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GARDEN PARTY REMINISCING

Remember your first garden party when you invited people over to the house to see what you planted, what you’ve grown?
It’s a touching moment to behold after years of planning.
You build a raised bed like the picture here, and buy plants you just know will grow.
And they did.

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“CALLS OUT” PUT ‘ON THE SPOT’

What does “calls out” mean other than another way of saying “Hey You?”
““Why Do You Have To Leave Practice?”: Michael Irvin Calls Out Justin Herber.””
If you’re ‘calling someone out’ it’s most likely about something that’s none of your business.
Calls Out = Nosey Nellie? For example:

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NATURE SIGNS TO WATCH FOR

When you make a plan to see nature up close, expect nature signs.
Follow the message of the signs for best results.
Do that and you’ll return home with sweet memories and solid experiences with exciting pictures to share.
If it’s your first time out in the wild, pay extra attention.
You can thank me later. Or now. This nature sign was in the cabin:

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OFF GRID, NO PHONE SERVICE, BUT . . .

I’ve had mixed results with off grid peace and quiet.
Once I stayed in a place the had no telephones in the rooms for just that purpose, peace and quiet.
Sounded very thoughtful until a road grader started grinding across the parking lot pavement the next morning.
It couldn’t have been any closer if it had come through the front door.
My wife and I both chuckle when we talk about our honeymoon. One of us does.
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TIME TRAVEL INSIDE A LUMBER BARN

It’s just a barn, a lumber barn in the middle of nowhere, but so much more.
It’s an historical record, an archive of sawdust, splinters, slivers, and work. Hard work.
The main attraction is a train engine used to move big logs out of the woods, along with other man-killing machinery.
For me the big deal was the barn itself.
What a barn:

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toughen up

MILLENNIAL SELF CARE = SELF RESPONSIBILITY

  You know it’s not pledge week when NPR rags millennials about ‘self-care.’ Instead of pledging money to them, they’ll buy an ‘experience’ instead. Cue Jimi Hendrix? Gracy Obuchowicz says it’s more than just social media that has pushed millennials to the forefront of the self-care discussion. “Our generation has seen enough,” she said. “People […]

BREAST CANCER: A MOTHER JONES FACEBOOK POST ASKS IF ALCOHOL IS A CAUSE. WHAT ARE OTHER CANCER CAUSES?

    From motherjones.com:   Susan Sontag once wrote that telling people about your cancer diagnosis tends to fill them with mortal dread. But when I’ve disclosed my illness to friends and told them that alcohol can cause breast cancer, I’ve never invoked enough mortal dread to deter anyone from ordering a second drink. Most women […]

F CANCER WALK DOWN PORTLAND SOUTH PARK BLOCKS

  If holding paper from an institute of higher learning means anything, it means exposure to civil discourse.   I hold paper from Portland State University, so F Cancer.   Can I get a, “Hell Yeah!”

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boomer years

BOOMER ARMY RACE RELATIONS, 1974

The time Army race relations got it right. In the early stages of the All-Volunteer Army, recruiters filled the ranks with whoever showed up. The draft ended, so most of the smart guys stayed out of the way of The New Army. The people who did show up had their own agendas. Some wanted college […]

BOOMER SON OF ENGLAND DIES 13 YEARS AFTER STABBING

Boomer son Alexander Lloyd, dead at age 36, thirteen years after a stabbing left him in the sort of condition that calls for medical miracles. Family care helped him for from age twenty three, then an infection set in that couldn’t be stopped. Alex is the son of my wife’s cousin. My boys met their […]

Willie Nelson Brings More To Portland Than His Band

The old guitar picker takes the stage tonight at McMenamins Edgefield. Willie Nelson, all eighty five years of himself, takes the stage after opener Allison Krause.   More important, he’s on the cover of AARP magazine. Why is that important? How many public figures don’t want to talk about age? In a youth motivated culture, […]

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buckle up

PORTLAND’S EASTSIDE ALIVE

An Outsider Guide To Portland’s Eastside ‘Neighbourhood.’ When Virgin Atlantic blogs about your city expect a few things to be off. Not wrong exactly, just not quite the same as it looks. Portland’s eastside has an Artisan Quarter. Artisan? Quarter? I’ve heard Paris has a French Quarter but this is the first I’ve heard of […]

HILLSDALE BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST: 41 YEARS OF THANKS

    Forty one years of the annual Hillsdale Blue Berry Pancake Breakfast speaks volumes for the community. Business owners turn out and join in the set up, the cooking, and clean up afterward.   Maybe it’s the same everywhere, but maybe not.  For a Portland neighborhood that used to be the Fulton Dairy, it’s […]

SASQUATCH BIG RIG vs REAL LIFE RIG

    How does the Sasquatch Music Festival pull off a three day stand without the drama of conflict and violence? It is America, but no violence? How can that happen?   The rest of the world needs to know and maybe they can tamp down the problems in their neighborhood.   It starts with […]

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