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“You can’t take it with you.”

9/21/2015

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Picture
By Miles Merwin

So the old saying goes. Which, ultimately, is too true, of course. However, in the mean time, with some luck and a little advance planning, maybe you could take it with you.

The community meeting in August organized by the Skyline Grange was a timely reminder that wildfire is a fact of life for those of us living in or near the woods. And about a week later, we had a fire erupt on the ridge – a scary exclamation point to punctuate a very hot and dry summer. Thankfully, ODF and TVF&R got that one under control before it could spread into the trees.

So, we started thinking about the possibility of some day being forced to evacuate our home on short notice. What would we take with us, if we had an hour or less to leave? Gulp.

That frightening prospect focuses the mind on what’s important and what’s not. Obviously people and pets come first, with farm animals a very close second. But what about all the rest of the “stuff,” much of it accumulated over many years? 

It comes down to deciding what has great personal meaning, is irreplaceable and can be easily moved, versus the stuff that could be replaced if necessary. That grandfather clock may be a family heirloom but you might not be able to get it into the back of the car in a hurry.

For us, the family photos/videos and few boxes of memorabilia would get grabbed first. Then some artworks that we have made or which have special meaning. And then the practical stuff like computer hard drives, checkbooks, passports, cameras, datebooks, etc. It would be a triage situation where things would be assigned different levels of priority, depending on how much time you had to pack your car.

A friend of ours, a former ODF fire staff person living in the woods, has a made a room-by-room list of what he and his wife want to save in an emergency evacuation. Everyone in the house knows where to find their clipboard with their assignments on where to go and what to get, printed in BIG letters. Items are color-coded by priority. They know what to do, and so are less likely to be overcome by the adrenaline rush of the moment.

Working on the list is kind of like what you do before a big household move. What can’t you live without and what is destined for the garage sale. Not the “fire sale,” we hope.

What would you take with you if you had to leave your house in a hurry?

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Mistaken Identity

9/3/2015

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By Patrick Ahern
 
I’m sure no one under the age of 50 will recognize the personages mentioned here, but an old friend reminded me of an event in my past that kind of tickled him, and myself too. Back in my college days, I was in a rock and roll band that played all over the State of Oregon, called HB and the Checkmates. Oh, it was great fun; we were popular, not very talented, and played at great volumes. I was elected the lead singer, probably because I drank the most beer.
 
During this time a very popular singer, Bobby Darin, was on the airwaves with several songs, Splish Splash, If I were a Carpenter, and Dream Lover, to name a few. He was a fairly handsome man, but to his consternation, was fighting a receding hairline and thinning hair, much like myself. A great talent though, so I was quite flattered when several young women (well three, actually) came up and told me that I looked a lot like him!
 
We left Eugene for the big time in LA, and there met with some success. Bookings followed, and one night we were scheduled to play at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach as the opening act for Arlo Guthrie. We played our set, and as we were waiting for Arlo to arrive, a young woman came up to me and said: “You really look familiar to me....someone famous.” Of course, I knew she was referring to Bobby Darin, as he had become quite a famous Vegas player by this time. I didn’t say anything, of course, and let her struggle for the memory of his name. After a minute or so, I started to tell her about Bobby, but she said: “wait, wait, I’ve got it. I know, you look just like Don Knotts!”  And that was just about the zenith of my career!
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  • News
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    • Summer Gathering 2025
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  • Topics
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      • Story-telling videos
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  • Skyline Grange
  • Be Prepared
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