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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Computer crash hit Tuesday paper, website Medford Schools Foundation supports programs the district can't Local gas prices lowest in years Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Ads attack Dotterrer and Bates Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Two injured in Hayes Hill crash OSP finds 68 pounds of marijuana in car during traffic stop Emergency services Providence in Medford on list of Ebola treatment hospitals Politics and Elections Local gas prices lowest in years Ads attack Dotterrer and Bates Oregonians not in party mood Sign wars rage again in Phoenix Democratic contender not conceding victory to Walden Education Medford Schools Foundation supports programs the district can't Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Kids Unlimited Academy awarded $450,000 grant County helps fund RCC job training SOU student says free speech issue overblown Environment Local gas prices lowest in years Where do all those leaves go? 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Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Haunted White House 2014 Southeast center offers new approach to growth Eagle Point needs public transportation Letters to the Editor, Oct. 28 Granlund cartoon: Midterm elections Editorials Southeast center offers new approach to growth Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax Don't bet on pot windfall for schools Our View: SOU's 'free speech zone' constitutionally questionable Our View: Kitzhaber is still the best choice Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 28 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 27 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 26 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 26 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 25 Guest Opinions Eagle Point needs public transportation Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Guest Opinion: A glimpse into the reality of our elections Don't overlook importance of Jackson County commissioners race Lifestyle Latest stories Shayne Looper: Is religion a do-it-yourself project? Dr. Elaine Heffner: First building blocks Kitchen Call: A cookbook by its cover It Is What It Is: I feel pretty, oh, so pretty Jeff Vrabel: Daycare not a fan of Halloween Food Kitchen Call: A cookbook by its cover Community blog: Quick breads take well to gluten-free ingredients Community blog: Barrel Aged and Sour Beers Ledger David Cellars has a new winemaker and big plans Community blog: There's a method to mix, match alternative grains Home and Garden How to live and work in a tiny home Dear Monty: Rent-back clause prevents financial disaster​ Recycle plastic at The Expo Friday and Saturday How to know when trees and shrubs need to go Dear Monty: Is your real estate agent a secret agent? Health Community blog: Finding My Roots Dr. Jeff Hersh: Controversy over breast cancer screening Dr. Murray Feingold: Choose a diet best for you Community blog: The Crowd And The Win - Better Health Joan Endyke: The importance of a healthy diet when pregnant Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Milestones and Achievements Guide promotes better food system Where do all those leaves go? Engagement Wedding: Potter-Hazel Wedding: Martin-Berg Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present harmonious voices, dissonant notes Beekeepers Ball is one sweet soiree Scottish music duo plays highland magic Theater Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny Music Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Live Music in Local Clubs Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present harmonious voices, dissonant notes Beekeepers Ball is one sweet soiree Scottish music duo plays highland magic Community Events Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Theater's haunted house not for faint of heart Third Fridays in downtown Medford Works in progress Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity Dining Back Porch Bar & Grill Yu's Yummy Yan's offers great take-out Agave offers tasty tacos Asian cuisine for all seasons at Misoya Bistro Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Providence ready to go as Oregon ebola treatment center ... Two injured in Hayes Hill crash ... OSP finds 68 pounds of marijuana in car during traffic stop ... Providence ready to go as Oregon ebola treatment center ... Two injured in Hayes Hill crash ... OSP finds 68 pounds of marijuana in car during traffic stop ... SOUTHERN OREGON JOURNAL Rocks and Rhetoric By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 26, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 26, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News I don’t believe it’s coincidental that election day and Halloween land within a week of one another. Along with all of the wonder that is autumn, tricks and questionable treats abound. Television becomes a brew of entertainment sprinkled with endorsed commercials of politicians duking it out in color, eerily fading to black and white. It’s a scary time. I’ve yet to curl up by the fireplace with a mug of cocoa and face the reading of ye olde Voters Pamphlet. Who were these people, really? All I caught from the latest TV onslaught, with my head in the refrigerator, was that someone was doddering, with an opponent named after a notorious motel from a Hitchcock film. Not sure I liked the odds there. Then there were names appropriate to the season, at least — Webby and Murky, I think I heard. I see that some of my neighbors have even gotten into the spirit and decorated their homes accordingly. I believe that my motivations were subliminally affected by the igneous rhetoric and stone-throwing, because I was suddenly inspired to make a visit to the Crater Rock Museum. It had been a while, and just maybe it would ease the weight of decision making that lies before me. I realized right off that the name doesn’t begin to cover all that awaits the uninitiated. A simple metal building deceives from the outside, because the CRM holds far more than a rock collection. An extra-large gift shop, filled with hand-polished stones and jewelry, was impressive. The actual museum was like a corn maze only better because of the map. One room lead to another, each filled with colorful and beautifully displayed gems, minerals, fossils, Native American artifacts and shells. Stephen Miller is the dedicated curator who keeps displays neat and rotates items in a timely fashion. The Roxy Ann Gem & Mineral Society, founded in 1952 by Delmar Smith and Cap Mentzer, birthed The Crater Rock Museum, an outcropping of the members’ love of rock-hounding. One such member is Rick Flory, a friendly geology enthusiast who’s the shop steward on Wednesdays and has been a regular there since he was 7 and tagged along with his dad. He and other members encourage anyone who’s interested to join the group, accompany them on monthly field trips, and take advantage of the lapidary shop out back. The museum is easy to miss located in a neighborhood at 2002 Scenic Ave. in Central Point, across from Scenic Middle School. Doors are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The $5 entrance fee I paid was well worth the investment. Seniors and students get in for $3, and it’s free for children 6 and younger. See www.craterrock.com I soon realized I could spend hours there studying the tiny worlds within each specimen. I reflected back to when I was about 8 and sprouted entrepreneurial roots. I could peddle anything door-to-door to warm-hearted moms, including leaves and rocks. I would dig rocks out of the field, water them down and sell them for a penny apiece. But, standing there before a museum case, I recalled how the rocks I sold were only appealing when they were all wet, and, again, it was difficult to shake the election heebie-jeebies. I’d stumble upon a label like anglesite or worm calcite, and the specter of politics would erupt. A large thunder egg, abalone, maybe a case of corundum, and I would be thrown off. With schist here and sponges there, it required effort to free my mind. Then, of course, there was the petrified dino dung. Finally, I discovered pegmatites (I’m not making any of this up. See for yourself.) These were, apparently, formations named for me eons ago. I felt empowered as I read the description — intrusive, coarse-grained, igneous rocks, most often having a backbone of, I mean, composition of granite. I knew then that I would return home, remove my ballot from its confines, and perform my civic duty. Peggy Dover is a freelance writer who works from a 1900 farmhouse in Eagle Point. Reach her at [email protected]. By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 26, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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