What Are You Thankful Ror?

Down River Column from Pioneer Press by Judy Bushy

Thanksgiving comes at a good of the year, What a beautiful time of year autumn is along the scenic wild Klamath River. But it is beautiful in different ways all seasons,
Hazel Joyner celebrated her 99th birthday Saturday which was a beautiful golden day for the occasion. She was talking about how we used to have big celebrations for Veterans Day like Memorial Day and Labor Day—add the 4th of July picnic. Now that the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign war were closed down we don’t have anyone to plan those type of community gatherings anymore. Why we haven’t even had a good Town Meeting for three years!
But despite the fact that time changes, home and family are still the foundation of out community.
Hazel was born next door to the house she now lives un 99 years ago, Hazel had family members visiting, Diane Fowler-Barker and Mark Fowler with Claudine, and two great grandnephews, Randy and Kenny. Randy and Kenny were fearless up on the roof getting leaves out of the gutters when I was there. The trees are so nice but they do make a lot of leaves to deal with this time of year. Diane was reminiscing about visiting in Happy Camp summers as a child. How they would go around town shopping when everyplace had photos of the 64 flood. I enjoyed visiting with her about Happy Camp memories of her childhood. Aurelia Fowler was her grandmother.
Hazel went to High School in Yreka and then to Riverside. It was her father, Gorham Humphries who had the vision for having a high school in Happy Camp. He got others involved, Judge Philip Toleman and Dr. as well as enlisting most of the community to build the log high school in 1933.
The Library had their annual Book Fair. Last couple of years it was threatening rain so this year they moved it to the Karuk Multipurpose room on 2nd Avenue. It was a beautiful sunny day. Makayla and Gerry were providing music but most of the crowd was browsing while they enjoyed the music. There was the 8th grade class with bake sale goodies. The Girl Scouts were there selling some really nice bookmarks, hairclips and jewelry that they had made. Kathy had photos and plants and Makayla had photos and books. She has a beautiful photo of a Swallowtail butterfly. Cheryl Wainwright had tea and flavored Latte’s. You could even get goat milk and a fascinating assortment of other things.
I miss our goats so much but Hubby says no more livestock—he is probably afraid to give in to goats and we’d have more . Our children never thought they had enough pets, until we had cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and rabbits with the goats, as well as the pony. But just having milk from the goats for milk more than paid for all the critters, plus we sometimes sold extra eggs, milk or bunnies. A baby with special needs and who couldn’t consume cow milk was a regular customer for awhile. There are times I wish we had a little horse to ride to town, mostly because we are sharing the van since the Sprint windshield got broken from a tree branch that blew off in a storm at Mt Hebron. Isn’t it funny how quickly we have habits that take for granted, luxuries that we don’t really need. We got along with one vehicle for most of our lives, and here we have three and complain.
The library table was manned by Dorothy Lahue for the raffle with a really nice birdhouse and other interesting offerings. Actually they had bunch of tables with books book s books The library also had chili and cornbread and hot cocoa.
Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration for all that you have gratitude for in your life. Many years ago there was a Happy Camp mother, grandmother and great grandmother who always invited anyone alone on the holiday to their home. She had a bunch of kids so a few extra mouths at the table fit in conveniently. As the years went by, Mooch, followed the tradition of her mother and there being no more room at the dining table, the event was moved where they could invite the whole community. It was at the Grange and the Krauk Multipurpose Room, some years I believe.
Now the staff of the Family Resource Center has taken over the cooking and preparation and that big meal to which all in our community are invited will be at the Happy Camp Elementary School at noon on Thanksgiving Day. You are invited and you are welcome, but it really would be nice if we all came a little early and helped with some of the preparations, or stayed later to clean up! Good guests do offer to be helpful and don’t expect the hostess to be laid up with exhaustion from baking dozens of pies, roasting a turkey, peeling potatoes, making salads, and baking the hot rolls!!! This is a community dinner and everyone who eats can also grab a broom and sweep up afterwards. Why should a few be expected to wash dishes all afternoon? Come on over and make sure they know that you afre eager to participate not only in the eating, but also offering a helping hand. Give a call to the Family Resrouce Center ahead of time to see if you can help out. 493-5117.
I am so very grateful that we live in a place of marvelous beauty. The new Calendar for 2010 has a quote says, ”The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man” and I love it. I’m thankful for my friends and family and for neighbors like Hazel. and her father, who I never knew but who had a vision for the need for education of our children and enlisted the support of the community to make it possible 76 years ago. There are many teachers and others in our schools and communities who day by day are concerned that our children get an education and I am very thankful for them. For those who give selflessly to help others in the community just because Klamath neighbors care, we can be very grateful!
In our country, we may occasionally wonder what we can scrape together for meals, but even here in Happy Camp there are food pantrys at churches and Family Resource Center and so many wanting to help. We all probably have food and clothing and shelter more than any other time in history. Besides that we have televisions, telephones, automobiles, and things that were luxuries or nonexistent a generation ago, to say nothing of i=pods and computers and who knows what new gadget will come along next!!!
The Lord has given us so many blessings!! Few years ago when asked what she wanted for Christmas, Esther our oldest daughter said that baby Ethan to be well. After years of cancer treatment he had his first CT scan without evidence of cancer in September. Now he is looking forward to his fourth birthday March 5th and wanting to have friends and playmates that he hasn’t been able to meet since he is in the hospital so often. We are so grateful!
What are you thankful for? This is a good time to remember those things!