Aging Well in the Gorge June 2nd 2015

The summer is the time to enjoy the outdoors, visit the kids and grandkids and try to stay cool in the shade. So who wants to think about some natural emergency situation that could strike at any time? But because of drought conditions and above normal fire potential, and possible earthquakes my wife is always reminding me about, it is best to be prepared for any unforeseen emergency. (At least I don’t have to worry about tornadoes and thunderstorms during the summer as I did growing up in Indiana.)

Besides keeping a basic emergency supply kit, (water, three days of non-perishable food, battery powered radio, flashlight, first aid kit, plastic bags, whistle, pliers, dust mask, manual can opener and cell phone with charger), and creating a personal support network, you should consider signing up with Wasco County Citizen Alert. It is a reverse 9-1-1 system when in case of an emergency situation, you are called instead of the other way around.

If you have a landline you should already be in the system. 

But if you want to be notified by other means such as your work phone, email, or a voice or text message on your cell phone, you need to register. And when you do register, you can also choose to be notified about different types of critical information: severe weather, wildfires, floods, street and road closures, missing persons, law enforcement activities and evacuation notices. You can register at http://www.co.wasco.or.us and click on the Citizen Alert Notification icon at the bottom of the page. If you need assistance, you can also register by calling Wasco County Communications Manager at 541-506-2760.

I don’t know if The Dalles-Wasco County Public Library can also help you with registering for Citizens Alert, but they do offer free, hands-on, computer classes to residents of Wasco County. These classes are ideal for the new and not-so-new computer user who wants to learn and practice in a casual, low-stress environment. Space is limited to ensure personalized instructions and advance registration is required.  To register for any class, call 541-296-2815 or stop by the circulation desk.

Last week I mentioned that many folks enjoy traveling during the summer and our friends at Sherman County Transit are no different. They have scheduled a trip to Lincoln City from Tuesday, June 16th through Thursday, June 18^th. They will be staying at the Liberty Inn just a couple of blocks from the Chinook Winds Casino. The rooms are $89 a night plus taxes and the cost of transportation is $100. Besides the casino, a trip to the Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy is planned for $3.00 per person. The bus will be leaving Moro at 7:30 AM and stopping in The Dalles at 8:30. To join the fun, call the Sherman County Transit at 541-565-3553. And the Center still has a few spaces left for the June 10^th trip to the Pendleton Underground and Woolen Mills for $40.00 per person that includes transportation and the cost of admissions.

Tuesday Night Music and Dance at the Center on May 9th will feature Martin and Friends. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 7:00 and ends by sunset. All ages are welcome and donations are always appreciated.

The name of the unconventional style of shoe designed with thick soles and thin heels and first sold in the United States in 1970 was the Earth Shoe. (And the winner of 3 quilt raffle tickets is Sandy Haechrel.)

Thanks to a suggestion from Jerry Phillips, I’m going stay with old shoes but with a local history twist. For this week’s “Remember When” question, who took over the family shoe repair business in The Dalles and according to Jerry never had your shoes repaired when you went to reclaim them, but would dig them out of the pile and repair them promptly when you did show up? And if that is not enough of a clue, he was also one of the original Northern Wasco County PUD sponsors, instrumental in establishing The Dalles City Bus, and stopped the bulldozers from demolishing the 1859 Wasco County Courthouse. Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or mail it with a picture of the Fulton/Taylor house at 705 Case Street.

Well, it’s been another week, too hard of hearing to notice the ticking of time tip-toeing past my door. Until we meet again, take time discovering all the beautiful colors between black and white.

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred."  Woody Allen