Everyone has unique experiences in life. Each person has a story to tell and words of wisdom that can be shared with others. With that in mind, we’d like to introduce you to some of the wonderful people who live here at CHCC. Here is a recent Q&A session we did with Sylvia F.
Have you lived in other places besides Lynden?
I was born in Clarkston, Washington—in eastern Washington. I was born on my older sister’s third birthday, and she always told me I ruined her party. We were both born on Veterans Day, and my dad was a WWII veteran. When I was 15, we moved to Whatcom County. I went to Meridian High School, and my dad was the band director there. I played the trumpet, and my sister played the flute.
What was your first job?
I took care of neighbors’ lawns and pets and brought their mail in when we still lived in Clarkston. It was a close-knit neighborhood, so it was like house-sitting, but no one called it that at the time.
What other types of work did you do before retiring?
In my 20s, I raised goats, and I really enjoyed that. I thought I would sell the goat milk, but no one was really interested in that. A lot of people wanted to buy goats, so we sold goats, and that became popular in the 1970s. I got to meet all kinds of people through raising goats. We also went to auctions, bought day-old calves, raised them on goat milk at first, and later resold them.
Later, I bought cedar, dried it in a huge dryer in our basement, then packaged and shipped it to Southern California and Vermont for use in potpourri.
What was your favorite thing about the work you did?
I really liked all the people I met through my work. I got to know the pickers I bought cedar from. When I raised goats, some people remembered me as the goat lady even years later.
What is one thing that you have been most proud of in your life?
My girls and my stepson. I am close with all of them. My daughters are two years and two months apart.
My stepson lived with us most of the time, so we got pretty close. One of my daughters is an occupational therapist and the other lives in the Republic of Georgia and recently got married.
My stepson worked for IBM for many years and recently retired.
What is the hardest thing that you’ve lived through, and how did you get through it?
Finding out I had MS was the hardest thing I ever lived through. Early on, I was feeling pretty down, and someone we knew needed help taking care of two developmentally disabled boys. I cared for those boys in the first year after being diagnosed, and it gave me a purpose and helped me not to feel so sorry for myself.
What was your favorite decade to live in, and why?
I would say the late ’50s and early ’60s because I was just a happy kid and we lived in a close-knit neighborhood where everyone knew each other. I earned pocket money by helping the neighbors with odd jobs.
Who is your favorite author or musician?
Country musician Alan Jackson.
Do you have a favorite song, inspirational quote or Bible verse?
Alan Jackson’s song “Where Were You” about the 9/11 attack in NYC. My daughter had just arrived in NYC to work on her master’s when that happened. She saw it out the window of her university.
What is one life lesson that you learned from your parents?
My parents were wonderful. They said: If you want something, get a job and save up to get it. I was always good at working.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to a 16-year-old person?
Be honest, and if you want something, figure out how you can earn it.
What is one thing that you like about living at CHCC?
I like it a lot. Everybody’s really nice. Any need I have, I know the staff here will work with me to figure it out. I also really like that many medical tests can be done right here instead of having to make a doctor’s appointment and wait in a waiting room.