MISSING CLIMBERS ON MT HOOD, OREGON…

This headline is not new news. These guys have been missing for several weeks. The three climbers, from Texas and New York, were experienced at conquering mountains much larger than Mt Hood, at 11,243 feet elevation. It was unusual that they should attempt to climb the north face of Mt Hood in December, as we frequently have many ice storms and high winds on the mountain in December. One man has been found deceased. Apparently he had dislocated his shoulder and his two buddies left him in an ice cave about 300 feet below the summit, to strike out for help. They have not been heard from or found. It is an unforgiving mountain.

This Wednesday afternoon, my son and grand-daughter-of-the-heart made our way to Timberline Lodge to go skiing. Timberline Lodge is a beautiful place, located at 6000 feet elevation on the South slope of Mt Hood; www.timberlinelodge.com.

At a place less than 4000 feet elevation we had to stop along the road and install tire chains on my 4WD, 2004 Dodge Crew Cab, before we could proceed. The traffic was heavy. Apparently, most everyone else had the same idea to ski that we had!

As we neared the top, the snow was falling heavily. The wind had picked up on the upper East side of the mountain and was whipping up the snow so bad that we could barely see the road. The parking lot was crowded, but we managed to find a spot as far away from the Lodge as we could. We put on our ski pants, sweaters, coats and gloves to protect us from the cold. The ski goggles came in very handy because the hard blowing snow stung our faces like tiny needles.

The near “white-out” conditions made it difficult to see very far. At times, visibility was only a few feet. Naturally, we chose not to ski under these conditions as we could become disoriented or “lost” (it’s hard for a guy to say that word!). Instead we walked up the hill to the main Lodge and went inside to look around, opting to “wait out” the storm until it cleared a little or to go back home without ever skiing at all.

The white-out got me to thinking about the missing climbers and how the search parties looking for them could have been within only a few feet away and never saw them. The conditions were much worse on the North face, with 80 MPH winds blowing into their faces. The searchers must have been roped together in order to not become “lost” themselves! What courageous men they were to confront the odds and brave the elements in order to help strangers!

We did manage to find a window of opportunity and ski for a couple of hours before the lift closed for the night. We had a great, but short, time skiing!

After turning in our rented equipment and hiking back down the parking lot to the ice covered black Dodge truck, we proceeded to warm up and clear the windshield. As I started the motor and warmed the heater, I looked up and noticed my outside temperature gauge read 18 degrees. No wonder Alyssa’s cheeks were rosy!

What can you say about the “DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS”?

* It’s GREAT to be back to work!

* We can stop listening to Christmas Music and go back to the same old beer drinking, trailer stealing, bar hopping, divorce dealing, gutter girls and who done me wrong songs we so much love to hear!

* Huge sales on valuable stuff we forgot to buy last week!

* Standing in lines to return valuable stuff we got for Christmas presents!

* Saying goodbye to all the visiting relatives!

* Recovering from “O-D-ing” on Fudge, Peanut Brittle, sinfully chocolaty layered cakes, stacks of pies, brownies and sweets of all colors and flavors!

* Preparing for the annual New Year’s bash!

* Getting a head start on our New Year’s Resolution List!

* Dieting………seriously dieting!

* Trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for last week!

* Dreading the arrival of the 4th of July when they start playing Christmas Songs all over again!

Yes, it seems like it comes earlier and earlier every year. I dread to hear the first advertisement of the Christmas season when they start singing their products to the tune of Christmas Songs! Fortunately, there is much time to pass before we reach that day and it’s time to focus in other holiday directions!

But, it is UNFORTUNATE that much time will pass before we can get another paid holiday off! Valentine’s Day, for some reason, just can’t muster the clout needed to become a National Holiday! Totally a Bummer (to mix two generations of slang).

For now, all we can do is pray for a deep snow where everything closes down for a day or two!

All I want for Christmas is a Root Canal….

Wednesday afternoon I reclined in the Dentists’ chair while a masked man with noisy tools began working inside my mouth. He kept saying, “Open wider….wider….wider” as if I could actually DO that! It appeared that my lower jaw tooth was “dead”, as he had previously tested it with an instrument that did electrical prodding. He wasn’t certain his prod tool was working until his lovely masked assistant told him to try it on a good tooth; which he did! As I came down off the ceiling I said, “Yes, the tool is working!”

So with the tooth being “dead” the masked man thought he would try the drilling part without pain killer; which he proceeded to do. We were fine the first couple of inches; then he struck a nerve! Yes, a live nerve! He said, “Okay, so there’s some life left in that one…but I can’t understand why”. At the same time, his lovely masked assistant was preparing a syringe of Cobra venom, or something, which would paralyze my face.

The needle was looooong and ominous. He began telling me to do the “open wider” part until it cut off the air supply to my lungs and I had trouble breathing. He went away and soon returned to inquire about the tingling feeling. I could still feel my face but my ear was beginning to hurt. As I rubbed my ear he asked if it hurt and what about my lip. I told him my lip still had feeling, but I had lost it to my ear lobe. I told him that the needle went so deep that it came out in my ear. He didn’t think that was possible. I told him I had no feeling in my ear lobe and asked if he could go ahead and pierce my ear and sell me an earring.

After more drilling, the masked man struck another nerve and, of course, I jumped like the weenie that I am. He said “whoa” and removed the drill, only to pick up a small sharpened probe and poke the uncovered nerve. Another, more serious, jump this time confirmed his suspicions that a second nerve occupied the “bad” tooth. At that point the lovely masked assistant handed him another syringe of Cobra venom and we waited some more.

By now my face was so numb a rat could chew it off and I wouldn’t feel a thing! A few more days of drilling and another 3 or 4 inches of excavation and we had arrived. He took a couple of X-rays along the way, packed the long root and smoothed it over. He told me it looked good and sent me on the way by telling me to be sure to call him at home if my face started swelling up.

I’m pretty sore today but my face looks like mine.

Merry Christmas 2006

Dear Friends & Family,
Each year I am amazed at how the past 12 months have flown by. It’s December already! Now, you know what that means!? Yes, the coveted, Christmas Letter. It’s the way to communicate, often because we didn’t communicate!
Debby & I celebrated our 35th Anniversary in January, rather quietly, with a few friends. She was very busy planning our 3-week trip to Europe! So following the intensive planning and creating an itinerary, we flew out of Portland just before school turned out. We met up with Ron & Nancy Pinkerton in NYC and shared a plane to Rome, Italy for 4 days in a Villa. We visited many wonderful sights in Rome, Florence, Venice, Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirken (German Bavaria…you know, oom pah pah, lederhosen, Wiener Schnitzel, bratwurst, yodeling, etc.), Frankfurt, Darmstadt (where I spent 2 years in USAF), a quick day trip to Innsbruck, Austria, then a week in Paris with a visit to Normandy. Flying back from Paris, we stopped in NYC for 2 days to enjoy the sights, sounds and graffiti. You can read about it in my blogs.
My daughter, husband and the 3 are doing okay, although it’s been hard for them. Our grand-daughter continues to run away, often gone weeks at a time before she is found and returned. No one seems to be able to “fix her”. Today she is home (I think). She is only 14.
Our youngest grandson is 11 and is doing okay. He has been out of school so much this year that I’m thinking about giving him an application to work at Taco Bell !
Our heartbreak this year is worrying about Aaron, our oldest grandson (13). He was diagnosed with Leukemia this year and has been undergoing Chemo Therapy treatments. The treatments have been hard on him but he has a great attitude and stays positive. The treatments will last another 2 ½ years. Please keep him in your prayers.
Eric moved to Texas to work for Sherwin-Williams in an assistant manager training position. He has an apartment, car and freedom! Matt continues to work for Oklahoma Christian University; still travels a lot. He recently returned from a cruise with several friends and had a great time. He is also coming home for Christmas. The Lord willing, all of us will be together for Christmas this year.
Debby is sharing her First Grade teaching responsibilities at Columbia Christian School with her co-teacher, Ami. They each teach half a week. It’s a great working relationship and frees her up to do other interests. She loves Columbia Christian School and will have a hard time retiring someday! She’s not ready yet, because she wants “Dawson” to be in her class! She flew back to the mid-west a couple of times this year to be with her Mom & Dad as they were going through some health issues. Debby & I enjoy traveling to various places and enjoying our “empty nest” time together.
I am still working for a Mechanical Contractor as Service Manager. I turned 60 this year and plan to retire in 2 more! Yea! I am still active and healthy. I enjoy the great outdoors and find time to do plenty of hiking and backpacking in this part of the country. We have lots of friends and are very busy with extended family and friends. Dawson, our grandson” (Ami’s) turned 2 this year! Whoa!! He’s BUSY! He’s also a wonderful blessing to us. They have 3 other boys.
We continue to be very active in church. As an elder, I am busy with more things than I can talk about. We have been having a Bible Study in our home. We facilitate a “Homebuilder’s” marriage class of 6 of the most amazing couples! We also host a wonderful “Care Group” of 12. We meet nearly every Sunday at noon. We all bring food and share together, family style. We spend time writing encouragement cards to people who have expressed a need for prayers at church and for those going through family health struggles. Our “Fellowship Group” of 6 meets monthly, inviting 6 others each time to join us for dinner. Our “Leadership Group” of 24 (soon to be 26) meets monthly to fellowship and eat together. We are very encouraged! We both teach classes and serve at church in many ways. It’s all good! We have no family out here who wants to share in our life, so we supplement with those who do!
My backpacking venture on the Wonderland Trail around part of Mt. Rainier this summer was the most amazing trip I’ve ever taken! (See my blog). I had a crew of 8 backpackers this year. We had a wonderful experience.

Natasha, a local college student has “adopted” us and lives with us while going to school. She is a lot of fun and keeps us entertained. We have been chosen to be her guardians while she goes to Cascade College. We’re proud of her! She breaks up the silence when it gets too quiet around the house and we try to encourage her in her school work.
God has been gracious and we are filled with an abundance of His blessings. Even with all the “not so good” things that happen, we can always open our eyes and see “the blessing” that God gives us. We hope your hearts are also filled.

May the Spirit of Christmas dwell in your hearts. May the gift of Blessings be yours in abundance. May God hold you in the palm of His hand, near His heart, as He cares for you and blesses your children.

Insect Repellant…

Growing up in NW Arkansas on a 360 Acre farm provided 5 kids with plenty of land to run around on. The Ozarks is an area of rolling hills, small mountains, lakes, streams, caves and cool stuff like wild Plums, Muskadine Grapes, Persimmons, and Hickory Nuts. We loved to explore the old abandoned homesteads, weathering farm implements, and natural cold springs while searching for animals, birds, reptiles and every sort of living creature we could find. As we grew older, it was common for us to hunt Squirrels and Rabbits and to have Mom cook them for our supper table, as we lived rather meager lives. We never had much money but we did raise most all our food supplies on that land.

The one thing I remember the most; the single most things that stand out in my mind were the biting insects; the Ticks and Chiggers. We hated those critters with a passion! The Seed Ticks were a serious infringement upon our comfort! It was very common to brush our leg against a single blade of grass and be set upon by a few hundred Seed Ticks in a bunch! The ticks would attach themselves together in a big ball and transfer themselves in unison from the grass to our leg as we brushed by. At that point, they would begin crawling in all directions to find themselves a place to dig in and start feeding!

Someone told us about a certain plant, a “magic weed” that grew on our property in a certain location that was great at repelling insects. Once we learned that, we would make that our first stop on the way to hunting or exploring. The plant was a certain style, one we could recognize if it was to grow anywhere else. But, it didn’t seem to grow anywhere else than down the hill from our house, next to the big Oak Tree, not far from the Barn.

We would pluck some of the leaves, crush them in our hands, and then rub that on our pants and all over us. We used to “test” the leaves by brushing against a glob of Seed Ticks and letting them get on our pants. They would immediately crawl off and drop off our pants very quickly. Large Ticks would do the same. With this “poultice” on us, we never concerned ourselves with Chiggers, as well. Chiggers are small, tiny pin-prick-size of a red colored critter that loved to suck blood like the ticks! These things were so tiny that you could barely see them if you had GOOD eyes! They lived in the grass and loved to bite. They would itch us like crazy!! So we were never able to lie around in the grass and relax, or wrestle with each other, or pick the sweet, juicy Blackberries without ending up with a few dozen itchy bumps.

Over the years I’ve often thought about that “magic weed” and how it was a naturally effective insect repellant. We have long since moved away from the old homestead. The new owner built a Turkey raising empire on the old place. Turkey’s tend to pick the vegetation clean, as so many are raised in such a small enclosure. I don’t know if they have picked the ground clean around that old Oak Tree, but I’m certain so much has changed with the land; trees have died off, new ones sprout up and take over in a few years and alter the land so much that this old guy would never be able to go back to find the “magic weed”. Perhaps a marketing fortune awaits a young entrepreneur who, someday, discovers the secret of the “magic weed”.