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LIFE CHOICE MAKES YOU GREAT

July 26, 2025 by

One life choice can make all the difference. Things were tough on the Oregon Trail and people needed a break. The Donner Party started with a little known shortcut through the mountains. If you don’t know the story, click here. It turned out to be the wrong choice.

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MUTUAL INTEREST FOR THE LONG HAUL

July 24, 2025 by

Start with mutual interest, something you both like. In the beginning every new discovery is a happy revelation.   “You know how to cook? So do I.” “What’s this?” “Dinner.” “Oh.”

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BE WRITING TO BE A WRITER

July 22, 2025 by

Be writing is the advice from Mississippi? Coming from Faulkner it must be good advice. But it’s more than writing advice, more like advice for life, you know, life advice. Either way, I’ll take it. So should you and here’s why:

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READING BOOKS CREATE NOVEL IDEAS

July 21, 2025 by

Reading books are a lifeline to another time. Not everyone gets it; not everyone thinks they need a lifeline. I don’t start reading a book with that in mind, but when I finish a good one it feels like the writer tossed me a line. That’s the good news. I’m of the mind that berating […]

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GOOD FORTUNE: ACCIDENTAL OR PLANNED

July 13, 2025 by

My happy good fortune could never be planned any more than a shark chooses their favorite remora. It’s all been a long string of happy coincidence. Just another fat baby boomer taking up space in comfort and luxury. That’s me. How about you, same thing? Probably not, but check with younger people to know for […]

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GAMBLING? KNOW WHEN TO FOLD ‘EM

July 10, 2025 by

Call it gambling, gaming, or wagering. What it is is putting money down on a horse to win, place, or show. It’s feeding twenties into a slot machine and pushing a button. In some regions it’s picking the right chicken. One rule that covers them all:

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IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT . . . HEALTH CARE PANIC

June 30, 2025 by

In the unlikely event this post goes viral, which is every blogger’s secret and not so secret wish, I’ll need to be precise. How precise? Very. As my longtime readers know, I write a personal blog about personal things to try and dial down the panic in case you ever face anything similar. Sometimes it’s […]

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OREGON BERRY REVIEW: FARM TO FACE

June 23, 2025 by

Oregon Berry Packing lies seventeen minutes from my front door. In that time I can travel from tacky suburban developments to acres and acres of farmland stretching every direction. To put it in a different perspective, Portland is also seventeen minutes from my front door, on a good traffic day. From concrete jungle to the […]

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THE PORTLAND DIFFERENCE: URBAN FEAR

June 19, 2025 by

The Portland difference means telling yourself one urban space is different than another. How can anyone make such a judgement? There’s only one way: wander around urban spaces both new and old. From London to Paris, more like Paris to London; from Philadelphia to New York City, which most people think is only Manhattan without […]

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LASTING CONSISTENCY OVER THE LONG HAUL

June 12, 2025 by

Lasting consistency means one thing: dependable. You know what you’re looking for and you know what you’re getting when you find it. History is full of people needing things they can depend on and you can depend on this writer to dig them up. I know you’ve got a few yourself but that’s for your […]

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