver meals to shut-ins. It takes many to prepare meals, package meals and serve meals. It takes several to clean up after meals, including the dining room and the kitchen. Let’s not forget about the restrooms that always need attention as well. I am one volunteer, and I know how important we all are. I am very proud to be one of them. Thanks to all the volunteers who help at our senior center in John Day.

On Monday, Nov. 20, we had 28 in-house diners and 12 takeout meals at our center. We also delivered 49 fresh meals and 51 frozen meals to folks in the area who cannot get out to be together with us in the center. The drivers were Carolyn Stout, Valeta Grant and Sally Deford.

Sally Deford and Valeta Grant were the servers for this meal. These ladies do a great job and give many smiles while doing so. Thank you, ladies, for your service. We dined on fish and chips and all the accessories and had drinks and dessert, too.

This is the best place in John Day to get a complete great meal for a small donation. Shay does a tremendous job organizing all the meals that go out of our kitchen two times a week and keeps the kitchen presentable after each work period. Thank you, Shay. Darla, Shay’s assistant, works alongside Shay and does a great job also.

There are two or three other ladies that help in the kitchen to keep pans and dishes clean so the cooks can keep working. Jeanette, Nancy and Chris are three of them and at times there are others. Thanks to you all for making the meals at our center a success.

Marla won the Chester’s card, and Mary Ellen won the free meal. Congrats to both of you.

On Mondays we are having the Grant County Jammers play music from 10 a.m. to noon. This is so nice to help keep spirits up and great enjoyment.

Thursday was Thanksgiving so we were closed.

Just to remind everyone, the John Day Senior Center has a new phone number. It is 541-620-5242. The kitchen still has the same number. It is 541-575-1825.

Tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 30, our menu is garlic chicken bites with pasta, mixed fruit, French bread and a cook’s choice dessert. We look forward to seeing you at lunch with us.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

MONUMENT —

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. I hope that everyone enjoyed themselves with time spent with loved ones and enjoyed a nice meal with all. As I get older, I am appreciating more and more the “together” time with my little family. My kids are growing up, and I am realizing they are going to be going off on their own in a few years. I must cherish every moment I have with them. The Lord blesses us with time, and we must not squander it.

Our greeters at the table were Sue Cavender and Linda Abraham. They checked in all the guests, collected and counted up the money. Ellie Lucas led us in the flag salute and made the announcements. Yours truly prayed the blessing over the meal. The free meal ticket went to Juanita Newton of Spray.

There is still time to buy tickets for the holiday raffle basket. The tickets are $1 each or $5 for six tickets. The winner will be drawn at the Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, Dec. 9.

The Christmas Bazaar will have the EMTs selling and serving up a chili cornbread lunch. The Monument Senior Center will be selling maple bars. There will be lots of vendors from all over, and it will be a nice outing for the family to enjoy.

The next Flying Tigers bake sale will be on Tuesday, Dec. 12. They will be using all their baked goods sale to help pay for their trip to Boston in May. Please come and help support our kids. They have some very delicious desserts for your enjoyment. Ha.

The next shotgun shoot at Brad and Julie Smith’s will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13. There will be food, a silent auction, live auction and dessert auction, and you still have an opportunity to sign up and win a Savage HMR 17 rifle with scope. The buy-in is $100. The shoot is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The next sewing event will be Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. We share a potluck lunch at noon. You can come and sew your projects, crochet, knit or just hang out and visit. It is always nice to get together. Hope to see you there.

It’s been pretty cold over here in Monument. It went down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit at our place, but no snow yet. I feel like I am holding my breath over here for that snow to come. It is still hard to imagine that soon the ground will be covered in white. There is still so much to do, and I have been kind of dragging my feet.

My girl goats have been with the boys for over a month now. I am trying to decide when to separate them again. Hopefully the boys did their duty and I will be having lots of babies in the spring. LOL. It is very interesting to see the different babies that come out. For example, long ears or short ears, the coloring of their coat, and the color of their eyes. I have one blue-eyed male that was born last year, and I am hoping to get more blue-eyed babies.

Psalms 33:6 By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made, and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth.

PRAIRIE CITY —

So, hang on. Here we go into the “holidays.” I know that because the first song I heard on the local radio on the day after Thanksgiving was “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Hope you had a wonderful time with family and friends. A few of us managed to have two Thanksgiving celebrations this year.

I was able to go to Oregon City to be with son No. 1 and family over the weekend before Thanksgiving, and we had a grand meal and fellowship all weekend. I was exhausted afterwards, but recuperated enough to drive myself to son No. 2’s home on the designated Thanksgiving to have another great meal with the other family and friends. One of the friends had not been around such a boisterous bunch and asked if this was normal. Yeah … and there were only 10 people around the table.

In “The Old Days,” we would have had double that with all the cousins and their kids. After the meal, we would relax and play music and then divide up for a pinochle tournament. Special memories. Had two responses to my strange musical symbol question that agreed, so I guess I’ll have to take that as definitive. I didn’t feel so bad about not knowing what it was since one person I asked had a doctorate in music and he’d never seen it! Another person who knew it said she hated it, and I quite agree. Why have two signs that mean the same thing? Makes no sense. But now I know. As I said, you can always learn something new.

Something new I learned at yesterday’s meal was that you can make a fantastic dessert that tastes like fine chocolate without the use of eggs, chocolate, milk or peanuts. Those are just a few of the allergens prevalent in the family. I told the cook that the dessert was addictive. Wow, was it ever good!

It was a distinct blessing to be able to go to my sons’ houses for these meals because both hostesses had experienced illness in the week(s) prior. But they both put on a proper feast and I didn’t have to do anything but show up! PTL that I was healthy enough to go, too. Thanks so much, daughters-in-love.

Had to get a new TV this year when I accidentally punched a hole in the screen of the old one. Have discovered that the new one has the capability of subtitles on lots of my old VHS tapes. That was a most welcome surprise! And sometimes it’s a surprise what the subtitle says that the voice didn’t!

Well, it is now exactly one month (as I write this) until Christmas. The Ensemble is doing great with our musical celebration of Jesus’ birth. And I’m working on Lent and Easter. My, time sure flies when you’re having fun …

Jeremiah 30:19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. … John 4:25 I know that Messiah is coming.