On Blues, Bundt Cake and Benevolence

In a barn, on a meadow, in the middle of a pine forest, Sisters locals gathered on a mild April night to help out a friend.

Some folks know Gary Oldham from church; others ride with him on the Sisters Cycling Team. Still others were helped into a home mortgage over the many years that Gary has provided that service to the community. Grateful teens, better off for being fed and mentored at the Oldham home, sat front and center.

All were devastated that their gregarious friend suffered a broken neck while snowboarding at Hoodoo Ski Resort on April 1st. 

    

They came to The Barn at Pine Meadow Ranch on Friday night to offer encouragement and financial support to the Oldham family. The rustic venue hummed with the down-to-earth acoustic strains of several astonishingly talented Sisters High School Americana students . Inside the converted farm building with its rough, wide-planked walls and uneven floor, the organic rhythms of guitar strums and sweet vocal harmonies seemed just right.

On a futon draped with a Pendleton blanket, I sat with my husband on our date night. Wicker chairs and wooden benches placed at casual angles accommodated others. Candles flickered; old and new friends mingled. Barbecued burgers, brownies and Kahlua-infused bundt cake were laid out. Oldham, in a full upper-body brace and using a walker, took the stage briefly to thank the community and “to reflect on how awesome this place is that we live.”

Outside, under a thin silver smile of a moon, a ranch dog barked and a baritone chorus of frogs crooned across the meadow.

    

When popular local singer-songwriter Anastacia covered Gillian Welch’s wistful Elvis Presley Blues, this blogger was mesmerized. She paid a moving tribute to the memory of local developer Gary Sokol with a soaring ballad, written for him and unveiled for the first time in the venue that was his brainchild. Sokol died in a tragic accident nearly two years ago. Applause rose when event organizer Melody Youngblood, a senior at Sisters High School, announced that about $1500 had been gathered in offering for the Oldhams.

Miraculously, Gary is alive and he is not paralyzed. Translating that miracle into a full recovery will take arduous months of rehabilitation and possibly more surgery. It’s heartening that this small community still rallies to aid one another in tough times. As Anastacia sang in Elvis Presley Blues, “It blessed my soul … yes it blessed my soul.”

I witnessed hope ascending last Friday night—up and beyond a canopy of unrefined beams, from inside that old dairy barn, on a meadow, in the middle of a pine forest in Sisters, Oregon.

Tax-deductible donations to help with Gary Oldham’s medical expenses may be made via Rotary Club of Sisters. Phone (541) 977-6545.

Full Story: Nugget News, April 21 2009.
Photo Courtesy: Upper L: Author  Upper R: http://ow.ly/1A3dA  Bottom L & R: Kyle Rood Photography

2010 Home Buyer Tax Credits

Here's a really helpful info-graphic to determine eligibility for 2010 Home Buying Tax Credits:


Click the image to enlarge

Source: FixR

More Kitchen Trends 2010 (NKBA)

Last week I revealed some results from the National Kitchen and Bath Association's annual Design Trend Survey. In case you missed it, you can go here to learn about current trends in kitchen cabinetry styles, wood species, finishes, countertops and flooring. And now for the rest of their findings:

Faucet fashion:  Pull-out styles are most in demand. The top finish choice is brushed nickel, followed by stainless steel, satin nickel and finally, polished chrome. Extra-tall Pot filling faucets are gaining popularity, creating convenience at the cooking center.

Delta's Pilar Faucet with Touch20 Technology. Messy hands? Use your arm to touch on/touch off.

Brizo's Florio Pull-Out faucet. Their fashion-forward designer lineup is refreshingly chic.

The go-to cooking appliance is still the Range, but the combination of a Cooktop and Wall Oven is gaining steam. Home owners still crave a Gas Cooktop, but they are beginning to appreciate the energy-saving advantages of Induction Cooking.

There is growing enthusiasm for Drawer Dishwashers, but a full, standard Dishwasher continues as the best-seller.

 

Consumers will continue to be wildly infatuated with Bottom Freezer Refrigerators, with or without French Doors, while Side-By-Side is still a popular choice. Refrigerator Drawers are coming in vogue, as are Undercounter Wine Refrigerators.

This graceful kitchen features a number of trendy appliances including the ever-popular range, undercounter wine refrigerator, warming drawer and undercounter microwave. Cabinetry by Fieldstone.

I encourage you to read a comprehensive and entertaining review of Delta's Pilar Faucet from Susan Serra, The Kitchen Designer, here.

Susan Serra also provides insight into Brizo's fashionable faucet line-up here.

Read Kitchen & Bath Professional Laurie Burke's inside look at Brizo's fashionable faucet line-up here.

A Christmas Cause: Shopping for Hope

I don't know about you, but we have had far more "sorry kids, we'll have to keep it simple this year" Christmases than not.

Every year we've improved at finding a select gift or two that costs very little, yet demonstrates that we've been paying attention to our children's evolving interests. So I am immensely gratified that our kids are growing into appreciative, charitable adults who see the bigger picture and understand the true message of Christmas.

The message of Christmas is hope. God humbly came to earth to save mankind, who could not save themselves, because He is the essence of love and we are the objects of His perfect love.

Hope is what Yobel Market is all about. They are a fair trade, global marketplace whose mission is to inspire awareness and promote justice. Last year I discovered Yobel Market and immediately thought of my college-aged daughter. I chose a pair of earrings crafted by Suubi women who live in refugee camps in southern Uganda, and a raw silk scarf made in Cambodia by recovering victims of human trafficking. Our daughter opened her gifts and cried as she read the backstory about the women who crafted them. She said it was the "best gift ever" and I knew she meant it.

Yobel Market will be here at Sisters Coffee Company on Sunday, December 20th for an event you won't want to miss. Come see for yourself these special (and extremely affordable) items that help bring hope to the hopeless.

Live music will be provided by Shane Simonsen. A short documentary film by Zion Pictures will introduce you to Canaan Farm, a transitional farm providing healing and hope to the child soldiers and families who have suffered from the LRA conflict in northern Uganda.

Come for a memorable evening celebrating hope. If you haven't "caught the Christmas spirit" yet, this should do the trick.

A CHRISTMAS CAUSE

An evening of film, music and fair trade gifts that inspire awareness and promote justice

Date: Sunday, December 20, 2009

Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm 
Location: Sisters Coffee Company
Map and Directions

Who Will Benefit from Energy Rebates?

Have you delayed replacing your old energy-hoarding kitchen appliances in hopes of new cash rebates from the federal stimulus program? The Oregon Department of Energy has instead chosen to channel its $3.6 million in allocated funds into generous rebates for low-income homeowners who replace their antiquated and inefficient heating systems. This news was met with a measure of surprise from those who had expected the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program would be used to energize consumer spending in the home-remodeling section.

States were allowed to decide how best to carry out the program. Most states, including CA, NY and FL, have elected to direct their share of revenues from what has been called the "cash for clunkers" program for appliances into cash rebates for homeowners who replace outdated washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators and water-heaters with newer energy-efficient models. An additional cash incentive will typically be offered for recycling the old appliances appropriately.

Oregon Department of Energy cites that 40% of the state’s annual energy usage comes from heating homes. Also the state already has in place an established incentive program which offers tax-credits ranging from $60 to $180 for qualifying energy-efficient appliances.

This GE Monogram EnergyStar-rated dishwasher qualifies for an $80 state tax-credit plus a $25 rebate for Central Electric customers.

Jim Chapel, a salesman at Johnson Brothers Appliances in Bend, OR says that "everyday people come in asking about the rebates." Chapel was never convinced that the new cash rebates, had they indeed been offered for kitchen appliances, would have boosted sales significantly. He believes customers replace their dishwasher, for example, because they need a new dishwasher. Part of his job as he sees it is to make customers aware of all incentive programs that apply to a purchase, and he emphasizes that in addition to the state's ongoing tax-credits all of the power companies are offering rebates. These rebates vary from one power company to the next and from one appliance to the next and Chapel is "more than happy" to help customers get the right information.

Oregons's proposal will now require federal approval, and funds could be allocated by the end of the year.

Related Links:
US Dept. of Energy
Oregon Dept. of Energy-Conservation
Pacific Power
Central Electric Cooperative