The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

As I got into my car the other day to head home from work the warm aroma of homemade bread welcomed me. I’d stopped at Melvin’s (AKA Oliver Lemon’s, but we all still call it Melvin’s) and bought a loaf of Sparrow Bakery sourdough bread which makes the best grilled cheese sandwich of all the breads I’ve tried. The warmth of the afternoon sun had heated the inside of my car sending the lovely aroma wafting through the air.

On my way home I stopped at Sisters Meat and Smokehouse to buy chicken breasts planning to make my famous chicken chili over the weekend. They know me there and always give me free jerky for my three dogs. When they accidently drop a piece of their fabulous jerky on the floor, they put it into a special container to give customers a tidbit for their dogs.

Over this winter we lost two of our three old dogs. The little guy was a Lhasa Apso. Our little Wilson, the Lhasa was blind and hard of hear hearing. Toward the end of his life we had to walk him in a baby stroller because he couldn’t see or keep up with the other two dogs. He loved that stroller. People would comment, “That’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen.” I’d always say that he took after my husbands’ side of the family.

The Smokehouse still gives me jerky for three dogs although we only have one now and she’s getting pretty fat. If the Johnsons are reading this, I’m busted on the jerky!

We are so lucky to live in such a small well-connected community. I walk a few blocks to my neighbors, to buy fresh eggs once a month. One-time Glen had to go out to the coop to get them right out from under the hen! Now, that is fresh. He insisted on washing them because he will not sell eggs with poop on them.

On my trip to Bi-Mart I try to get in the checkout line of my favorite checker, Denise. We used to attend the same Pilates class. As I go through her line with birthday cards and wrapping paper, she reminds me to buy stamps, or the ice cream. If I have wine in my cart she points to the dairy case and says, “better get some cheese to go with that whine!” She’s always a ray of sunshine.

I’ve decided to Feng Shui my kitchen during this mostly stay-at-home time. A trip to Ace Hardware was in order, to pick up paint samples to tape up on the wall for color selection. As I approached the entrance a polite man wearing a mask held the door for me to go in ahead of him. I thanked him and remarked that I also have a mask but it’s hanging in my car. He replied, “Well then you’re an idiot.”

I guess I’ve been called worse things than an idiot but when I go back to Ace to buy my paint I most definitely will be wearing my mask.

A friend stopped by my business and said he had a surprise for me. I love surprises. He asked me to pick a number between one and eight. I got married on the fifth, so, I picked number five. He said, “congratulations, you get five of the eight puppies my dog just gave birth to!” What a Huckleberry! I told him he could have gotten that dog spayed with the help of Furry Friends, but now there are eight puppies to find homes for!