Since I write my weekly columns on Thursday or Friday of each week, I wasn’t able to do more than mention my participation in the Lorane Community Yard Sale event last week, since it hadn’t happened yet. So, today I want to thank everyone who stopped by my Oregon Author’s tent at the Lorane Grange to visit and maybe even purchase a book. Several of you introduced yourselves as readers of my column and it was so much fun to visit with each of you. I was there both Friday and Saturday, August 19 & 20, the weather was pleasant and the sales were good, so it proved to be a good decision to participate. Thanks to all of you who stopped by.
My next stop as an author will be on Saturday, September 3, at the Oregon State Fair’s Oregon Authors’ Table. I’m really looking forward to that because it’s the first year we, as authors, have been allowed to participate for a single day. I’m trying to get a family grouping to go that day so that Jim can venture out, too. As a young married couple with kids, we loved to join Jim’s family and go the State Fair to watch the horse races, visit the livestock barns and exhibits, watch some horse show competitions and, of course, spend the day eating all of the “fair food” we could handle. It was a special day that we all looked forward to.
The Lorane community is taking a break from further events until Tuesday, September 13, when the Lorane Grange hosts a talk by State Representative, Boomer Wright. He will speak on education and possibly crime. He grew up in Lorane and graduated from Crow High School.
Then, on September 16, they will begin sponsoring the monthly “Dessert and Bingo Night” at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to mark that on your calendars for both.
To give you an update on Jim’s progress, he sailed through his Home Health physical therapy program and his amazing therapists released him this week because he’s gained a lot of strength and balance since he began. He and I are taking daily walks with his walker up the hill on the country road that borders our property. He started small—50 steps past the end of our driveway—and graduated quickly to 100 steps; after that, we stopped counting steps and began counting fence posts. I’m so proud of him and his determination to be ready for our upcoming 8-day “Fall Folliage” bus tour beginning in Boston in late September. He’s really earned some “adventure” time. In addition, in preparation for the extended vacation, we’ve signed up for a day-trip with the River Road Parks and Recreation District in Eugene for a jet-boat trip on the Rogue River next week. We’re both looking forward to getting out again and doing some things we love and have been wanting to do for some time.
If I’ve learned nothing else these past few months, I’ve realized how important it is to enjoy each day that we’re given and to look for the positives that sometimes lie under the surface of daily life. Things are not always going to be the way we hoped or expected them to be at any certain time through any stage of our lives, but especially our later years. Life is not perfect or predictable, so we need to seek out and appreciate what we have and what we’ve been given each day.
Fall is fast approaching. Let’s rejoice in the bounty of the harvest, the cooling of the temperature, the lessening of fire danger and the changes in the season. Life is good.
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Be sure to check out my new personal website! http://allthingslorane.com
