JOHN DAY — Greetings readers. Look at our snow. It is good for the moisture we so badly need. It is not so good if you work in it. Unless you have good winter tires on your rig, you might stay home or call the People Mover. Evidently my tires are perfect because I traveled West last Wednesday.

That was the big snow fall, and it came with a winter storm warning alert, but the trip was necessary, so I headed out at 8 AM. The roads were well plowed, the traffic was light, and bright sunshine accompanied me the entire way. Errands in Central Oregon went as planned and the roads were pretty much bare the entire drive home. Goes without saying, the weatherman is a pessimist.

After my chores the next morning I made my way to the senior center. I was greeted by the Grant County Jammers, and I had to check myself, because I thought it was Thursday, and they always play on Mondays. Once I was assured it was indeed Thursday, I learned they were there because they could not jam at Valley View due to illness going around in the place.

Calling folks who like to socialize and be a little competitive too. Beginning March 10 at 10 a.m., the JDSC will be offering a safe, inviting refuge from the cold for visiting and enjoying your choice of the following: checkers, chess, dominos, backgammon, rummy, Scrabble and Connect 4. What is played will depend on who shows up to participate. All games, boards and supplies will be provided.

To ensure you enjoy competing at chess, for instance, you might bring a friend that also plays chess. Remember there are folks who might enjoy this time of fun but do not drive, so put the invitation out to them and offer them a ride. This new venture is an effort to increase the use of the center. If enough interest is shown, perhaps it will expand to more activities. We need all the help we can to attract people, so spread the word. Better yet invite some friends, pick them up, fill the car and enjoy the morning together. The chores at home will wait.

Hot and cold beverages and pastries will be served, so help us get this event off the ground by spreading the word. You do not have to be a senior to take part. On another note, the list above are only suggestions. If you have a game or activity you’d like to see, (I don’t read minds) call me at 541-620-2050.

Food, oh yes food! I think I omitted the food that was to be served last week. Oops! Best get the next meals listed here before I oops again. Monday, Feb. 17 you will enjoy sloppy joes, salad, fruit and upside-down pineapple cake. On Thursday, Feb. 20 you can enjoy roast pork, potatoes and gravy, mixed veggies, fruit and YUMMM lemon truffles.

Bingo last week had a lower than average turn out, most likely due to the weather, but the enthusiasm of those who attended was not dampened in the least. 

Winter seems like a good time to sit by the fire or heater and sip a hot beverage while enjoying a good book or informative magazine. You can find the perfect reading material at the (not so little) quaint JDSC library. Linda Stoltz does a wonderful job with the library and is more than willing to help you find just what might “fit” you. If you are not a reader, consider the vast selection of puzzles available.

We are still on the lookout for some folks that would like to be a part of the John Day Senior Center. We even have things you could help with and not leave your home. 

MONUMENT — It’s February! Yes, we are now in the second month of the year 2025. I can’t believe it, I don’t really want to believe it, and I’m having a hard time believing it, are you? I guess it doesn’t matter, it’s still February! LOL. This February has been super cold too. At our place, we went down to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. BRRRR. This has only been the second time that the temperature has gone down below zero for us since we have been here.

The first year we were here in Oregon, it went down to minus 22. That was very cold and I remember it very vividly because we were in our RV trailer at the time and woke up to only 43 degrees inside the trailer. We’ve learned a lot since then! Seems like only yesterday, we’d just arrived in Oregon.

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 chicken teriyaki, white rice, fresh green salad, and brownies for our dessert. We thank them so much for their efforts. We are always grateful for our cooks and our facility where we can gather and eat a nice meal and visit with our friends and community.

We celebrated a couple of things. We all sang to Max Breeding for his birthday will be on Feb. 14. He will turn 91 years young. We also wanted to thank and recognize Carrie Jewell, our cook. She has served as cook for 30 years! Wow, that is quite an achievement. We thank her for her long service and dedication.

We had three young ladies from the Monument School make an announcement and had us take a survey. Their names were Taylor Hamilton, Whitney Hudson, and Ashlyn Albrich. The survey was for the SkillsUSA Monument Project. They are going to remove the old Monument sign and build a new one. They wanted the opinions of residents and what they thought of this idea. Well, I guess we will see when they have it all completed.

The Monument Food Pantry is currently working on an insurance issue that may or may not be resolved by Feb. 20. If the issue is not resolved, the Food Pantry will still be open regular hours, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., but there will be no “open shopping”. In that case, they will have prepackaged boxes of food ready for distribution. They will provide an update on Feb. 18. The Monument Food Pantry thanks everyone for their understanding.

A quilt raffle will be held for the late Tate Holmes, son of Jeremiah and Tara Holmes, at the Spray Rodeo over Memorial Day weekend. There is also a GoFunMe set up for Tate’s family. He passed away from a farm accident and the funds are to help his widow, Dakota and their children. Thank you to all for your support and donations!

Psalms 37:18-19 The days of the righteous are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of trouble, they will not wither, in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

PRAIRIE CITY — The most relevant question of the day was: “What was your temperature?” The answers ranged from two degrees above to 20 degrees below zero. The old story is that at that temperature the hardy souls in Bear Valley/Seneca put on a sweat-shirt. We were grateful that there wasn’t a 20 mph wind to go along with the sub-freezing temps!

That’s when the bovine babies fill up the back porches. On to warmer items! Colin led the flag salute, Lynette Sullens won the free meal and Pastor Phipps asked the blessing.

Our volunteers included Sharon, Mary, Teresa, Tom, and Pam at her desk. We were very happy to see Jim and Lynette Sullens come wheeling in the front door! Long time, no see due to matters of health. Continued prayers on that front will be appreciated.

The white board had a clue about why Valentine’s Day is celebrated on Feb. 14., and it had nothing to do with St. Valentine! Way back in the late 1300s, there was a famous author by the name of Geoffrey Chaucer and he decided that tokens of love should be given on Feb. 14 because that was the time that birds in England paired off. (It must have been a lot warmer in England then!!)

Anyway, hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day. I was gifted with a small pot of red and pink moss roses, I think. Thanks so much, Rita.

Now, you may think that our meal today was an odd one to have for this day, but if you stop and think about it, it was the perfect one to have before all the sweetness of Friday, the 14. And because the weather was so cold, the potato soup was wonderful.

The tuna salad on pita bread was an interesting combination. I had never had pita bread. It pops up in the crossword puzzles, but I did not know what it was. Well, I ate the whole thing, plus some cottage cheese and peaches.

Our wonderful cooks did do a large sugar cookie with pretty pink frosting with a large piece of heart shaped candy on it. So we did do something for St. Valentine’s Day.

This meal was sponsored by Colin and Gail in memory of Claudette Kolb. We had a great response to our request for returnable bottles and cans to the trailer on the old Texaco lot. Thank you very much. Every little bit helps.

I often wonder if the new-comers wonder about the way we give directions in Prairie City. Sure the old-timers know where the Texaco lot is, but how long has it been since there was a Texaco service station there, hmmm?

It is hard to imagine that 60 years ago there were three gas stations in our little burg. I guess were are blessed that we still have one! And doubly blessed that it is not just self-service!!!!!! Thanks so much to those in charge who provide this for us. We really appreciate it!!

Job 37: 6, 9, 1, 13…”(God) says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’…the tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds. He loads the clouds with moisture…..to water the earth and show His love.”