The Rumor is Not True

Sorry for the lateness in my weekly update. I have been working on a project and the time flew by me. Camden has been doing great. He is gaining about an ounce a day of late, never got jaundice and has slept fairly predictable until the last two days. It was our routine for DeeAnn and I to switch every 3-4 hours during the night with DeeAnn taking the bulk of awake time with feedings. Well little Camden seems to be suffering from tummy pains and so he squirms and wiggles with a face of complete agony. This in turn has made him stay awake and causes us to follow suit. We are changing DeeAnn’s diet and giving him some mylicon to help relieve the pain. Last night we did a bit better but still not out of the woods yet.

Did you know that it is the year of the pig? Well if you did than you are more aware of the Chinese calendar than most. On Saturday Gavin, Ethan and I walked up to town to see the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade. The parade lasted about 30-40 minutes and included Eagle scouts, dancing dragons, and the Queen of Rouge Valley sitting proudly in the back of a new Dodge Ram Pickup. We also got to see Lamas dressed up in clothes with their toenails painted purple. There was a small group of parents and kids walking to represent the Panda Club which are American families who have adopted children from Asian countries. And finally we had about eight Segways from http://www.segwayofjacksonville.com/ bringing up the end of the parade ridden by Betty her husband and brother-in-law David. Pictures of the parade and festival and a few more of Camden can be found on www.flickr.com/photos/richanddeeann

After the parade we went to a small lecture about the history of Jacksonville and the influence of the Chinese during the gold rush. It was held in the section of town first built by the Chinese but has since then all but gone away. At the top of the hill is a working replica of a gold sluice boxes used to separate the gold from the dirt. The rest of the day was spent walking around town playing in “Doc” park. It was a gorgeous day with perfect temps and a deep blue sky. As is expected we do have colder temps than those in Southern California but each day is a real adventure. What the forecast often calls for is lost by mid day. I suppose that is the fun with the weather in Southern Oregon in that you never know what your day will look like. That is what made this day so unique. It stayed as it started.

So what’s new in the way of politics and local gossip for Jacksonville? Well for one the fire station looks like they may finally get a new station and a new engine by the end of the year. Calls increased by 35% ever since the new retirement village opened their doors.

Mark at the Saloon is hopeful that his bar will do better than the J’vlle Tavern three doors up but he has only been open for 8 months.

And the battle over the land used and owned by the motorcycle club continues. Seems as though the noise is bothering some residence, but aesthetically the club maintains their property far better than the residences that surround it. Perhaps the club should petition the residences to clean up their properties so they aren’t a blight on the scenery.

It was time for me and the boys to get haircuts so DeeAnn called around for a local barber. She finally found one in Medford and I went with boys in tow. Upon arrival I noticed a very old shop with an even older gentlemen sitting in the chair. We sat down and I asked Chuck the barber a question, “Have you ever heard of Angus Todd?” “Oh sure”, he said “known Angus for years. “Angus Todd, yep he died a while back” said the old man in the chair. “Nope, Angus is still alive”, I assured him. “Nope he died” said the old man. “Well I just saw him the other day and he was still alive.” I said, this time with confidence. “Well I think he died recently.” the old man once again said with even more confidence. “Well I tell you what , I see him every Tuesday and I will make sure he isn’t dead.” I said with more confidence than that old man could possibly muster. Needless to day Gramps is doing great.