Janie's Journal

AUG. 23

A fall feeling in the air this morning, as a coastal breeze stirs the raspberry leaves, and the scent of Hough’s lush, irrigated alfalfa...mingled with smoke (from surrounding fires) is wafted over Prairie Creek. Three giant sunflowers, growing at the edge of Doug’s garden, face the smoke-smeared sun.
The corn is ripening. Chinese lanterns, their bright, orange glow visible now, reflect the seasonal shift. And all those petunias, geraniums, moss roses and Impatiens (potted in cast-off enamel kettles) shout their last hurrah. At their most brilliant now, during these waning days of August, as are the hollyhocks, having re-seeded themselves, and enlarged their patch (much to Doug’s dismay) beside the bunkhouse.
Remember that ancient Indian squash I planted for weed control? Well, now it’s out of control! This giant plant has managed to grow its way through a hog wire fence, and last I looked, those creeping tendrils were headin’ for the horse pasture...away from those weeds I’d hoped to strangle. The weeds? Well, in a spurt of morning energy, I hacked ‘em down with a sharp hoe.
And now, each morning, I find myself cheering the advancing squash...Go squash...your days are numbered.

OUR NEIGHBOR’S GRAIN crops are ripening. And hay hands (who are putting up the second cutting in Doug’s former fields...that lay west of the 16 acres he kept) are busy swathing, baling and stacking. On my frequent trips to town I yearn to make a picture of the long rows of baled hay in the morning light. Haying time in the valley is a beautiful thing. Some bales are round, others shaped like brad loaves, all works of art.
As far as I’m concerned...and the majority of locals will agree...our valley’s charm is due to its productive agricultural lands...which would include cattle ranching. Most importantly (because we have good soil, grass, water, and clean air) we are able to produce quality products, which not only keep folks healthy, but contribute significantly to the economic base of our county. My dream is to sustain agriculture...and welcome new ways to produce local products to be consumed by locals, with the hope these unique products could be marketed outside the county.
Here, in Wallowa County we have another crop worth sustaining. Our youth. Gone off to college, returning with dreams intact, of making a living in agriculture and not afraid to work. Their reward: A lifestyle that not only produces healthful food, but allows them to raise their families in this place they’ve always called home, a place in the heart.

THEY, AS well as others (from the OUTSIDE) with fresh, new ideas on how to make a living, even on small acreages, by producing something grown with good grass (and we do have good grass) that would appeal to outside markets. Grass-fed beef is already an established market. How about eggs with yellow yolks, and fryers, all grown on a small scale, not by the thousands. Is there anything more tasteless than a chain-store chicken? Can you envision cheese made from Jersey cows? It used to happen here. Read the history of our county. It could happen again. If you go to farmers’ markets in Portland, they sell out of locally produced specialty cheeses like goat cheese.
We have excellent soil here. Ted Juve once told me we are missing an opportunity for row crops: carrots, cabbages, peas, and my goodness...even ancient Indian squash! What I’m trying to say, I guess, is do we want our land to grow houses for wealthy retired folks to live in three months out of the year, or do we want Wallowa County to sustain what is drawing folks here: open space and the rural character of working farms and ranches?
We can have both...but we mustn’t ruin our rural landscape in the process.
Off my soapbox!

WHILE THRONGS OF people flocked to Joseph to attend the Bronze, Blues and Brews event, our county fair was in progress. Although there was an absence of throngs of people wandering through Cloverleaf Hall to view canned peaches, homemade bread, quilts and zucchini, there were people there.
And those of us there were, as usual, impressed, not only with the exhibits, but with the awesome job it takes to run a fair, mostly by volunteers.
Whether it was in FFA, 4-H, horse show, food booth, awards program, junior rodeo, or fat stock auction...there they were...some our busiest ranchers, donating their time and talent to help our youth. Not all ranchers. You saw folks from the entire community volunteering in the food booth, Cloverleaf Hall or the junior rodeo. The theme for this year’s fair was “Made in Wallowa County.” And what could be more appropriate than our youth. They are made here, and our unique county fair reflects their accomplishments. More folks should attend the fair. It’s been said that if you want to get a feel for a local culture, attend their county fair. And if you want to have some good old-fashioned fun, volunteer, or enter your zucchini.
This year the Joseph Junior Rodeo was held in conjunction with the fair...and it worked.
Run by volunteers...it was a far cry from Chief Joseph Days. No loud, blaring music, just Tony Yost (raised on lower Prairie Creek, one of my former 4-H Sourdough Shutterbugs) announcing in his very professional, yet personal way. Tony knows Wallowa County. No carnival, no throngs of people...No ads for beer or chewing tobacco. Just daddies, like Tom Birkmaier, from way out on Crow Creek...leading his two little girls (on horseback) through the pole bending event, or wee, but mighty, Harley Miller, throwing his loop at the dummy steer head stuck in a bale of straw.

OR CHUCKLING AT KIDS clutching chickens and ducks (they’d caught in the scramble) wander through the stands. No matter the rodeo runs a little slow...there’s always drama. The kind that makes you feel good, like seeing parents helping children have some good, clean fun, and learning skills at the same time.
It’s a joy to watch kids, like those Smith kids, growing up way down at Corral Creek on the lower Imnaha.
Thee and others like them are Wallowa County’s future cowboys and cowgirls. Let’s just make sure we keep our ranching community healthy for their sake.
Over in Cloverleaf Hall I was shocked to find blue ribbons on my green beans, cucumbers, raspberries, eggs, and photographs. My zucchini didn’t fare as well. No award. It had competed with the yellow crookneck...both pretty ugly. Doug and I enjoyed several of those famous food booth hamburgers, as well as visiting old friends we seldom see between fairs.
Each year we miss seeing one of our most precious dwindling resources. Our old-timers, who, along with their invaluable wisdom, have passed on.
As usual, the fair ended with the fat stock auction. This year I purchased Emily Ketscher’s lamb, after which sweet little Emily gave me a big hug and a note, which read: “Thank you so much for buying my lamb. I really didn’t want her to die. See you next weekend, Love, Emily.” Although I “turned” Emily’s lamb, perhaps it was comforting for her to know I’d gotten the final bid.

THE NEXT WEEK flew by in a blur. Daughter Jackie and husband, Bill, arrived from Challis, ID, to spend time with their son Buck and his wife, Chelsea, a visit planned to include Jackie’s 30th class reunion at Enterprise High.
Of course this provided an excuse for our large, extended family to get together. The first being here on the ranch...a feast of garden veggies, a large ham (4-H hog from last year’s auction), sourdough chocolate cake (for Buck and Todd’s birthdays) and hand-cranked ice cream. While seated at the picnic table, great-grandson Ronan, who never misses anything, said: “The clouds are growling.” Indeed they were. Great zigzag flashes of light zipped from blue/black clouds that boomed and bellowed over East Peak. The rain held off until we’d cleared the picnic table. On Tuesday, after the cowboys worked a small bunch of cattle where Buck lives, we all squeezed into our van and headed out the north highway. To the Rim Rock Inn, where I treated our family to lunch with a gift certificate I’d purchased at Flora Days to benefit the old school.
Sunday afternoon we met again at Buck and Chelsea’s for a farewell...barbecued hamburgers (our ranch-raised beef) and more of that ice cream.
In between all of this we canned. I taught Chelsea to cold pack peaches and start a crock of dill pickles. Yesterday Doug cut a row of cabbages and we made sauerkraut. Time to put food by.

ANOTHER DAY...I hosted our Fishtrap Board members to what’s become a traditional berry desert/meeting on our lawn, which meant I spent a good deal of time baking -- blackberry cobbler, strawberry and blueberry pies -- served after brown bag lunches. After which I joined Doug at the Dawson ranch on Dobbin Road. A celebration of rancher/farmer Jim’s life. A life that spoke volumes about our ranching community. In his own quiet way, Jim represented all the values inherent in Wallowa County’s unique lifestyle. You should have seen the outpouring of support. The cars filled a field...and lined the county road. Throngs of folks bearing food and lawn chairs. But...most importantly, they had left their busy lives to show love and respect for this rural family.
Then there was the annual Stockgrowers weekend, which I don’t have time to report on here. What a surprise to see Agri-Times Publisher Sterling Allen and his lively wife, Cheryl, on the Friday tour.
More on that next time...strawberries need picking...again.
Janie Tippett
Joseph, OR.