Issue #92 Winter Solstice 2012

Winter Solstice
2012
Issue #92
By BARRY SNITKIN
A lot has happened at our library this
year. We increased our hours to 13
thanks to many generous donors and
have become a part of the City of Cave
Junction budget in an amount large
enough to continue keeping that extra
hour. We have hosted free programs
every
Wednesday
evening at 6pm that
ranged from Robert
Hirning’s Trans-Siberian train trip to an
Oregon Conversation
Project discussion of
Citizenship with Jeff
Golden.
Our Summer
Reading
Program
had over eighty kids
participating, which
is double last year’s
number. Gail Weller,
Mary Orton and Willa
Gustavson put together an impressive
slate of children’s activities, including
an ice cream party, a family jug band
jam with Kent Fisher, and a stargazing
pajama party.
We’ve been looking for the correct
wording to help the public know the
difference between a patron and a member. Since library cards are free, having
one or just coming in the library to use
the computer or wi-fi, makes you a patron. Being a member means supporting us financially. Receiving no government funding, we are very thankful for
all of you who have joined or renewed
memberships. You help us thrive.
And speaking of thriving, we recently hosted a benefit fun-raiser “Let
Them Eat Cake”. For those of you who
missed it we were delighted to have
an incredible evening of entertainment starring Takilma’s own Jennie
May Donnell. Poetry has never had
a better evening; it included music by
Kent Fisher, Tim Wallace and Michele
LeComte and additional readings by
Maleagh Baker and Andrea King. We
are thankful for the many other volunteers who generously gave their time to
several more opportunities if you have
3 hours a week or 3 hours a month.
We’re open Wednesdays 2-6, followed by evening programs, Fridays
11-3 and Saturdays 11-4.
Our upcoming programs include TED
Talks- “The Rise of Collaboration” on
Dec 12, Movie Night- “Waiting for Superman” on Dec 19, a genealogy work-
help make the evening a success. And
we netted more than $2,000.
IV Branch’s membership support
has greatly increased thanks to the tireless work of Kate Dwyer. However,
in order for the library to continue to
thrive we need you to continue to support the library. The best way to donate
is an automatic monthly withdrawal of
$5 or more. It’s super-easy to set up (just
write the first check and sign the form)
and it eliminates paperwork and costs
JCLI no fees. Ask one of us or go to the
website, http://www.josephinelibrary.
org to see how easy it is.
Having an extra hour to staff has
had us looking for additional reliable
volunteers to go along with the great
volunteers we have. We are losing some
of our Job Council workers and have
shop Jan 9, Teacher and school staff
Appreciation day on Jan 16 (everyone’s invited), Movie Night- American
Teacheralso on Jan 16,
Poetry Workshop with Michael Spring
on Jan 23 and TED Talks- Explore space
with some of the finest minds in the
worldon Jan 30.
Stop by anytime. We have 24/7 WiFi on
our benches and out in our parking lot.
We offer thousands of books to borrow,
DVDs, books on CD, magazines, and
learning tapes. Our (almost) all-volunteer staff is happy to help you. See you
at the library!
Common Ground is finally joining the rest of the pack and leaving frontiernet.! Our new email is:
[email protected]
Issue #92
Winter Solstice
2012
Created in 1994 to increase community communication
and stimulate discussion, Takilma Common Ground is
published seasonally, more or less in conjunction with
the Solstices and Equinoxes. It relies on you to tell our
stories.
THANKS TO OUR ADVERTISERS! We need you!
Classified ads cost $4 per unit of 25 words or less. Display ads are $20 or $60 for one year. Please pay in advance. We are currently limiting display ads to 10 per
issue due to space concerns.
Opinions expressed in TCG are not necessarily those
of the editorial staff or publisher. We honor individual
writers’ styles and voices, but also have a responsibility to our readership that sometimes requires editing for
length and/or clarity. While we don’t question the truth
of your writing, we do need to be sensitive to issues of
libel or slander.
Our dedicated staff still needs you. Come and be part of
the process! Thanks to everyone who helped with this
issue, including but not necessarily limited to: Rachel
Goodman, Bill Gray, Donna Belle, Linda Corey-Woodward, Mateo Held, Vanessa Dean and Marjorie Reynolds. Also, thanks to all the writers, artists and photographers who contributed to this issue.
You can now pay for your subscription and
advertising via PayPal or credit cards at:
Takilma.org/groups.
Design, layout and pre-press production by Alan Laurie.
Printed on recycled paper by Meriweather Print Design.
Next issue’s deadline is March 1, 2013. We welcome
your submissions for the Spring Equinox issue. E-mail
us:
[email protected] (or Snail Mail, if you
must.)
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE
TO TAKILMA COMMON GROUND: 9335 Takilma
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All material in this publication is copyrighted by the individual artists and writers. ©2012 All rights reserved.
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I
By ROBERT HIRNING
was sure glad to catch a ride as a
low December sun dipped below
the Coast Range somewhere north
of Willits, California. Hopping a northbound freight was out of the question,
since I was headed up to Oregon and
Washington, through unexplored territory, and beyond the extent of any
Northwestern Pacific trackage. Besides,
it was getting cold and I had tickets
for the Canadian train out of Vancouver, B.C. in three days. I had to make
time rather than sit around some freight
yard freezing my ass off. The ride was
great; a long haul all the way to Kelso,
Washington, with a farmer heading
back after acquiring some government
surplus stuff at an auction down in Alameda County.
Two other hitchhikers occupied
the back seat so I hefted my pack into
the trunk and ensconced myself in the
front passenger seat. The big old Buick
was towing a heavy-duty two axel
trailer, which rode low with the surplus
stuff acquired at auction; more on that
later.
We headed north into the gathering night. Towns slipped by one at a
time: Laytonville, Leggett, Garberville.
A gas stop and a fast food joint in Eureka around midnight marked the farthest north extent of my previous adventures.
This was 1970 and I rode freights to
a rock festival in Sandy, Oregon the previous August, through Klamath Falls
and Eugene, but running up the coast
and cutting over to I-5 was all new to
me. The driver was getting sleepy
as he wound through endless sharp
curves through Crescent City and then
turned off onto a dark, narrow, lonely
highway, US 199. We pulled over twice
for catnapping by some road sign about
Siskiyou something; a skiff of snow reflected the headlights.
At some point the conversation turned
to the trailer’s cargo and one of the
other hitchhikers (who had been rather
silent up to then) piped up. “Tell ‘em!”
he said to the driver in response to my
inquiries. After a pregnant silence came
the matter-of-fact response: “About
4200 pounds of dynamite and blasting
caps, oh and some welding rod too, I
think.” Holy crap! I was terror struck
with the thought of it, but bailing out
right here in the wee hours on this lonesome road didn’t seem like a viable
alternative either. I slouched down in
my seat and thought about it. We went
through a tunnel and soon passed a
sign marking the Oregon border. Well,
we’d made it this far I thought with a
shiver.
This was a time when things were still
pretty loose and explosives were a commodity like 2x4’s which anyone could
buy in the hardware store. The farmer
wasn’t a terrorist, or anything like it,
he bid on a surplus lot and intended to
blow stumps, clearing his “back forty.”
A gray murky dawn broke as we
rumbled through some non-descript
burg of low wooden buildings. The
highway was straighter now and we
sped on through settled farmland and
a little crossroads hamlet as daylight
began to reveal distant land forms. Better highway conditions may have led
to over-confidence or maybe it was just
sleep deprivation, but our driver was
not prepared for what lay ahead of us:
a long steep, downhill set of curves.
The Buick started down the grade
like a schooner in a typhoon. Careening
into the first right hand curve, the panic-stricken man, now fully awake and
realizing his misjudgment, applied the
brake. Two and a half tons of U-Haul
trailer shoved the car into a dangerous jackknife, with the sickening shriek
of sliding rubber. He backed off and
somehow, mercifully, we straightened
out but rapidly picked up speed again.
The second turn, banking left with
an outboard drop-off, loomed ominously ahead. Again a brake application brought on a horrible scream and
sideways lurch of the rear end. Gravel
sprayed and guard rails flew by my
window like a picket fence. Thankfully,
the third curve was slightly gentler and
ended in a long downhill straight away.
As this precious and volatile lash-up finally pulled back under his control, the
farmer breathlessly exclaimed, “Good
thing we pulled through back there;
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they never would’ve found a piece big
enough to know who we were.”
The guys in the back seat never uttered a word but promptly bailed out at
the next gas stop in Grants Pass. I figured that if we made it that far maybe
the moon was in Aquarius (or something) and here was a ride all the way
to Washington. All did go okay and I
spent that night safely at the farm up
in Kelso, with a nice welcoming family,
after unloading the dynamite. The next
morning I caught a ride with the farmer
down to the railroad depot and continued my journey on the rails.
My adventures continued as I headed north, including being detained by
the R.C.M.P. and thrown in jail for a
couple of days, but that’s another story for another time. Yet in my wildest
dreams did I suppose that I would be
back in another year to spend the rest
of my life only a few miles off that lonesome road.
By CHRISTINE PERALA GARDINER
W
hat nourishes a community to
thrive? How does “community” provide a foundation
to “the economy”? Political economic
theories abound in post-industrial
America. Here in south JoCo it seems
more and more folks have a felt sense
that community connects us as people
in this place. Together we’re growing
beyond the ‘consumer’ ideology, learning to produce more and more of the
food, medicine, fiber and fuel that meet
the needs of our local community.
Producing at least some food has
become a health imperative for anyone
paying attention to what’s going on in
America today. Buying, bartering or
trading for food, medicine, fiber and
fuel from local producers are the best
ways to strengthen any local economy.
My version of Homeland Security includes protein produced locally. While
beans are hugely important, many
Continued on Page 5
By MARGARET PHILHOWER, DNM
Edited by Linda Corey-Woodward
“It is possible that the next Buddha will
not take the form of an individual. The next
Buddha may take the form of a community
– a community practicing understanding
and loving kindness; a community practicing mindful living. This may be the most
important thing we can do for the survival
of the earth.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh
I
n the Illinois Valley of southern Oregon, we are fortunate to have many
choices in alternative medicine to
help us find the most effective ways of
protecting health. I am happy to consult with you individually at my office
to fine-tune a disease prevention plan
especially for you. Of course things like
time management, stress management,
having life goals, health education,
regular health screenings, adequate
sleep and exercise, a healthy diet and
addiction management are all important elements for optimal health. Since
most articles about health and prevention focus on these important factors, I
am going to present some other ideas
as they relate to the theme of this issue
of Takilma Common Ground: “COMMUNITY”.
Clean air, water and earth are crucial elements of a healthy community.
We are lucky here in Takilma to have
an abundance of these. Balance with
the element of fire is also important.
Avoiding smoke inhalation and fire
safety are life saving, as the tragedy of
Otis Jones passing reminds us, may he
rest in peace. Enjoying saunas and staying warm in the winter are fiery ways
to prevent colds and flu. Following
your passions such as music and dancing stimulate happy brain chemicals in
healthy ways as does exercise and time
outdoors hiking or gardening. We are
blessed to have many musical events
at the Takilma Community Building,
a myriad of movement classes, hiking
trails, and organic gardens in the valley.
Remember the Top Ten Lists on the
old David Letterman show? I always
loved those, so here is a “Takilma Top
Ten List” for you. Our whole commu-
nity will be a healthier place if we work
together to bring these 10 ideas to life in
the greater Takilma area:
Top Ten Dis-ease Prevention
Strategies Backed by Research
LAUGH
There are 349 studies in the National
Library of Medicine’s research article
database showing that laughter is good
for the heart, reduces cancer recurrence
and eases depression. Those that laugh
longer actually live longer, too!
UNLEASH YOUR INNER ARTIST
Takilma has been referred to as “an artist colony” because we are rich in the
arts for such a rural area. I am so grateful for all of you amazing artists out
there!
For those of us that don’t consider
ourselves to be artists, taking one of the
many art classes offered at the Southern Oregon Guild or CommuneITea can
make you smarter.
Trying your hand at any creative
endeavor will help keep your mind
sharp and improve longevity.
JOIN A WORK PARTY
Going to a Dome School work party
is scientifically proven to be good for
you! Who knew? My neighbors and I
have a blast filling pot holes along our
driveway in the winter. We all fill up
the pickup truck with gravel and hop
in the back with our shovels like a chain
gang, giggling the whole way. We put
the “party” in “work party” and we get
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something accomplished we can take
pride in later. It’s a win-win.
Make sure you love your day job, as
well. People who like their coworkers
are less likely to get sick than those who
don’t!
GET BODYWORK
We are blessed with an abundance of
body workers in the Takilma area. At
the TCA building (the clinic), we have
a new Rolfer, Jesse Norton, LMT. He
does deep structural balancing work
that can get your body back in line
and reduce pain, fatigue and all sorts
of health imbalances. Karin Rohland,
L.Ac. practices Shiatsu massage along
with Acupuncture and Chinese herbs.
Louisa Suta, L.Ac, an acupuncturist
and licensed massage therapist also offers Chinese herbs. I do CranioSacral
therapy, which is a very gentle form
of bodywork that activates your inner
healer to help your body heal itself.
Rachel Goodman and Joyce Nelson are
two excellent licensed massage therapists living in Takilma and practicing
massage in Cave Junction.
EAT A RAINBOW OF VEGGIES
AND FRUITS EVERY DAY
Each color in real, whole foods represents a plant constituent with nutritional benefits. By eating a variety of
whole foods of all colors, we are ensuring we are getting all the vitamins and
other nutrients we need. Many of these
natural food colorings are carotenoids,
which make you look more tan, healthy
and more attractive to others. Skip the
tanning salon and eat carrots from your
garden instead!
There are many gardeners and two
local farmers markets in the area. We
need to keep expanding options to get
food locally. The Frog Farm has come a
long way in bringing more locally produced foods to the people of Takilma
and hopes to get more local food to
more folks via the work of the Spiral
Living Center.
COMMUNICATE With YOUR
COMMUNITY
The Takilma E-mail has been a great
source of local information sharing. Email me at naturedoctor@frontiernet.
net if you haven’t already and would
like to join the yahoo group.
One study showed that people who
chatted regularly with their neighbors
were less likely to get heart disease, so
take a minute to get to know those living nearby. Knowing your neighbors
also might save your life, prevent burglary and help you cope with a natural
disaster such as a fire.
SLEEP
If you are trying to lose weight, get
more sleep. It sounds weird, but many
studies have concluded that sleep deprived people eat more and make poor
food choices compared to those who
get their eight hours. People who sleep
less than six hours a night get type II
diabetes and cancer more often than
those who sleep more.
We are in the right place for catching
our Z’s. Southern Oregon has the least
light pollution on the west coast and
Takilma is seductively quiet at night
relative to most places.
USE NATURAL CLEANING
PRODUCTS
Most of us hippies have already been
using non-toxic cleaning supplies for
decades. If not, this simple switch can
reduce your risk of cancer, liver and
auto-immune disease. The earth will
benefit, as well.
One study showed that vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice killed bacteria
just as effectively as anti-bacterial soaps
and toxic cleansers.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE
Let beautiful Hope Mountain be a reminder to us that looking on the bright
side is good for your heart. Rather than
worrying if the sky is falling, let’s hope
our community thrives for seven generations and more.
Back up that hope with some action.
Volunteer in the community to make it
better. I believe we are the ones we have
been waiting for to save the world.
SHOW GRATITUDE
An attitude of gratitude brings more
goodness our way. Make every day a
day of thanks. Gratitude lowers cortisol, a stress hormone in the body, and
reduces incidence of depression.
I am grateful for all the support
my little clinic has received from our
community, all the great local events
like the Barter Faire, and of course I
am most grateful for Takilma Common
Ground. Renew your subscription today
for a longer, healthier and happier life!
Feel free to call or e-mail me for the
research article links I refer to above or to
schedule an appointment. My phone number is 541-415-1549 and e-mail is [email protected]. Thank you and Happy Solstice!
Photo: Louisa Suta and Margaret Philhower
“Local Economy” Continued from Page 3
E
nclosed is our subscription renewal. Southern Oregon is always in our hearts!
Here’s an update on our life here
in Mesa, AZ. We’re living with our son,
Gabe, and his girlfriend Sam(antha).
They bought a house that is a good one,
with a pool and an area we can build
on, so we can have our own little house
(attached, but separate). Sandy plans on
getting a job in the school system, working with autistic kids, but right now,
he’s helping with construction around
here. Mary plans on getting a job, either
subbing or working at a worthwhile
business. We have many plants started,
including cactuses, peppers and tomatoes. I know we’ll fill up the space with
as many plants as we can. It’s already
beautiful in a different way. There’re
trees! All in all, it’s been a good move,
with the exception of missing those we
love in Cave Junction, and there are
many. We plan on coming back every
summer, somehow, some way, to continue our connection to Oregon.
We’d like to commend and thank
you for the sweet obit for Steve (Wireman). When we sold our house to him
(his parents), we were so glad that he
appreciated it so much. He would call
us once a month to let us know how
things were going, and to ask me what
a plant was in some corner of the property. We saw him when we were in the
area this summer, knew he was ailing,
and tried to connect him with some
physical help. It was too late and we’re
sad that he died so quickly and suddenly. Thanks again for being there.
See you all sometime.
~ Mary and Sandy Kaminsky
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former vegetarians have found that a
small amount of clean, local, organic
meat can help folks to stay healthier.
Chickens for eggs and meat, and rabbit are readily available protein for a
family. Now other livestock as potential
protein sources include goat, sheep and
the camels, alpaca and llama.
Healthy animals raised locally provide so many benefits! Animals that
produce fiber give even more value.
Fiber for clothing helps us reduce the
need for burning carbon units to stay
warm. Warm feet, head and hands are
essential for preventing winter illness.
Alpacas, sheep and mohair goats provide a range of natural protein fiber for
textiles; economic foundations of many
economies.
Alpacas and llamas in particular
produce excellent manure for compost
to help us grow healthier food. In South
America, alpacas and llamas have been
a foundation for protein security for
millennia, up to today. Small livestock
offer manageable strategies for us to
becoming producers. If you have access to land, consider using livestock in
weed management strategies. Animals
like alpaca, sheep and goats eat weeds
gladly.
Small farm producers are economically powerful people. Animals are part
of the human community, as we are
part of the wider community of animals. If you’re interested to learn more
about becoming a producer in our local
economy, I invite you to visit the alpaca
farm in Cave Junction. Come on down
the west end of River St. to see our alpaca operation. We’re open on the last
Sunday of each month, from 10-4pm.
We offer live compost to nourish productive soils. Ask us if you’d like to try
a sample of alpaca sausage. Check out
alpaca socks for keeping feet warm.
Please visit our web site Suri-Futures.com, or just call me at 541-4152614. May we all have enough to eat,
and may all have warm feet! Now that’s
my definition of the “local community
economy”.
“Not exclusively, but the bulk of our local economy should be covered by local
currencies, which is more efficient than
having global currencies which lose
connection with reality in the markets,
shops and communities of the people.”
~ Source Unknown
A
nonymous: A few years back
before Otis went to jail I was
driving up Takilma road one
fine day in the late fall. That day I just
happened to have two 30 gallon bins
of someones grimbel in the back of my
truck. I was hoping to turn this into
some tasty medibles. As I headed up
the road I spotted the cop in the trees,
I passed and shit I wasn’t speeding but
he pulled out. He was on me in no time
and I started to wonder. So how many
pounds are in a 30 gallon bin of almost
dry larf? Times 2.
I rounded the corner just as the cop
settled in on my ass. Bam! There was
Otis 200 yards ahead on his bike in the
middle of the road swerving all over
and yelling or something. I sometimes
wonder if I have a guardian angel because I couldn’t have asked for a better
cop distraction. Sure enough the cop
backed off me and slowed to talk to
Otis. I didn’t hang around to find out
what happened, but I saw Otis the next
day.
Submitted for a friend, Ride on....
OTIS JONES
Otis Jones
made no bones
about the way he went
about the last Halloween he spent
Otis Jones
made no bones
about riding his bike
every day to town; alone
Otis Jones
made no bones
about his life
in the little red house
in the heart of Takilma
Otis Jones
he lived as he chose to
he talked like an alien
from some other world
Photo by Rachel Goodman
Otis Jones
from Louisiana
tall and proud
lived free till the end
til he lifted up in a smoky cloud
Otis Jones
Voodoo child
made no bones about it
Rest in Peace, Otis.
Photo by Alan Laurie
Deputy State Fire Marshall Charles C. Chase, C.F.I.
Kindi Fahrnkopf Oct 31, 2012
-6-
tion; keeping chimney and stovepipes clean and being sure that
our stoves are set up safely. The
Sunstar community has learned
that it cannot count on their (Del
Norte) fire department to help
them and have worked to create
their own fire service.
O
Photo by Kyte
TIS JONES lived in Takilma
from the 1970’s to October 31,
2012, when he died in a house
fire. He had been living in a house built
in 1914 and remodeled in 1947 that was
owned by his late wife, Kitty Crow. He
was a dramatic figure, known fairly
well by neighbors he visited and was
a familiar figure around the valley riding his bike to town. There are questions about the fire – how it started and
how it was handled. It easily could be
the obvious, someone coming home
on a cold night and passing out without closing the stove door. But there
was a mentally ill person in town who
likes to start fires. The fire department
volunteer took longer than expected
to get there. He apparently thought no
one was in the house because he didn’t
see Otis’s bike outside; though neighbors know that Otis kept it inside so it
wouldn’t be stolen. Though yellow police tape went up, a Grants Pass Courier
article states that the police have decided not to investigate this event. And so
it goes. An event like this arouses a lot
of emotions. This article is a collage of
some community members’ memories
and thoughts.
~ Rachel Goodman
Daniel Sheff: I remember Otis in
Takilma in the 1970’s. He was from
Louisiana, from an island where Cajun was spoken. At that time he was a
useful, hardworking farmhand who
helped many people with their haying. I think we need to look at Otis’s
death as a cautionary tale about fire. Of
all the dangers we worry about, fire is
really the most likely to happen here.
Beside the large Silver and Biscuit fires
and plenty of brush and grass fires, numerous people have had house fires.
We’re really just lucky that there were
no fatalities before Otis. For house fires,
what we can control is our own preven-
Shelley Heon: The fire and the
loss of the red house mark the
end of an era. The house is gone;
the land is available for new uses.
I wanted the space to rest after Otis had
moved on. Now it has finished and we
as a community have moved on too.
Betsey Norton: Tri Nguyen knew
where Otis’s wife Kitty’s ashes were
scattered. It’s exciting to know that
Otis’s ashes can be there too.
Kate Dwyer: Otis managed add to the
local color, which can be a challenge
around here. God bless him!
Ananda Floyd: Seeing Otis bike daily
was a reminder to me to rely on my
own feet more for transportation. I always appreciated that.
Deb Lukas: Otis used to come over
to the Frog Farm, and if he showed
up at meal times would stay and eat.
He really liked our goat’s milk. He
would show up with things to trade
for milk, apple cider, or eggs. He kept
rare breeds of chickens for many years.
He seemed happiest this last summer.
He would come over with his rainstick
and jam with our young musicians, and
talk about bikes with the IV Bikespace
volunteers. We will miss him, and the
constant reminder that our bodies can
facilitate transportation! I would like
to plan an annual Otis Memorial Bike
Ride to raise money to provide bicycles
to those in need of transportation. Anyone who wants to help, please contact
me! [email protected] 592-3386
Rachel Goodman: I remember visiting
Kitty when Otis was there. She was a
little nervous and said to me in a tone
of relief: “I found out that Otis likes
birds.” She had gotten him some chickens and he would be outside taking
loving care of them or doing the other
work that Kitty increasingly couldn’t
do. He would carry her to the bathroom
or outhouse when she couldn’t walk. I
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know he had been violent but people
are complex. Alcohol would have been
a painkiller on more than one level.
I
By GLORIA STONE
n 1987 we had a big fire. You all remember don’t you? Dry lightning,
flames, then lots of smoke. It was a
time when we all came together to save
our homes and land. It was a time when
the clinic moved to town.
We made the clinic building (now
the Takilma Community Association
building) command central and those
not on the front lines helped from there.
It was during that time that I got to
know Kitty Crow, who was married
to Otis and owned the house where he
lived. She was doing an amazing job on
the desk. Her meds were working and
she was totally lucid. She was articulate, smart and extremely competent.
After chatting for a while I took the opportunity to ask her if she could tell me
what was happening in her head when
she was in one of her “crazy” spells.
(The nurse in me is curious about such
things.) She told me: “ It was like doing
speed and LSD all at the same time.”
We talked about that for a while and
then I asked her about her relationship
with Otis and how did they manage to
get together. She said that during one
of her more crazy times when she was
wandering around Takilma she ran into
Otis. They spent some time together
and it was then she saw into his heart
and fell in love with him. It was quite
an amazing story.
In time as Kitty got more and more
crippled from her MS I watched Otis
take care of her. He was a wonderful
caretaker, very protective and loving.
After Kitty died I could never see Otis
on the road without thinking about his
heart captured in the mind of a woman
on the edge.
Takilma is made up of characters,
Otis was certainly one of the more colorful ones.
R.I.P., Otis
By STEPHANIE MOOR
L
[Continued from Issue #91]
ife is truly magical. This place
we live in is truly magical. When
I swim in our clear clean water I
can feel her life force flowing through
me. Here the wind speaks and the
mountains sing. Here the wild manages to hold on to its wildness. It is a
gift. And inside of it is a greater gift; the
overflowing gift of connection to place.
What does that mean, exactly? Or
not exactly? You already know the answer. It is what happens when a place
shapes you; when the nature of your
home and the natural world weaves
its way into the way you live your life.
When the world around you no longer
is a place you live in, but rather something you are part of. Perhaps you have
noticed that We are blessed to live inside the natural cycle of things, and
blessed enough to receive the gifts if we
just pay attention.
Maybe some of you read a little
frustration overload I experienced and
shared on the Takilma e-mail forum
in July. Entitled 'Neighborly Love', my
post came in response to much discussion around the pros and cons of our,
or rather Out n' About's (the Treehouse
Resort) firework show. For myself my
response to the discussion degraded
rapidly into exasperation around our
inherent differences and how to possibly live together harmoniously. This
article is a response to those internal
meanderings. So here is my question:
How do we live together? Really together? Less like bickering neighbors
and more like a village? What are we
lacking? Missing? Ignoring? One clear
answer comes up for me, which is simple in some ways. Could we be lacking
common goals – ties that bind us beyond mere property lines and efforts to
keep the peace? Sharing common goals
is the only way I know of to make cohabitation of any nature really effective.
But what, if any, are our true common
goals? How and why do we need each
other? How do our differing value systems play into our own self-regulating
ecosystem of community? What do we
have to share with each of our neighbors, and them with each of us, so that
we become truly valuable and necessary for one another? Indispensable.
Inter-working. Like the interplay of
species in the forests that surround us.
Like the soil food web at work in our
own gardens. How do we weave ever
tighter the web of community?
If we set, or even simply name our
common goals as a community, the differences can rapidly fall away, as our
likenesses and values begin to show
their ever broadening faces.
Does the concept seem uncomfortable that we as a community (of individuals) need each other? Ask yourself
that, and compare us to an indigenous
village. Pretend if you must, that we
are part of this place. Not just living
inside of it extracting all we need from
far flung corners of the globe, but living here, pulling our lives from this
very rock and soil. We do not live in
Takilma or O'Brien or Selma or the Illinois Valley. We are this corner of earth
we inhabit. We are part of the system.
We are the watershed and an integral
part of the living community set up to
fill the needs of all the inhabitants. We
are part of the infinite layers of living
organisms that make this place, and we
are all equal members in the web of life.
All members of the web's needs are met
and filled and fed by other members. If
we were a true community, we would
need each other as much as we need
this place and need to be continually
shaped by it. As a whole living system
naturally our goal is to keep the system
fluid and in balance, keep it healthy,
and fine tune all of our parts.
There is a big picture here you have
to use your heart to see – have to feel
it with the parts of you that have not
removed themselves exclusively into
their humanness. We are part of something bigger than ourselves. Life. We are
greater than the sum of our parts. We
extend beyond the borders of Takilma,
beyond our own property lines, beyond
our own comfort levels and expectations. The way the web of life works is
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simple and beautiful. The needs of each
are the needs of the many. When there
is a gap or a hole, the other parts of the
web must continually rearrange to fill
it. When the gaps and holes become too
great for the working parts to maintain,
and too many necessary pieces die off
or fade out, the whole system starts to
falter. It is about interplay. When the
needs of one become gluttonous and
unbalanced (kind of like knapweed),
something in the system rises up to
put in back into balance. (In the case of
knapweed, kind of like us). Conversely,
when the needs of one are no longer being met, something in the system rises
up to give it space, so it too may flourish, thus keeping the entire system in
peak performance. And true to any system, sometimes parts no longer fit, and
the space for them becomes more and
more limited. This is part of the natural
cycle.
It is sometimes hard to imagine how
or why one of your/my/our neighbors
might be someone/something we need,
something of value or importance.
(I feel that way at times.) Imagine in
our own ecosystem how the family of
mice/rabbits/deer might feel the same
way about the neighboring family of
hawks/foxes/cougars in case you were
lacking your weekly dose of anthropomorphism. Its hard to see from the inside at times, but these people around
us are somehow part of what we need
to find our balance; to have our imbalances revealed. And to offer this striving for balance to others. The blessed
curse of interdependance.
We live in a world totally out of
whack, out of sync, out of rhythm with
the natural order and humans as a
whole are the constant unyielding contributors to the total lack of balance. I
know from personal experience that it
takes time to heal. But we can heal. It
takes work and effort. It might take a
little pain and discomfort. Sometimes it
takes surrender. And it definitely takes
a strong will and a desire to do so.
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast
a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
~ Mother Teresa
The Illinois Valley Safe House and
Americorps volunteer Becca Finney announce the a new applied high school
theater troupe here!The applied theater
group will play a prominent role in the
Alliance’s prevention program.
Throughout history, theater has
provided citizens with a relatively safe
way to express concerns, criticisms,
and opinions to each other and society.
“Applied theater” is no different. Here
are a couple of its characteristics:
1) An applied theater troupe creates
its own work: writing, acting, directing,
designing, and building. Everyone participates in every part of the process.
2) The troupe creates work about social issues or struggles important to a
specific community. The high school
students will determine what issues
they want to talk about, but there are a
few they have already identified: teen
dating violence, sexual assault, body
image, gender roles, bullying, and sexual health.
3) Finally, the goal of an applied theater
performance is to cultivate dialogue. By
sharing our individual perspectives on
an issue, we begin to understand the
problem a little better. And that allows
us to generate better solutions.
We also hope to empower every student with the discovery of his or her individual, creative voice. Exploring different types of theater allows students
to find methods of expression with
which they personally connect. Every person has a right to stand up and
speak out. What would the world look
like if we each felt empowered enough
to speak from our own experience with
clarity and confidence?
The students have decided to create their show around themes of bullying. We will be exploring the causes of
violence, healthy and unhealthy coping
methods and the ways in which stereotypes can reinforce violence. We have
been meeting twice a week, exploring all sorts of skills: acting, storytelling, constructive dialogue, supporting
the ensemble, empathy and even social analysis. Our final performance is
scheduled for February . Contact us
at 541-592-2515 to volunteer! For more
information, check out our website,
FacetimeTheater.Weebly.com, or our
Facebook page, Facebook.com/cjfactimetheater.
Page Creek Community Forest Project
Update: The Forestry Practices Working
Group of the Josephine County Stewardship Group would like to develop
and implement a multi-year demonstration project on 80 acres of Forest
Service public land along Page Creek
near Takilma. The goal is to develop
cooperative and interactive partnerships with local residents and the Forest Service to achieve key community
and land-management goals within
these stands. The public was invited to
a community field trip on November 16
to walk through
the units and
brainstorm about
how to manage
this land to maintain and enhance
native forest processes and benefits
(wildlife,
water,
soils, trails, etc.)
while also producing forest products
of all kinds (poles,
boughs,
mush-
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rooms, firewood, biochar, etc.) and income for people in the valley. During
the walk, we flagged areas of interest
within the units and discussed plans
for engaging the Illinois Valley community in this project. Please stay tuned
for upcoming announcements in the
local media about public meetings and
a self-guided tour of the units that the
Working Group is preparing. For more
information, contact Susan Chapp
([email protected], 541-5923555) or Kenny Houck ([email protected], 541-415- 0561).
Selma Center events: December 20,
Jan.uary 8 and 15,Rights Forums: Principles of Freedom, Liberty and Democracy, A Pilot Educational Project. February 10, 7:00-9:00pm, film “Who Bombed
Judi Bari?” with music by Darryl Cherney and discussion. More information
at 415-1000, [email protected].
(Pastry) Paula Springhart wrote a
lovely little book about Bigfoot and encounters with some folks in Takilma.
She donated 100 books and gingerbread cookies, to the Dome School. We
sold many at the holiday bazaar, but we
still have some left. Please consider purchasing one of these books ($10-$12).
Although I miss the warm days already, winter in not such a bad time after
all. The holidays with family distract me
from loneliness and keep me quite busy with
cooking, crafts and decorating. The warmth
of my newly insulated walls is appreciated,
as is all the firewood I’ve stacked. With more
storms on the way, I can brace for the high
water.
I love it when the river comes up and starts
rushing with the force of the headwaters.
I love it when the wind comes up before a
storm and makes the trees dance and sing.
I love breathing deep the freshest, coldest air
when it comes whooshing down the mountains,
and then calms down to softness when the
snow begins to fall.
I love being the first to awaken to a white
world and go for a walk in untrodden snow.
I love the peace and harmony of the living
forests which hold our pure earth and water,
and give us shelter and warmth.
I love the joy of seeing a smiling face, when
you haven’t seen a soul for days.
I love daydreaming on a cold winter day,
when you can envision all you wish to accomplish in the coming year.
I love living on the edge of the wilderness
and seeing the wildlife and the amazing
beauty which I can appreciate intimately and
with reverence.
I wonder if there’s nothing and nowhere
like Takilma – unique however also just like
many other hide-outs in the American Westa place where the wild still reigns.
All these things are the blessings of a winter
in Takilma.
May God bless us all, as we (hopefully) transition into a new era of Peace on Earth.
Clockwise from right: George Leverett on Harp; Jill Talise with her rattles;
Steve Orr and Deb Lukas of the Frog
Farm.
Photos by Alan Laurie
You can now
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advertising
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at: Takilma.
org/groups.
~Kindi Fahrnkopf December 2012
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Do you need financing for your business?
Loans are available up to $25K at 5 – 6% interest.
The Revolving Loan Fund is a community lending
program that can help make your business project a
success.
I
By NEWMAN
came back to Ubud rather sooner
than has been usual this year and
experienced the dry cool (relatively
speaking) months of August and September here in the foothills of this giant
volcanic “Island of the Gods”. My wife
Juni and I have moved into our new
house so we can more closely oversee
the finishing of its construction. This
has meant camping out in first one
room, then another, as the place slowly gets put together. Although it’s not
the most comfortable of arrangements,
I think it will certainly help us to appreciate our new home when the dust
finally settles. It also doesn’t hurt to be
on hand as crucial decisions are being
made and set (literally – in concrete!).
Living in our new Banjar (co-operative
sub-section of the village) has also created a whole new world of spiritual obligations.
Our kindly Balinese neighbours
have adopted us and keep us informed
as to when we’re expected to show our
brown and white faces at the various
local temples and what we’re supposed
to bring along in the way of offerings.
We are supremely grateful for this guidance, which comes with added lessons
in calculating “Bali Time”. I thought
we had it sussed, but our neighbour,
Ibu Berata (bless her heart) has opened
our eyes to a whole new level of “Jam
Karet” (rubber time).
Last Wednesday we were given
the heads up for a minor Odalan (the
anniversary of something spiritual)
at thePura Dalam, the Temple of the
Dead and local residence of Lord Shiva,
which is a stone’s throw from our house
(and whose Kelian Agama, banjar head
of spiritual organization, I can hear
right now announcing directions to his
flock over a loud speaker, a regular feature of the local soundscape).
Ibu Berata told us to be ready at 3
pm. I felt quite the clever Trevor when
I simply kicked back and read a book
until 4:30, while Juni got into her Pakayan Adat (traditional and very beautiful praying outfit).
Then I leisurely got dressed and was
ready to join Juni in waiting for our
neighbour by 5 pm.
At 5:30, Ibu Berata arrived from
her work in Denpasar and passed by
our house to tell us she’d be ready in
a minute. At 6:30 she returned and we
all walked to the temple together. We
sat around in the outer temple for an
hour and were very much the focus of
a great deal of attention (albeit mostly
surreptitious), since we are new in the
neighbourhood, the only mixed couple
in the village, (hence yours truly the
only whitie in the holy house !)
After waiting for an hour in the outer
precincts, we moved to the inner temple. Here we sat cross legged in front
of Ratu Gede, the village Barong. The
Barong is a huge, two man dragon-like
puppet with articulated snapping jaws
and is the Balinese representative of
Visnu, (the protector in the great Hindu
Triumvirate). Ratu Gede and his cohort/nemesis Rangda (also a mask,
representing the Queen of the Witches,
counterbalance to the “Good” energy of
the great Barong) were enshrined in a
gloriously decorated gilt pagoda, surrounded by brilliant floral and edible
offerings, each a work of art created by
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the local women. I really didn’t mind
the next hour we sat waiting for the
high priest to arrive. It was so beautiful
and highly charged in the inner sanctum.
The Manku Dalam – a sort of “peoples priest” – whom we had met a couple of times when he officiated over our
house ceremonies, came by to be friendly and make us feel welcome. He took
the opportunity to share a little philosophy, about letting go of our ego and
being humble. Perhaps he sensed that
beneath a cool exterior, I was tripping
out about how late these people always seemed to be. I like the Manku
Dalam a lot. He is a chain smoker of
clove cigarettes and his eyes look like
he either has advanced cataracts, or
has just witnessed spiritual bliss bordering on the psychedelic. I suspected
both! Ironically, at 8:30, he gave me
the thumbs up and reported that the
whole ceremony was going smoothly
as planned. He was right in a way, for
at 8:45 the High priest arrived and
we prayed. It felt lovely and for fifteen blissful minutes, I totally forgot
just how sore my bum and knees had
become.
Having prayed, we moved out of
the temple so the next wave of supplicants could say their prayers. Ibu
Berata kindly elected to wait around
and collect our family’s offering from
the altar so that we could go home and
eat. We were starving.
A scheduling error of five or six
hours would be considered a disaster
in the States, but I am learning that here
in Bali it is ”de rigeur”. It took the local banjar members days of volunteer
work and a great deal of money to decorate the temple and would take more
time still to clear the stage. So when you
come to think of it, bamboozling folks
into slowing down, hanging out together and savouring the precious moment
for a few hours is really quite sensible.
I thought again about what the
Manku had said about letting go of the
ego and being humble.
The Balinese have got it going on;
Really !
Dennis Wayne Reynolds
May 3, 1948-October 18, 2012
Adapted from an obituary by Kylie
Arleen Reynolds. Dennis Wayne Reynolds , husband of Lola and father of
Luke and Kylie, passed away peacefully October 18 at his home. He had
been diagnosed with cancer in May and
although he did his best to stay positive
it was time for him to move on and be
with the Lord. A veteran who served
in the Vietnam war, Dennis worked as a
carpenter/contractor. He coached football for the local Boy’s and Girl’s Club
and followed the Illinois Valley High
School (IVHS) varsity games closely.
The family is planning a memorial
sometime in December. Meanwhile,
please visit the family guestbook at
Since1928Hul.com. You can make donations in Dennis’s memory to the
IVHS varsity football team, 625 E. River
St.,, Cave Junction, OR 97523
We miss you so much Dad
We didn’t realize this was all the time we had.
We said “I love you” every day
Near the end we knew you would not much
longer stay.
We comforted you with our touch and our
words as we held you tight.
We tried so hard to help you win the fight.
We wished to keep you with us longer.
We prayed for your body to stop growing so
weak and for you to become stronger.
We wanted to keep you even just one more
day,
We needed you back smiling and to stay.
We hoped for another way to save you.
We tried everything until there was no
more we could do.
We saw that God called you and you had
to go.
We miss you so much, Dad.
We didn’t realize this was all the time we had.
Holly Shinerock died December
6, 2012. She fought a truly heroic
battle with cancer coming and
going and coming back again
over the past 8 years. She died at
home, held in the arms of some
of her close friends. She will be
missed by many who loved her
and the community she cared for
so much.
Our families rejoice –
A new life’s begun
Our circle is richer
With the birth of this one:
Bodhi Lyon Breeze Newman was born
October 20, 2012 at 6:53 pm, in Blue
Lake, California. He weighed 6 pounds
11 ounces, and was 19 inches long. He
joins his siblings Lucas, Kaya Starr, and
Sebastian.
Welcome Tylea Belle Middleton – born
11-30-12, 8 pounds 7 ounces, 17 inches
long. Congratulations to her parents
Jody and Dan Middleton and big sister
Nadja.
Announcing a new source of local
protein! The Siskiyou Alpaca Sausage
by Taylors is now available. A “Landjaeger” smoked peperoni-style is available in an 8oz package for $8. Please call
Christine at 541-415-2614 for a sample
or to purchase. Limited quantities now
available. Call soon to see for yourself
how delicious alpaca meat is.
“Takilma Road Pastoral”
10” x 20” Oil on Canvas
By Alan Laurie
Takilma Family May 31, 2011
Photo By Jim Shames
Address Service Requested
TAKILMA COMMON GROUND
9335 TAKILMA ROAD
CAVE JUNCTION, OR 97523
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CAVE JUNCTION, OR
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