News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Nearly every day, I encounter members of our community who are impacted by loneliness. As a behavioral health specialist with St. Charles Sisters Family Clinic, I help patients with mental health concerns like depression or anxiety. When I meet with a patient, I always ask about their social support and what they do each day. Often, the answers I get start with the phrase “I used to be able to...” or “before COVID we had...” My patients talk about lost gatherings, from walking and coffee groups, to support meetings, to week... Full story
“Every man, whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy.” — Saint Augustine The pursuit of happiness is the unavoidable hardwired disposition of every human heart. We were designed to desire true happiness. We can pretend we’ve moved beyond such “selfish, juvenile” behavior, but the fact remains that everyone is driven to achieve maximum happiness. Blaise Pascal put it this way: “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war... Full story
When my cell phone rang one morning a while ago, the caller ID said, “unknown caller.” Usually I simply ignore calls like that, and delete them. I hadn’t heard from my younger son in another town for a while and he had been on my mind, so I answered the call, figuring maybe he had lost his phone again. Over the years, I have received many distressing phone calls regarding my youngest, who is often living on the edge. The voice on the other end confirmed my worst fears. Thoug... Full story
Shaunette White of High Desert Chocolates in Sisters was one of 20 award winners for the 2023 Accomplished Under 40 by Cascade Business News’ 17th annual year of honoring young achievers in Central Oregon in their October 4 edition.... Full story
As a community we have much to be proud of in Sisters. By most traditional measures, we have one of the strongest school districts in the state. We believe that a comprehensive education grounded in the community’s core values is key to the success of all students in Sisters Country. Prior to the pandemic, the Sisters School District started to engage the community around creating a new mission and vision for our schools. This process included a dozen meetings with diverse stakeholder groups to get feedback on the c... Full story
The explosion of intense violence in Israel is a savage spasm in a long-standing frontier conflict. It is often said that “they’ve been fighting each other there for thousands of years,” but that’s not really an accurate depiction of the conflict between Jews and Palestinian Arabs in the land that is now the state of Israel. The current conflict has its roots in the 19th century, in the Zionist movement, which sought to establish a Jewish homeland in a Middle East then un... Full story
Crossroad or crosshairs To the Editor: The lights blinking on my dashboard go dead. I barely make it to Les Schwab. Of course there’s a two hour wait. Years ago I would have been devastated, embroiled in victimized mind chatter. “What? I just spent a fortune on crawlspace insulation. Where am I going to get the money for this? Instead I think, “I’ve got time. Why not hike to the store, stock up on a few things from Bi-Mart?” After shopping, I return the way I came with an armful of unwieldly bags. Two cars approach the inter... Full story
Sisters American Legion Post 86 extends their gratitude to Stichin' Post, Jackie Erickson, and Laura Simmons for their magnificent quilt, presented during the visit of American Legion National Commander Daniel Seehafer to Sisters last month. Pictured are: Catherine Brockman, president of the Oregon American Auxiliary; Cory Brockman, commander, Department of Oregon American Legion; John Miller, Commander, Sisters American Legion Post 86; Mary Ryan, adjutant, Sisters American... Full story
For the second time in the last few months I found myself, unwillingly, digging a grave in the woods behind our house. I picked a spot in a clearing between the trees and began to dig, which is never an easy task in the mostly volcanic rock and compressed ash that passes for soil in Central Oregon. A single raven landed on a limb nearby and squawked, which made an almost medieval echo in the wintery gray light of the forest. I looked up at him. Of course, I thought, of course... Full story
Only the lonely Know the way I feel tonight Only the lonely Know this feeling ain’t right — Roy Orbison Loneliness is a melancholy theme in generations of songs. It’s not just a trope, though — it’s a serious matter. If the Surgeon General of the United States is right, it’s a major health threat: “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling — it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depr... Full story
Climate scam To the Editor: The Green New Deal and Climate Change are the biggest SCAM in our nation’s history. Our so-called authority tells us we haven’t done enough. We have the cleanest water and air. The worst offenders appear to be China and India, and the U.N. wants the USA to clean up their pollution. The environmentalists, since the 1970s, keep saying the sky is falling if we don’t do what they say. Now they say it is climate change. Well yes the climate changes, some years it is too hot and some years it is too cold... Full story
I’ve lived all my life with cats and dogs. If you read this column regularly, you know I love dogs. I like cats. Some I’ve lived with were truly wonderful. Smoki, who became the Magical Cat in my six-book children’s series, “Harry and Lola Adventures,” was sweet, intelligent, and just plain wonderful. Which is why he became a magical hero in the book series. Smoki was an exception to what I’m about to say. It has been observed that attitude is the major difference between cat... Full story
Feeling the next season on cool morning air, I’m filled with nostalgia for another waning summer. Buddy’s copper coat is fluffing up. Pulling a rubber curry comb from a dusty tack box in the barn, his slick summer hair pulls free as my gloved hand moves in circular motions from his neck to his shoulders, back, and rump. When I tap the grooming tool against the railing of our arena, a perfect replica of the tool’s oval insides comes away in concentric reflections of dust and short summer fur leaving his body. When the horse... Full story
When did the choices get so hard with so much more at stake? Life gets mighty precious when there’s less of it to waste. Scared to run out of time. — “Nick of Time,” Bonnie Raitt My wife was waiting in the Pine Marten lift line at Mt. Bachelor, watching a beautiful skiier glide effortlessly down the mountain. He rode up the chairlift with her, giving my wife the opportunity to ask him whether the 90+ patch on the shoulder of his ski jacket signaled a new clothing company? No, he replied proudly, he was 93-years old, with da... Full story
Development and affordability To the Editor: The Central Oregon Daily on September 6 reported that the 2020 Census data revealed that 33 percent of the people moving to Deschutes County between 2016 and 2020 came from California and, of the other 66 percent, half came from other parts of Oregon and half from other parts of the country. The implications of this are worth pondering. Perhaps the most important is that the housing “crisis” in Deschutes County has little or nothing to do with organic demand. Instead, it is dri... Full story
A friend of mine wore a T-shirt the other day exhorting us to "Keep Calm and Circus On." It struck me as an apt slogan for the times, for surely we are living in a circus - though perhaps not the kind my friend adores. Our republic is careening in a clown car toward a presidential election rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden that a substantial plurality of Americans - or a clear majority depending on how you look at the data - don't want. A recent NBC poll shows Biden... Full story
It feels good to have a scapegoat sometimes. The perception that we ourselves are free from blame, and that our challenges are the fault of circumstance or others, is an alluring reprieve from our own culpability. In our attempts to bypass blame, we also put our scapegoats on a pedestal, holding the power to hijack our sense of agency and joy. We live in a shame- and blame-based culture, too frequently practicing outdated beliefs that shaming and punishment are prerequisites... Full story
Each fall I throw together my saddle, bedroll, and bridles, and make a pilgrimage down to Lake County for the fall works - gathering, sorting, and shipping cattle - in the herculean effort to feed America. I do it to help my friends, but the rewards are mostly selfish. I get to cover the country horseback, in a way most folks don't anymore, and work with people whose shared sensibilities and sense of purpose are a balm against the industrial levels of friction found almost... Full story
The Cooper's Hawk [Accipiter cooperii], was named after naturalist William Cooper of the New York Museum, and inhabits woodland areas, where their diet consists of birds (95 percent) and small mammals (25 percent). This of course varies depending on the season and area hunted. These mid-sized hawks at maturity are 14-17 inches tall and weigh 16-24 ounces. The females are 1/3 larger than the males. They are referred to as "chicken hawks" "blue darter," or "swift hawk"," and... Full story
“The morning was fair and the plains looked beautifull . . . . The air was pleasant and a vast assemblage of little birds which croud to the groves on the river sung most enchantingly. . . . Proceeded with the party across the plain to the white bear Islands . . . through a level beautifull and extensive high plain covered with immence hirds of buffaloe. It is now the season at which the buffaloe begin to coppelate and the bulls keep a tremendious roaring we could hear them f... Full story
Unconditional love To the Editor: Grace and Peace to you. I understand you are having a vicious time with this homeless condition. I want to tell you a little about my beliefs and experiences regarding the homeless. The cornerstone of my beliefs is based on unconditional love. The ones I want to speak up for are the women and children. I hear there are a dozen of them attending school in Sisters. Unconditional love dictates that you will help them and shelter them. Remember that they are just like you and just like me; we... Full story
I was looking forward to seeing “Golda,” a film about the Yom Kippur War that played a large part in my own life. Now I wonder if my memories are skewed or if writers and directors took liberties with history I did not anticipate. Golda Meir was prime minister of Israel when the Yom Kippur War broke out on October 6, 1973. As the title suggests, the movie is all about Golda, her agonies and anguish during the war. I was on a freighter between Brindisi, Italy and Patras, Gre... Full story
Jack Lake to Round Lake or Santiam Pass: It's all about options on this stunning Three Finger Jack-area hike. This is a one-way jaunt, mostly downhill, necessitating a car shuttle to one of two possible ends. Why go? This great hike has it all: spectacular views on a moderate route, with flowers, swimming lakes, and frequently wildlife. It's great from the end of spring (however with more downed trees and colder lakes ) right on into early fall (with more likely wildlife... Full story
Last week I headed out to Cody, Wyoming for the annual rendezvous of the chiefs of the Mullen newspapers. Louie Mullen is the majority owner of The Nugget, with myself as minority partner. Louie owns 39 newspapers in total, most of them weeklies, with a few dailies in the mix. All are what you might call small- town newspapers. Louie is a man in his 30s — of a generation that supposedly eschews newspapers and gets all of their information online. Obviously, he retains faith i... Full story
Fishing poles To the Editor: I am responding to Terry Weygandt’s letter of September 13. To be clear, I think most people, unless you are a monster, care about the plight and suffering of others less fortunate. That said, there are two fundamental differences between conservative and liberal ideology. Conservatives feel that you are responsible for your own actions, whether they result in good or bad results. There is no such thing as luck. Secondly, they feel that it is better to give a person a fishing pole and teach t... Full story
