Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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Well, this is embarrassing. A few short weeks after deciding to keep everyone apprised of local activities, I have decided to stop. Now that I am fully removed from the former quilt shop, I have no easy (emphasis on easy) access to the internet. It would cost way too much to get wireless Internet to my house. Dial-up is incredibly frustrating because of the antiquity of the phone system in Irby, and everybody I know tells me I would not like satellite. OK. I would probably...
There are more new books at the Odessa library as of this week. Most of them are pure escapism, which isn’t a bad thing during times like these. You can read that as meaning “pandemic” or just “winter in Eastern Washington” as you wish. One book, though, may just be one of the best books you’ll probably never read. Our recent (and seemingly endless) election cycle has illustrated the deep divisions running through our society. I am often uncomfortable to discover that people...
ODESSA – The Old Town Hall Rejuvenation Society (OTHRS) met January 19 to discuss the next projects for the building. The group agreed that this year’s major project would be the repair and painting of the exterior. Pending a more detailed estimate from a contractor, work should be able to begin this spring or summer. In other business, the group established a subcommittee to continue working on the plans to make the two main rooms on the ground floor into a more flexible spa...
Now that we know a new year doesn’t exactly mean a clean slate, it’s time to get down to business. Most of you already know that rejuvenation of Old Town Hall is one of my favorite obsessions. The Old Town Hall Rejuvenation Society has managed to make quite a bit of progress in the past few years, with some amazing assistance from the Odessa Chapter of FBLA. The front steps have been repaired, the dining room has been painted, the kitchen got a facelift, there is a new weather resistant coating on the roof, and the windows ha...
Finally! The last week of 2020. I’ve been looking forward to the end of this year almost from the beginning. I know it’s completely unrealistic, and probably tempting fate, but I can’t help but believe 2021 will be better. Now it is nearly here, and even though COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed and administered, it’s going to be a very long time before it will make a significant difference in the progress of the pandemic. In the meantime, the latest batch of restric...
At the moment, I’m looking at a blank page, wondering what I was thinking when I volunteered to do this. After all, there’s a pandemic going on (whether you want to admit it or not) and there are enough restrictions on gatherings to make it problematic to schedule any. The first thing I must do is apologize to everyone who missed the Christmas tree lighting at Old Town Hall. It was completely my fault that the event was not publicized adequately. I will own that and promise to...
By LISE OTT In 2017, JoEllen Wollman and I made a pledge to present every veteran in Odessa with a quilt. It may take us a few years, but we are well on our way. Seven quilts were presented in 2017, and we were able to follow up with nine more this year. We are not an official part of the Quilts of Valor program, nor of any of the other official groups that award quilts to vets. We wanted our program to be flexible and personal, so we make the quilts with a lot of help from... Full story
People of Odessa, we have reached a turning point. Well, perhaps I should say that we have reached an intersection. It’s up to this community, not just a few people, to decide which way to go. Each and every one of you will have the opportunity to help make that decision January 29. For 45 years, Deutschesfest has been Odessa’s biggest and best-known community event, at one time bringing thousands of people to our town to enjoy a day or a weekend, to eat great food, meet gre...
It’s that time of year again. Certain people involved with Deutschesfest start getting that “deer in the headlights” look. Especially if they’re in charge of a venue, and are afraid that everything won’t be done in time. Believe me, it doesn’t have to be that way. Sure, we’ll always need someone to be in charge, and they’ll probably always get a little stressed out. But we, as the community of Odessa, can do something about it. I’m inviting you to participate. Bier...
The Odessa Chamber of Commerce would like to introduce the “Best Bench” competition. Many of the benches that line our downtown streets are in dire need of repair and maintenance. The “Best Bench” competition is designed not only to improve the appearance and comfort of the benches, but to allow individuals, non-profit groups and businesses the opportunity to establish and maintain a presence in the downtown area. In addition, the Chamber plans to use the bench competi...
I have had the privilege (and great pleasure) of being allowed to participate in the community Christmas cantata this year. I haven’t been able to sing with a group for several years now and had forgotten how much I enjoy it. It’s not at all like singing along with the radio or pretending you’re on “The Voice.” I was a volunteer (read, “dragooned”) choir director for several years, regardless of my lack of skill. I did my best, but I’m not a trained musician and don’t even...
A friend of mine recently shared this story: When asked if he would be willing to volunteer for a shift in the Deutsches Fest Biergarten, a local resident reportedly asked where the money made at the Biergarten would go. He was told that it went to the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, followed by some information about that organization and what it does (or attempts to do) for the community. At that point, he replied, “I don’t see what’s in it for me,” and declined to volunte...
This past Sunday afternoon, from 1 o'clock to 3, I served as host at the Odessa Historisches museum. Well, I would have served as host if anyone had come to visit. But they did not. I probably should have spent that peaceful couple of hours in industrious pursuits on behalf of the museum, but I must confess I did not. I spent about 10 minutes walking around with the host instructions, trying to find all the various light switches. Then I spent another 10 minutes trying to...
By LISE OTT Happy New Year! I'm a bit behind the times, as we're already into double-digit January dates. Fortunately, the temperatures have also been double-digit and without minus signs. But the really, really good news is that the most depressing day of the year is behind us. Now, I've always known that January is kind of tough, but it still surprised me last week when a national newscaster informed me that January 6 is the most depressing day of the year. Well, it was...
By LISE OTT I just returned from the Odessa Clinic, where it took about 90 seconds to get my flu shot. I'm a big believer in flu shots these days, when it seems any little respiratory bug can knock me for a loop. I suspect there is a genetic link there somewhere, as any little respiratory bug will send my father to the hospital. Which is where he is as I write this. My younger sister caught a cold right before Thanksgiving, which means she was in full "giving" mode just as...
The annual Quilt Club Christmas Dinner was held last night. This event has been going on for more years than I've lived here, and for those of us with the quilting bug, it's a lot of fun. Not to mention a pretty darn good meal. We visit, play games, eat, exchange "fat quarters" by means of another game, eat dessert, show off our "Christmas Challenge" entries, exchange Secret Sister gifts and show off the quilts we've completed or are working on.. As I said, it's a lot of fun....
I've been thinking about Christmas lately. That's right. Not even Thanksgiving yet, and I'm thinking about Christmas. This is so unlike me. All I can do is claim that this uncharacteristic behavior is down to undue influence by the television. I'm pretty sure some of the Christmas advertising began before Halloween, but it wasn't quite as obnoxious then as it is fast becoming. I apologize for that sentence. Blame it on the media. So, anyway. I was sitting in my living room...
I have to confess that I can hardly wait for November to be over. I know that the end of November means we are ever closer to the cold and dark of winter, but I don't care. Because if I see one more documentary about the assassination of John F. Kenney, I will scream. Like nearly everyone else over the age of 50, I remember exactly where I was on November 22, 1963. I was sitting in the combined 3rd and 4th grade classroom in Bickleton, where we were using the school's...
I'm a fan of the old songs. Not too old, mind you - if you get back much more than 100 years, you'll lose my attention. But there's something about the songs of my parents' generation that grabs me and just won't let go. In case you're one of the few people around who haven't spent much time with me in person, I'm one of those people who goes around humming snatches of songs here and there. Frequently they are songs from my formative years; folk songs from Peter, Paul and...
Because even though you might be reading this on Thursday, I'm writing it Monday, while spending time in the company of women. And dogs. And trees. I may not be my usual wordy self, because I'm typing this with my fat index finger on the incredibly tiny keyboard of my "smartphone." (If it's so smart, how come it didn't remind me to bring my laptop?) Oh, that's right; I don't have one. At any rate, I am on day two of a four-day quilting retreat at Palouse Divide Lodge up the...
I feel very silly admitting this, but here goes: I honestly didn't anticipate just how much being a business owner would affect my outlook. Don't worry, friends, my political outlook hasn't changed. It's more that my perspective on my role in life has altered. Suddenly, I'm not as much of a consumer. Oh, yes, I still consume. Too much, in fact, but that's another story (and one you're all far too familiar with.) Now, however, I view much of what I see through a lens that has...
Is your house all decorated for Halloween? Mine is. In fact, I’m thinking of charging admission to what could possibly be the scariest haunted house in the state. Cobwebs drape from nearly every corner, complete with extra-large spiders. Slimy objects lurk in the refrigerator. There’s an obstacle course around the deck and back door. More cobwebs cover the houseplants on the kitchen windowsill, both dead and alive. Yet more drift artistically from the artifacts arranged above...
I've been contemplating the quality of leadership recently, not least because of the mess in Washington, D. C. What really inspired me to try writing about it, though, was our quilt club business meeting Monday night. You see, it's time for the annual election of officers. We're not a very large organization to begin with. There were only ten of us at that meeting. There are probably about 12 who form the core of the group. And when there are three real officer positions to fi...
I’ve been thinking about fear lately. Not the deer-in-the-headlights kind of fear. That kind of fear would be something of a relief. The kind of fear I’ve been thinking about is that sneaky, lurking kind of fear that you often don’t even recognize as fear. The fear of failure. The fear of the unknown. The fear that at last everyone will realize that you’re a fraud. The fear that the realization of a long-cherished dream will not provide eternal happiness. The fear that, even i...
I really don't want to write this particular column. As much as I don't want to, however, since I'm in the habit of over-sharing, I will. Thursday evening, just as we were all getting ready for Deutschesfest, my sweet, crazy, irrepressible pup, who was "helping" my husband farm, ran in front of an oncoming vehicle. As in the case of most such collisions, the vehicle won. And Jackson, "Action Jackson" as I had taken to calling him, is no more. My heart is broken. My husband's...
