Barbara Hettwer's Blog

A wonderful season in my life came to an end as I let go of the last scrap of aluminum from an old  farm store complex. On October 9, 2021, a raging fire destroyed all four buildings which were originally a farmer-owned co-op  in Mount Angel. 

No longer in use by farmers, the building had  been  purchased by my brother, Bob. He spent years getting just the right renters with successful businesses: an antique mall, Hiddenbed of Oregon, Timber Stoves, and KP's  Harvest Time Products. The income from those leases was to be his retirement income. Bob was nearing his move to Oregon so we could live close to each other and enjoy gardening, playing pinochle, and dining together. He was a great cook! Three months after the fire, Bob passed away. 

The businesses were devastated by the conflagration and our family had to have the property cleaned up and sold. 

We managed to gather some scraps of aluminum from the old grain towers. A local Mount Angel lady, Tammy Plummer, painted pictures of the building on some of them and flags on others. We sold them as a fundraiser for a school. With deep sadness I released the last one from the tight grasp of my hands.

 

This is the end of memorable years of running an Oktoberfest parking lot, enjoying Bob's visits, and seeing that historic building looming over that old German town.

I arose at 6:00 am and left my home at 8:00.  My car was loaded with boxes of the two books I have written, a folding table, painted metal scraps, my purse, and lunch bag. In the large hall there were 42 authors with books in a wide range of genres. I set up my table. By 10:00 readers were filtering into the Lebanon Senior Center.

I meandered through the rows of tables looking at other books--an endless variety. All the authors enthusiastically shared about their writings. Fantasy seemed to be a very popular genre.

In addition to my books, I had some rescued scraps of metal from the burned Wilco bulding in Mount Angel. Tammy Bakken Plummer, a Mount Angel artist had painted the U.S. flag on them. We sell them as a fundraiser for a school.

I was pleased that I sold an equal number of my two books, which are quite different. The first being, The Seamstresss of Jamestown, an historical fiction novel set in a California gold mining town in 1870. The second book, The Woman in the Well, is a memoir of my descent into the earth unexpectedly and unpleasantly!

These book fairs are enjoyable because the type of person who reads and attends these are fascinating to speak with. They all have their own joys and benefits they receive from reading. They relate to my books and share some similar stories. It is a wonderful experience to interact with authors and readers for five hours. I truly enjoy these events.

 

I was recently interviewed by KSLM.news, a local  radio station in Salem, Oregon. It was fun because I went into the studio. My previous interview in October was by phone. The KSLM interviewers, Amanda & Baron, were enthusiastic and truly interested in my story. Check it out at  https://share.transistor.fm/s/4c3d9c21

     During a recent visit from my 9 year old granddaughter, we took a stroll in the woods behind my home. 

 

While there were still a few wildflower blooms clinging to their stems despite the frosty morns,

there were an abundance of fungus! Since I don't know anything about mushrooms, I just took photos. We didn't touch or taste!

We were expecting to find little fairy princesses under some caps or sitting upon their mushroom thrones. But, alas, our imaginations had to suffice.

There is a Fairly Ring in our lawn between our house and the clothesline. Those grow in a circle! A few years ago, it was a perfect circle about 12' in diameter. This year, it was only a half circle attempting to be 20' across!

                      Enjoy your Fall adventures!

 

 

 

 

 

 Listen to the radio interview about my "Well" experience. 

https://materdeiradio.com/captivate-p...

Adventures don't have to be exhilarating or expensive, although they can be. In August, I visited some relatives near Denver for five days. We had a wonderful time with homemade breakfasts, delicious restaurant fare, walking the dog, swimming, and late-night movies. Some of the most fun was had playing mini-golf and racing go-carts. 

There were some high points. We attended a Denver Bronco pre-season game where they beat the Arizona Cardinals 38 to 12. The  Denver fans are wildly crazy for the Broncos! Our experience was exceptional because we had Field Passes to be on the field before the game and watch the team warming up. We sat in the iHeart Radio Suite to watch the game. It was definitely a memorable day. 

This was followed the next day by our attending a Colorado Rockies baseball game. Although I heard  rumors that neither team was at the top of the league, the game was quite exciting (as baseball games go). I actually like baseball, having grown up in a baseball family with a dad who had played college baseball and played in the Catholic league. His father was on a semi-pro team back when every town had their own team. 

Amidst all this excitement, we attended Mass on Sunday morning at the old church in downtown Denver, The Church of the Holy Ghost. It was an hour of sublime peace. The music wafted down from the choir loft that seemed to be gorgeous voices of angels.

Life is good when we appreciate the simple, the exciting, and the sublime. May you enjoy whatever adventure comes your way this day.

 

I have had many adventures in life, which I plan to post on this site. This photo reveals one of the more recent and most traumatic ones. The 2 red dots in the photo are the helmets on the heads of neighbor Pete and myself 40' down in an old well! The story will keep you intrigued. I do NOT recommend this adventure to anyone. You can read about it in The Woman in the Well available through amazon.com, powells.com, booksamillion.com and eBook versions. There are more pictures in the book and also answers to your curiosity questions, such as:

How long were you in the well?

Did you hit your head?

Who found you?

Where was the well?

Be patient. So many friends and relatives have ordered the book that the printer is a little backed up in delivery. It would be greatly appreciated if each person who finds something positive in the book would write a review on amazon.com and/or goodreads.com. The more reviews, the better my book shows up in searches. You can also order from Ingram (the printer) at https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?B6KdXaMwcXLfM1h1uTYh8rjoD2aYGVtuQk1BNrYeD2F&fbclid=IwY2xjawFMn6BleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUBWwE70W5X236oBC4P_U2RsZqjjpSbxT_ybq_A3fegpC7PLn1PXecEpaA_aem_uxsImjmSod7JDsKI2_EBig

My grandson, Jonathan, and I had an adventure in SoCal. We stayed with my cousin on their 150 year old ranch. Since the amazing matriarch past away at age 103, no one lives in the main house. We each had our own room in the huge old farmhouse. The house is filled with souvenirs from family trips, paintings of every type filling the walls, a ratty old pool table, and a kitchen sink with a separate faucet for "farm water." Really? What's that? I think it's for watering plants, not drinking. There was a ladder in a  bedroom closet that went straight up to the flat roof with a faucet and a hose. We explored an eclectic mix of unending interest. There was a grand party with yummy food and flowers everywhere to celebrate a granddaugther's birthday and move to Europe. We were enveloped in family history, celebration, and experienced the end of an era. https://www.vcreporter.com/news/the-end-of-an-era-the-maulhardts-and-the-history-of-agriculture-in-ventura-county/article_9ad0c8b6-3487-575a-aaf6-6bf2e2b618dd.html

The highlight of our trip was that Jonathan got to go flying in his uncle's private plane, a Piper Turbo Arrow III. He even had a flying lesson and got to handle the controls.              

You can now buy the Woman in the Well (paperback) from Amazon or directly from the printer IngramSpark using this link

https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?cP...

 

The eBook is also available on Amazon!

If you read about my incredible experience, please give me a review on Amazon and/or https://www.goodreads.com/. This greatly helps promote the book in search engines. Thank you!!!