Three minutes with… Mickey Johnson of Hermiston

Published 8:45 pm Tuesday, May 31, 2022

What do you think of Hermiston?

I moved here in 1980, and I’ve seen it change a lot since then. Some of the stores that were here forever have gone out, and there are more people. I like it here, but I lived in Umatilla first, though. We lived there for eight years.

What do you like best about this area?

My family has lived here forever. My sister came here in the mid-’70s, and my mom followed her here. There was a lot of family here. I had kids, too. It’s fine for raising kids. But I’m going to Oklahoma for a family reunion.

Have you been to Oklahoma before?

When the reunions first started, we went for the first 22 years without missing one. Then, the pandemic hit, and this is the first one after the pandemic.

The pandemic changed a lot of things for a lot of people. How was that time for you?

There was this confinement all the time when it started. It wasn’t normal. I didn’t enjoy it at all. My husband and I like to camp, but they closed the campgrounds. We couldn’t go camping for a year. But I read a lot, and I did that.

What do you like to read?

I read that book, “Where the Crawdads Sing.” Then, there’s a movie coming out in July. It’s based on a true story. Then there was “Damn, I Shot My Horse.” That was an excellent book. But I like shows, too. We watch a lot of those Alaskan shows when they’re on.

Do you have any other hobbies?

The only other thing that I do is sew. Camping and fishing are my main hobbies.

Have you ever thought about running for a political office?

No, it’s not in me. I’m not a political person, really. It’s for other people, and that’s fine with me. It’s just not for me.

Have you ever done any sports?

Not really. My family moved around a lot, so I didn’t really get into sports when I was in school.

We’re planning big changes for the Hermiston Herald. What would you like to see in the paper?

What I’d really like to see is something that was done before, but it quit. They would tell about the movies, and what was going to be shown at the theater. We’d know what we could go and watch, but that isn’t done now. I’d like a review of movies, something that said what was playing and if it was any good. Now, you don’t know what to watch.

What do you think of our local movie theater?

It’s nice. I’ll go there if there’s a movie that I like.