Yachats Oregon Writer Rick Schultze

When I was a kid I used to read a columnist whose column was called “once around the barber pole”. The other day I found another columnist who has an online newsletter titled “once around the barber pole”. Both the columnist I read as a kid and the online newsletter appear to be referring to the days when the barber shop served as a kind of community gathering spot where guys would sit around and swap adventure stories; discuss politics, current events, sports, the weather and other timely subjects. Well those days are gone so this week I’m going write this column like those and try to give you your fill of current events and political stories without going to a barber shop! So here we go with little bits and pieces of what’s going on around here. Small towns and villages on the Central Oregon coast all have had one thing in common; talk of the H1N1 flu. The outbreaks in some places, the lack of vaccine and the general discussion about it’s worth. Is it worth taking or is it as of yet unproven? You’d be hard pressed not to hear that discussion in the stores, post offices, taverns, schools, city halls, churches, and yes barber and beauty shops. The weather; it’s been great these last few days but ominous breaking news is warning of big storms on the way. For the first time this autumn people with travel plans are having to factor more than just fuel costs into their trip plans. As we move from nice to not so nice, road checks and daily weather bulletins become a daily event and the winterizing of vehicles moves into full swing. How good is the University Of Oregon Ducks football team? Since their disastrous opening loss to Boise State they’ve reeled of an impressive string of victories against top PAC 10 teams and are sniffing the Rose Bowl. Of course another side note to this is the possible return of the running back that was suspended after the Boise State game. That has tongues wagging in the sporting communities from Seal Rock to Mapleton. And perhaps the most talked about bit of gossip and hearsay in the Waldport and Yachats communities is the status of two businesses. Both are longtime fixtures that have gone through some changes and folks are wondering what’s next for these important businesses which are so valuable in the two communities. Finally a word on another topic that gets people talking and that is about politics. We never seem to get our fill of political rhetoric no matter how much of it we hear. I hear people all the time saying they “are done talking about and listening to political stuff” yet they appear to know more about politics that many I know! If you have a radio, computer, TV or a talkative neighbor you’re going to get a dose of politics even if you’re not paying attention and it isn’t even a major election year. But to be fair, the economy and politics are so intertwined they are very hard to separate and given the current economic status we will continue to be updated daily on the latest in politics. There you have it folks, a little fuel for conversation when you are stumped for topics so mix these in with the topics s you already have and you can have a good time going “once around the barber pole”. To reach Rick Schultze email: yarick@pioneer.net.