JOHN DAY — Have you ever considered the difference between contact and connection? I perceive a contact as someone you know within a business or organization, that you reach out to for information, greet on the street or wave to in passing. On the other hand, I see a connection as anyone you have a fulfilling interaction with. A connection is the first step to friendship and, depending on the time invested, quite possibly a close relationship.

Do you have a connection you would like to invest in? Consider enjoying bingo together. The times of play are varied to fit anyone’s schedule. You can enjoy bingo every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and the second Saturday of every month at 6 p.m. at the John Day Senior Center on Dayton Street. It’s a great wintertime activity, and if you don’t know one person to bring along, come and make a connection with others playing. On Jan. 11, 27 people enjoyed bingo fun called by volunteer Ed Binger. Plenty of table space for you and a friend to sit together.

What do tenacity, lumber, miracles, perchloroethylene, trust, diplomas, delivery service, food preparation, begging versus selling and motorcycles all have in common? Well, it’s a long explanation. But if you know the answer, it’s worth a $50 gift card to a John Day merchant of your choice. Each week I will elaborate on one of the things listed and see if a winner steps forth. This would be sort of like the contests that KJDY used to do.

Let’s start this off with tenacity: the quality or fact of being very determined. When my family explored Grant County as a dwelling place, we wanted isolation, trees, a creek and year-round access. Ha ha, not an easy find, even in the early 1970s. We looked at everything and even contacted owners of property not advertised as for sale. We were determined to get here, though, and (for just the summer) bought a house in Mount Vernon until we could find what we wanted.

Five years later the call came. In two weeks working with the owner via faxes, we owned 25 acres of heaven. No creek, but one scrape of the ground and our spring burst forth. In two months, our home was constructed. Five kids, no power, no school bus, but there was year-round access. We were in heaven!

Have you determined what the commonalities are? Most likely not, but if/when you do, send your guess to the Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.

Ever wonder just what the John Day Senior Center is all about? We strive to enhance the quality of senior life with nutritious meals, be a gathering place for activities, enrich mental wellness and offer needed assistance in challenging times.

The upcoming nutritious meal on Monday will be: roast pork loin, stuffing, veggies and dessert. Thursday will be meatloaf, mashed taters and gravy, french green beans, fruit and carrot cake.

No charge for entertainment, but, alas, we are challenged and have to charge for the meals. The price is $6 for folks 60 and over and $7 for those under 60. All takeout meals are $7 to cover the cost of the to-go containers.

Speaking of food, last week Shay Lewis and Tammy Hyde prepared 235 meals, and 158 of those were delivered by volunteers.

I beg forgiveness. Last week I labeled our wonderful Monday musicians incorrectly. This group of approximately a dozen is the Grant County Jammers. Next week I hope to share their names.

Volunteers — I cannot say enough about our volunteers. We work together to do good things. With more volunteers we can do GREAT things. By the way, do you know why volunteers are not paid? Because they are priceless.

MONUMENT — Our greeters at the table were Sue Cavender and Linda Abraham. They checked in all the guests, collected and counted up the money. Jan Ensign filled out the paperwork. Ellie Lucas led us in the flag salute and made the announcements. Yours truly prayed the blessing over the meal.

Our cooks, Terry Cade and Carrie Jewell, made us Mongolian beef with noodles, breadsticks, fresh green salad, and peach oatmeal cobbler for our dessert. We thank our great cooks for their hard work and dedication in feeding us all.

We have a new grant from the Gorge Community Foundation for spaying and neutering your dogs and cats. There are some stipulations, so please give Ellie Lucas a call for more information if you’re interested. You may call the Monument Senior/Community Center at 541-934-2700 and leave a message for Ellie, and she will get back to you as soon as possible.

We’ve had a couple of gorgeous days. After doing my chores and going back into the house, my kids and I like to sit with our kitties and have petting moments. It is such a calming and enjoyable time for all of us. The cats love to climb on our laps and sit on us while we pet them. It is soothing and peaceful , I must say. I believe that is the time when you get the good dopamine hormones in our bodies, when we sit and pet our cats. Sometimes I may have two or three cats on my lap. They are a bit squished, but they don’t seem to mind it.

I had to trim all the hooves of my baby goats. My kids helped me. I got the tame ones easily enough. The wild babies, not so much. My kids helped to catch them, and my son then held each one on his lap while my daughter was massaging and petting their faces to keep them calm while I trimmed their little hooves. This was the first time they got trimmed. I hope they will get used to it and not make too much of a fuss. My daughter is the animal whisperer. The wild babies were pretty calm while she stroked their faces.

My little bottle baby, Rebel, still likes to come over to me and sit on my lap. She is definitely a little sweetie. She was rejected by her mama because when she was first born, she kept wanting to go exploring and did not bond to her mama like her brother. So I found her cold and hungry in the pen. That was how she became a bottle baby. She wanted to be my baby! LOL.

I hope she becomes a good mama goat when she has babies and lets me milk her with no problem. There are some mamas that I don’t have to hobble while milking them, and then there are those who will tolerate milking for a bit and then start kicking. Hmm, I don’t know if I am looking forward to that work that is fast approaching!

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them who believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

PRAIRIE CITY — Well, I managed to use my personal computer and printer last week to write this column. The computer is fine, but the printer was not happy about it, so it’s back to the Hall laptop this week. I hope that replacement part for the printer shows up soon. I make lots of despairiging (sp?) remarks about people and their cellphones and now I have to endure the loss-of-use of my “word processor”! Oh, my kingdom for an electric typewriter!! And I need to get a better dictionary for the Hall office, too. Plus a Bible. … So how are things with you?

We had a nice crowd for our dinner today with the help of the new pastor at Grace Chapel and his family, the Phipps. Then a bunch of home-schoolers decided to join us for their lunch, and you would not have known that this was a senior citizen center. We had ages 2 months to 95 years in attendance. And a good time was had by all!

Our meal was in memory of Ivan Andrew. We enjoyed beef stroganoff, cottage cheese and pears, green salad, beets, garlic bread, and cinnamon cake for dessert. (Once when my dad was in the hospital in Boise, the meal was beef stroganoff. He wanted some plain food! “Get me out of here!” was his cry.) This was a good meal, though. Next week, we will have breakfast for dinner. Hmmm.

Deb Wright led the flag salute and Carla Wright asked the blessing. Debra Rubio was the winner of the free meal certificate. Our volunteers included Mary, Sharon, Gwynne, Carla, Teresa and Tom.

Today was the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1929. His quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” So get your lamp of love lit …

We were having trouble with the PA system not working, too. But a “button-pushing cowboy” discovered the right button to push, and voila! Sound. “The touch of the master’s hand. …” Thanks, Rick.

The government has made another decree that will increase our costs here. We will have to purchase paper takeout containers at three times the price of the now-outlawed styrofoam containers. We are looking at raising the price of takeout meals for that reason. Sorry, it’s not our fault. Write your congressman.

Guess what I just found in the library? A crossword puzzle dictionary!! And it has “disparaging” in it!!! PTL. It has 225,000 entries, compared to the other one’s 50,000. It said it’s “basic English words for daily use.” I guess “disparage” is not used daily …

Heb. 3:13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today.” Prov. 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.