Valsetz Rain

Before I start with The Rain,I must Tell you all: I'm now a Brand New Great Grandpa (weighing in at 21 inches 7lbs. Mendel Joe Gillett

Just Another Thursday Morning, sitting in front of the old computer with stacks of Valsetz material looking at me. Reminds me of that Television commercial, where you see this stack of cash with great big eyes balls watching.

I'm like the proverbial kid in the candy store, so many goodies I'm having a very hard time in choosing just what I want.

Late last night when I was looking for what I was going to write about in to days blog. I checked in on Face Book, While looking over the writings I got this Idea of asking Valsetzers for ideas
to write about today. Jeff Wheeler suggested Valsetz rain. Well Jeff Valsetz Rain has it.

Valsetz folk's claims to have the distinction of being the nation's rain capital. Valsetz rain fall average is 140 inches per year while Dallas Oregon, only 26 miles east only gets 44inches.

What was living with this much rain like you ask? Maybe The Poem I composed a few years back will give you a little in site. ( I warned you Jeff )( referring to telling Jeff in choosing rain as subject he may suffer from me choosing the subject he chose)

A few years back added to the Valsetz web site (over 40 pages as of today) I added a new segment called, from the hearts of valsetz. In the directory you will find it as Valsetz Poems

http://www.valsetzoregon.com/valsetzhearts.html

This segment only had 202 visits since it's beginning.( kinda discouraging) this page contains Poems wrote by Valsetzers some that are no longer with us today.

My Poem goes like this:

IN A VALLEY WITH TREES SO GREEN WHERE THE WATER RUNS SO BLUE AND CLEAN.
THERE IS SMALL RIVER CALLED SILETZ, NEAR BY IS THE SMALL MILL TOWN CALLED VALSETZ. AFTER LIVING IN THIS SMALL TOWN, THE SECRETS OF IT BEING SO CLEAN AND GREEN WAS SOON FOUND.
THE SECRET BECAME SO VERY PLAIN, IT'S VALSETZ RAIN.
ON SPRING MORNINGS AS OF MANY DAYS OF THE YEAR, YOU AWOKE TO HEAR
THE PITTER PATTER OF RAIN AS IT DANCED UPON THE ROOF.
ALL DURING THE DAY YOU WOULD HEAR THE PITTER PATTER OF RAIN DANCING UPON THE ROOF.

AT NIGHT YOU MIGHT FALL OFF TO SLEEP TO THE PITTER PATTER OF RAIN DANCING UPON THE ROOF.
THAT VALSETZ RAIN COULD ALSO BE A PAIN IN THE BUTT, AS IT DANCED UPON THE ROOF.

From clippings of news papers in my stack I found

Webs on the feet of Valsetz residents must be cracking because of a relative"dry"year in the mountain community of only 148.23 inches of precipitation for 1956. That's only12.35 feet of water for the 12 months period.

November and December caught only17.46 inches in 1956 these months caught 69.48 inches.

This is more than in the year 1955 of only 129.48 inches of 1955 it is quite a bit less than the 168.11 inches that fell in 1950, and is 20.65 inches off of the record of 168.88 in 1937.

The heaviest rain of the 1956 year was on January 4 when Valsetz was deluged with 5.15 inches.

The first seven days of 1956 brought 14.63 inches, but that wasn't a week's record.

In the last week of October, 20.64 inches fell.This started October 25 getting 3.82 reaching its peak of 4.32 on October 28.

I must add this little bit from an 1957 news paper column: Young Teddy has been getting fan mail since the Associated Press carried his Valsetz 1956 Valsetz Rainfall story(it quoted Teddy)...A Los Angels reader wrote that he couldn't find Valsetz on the Map... A Texas man wondered if everbody in Oregon had drowned except the ducks...and an annonymous letter from Albany,N.Y., contained only three words... Obviously referring to 146 inched of rain Teddy measured in Valsetz last year, the letter said only "You'r a Liar."

I like rain only when I have the benefit from it,unlike my wife another Valsetzer who really enjoys the rain. I honestly believe Doris (my wife) was disappointed this year spending the week in Oregon, we had only about 30 minutes of rain mist. I believe it's the first year I'v been up to Oregon with out finding my self in a heavy rain storm.

As I was telling you Rain I like only when it benefits me.I love seeing the rain come down when I have a Honey do list requiring work out side or going to some out side function I'm not fond of , just love seeing it rain, when its time to water the lawn.


One thing that just drives me crazey is when, "It's raining," I'm telling Doris, It's raining out side. She never fails to say , "your from Valsetz, you played Football in big mud puddles, you didn't let rain stop you then, why now?" ( What can you say to that)


OOH those were the days, for those that never played Football on the Valsetz Football field
made of 100% dirt and the precipitation of October And November, ( see above the perception for these months) your talking about Boys happier than pigs in S#@$


Here is how I explain Oregon Rain after I become a resident of Reno, Nv : I thought I had a nice tan, , But Then I found out it was only rust.


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF VALSETZ RAIN?
DO YOU LIKE THE RAIN?
Please leave your comments on comment section

FROM TRUST TO DISGUST IN 57 YEARS

VALSETZ 1984

VALSETZ 2009

VISIT MY WEB SITE FOR HISTORY AND PICTURES

http://www.valsetzoregon.com/

As a small boy back in 1952 (bringing with me, my father,mother and younger brother ) moved to this small community of Valsetz located in a Valley of The Oregon coast range. This little town was entirely owned by a Lumber Mill. I'm talking General Store, Bowling Alley (wait until I tell you about the Bowing Alley ) Pool Hall, Theater, Schools, Church, and Employee's Homes

Today you will not find (at times this community supported as many as 1,200 people and more ) any community that believed in trust as they did

This trust I was raised with and believed in, may have bit me in the butt

I will explain further in coming paragraphs

As I tell you about this trusting community. ( try remember about your community back in your child and teen years then compare it to my community) During my years in this community I don't remember having locks on doors, let along my friends and I having keys to unlock doors to our homes.I do remember vacations, being them weekends or weeks. I also remember the big union strike this community endured for a few months.

Not one home was locked at any time, not a thing was removed from any one's house, even during the months family's were out of town picking crops to survive the strike .

These are the words from an old Valsetzer,( I'm now paraphrasing ) "NO one had locked doors,
you may come back home and find your booze missing, taken by the the neighbors. But the neighbors that took the booze brought you a replacement ." "There may be times you come home you find someone has been inside your house, and left fresh venison or Elk, ( for the ones not from Valsetz or a hunter, Venison is deer meat) in your freezer."

I remember of not one home invasion during my years in Valsetz, do you?

If you made a promise or was promised something, is was an automatic done deal!

As I remember all merchants in Oregon was trusted, I remember Valsetzers spent a lot of time and money in Lincoln City and still do.( I will connect the dots about my butt in my opening statements and Lincoln City a little further in the story)

Giving trust and believing in the News Media ,Government, & Politicians was at a very high rate

ABOVE WAS THE TRUST NOW FOR THE DISGUST

In my experience after leaving Valsetz in 1959, I have found, what to me has become a slow progressive distrust of anyone and ever thing. Today ever thing is locked or protected by (Even your body ) locks, services and your own pepper spray,stun guns,and fire arms

1. Have you noticed the tearing down of Religion and what there calling political correctness?
   
2. How low today's trust in state or federal government and all employees.

politicians are at its lowest trust in history & dropping fast

It is become as of late harder to find truth in newspaper and TV ads

Most Americans are becoming more disbelieving of daily news from major TV net works, cable stations & newspapers

This brings me to The Web sites on the Internet, (Please stay with me) I'm about to tie this all together,connect the dots & etc., "trust me" ( how many times have you heard these two words said and then abused) We are told you must be very very careful with who you deal with and what you do on the Internet. I of all people know this, after 10 years of Internet use, I forgot it

Now comes The meat of it, the big Finish,the climax (any way I will get on with it)

The Bite me in butt statement I referred to & connecting it to Lincoln City is due to the Time spent in Valsetz. This is not an excuse for my forgetting to be very careful of who you deal with on the Internet, but of how one's mind can revert back to way you was raised to make a decision because of things you trusted

As most of you know, if you read my other blogs, I just spent a week or so on the Oregon Coast before attending the 2009 Valsetz Reunion (you beginning to connect the dots?)

Since I returned home to Reno, NV I've been looking for the right Web Sites Host that might help with the finance support of the Valsetz Community Web Site

I chose this ESB Host to use & buy Domain Names from, with out checking it out completely.

I have never made a purchase in last 10 years over the Internet in this reckless manor.

I'm not a Head Shrink , but after replaying past events in my mind & asking myself why I did do such a stupid thing. I came to the following conclusions



I had just spent a day with people that was raised in the same elements as I, and believing in same trust as mine.



Along with my time spent visiting the same places along the Oregon Coast I had trusted for many years

I believe the trigger to my down fall was, this Vendors location was listed as in Lincoln City, Oregon

Did I connect the dots?

Who, What, How, & Why has the United States Americans turned the Trust of Americans into so many Disgusted Americans?


I now will turn your attention to (in my opinion)the Vendor who abused my trust and may have fleeced me of my time & cash ( I have not positive proof yet

Below are my reasons to believes I had been riped off by ESB Host.com

#1 No confirmation of purchase sent to me with any information of my purchase, tried to sign into my account on ESB Hoist.com, told they had no account record of e-mail address I was using

#2 Got billing from a company, (Thru Pay Pal) I had never heard of


#3 Only after contact with Pay Pal did I receive information ( Phone number & E-mail address)


#4 No return calls from ESB host after two days of Phone Calls left on their answer machine


#5 Emails I sent were answered evening of third day


In order to be fair to EsB Host, I will not print any Information I have received until investigation on ESB Host is completed

If it is found I was riped off their butts are mine, not for a small sum of $26.oo
but I will want ESB where they don't take any one else


Please post all your comments good or bad, on today's content!


I found this link I believe everyone of all ages will benefit from reading

http://www.seniormag.com/legal/internet-scams.htm

Dedication To A Friend

Most Blogs today are about today, you will find most of mine to be about the yesteryear
If you read my first Blog, you found I"m not homeless, but Hometownless (new word?) After my home town was dozed and burned.

If you will check these links to pages of my website, http://www.valsetz.com/ they will give you back ground and insight into this Mill Town that Was Dozed and Burned that I will be blogging about http://valsetz.homestead.com/untitled8.html and Blogs wrote by Valsetzers http://valsetz.homestead.com/untitled14.html

If you become a follower of my blogs you will read pieces of history of a small Company Town ,about people of this small town and events that they shared.

When I decided to begin writing these Blogs my intentions were to write by
the seat of my pants.

When attending ( again I refer to first Blog ) Valsetz Reunion in Falls City Or.
I was given (to use) a life time collection of news paper articles and photos about this little town of Valsetz Oregon, and the people that made up this fine little comunity.

These items was given to me by the daughter (Teri Charest) of Jean Kaye Dively (Stallings)(Weaver), Jean and I had became good friends over the past years,whom I met at theValsetz Reunions

I'm sad to say "JEAN passed away June 19, 2007"
JEAN TOLD ME as others, I'm sure, " Her Final Resting Place Request was to be, scatterded in the Hills of Valsetz" Her Request has been granted.

In JEAN"S Honor, I Dedicate The Valsetz Blog .


Jean Kaye Dively (Stallings)
(Weaver)

THE DAM DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

I just had to jump on the this one! I got so excited to share this with you that I just had to get it in print. This is not my writing, but a E-mail sent to me by a fellow Valsetzer. It's a story I believe to be true, even thou this supposely happend Dec. 2006. I believe it happend because of how a lot of our politicans & beauracats treat you & me today. They act as they have no commen sense,and if they had commen sense, don't how to use it! Read it for your- self then please make your comment!

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania This guy's response is hilarious, but read The State's letter before you get to the response letter.
State of Pennsylvania's letter to Mr. DeVries:
SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. DeVries:
It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.
A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.
The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2007.
Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.
Sincerely, David L. Price District Representative and Water Management Division.

The Dam pictures

Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr.Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/06 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .
A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials 'debris.'
I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.





These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.
My first dam question to you is: (1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or (2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?
If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. (Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)
I have several dam concerns. My first dam concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.
The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.
If you want the damed stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).
So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2007? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.
In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your dam step! The bears are not careful where they dump!
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
THANK YOU,
RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS