WHEN MY SON RADEK was 2 ½ years old, he would refuse to get dressed to take his older brothers to school. Everyone in the Sacred Heart halls knew his daily uniform—ridiculously big Spider man gloves, pajamas, a wooden sword, and a plastic silver knight helmet […]
WARNING! This article is scary. If you’re faint of heart, better not read it!
Linear—Many things in life are somewhat linear (or “monotonic” to be strictly technical), meaning if you put more in, you get more out. Put less in, you get less out. Imagine a graph of output versus […]
UPDATE – THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT!
LAST SUMMER, I joined some friends headed to a concert on the Oregon Coast. It was called IN A LANDSCAPE: Classical Music in the Wild. I didn’t know much about it […]
Climate organizations are constantly urging us to reduce our footprint, but SOCAN (Southern Oregon Climate Action Now) is hoping to increase its footprint. The footprint that climate activists seek to reduce is that resulting in our direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases. The footprint that SOCAN seeks to increase is that of its influence.
For […]
In veterinary medicine, there are some conditions that we can almost diagnose just by the description provided by the pet owner. An older cat that is drinking a lot, urinating a lot, and losing weight—we worry about diabetes or kidney disease. A […]
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 […]
Valentine’s Day cannot come and go without a word about the ubiquitous symbol for the day – the white pigeon or dove. In English, the word “dove” and “pigeon” are largely interchangeable, but the doves we see at our feeders (mourning doves and Eurasian collar doves) are not white, nor are they particularly faithful to […]
“I want a book that acknowledges that life goes on but death goes on, too, that a person who is dead is a long, long story.”
—Elizabeth McCracken, An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination
People often asked me, “What books do you personally recommend?” My response always begins the same way: “I don’t recommend what […]
A witch ought never to be frightened in the darkest forest, Granny Weatherwax had once told her, because she should be sure in her soul that the most terrifying thing in the forest was her.” —Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith
This past August, when my 15-year-old daughter […]
Just as spring arrives, just as the pandemic recedes and life begins to look a bit brighter, Vladimir Putin.
Seriously? Two insane years of Covid, massive political and social upheaval, The Great Resignation, spiraling inflation, and now a globally destabilizing war in Europe. Toss in personal life struggles and […]
“When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen but ferociously tenacious.”
~ Edna O’Brien
Not long ago, my oldest son called from college and said to me and my daughter, “I think you both should watch Derry Girls together.” He had seen part of the first episode […]
It’s November and flu season is upon us! We’re fortunate that our annual flu shots help protect us against such virulent strains as the “Spanish Influenza” that beset the local populace during the winter of 1918-19. Jacksonville was not as hard hit as the rest of the Valley […]
This post was originally published on Naturalpath.net.
If you’re like me, you have a few antioxidant supplements in your medicine cabinet. This is probably because you’ve been trained to think that oxidation in the body is bad, leading to rapid aging, inflammation, and increased all-cause mortality. Is this actually true? Is oxidation killing us and does supplementing […]
On Real Estate & More – Submitted for the May 2020 issue
It was supposed to be the typical spring boom for real estate. But thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic downturn, what was expected to be a thriving sales season has hit a wall. On the real estate listing site Zillow, there’s already […]
Have you ever felt as though you’re in a Twilight Zone episode?
Of course you have. Everybody feels that way these days—waking up to discover that our entire planet has fallen prey to a deadly viral pandemic, the likes of which has never ever been experienced on […]
The current state of global affairs has left me pondering opposing forces. Here we spend our days in our bubbles, isolating our physical selves for the sake of everyone’s well-being, while yearning for normal intercourse with others. The human need to be social is counteracted by a need for ‘alone time’, […]
Our Past Meets the Present – Perhaps a Future Story to be Shared?—Little did our Research Committee even begin to think that when we were selecting stories for our Meet the Pioneers programs back in 2011, and 2017, would the subject […]
I know you are probably sick of hearing and reading about this horrid virus; I know I am. It’s like hearing about the hurricane that’s brewing off-shore: we hear report after report, we prepare, we hoard, we hunker down … and we wait … and […]
Caring for the Caregiver – Submitted for the May 2020 issue
Caregiving, in general, can be very isolating, and online support groups can be a wonderful tool for those of you who are homebound and just need to communicate your thoughts and feelings with another caregiver. They are completely free, allow you to get help anytime […]
Coronavirus. I am sick of the word, and not in the coughing and contraction of pneumonia way. It has claimed, through its villainous reign of terror, a spring break vacation, a scholarship competition, my last few months of high school (ever), my senior prom, my graduation, and all of the […]
“One lives in the hope of becoming a memory.” ― Antonio Porchia
There has been a great deal of death as of late. Every day and night we’re reminded how many people have drawn a last breath. It’s now impossible to ignore the reality of mortality when once so used to […]
Well, I’m not going to say ‘we told you so’, but I thought our CERT team made a strong enough case for people to prepare for an emergency. Now, I’m well aware that when we’re safe and sound in our snug homes, without a care in the world […]
Hopefully, by the time this article is printed, the COVID-19 pandemic is in its waning moments. Also, by the time this article is read, most of us will probably be a little tired about reading about it. It is likely that some of the information and […]
In the mid-1800s, California and the Oregon Territory seemed like the “promised land” to individuals in the eastern United States dreaming of riches, adventure, or better lives. But first they had to get here. There were basically two routes—by land and by sea. This month and next, we’ll describe the experiences […]