News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The most colorful of all our ducks, the Wood Duck [Aix sponsa], lives and breeds in swampy forested areas. Acorns are a favorite food along with other seeds, salamanders, aquatic insects, snails, and tadpoles. Courtship begins in fall and may be interrupted by harsh weather, and then be resumed in spring. They nest primarily in tree cavities and man-made nesting boxes. Females line the nest with breast feathers and will lay between nine and 14 eggs. After approximately 35... Full story
Though currently on the wane, winter will hang around for another three weeks after March bursts on the scene before yielding to a brand-new season before month's end. To highlight this event, we chose to feature the late winter-early spring constellation of Lynx. Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius introduced this new constellation in the late seventeenth century to fill a large gap in the night sky that lies between Auriga and Ursa Major. He named it Lynx because even its... Full story
Buying a piece of custom furniture seems like one of those adult rites of passage. In the latter half of my 30s, I have decided to pursue my first custom piece — a couch. Throughout my nomadic adult years, I have been accustomed to second-hand finds complimenting my frugality and boxed IKEA-ish pieces sure to draw out a few expletives as one navigates assembly and too often, reassembly. I feel ready for the custom, “no-assembly needed,” white glove experience. After a prolo... Full story
Are you looking for a nonfiction book to read in 2024? "Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming" by Ava Chin might suit you. What does one single building in New York's Chinatown reveal about the author's ancestors? Growing up, Chin's family's origins were a mystery and nothing seemed to match between what she was told and what she researched. Chin, who grew up estranged from her father, begins a detailed quest as she researches and explores... Full story
Dear Property Guy: I recently had a tenant move out and need to know how to handle their security deposit. We had brand new carpet when they moved in, and their dog absolutely trashed it. We tried to clean it, but the stink is impossible to get out. They need to buy us new carpet, right? – Wall to Wall Dear Wall to Wall: This falls under the category of No-But… No, they won’t be buying you all new carpet. But, they will be buying some of it. Let’s agree that this falls outside the category of “normal wear and tear,” an... Full story
In a previous article, I explained that games rely on both human and system factors, an observation I take from “Characteristics of Games,” an introduction to games by world-renowned designers Richard Garfield, Skaff Elias, and Robert Gutschera. However, I left out an important point about the human factor: games are fun. Despite what I jokingly implied about my Rock, Paper, Scissors game with Wade, I do not have him figured out, and I can’t reliably beat him. While it’s true I have the longest winning streak, he might ... Full story
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
People often ask me if winter is a slow season for the Forest Service. The days are often less urgent, without wildfire response, but there is always much to be done. Winter is when the bulk of our planning work typically gets accomplished: hiring employees, writing reports, preparing contracts and agreements, executing budgets, and developing and authorizing projects to implement in late season. This year has been different because the relatively mild winter has allowed some... 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
