Three minutes with… Dianna Bondurant of Hermiston

Published 7:00 am Sunday, May 22, 2022

How long have you lived in Hermiston, and why did you move here?

Thirty-two years. I had the opportunity, since my parents passed away in South Dakota, to join my sister out here. I started working at (J.R. Simplot Co.), and I was there until they closed down. And I’ve been happy out here because this is a river community, and that’s like where I was in South Dakota. The community is right on the Missouri River, like how the Columbia River is right here.

How often do you visit the Columbia River?

Oh, my goodness, I go there probably twice a month to look out the dam and see what’s out there. I go to the nature park out there and see the ducks and the geese and the eagles, if they’re flying. The pelicans are there. Then there are these little black birds, all kinds of birds and deer. You’ll always see deer out there. And then the Umatilla Marina has thousands of geese there all the time. We’ll go to the marina there and drive along river roads. From Umatilla to Irrigon to Boardman, you’ll see wildlife there.

Why do you think you love nature so much?

Because I grew up on a farm, and there was always nature out there.

Did you do farm work?

Yes, I did. I helped my folks harvest and work in a garden. My folks always had a big garden. I pulled weeds. I always had to pull weeds out of the vegetables.

Do you have a garden now?

No, I don’t. When we moved into our new house, my husband and I, we started a little garden and the ground wasn’t right and it didn’t take. So we quit gardening. But I love flowers. If you drive past my home on West Highland (Avenue), I have sunflowers, irises, tulips, daffodils. The irises are beautiful right now. In a month, my sunflowers will be beautiful, too. Goldfinches come in, and butterflies and bees come for the sunflowers.

So you’re looking forward to the summer?

Oh, yes, especially when the goldfinches come, and the butterflies and the bees, too. I would love to follow a bee to its honey nest so I could get some of that sunflower honey that they make, because the bees are thick in our sunflowers and that.

How would you like to be a bee?

Oh, my goodness, you would have a lot of fun, going from flower to flower, to any flower. There would be clover blossoms, canola blossoms, any blossoms that they take their nectar from. That’s a lot of miles, I think, for a little busy bee.

What kind of animal would you rather be?

Oh, my goodness, I never thought of it. Maybe a small dog.

Do you have a dog?

No, I don’t, but my sons have had dogs. My sister had a lot of pets, and I cared for a ferret for my niece. I’ve been around animals. Cats were my favorite when I was a kid, because I would dress them up like dolls. They didn’t like it very much.

Can you tell me about your family?

I have two grown sons and lots of grandchildren and lots of great-grandchildren. I have one blood grandson and one blood granddaughter. The rest are step-grandchildren, but I love them all as my grandchildren. And my youngest son lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and my oldest son lives in Pendleton with his family. I keep in touch over the phone.

Do you have any birthdays coming up?

My oldest son’s birthday was last week. I got a great-grandson coming up at the end of the month. Then, in July, I’ve got a brother’s birthday. In August, I’ve got a niece’s birthday. September, I don’t got nobody. October is a busy month, because I have lots of family members with October birthdays, plus myself, October 11.

What do you like to do for your own birthday?

I like to go out for a nice meal.