So, as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and now, Small Business Saturday approaches, I thought it would be a nice story about what deals are around. Are Lebanon businesses open on Black Friday and the Thanksgiving Day weekend? Are they offering holiday deals?

I put out the word to Nancy Chlarson with Partners for Progress and to Shelly Garrett with the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce. They forwarded my requests to the businesses on their email lists. And the special offers and deals poured into my inbox.

It wasn’t long before I realized Lebanon has so many special deals and offers for the holidays, I would not have room enough to print them in the paper! So here I am, in the infinite space of cyberspace, where I can tell you about the local deals right here in Lebanon.

Some of the deals surprised me, and may not be on the top of little Johnny or Jill’s Christmas list, such as David Gillott Tree Service. The offer is one free stump grind with any tree removal, good until up to 30 days after Thanksgiving.

Also on the home improvement front, Way West Upholster is offering Charlotte Fabric Line Fabric’s at 25 percent off, with a handmade soy candle or glycerin soap free on every order.

Solid Mfg & Supply is having a Black Friday special on selected chain saws, trimmers, leaf blowers, mowers and log splitters, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Black Friday. Westport to Willamette Antique and Trading Co. is offering “spin-a-discount.” Customers may receive 10 to 30 percent off their purchases, beginning Black Friday through Christmas Eve.

Gift items range from discounts on alarms, amps and speaker boxes at ProAuto to homemade, hand-spun gifts and yarn at Humming Angels Alpacas, open seven days a week from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with the added bonus of seeing baby alpacas.

Sunflower Hill Farm also offers hand-spun, hand-crafted goods, as well as farm fresh eggs and spinners roving. At Teen Challenge, everything will be 50 percent off on Black Friday and Saturday, Nov. 26. Visit Peggy’s Alaskan Cabbage Patch bed and breakfast for quilts,  quilting supplies and tips.

Downtown, visit the Handcrafted in Linn County store at 605 Main St. This store is a seasonal one, offering art and gifts by Linn County artists and crafters. Speaking of crafters, the American Legion is having its annual holiday bazaar on Friday and Saturday.

Gateway Imprints will be closed all weekend so employees may spend it with family, but will have 15 percent off personalized Christmas gifts the week after Thanksgiving.

Other gifts include Caribbean cruise specials through Sparks Travel Agency. Photography sessions booked on Black Friday through Brandi Varnell Photography are 40 percent off. Book a wedding and receive 30 percent off.

Open a personal checking account at Chase bank in Lebanon and receive a $100 cash reward.

At Stacey’s Clothes Corral, $1 deals can be found on clothes for babies and adults.

Looking for some health and beauty specials? Lebanon has them. Glitterati Crew Salon has Thanksgiving specials, and is by appointment. The Wellness Consultants is offering a detox package for a 10-day metabolic diet, along with a shaker and detox guide.

Food is on special this weekend, too. Mark’s Ridge Winery will have a Thanksgiving Open House from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 25 through 27. You can listen to a live pianist while browsing arts and crafts, eating pulled beef stew and freshly baked breads, and, of course, tasting wines. Entrance is $10. Cases of wine will be 20 percent off through Dec. 24.

Peacock East will feature the band Fate 55 on Wednesday night. They will be open Thanksgiving Day 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. At MegaFoods, you can get a full Thanksgiving dinner for $24.98 through Nov. 29, while supplies last.

Take part in the agri-tourism by visiting the “Holidays on the Trail” event, Nov. 25 through Dec. 24, and enjoy the scenic tour of family-owned farms, nurseries, boutiques and galleries along the way. Find “2 Rivers Country Trail” on Facebook for more information.

These are only the deals that arrived to me on deadline. I am sure there are more local businesses with fantastic deals and gift ideas. Give them a chance.

The Farmers Market means fresh everything. When it first opened in May, I was excited to see my favorite cookie baker there. This is her first year at the market. Each week, I look forward to that one cookie. It seems to keep me sane. (Is it working?) But don’t stop there, a number of vendors sell enticing, homemade baked goods, from banana bread to fudge to pies.

As the season has progressed, it feels like the Market is in full swing. Tables are loaded down with fresh fruits and vegetables. And I don’t just mean zucchini or blackberries. One merchant has fresh, dark green, lovely, leafy lettuce, with bunches bigger than my head! Sweet onions that are, according to my 18-year-old niece, as big as your brain. Juicy berries of all kinds join cherries and other fruit just waiting to come home with me and be eaten. Or sliced into cereal. Or put on ice cream. Or baked into a dessert confection of my own.

A few vendors carry arts and crafts, from beaded jewelry to paintings. Handmade soaps and repurposed planters and lovely potted plants may also be found at the Market.

But the best part about the market? Seeing the community out dancing to the live music, enjoying the Oregon sunshine and warmth, supporting each other and their local vendors.

You gotta love it, Lebanon.

The drama unfolded before my eyes (and those of the Lebanon High School student body), watching as the driver was ultimately taken away in handcuffs. One student was lifeflighted to a nearby hospital. Another was taken away by ambulance. The dad of the family was pronounced dead at the scene.

Many emergency personnel participated: Lebanon Police Department, Lebanon Fire District, Life Flight. The exercise was not taken lightly. The firefighters used the jaws of life to pry open a car door. Tires were marked with orange paint. People were carried off on stretchers, comforted, tested for sobriety.

I saw things at this event I’ve never seen before (maybe in a movie or on TV), and hope never to see again. But the odds are against that. In Oregon, 2009 saw 115 deaths related to drunk driving; 12 of those were younger than 21, according to statistics provided by the LHS student resource officer Tim Shanks.
Last year, Lebanon police made 84 DUII arrests. Those numbers may not seem very steep, but consider that 32 percent of all traffic deaths are DUII related. Those are preventable, senseless deaths.

Some students already have faced minor in possession, drunk driving, and other drug-related offenses. Alternative education teacher Brenda Maynard said students need to think ahead, thinking about choices before they make them. Students need more education about drugs and alcohol, she said.

It’s important for students, but hopefully today’s reenactment will stick with these youth into adulthood, because drinking and driving never mix, no matter how old you are, or how much you think you’re “used to it,” or if you just had “one or two drinks (oh well, plus those couple shots, but those are so small they don’t count, and that beer, but it’s just beer).” Or if you don’t “feel drunk.” Or, “it’s just a couple of blocks to my house, nothing’s going to happen, I’m fine (I’ve done it a thousand times before).”

If you’ve used any of these rationales to drive home after a party or an evening at the bar with friends, stop. Don’t do it anymore. Call a cab. Walk. Call a friend. Sleep on the curb. Whatever you need to do, but don’t get behind the wheel. It’s not worth your life, or someone else’s. BEST-case scenario with you drinking and driving is an expensive ticket, maybe an arrest, and license suspension, combined with other fees. Shank’s said one DUII costs an average of $45,000 when it’s all said and done.

If you see someone about to drive after drinking, stop them. Drive them home (if you’re sober). Call them a cab or friend to take them home. Offer to walk home with them.

Kudos to the LPD, LFD, Life Flight, Huston-Jost Funeral Home, and especially to Randi Clubb, Chris Alley and the seniors, students and community members who helped illustrate this tragic event. Well done, everyone. It’s a scene I won’t soon forget. Check the Lebanon Express online, in print and on Facebook for more about the event.

But, at least in a Chicago school, kids bringing lunch to school is a thing of the past. The principal there has banned kids “brown-bagging it.” She says it’s in the best interest of their health.

I know not everyone can afford healthy foods at home, and not everyone might take the time to prepare a balanced and nutritious lunch, but that does not mean the school is always better equipped to know what is best for a child.

My sisters, for example, have children (lots of them, actually), who don’t eat gluten. They eat a LOT of raw fruits and veggies, too. And they actually walk the mile to school instead of take the bus, but that’s another story.

One day, one of my sisters got a call from the principal because all my niece had for lunch was watermelon. It’s a raw foodie thing, don’t ask me, cause I’m not a raw foodie, but they are. And they raise their kids that way. (Just because I don’t understand something doesn’t make it wrong.)

What do you mean your kids don’t eat bread, or meat? What do you mean it’s OK to just eat watermelon for lunch? You’re poor, let us send home some canned macaroni and cheese for your family on the weekend, packed with gluten, processed cheese and sugar.

Well, thanks, but no thanks, my sister said.

All those years as a kid bringing my own lunch, my mum created a healthy habit for me as an adult. Not only do I tend to eat better because of it, I tend to eat cheaper. It’s a habit I hear touted frequently as a way to save money. I know what I’m packing. I know what food I’m putting into my body. If I decide to pack something highly-processed, packed with sugar and sodium, it’s a choice I’m making.

I have to question motives when choices are taken away, even something as simple as a brown bag full of food. Schools do get compensated from the federal government for free and reduced meals. I appreciate offering more choices, but when you ban food from home, it’s an invasion of choice.

The Chicago principal says it’s better for the kids nutritionally. But I say, how can she know what is best for each individual student’s nutrition? Food, like hats, gloves, shoes or spandex, is not one-size-fits-all.

My sisters are prime examples: They are vegetarian. I love beans; some people can’t tolerate that much fiber. My cousin could have to go to the ER if he touches a peanut. My nephew can’t breathe for days if he ingests dairy.

All this talk of fresh food has made me hungry. Think I’ll reach into my bag here and grab an apple.

The two young girls zoomed around on their bike and scooter, one was yelling, “red light, red light!” After a minute or two, I deduced they were playing some kind of game simulating a high speed chase. One was running red lights, the other would chase her down and give her a ticket.

The one doing the chasing seemed to get bored of the game (she was on the scooter, and couldn’t keep up with her sister on a bike), and suggested they play “high school.”

I wondered how they’d play high school on a bike and scooter. When I was a girl, we played school, but it involved paper and chalkboards and pretend homework.

But this must be a new game. “I’m popular,” shouted the girl on the bike. Her sister said, “OK, but you have to be mean.”

They proceeded to practice bullying and being bullied by each other.

I was amazed. Two sisters, maybe a year apart from each other, were practicing their perception of a high school experience through bullying.

It got me thinking about the efforts being made in schools, in the Lebanon Community School District, specifically, to combat bullying in schools.

Different people have different views on bullying, but the schools have a no-tolerance policy, or try to have one, at least. The district recently (in the last few months at least) published handbooks for students, staff and parents about how to combat, report and otherwise deal with bullying. These handbooks have good information.

But I wonder if bullying is bigger than an effort by the school district. I don’t know the little girls’ parents very well, but they don’t seem like bad people. Where did two little sisters pick up the idea that they should make believe bullying? What happened to playing dress up, or princess, or My Little Ponies? Is this an isolated case?

If not, what is the real answer to minimize bullying and its affect on youth? Can it be completely stopped, and we all just get along together?

Legislators are saying it will increase revenue, something the state (and everybody) is low on. They also say it will encourage people to quit smoking, because smoking is unhealthy.

But they don’t want people to quit. It can’t be. Because if smokers quit, there goes the revenue to the state.

They say the Health Care System will have less strain on it, because everyone in the nation would be more healthy if only there were no smokers. Let’s not talk about the obesity epidemic and the health problems that creates.

I call shenanigans on the whole thing. If the government is concerned about my health, I say thank you for asking, but it’s not your concern. If they want revenue, then come out and say so, don’t mince words. Don’t pretend you care about my lungs when all you care about is my pocketbook.

I know smoking is bad for me. I know I need to quit. Soon, smoking may be reserved only for the wealthy. But, at least for the time being, it’s my choice.

Whether it’s federal, state, property taxes, or from a levy, it’s all your money they are spending to provide you services.

Right now, officials in the Lebanon Community School District and in City Hall are busy trying to balance the budget and still provide services to the residents and youth of Lebanon. With a lingering recession, I don’t envy the job.

Government budgets have multiple funds, and pay for things out of each of those funds. Some funds are set aside for specific things; some are used for just about anything.

I try and understand it by relating it to my home budget, because let’s face it, I have no idea what millions of dollars looks like, and that is the kind of money these agencies are dealing with.

Perhaps the main fund is General Fund. This is spent for lots of things. For the school district, most of the salaries of employees come out of this. For the city, the entire police force comes out of it. Other things come out of general, too, but those are just examples.

The school district gets its money based on how many students attend the district.

The city has various sources of revenue, including building permits and water and sewer fees.

Join me as we head into this budget season, and I will try and explain more about different funds and how the district and city are doing financially.

Times are tight, and they all have difficult decisions to make, but somehow they manage to do it and still provide services for Lebanon.

Budget meetings will start in force in mid-May.

I did not need to understand the rules or points.

Two young men approached each other on the mat, only one would emerge the victor.

I was able to attend my first wrestling tournament on Jan. 9 in Dallas. My assignment was to spend an hour or so taking pictures.

I arrived at the Dallas High School and found the gym, making my way through the crowds of coaches, parents, friends and athletes until I found some folks from Lebanon.

The air was abuzz with excitement, some wrestling, some waiting for their turn.

Once I was able to watch the action on the mat, I was entranced. The determination of these young athletes was amazing. You could see the exertion of body, mind and spirit.

As I had a chance, I spoke with their coach.

“These guys give 110 percent,” he said. Most people don’t realize how that feels, he added. Some athletes know how 100 percent feels, but to go that little bit extra is crucial to winning in wrestling.

“Sometimes it comes down to whoever wants it the most,” the coach said.

And that makes sense. Here are two young people, evenly matched in all respects. They are categorized into weight classes, and have to make weight to compete.

This means all year they are not only working on their fitness, they are watching their diets and building muscle.

When I mentioned to the coach the uniforms looked like they hadn’t changed in 100 years, the coach told me wrestling is one of the oldest sports. And I can see that, too.

Anyone could understand a wrestling match because of its appeal to a baser human instinct, unlike other sports (and I do love sports in general) where  it helps to know the basic rules: What constitutes a score, what is a foul, who is who, who is winning.

But wrestling is different. It’s mano y mano, man to man. One will win. One will lose. Both will work hard, and it shows as sweat pours from bodies, faces scrunch in determination, noses get bloodied and safety gear slips from heads.

I can definitely say I’m a fan, although I can’t promise I’ll learn the rules and techniques. Go Warriors!

I tuned in midstream, when celebrities were trying to impress governors and senators with the value of arts, music and P.E. in public schools.

This I found both amusing and frustrating.

Amusing because I don’t believe any district cuts these types of programs because they are music haters.

From my understanding, a teacher’s salary and benefits costs a district about $60,000. When funding is tied to scores, and tests are on math, writing and reading, if it comes to cutting a core subject or an elective, schools will most likely cut an elective.

Frustrating because it would seem these celebrities are speaking to the wrong people. After sitting through just one budget session with Lebanon Community School District budget committee, it doesn’t seem as if senators or governors have any say in school budgets. At most, governors could find a way to budget more money for education, but it’s individual boards who actually decide where the money goes.

I decided well-meaning celebs should have a bit of instruction on how to make their dreams a reality by putting their money where their mouths are.

Just making a donation to education, or to a local district, would not guarantee the preservation of music, arts and P.E. programs.

After some consideration, I decided the best way would be a grant program.

Districts who wanted to take advantage of more art, music and P.E. in their schools could apply for a grant from the Hollywood Foundation (just an idea for the name of a celebrity-funded grant program).

In these economic times especially, when school budgets continue to suffer, and the future of Oregon’s school budget is especially rocky, I wish wealthy celebs would stop criticizing and start doing something. It’s easy to talk, it’s harder to do.

In an ideal world, districts would provide every opportunity for students. But LCSD seems to be making the best with what they’ve got. And that’s thanks to the hard work of everyone in the district from classified to licensed, from administrators to board members, parents, community and businesses.

He and my mom would get in the car and go pick up a homeless person or two. I don’t know how, but they always knew where to find them.

My siblings and I will never forget the Easter my parents brought home a man named Gordon.

He was dressed in white sheets, wearing sandals and a beard. He was the first vegan I’d ever met. I understood someone not wanting to eat meat, but not to eat eggs? No milk? This was a foreign concept to me.

Our family’s traditional Easter meal was ham and potato salad. Though Gordon had been invited and even transported to our house to join us, he made peanut butter and banana sandwiches on rolls.

And he was more than welcome to it.

I was raised with the belief that: If I have it and can spare it, and you need it; it’s yours.

Our family has always fed the homeless. We set up assembly lines making sandwiches to take to Mission Beach in Southern California to hand out. Leftovers became meals out of the back of our Dodge Caravan for whoever needed them.

If mom was baking bread or pies, she made twice what we could eat so she could pass them out to the neighbors or freeze them, just in case someone needed them.

A few years ago, mom and dad loaded up their truck on Christmas day and drove up and down the freeway in Arizona finding and helping stranded drivers on the side of the road. One of the emergency items they provided? Homemade Christmas cookies.

I was talking with my parents last week about Gordon. They said they took him back to Balboa Park in San Diego after dinner that evening. I still wonder about him.