Coming home from a trip to Grants Pass to pick up photos, it began snowing as we neared the Sno-park. I love the light snow that falls rather than the soggy heavy wet snowfall we have in the valley. Snow in Minnesota and Wisconsin was never like that and we could go out snowshoeing for hours and not get soaked.

Earlier in the day, a nice Sunday drive over the hill was simply beautiful! Seeing golden leaves against dark green background with a blue sky above was so enjoyable. Each time we go over in October, however, we do wonder if it will be the last time. The snow may hold out for awhile yet as far as blocking the road. However, since it can be beautiful going over and snow and rocks coming home, my husband prefers I take the Highway 96 route after the snows begin!

As we drove along listening to the radio, they were talking about the ten happiest jobs! Is your job happy? There were some surprises in the ten happiest jobs: clergy, fire fighter, physical therapist, authors, special education teachers and teachers in general, artists, psychologists, financial services and operating engineers. Percentage wise, clergy are the happiest people in their career. It is interesting how many of these occupations are helping others in various ways, rescuing them from fire, helping them solve problems by financial, religious or psychology means and teaching or helping them physically.

Teaching is a wonderful opportunity to work with the young. Even with current problems with education funding and classroom conditions teaching careers attract young idealists although many leave after five years. There is also an outlet for creativity in artists and authors despite the difficulty of making a living at it.

It was noted by the speaker that the ten most hated jobs are often of a much higher rank on the social ladder and with greater financial remuneration. Except for the financial sales agent position with good income in a comfortable office, the results seem to show a higher social status and larger paycheck doesn’t necessarily make for a happy worker. Doing something worthwhile and serving others seem to be more important in job satisfaction for most people.
Sometimes life in an fulfilling job can be rescued by volunteer work on a cause that is worthwhile and helps others. It was interesting at the last meeting of the community solutions to alcohol and drug use by our children, that the goals of a Neighborhood Watch were discussed Deputy David Nye had some good points to make as far as the value of the Neighborhood Watch type program in neighbors looking out for and caring about their neighbors. While gas prices at the heights they are now virtually preclude the drive around patrols that we had in the past, just neighbors keeping an eye out for neighbors is always important in our community.

Chamber of Commerce office is a fun place to work as a volunteer (that being the only jobs we have!!) People come in from other states across America and foreign countries and you are able to help them find a place to stay or eat or things to do. It is good to be able to solve their problems and also put them in contact with the businesses in our community which are eager to serve them.

There are so many organizations in town that could always use extra hands to help. Nadine will be putting together a Veterans Dinner and could probably use help in making that an important opportunity to express appreciation for their serving our country. The Family Resource Center has many areas that can use volunteers to help those in need in our community. They will be having a 5K walk or run next Saturday. Entrance is $5 or five cans of food for the food pantry. Meet at the Family Resource Center for a walk to help the community! Call 493-5117 for further information.

This time of year we see summer ending and cold weather come. Friends leave and we may see less of our neighbors in the cold weather. This morning Royal Blue read a poem by Frank Whitney and it’s something to keep in mind today:

Begin the day with friendliness and only friends you’ll find.
Yes, greet the dawn with happiness, keep happy thoughts in mind!
Salute the day with peaceful thoughts and peace will fill your heart.
Begin the day with joyful soul and joy will be your part.
Begin each day with friendly thoughts and as the day goes on.
Keep friendly, loving, good, and kind, just as you were at dawn.
The day will be a friendly one and then at night you’ll find
that you were happy all day long, through friendly thoughts in mind.

A Child of Mine

A Child of Mine, a Funeral Poem for a child.

I’ll lend you for a little while
A child of mine, God said
For you to love the while she lives
And mourn for when she’s dead
It may be six or seven years,
Or forty-two or three
But will you, till I call her back
Take care of her for me?

She’ll bring her charms to gladden you
And – should her stay be brief,
You’ll have her lovely memories
As a solace for your grief
I cannot promise she will stay
For all from earth returns
But there are lessons taught below
I want this child to learn.

I’ve looked the whole world over
In my search for teachers true
And from all beings that crowd life’s land
I have chosen you
Now, will you give her all your love
Nor think the labor vain.
Nor hate me when I come to take
This lent child back again

I fancied that I heard you say
“Dear Lord, Thy will be done.
For all the joys Thy child will bring
The risk of grief we’ll run
We will shelter her with tenderness
We’ll love her while we may –
And for the happiness we have now know
Forever grateful stay.”

But should the angels come for her
Much sooner than we’d planned,
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to understand.

Anon

Thank you!
Thank you to all who worked together to make Dear Mad’m Symposium such a fun event for all last weekend! First of all we thank Geneva Johnson who received our Dear Mad’m Award for her wonderful pioneering spirit. Thanks also to Casey Chambers who shared what Geneva “Dear Grandma” has meant to her through the years since she was a newlywed neighbor. Thanks for bringing the speaker system too!

We Thank Barbara Brown, who was our Dear Mad’m last year at the first annual Dear Mad’m Day. She has been the publisher through Naturegraph publishers, both of “Dear Mad’m” by Stella W. Patterson and the newly published “Dear Mad’m Who Was she?” More recently, we thank her for having the Friday reception at Naturegraph, and the great sweet grapes and homemade apple juice that she made. Besides welcoming so many to her place, she also provided printing tours thanks to Sonny.

Thanks to Abigail Eadie for the beautiful sunflower cupcakes she made for the occasion and Melissa Colbert who helped her decorate.

Of course Bonnie was most responsible for the luncheon on Saturday as she shopped and cooked and served the old fashioned meal. Bonnie always serves food with love. I cannot believe the effort and wonderful skill she puts into such a meal, all the while being a volunteer. Thanks to Joe for the help that he gave as they work as a good team. Audrey Henke, Cheyenne Moore, and Nikki were great working in the kitchen and serving the pie. Thanks to the Happy Seniors for providing wonderful coconut cream, banana cream, pumpkin and apple pies that were so tasty! Especially Pauline (Sis) Attebery, Jeanne Burrer and Anita Wolf!

In addition we are grateful to the Karuk Housing for sharing their wonderful building with us for this event. The beautiful kitchen and dishwasher made serving the meal a joy. Thank you Dorcus, Sara Spence, and Babbie Peterson.

Thanks to Marilyn Townsend for making fabric napkins in fall floral for decorating the tables and the idea of flowers in canning jars centerpieces to decorate a dozen tables.

Thank you to Judy Hahn who wrote a great poem about Dear Mad’ m! Loved it!!We can’t wait for the second installment which will tell more about her story.And we didn’t even know that Judy had such a talent for writing epic poems until “Happy Camp Has Talent” was held last summer as part of the Rockin’ the Klamath concert. So glad we found out about her wonderful talent.

Karen Tulledo was not only a great help on the committee, but also wrote an historical story about John Jeardeau who was the Clear Creek postmaster for many years and his special 50 year old sourdough. Next year we hope to have sourdough pancakes with blackberry syrup! Her story really made the life on the Klamath River in Dear Mad’m’s day come alive.

Of course, We want to thank the main speakers who are authors of Dear Mad’m Who Was She! Peter Lismer is a great nephew of Stella Walthall Patterson! Thank you Pete for sharing your family story! His wife, Elizabeth Lismer, was also author of the book and shared how they went about research and tracking down the tale of Stella’s life. Their presence having flown from a summer place in France was just in time for this event for which we are very grateful. Thank you Lismers for having the book there for people to obtain autographed copies of too.

Thank you Cindy Trobitz Thomas for your additional comment about the love that James Patterson showed when hearing that Stella was dying and walking all the way to be with her since the flooding had washed the road out in December of 1956.

Thank you Roberta Everett for bringing Stella’s rocking chair and Claudia who enjoyed seeing it again after all these years. Thank you to Liz Lismer, Cindy Trobitz-Thomas, Karen Tulledo, Claudia Diridon Wagner and her husband Dick, who brought old photos and mementos to share with all of us.

Thank you to Managers Robert & Sherry and James, the owner of Klamath River Resort Inn for setting up a beautiful camp fire right down on the river where we could enjoy a beautiful fireside evening Saturday evening.Thanks to MsD for bringing her guitar and Matthew for a camp fire sing.

Thank you to Rod Diridon both for your comments and help at the Luncheon and for making a map and providing a guided tour of your memories visiting grandparents John and Alice C at their place along the Klamath in your childhood. I especially enjoyed your inspiration of how we are all like the storytellers sitting around the fire sharing the stories. The others around about hear those stories and pass them on and some day they will go to another generation.

Thank you to the Happy Camp High School Seniors who served a pancake breakfast Sunday morning. Thanks to Cassidy Little the class president, Brandon Tripp who stirred up pancakes, Shelly Hokinson, and Ray Griffin especially! Also thanks to their Class advisor Alyssa Garcia and her daughter Emma who colored pictures for us. And thank you Dan for getting the coffee going, which got some who love coffee in the morning ready for the day!

Thank you to the Klamath River Writer’s Group and especially Linda Martin who originally had the idea for our first Dear Mad’m Day last yea rand worked on the website www.dearmadm.com.

Thank you to the Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce Board, President Robert “Javabob” Schmalzbach, Vice President Dolly Elston, Ray and Bobi Arneson, Rosemary Boren, James Buchner, and Judy Bushy. Special Thanks to James Buchner for helping get the plans off to a good start and Karen Tulledo who joined the Dear Mad’m Committee the last month. They aren’t responsible for any foibles, but were enormously helpful in making the event possible! Looking forward to seeing the video record Linda and Bob Dusenberry made possible.

Thank you to all who came and what a joy it was to visit with all those who are relatives or fans!!. We have enjoyed getting to know Stella through her writings, and now through Pete and Liz’s biography and the larger circle of friends who enjoyed her story also!

Can’t wait until next year OCTOBER 11-13, 2013 to see you all again!!

Sincerely
the Dear Mad’m Committee,
Happy Camp, CA 96039-1675