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First Day Hikes is a program of free, guided hikes offered by the fifty state park systems of the U.S. each year on New Year's Day. The program began in 1992 in Massachusetts, and then went nationwide in 2012. The purpose of the hikes in Oregon through the State Parks system is to encourage people to connect with nature, and to start out the new year on the right foot. On January 1, 2025, 25-30 people met at the Experience Center at Cottonwood Canyon State Park on the John...
Book clubs, like readers, come in all shapes and sizes. The one thing they all have in common is the love of literature. Many literary groups grew from the ashes of the pandemic, while others have been in existence for over a hundred years. A quote by Mason Cooley sums it up quite well…”Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” I reached out to both of my sisters-in-law about their book clubs. Hollyn, in Redding, CA has been a member of Ex Libri...
I love Halloween. The costumes...the pumpkins...the excitement of the children when the door is opened and "Trick or treat!" rings out. One memory of Halloween "back in the day" was decorating our lunch milk cartons at Fossil Grade School. The cartons were used as we went door to door chanting, "Trick or treat for UNICEF!" I'm not sure we really understood what UNICEF was, but we loved collecting coins on October 30th, and the highlight of Halloween at school was dumping out...
A friend recently laughed that in a conversation with a city dweller, she said that in small towns we don't just know everyone's name, we know the names of their dogs. The names of three of my favorite dogs evoke memories that always make me smile. My husband and I bought our first home in Fossil in 1975 while teaching at Fossil Grade School. Our next-door neighbors were Bob and Margaret Misener, and their English Springer Spaniel, Oscar. Oscar wasn't a spry puppy when we met...
In 1959 at age seven, I went to Clarno with my mom, Nedeau Chase, and her friends, Margaret Grabenhorst, Jean Jackson, and Mrs. Jamieson. Mrs. Jamieson was Margaret and Jean's mother, who came to the United States from West Kilbride, Scotland in 1911. The reason for the trip to Clarno on the John Day River was to see the Highland cattle that had recently arrived from Scotland. Of the five people making their way to Clarno that day, Mrs. Jamieson was the only one who had ever...
