News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 571
Scores of folks flocked to check out a unique variety of goods at Creekside Park during Rodeo weekend for Sisters' annual Art in the Park. From whimsical handmade birdhouses to handpicked dessert wines from Depoe Bay Winery, 90 vendor booths spread across the grassy lawn with an eclectic mix of craftsmanship. New vendor Aaron Ysasaga was showing off pillows at his booth - but not just any pillows, American-made therapeutic bamboo pillows from Saga Brothers Home Comfort, a family-owned business in Portland. "They are made from... Full story
Your Maine coon cat is napping peacefully on your bed, when suddenly she bolts up, wide awake and is clearly uncomfortable. She extends her neck and hacks and gags in distress. Then, to her relief (and your dismay), she regurgitates something unusual-looking on your coverlet. The scary-looking cylindrical shaped UFO that kitty has disgorged is actually a trichobezoer or commonly referred to as a hairball. The hairball or the damp wad of undigested hair, moistened by your... Full story
Much like human kids, your pet kids tend to put everything in their mouths. Dogs are surprisingly adept at opening cupboard doors and drawers. Once your pet gains access to these areas, he could consume a variety of food, medications or garden supplies that are poisonous to him. It's a dream of a lot of pet parents to have a place with a nice fenced-in yard where their furry friends can play and explore, but just because that yard is closed off doesn't mean that it can't be a... Full story
BrightSide Animal Center in Redmond has a core group of volunteers working with 11 dogs they received over the Easter holiday that were rescued from a dog-meat farm in South Korea. Together, the Humane Society of Central Oregon and BrightSide Animal Center took in 28 dogs. After an international flight from South Korea through Humane Society International's (HSI) rescue program, the dogs were transported from San Francisco to Central Oregon. Patty Eiseman of Sisters is a dog buddy volunteer for BrightSide and is part of the... Full story
You might have noticed fleas and ticks on your furry friends. That's because flea and tick season has started early in Central Oregon. According to Sisters Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Carl Berg has been seeing ticks since winter. And they see more fleas on pets every year. Pulling your socks over your pants while hiking can be enough to deter ticks when you're outside, but Rover probably doesn't wear clothing, so you'll need to take extra measures to protect him from these pesky... Full story
An astonishingly generous community stepped up to raise a grand total of approximately $140,000 to support arts and music programs in Sisters during the 15th annual My Own Two Hands (MOTH) fundraiser last weekend. The art auction and party held annually at Ponderosa Forge & Ironworks was the scene of hot and heavy bidding on magnificent art - from functional art like furniture and other woodwork, to paintings, to musical instruments to a tipi. The fundraiser supports the arts... Full story
The weather is warming up in Central Oregon and you're anxious to get on the road again to visit friends up north in Washington or family in Idaho. And it wouldn't be the same without your furry friend in the car with you. Most dogs love a car ride. The feel of the wind through their fur, new smells blowing around the inside of the car, and the chance to bark at all the other dogs at the rest stops, are all part of the appeal. Keeping Rover entertained on a road trip isn't... Full story
Planting trees each Arbor Day is a Sisters tradition. This year, three classes of kindergarteners planted chokecherry trees in front of Sisters Elementary School (SES). The National Arbor Day Foundation awards and recognizes communities who work to improve urban forestry. "We got the Growth Award again from Tree City USA. They have pretty high standards that you have to meet," said public works project coordinator, Nichole Abbenhuis. "They look into a lot different things,... Full story
Sisters Science Club board member Bunny Thompson has been promoting worm composting for years in all of the Sisters schools by providing worm bins, lectures and hands-on participation with the students in the classrooms. Worms are best-friends to the environment. They create the perfect soil for gardens and yards, and composting reduces the amount of the garbage that is sent to dumps and landfills. "Red wigglers are great worms for composting; they eat their weight in kitchen... Full story
Sisters Athletic Club Manager Cindy Tintle knows that folks well into their 90s can benefit from regular exercise. "At Sisters Athletic Club we currently have three members over the age of 90," Tintle says. "And we are extremely honored to have them as members and are proud of their accomplishments over the years. They have chosen a healthy and active lifestyle by committing to regular exercise." Exercise helps keep aging bodies healthy by increasing blood flow to the brain,... Full story
When Sisters resident Susan Prince began hearing about oil spills in the pristine rainforests of the Ecuadorian Amazon, she decided to investigate for herself. And on March 8, 2016, International Women's Day, Prince took action by joining 300 indigenous women from across the Ecuadorian Amazon in a historic march in defense of the Amazon against oil drilling. "I had first gone on a month-long trip to Ecuador over four years ago with a friend," she recalled. "Global exchange... Full story
For eons, men and women have pondered the question: Do animals have souls? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions of "soul" is: The ability of a person to feel kindness and sympathy for others. And: A person's deeply felt moral and emotional nature. Any dog or cat pet parent will tell you that animals have a sixth sense when it comes to understanding human emotional needs. For instance, when you are feeling down, an animal can often act as a better confidant than another human. Animals possess a... Full story
Easter came early for seniors at Sisters Community Church on Tuesday, March 22; they celebrated with a bonnet-decorating contest. For the previous couple of weeks, local seniors had been busy decorating straw hats with flowers, ribbon, cotton balls, foam shapes and other spring décor for the annual Easter bonnet contest sponsored by Central Oregon Council on Aging (COCOA). And that included Sisters Senior Council President Sharon Ling, who coordinates the fun and... Full story
You toss and turn and finally get to sleep, when suddenly a pain in your big toe wakes you up. Your 10-pound tabby attacks your foot and then jumps on your chest, purring all the while. And if you're like most pet parents, you end up giving in to Kitty's nighttime shenanigans by giving her attention. Giving in to her will create a never-ending cycle of not getting a good night's sleep. Cats are crepuscular, meaning they are active at dawn and dusk. Cats in the wild hunt... Full story
A pet is a constant loving friend, and facing his or her loss can be devastating. Pets bring so much love, support, and companionship into our lives, and many people have experienced the joy that comes with having a pet. Sadly there also comes a time when they have to face the heartbreak of losing their cherished furry friend. Whether you had to euthanize your pet or lost your dog in an unexpected manner, the grieving process will be different for everyone. Grieving is a personal, individual experience. Some people find the... Full story
Buddy is a tiny 18-month-old Yorkshire terrier. He may weigh only three pounds, but has a natural ability for being an emotional support dog for Sisters Middle School fifth-grader Ryan Benson. Benson was born with a congenital heart defect, and at the age of seven weeks, he underwent heart surgery. He was doing very well after the surgery and just had to follow up with minor surgeries to clean out scar tissue. Then last year Benson became afflicted with fatigue and would feel... Full story
A decade ago, Benji Nagel was a student learning to play music through Sisters Folk Festival's Ameicana Project. Now the student has become the teacher, providing guitar instruction for students K-7 at Black Butte School (BBS) in Camp Sherman. It's a complete, unbroken circle of music in Sisters Country. "I instruct all of the kids in Black Butte School Tuesday and Thursday afternoons," Nagel said. "I rotate my classes for the 17 students, K through 8th grade. It's usually... Full story
Special-needs cats seem to seek out Sisters resident Robyn Holdman, president of Citizens4Community. Holdman and her husband, John, have been pet parents to three special-needs cats since 1990. Two years ago, Holdman and her husband found an emaciated male cat lying on their property on Harrington Loop in Sisters just days before a big snowstorm that dumped over three feet in February 2014. "I had a hunch that this was not a stray cat, as it was too beautiful to be on its... Full story
World Spay Day began in 1995 as Spay Day USA, a project of the Doris Day Animal League. The event was renamed World Spay Day and is now an annual campaign of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. On the last Tuesday of every February, World Spay Day shines a spotlight on the power of affordable, accessible spay/neuter to save the lives of pets, community feral and stray cats, and... Full story
The Sisters High School commons buzzed with excitement on Saturday for the fifth annual Sisters Science Fair. Students from all three Sisters schools showed off their educational experiments, displays, and demonstrations. Hundreds of folks expressed interest by watching or getting involved through hands-on challenges. The fair was sponsored by the Sisters Science Club and free to all. "The Science of Nature" was this year's theme and was evident throughout the fair with studen... Full story
Love is in the air as Valentine's Day draws near. Restaurants are gearing up for a packed house, flower companies are preparing for the busiest day of the year, and folks everywhere are pulling out all the stops to plan the perfect night for their Valentine. For some it's a joyous day to celebrate the love between two people. But for others, it is a sad or mournful day, spent wishing for what they once had or for what they have not yet found. It can be downright depressing.... Full story
With various studies documenting the positive effects pets can have on human health, it's no surprise that therapy animals have regular visits at children's hospitals and retirement communities around the nation. And while dogs might be the first therapy animals to come to mind, an increasing number of therapy cats have been making a difference helping people cope. While the stereotypical aloofness might at first seem to prevent cats from becoming therapy animals, those... Full story
Imagine driving into a snowstorm late at night on a highway in a rural area with no cell service. Then after you pull your vehicle over in a wooded area to put chains on your tires, you notice something on the side of the road that does not belong - something so inappropriate it's surreal. A few weeks before Christmas, Sisters resident Peggy Frye was driving back from Portland and had just passed the Detroit Lake area when the weather took a turn for the worse and it started t... Full story
Jodi Schneider McNamee has fond memories of her first family dog - a black standard poodle named Suzie. It was the late 1950s, and Jodi was growing up in the rural countryside of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. She and Suzie rambled through their backyard into a forest of red oaks, maples and dogwood. A path led to a small pond where Suzie helped Jodi forage for pollywogs and salamanders. Her dog, the deep woods, and the world all seemed vast to Jodi. "I was one with nature... Full story
Your friend's 5-month-old puppy is adorable and getting really big. But every time you visit them you end up with chew marks and spittle on your hands, arms and clothing. How do you tell your friend that it's just not that cute anymore? It's normal behavior for puppies to spend a great deal of time playing, chewing and investigating objects with their mouths. And when puppies play with people, they often nip, chew and mouth on people's hands, limbs and clothing. This kind of... Full story
