Cemetery Restoration and Preservation Work—In my March 2018 column, I shared the story of cleaning-out the cabinets in the Sexton’s Tool House and finding various pieces of damaged headstones and monuments, along with a few small headstones. One of the pieces of Margaret Zumwalt’s headstone was happily returned to the Eugene Pioneer Cemetery where it […]
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle’s award-winning 1962 novel, is beloved by generations of readers. It is “science fantasy”—too fanciful to be considered science fiction, but brimming with science-y theories on traveling through space without a spaceship. And, as with the most memorable children’s tales, it stresses the power of […]
The artist membership of Art Presence Art Center is now 28 strong. We value them highly for the wonderful diversity of style, variety of technique in their respective mediums, and the unique and individual approach to creating art each artist brings to the gallery and our community.
The Poet’s Palette Continues… Art Presence invites you to […]
Though it was half a century ago, it seems as fresh to me now as the day it happened. I was what they called a Data Processing Manager in those days. One of those fellows who ran all of the business computer systems which included Operations, Systems […]
We aren’t enamored of streaming services.
We don’t object to them. We just haven’t felt the need to sign up for “additional services.” We like network TV—free TV—although we know its future is shaky. So we tried to delay the inevitable…
…At least, until last fall, when we signed up for CBS […]
One question has come up recently that I would like to address. Many patrons are asking, “Is Britt going to announce the 2018 season in thirds?” Logically, since Britt is now announcing the 2018 Season in February, March and April, patrons might assume that it makes sense to break […]
The Poet’s Palette—Art Presence Art Center is delighted with the works of art that have been submitted for our March-April 2018 exhibition, “The Poet’s Palette,” and we’re sure you will be, too! The show opens Friday, March 2, with a reception on Saturday, March 3 from 1:00-3:00pm, running through Sunday, April 29.
Art Gala Featuring Delores […]
So, the rains came. And the creeks rose. Water flowed into the old reservoir and mallards returned, quacking with delight at the prospects of dining in the newly opened establishment. After so many arid days under sweltering skies, here was blessed respite. Now the turtles came forth from their […]
As we approach spring, it is a perfect time for spring-cleaning your body. The less obvious place to start is in your mouth. Specifically, your tongue, which plays a very obscure but important role in your overall well-being. The tongue is perhaps one of the most underrated and neglected organs in […]
When my wife and I moved to Jacksonville six years ago, we met numerous fine Jacksonville citizens and in so doing several names were frequently mentioned; among them were Pete Dahl, Lee Lewis, John Braislin and Jerry Ferronato. Unfortunately, I missed out on the opportunity to meet Pete, Lee and John […]
Kitchen utensils are an everyday item that one rarely spends any time thinking about, until you can’t find the one you are looking for.
Kitchen drawers all over America are over-filled with tools one doesn’t necessarily need. I call these “vanity tools.” Do you really need a pincer to remove a […]
“It standeth north-north-east
and by east from the west corner of thy curious- knotted garden:
there did I see that low-spirited
swain, that base minnow of thy mirth…”
~William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost, Act I, Scene 1
In this scene, the fantastical Spaniard, Don Adriano de Armado, inserts himself into the Bard’s romantic comedy before […]
Clients repeatedly ask me about Zillow. For those who aren’t familiar with Zillow, it’s a website offering an opinion of a home’s value called a “Zestimate” and it is prominently displayed on each property’s listing page.
While that information is helpful for buyers and sellers, Zillow’s Zestimate can be […]
My background in investments had been my 401K and my personal stock portfolio. Thirty five years of my life was spent in the High Tech industry so that became the majority of my stock portfolio. I have seen my high tech stocks double, triple and then crash! It wasn’t […]
Last May, the Southern Oregon Historical Society accepted the donation of Ashland’s “Amphibious Fire Engine” from a Medford family. The engine acquired its curious nickname in the 1948 Ashland flood. As it prepared “to pump out the basement of Weitzel’s department store on the Ashland Plaza, a bridge collapsed […]
A Happy Ending, But the Mystery Remains—In November 2017, volunteer John Mcglothlin and I decided that it was a good time to tackle a long-overdue project and empty the storage cabinets in the Sexton’s Tool House. We knew they had not been touched in years and were aware they contained some decorative pieces such as […]
Dozens of clay tobacco pipes have been recovered by the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) from archaeological sites in Jacksonville and throughout Southern Oregon. These have included stemmed and reed-stem pipes (with a replaceable stem that is inserted into the shank) that are either plain, decorated, or anthropomorphic shapes. […]
With women today finding their voices and power by sharing their experiences, organizing, marching, demonstrating, and seeking political office, a look at some powerful pioneer women seems in order.
A woman’s role was considerably different in the 19th Century. It was a “man’s world.” But while subject to male dominance, women usually […]
In celebration of the 2018 “Year of the Dog,” the Southern Oregon Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) is proud to present an educational pamphlet on the history of early Jacksonville’s Chinese Community! Archaeological study of Jacksonville’s “Chinese Quarter” revealed there was little information about Jacksonville’s early-day Chinese population. […]
Science now shows us that there is more to a healthy heart than just diet and exercise. A study led by author and cardiologist Ilan Wittstein, M.D showed that, “sudden emotional stress can also result in severe but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a classic heart attack.” The challenge is […]
This “Sensational Seniors” article features the engaging personality of Paul Parker, who celebrated his 95th birthday on December 21, 2017. Paul resides in Pioneer Village and is a Jacksonville treasure, and is one of our few surviving World War II veterans. Paul has a story to tell, beginning with his birth […]
Coffee is a beverage which the whole world consumes. Roasting, grinding, and serving are subjects that could be discussed at length, but I want to focus on grinding.
When coffee was introduced as a beverage in the 1200’s by the Arabians, small amounts of beans were roasted at meal times and […]
February is when many people start to wonder if it’s time to put their house up for sale. It’s not a bad idea to start thinking this way, as spring marks the beginning of the busiest home-selling and home-buying season in most areas. With warmer weather, more daylight, […]
Happy New Year! 2017 was a great year for Jackson County real estate. The median sales price for existing single-family residences climbed 10.3 percent last year to $264,700 following a 6.6 percent increase to $239,900 in 2016. The median also surpassed the previous high of $259,000 from before the […]
I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and thank all who volunteered and contributed to our efforts in 2017.
2017 was another good year for our organization. Despite heat, smoke, and high fire danger, our events and activities were well attended and a lot of work was completed.
Our volunteers donated 141 hours and […]
This year, Hanley Farm will again host the ever-popular Heritage Plant Sale, second Annual Hanley Farm Music Festival, Haunted Fields/Scarecrow Festival, and Living History Days – and this summer, Hanley Farm will be open every weekend, with a variety of new events, including Hanley House tours. So plan to […]
Naked Art—No Mats, No Frames, Big Savings!-—Our fourth annual Naked Art show exhibit continues this month, featuring unmounted, unframed works of fine art at prices that would entice any art lover to become a collector. Take your art finds home when you purchase them. The bonus: you can use the money you’ve saved to frame […]
To my faithful readers: The new year has arrived on the winds of change. Going forward, you’ll now find my Soul Matters column on my blog in a slightly more expansive voice. I invite you to sign-up for my newsletter/blog at katherineingram.com to continue our lovely relationship and receive posts via […]
We love the smell of popcorn in the winter. It reminds us of…entertainment award show time!
The year kicks-off with the televised Golden Globes ceremony in January. And then comes February, and the Superbowl of entertainment events: the Academy Awards! Except this year, the Winter Olympics threw a loose ski pole […]
The 3rd Annual Valentine Day Gala benefiting the Britt Orchestra is coming home to Jacksonville! We have moved this popular event to the Bigham Knoll Ballroom.
The 2018 Valentine Gala will offer an intimate dinner with jazzy entertainment by vocalist Britney Simpson, Teddy Abrams on piano, and members of the […]
For the past 55 years, Britt Music and Arts Festival has been providing our community with world-class music in our beautiful outdoor venue. In 2014, we brought you the new Performance Garden and ADA accessible pathways. In 2017, we introduced new concessions featuring local eateries, providing you with […]
The edge of a new year is the perfect time to identify what needs your healing attention. Anything in your life or in your body that creates the feeling of imbalance, lack, discomfort, pain, etc., is a clue. You can activate your intentions for pro-active solutions rather than the effort […]
The general school of thought for real estate—and it often proves to be correct—is that listing your home in the spring market will bring the biggest benefit. People are more likely to look for homes when the weather is nice. Weather-wise, it is a nicer time of […]
This the time of year when the coziness of a quilt is most appreciated. As the days and nights get colder, we spend more time cozied-up by the fire, or on the window seat with a good book. It can rain or snow as much as it likes while […]
On Tuesday, October 17, roughly one year from beginning the process of working toward Jacksonville’s Bee City certification, the Bee City leadership team experienced another setback during our third council meeting.
After our team worked industriously to overcome council’s initial objections by generating financial independence, raising $2200, by creating self-reliance […]
#1. My House is Worth!—There are only two people that ultimately determine what a house is worth—the buyer and the appraiser. To determine a home’s value, many owners add up what they have spent on their house, add what they owe on their house, look on Zillow, or […]
We credit Germany with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century, when “devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes.” And, in other countries, it was believed that the evergreens would keep away “witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness.” Fact or […]
Grand Re-Opening!—Art Presence Art Center announces its Grand Re-Opening in December. A big thank you goes to the volunteers who helped us prepare the walls: Tony Laenen, Ginna Gordon, Debbie Earley and John Sack. Dan Hawkins—with help from Jim Earley—who prepared the walls for the sheetrock, and the subcontractors, Rob Childs, Jack Baumgarten and Tim […]
Since a big part of our Thanksgiving celebration is geared around food preparation, I thought I’d share a tried and true recipe for a Joy-Full Life. At this time of year we are reminded to cultivate one of the main ingredients for this recipe: gratitude.
Before we start, it is important for […]
It’s November, time for Thanksgiving gatherings and the annual viewing of one of my favorite movies, Home for the Holidays. I love this movie not just because of the terrific ensemble of actors, but because it depicts family holidays in such a realistic and comical light: the rifts and rivalries, the […]
I came across a recent article geared toward baby boomers, that states that nobody wants to buy your parents things any more. If that were true, then we would be out of business in a day!
People come in or call the shop all the time wanting to sell items from […]
Sometimes it’s easier to begin with a clean slate when you’re embarking on a landscape construction project, but often there are important existing landscape features that benefit the final results by incorporating them into your new outdoor space.
Existing decks, fences, pools, and large trees are […]
What happens during the escrow period after a buyer and seller enter a purchase agreement? As the seller, you may think you won’t have to do much during this time except sit back and wait; however, there is considerable work that needs to be done before […]
Now that the leaves are falling, you know snow and freezing temperatures are soon to follow. Here are 9 good ideas to implement before winter to prevent costly home repairs.
When, where, and how much are the common questions asked by administrators, city or county council, and citizens when it comes to determining the resources for Fire Departments. Determining the proper level of resources to deploy for a fire department involves asking the same questions as well as balancing the safety concerns of citizens and […]
In the mid-1800s, the promise of gold and free land lured fortune seekers, settlers, and merchants to the newly formed Oregon Territory. Carolyn Kingsnorth has stepped aside from our pioneer tales this month so that you can hear from an actual pioneer. A big thank you to historian Ben Truwe for […]
September Community Clean-up Day—Thank you to all who were able to join us on Saturday, September 30 for our annual fall clean-up day of the cemetery grounds. While the turn-out was a bit smaller than in the past, the group was amazing and managed to fill 60 very large bags with leaves. These annual clean-up […]
We all know that the history of the city of Jacksonville is intimately tied to the discovery of gold. So it’s not surprising that the city is home to many of the same myths and legends surrounding the gold rush that are found across the west. Most commonly, it’s the myth […]
Wreaths—a fascinating history and beautiful holiday tradition! The word “wreath” is from an English word meaning “twist, such as in a circle.” And, wreath, translated literally, means “a thing bound around,” from the Greek word “diadema.” In Christianity, the wreath was used to symbolize Christ, the “circular shape, with […]
One of the first things Joan Long showed me in her Pioneer Village living room was a small book by Deidra Riggs, Every Little Thing. Joan said the book’s theme, that one can make a positive difference wherever they are, has been her lifelong goal.
To understand how this has played out […]