Misc.

Sunday, November 11, 2023

This photo demonstrates the size of those warmbloods that accompanied my pony the other day. My head is about the height of Z’s saddle buckle. Ashley is taller and can see over Avantos, but she climbs onto something to get onto his saddle. All these are sweet and willing horses.

Yesterday was my first full day working at Macy’s. I was surprised to find myself liking the place. My coworkers are nice. They include new employees like me; the more experienced folks are kind and helpful. One long-time employee told me she was born and grew up in this city. She then lived on her family’s 40-acre ranch, on the property where Bend Dermatology is now. Then that location was way out of town. She and her siblings often ran up and down the nearby Pilot Butte.

Of course, Bend Derm’s location today is one of this city’s most developed, busy areas. My imagination is stretched to try and visualize the area, in the old days, as a country ranch with farm animals. Those early kids probably accessed the mile-high Butte on informal paths they created or those by Native Americans and earlier settlers.

Railroads and timber originally turned early Central Oregon into a boom-and-bust area. Today’s population demographics are making it boom again. I gather that one reason Macy’s remains open locally is that many people regularly drive from Idaho and Washington to shop in the store.

Who knew the local Macy’s is such a vigorous place? What more might I learn about the store, its employees, and this vigorous community?

Dear Friends: Our +40K sq. ft. Macy’s is considered one of its smallest. Diana