The Nugget Vol. XLVI No. 47
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News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Wednesday Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Ready for winter? By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Delighted crowds inaugurate Holiday Palooza
They were dutifully followed by the poop brigade, who wowed the onlookers with their scooping skills. As usual the crowds were heavy with visiting relatives in town for Thanksgiving. Acquaintances were renewed, stories updated, and there was no talk of the dark events in the world. It was pure joy and fun and nothing more. It was a celebration of family
If you have put off winterizing, you might be on borrowed time, experts say. With nearly 25 days of subfreezing temperatures already under Sisters’ belt, those pesky winterizing chores are calling, and you must go. And it’s not just the yard and garden. There are the crawl space vents, screen removal, animal feeders, hose removal, chimney sweeping, and perhaps more. Of course not removing screens will have no bearing on your heating bills; it’s mostly a cosmetic ritual. But not “blowing” your drip lines can result in costly repairs next spring. If you didn’t deal with those perennial weeds, expect many more in the spring. Didn’t get the needles out of the gutters yet? Then don’t be surprised with clogged downspouts and a heightened chance of water backing up and getting under the roof shingles. Even if you don’t have gutters, it’s a good idea to
See PALOOZA on page 21
See WINTERIZE on page 22
Main Avenue was packed with spectators ready to feast their eyes on the likes of the Grinch, Santa, corgis, horses, and the Batmobile. PHOTO BY JAROD GATLEY
By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Mother Nature filled every wish Saturday for the first Holiday Palooza put on by Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD). Under sundrenched, crystal blue skies, around 3,000 turned out for the first half of the doublefeature event — a parade with 29 entries. The long-held holiday parade, which in years past traveled eastbound on Hood
Avenue, switched up and moved westbound on Main Avenue. The sun warmed paradegoers in their mittens, parkas, and knit caps, as temperatures hovered in the high 30s. Attendees were often three and occasionally four deep between Spruce and Elm streets, with more choosing the north side of main to be in the sun’s glow. Spectators lined Main Avenue all the way to Oak Street, and a few caught the
Profile...
Born under a lucky star By Maret Pajutee Correspondent
Every once in a while, you meet someone who draws you in like a moth to a light. The exact chemistry is a mystery but there is something about the spring in their step, engaging smile, and funny patter that brightens the day. When I started teaching chair yoga to seniors at The Lodge in Sisters, I couldn’t help but notice Tillie Hollar. She became one of my most faithful students, a friend, and my teacher in the art of joyful living. Born Matilda Pearl Pittullo, Tillie was the youngest of four children of a family with many potato
Inside...
and wheat farmers in Idaho. Despite her Italian sounding maiden name, her family heritage is of English, Scottish, and Irish roots. The Great Depression drove her father to the navel orangegrowing mecca of Redlands, California for work. She remembers Redlands, where she was born and raised, as a small town with a church on every corner, scented by orange blossoms in the spring and smudge pots in the winter. She describes her mother as a “force of nature” a teacher with broad interests, who went to Oregon State University and taught her children healthy habits decades before they became See HOLLAR on page 28
colorful affair as far along as Pine Street. The best seats in the house were pickup trucks, nosed to the curb with tailgates open to the passing parade. Some had elaborate seating arrangements and most had a passel of kids or grandkids or dogs, or all three. Dogs were everywhere — in the parade as entrants and on the sidewalks. Horses, too, joined in, with a half dozen or so decorated to match the season and spirit.
The West is losing its glaciers By Alex Baumhardt Oregon Capital Chronicle
Glacial melt from climate change is no longer just a problem at the poles. Across the contiguous Western U.S., glaciers are slowly disappearing, according to a new analysis by researchers at Portland State University and the
U.S. Geological Survey. The study was published in the journal Earth System Science Data on September 15. Without glaciers, people, plants, and animals are more vulnerable to late summer drought. Glaciers play an important role in regulating waterways, acting as a frozen reservoir that provides cool water for streams in the
driest, hottest parts of summer when seasonal snowpacks have already melted. They also indicate the health of snowpacks needed to supply municipal water systems. “You have apple orchards and pear orchards that get their water from the Middle Fork of the Eliot River in the See GLACIERS on page 23
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
The Three Sisters area is losing its glaciers, along with many other areas across the West.
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Stars over Sisters ..............7 Announcements...............10 Fun & Games ................... 26 Crossword ...................... 29 Meetings .......................... 3 Dear Property Guy............. 9 Entertainment .................12 Flashback ........................27 Classifieds................. 30-31