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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
2 comments:
I think I still have my web feet! Rain, Rain, Rain, that's what made Valsetz famous! Now it's the town that burned! I can't even go visit where I used to live, now that's a bummer!
Paul
I miss the rain of home. Spending 20+ years in Valsetz gave me a lifelong appreciation for rain, gray, and foggy/misty days.
Sue N.-L.
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