[Spoiler alert: This column is a reprint of one written in December of 2019, before most of us had ever heard of COVID-19. How our thoughts of Christmas celebration have been altered since that time, which seems so very long ago!] Some are suggesting we resort to small, scaled-back, restrained observances. Some are thinking there’s […]
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.”— William Cullen Bryant I’m looking out my kitchen window at Mt. Hood on the day before the first day of autumn and see no indication of any change of color in the trees. I imagine by the time you read this, there will be a riot of color as the […]
I have the best job in the world. It’s not because I’m paid a lot of money. It’s not because I’m famous, or because people tell me what a wonderful thing I’m doing. It’s not even because I think I’m helping to make the world a better place. Maybe I should just tell you what […]
The title for this column is taken from the opening lines of T.S. Eliot’s signature poem The Waste Land: “April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding A little life with […]
The windstorm in East Clackamas County last week took us by surprise. It might have begun in the late afternoon, but we were not really aware of it until after dark. To be honest, we didn’t pay much attention till the power went out. We spent the rest of the night idly considering whether we […]
It’s the day after Thanksgiving at the house of my brother-in-law on Mercer Island. I’m helping him and my nephew put up the outside Christmas lights. “I’ll go inside,” he says, “and come out the upstairs window so I can string the upper row of lights. You guys can run three strings across the front […]
In the first half of the 21st century, students took their education seriously and ran on a hectic schedule. They did not have the luxury of spending their free time playing video games, as their parents had, or protesting wars and bureaucracies, as their grandparents had done. Still, Hillary and Jeff found time to meet […]
“Peaceful Vistas” mural and local artist Roger Cooke will be honored August 8. The Sandy Arts Commission will host a small celebration of the restoration of Roger Cooke’s mural “Peaceful Vistas” on Saturday, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. The event will be held in the parking lot across the street from the mural, at the […]
TO: Dean of Extraterrestrial Studies Galactic University, HomeStar FROM: Agent-in-Place, Planet Earth, North American Continent SUBJECT: Local native customs and rituals: “Independence Day” DATE: July 3, 2019, local time Honored Superior: With some trepidation I forward a report on the so-called “work ethic” of this species. Their social system and attitudes toward what […]
While traveling down the Columbia River on Sunday, November 3, 1805, Captain William Clark wrote in his journal: “The Fog so thick this morning that we could not see a man 50 Steps off, this fog detained us until 10 oClock at which time we Set out, accompanied by our Indian friends who are from […]