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Days of Yore for July 25, 2024 10 years ago— Fire from an errant weed burning project is suspected of causing the fire that did major damage to a storage shed at the Gilliam County Road Department facility in southwest Condon. A strong wind from the west pushed the flames through the long building causing considerable damage to the building. Larry Hardie’s quick response in activating the water truck prevented more devastation. Jim and Diane Hassing and Nick and Cody Bet...
Eros and Cupid. Bow, arrow, target. Ready. Set. Go! Early editions of Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron (published first in the mid-14th century) feature arresting black-and-white wood-engraved illustrations. My 1761 copy’s title-page vignette depicts a chubby archer (Cupid) bending the ear of a man (Boccaccio himself?) spying half-naked ladies cavorting on a castle verandah’s balcony (Eros). Te 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375) assembled 100 short...
“Once upon a time in Spain there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand.” Ferdinand was unusual. Ferdinand grew big and strong. But Ferdinand preferred to smell flowers and contemplate Life under a cork tree instead of romping and fighting with other bulls. Ferdinand’s mother, a cow, worried about him; why didn’t he want to go to fight famous Matadors in Seville or Madrid? Butting heads is okay, I guess, Ferdinand thought, but being poked by horns isn’t much fun. Flow...
Last week I wrote about the conundrum so many of us face when we ask ourselves the age old question “What’s for dinner?” What a strange irony it is that even with our incredible bounty of food, at five o’clock we still stroll into the kitchen and wonder what to eat for dinner. If I don’t know in the morning, that question will repeat itself throughout the day like a woodpecker that hammers on my shoulder. Eating dinner is more than just eating dinner. It’s the period at t...
Days of Yore for July 18, 2024 10 years ago— In perhaps one of the most extensive investigations involving troopers of the Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division, a Bend area man was recently sentenced to multiple misdemeanor and felony charges related to illegal guiding and hunting activities in central Oregon. In total, 23 people have been charged for more than 200 counts filed in Wheeler County. In October of 2012, an OSP Fish & Wildlife trooper received an a...
Cooper Johnson, a 2020 graduate of Condon High School, has graduated from Oregon State University. Over the last 4 years, while attending college in Corvallis, he also participated in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). This spring, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force through the Flying Beavs ROTC program. He will report to his first...
The history of small towns in frontier communities is as rich if not richer than in larger towns and cities. Early inhabitants who moved West sacrificed everything and overcame incredible odds to carve out a new life and future. For pioneers in expansive rural areas, the challenges of settling and sustaining a town were significant. But today, preserving that history and its artifacts is a unique challenge that many tiny towns face. The town of Spray is a perfect example. In...
Osprey Trills shrilly Overhead Hovers quivers Night jars swoop Insectivorous Les razmottes Sont partout Diving buzzing Feinting seeking Move over Józef Wroński Willow weeps Hounds bay Seeking Tree frogs say Creek creek Creek creek Slowly Dogs bark 'cross the river Wild turkeys chortle Curiously unusual No whortleberries this year Только ягоды рябины Furry legged spider Crawls eight legged Yellow heart Shaped spot Plus two yellow Eye looking things Look like a face On her back...
In last week’s installment devoted to David Maisel’s Library of Dust, I noted that he registered that what is now called the Oregon State Hospital operated a gas crematorium for decades and decades. It remains unknown precisely where and how many unclaimed bodies of its residents were disposed of between 1883 (at the institution’s founding) and 1913, when the gas crematorium commenced. So many were treated thus, however, that, by 1924, the numbering system had regis...
During the last county court meeting on June 26, a discussion about the county’s investments in childcare and early childhood education took place. Some members of the community questioned how the previous court could have spent $1.7 million on childcare in Condon. The court began to deliberate grant applications from the Condon ELC and the Arlington Daycare Center. A member of the grants committee said that there was concern about the amount of money being requested by the C... Full story
A couple of weeks ago I wandered up and down the aisles of a Safeway and felt an odd combination of awe, appreciation and overwhelm. That’s quite a bubbling stew of emotions, isn’t it? Why so many? The vast amount of food choices we have in our society is truly something to behold. Yet despite this overflowing cornucopia of plenty, most people struggle with the question of what to make for dinner. Wow, that’s a strange paradox! The scholarly and academic people have concl...
Days of Yore for July 11, 2024 10 years ago— Now in its 11th year, the Penny Gronquist Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament and Auction was held with fifty-eight golfers competing in the 9-hole scramble for this year’s trophy. Winning the tournament was the team of Dave Walborn, Michael Walborn, Tim Gilbert and Leslie Walborn posting a 9-hole score of 28. Johnny Wayne Johnson is lucky to be with us after a motor vehicle mishap in Wheeler County left his pickup and horse tra...
Days of Yore for July 4, 2024 10 years ago— Anne Osterlund, Condon graduate and local author, has received two International Latino Book Awards for her most recently published young adult novel, Salvation. The awards include Best Young Adult Latina Focused Book – English and Most Inspirational Young Adult Book. Osterlund traveled to Las Vegas to participate in the International Latino Book Awards held in conjunction with the American Library Association Conference. Sal...
In a previous installment I introduced you, Dear Reader, to David Maisel’s magnificent work of photo-journalism, Library of Dust, published in 2008 by Chronicle Books. The work is overlarge in size and founded upon a project he undertook to assemble 100 C-print photographs that measured 64” x 48” tall and wide, respectively and to give answer to the question: “Who dies?” Each of the several hundred photographs is of a copper canister that once contained the “cremains...
By Cora Munkers, 4-H Student Reporter The Wingin’ It Poultry 4-H Club met June 10, 2024 at 5:30 at the Gilliam County Fairgrounds. The 4-H Pledge was led by Adam Gibson and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Sydnee Herrara. Leader Aubrey Gibson said that the 4-H Fair Books are available. Fair weigh in for poultry will be August 28th, Wednesday afternoon. The barns open at 5:30 AM on Thursday, the 29th and all pens need to be cleaned by 7:00 AM. We will have a community s...
The Sherman County 4-H Day Camp held June 12 and June 13 at Camp Morrow lakeside facility in Wamic resulted in many happy campers! Thirty campers, nine teen counselors, and eleven adult staff and instructors gave the youth an active, educational and fun outdoor experience outdoors on Pine Hollow Reservoir. Youth just finishing grades 4th-6th enjoyed a wide variety of activities including from-scratch snacks and meals each day, being a part of team, tie dying t-shirts,...
A while back, my friend Lorraine Smith of Spray told me about her quick and easy cheesy crackers recipe and I finally got around to making them last week. They were dangerously delicious! I suggest you make these only if you can eat the whole batch in one fell swoop because they are like Fritos and potato chips that way – why stop before they are all gone? These crackers remind me of leveled up Cheez-Its. They are versatile, too. I crumbled some over a tossed green salad which...
The Gilliam County Public Library is gearing up for an exciting summer with its annual Summer Reading Programs, running from June 13th through August 1st. The programs offer a fantastic opportunity for children of various ages to engage in reading and fun activities throughout the summer months. From 10:00 to 10:45 a.m., preschool-aged children (ages 3-5) can participate in the Early Learning Summer Reading Program. Later in the morning, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the...
Celebrating Community Commitment this 4th of July Dear Editor, As Postmaster of Condon I am writing to express the unwavering commitment of our postal staff to serving our wonderful communities. With the 4th of July approaching, a time when we celebrate our nation's independence and the freedoms we cherish, it is also a fitting moment to reflect on the values that bind us together. The Postal Service has been an integral part of American life for centuries, connecting people across vast distances, facilitating communication a...
Believers and biblical scholars, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Book of Esther and the Song of Songs are the only two books of the Hebrew Bible that do not mention God; that’s what David Blumenthal says. Esther's Book mentions mass quantities of food and drink frequently, but not God. The Song of Songs is an “11” on the hubba-hubba meter, but there’s no God-talk. Scholars of traditional Judaism highlight their belief in God's overt intervention but through coincid...
Days of Yore for June 27, 2024 10 years ago – A unique tour group will visit the Painted Hills when six monks of the Gaden Shartse Dokhang Monastery base a two-week portion of their U.S. tour in central Oregon. With the blessing of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, the group is on a year-long tour in the U.S. to offer cultural and chant performances along with their sand mandala craft. Wheeler County Judge Chris Perry, in partnership with Wheeler Co. Development C...
"Dust is a peculiar substance. Less a material in its own right, with its own characteristics or color, dust is a condition . . . Dust is a potpourri of ingredients, varied to the point of indefinability. Dust includes 'dead insect parts, flakes of human skin, shreds of fabric, and other unpleasing materials'" (Geoff Manaugh quoting Joseph Amato, in David Maisel, Library of Dust, Chronicle Books, 2008). Library of Dust is one of "those" books. It will dent your psyche (maybe i...
Mark your calendars and dust off your banjos because the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival is back for another unforgettable year! Friday, July 5th through Sunday July 7th, this annual event promises three days packed with toe-tapping tunes, engaging workshops, and the camaraderie that defines the bluegrass community. The festival is a free event with donations welcome. The heart of the festival beats on the main stage at the Wheeler County Courthouse Park, where from 3 pm to...
One evening I dropped by to visit my friend Randal Miller who had just pulled a pork roast out of the oven. The delectable aroma greeted me like an airborne welcome mat. My mother used to tell me it was very bad manners to go visiting during the dinner hour but apparently I had forgotten. Randal graciously offered me dinner and it was so delicious I had three helpings. I wanted a fourth but eating like a lumberjack in front of other people is not very ladylike, is it? But...
Days of Yore for June 20, 2024 10 years ago – School Superintendent at Mitchell reported at the June board meeting that there will be ten exchange students enrolled at the school for 2014-2015 school year from Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Thailand, Mexico and Hong Kong. Fern Wilcox will offer swim lessons at her pool at 59126 Stark Road near Grass Valley. The group lessons will be offered for persons age 5 and up. 25 years ago – Marge Killingsworth has retired aft...
