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WRITING ADVICE FOR A BROKEN HEART HOSPITAL CAMPOUT

September 19, 2021 by

Writing advice from writers usually comes with a warning, or should: This is what works for them. It might work for you or another writer, but it definitely works for them. After a single night campout in a hospital bed, their advice carried more weight for better or worse. A week out from the event […]

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EMPATHY SUPERPOWER: THE NURSING TOOL KIT

September 18, 2021 by

I know empathy superpower when I see it. Why? Because I’ve felt it. I had a headache when my brother got hit with a bat. If I could have, I would have donated my knees to Joe Namath for playing football in white shoes and long hair. I feel things with people and let it […]

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HEARTBREAK HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF LONELY STREET

September 17, 2021 by

I checked into Heartbreak Hotel on Monday, except it had another name. To my surprise there wasn’t a line at the desk; the crowd was already inside. The crowd is everywhere in the news.

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VICTIM DEFAULT AND YOU’RE ALWAYS THE ONE?

September 16, 2021 by

Victim default: “There you go again.” Or: “When did passive-aggressive wake up?” My favorite: “That mood swing make you dizzy?” If you want a professional opinion who do you ask? A professional, of course.

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EDUCATE, VALIDATE, FOLLOW THAT KNOWLEDGE

September 16, 2021 by

The work to educate people is an uphill climb. Nothing shows it better than the last year and a half. The corona virus has revealed an unexpected side of America. It’s the side where marginal public figures claim air time by saying whatever it takes to garner attention. But we’re way past that now? Not […]

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RURAL OREGON FROM COAST TO WILLAMETTE VALLEY

September 15, 2021 by

Rural Oregon has never looked better through my windshield. Looked so good I extended a drive by hours just to see more. No, I wasn’t lost. The backroads from Charleston to Coos Bay showed places I’d never seen, and I like to think I keep my eyes open. It looked like rural Alaska without the […]

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OREGON STOPS: FROM CLAUSEN OYSTER TO CRESWELL BAKERY

September 14, 2021 by

The roads around here are not in drive-by country. Oregon Stops make you pull over, or turn around and go back if you missed the turn. Clausen Oyster is one such Oregon stop. What makes Clausen’s a good stop? Oysters in every size I could imagine. Even better?

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SANDCASTLES AT SUNSET

September 11, 2021 by

Sandcastles, from the most ornate to a bucket of wet sand turned upside down, all have one thing in common: They don’t last. But instead of mourning the loss of the castle, think of this: You have a chance to build another one, a better one, one that will last. Knowing it won’t last never […]

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NORTH BEND: A HOMETOWN IN THREE PARTS, 1, 2, 3

September 10, 2021 by

North Bend, Oregon has the same parts as anywhere else in the world. In my view, and I think you’ll agree, the three parts are: What I thought it was. What it is. How others see it. Sounds normal enough? It fits your hometown, too.

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SENIOR CLASS FOOTBALL: CHANGING OF THE GUARD

September 9, 2021 by

The senior class of 1973, way back when, came into a difficult football situation as sophomores. We’d spent freshman year pounding it out over all comers. We had size, speed, and some of us were still growing. You could say we had high hopes moving forward. Instead we got stuck. The high school coaching was […]

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