"It's me again Margaret"...50º

That was a traditional greeting when I called her or when I returned one of her phone calls...Margaret loved a "play on words," or a "joke" of any kind...She was a great teller of jokes and had an endless stream of them in her memory bank...Margaret was an adventurer, she was a strong, determined woman, always said what was on her mind, sometimes using her sense of humor to lighten it, but not always!..Margaret had started the lunch program at the Joseph Schools and was proud of the program and what she had achieved, but she had another agenda and that was too travel.

Margaret mentioned many times, that when Kyle graduated from high school and she was old enough to retire, she was going to join the "Peace Corp" and see some of the world...In 1983 she retired,  applied to the PC, was accepted, bought a plane ticket and flew away to Belize...A country she loved, for its warm weather and loving, kind people...They pronounced her name "Mawgret" and often referred to her as "lee white lady" (little white lady)...There she worked, made friends, and traveled by bus, (mostly broken down buses) boat, on foot, sometimes hitchhiking...After two years she returned to Wallowa County, bought her first and last new car and set out to explore the good ol' USA...But first, she rented a remote cabin, on big sheep creek, near Imnaha, where she relaxed, unwound and wrote stories about her life.

Next I think she flew to Alaska and cooked for a hunting/fishing lodge, she spent a summer cooking at Red's Horse Ranch before loading her station wagon and was off to Yellowstone Park and another cooking job, another adventure...Slowing down a bit she found happiness with Vanden and loved the life of living winters in Arizona and back to Wallowa County for the summers...After Vanden's passing she spent the rest of her years in Joseph, where her family and friends could come for a visit...She stayed independent as long as possible, but health issues made the decision for her to move to the Alpine House, where she renewed old acquaintances, made new friends and through it all, she kept her positive attitude.

Margaret had an extraordinary life and most of it was because she made it happen...She endured the lost of a daughter, husband, companion, son and great granddaughter, always putting on a brave front...I started this post with the line "I lost a friend last week," in a way I did, but I have memories that I will never lose...Thank you Margaret for being part of my life...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

PS...I have to include this paragraph

After my first day on the "fill in job," the next time I was called it was much easier and I was able to relax and even enjoy cooking for 300 people...The pace was set and well thought out, the hours flew by and soon I was thinking, "I can do this on a regular basis."..Time went by and Margaret and I were not sure about each other, still both of us wondering if our personalities would mesh, until the day that I was filling in as the bread maker...The dough was mixed and waiting to be shaped, but as I returned to "my spot," Margaret was standing in my way, taking her time, sorting through the knife drawer...I needed to get on with my job, so I gently bumped her with my hip and said, "Heist," she jerked around and glared at me, but I was smiling, then she laughed and we both knew that this was going to work...I had just called her a "cow" and got away with it...We both grew up on a farm and that was what you "lovingly" said to a cow, when you wanted it to move over...Our friendship was cemented.

Photos that Margaret would have loved.

Chief Joseph Mountain

Wallowa County Wildflowers