Mt. Vernon resident Billie Bullard, who turned 101 on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, celebrates her (almost) birthday with friends and family at the John Day Senior Center on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.

JOHN DAY — The days pass so quickly, and there is still so much to do that isn’t getting done as we would like it to be. We are all in the same boat, so we will all get through things together.

Monday, May 27, was Memorial Day, so our center was not open for anything. Now that we are through that holiday for this year, we move on to the very end of the month and into the month that makes the year 2024 be half over. Goodness!

Thursday, May 30, Sonie and Judy were at the desk to greet everyone who came by to sign in for lunch, to pick up a meal or just to get information. These gals were right on track and did a splendid job. Thanks, ladies. Elsie gathered information, and Vern led the flag salute. We are so pleased to still have a flag and freedom in our country. I pray no one takes this lightly. Many other countries are so bound and not free to do as they please. We just cannot imagine living like that. Thanks, Vern, for volunteering.

Fifty-six fresh meals and 36 frozen meals were delivered by Rachel, Jeanette, and Jeff and Jodi all around our area to residents that cannot be with us in person. Thank you all for your service of love for others.

There were 29 diners seated together having this great meal, and seven meals were picked up. In total there were 129 meals that went out of our kitchen this day.

Linda asked the blessing for our meal, and then each table went to the window to get their meal in the order given.

Judy Thomas won the Len’s card, and Judy Jeffries won the free meal. Congratulations to both of you.

We have information posted in our center for many different things that may be important or helpful to some. Below is a list of most of these topics for your remembrance. They are posted on our wall near the coat rack.

The U.S. Census is now hiring for $16.95 per hour.

There is an Alzheimer’s caregiver support group.

There is a new walking group that walks once a week with openings for new walkers.

Anytime you need to contact the John Day Senior Center, call 541-620-5242 or call Elsie at 541-792-0202.

On June 5, at the Prairie City Senior Center, Jane Kirkpatrick, a well-known author, will speak from 10:30 a.m. till lunchtime. Lunch after her event will be at no cost for those at the event.

There is a farm in town that has eggs. Check the flyer for where it is.

OTEC has a free emergency kit for all who have residential power. Check the flyer for more information.

We also advertised the quilt show at the fairgrounds that will be over by the time you read this.

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 6, lunch will be baked chicken, potato wedges, veggies, dinner roll, and birthday cake donated by Driskill Memorial Chapel, which sponsored our meal this day. Then on Monday, June 10, lunch will be fish and chips, coleslaw, Jell-O, garlic toast and assorted pies.

Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

MONUMENT —

Our greeters at the table were Bob Cockrell and Sue Cavender. They checked in all the guests, collected and counted up the money. Jan Ensign filled in the paperwork. Bob led us in the flag salute and made the announcements. Yours truly prayed the blessing over the meal. The winner of the $10 off gift certificate for a haircut at Katrina’s in John Day was Melinda Jacobson.

Our cooks, Terry Cade and Carrie Jewell, prepared for our lunch a delicious meal of chicken Alfredo, garlic bread, a fresh green salad, and chocolate cake with white frosting for our dessert. I had to go back for seconds. We thank our cooks for always feeding all of us so well.

We had a bunch of kids from the Monument School join us for lunch, and they presented us pictures of their adventures of their trip to Boston a week or so ago. They shared the pictures in the format of a slide show and shared their stories of the happenings of that trip. We thank them for coming out and giving us these presentations. It sounded like they had fun and enjoyed themselves.

June is here! I guess I will try and start planting. Actually, I have to prepare my garden space. We are going to try something new this year. I am going to plant my garden where I used to have goats. Hopefully the dirt is real good from their poop. Ha. I have to re-fence it, and I have been pulling out a bunch of plantain. A friend told me that you could eat plantain! I did not know that, and I guess it’s true: You learn something new (hopefully) every day.

I also did not know that if you let the plantain grow, the plants can and will take over whatever area they are in. So I have been pulling them out and feeding them to the goats. I did harvest some plantains from a different area, and I am going to dry them and then make a salve. The salve would be useful for bug bites like from mosquitoes.

I am hoping to start the weaning process with my bottle babies. It is a painful process. I am trying to teach them to eat hay and some grain. They are munching a little on the hay, but they do not know what to do with the grain. I am sure that once they discover it is a very tasty treat, they will go crazy and fight and push each other for it. I need to teach them how to drink water as well.

My friend who took two of my bottle babies told me that her little goats were doing well. (Shh, she took the two biggest pigs of all my bottle babies! LOL.) Caspian and Pee Wee drank a lot, and I am sure they would be drinking even more now. She and her family are really enjoying them, and they are hopefully going eat down and control her blackberry bushes. LOL.

2 Corinthians 7:10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God, produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

PRAIRIE CITY —

Ginger asked Fran, since she was just back from Boston, to lead the flag salute today. The $10 birthday gift certificate donated by Huffman’s Market went to Sharon Thissell. Carla asked the blessing. Tom came in his Abraham Lincoln costume and read the Gettysburg Address. As you remember, it is not very long but boy, does it say a lot! It was delivered in 1863 and began with the famous line “Four score and seven years ago,” referring to 1776. So how many score is it now? Twelve and 8. Decoration Day was instituted in 1868 as a memorial for Civil War soldiers with the date of May 30. That was my grandmother’s birthday, so we never forgot either day!

Our volunteers today included Sharon, Gwynne, Carla, Mary, Teresa and Tom. We enjoyed Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, corn, pasta salad, tapioca pudding, rolls, Mississippi Mud brownies, and birthday cake donated by Driskill Memorial Chapel. And that was the first time that I remember having Mississippi Mud brownies. Now I know what they are! Pam and Pam did a great job on our meal today. Nice to have a “normal” meal after all the holiday cookouts, huh? Joe P. brought in some of his homegrown asparagus to give away, and it left! Thanks, Joe.

The grandson from Portland is practicing driving in order to get his license this fall. We let him drive around the “loop” for some different-from-streets-in-the-big-city practice. He did pretty well considering he had three back-seat drivers hollering at him! I am so glad I did not have to learn to drive in the city! My folks let me drive across Cow Valley. That was my highway practice! And mother didn’t like to go over 35 mph, so it took awhile. Ah, the good ol’ days …

People keep asking how my garden is doing. News flash: I haven’t planted anything yet! The beds and tubs and tanks are ready, and I have the hoses all situated, but haven’t taken the plunge yet. Maybe after the fossil bed trip. … The wild yellow roses are in bloom, some peonies and poppies have opened. The pansies that I transplanted in the new bed have all survived! See one carnation from last year is growing. Maybe it will get to bloom this year.

When the outside weather is not conducive to yardwork, I repair upstairs to the attic to try to make some more order out of the muddle, jumble and miscellany strewn around up there. Amazing what some people keep (ahem). The latest dilemma is: Is it important to save all the 65 years of photo negatives? Probably not, as the photos are all in the 50-odd albums. That will free up a lot of cabinet space! Have mostly gone through the parents’ and grandparents’ stuff, so now on to mine. Lord, give me wisdom.

James 1:4-5 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.