The roller-coaster that was our recent weather should settle down as we head into July. Was that a late Spring followed by an early Summer we just witnessed? The heavy mountain snowpack from the lingering Winter belied the continuation of the drought affecting our local valley floors. Another water year at […]
My son, Aidan, has been planning on attending the local university this fall. It’s been a long journey of many disappointments this past year, as my regular readers will recall. But just when we were settling into this next chapter, Aidan received an email. The arts conservatory on the East coast […]
I previously helped clients with the purchase of their first home. As a part of the due diligence process, I went into the planning department to inquire about permits on the property and any long-range plans for the area. I was told that the vacant lots next to […]
The housing market in the US and locally has been on an interesting journey, experiencing a large drop in demand, a limited supply of homes for sale, and a quick run-up of mortgage rates. The result has been somewhat predictable but not without a few major surprises.
Home Sales—The result […]
What’s On View?—Here in the Rogue Valley, the vibrant fresh greens, reds, pinks, and purples of spring are beginning to fade into the pastels and muted tones of summer. Yet there are rich and saturated hues that come about as other colors fade, such as the rich gold of dried grasses, and the alpenglow of […]
I was at the lowest point in my life. I had received my Stage 3B Ovarian Cancer diagnosis, had a complete hysterectomy, and was lying in my hospital bed when I said to myself—I’m not going to make it.
I was so depleted of life because of cancer. This was my second diagnosis, my first was […]
The song, “Summertime” by George Gershwin, written for the opera Porgy and Bess, reminds me of long, lazy summer days and nights. The line “summer time and the living is easy” might be written as “summertime and the living is busy” here in Jacksonville. With an influx […]
With winter behind us, beautiful spring weather provided the opportunity for two significant community-wide cemetery clean-ups. Thanks to the help of some seventy volunteers, including individuals, entire families, and members of religious, fraternal, and service organizations, much was accomplished with the first clean-up on April 29th. Then, a second clean-up, on May 20th, put finishing […]
It’s been nine months since we parted company with William Green Hamilton T’Vault, aka TeVault or TeeVault, but that hasn’t prevented him from getting in trouble or reinventing himself. We’ll encourage you to go online and read the first two installments in the September and October 2022 editions of the Review.
In […]
(In which your Unfettered Critics attempt to convince Our Readers that meteorology can be a form of entertainment.)
“Sure hope it doesn’t rain on Ringo,” we recently took to saying. Our concerns weren’t so much for our favorite drummer as for ourselves. Sir Ringo would stay dry on the covered Britt […]
Britt is well underway, and there’s lots of updates on the hill! We’re composting our food waste this year, and at the end of the season all that compost will be used to fertilize our gardens and lawn. We have amazing food trucks to complement our longtime concessions vendor, […]
Last Tuesday, June 13, 2013, was National Pigeon Appreciation Day, and pigeons and people rallied at the State Capital in Sacramento, California. Both showed up to demonstrate against the release of domesticated pigeons for money, sport, and entertainment.
What is National Pigeon Appreciation Day? President Woodrow Wilson created National Pigeon Appreciation Day to honor the 150,000 […]
Easy Recipes from the Pot Rack – June 2023
This is a super easy recipe with very simple ingredients but… you can’t do it right until you’ve mastered the art of searing a large sea scallop. So pay attention!
Ingredients
12 large sea scallops (about 1-1.5 lbs) pssst… I buy 14 in case I screw a couple up.
Salt […]
You remember M.A.S.H., right? That viewer favorite ran for eleven seasons, an unusually long run, as most shows at the time said goodbye after six or seven seasons. Eleven wasn’t the record, of course—Gunsmoke had survived a then-unprecedented twenty seasons—but producers and marketing execs took note anyway. And today, a […]
By the start of June, summer will officially be under way everywhere, including the Jacksonville Historic Cemetery! But first, a sincere thank you to the nearly seventy of you who came out for our Community-Wide Cemetery Clean-Up on April 29th. What a difference you made!
June features the first installment of this season’s History Saturday in […]
Sitting on the Vulture’s Roost bench on the Lower Twin Peak hiking loop trail in Jacksonville’s Forest Park in mid-May, I was pleasantly surprised by a loud rustle of large wings. An early morning hike had brought me to this vantage point in time to catch our resident turkey vultures as […]
“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.” ~John O’Donahue
The following is a bit personal: more personal, even, than I normally am, which is quite a bit. But, after 13 years writing this column, I’m taking some liberties and honestly, vulnerable is […]
After you have entered escrow, you will receive a “preliminary title report” from the title company. Most of you are probably wondering: What is this, and why do I need it? The title report is the title company’s agreement to issue a title insurance policy for the property […]
Our rental company manages over 40 nightly and monthly furnished rentals in Jacksonville that are filled with guests from out of the area. Whether they are staying here for one night or for one month, they invariably ask, “What is there to do in Jacksonville?” After years of answering […]
Summer used to be my favorite season. Camping trips, canoe rides, lazy days in the garden and long evenings all come to mind. Unfortunately, the anticipation of warm sunny days has now evolved into a lingering sense of dread for many of us because summers now bring a less promising […]
It’s the beginning of summer and there’s a lot of activity in our little city. School will adjourn for the summer in a few days. Our children will be out and about, as will tourists and local folks, enjoying our beautiful weather. Please be aware that Jacksonville […]
What Is Given – by Ralph Murre
The likelihood of finding strawberries
tiny and wild and sweet
around your ankles
on any given day
is not great
but sometimes
people find strawberries
right where they are standing
just because it is their turn
to be given a taste
of something wild and sweet.
The moon in the month of June was called the Strawberry Moon by Native […]
Britt kicks off this month, and we start with a sprint! I hope by now you’ve heard about our neighborhood kick-off party on June 8: an admission-free concert for YOU, our fabulous neighbors. We’re calling it, “The Hill is Where the Heart Is,” and we’ll have three terrific local […]
There are a few things everyone needs in their culinary wheelhouse. Good soup is one of them. The other is a basic Frittata. Why, because both are a terrific way to clean out your fridge and create something absolutely delicious. For breakfast, lunch or dinner… a frittata […]
If you are in the market to buy a home, a home appraisal is likely going to be an important part of the process, especially if you are getting a loan. An appraisal is a process where a licensed real estate appraiser determines what they believe to be […]
Well, with our tardy Spring season finally awakened, we can get up and get out amidst the annual wildflower show along our local trails. Only time will tell, but with the later seasonal outpouring of the native blooms along our byways, perhaps Summer will also arrive a bit later, allowing the […]
We’d been waiting for Britt’s last season announcement to finalize our summer plans. As soon as the announcement hit, we received emails from friends and family. The first one said, “Ringo Starr at Britt, really?” And, “Is Diana Ross really coming to Britt, and Train is my favorite band.” […]
Honoring Veterans in May—May is the heart of springtime in Jacksonville and typically a very beautiful month in our historic cemetery. With winter behind us, and Memorial Day coming at month-end ready to mark the beginning of summer, May offers one more opportunity to make sure the cemetery is tidied-up for the outdoor season ahead.
May […]
As we cross seasons, I see a lot more folks out enjoying our spring weather. It is time to come out of hibernation and enjoy all Jacksonville has to offer. Where better to enjoy meals, shopping, scenery, education, entertainment, and community involvement than right here in Jacksonville? […]
FAR OUT! The Britt Festival has announced the entirety of their 2023 schedule, and, as expected, it’s a gas! Which is to say, it’s funky, and fab, and outtasight! We certainly dig it.
But then, we are—and we say this proudly—Boomers. Never thought that word would become synonymous with senior citizens, […]
Welcome May… one of my favorite months in mountainous Southern Oregon. There are monumental clouds as rain still filters through, yet, as the days get longer and the breeze warms up, evenings are perfect for slow strolls. With May come flowers—from all those April showers—and the sense of place we brought forth last month at […]
Sumer is icumen in – lhude sing cuccu!
Groweth sed and bloweth med in springth wude nu.
Do you know this 13th century song? As the daughter of two music teachers, I grew up with so many weird, wonderful songs, and this one—about the music of cuckoos singing, meadows blooming, and […]
Most visitors to Jacksonville wouldn’t realize the existence or significance of the historical plaque and sign that is tucked away off Applegate Street in one of Jacksonville’s historic neighborhoods. This small, bronze plaque is set in a short concrete platform and reads:
RICH GULCH
GOLD FOUND HERE
DEC. 1851 […]
Medford Water is fortunate to have access to reliable, high-quality drinking water to serve our communities, which includes the cities of Medford, Jacksonville, Eagle Point, Central Point, Talent, Phoenix, and Ashland. With just the turn of the tap, we […]
When we think of cake with a touch of liquor in it, our minds might conjure up a rum cake. Last May I featured a Margarita cake which may have been my most viewed recipe. Today, I present Grand Marnier cake. Why? Because it’s delicious! And do […]
April at Art Presence Art Center celebrates the meaning of sense of place through art, word, and the vine. Filled with timeless experiences, memories, and community distinctiveness, a sense of place is what draws people in, enhances emotional attachment, keeps people there, or has them coming back for more. In other words, it evokes a […]
By the time you read this, the Cemetery should be looking good and almost ready for spring, thanks to last month’s Community Spring Clean-Up Day and the ongoing Adopt-A-Block program where some 200 volunteers maintain “adopted” cemetery blocks—on their own schedules, as time permits.
We shared the news, last month, of the untimely passing of Friends […]
On a brisk March day, our beloved mother, Ann Marie Wisnovsky slipped the surly bonds of earth, put out her hand, and touched the face of God. He welcomed her to heaven, to be reunited with her beloved husband, Frank, who had been waiting patiently for her for the past 43 years. Theirs […]
As this is being written, spring seems far away, yet we know it has to come around eventually… in all its glory. Pussy willows that bravely pushed forth in mid-January were caught in arrested development, and two months later are still uncertain whether to proceed. The lack of rain throughout our […]
Purchasing a home or a piece of land may be one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. Knowing what land uses are allowed (and those that are not) is one of the most important things to do as part of your due diligence prior to purchasing the […]
Why do people go to the movies?
Prior to 2020, you probably would have answered, “For the experience of being entertained amidst a crowd of presumably like-minded individuals who will laugh or cry or gasp at the same time I do. And for the popcorn.”
These days, it’s more like: “I have […]
Southern Oregon is surrounded by three major mountain ranges—The Cascades, Siskiyous, and Coast Range, offering some of the best hiking in the United States. There are hiking trails out your back door such as the Jacksonville Woodlands, Jacksonville’s Forest Park, Ashland Watershed and Roxy Ann’s Prescott Park, that you […]
As you read this, we’re on the threshold of announcing our full lineup for the season—or, if you’re like me and you’re reading your Jacksonville Review over coffee on the weekend, you’ve already seen our big news. I’m pinching myself about this season’s roster—it’s a great one.
But as I […]
Easy Recipes from the Pot Rack – March 2023
Spring is just around the corner so I decided to give you something SPRINGY. Vietnamese Spring Rolls are one of those things you see in restaurants and think “I could never make that!” But I’m here to tell you, you can. Easy peasy lemon squeezy recipe that […]
As the cosmic wheel of the seasons turns once again to warmer days and brighter sun, it’s time to renew our relationship with wild places. Pussywillows abound and Spring blooms push up from their overwintering bulbs. Young leaves bravely venture forth on the bare twigs of deciduous trees, promising a canopy […]
“Catch the vigorous horse of your mind.” ~Zen saying
I used to ride a wonderful horse named Sampari, or Sam for short. Sammy was an Arabian, which means that Sammy liked to bolt. If a bird startled him, or the wind blew, or a fly went by, he would react. He could […]
That’s the question on everyone’s minds lately, as a recent decline in mortgage rates has convinced some buyers to start looking again. But there are a few other factors that may keep buyers out of the market.
Redfin recently stated that mortgage applications are up 28% from early November. […]
In February I hung out my colorful teapots flag. It’s early this year. Usually not till March. But, I needed color out my kitchen window. Yet it always happens when I hang this flag that I think of tea, tea parties, and then come the six impossible things before breakfast. Curiouser and curiouser I become.
Then […]
Cemetery Work to Continue—As you may have read elsewhere in this edition of the Jacksonville Review, Dirk Siedlecki, your usual columnist in this space, and the long-time President of the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery (FOJHC), passed away on January 31st after a brief illness.
Dirk, with his wife Mary, founded the FOJHC in 2009 and, […]
The middle of winter is always a good time to plan ahead and most of us love to think of travel or garden projects. Recently, I participated in a discussion of another area that requires some planning.
One of the most important areas to prepare for is something […]