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MARRIED LIFE GOING LONG, LONGER, KEEP GOING

May 10, 2023 by

Married life seems long when you think how long you’ve been married. Then someone else says they’ve been married longer and calls you newly weds. Newly weds after thirty-seven years? That’s it? I keep it more basic: Every day has a first date feel. You remember first dates?

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BOOK HOARDING ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS

July 12, 2022 by

Book hoarding is not a disease. If that makes you feel better, you might be a librarian. Not a librarian, but still have loads of books? Still not a disease, and here’s why:

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DRAWING LINES TO LIVE BY?

April 25, 2022 by

Who is drawing lines to live by? Picasso did. Unfortunately, you’re no Picasso, I’m no Picasso, so why bother? We bother with lines and borders for a sense of control like, “Don’t go there, girlfriend.” The big Question Of The Day: Who draws borders when they’re on the same side of the line you’re on?

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PORTLAND CROSSROADS: SW 3rd AND ALDER

December 4, 2021 by

The Portland crossroads are the same at every intersection. North, East, South, and West. It’s the same where you live if you don’t live in Portland. Pick a side and proceed with caution. Why SW 3rd and Alder? Why not. What’s your favorite? Burnside and Broadway? Too easy. Burnside and the Willamette? Here’s the deal: […]

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NEW COMPASSION WITH A KIND RIGHT HAND

November 26, 2021 by

A new compassion has made its debut. And proved my Mom was correct. She believed most problems could be solved by slapping sense into whoever needed it. As one of her four kids, just hearing her theory was enough. Her career included managing a DMV office. (Keep that in mind the next time you complain […]

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HOLDING GRUDGES TAKES A SPECIAL KIND OF STRENGTH

August 7, 2021 by

Holding grudges is a time honored tradition between races, religions, nations, and families. “We don’t like them.” “Why don’t we like them?” “Why would we?” This exchange gets played out between young and old, men and women, brothers and sisters. Eventually holding grudges turns into something completely different than how it started because no one […]

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CITY TRASH FROM PORTLAND TO VANCOUVER

March 31, 2021 by

City trash comes with the territory. More people, more garbage, more clean up. Except the clean up part is lacking, and it’s not the first time. Take New York City trash for example. More people than Portland, which is bigger than Staten Island, but half the size of the other Burroughs. I moved to the […]

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BOOMER WRITER WHO DOESN’T WRITE EXPLAINS ‘PROCESS’

July 14, 2020 by

You’ve seen the boomer writer in a coffee shop, or at least used to before covid took up residence. They have a table, a backpack, and coffee, while they unpack like a campout. That’s the early stage. Later, they show their work place, a replica of the one they wanted to avoid, their home desk. […]

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TRAVEL BUG BITES BACK? SCRATCH THAT ITCH

April 23, 2020 by

Once upon a time the bite from a travel bug meant one thing: pack that bag. We all know people bitten by the travel bug. From pictures, to videos, to restaurant receipts, they can’t stop re-telling the same story over and over. We know them because that’s just who we are. See something that draws […]

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK? COME ON NEW YORK

April 19, 2020 by

Doing the right thing in New York is the same as doing the right thing in Oregon: Stay home, keep a social distance. My social distance from NYC is 3000 miles away, but it wasn’t always that way. Frank said it best:

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