News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 200
When I was a little girl, I watched my older brother trudge up our driveway in the black of night. My mom was making breakfast; my brother carried a flashlight. Peering up over the kitchen sink, through the orange and green drapes, I watched his glowing light bob through the trees, up the steep hill to the bus stop. I was excited that someday I, too, would get to go to real school. I, too, would get to carry a flashlight and wander off into the darkness! That must be what... Full story
Thank God. I’m not too old to run for president. Even though yesterday I had trouble remembering which seven pills I needed to take. The day before, I couldn’t find my car keys. A week ago, it took a while to find that car in the Costco parking lot. But that could happen to anyone, and the Constitution does not prohibit me from running just because I forget how to spell “doddering.” I’m younger than either of the two men currently running for president, so I might be a viable... Full story
Oh, wow - what's that print? I'm sure you've had that same reaction numerous times when encountering animal tracks. "What is it?" is the most obvious question to ask upon seeing tracks in dirt, mud, or snow, but it's especially interesting to explore "why is that here?" and "what was the animal doing?" Tracking can take a lifetime to learn well, but the obvious first step is to get out there to try to find and identify tracks, follow some trails, and piece together the story... Full story
“How do I get featured in the media?” It’s a question I hear a lot. Business owners, nonprofits, event producers, entrepreneurs, artists: they all ask. The answers reflect my experience as a freelance writer and editor for approximately four zillion years. I’ve been Senior Editor for a branding and interactive agency in New York; I’ve written restaurant reviews for alternative weeklies. Music and performance critic, horoscope columnist, early Internet content creator,... Full story
My last couple of articles covered a bit of game theory and theory of knowledge. While I expect those will be recurrent topics, my main goal with the column is to report on the local scene, and so I’ll limit my technical forays to a fraction of my articles and let you know up front what you can expect. This will be the first of many covering the gaming events at Paulina Springs. If you’ve visited within the last few months, you’ve probably noticed the expanded offering in board games, Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Dungeo... Full story
Just what is a game? Before I fully launch into my article series covering local games, maybe we should get that straight. For the past six years or so, Wade and I have played Rock, Paper, Scissors at Sisters Athletic Club to see who buys coffee, and it’s often a spectator sport, with the staff and regulars looking on as we stage our showdown. For the benefit of whoever misses it, the winner loudly praises the superior taste of that day’s coffee. And might even sip it loudly. With savor. In the loser’s face. You’re probabl... Full story
Ancient skywatchers learned to recognize the night sky by associating certain arrangements of stars with objects familiar to them. These became the constellations. Cygnus the Swan, Orion the Hunter, and Taurus the Bull are three well-known examples. But there is a small subset of constellations that depict more fanciful beings, such as a sea goat, centaur (half human-half horse creature), and flying horse. Our featured constellation for February is a member of this group.... Full story
After concluding three months as managing editor of the The Leader newspaper in Port Townsend, Washington, I’m confronted with an uncomfortable realization: I did the best I could, but could have done better. Getting old offers many chances for denial. Or embarrassment, when denial doesn’t suffice. And frustration, when opportunities recede. Disappointment lurks at every staircase, doctor’s visit, encounter, and challenge. Getting old also teaches there is value in exper... Full story
This is part 2 of an ongoing series on the subject of short-term rentals. Part 1 ran in the January 17 edition of The Nugget. Click here to see Part 1. Last time we learned what a Short-Term Rental (STR) is and the local rules surrounding them. Now we’ll take a closer look at some of the concerns surrounding STRs and how they are or are not being addressed. Nationally, most controversy centers around how STRs do or don’t affect housing affordability or property values. The thought being that STRs reduce supply for res... Full story
November and December of 2023 felt like April, warm, lots of sun, and all the plants were turning green. But January 2024 quickly blew in like a lion charging a mule deer buck. It could have taken us all down but for one important thing. Difficult times usually bring out the best in people, and Sisters Country people are the best ever. My husband and I contracted a very nasty cold around the first of January. It still had us in its grip when this bitter cold and snow came to... Full story
The Red-winged Blackbird [Agelaius phoeniceus], is now arriving around Sisters and feeding until they head to mostly wetland areas to begin building nests. After two to six pale blue-green eggs are laid the young hatch in only 10 to 12 days. The young, being fed on insects and seeds, leave the nest in 11 to 14 days. Two to three clutches may be laid every year. The Red-wing can be very protective of their nesting areas and will attack hawks and crows from above, diving with... Full story
Do you have a favorite 2023 book? This year I curated my favorite books by themes, debut authors and favorite authors. My recommendations include creating a wife app, searching for a father, and books about books. I’ve been sharing piles and piles of favorites at Library Book Pairing events at Suttle Tea, Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe, BrownBag Popcorn, and PCA Art Gallery by matching a scene, event, or place with a specific tea, dessert, popcorn, or art piece. Favorites include “The Mystery Guest” by Nita Prose in which the mur... Full story
The raindrops form tidy concentric circles in the puddles they are forming on the ice-crusted snow covering my back deck this morning. The branches above are coated with a thin layer of ice. Icicles long and short hang from gutters and deck rails. The sky is leaden gray. The outside world is painted in black and white and gray, with the only relief provided by the green of the sentinel ponderosas down on the creekbank. The view out my bedroom window hasn’t changed a great d... Full story
Remarkably, hummingbirds overwinter in Central Oregon. These toughies are Anna's hummingbirds and are amazingly stout for their 4- to 4.5-gram size. They have expanded their range into hotter and colder climates over the last 20 years. But they face real trouble in deep freeze, blizzard conditions, and icy rain. Local residents can help them survive. Due to their petite size, hummingbirds must feed every 10 to 15 minutes or starve. These quaint birds use a handy... Full story
Do you have a favorite 2023 book? This year I curated my favorite books by themes, debut authors and favorite authors. My recommendations include creating a wife app, searching for a father and books about books. I’ve been sharing piles and piles of favorites at Library Book Pairing events at Suttle Tea, Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe, BrownBag Popcorn and PCA Art Gallery by matching a scene, event or place with a specific tea, dessert, popcorn or art piece. Favorites include “The Mystery Guest” by Nita Prose in which the murder... Full story
Visiting the Cascade forests in late fall and winter, the fluted notes of the Varied Thrush [zoreus naevius] can often be heard echoing through the forests and canyons. The elegant orange of the Varied Thrush can be seen throughout winter and are definitely a western bird. Their breeding range extends as far north as Alaska and western Canada to the forests of Oregon and Washington. They winter down the coast of California coast to Baja. The varied Thrush was first identified... Full story
Sisters is a town that means different things to different people: the (slightly larger) small town they grew up in, an opportunity to live where one plays, maybe a place to spend California retirement bucks, for many it’s where they do business, and for others it is a vacation destination. Smashing all these different visions, wants, hopes, and dreams into one community is bound to create spots of friction. Short-Term Rentals (STRs) are one of these spots. Many Sisters residents are happily tripping through life not k... Full story
In 2015, when my nephew Eli was about 9 years old, I explained “Dungeons & Dragons” to him while my daughter Alyx was present. I left the room after delivering a long-winded monologue where I told him that I’d started playing D&D when I was his age and that it had inspired me to write stories and helped me make new friends. He seemed to be chewing thoughtfully on my revelations. Later, Alyx informed me: “Dad, after you left, he said to me, ‘You know, your dad is kind of an old dork… no offense.’” In late 1993, when we l... Full story
As the population grows in Sisters Country that question comes up more frequently I find. And with our older population – median age in Sisters is just under 50, whereas Oregon as a whole it is just under 40 – it seems to be a pertinent question. We have a cemetery, in fact. Two to be precise. One most everybody knows about - the Camp Polk Cemetery - is also known as Pioneer Cemetery and has been around since 1880. Turns out, nobody owns the place. At least no person or ent... Full story
Taurus, the brightest zodiac constellation of the winter season, rides high in the evening sky during January. The celestial Bull is one of only 12 elite constellations that lie along a strip of sky centered about the ecliptic. The sun, moon, and all the major planets are always found somewhere within this belt of the sky. The arrangement of stars in Taurus does, indeed, resemble the head of a bull. The V-shaped star cluster known as the Hyades depicts the beast's face. From... Full story
For the past 20 years or so, I've tried to go fishing on New Year's Day - even when the Ducks were playing in a bowl game on that day. Stringing up a fly rod and walking along a river just seems like the best possible way to start another year. The goal is always to catch a fish or two, but it's not a gotta-do-this deal. Some might say that starting the New Year and not catching a fish is a bad beginning. Those are the same people who think that fly-fishing is all about... Full story
Truly, Scotties and all dogs are the best friends we have. Yes, we have loyal families and spouses. But as some find out, even family members and spouses have been known to desert us. But a well-loved dog is devoted to its keeper for life. It may sound silly to some, but it seems that the many thousands of years that humans and dogs have spent together has made the once mighty wolf into a reflection of the very best that humans can be. Unless trained otherwise, a dog is... Full story
Dear Property Guy: I am about to sell a rental home in So. Cal. It is worth about $1.2M and has appreciated about $600,000. It used to be my primary residence but has been a rental for a couple years now. I don’t want to take the huge tax hit by selling it, but I understand that I could sell it for another rental property and not owe taxes. I could use it to take out a couple hundred thousand to reduce the payment on our current house. What should I do? — Taxed out… Dear Taxed: You have a lot going on here. And many optio... Full story
It doesn’t matter if you like dogs. Or private detectives. Or murder mysteries. If you like laughter, sarcastic humor, and listening to a dog’s thoughts, you’ll like Spencer Quinn’s series of Chet & Bernie mysteries. The Little Detective Agency is owned by Bernie Little and run by Chet, Bernie’s dog sidekick. Well, Chet thinks he’s running the place, since he constantly worries about Bernie losing the check a client gave them, or agreeing to work for someone for free or at a discount. The books in the series are narrated by... Full story
What if kids could read and focus? Hey, it happens! Magazines for kids, youth, and children of all ages bring them inspiration and knowledge. Reading on paper helps people develop a level of sustained concentration-a skill that comes with fringe benefits for the brain. Undistracted readers develop the ability to think deeply and with focus, enlivening their imaginations. This process gets interrupted by digital news, social media, and video games. More info is available in... Full story
