southern oregon Archives - Introducing Tea Railene

The Adventures of Chris and Ardel is two books under one cover. They were both fairly short so I put them together so you get two great bedtime story books in one. These stories are based on tales I used to tell my kids when they were growing up. They asked for them over and over so I decided to write some down.

Now the characters in this book are fictional though they may remind you of people you have met. That is a fun part of being a writer. You take details from the world around you, twist them, and mold them into something fun or make the story end the way you want it to.

The setting for these books is an actual place. This was the farm where I grew up with my Mom and stepdad, three brothers, and three sisters. We did have a goat named Shadow and an old stroller. You will see where they come in during the first book, Monsters On The Farm.

The second book is Taming of the City Mouse. This story is a little about bullying and the difference between a city mouse and a country mouse. The book starts with Chris and Ardel getting picked on while riding the school bus, but at least it is the last day of school. They come home to discover that a city mouse is coming to the neighborhood for the summer!!

The neighbor Anna Miller who is referred to in the story was an actual person, a beautiful elderly lady who baked cookies and served them with milk when we walked by on the road. It was the perfect pitstop and we loved her stories.

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The Story in Grammy’s Trailer was written right after the Almeda Fire on September 8, 2020, in Southern Oregon. That was one of the most terrifying days in my life.

We lived on the outskirts of Talent, Oregon, a small town a little north of the Oregon/California border. Our peaceful little country town was in the raging fire’s path. My husband and I rushed to fill both cars with our important belongings. We grabbed a few clothes, medications, paintings my Grammy painted, the hard drive off my computer, and our signed Willie Mays baseball.

After that, we stood in the parking lot of our apartment complex with the the neighbors. The fire blocked the main road out of town as we watched the smoke from the blaze only a block away. We listened to buildings collapsing and heard propane tanks explode. We discussed back roads to get out of the complex.

Helicopters fighting the fire filled up in the pond across the street and then rushed to the fire. They flew so close water splashed on us as they went by. My husband wanted to stay and keep water spraying on the house with a hose, but then the electricity and water went out. It was time to evacuate.

What Happened to Grammy’s Trailer?

Luckily, our place was spared from the Almeda Fire, but we did lose Grammy’s trailer. My grandma had purchased this mobile home back in the 1950s. When she moved into assisted living, it went to my dad, and other family members had passed through there as well. On that day, only by the grace of God, my son had just moved out, and my daughter was getting ready to move in. So, the trailer was not inhabited by people or pets on the day of the fire, though both lost most of their belongings.

This trailer had been the backdrop of so many family stories. Grammy and Grandpa bought and moved it there in the 50s, and through the years, most of the family members had lived there at one point or another. This book is my way of preserving all those memories, even after the disaster of the Almeda Fire.

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