Tom's Ramblings

Was This How the Wright Brothers Started?

2011-06-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

Some people spend the end of their lives sorting all the stuff they collected while experiencing life. Others like to wait until the end and then tell their family that can sort it all after they are gone.

While helping Nancy go through the boxes her mother left for her to go through we found the above picture. There was no name on the back, but that is not all that is missing. Take a minute and examine the bike. Note that there are no tires, no tubes, no chain, (and we can assume, no coaster brake) and no seat.

This young man apparently wanted a bike very badly. I know the feeling. Over 50 years ago, while growing up the the little town of Lyons, 25 miles East of Salem, Oregon, I wanted a bike too. My best friend and I decided to build one. No pictures were taken of our creation but it looked very much like the one above.

The parts came from my two older brothers. They had left them behind when they left home. We had the basics, just like the picture. There was a frame and handle bars. The bolt that connected the handle bars to the front fork was missing, so we used a stick. The axles were missing too, so a couple of more sticks were put to use. Living in a sawmill town had it advantages! Of course there was no chain and no sprocket for the rear wheel. It was truly a "coaster".

On the outskirts of Lyons there was a mile long grade on the state highway that came into town from the South. We decided that it would be the perfect hill for testing the bike. Yes, there was traffic but just an occasional log truck. Maybe every 15-20 minutes. that would give plenty of time to reach the bottom of the hill.

Safety was a concern and we decided to borrow a football helmet. The neighbor girl heard us talking. She was aways hanging around and apparently had more common sense that we did. She went a told my parents. They took one look at our "bike", told us not to leave the yard and jumped in the car.

I don't know where they found it, but they were back in less than an hour with a brand new bike, balloon tires and all. Soon I was racing around town on that bike. My parents got their money's worth. I would ride it until the middle of my high school years.

I'm back

2010-10-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

My last post was several months ago, but I'm back. My monthly goal is to write two notes in this blog each month. I learned a long time ago that if I write it down it will happen. There is something about a list a goals that motivates me. That is if the list is not too long and if the list hasn't filled up with busy work.

One of my other goals this week was to create a nook in the garage. I now have my desk set up and the bookshelf is mounted on the wall. Over half my books are out of the totes and I have thinned the collection, with 3 boxes of books and DVDs dropped off at the local library. The books will go into their quarterly sale. The DVDs may be used to replace damaged ones in their collection.

Years ago my dad made a camping box for the car. It is 24 inches wide, 21 inches tall and 10 inches deep. The front opens down and creates a table. Dad used it until he was able to graduate to a pickup and camper. Mom the took the box and made it into a writing box.

When she passed away it was one of the things I wanted. It has traveled with me for the past 20 years. In San Luis Obispo it held up one end of the desk I had made out of an old door. It has been stored in a garage at times. In Gladstone I built a frame that turned it into a stand up desk. In Sandy it sat on a beautiful old wooden card table in the corner of my room. Today it is the corner of the garage in my nook.

It brings back memories of my parents and sometime about it brings out the creativity. I haven't changed it and it holds my Morning Pages Journals and other keepsakes. Maybe I will take a picture and add it to this post.

The real message here today is that I'm back.

Bilyeu Den Cemetery

2010-05-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

This time of year my thoughts turn to cemeteries. Visiting the Bilyeu Den Cemetery in the rural community of Jordan, Oregon, are among my earliest memories. This is where many of my father's family are buried. The cemetery got it's name from the Bilyeu Family, who lived in the area. The cemetery was established in the 1857 and has changed a lot since my first memories, which was either a memorial day or the burial of my grandmother Ellen J. Weidman in 1951.

It has been over a year since my last visit and I printed out the roster from the Internet. 23 pages with a single column of data. Reading it brings back memories

There on page 1, between Lester R. Wood, a World War I Navy veteran, and Donald Wilber Fleming, are the names of my parents, Chester Lee and Lilia M. Grimes. I can picture their graves. nearby are my grandparents, Defsie and William Grimes and my step grandfather Clarence Barnett. Because he served in WWI, I have eligibility for membership in the Sons of the American Legion.

Laura Neal is here. She was my favorite substitute teacher at Mari-Linn School in Lyons. I think we had her for every grade. I enjoyed visiting their farm. Today a major portion of it is a county park.

Also there is Hazel Worth, my 7th grade teacher. We had history. She went to school with my dad. I grew up on stories of Hazel.

Near Hazel are my great-grandmother, Ellen Weidman and her mother, Elizabeth McCoy. there are also aunts, uncles and cousins of various degrees.

One memory I have of past visits was the number of young children buried there. Reviewing the roster confirmed that life was hard on infants and young children. the earliest burials seem to be the three young children of H & M.A. Bilyeu. All three died in 1857. James died June 17th at the age of 5 years, 1 month and 23 days. Then George H. died on December 26th, at the age of 3 years, 10 months and 13 days. Five days later Isabell died on December 31st, at the age of 2 months and 25 days.

Another family lost three children in October 1917. Were they victims of the Influenza Pandemic?

I have a new mystery. I remember doing some family research and finding a Farrier somewhere among my ancestors. Yesterday, on page 3 I found Ambrose and Marian Farrier, Pioneers of 1845. Now, where are those papers at?

It has been fun walking among those buried in the Bilyeu Den Cemetery. I sometimes wonder if someday I will be joining my family here.

No Mother, No Problem

2010-04-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, we all have a mother. Mine passed away over 20 years ago and I often think of her. Yet, there are many others who are never remembered. They are may be old and alone. There is no one to make Mother's Day (or any other day) special for them.

They are everywhere. Check with your local long term care facility, such as a nursing home or assisted living community. As your neighbors. Adopt a mother (or two) and make their day. A bouquet on Mother's Day would make their day. A card each month would be great. Your mother doesn't have to be gone in order to do this. I'm sure should would not mind sharing you.

Adopting a mother on Mother's Day has been on my Bucket List for several years. This is the first time that I have really promoted the idea.

Good Bye Virginia

2010-04-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

Elsie Virginia Turley

1920-2010

Learning of the death of a friends always brings back memories and disappointment in not being there to say goodbye. So it was with Virginia. I first met her soon after I became the activity director for a retirement and assisted living community in Sandy, Oregon. She had a reservation for a very specific apartment in our facility and was a frequent visitor for lunch.

We quickly became friends. I think it was three of the things we had in common. We were both Navy. Virginia enlisted in 1944 after getting her teaching degree from Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. two years before. She served in both Chicago and Cleveland as a member of the Shore Patrol. She often told me that the reason she joined the Navy was to find a man, and she did.

They were married after the war and moved to New Jersey. Her husband Frank was involved in the Scouting program as was I in Oregon and California. That was our second link.

He husband was also a Kiwanian and I was the president of two different clubs. For many years Virginia helped prepare for their biggest fundraiser, a fly-in and cruise-n She would round up a crew and they would spend the day assembling the napkins and flatware for the pancake breakfast. When she moved she brought the party with her and we would invite her friends to join us for lunch.

We became friend and I had many wonderful conversations with her. She one of our Red Hat ladies and I drove many of their outings and other trips that she enjoyed. I remember being invited to a family dinner at a nearby restaurant.

A private burial with military honors was held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland. I held a private memorial to remember a friend and fellow Veteran. Smooth sailing Virginia, good bye.

Just Rambling

2010-04-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's Friday morning and I'm sitting in my favorite coffee shop and enjoying my first cup of coffee of the day. It's time to come up with a blog entry. Because I call this "Tom's Rambling" I rarely plan ahead. Here is what I wrote this morning. so far I haven't taken my laptop to the coffee shop to write directly in the blog.

This week I read a note on one of my military sites that the remains of more of our Vietnam War missing have been found, identified and returned home. As a veterans and a member of the American Legion, I'm proud that we're still searching, still recovering and still honoring our "Missing In Action". Hopefully a lot more of their families will experience closure as the Department of Defense continues to search the battle fields.

This week I got word that one of the young men, a World War II veteran, from my youth had passed away. Leland had been a role model growing up in a small town in the foothill of the Cascade mountains in Western Oregon.

I continue to be amazed at the ability of Facebook to pull people together. I'm now friends with several of my high school classmates and some of my shipmates from my Navy days. There are even a handful of childhood friends from Lyons, that small down in the foothills. My hometown even has a fan page.

Well those are my random thoughts for today. Now I can enjoy the beautiful weather while it's here. Forecast calls for showers midweek.

Aimee or Ashlee?

2010-04-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

I have been taking pictures since my parents (or maybe it was my sister Dot) gave me my first camera. A photography class in high school really got me going. I learned to develop my own film (black and white) and print my pictures. During my junior year at Stayton Union High School I had several classes in the Industrial Arts building and I could finish the whole process in one day. It was exciting and at one point I even considered becoming a professional photographer.

The above picture was in a box of photographs I found amount the stuff I had moved from storage unit to storage unit. I scanned the picture and posted it on Facebook. I know she is one of my twins. It's either Aimee or Ashlee, but I have no idea. The comments were wonderful. Their brother had no idea and finally their comments showed up. Aimee said it was Ashlee because she always hogged the cat, Tigger. Ashlee said the same thing about Aimee. It is still a mystery.

Our memories fad but I have thousands of prints (even some of the negative) and a large tote full of slides. They are all pre-digital. There are thousands of digital pictures on cd's and on my external hard drive, which has room for thousands more. Thanks to Facebook I have been able to display some of my favorite pictures. A scanner let's me turn the prints into digital images. Facebook lets me share them with family and friends.

I also use them on the greeting cards I send out.

Tales from Sunken Grade

2010-03-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Later today I'm launching a new blog called "Tales from Sunken Grade". the name comes from the traffic sign. At some point I added "To write a book of Tales from Sunken Grade" to my bucket list. I always like the name and my head is full of stories about people I have known over the past 60+ years.

When I wrote my goal the plan was to write a story a week. Then I changed it to a story a month about life in and around Sunken Grade, a sawmill town in the coast range of Western Oregon. I got off to a good start but soon got bogged down in life. It has been a couple of years since I last added a story to the notebook, now in a box in the garage from my last move.

The stories are still running through my mind. So I have decided to create another blog as a place to deposit the tales from Sunken Grade. I will post an update on my Facebook page when I have posted a new entry.

Thank you to those who have encouraged me to keep writing. I hope you will enjoy the stories about life in Sunken Grade. Who knows, you might even recognize someone you know.

Weather forecast is rain all next week. Sunken Grade sees lots of rain throughout the year. A wet Spring is nothing new.

Good Bye Davy, Daniel and Fess

2010-03-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

I have spoken to several dozen groups as a life coach. One of my favorite topics is eliminating "missed opportunities" For me that was passing up a chance to met Ansel Adams or not visiting Spirit Lake at the base of Mt Saint Helens. Ansel Adams died before I had another opportunity to visit him in Carmel, California. Spirit Lake disappeared under 300 feet of rock and dirt when the mountain erupted on May 18, 1980.

This morning I woke realizing that I had missed the chance to met a childhood idol. For nearly 10 years I lived within a hour of the Fess Parker Winery in Santa Ynez, California. I drove past the winery countless times, always thinking that I would stop sometime in the future.

Yesterday, March 18, 2010, Fess Parker passed away at the age of 85. The King of the Wild Frontier is gone but he will continue to live in our hearts.

I was one of millions of youngsters who embraced the 6-foot, 6 inch Parker. He was the man in the coonskin cap who stood for the spirit of the American Frontier. Like other Boomers gripped by the Crockett craze, I had my cap. I have often wondered how many rabbits died to met the demand. I found an article this morning that reported that at one point 5,000 coonskin caps were sold a day. The price of furs when from 25 cents a point to $8.00 a pound.

Thank you Fess Parker for bringing Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and the wild frontier to life for us.

A Gem: Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve

2010-03-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

The Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve is a true gem. I discovered it soon after moving to Healdsburg in mid 2009.

On my first visit to the preserve I caught this picture. We watched each other for about 3 minutes. Then I made the mistake to shift slightly and he was gone in a flash of his white tail.

The preseve is located at the end of Arabian Way and contains several trails. I soon learned that most involve either going up or own hill. My usual route is to head east on the Fox Pond Trail. This trail is only .3 miles long and gradually climbs. At the end you and go left to the Fox Pond viewpoint or turn right and take the Ridge Trail. the name is a little deceiving. Most of this trail is very steep. From the Fox Pond Trail it is a steady climb through the Oak trees that cover the perserve.

This is one of homes I could see through the branches of the bare Oak trees as I climbed the Ridge Trail. I walk daily and thought I was in pretty good shape. I was wrong and had to take frequent stops on the climb.

The Russian River takes a perpentine path as it flows out of the Alexander Valley to the North and goes around Fitch Mounain. After floating the river once in a canoe, making a couple of trips to the preserve and viewing the area on Goggle Maps I finally understood the lay of the land.

The buildings in the center of the picture is the Rio Lindo Adventist Academy. At this point the river is flowing North toward you. It then turns left and flows past the academy again. At the end of the bit of water you can see is where the canoes are taken out of the water. The trek starts 8 miles up river, where the Alexender Valley Road crosses the river.

This last picture was taken from the Ridge Trail. This is Mount Saint Helena. The mountain has flanks in Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties. It is one of the few local mountains that receives any snowfall during the winter.

After visiting the Russian River Overlook I took the Ridge Trail down to the All-The-Oaks Trail and headed back to the preserve entrance. What is interesting is that from the Overlook down, the trail is paved. I have a feeling this area was set for development at one point.

I have just begun to explore the Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preseve. There are two other trails, the Serpentine Trail and the Blue Oak Trail. I'm sure I will be posting more pictures in the future. According to the sign at the entrence there are eight different oak trees in the preserve. Maybe I can find an example of each. When I visited the preserve last June the wildflower season was ending. Maybe I can catch it earlier and add to my wild flower collection.

This preseve is a true gem and I have encountered very few people and no trash. Thank you Healdsburg.

Signs of Spring

2010-03-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it that Spring will start in a couple weeks. I thought about that during my recent walk through nearly Badger Park. The fruit and ortimental trees have all bloomed and the daffidols have been showing their colors for the past couple of weeks. I noticed the tulips are beginning to come up.

Soon the vineyards that surround Healdsburg will come to live and soon will be covered with the grape blooms. Spring is a beautiful time of year here. It is a reminder of the cycle of the seasons.

This trail runs along the Russian River. It is narrow and was very muddy because of the rain the day before my walk. The river was running high and muddy, but the sky was blue with beautiful white clouds and the grass was very green. All in all it was a very enjoyable walk.

When was the last time you took a walk? It is amazing what you can see when walk. Take a camera along and share your photographs with the friends.

Have a great weekend.

Old Pictures Revisted

2010-02-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

I have spent the last couple of days looking for a digital photograph I took several years ago. Most of my images are on my external hard drive but some are on cd's that I used for backup. It has been fun traveling back in time.

Here are two images of Mt Shasta. The first one I took while driving North on I-5. It was a beautiful day and I could see the mountain way off in the distance. I knew just where I was going to stop to get a picture. There is a viewpoint just South of Dunsmuir. As the miles rolls by I looked forward the stopping and snapping the picture. I had never seen the mountain so white. It must have been covered with a fresh blanket of snow.

Finally I arrived at the view point, only to experience a big disappointment. A band of low clouds blocked the view of the mountain. After a short rest stop I continued on up I-5. The mountain remained blocked from view. After a meal stop in Yreka I continued North. Just North of Yreka the interstate crests a low ridge before dropping down to a bridge over the Shasta River. Looking back over I shoulder I could see the mountain. I quickly pulled off the road and took this picture.

On a later trip South I arrived in Weed, at the base the mountain just before sunset on a clear night. I stopped where I could get a good shot of the mountain and took another picture. The mountain was glowing pink and there was a full moon. However, it was not hanging over the mountain. This is one of the very few pictures that I have used a editing program to enhance. A little clipping and pasting moved the moon to where I wanted it.

I know, I doubt Ansel Adams would have approved. It was a chance shot, with the mountain bathed in the pink light of a setting sun. This was a once in a lifetime shot.

Mt Shasta is part of the Pacific ring of fire and like Mt Saint Helens, she will come back to life. The appearance of the mountain will be changed forever.

Upbeat Times "No Bad News is...Good News"

2010-02-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

Today I discovered a new newspaper here in Sonoma County. Actually, it's an old paper that has returned to print format. They have been publishing the positive side of life since 1998. Visit their website at www.upbeattimes.com. It is great local reading.

The Joy of Sending Cards

2010-02-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

I was stationed in Washington, DC, in 1976 when I met my first computer. It was a giant mainframe machine in the basement of the National Institutes of Health across the street from the National Naval Medical Center, where I was the assistant Military Personnel Officer. We had a remote data entry station. My systems guy could create reports but had to drive over, find a parking spot and go into the data center to get the printouts. I think I drove him crazy thinking up new ways to use this new tool. We finally got a printer and that made life a little easier.

The second machine we had was an IBM magcard typewriter. The technology was new but we took advantage of it. We only had to type a document one time. When we upgraded to the magcard2 it got even easier. As you revised a document the new version was saved to the second card. At one time my brother had a shop full of these old machines. He was an IBM typewriter repairman and worked in the factory that made the magcard machines.

I got my first computer a couple of years later. It was an Atari 800 and I was hooked, especially when email and the Internet came along.

In the fall of 2008 and friend showed me a neat program called Send Out Cards. It combined the benefits of the computer with the warmth of actually sending and receiving a card in the mail. The card has a first class stamp and can be written in own handwriting.

Today I average better than a one heartfelt card a day. I'm able to use my own pictures for a little more. The average card costs less than a $1.40 when I use my own pictures. I love taking someone picture and then sending them a card with their picture on the cover. I have also scanned old family photographs and used them on the card, like this picture of me and a friend.

Not everyone has an email address, I don't know it, or cannot find it. I have learned to send a card and in a few days I usually get an email or a phone call.

Why not try it out? Just click on the "Custom Greet Cards" link to the left and I will let you test drive the system. you can send a couple of cards on me and experience the fun of sending out greeting cards. One warning, it can be addictive.

Valentines Day with Williams and Ree

2010-02-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday we went to the Citrus Festival in Cloverdale. This was the 118th annual Festival, which is like a small country fair with everything including the 4-H animals. Not sure how this guy got in, but he was keeping his eyes on everyone. One beautiful bird.

Williams and Ree, The Indian and The White Guy, (you can find them in the internet) are among my favorite entertainers. First saw them at the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles about 20 years ago. I have been known to drive 2-3 hours to see them perform.

The weather was great this weekend, which the people at the festival enjoyed.

Time with Bill

2010-02-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

Today I'm at Kaiser Permanente Optometry clinic with a friend. Bill is a World War II veteran with dementia. We're here for his annual Photographic Diabetic Screening.

While setting in the waiting room I asked Bill if he remembered the day World War II ended, August 14, 1945. He seemed surprised to hear the war had ended. He was looking at a Time Magazine and the time and was looking a combat pictures from Iraq. So much of his memory is gone and maybe it's good that he has reached the point where he doesn't get upset when I cannot remember the past.

I asked because I have become involved with an organization dedicated to establishing a National Day of Remembrance so that our :greatest generation can help education and inspire future generations of Americans. This August 14, 2010, we will be marking the 65th anniversary of the end of war. Communities across America are being encouraged to held commemorative events to mark the day.

August 14, 1945 was the day that the burden of war was lifted from millions of military members. Theirs was a commitment to serve for the duration and a transition period. For them and their families, August 14th marked the day the greatest generation could start thinking about the future. A grateful nation thanked them with the GI Education Bill and home loans. The depression was history and the face of America would never the the same.

Now the these veterans are in the twilight of their lives. Some remain very active and while others are suffering from illnesses like Bill. The third objective of the Spirit of 45 campaign is to collect first hand memories of those who experienced the joy of August 14, 1945, so they can be a permanent reminder of a time when the people of America were united to face a common challenge. I wanted to record Bill's memories but discovered I was too late.

You can help us capture these memories. If you know a World War II veteran or someone who was on the home front, visit www.spiritof45.org and learn how to collect their memories. Then record them and add them to the website. Time is running out!

First Post of 2010

2010-02-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have been absent for several months. As I mentioned earlier, I have moved to Healdsburg, California, in the heart of the Sonoma County Vineyards. There have been many distrations here, but it's time to put those aside and get back to writing in my blogs.

I have added a weekly reminder on my to-do-list to write a weekly blog entry. Maybe that will help me focus.

Living Treasures

2009-07-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

Reading the paper while sipping coffee at Bean Affair Coffee and More I came across two obituaries that reminded me of one of my dreams. Several years ago I had read about the Living Treasures program in Santa Fe, New Mexico: honor the elders who have generously served the community with kind hearts and good deeds.

The first obituary was for Robert “Reg” Wilson, a native of the Sonoma Valley. He passed away days after being inducted into the Sonoma Valley High School’s athletic hall of fame. The event was one of the highlights of his life.

The second was for Virginia Sweet. As a child she was inspired by a story she read about Amelia Earhart’s transatlantic flight. During World War II she became of the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots. The WASP’s were civilians that ferried planes from factories to air bases around the world. She flew 52 different types of military aircraft, including the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-29 Superfortress bombers and the p-51 Mustang.

After the war these ladies were basically forgotten. That is until July 1, 2009, when President Obama, signed a law that offered recognition and Congressional Gold Medals, the highest award Congress can give to a civilian, to the WASP fliers. Virginia Sweet had suffered a stroke earlier in the year and the family feels that she may not have understood what they had told her about the hard-won honor. She has since passed away and a niece will accept her Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony later this year.

One was recognized and honored by his community, the other passed away not knowing of the recognition. That is why the living Treasures program intrigues me.
We need to honor the elders in our communities while they are living and are able to participate. Before leaving Oregon I had the pleasure of organizing one ceremony at the church I was attending. Reading these two obituaries makes me want to start the program here in Healdsburg.

Cup of Coffee Networking in Healdsburg

2009-07-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Cup of Coffee Networking

After two years of involvement with the Sandy (Oregon) Area Chamber of Commerce’s Good Morning and Good Evening networking meetings I moved. My new community has very few networking opportunities. So, I realized I had the opportunity to start a Cup of Coffee Networking group. A private investigator from Oklahoma, Joe Sting, the networking movement based on coffee, networking and free. The only cost is the cost of the coffee at the host coffee shop,

On Tuesday, July 21st, I will host the first meeting of the Healdsburg Cub of Coffee Networkers meeting at Bean Affair, 1270 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, We’ll start at 9am. This is one of the great places.

Have been promoting through the limited network I have already created here in Healdsburg. It will be fun to watch the group go. Joe has two websites: http://www.cupofcoffeenetworkers.com/ and http://www.cupofcoffeenetworkersonline.com/. There is also a facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=45338304730

Happy networking

50 Life Lessons from Regina Brett

2009-07-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last week a friend sent me an email on 50 life lessons. It ended stating that only 7% of the people would forward it. The email I got identified the author as a 90 year old columist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

A google search revealed a bio and email adress. I sent Ms Brett an email and got the following response. The power of the internet is amazing.

She said I could forward the lessons. I hope that includes this posting on my blog. The picture is from her website.

Tom

Thank you for reading my life lessons. Feel free to forward them on to others to share.

Yes, I am the author.
No, I am not 90 years old. I actually turned 53 this year.

The Plain Dealer ran my 45 lessons when I turned 45. I added
5 more and the paper ran all 50 when I turned 50.

The 50 life lessons column is the most popular column I’ve ever written in my 15 years as a columnist. Below is the original version. Please feel free to forward it to all you know, but please keep my name and contact information with it.

You can read more about the "lessons" in April of 2010 when Grand Central Publishing releases my book, "God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours." You’ll be able to learn more about that at http://www.reginabrett.com/ in the coming months.

Thanks again for sharing the lessons. Feel free to share yours with me.

All the best,

Regina Brett

Metro Columnist
The Plain Dealer
http://www.reginabrett.com/
www.cleveland.com/brett
216-999-6328

Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on
by Regina Brett

Sunday May 28, 2006

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

To reach this Plain Dealer columnist:
rbrett@plaind.com or 216-999-6328
To read more of her work:
http://www.reginabrett.com/
www.cleveland.com/brett

Thank You Mrs. G.

2009-06-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

At Stayton Union High School we had two biology teachers. Dr. McKenzie taught six periods and Mrs Guttormsen, the girls PE teacher taught 7th period Biology. Long before the books became popular I was able to be part of "Biology of Dummies". That's what I remember. Me and the cheerleaders, so who is complaining. I passed and later, in my senior year, Mrs. G let me take her daughter Beth to the senior prom.

Through a little detective work on the internet and a helpful Beth, I was able to track Mrs. G down and yesterday I sent her a thank you card.

Not saying "thank you" before it is too late and a "missed opportunity" and I have had enough of those. I had some great teachers in my 12 years of education in Lyons and Stayton. Almost all are gone now. Mrs. G now represents all of them.

Riverside Mission Inn

2009-06-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

The Mission Inn of Riverside is more than a hotel. It is a museum, an arts center, a historical landmark and a hotel. The inn evolved from the two-story adobe home built by the parents of Frank Augustus Miller after moving to Riverside in 1874. The home was not in the Spanish style. The family took in guests and started adding hotel wings. Frank took over the hotel-home in 1880 and continued to expand the hotel.

It became a winter destination resort hotel, with guests arriving on one of the three railroads serving Riverside. Later they would arrive by automobile. The inn now reflects the long neglected early Spanish and Mexican heritage of California. It fills an entire city block in downtown Riverside. The property includes several restaurants and two chapels. It has been fully restored and is a National historical landmark.

We only had the chance to enjoy the Mission Inn restaurant but plan on returning when The California Department of the American Legion next holds their conference in Riverside. The food was excellent and there is so much more to explore. Spending a weekend at the Riverside Mission Inn is now on our bucket list.

Healdsburg, California

2009-06-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

The mountain at the end of the street has changed. Now it is Fitch Mountain and I haven't got a picture yet. There is rare snow of cold winter mornings. Today the mountain is during brown (Golden by local definition) as the spring rains end.

There is a river too. The Russian River runs past Healdsburg on it way to the Pacific Ocean. The picture at the left is the old highway bridge. It crosses over Lake Sotoyome at the Veterans Memorial Beach. In past years a seasonal dam created the lake between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Now the dam is delayed to protect a non-native fish population that has invaded the river. The lake was once site of beautiful water festivals.

I'm not sure what this represents but I have wanted to get a picture of it since it first appeared.
Healdsburg is a city of nearly 12,000 located on what was Rancho Sotoyome, a 48,800 acre Mexican land grant awarded to sea captain Henry Delano Fitch in 1841. Fitch promptly hired trapper Cyrus Alexander to manage his bountiful rancho (the magnificent Alexander Valley is named for this early tenant). The California gold rush of 1849 brought itinerants, squatters, and failed miners to the more generous farming land here. Over the years, these squatters settled on the verdant land owned by the Fitch family. In 1857, a fight named the "Westside Road Wars" commenced among the squatters. One of the winners of this colorful conflict was Harmon Heald, an Ohio entrepreneur.

Note, the name is Healdsburg. However a new owner remained the old A&W on Healdsburg Ave. I had to get a picture of their sign.

Though the town was not founded during Mexican rule, Healdsburg is centered on a 19th century plaza that still provides an important focal point for tourists and locals alike. I didn't get a picture of the plaza yesterday, but did get a picture of the Memorial to the son's of Healdsburg who lost their lives during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm.

Stay tuned for more as I begin to explore my new home.

I'm on the Wall

2009-05-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

Local Talent Coffee & Dessert Company is the creation of Heather and Ryan Brown. They have created a gallary of photographs on the wall of their coffee shop. That's me in the middle of the second row.

Here are the creators of Local Talent.

They are graduates of the Western School of Culinary Arts and have created a wonderful coffee and dessert shop in downtown Sandy. They have created a mini cafe in part of an old service station in downtown Sandy (38871 Proctor Blvd -- the west bound (toward Gresham) lanes of hwy 26). In addition to a wide range of desserts, Heathers creates scrabbles and breakfast sandwitches. At lunch there is a soup of the day and usually some type of salad. I also forgot the biscuts and gravy.

So, next time you are passing through Sandy, take a few minutes to visit Local Talent. The coffee is great and the desserts and food is wonderful. Heather and Ryan are truly local talents. Also, check on my picture on the wall.

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is from my blog post on Friday, March 09, 2007

A Memorial Day Note

I know Memorial Day is still several weeks away, but I came across this article I had written in 2002. I was looking or something else but this one spoke to me. If we want to do something different this Memorial Day, May 28th, we should start planning now.

While researching material for my Memorial Day presentation to the Columbia Gorge Kiwanis Club I came across the following on the Internet:

"This weekend I am going to do something different. I am going to buy some carnations each day and go to one of the nearby cemeteries and walk through the sections for soldiers. When I find a grave that has no flowers, I'll leave one and say a prayer for the family of that person, who for some reason could not bring their soldier flowers. I will pray for our country and all who serve or have served. For their families, who also serve by losing precious days, weeks and months spent with their loved ones who are off serving, preserving peace and the freedom we have in this country. I'll pray for the families who paid the ultimate price, who's loved ones died, or were taken captive and never returned. I'll pray for anyone who may still be held in captivity and thinks perhaps they are forgotten. I do NOT forget."

How are you going spending this Memorial Day? Is this just the third day of the three day weekend that marks the beginning of summer? Did you visit the grave of someone who served his or her country? Did you pause for a moment to remember the true meaning of today?
I will be in a local cemetery tomorrow morning with a bunch of carnations, looking for the graves of servicemen without flowers. I will leave one and say a prayer for that person. In many cases, it’s not that the families forget; there are no families left to remember these men & women. I do not forget.

Moina Michaels wrote in the following in 1915.
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

General Order 11 of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued in 1868, states:
“Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.”

In 2002 I went to a local cemetery. Since then I have traveled to Cathlamet, Washington, my mother’s hometown and visited the cemetery when my relatives are buried. I have taken a bunch of carnations and visited each of their graves. I have also honored the veterans long forgotten.

Where will you be on Memorial Day?

Just write

2009-05-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

It’s Saturday and time for my weekly blog post. That’s my plan now, to create a posting every Saturday regardless of any other posts during the week.

I have been encouraging a high school classmate to start a blog. She is a wonderful writer and story teller, but she feels she has nothing to write about. That’s the nice thing about blogs. You just write.

This past week I sent her the following:

“You have a ton of material in the emails you have sent me. Just write about what you are doing and thinking. Write about the sunrise to the East on a beautiful morning, the sunset to the west, the memories from the fresh cut grass. Write about growing up in Stayton in the shadow of the woolen mill. Write about finding a Paris Woolen mill lap blanket in a bottom draw that you just opened, and the memories it brings to life. Write about you spiritual journey. Write to leave a legacy for your grandchildren, great grandchildren and their great grandchildren. Leave them more than the dash between the dates on your tombstone and on the family genealogical records.

“Writing that last sentence made me remember the thrill of searching a microfilm of veteran pension applications at the Oregon Historical Society and finding the grandma McCoy's application, in her own handwriting.

“Write whatever comes into your mind. Let the spirit, let your God move the pen across the page (or your fingers across the keyboard of your computer) Write and share your life with the world.”

Mountain at the end of the street

2009-05-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

One of the things I like about living in Sandy is the ever changing views of Mt Hood. The mountain can be very close or very far away, depending upon your view. When I walk out to Proctor Blvd I can look East and see the mountain. Well, on clear days I can. It looks like the mountain is at the east end of Proctor Blvd. The earlier picture was taken just a few blocks away. It's too bad the power lines will remain. This picture was taken in the early evening and the mountain was catching the beginning of a beautiful sunset.

The New Me!

2009-05-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last month I was invited to be the Master of Ceremonies for the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce's annual awards banquet. I remained very calm when asked, but it is one of the things I had wanted to do. I had actually put it on my "bucket list". When it is written down it is just wishful thinking. So, I wrote it down and it happened. Paula Root, a local Farmers Insurance agent took this picture of me. A year ago I was 80 pounds heavier. What a difference! Ask me how I did it.

Mothers Day

2009-05-10T09:01:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Graduation

2009-05-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

In my last posting I mentioned that my daughters would be graduating from the University of Portland. That happened this past weekend. It actually took two days. Saturday was the pinning ceremony for the nursing students. Aimee is a member of the 75th class of RN’s. They are 160 strong this year.

Saturday night was the president’s reception. It was held on the indoor tennis courts. Sunday stared with brunch and then standing in line to get into the Chiles Center. The commencement ceremonies started at 1:30pm and it was nearly 5pm before all the degrees (700+) were presented.

Aimee has a BS in Nursing. She is on her way to Texas and a new adventure. Ashlee has earned a BS in Secondary Education, with second major in history and a minor in Psychology. She is now looking for teaching position here in Oregon.

End of Month Thoughts (A day late)

2009-05-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

I know, the title of this blog is “Tom's Rambling” and I would be the first one to admit that I have not been too faithful in rambling. I will try to do better.

Sunday is graduation day for my daughters. They are wrapping up four years at the Unversity of Portland. Aimee will have a degree in Nursing and Ashlee’s will be in education. I’m very proud of the two of them.

The picture was taken four years ago at their graduation from Grants Pass High School. It seems like only yesterday. That's Aimee on the left and Ashlee on the right.

It was a year ago that I finally asked Melissa Niece to set down and explain the weight loss program that she had been promoting at the Good Morning Sandy. A friend had gone from a size 44 to size 36 overnight and I was headed for a size 46 and larger shirts. After she got my attention I understood a simple fact: it’s calories in and calories out. I had managed to save up about 300,000 calories on the chance that I might miss a meal or two. I went on the program and it was a life changing experience. Melissa and John and now my health and business coaches and I’m helping other people discover the can take control there health. http://www.coachtom.tsfl.com/

This past week I also sent out my 200th greeting card. That’s only since December 2nd. The link to my card site is http://www.remembergreetingcards.com/TheCardCoach. Take a few minutes to check out the site and send a couple of cards on me.

Ok, I'm a day late, but I promise to do better in the future.

Moving to Sandy, Oregon

2009-03-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is a journey that I started two years ago. Somehow I first ended up in Damascus and then moved to Gladstone, Oregon a year ago. Now I'm finally making the move to Sandy, which will save me lot's of gas, since I'm in Sandy three or four days a week. The move will also save time too, since it is a 40 mile round trip.

Sandy is best known as the gateway to Mt Hood. The picture is from a recent chamber of commerce meeting at Mt Hood Hospice. This is the view of the mountain that we have on a clear day. Days such as this occur more often that we like to admit. The image of rain, rain and more rain helps keeps visitors away (don't let the people at the Chamber know I said that). Of course, rain in the valleys and foothills mean snow on the mountain.

The white patch of snow in front of the mountain is on the Devil's backbone. That is where the Barlow Road came down from Mt Hood. The wagon trains stayed on the high ground to avoid swampy areas along the river bottoms. From the backbone they had to drop down and cross the Sandy river. Then it was a steep climb up to Sandy. This was the last leg of the Oregon Trail.

Ok, enough history.

How long will I stay in Sandy. Who knows, it could be a couple of months or the rest of my life. I like the community, but opportunties may come along that draw me to other places. Until that happens, Sandy will be home.

4 Years of Blogging

2009-01-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

I almost missed celebrating my forth anniversary of blogging. It was 4 years ago this month that I wrote my first blog entry. I will admit that it has been hit and miss. My goal has been one entry a week. There where times that I didn't average one per month.

This next year I will do better.

What does Jerome Kersey and CoachTom Have in Common?

2009-01-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

Right off the bat, I want you to know that I’m not a professional basketball fan. Yes, I know, I live 20 minutes from the home of the Portland Trailblazers. So.

However, Friday night I had the opportunity to met Jerome Kersey (he’s the one on the left in the photo above). We both health coaches with a great company and Friday night we were at the Red Lion at Jenzen Beach for an overview of Take Shape for Life Program. We were there with over 1,100 people, the largest informational meeting in the history of the eight year old company.

Some came to meet Jerome and to have their picture taken with him. The majority of us were there to hear about how we can help reverse the trend of obesity in America.

The path to permanent weight control and optimal health started right here it Portland, Oregon. This is where Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen developed and field-tested the Take Shape for Life program.

Does it work? I think so. Since May 2008 have lost and kept off 80 pounds. I haven’t felt (and have been told looked) this good in years. My health coach asked me a simple question: could I eat every 2 ½ to 3 hours? I had no problem eating all day. I started on May 9th and never looked back. What is neat is that I have been able to go back to my favorite foods. I love banana cream pie and have it daily now. It’s a fat free yogurt, but have discovered I like it better than the real stuff. Yes, so of you would say I’m strange. I don’t mind. Every time I look in the mirror I thank Dr. Andersen.

I’m not going to list my phone number or email here, so this is not a commercial, but leave me a comment if you would like more information for yourself or a friend or family member. Together we just might save someone’s life. Friends don’t let friends eat too much.

Culinary Artist Date: The Blue Sage Cafe, West Linn

2009-01-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

After seven months of a very structure meal replacement plan I was able to enjoy a Blue Sage Burger and fries (sweet potato). Oh what a treat for my first culinary artist date.

“Much of us dread dieting, associating it with hardship and deprivation. But what if healthful eating was actually fun.” That is how Julia Cameron introduces The Fifth Tool of The Writing Diet. She proposes taking a “festive, creative culinary outing once a week.” She goes on to say that theses culinary artist dates are “a serious tools for self-discovery.”

Between May and October I managed to reduce my weight by 31% and have been able to keep it off since then. My meal plan now allows me to enjoy the weekly culinary dates.

Where to go for my first one? I left home at noon with the intention of exploring the shopping area of West Linn, right across the Willamette River from Gladstone. I had been there once before but had not taken the time to explore the shops.

I quickly found the Blue Sage Café (http://www.bluesagecafe.com/) in West Linn’s Central Village. There are two restaurants. The other is in nearby Lake Owego. The founders of the Old Spaghetti Factory Restaurants own them. The atmosphere is “elegant ranch style” and the American cuisine has a Southwest flair. Rhonda, my server had me feel right a home.

Hamburgers have not been a part of my life since May, and while the menu has many great choices, I went for the Blue Sage Burger and sweet potato fries (pictured above). The burger was very good, as was the service. All in all I had a very successful first culinary artist date. I highly recommend the Blue Sage Café. They are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and for breakfast on the weekends.

Ok, Enough Snow

2008-12-26T19:50:00.001-08:00

I don't think the City of Gladstone owns a snowplow. If they do, they are not using it. This is the street I live on. The best place to walk is right down the middle of the street. Very few people have cleaned their sidewalks.

The car chains has kept the snow churned up and it turned warm so the ice is breaking up too. It's a ten block round trip to my favorite coffee shop. I'm still trying to walk every day. Besides, I don't like to drive in messes like this.

According to the National Weather Service we had the whitest Christmas since records were started. Ok, it set it, now let it warm up so we can get on with living.

Scary

2008-12-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

I just had a very scary experience. Nothing to do with the winter weather here in Portland. Worse. I had a memory lapse and forget the email address and password for my Blogger account. Thanks to Google I was able to recover what email account I had used and reset my password. What a relief. I felt cutoff from the world.

Ten Things I'm Thankful for this Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving. It's been quite some time since I've blogged and boy have I missed it! So, today, I’m back to blogging again. I'd like to do my top ten list of things that I am thankful for. I think this is especially pertinent given the level of fear and concern about the economic state in this country...

1. Unconditional love.

2. The unexpected changes of direction in my life that has opened many new opportunities.

3. The opportunity to explore the second sixty years of my life that has given me a new career that I am passionate about; it's still work and really hard work, but the challenge and continual learning it provides gets me up in the morning.

4. Warm mud between my toes on a summer day that reminds me of my roots grow deep in the rich soil of Oregon.

5. The ability to move into a community and make myself at home with new surroundings and new friends.

6. Having the opportunity to share my knowledge and life experiences.

7. For my own health coach for helping me, at 62 years of age, to lose 80 pounds and showing me how to keep it off forever.

8. Family that I actually enjoy spending time with; and friends that I couldn't live without.

9. A country that has a democratic process that allows for change, significant and dramatic change, driven by the people and without violence and unrest.

10. For all the servicemen and women on duty around the world, guarding our freedom and for all the Veterans who served their country.

I hope that each of you to take a moment to think about what you are most thankful for - and I encourage you to share that with others.

An Update from Gladstone

2008-10-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

I decided it is time to post an update. I have been self-employed for a month now and still enjoying the adventure.

My Take Shape for Life health coaching practice (www.coachtom.tsfl.com) is growing. Even with the uncertain economic times people still need to eat and insteret in creating additional income streams is growing. I will be expanding my business in the wine country of Sonoma County, California in the next couple of months. There are a large number of Take Shape for Life health coaches here in the Portland area.
Personally, I have now lost (no destroyed - what is lost can be found) 80 pounds and within the next week to ten days will start the transition phase. The backroads and small towns website (www.backroadsandsmalltowns.com) is in the final stages of testing and I have been working on the sales materials. By the beginning of November we will be recruiting sales representatives across the country. The sales commissions will be in he 50-60% range. Visit the website and click on Oregon. It wil give you an idea how the site will work.

I'm now a "Netweaver in Training" (www.netweaving.com) Have been working with Robert Littell, author of "Power Netweaving" and "The Heart and Art of Netweaving." This is golden rule and "Pay It Forward" version of networking. I continue to be involved with the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce and have found several other networking groups in the area. For relaxation I like to hang out at one of the areas Great Good Places, the Happy Rock Coffee Company, here in Gladstone.

The Great Good Place is a book by Ray Oldenburg. He writes about the cafes, coffe shops and other hangouts that are at the heart of a community. One of these days I will figure out how to get my Amazon links to work here on my blog. Tom

New Blog: Back Roads and Small Towns USA

2008-09-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

This morning I created a new blog: http://backroadsandsmalltownusa.blogspot.com/.

I'm now the National Sales Manager for www.backroadsandsmalltowns.com and will be recruiting sales representatives nationwide.

Backroads & Small Towns is an idea hatched by Joseph Shelley of Sandy, Oregon. He started development in late 2007.The main though is to provide a single place for all small towns and their businesses to have an inexpensive way to get their basic information out on the web. The other reason for this is for travelers to be able to find information about these out of the way places that many people never knew existed.

Seaching for Yoder

2008-09-01T20:24:00.001-07:00

Now please understand, Yoder was never lost, I just couldn’t find the little Willamette Valley community.

The Saturday started out simple enough. My eldest sister, with whom I share a town house, wanted to visit Al’s Nursery in Woodburn. We live just a block off of Hwy 99E in Gladstone, Oregon. For those of you who don’t know, Gladstone is located between Oak Grove and Oregon City, north of where the Clackamas River joins the Willamette River. Time wise the city is somewhere between the 1940’s and the 1960’s. Most peole zip by on the 205 freeway, which is the way most local people like it.

Anyway, we headed South to Al’s Nursery and had a great time viewing the wide variety of plants. Soon the car was loaded with two large hanging baskets in the truck and the back seat was full of plants too. Lunch was next on the agenda. I had thought about going back to Canby. Then I remembered the Marquam Inn, located in the small community of Marquam on the Cascade Highway. I had no problem finding the place and we had a very enjoyable lunch.

After lunch we headed for home. I have driven the Cascade Highway many times. When I twin daughters were with me I would always say “where’s Yoder?” when we passed the sign. They would respond “yonder.” Ok, it’s a bit corny, but we would laugh and enjoy the humor.

So, I decided to take my sister to Yoder. Now I have been to Yoder but never from the Cascade highway. We headed north and made the left turn onto Babcock Road. The sign said Yoder 4 miles.

Babcock Road soon ended at a “T” intersection and a filbert (ok hazelnut) orchard and no sign. Right or left on Dryland Road? I decided on left and drove for what seemed like 5 or 6 miles. No Yoder and no signs. I turned about and went back to the intersection and took the right arm of Dryland. We soon came to another intersection. I picked right again and in a couple of miles was back to Babcock Road, right where we had started from.

Around we went again. This time I turned left and nothing looked familiar and no sign of Yoder. So back to the last intersection and I made a left turn onto Dryland. Soon the countryside changed from valley to foothills. At one point we had a great view from high above the Willamette Valley. After a series of roads I found one headed down onto the valley floor and soon were were approaching a small community.

As we got closer I told my sister there would be an antique store around the next corner. Sure enough. We were back in Marquem and nowhere near Yoder. At that point I gave up. We were soon headed up the Cascade Highway toward Oregon City and home, only to be detoured when we got to Molalla because of bridge construction.

I made a left turn toward Woodburn and knew that I could get to Highway 99E there or in Canby. Soon I came to a highway sign “Marquam – Canby Road” Then there was another sign pointing to the left. “Yoder – 1 mile.” I turned right. Yoder will have to wait for another day.

What is so exciting about Yoder? Nothing. According to Ralph Friedman book In Search of Western Oregon, Yoder was established in 1915. the Yoder family had settled in the area in the 1888 and the place was called Yoderville. The family still owns the lumber mill, built in 1891 and there is a store, built when the Willamette Valley Southern RR arrived. According to Wikipedia, the community is best known as a filming location for Nowhere Man (TV series).

Maybe next time we will carry a map with us. Why Yoder? No reason, I just like the name.

Off on a new adventure with Squidoo

2008-08-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Today I created my first lens (web page) on Squidoo (http://www.squidoo.com/) Squidoo is an awesome site that let's us create our own web pages. I have already discovered that the magic of Squidoo is how quickly the serendipity of exploration kicks in. Another words, there are thousands of pages on hundreds of topics just waiting to be explored. It's very easy to get lost surfing.

The link to my lens is http://www.squidoo.com/coachtom. Take a look and give me some feedback. There is a comment section at the bottom of the page.

As you can see from the lens, I'm building my Take Shape for Life coaching practice. This week I joined the Sandy (Oregon) Area Chamber of Commerce and worked a booth at their annual Golf Tournament at the Resort at the Mountain (http://www.theresort.com/) That was Wednesday when it rained all day.

The weight? It's still coming off. I have now lost 65 pounds since May 9th. I cannot remember being this skinny. I feel great and people tell me I look great too.

Summer of loss

2008-08-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

Like many people I have experienced weight gain over time. Yes, I was once skinny. I can barely remember it, but I do have the pictures to remind me.

Since 2000 I have been writing a goal “to reach my ideal weight in a healthy way by December 31, 2000. Then every January 1st I would change the year.

This year started the same way, with me weighing a record high of 267. That’s a hundred pounds heavier than I was in the above picture.
I spent time upgrading my goals, knowing that there would be no change. I would plan to lose a pound a week and in the first 18 weeks I had managed to lose 7 pounds.

All during this time I had been watching Melissa at the weekly Sandy Chamber of Commerce meetings. She was promoting a weight management program. Then another friend announced he had gone from a size 44 to a size 36 pants in a very short period. That got my attention.

About the same time an associate at work left me a note on my computer that included a drawing of me that was very unflattering. I also hated to see myself in mirrors. The drawing was right; I was fat, obese according to the Body Mass Index.

A phone call to Melissa started me on a new adventure. On May 9th I started using the program. On Sunday, August 10th, 14 weeks later I had lost 60 pounds, two thirds of the way to my ideal body weight of 170.

The real challenge is still ahead of me. 85% of people who diet will end up regaining their weight. Eating right and exercising are not temporary conditions to be dumped when I reach my ideal body weight. They are lifestyle choices, and ones to be made for a lifetime.
Stay turned for further updates.

Bit of Oregon and Literary History Preserved

2008-05-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

Today, while surfing the net on the second hottest day of 2008, I came across an AP report that ownership of a remote 32 acres in the middle of the Rogue River wild and scenic area had been sold to the Bureau of Land Management.

The land, at Winkle Bar, was the old mining claim purchased by Zane Grey in 1926. There he built a crude one-room cabin of peeled logs and hand-split shingles. This was his wilderness retreat. Grey loved what would become one of the first rivers protected by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1962.

Grey first discovered the Rogue River in 1916 and the river became the backdrop for his novel “Rogue River Feud”. What other stories came out of his visits to the remote cabin?

The AP reporter interviewed Eric Grey, Zane’s great grandson. The article quotes Eric saying that Zane Grey once wrote, “The quail and trout have vanished from California and the forests are following. I’m glad Romer (Zane Grey’s son and Eric’s grandfather) can still see something of wild America, but I fear his son never will.”

This bit of Oregon and literary history is being preserved, Rafters on the wild section of the Rogue will continue to stop and peer into the windows and wonder about the man who created a retreat in this bit of the wild west. What dreams does the brief visit inspire today?

Honoring an American Hero

2008-05-10T16:23:00.001-07:00

Today (Saturday, May 10, 2008) there was a gathering that included four Medal of Honor recipients and seven former prisoners of war. They were at Bath Iron Works to honor a fellow Vietnam POW and Medal of Honor receipient.

Vice Admiral James Stockdale flew 201 carrier-based missions before being shot down in 1965. He was the highest-ranking naval officer captured during the war and spent 7 ½ years in captivity in North Vietnam. Upon his release in 1973, he received 26 combat decorations, including the Medal of Honor.

He was honored today with the christening of the USS Stockdale, the Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer. His widow, Sybil, christened the ship with the traditional bottle of champgagne

Noting that the new destroyer's motto is "Return with Honor," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said "Admiral James Stockdale did just that, and our nation is forever indebted to him. I know that all who serve on the ship that bears his name will do the same."

In a few months the ship will sea trials and sometime next Fall will be commissioned as the USS Stockdale (DDG-106).

Good Bye Audray

2008-04-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile someone who touches my life without me even realizing it. Three years ago I came across a reference to the “Adopt A Nursing Home” program in Texas. My search for information leads me to Audray Landrum in Tyler, Texas. We may have met on the How Much Joy Facilitators group on Yahoo. Anyway we connected and she sent me a wealth in information on the “Adopt A Nursing Home” program.

A year ago I moved and did not have easy access to the Internet and I lost touch with many people, including Audrey.

Today I decided to check out a publication she wrote for The Senior Voice. Her column wasn’t in the latest issue. I started back through the issues and found her last column in the June 2007 issue.

Going back to July I found a note that Audrey had moved to Chicago for cancer treatment. Further research revealed that she had passed away on October 23rd.

The Senior View reprinted the following quote. In their December 2007 issue

“I’ve come to understand that happiness doesn’t just happen, it requires
effort. We begin with the decision to be happy, we take action in search of
it and most of all we are willing to receive it. In this glorious season of celebration,
I hope you will seek and find a light heart. After all, we’re
workin’ for God!”

I’m going to miss Audray. We only talked once or twice and exchanged a couple of dozen emails.

Thank you Audray for your friendship.

Saying Goodbye to a Neighbor

2007-12-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

We often become very comfortable with our neighbors and don’t really pay attention to them. They will always be around.

When Lewis and Clark came West everything was new to them. By trails end they had described 178 plants and 122 animals previously unrecorded for science. The Sitka Spruce, a species new to science, was described in detail by Meriwether Lewis on Tuesday, February 4, 1806.

" there are several species of fir in this neighborhood which I shall describe as well as my slender botanical skill will enable me... grows to immense size; very commonly 27 feet in the girth six feet above the surface of the earth, and in several instances we have found them as much as 36 feet in the girth or 12 feet diameter perfectly solid and entire. they frequently rise to the height of 230 feet, and one hundred and twenty or 30 of that height without a limb."

Until last night (December 2, 2007) Modern-day explorers could view a Giant Sitka at Klootchy Creek Park, Oregon. Klootchy Creek Giant - aka the Seaside Spruce- is a Sitka Spruce that stands 216 feet tall, measures 56 feet in circumference and has a crown that spreads 93 feet. That makes it the biggest tree in the State of Oregon and the biggest Sitka Spruce in the Country. The Klootchy giant has been named Oregon's first Heritage Tree, a program that recognizes trees for their connection to Oregon History.

Klootchy Creek Giant is located southeast of Seaside, Oregon on Highway
The 750-year-old Oregon tree is most likely the state's oldest and has been admired through time, said Paul Ries, forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry. "We know foresters passed up that tree when they were scouting for lumber during World War I," he said.

During WWI logger were recruited and assigned to the Spruce Division. Their job was to log the giant spruces in Oregon and Washington. Spruce was an ideal wood for manufacturing aircraft.

The Sitka has been an Oregon icon. A sign on U.S. 26, some 1 1/2 miles east of its junction with Highway 101, diverts a steady stream of traffic across a single-lane bridge into a parking lot not far from the base of the majestic tree. Though many motorists make it a point to visit the Sitka on their way to the coast, others simply see the sign, "Largest Sitka spruce tree in the United States," and turn in out of curiosity.

Five decades ago the The Klootchy Creek Giant was struck by lightening and the tree was badly damaged during winter storms in 2006. The tree was allowed to stand while visitors are kept a safe distance in case it falls.

Now those people who drive pass the sign and said “some day we’ll stop” have missed an opportunity to visit a giant and a living legend. Of course they can always drive North and visit a sister tree that Washington claims is just as big.

Friday Mornings at the Pentagon

2007-12-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

A very touching article that I think everyone should be aware of. Even us old sea dogs can be proud of how the Army honors their wounded. Tom

Friday Mornings at the Pentagon By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY McClatchy

Newspapers Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel have given their lives in the terrible duty that is war.

Thousands more hav e come home on stretchers, horribly wounded and facing months or years in military hospitals. This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert Bateman , who recently completed a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon. Here's Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony that fills the halls of the Army corridor of the Pentagon with cheers, applause and many tears every Friday morning

It first appeared on May 17 on the Weblog of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media Matters for America Website.

"It is 110 yards from the "E" ring to the "A" ring of the Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is newly renovated; the floors shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few sergeants and some civilians, all crammed tightly three and four deep against the walls. There are thousands here.

"This hallway, more than any other, is the `Army' hallway. The G3 offices line one side, G2 the other, G8 is around the corner. All Army. Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may not have seen each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the way and renew.

"Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the center. The air conditioning system was not designed for this press of bodies in this area. The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares.

"10:36 hours: The clapping starts at the E-Ring. That is the outermost of the five rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the building. This clapping is low, sustained, hearty. It is applause with a deep emotion behind it as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the hallway.

"A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the forward edge with his presence. He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one leg, and some of his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is a private, or perhaps a private first class.

"Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I described one of these events, those lining the hallways were somewhat different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for not having shared in the burden ... yet.

"Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This steadies the applause, but I think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier's chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel.

"Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come more of his peers, each private, corporal, or sergeant assisted as need be by a field grade officer.

"11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands hurt, and I laugh to myself at how stupid that sounds in my own head. My hands hurt. Please! Shut up and clap. For twenty-four minutes, soldier after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30. Fifty-three legs come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall came 30 solid hearts. They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and then meet for a private lunch, at which t hey are the guests of honor, hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up, down this hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade. More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.

"There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband's wheelchair and not quite understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older immigrant Latino parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son's behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the silent tears on more than a few cheeks.

"An Airborne Ranger wipes his eyes only to better see. A couple of the officers in this crowd have themselves been a part of this parade in the past. These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are our brothers, and we welcome them home.

"This parade has gone on, every single Friday, all year long, for more than four years.

"Did you know that? The media hasn't told the story."

Growing Older

2007-11-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

I have the privilege of working in a retirement and assisted living community and the other day one of the residents asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Interesting question I said and that I would ponder it and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Ok, maybe not my body! I sometime despair over the shape of my body, or especially when I am taken aback by that old person that has taken up living in my mirror (who looks like my father!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating a little extra, not picking up the paper. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be lazy.

I have seen too many friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until late at night or to take a nap at noon?
Yes, on occasion I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep a movie like A Walk to
Remember or A Walk in the Clouds... I will.

I will walk the beach in shorts that expose my lily white legs, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

Yes, I know I am sometimes forgetful. My mother always warned be about being care of who I hung around with. She said I would become just like them. Could it be true? The people I hang out with five days a week have gray hair and are forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. Besides, I eventually remember the important things. It's just the computer passwords that give me a problem.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? It's the broken hearts that gives us strength and understanding and compassion. Somewhere I read that a heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I feel so blessed to have lived long enough to have my remaining hair turn gray, some even say silver, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. How many people have never laughed? How many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As I get older, it is easier to be positive. I care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
It is in the second 60 years that we can begin to really enjoy life in what former Seagram's CEO Edgar M. Bronfman calls "The Third Act." Who knows, maybe we will get to attend our 100th high school reunion.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.

And if I feel like it, I will eat dessert every single day.

Cathy Leroy, The Gnat of Hill 881

2007-10-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

It is amazing the memories that one picture can bring back. The picture I posted called “Corpsman in anguish, 1967” was taken by the French combat photographer Cathy Leroy on Hill 881 In I Corps.

Later Cathy would be wounded and was evacuated to my ship, the USS Sanctuary (AH-17). I was in triage when she came in and a young French woman in pink bra and panties was the last thing we were expecting that day. She had multiple shrapnel wounds and the story goes that our commanding officer, who was in radiology helping read x-rays declared she had bi-lateral chest tubes. He was seeing the under wire in her bra. We loved the story and loved Cathy.

The May 12, 1967 issue of Time Magazine had an article about “The Gnat of Hill 881."

“"My God, I don't believe it," said a gawking Marine. "What's a broad doing here?" The broad—if an 85-lb. twiglet of a female qualifies as a broad—was doing the same thing he was. She was getting ready to storm South Viet Nam's Hill 881. Cathy Leroy may have looked ludicrous with her size-4 feet swimming around in size-6 combat boots. But the little French girl is a tough freelance photographer; and for Americans looking at their front pages last week, her A.P. pictures of Marines headed up 881 North evoked ghosts of Iwo Jima and Pork Chop Hill.”

She passed away in 2006 at the age of 60. According to her obituary she was a licensed parachutist when she joined up with the 173rd Airborne Division and jumped along with them into a combat operation, becoming the only known accredited journalist – male or female – to jump into combat with American troops at war.

Living Treasures Updated

2007-09-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I posted the following on my blog. I ended the posting by saying I would give you an update on what I’m doing in Sandy, Oregon.

It took a change in administrators, but we have now formed the Sandy Living Treasures Committee. We are hosting the committee and will host the ceremonies two or three times a year.

When I announced the program at the Sandy Chamber of Commerce’s Good Morning Sandy. The applause showed me we are moving in the right direction.

In my first posting I wrote;
While surfing the net I came across a reference to the living treasures program in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Check out their website at http://livingtreasures.kxx.com/

According to their website Living Treasures is“…a simple concept of honoring those in communities, schools, or the workplace who make a difference. Honoring those who serve as models and mentors--those who provide quiet inspiration with their hope, heart and wisdom. "Living Treasures" are the folk heroes who live among us. This special distinction is a community's gift to a beloved elder and a gentle reminder that we all need more Thank you's!”

I have always been bothered that we wait until someone is gone before saying thank you. The people of Santa Fe have found a way to say Thank You while our hero’s are still with us.

They offer a free workbook designed to help other communities create a Living Treasures program. Every community should be honoring their Elders. How about starting a committe in your community? I will let you know how I'm doing in Sandy, Oregon.

Please email at tagrimes@quixnet.net and I will send you the Santa Fe handbook and add you to my mailing list. I have started a blog but nothing is posted yet.

A Goal Achieved...

2007-08-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

Some time again I added an entry into my dream log "to get a bicycle and
start riding again." Now it has been over 30 years since I owned a bike and a lot longer than that since I have really ridden for any length of time.
I even went so far as look at the new shiny bikes at our local Fred Meyers store and was turned away by the price tag. Ok, time to save the change and recycle money.

A couple of weeks ago I stopped by the local Salvation Army store, looking for printer cables. Instead I found a Vermillion mountain bike, with 18 speeds and Shimano grip shifting. Sounds impressive doesn't it. I thought so too.
The bike looked to be in mint condition. The tires still had the little rubber tags found on new tires. Well, there were a few scrapes from what looks like a crash. For $20 I couldn't pass it up.

I practiced on our lane and bought a helmet that cost nearly as much as the bike. Today I was ready for the big ride.

Near where I live in Damascus, Oregon, is the Eastern end of the
Springwater Trail. The trail began life in 1903 as the Springwater Division Line, a commuter railway that took folks from downtown Portland to outlying communities such as Boring, Eagle Creek and Estacada. At its peak in 1910, Portland's 160 miles of rails carried 16 million passengers a year. In the 1950s, the automobile became the preferred method of travel and passenger service was dropped in 1958.

In the 1990's the City of Portland and the Metro area acquired the corridor and turned it into a multiuse trail extending over 20 miles from near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry to the small town of Boring. The State of Oregon owns an additional 10 miles of right a way.

This morning I got up, loaded my bike into the back of my truck, grabbed
my helmet and drove to the trailhead in Boring.

Surprise. The portion of the trail I had walked several time in Gresham is
paved. In Boring the trail is gravel. That didn't deter me. I was soon riding down the trail toward Gresham and Portland.

My plan was simple. Ride for 15 minutes and then turn around and ride
back to my truck. I quickly realized that Boring is higher than Gresham and I'm headed down a gradual slope. The first 15 minutes was easy and I learned how to use a couple of the 18 gears.

After 15 minutes I turned and headed back to Boring and quickly learned
that even a slight uphill grade is work. Of course a big part of the problem is being totally out of shape, which is the reason I got the bike in the first place.
After nearly 35 minutes my truck was in sight and I was able to make it back without collapsing. The legs were like rubber, but I was able to load the bike and make it home.

Ok, day one is history. I will be back out on the Springwater. Next time I will drive into Gresham and ride a level portion of the paved trail or ride
uphill toward Boring and the coast back down to my truck.

My goal now is to ride several times a week and lose 20 pounds.

Good Bye Todd

2007-08-26T09:25:00.001-07:00

Todd "Dr. Toad" Williams

1938-2007

Today I stopped by the local store and found a very special bottle of wine on the shelf, a 2006 Chardonnay from Toad Hollow Vineyards. A bottle of Eye of the Toad or a Cacophony would have worked just as well. I wanted the bottle to say goodbye to a friend.

Todd Williams, sometimes called Toad, or Dr. Toad by his friends, founded the little Healdsburg Winery with his friend Rodney Strong. Rod passed away in early 2006. Because of Rod I got to know Todd and his wife Frankie.

The obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle says Toad Hollow is “famous for its oddball toad-themed labels – and award-winning taste.” To me it is famous for the two great men who decided to make wine togther.

It was the people that made the winery special for me. I got to spend time with Todd and Frankie, Rod and his wife Charlotte before she passed away in 2005. Twice I was able to drive Rod and his caregiver Nancy, a very special lady, to Oregon and Washington.

Never heard of Todd. Maybe you have heard of his brother, actor/comedian Robin Williams. All of the obituaries carried a quote from Robin: “Toad left a big footprint with a cork, or as a friend said, he left a great trail.”

The picture above is from the Toad Hollow website http://www.toadhollow.com/.

Thank you Todd, for being a friend and for making some great wine.

Delaney

2007-07-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Whenever I travel I like to pick up the local paper just to get a favor of the community. While driving down US395, on the eastern slope of the Sierra mountains of California, I had the opportunity to pick up a copy of the “The Sheet: News, Views & Culture of the Eastern Sierra.” The weekly is published in the resort community of Mammoth Lakes, California.

The cover story “Mountain-Biscuit: A Local Horse Defies the Odds” caught my attention. Now, I’m not a horse person but I like a good story and Mike McKenna did an excellent job telling the story of Delaney.

Delaney, a native of Montana, had ended up in Southern California. Delaney was approaching the end of his life. While working the rangeland around Elko, Nevada, he had developed pneumonia. He had been shipped to Southern California to recover. Instead of getting better, he continued to decline and was put out to pasture to fatten up before being shipped off to the glue factory.

A San Juan Capistrano couple found Delaney and recognized that there was still a sparkle in his eyes. They finally resorted to a horse psychic to find out what was going on with Delaney. So, what did the horse tell the psychic? It was simple. He wanted to return to the mountains.

That was two decades ago and Delaney is still living in the mountains surrounds Mammoth Lakes. This past 4th of July he participated in another parade, as he has done for nearly twenty years.

Dreams do come true, even for a sick horse who wanted to return to the mountains. Being a mountain person I can understand.

How many times have you read such a story then promptly tossed the paper away? Mike’s email address was listed on page 2 of the paper. I took a few minutes and send him an email, thanking him or a great story. A week or so later I got a short thank you email. He thanked me for spreading the story of Delaney. My pleasure Mike.

Oregon County Finances

2007-05-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Some andom thoughts on how we finance county government in Oregon

It has been awhile since I last posted here. There have been some changes in my life. I’m now have a Boring address (location, not frame of mind) and am living in my great niece’s granny unit/laundry room. Hey, it’s not bad. I have more room than I have had for several years. There is only one problem. The noise of the washer and dryer drowns out my music.

I have been thinking about the problems facing many of the counties here in Oregon that are facing the loss of federal funding. They have been paid millions and millions of dollars over the years and have become dependent on the federal handouts. The payments may be justified because of the large tracts of federal land that are exempt from the local tax bases. Are there other ways for the federal government to pay? For example, could the counties charge the government for services provided, such as law enforcement.

Local voters continue to vote down tax increases. Is it time to re-look at how we fund local government? If the people are unwilling to tax themselves, is it time to revoke the county charters? Oregon has 36 counties. Are 36 necessary today? Could be govern ourselves between if we had 12 counties?

Something needs to be done. Libraries are being closed. County law enforcement is being cut back to bare bones. Jails are being emptied.

Just some random thoughts on the state of things here in this great state.

A Real Lesson

2007-04-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile I get an email that really hits me. This is one of those. I have gotten into the habit of checking these out on the Urban Legend website (http://www.snopes.com/). According to the website this story is true. I could not pass up reprinting it here. I just have two words for you Mrs. Cothren: Bravo Zulu (Navy lingo for well done or great job).

Classroom Desks

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies schoolteacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she took all of the desks out of the classroom.

The kids came into first period, they walked in, and there were no desks. They obviously looked around and said, "Ms. Cothren, where's our desk?" And she said, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn them."

They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades."

"No," she said.
"Maybe it's our behavior."

And she told them, "No, it's not even your behavior."

And so they came and went in the first period, still no desks in the classroom. Second period, same thing. Third period. By early afternoon television news crews had gathered in Ms. Cothren's class to find out about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of the classroom. The last period of the day, Martha Cothren gathered her class. They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the room. And she says, “Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the desks that sit in this classroom ordinarily." She said,
"Now I'm going to tell you."

Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it, and as she did 27 U.S. Veterans, wearing their uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows, and then they stood along the wall. And by the time they had finished placing those desks; those kids for the first time I think perhaps in their lives understood how they earned those desks.

Martha said, "You don't have to earn those desks. These guys did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it's up to you to sit here responsibly to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don't ever forget it."

Be an Early Riser

2007-04-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

I hear people complaining that they don’t have the time to do the things they want. Yet there is a simple technique that will allow them to add a month to their year. The math is simple. A 40-hour workweek means we will work around 2000 hours annually (assuming a two week vacation), or around 166 hours a month.

Getting up an hour early five days a week will add 260 hours of available time. That still leaves two days a week to sleep in. What could you do with an extra 260 hours?

According to Julia Cameron, author of “The Right to Write,” lawyer Scott Turow wrote his novel “Presumed Innocent” on his daily commuter train, while his fellow passengers slept, read the newspaper or talked among themselves.

The trick is not finding the time. It is taking the time to do what you want. It’s a choice: the Wheel of Fortune or a 30 minute walk. You make similar choices all day.

Some people use their extra hour to run. That never looked like fun. Most runners I see never smile. I have used my extra hour to walk. That is one activity I really enjoy. I also use my hour to meditate, to study and to write. After reading Julia’s Cameron book “The Right to Write” I started writing morning pages. She recommends three pages in longhand.
For some this early morning hour is their most productive time of day. There are no telephones, no interruptions, and no distractions.

Dale Carnegie, in his book “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” takes a different approach to adding an hour to every day of your waking life. His recommendation is taking breaks throughout the day. His theory is that you should rest before you get tired. “If you are over fifty and feel you are too rushed to do it, then buy immediately all the insurance you can get. …Your spouse may want to take your insurance money and marry a younger person.”

Just imagine what you could accomplish both being an early riser and taking breaks throughout the day.

A Second Life

2007-03-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Five years ago I started publishing a weekly E-Letter. In my first issue I talked about the second life that each of us will have the opportunity to experience. My friend, and subscriber, Dave immediately emailed back and said, “A second life after 50? I think I'm on my third right now.”

Dave is right; he is in his third age.

Alan Pifer, former chairman of the Carnegie Corporation Project on an Aging Society, has suggested that our increasing longevity gives us a new third quarter in our life span. He says this “should constitute a period of rebirth, with the awakening of new interests and enthusiasm for life, and few possibilities for being productive.”

The challenge that we face is how can we make our additional years better for ourselves and better for our society.

William A. Sadler, author of The Third Age, uses sigmoid curve (a S laying on it’s side and stretched out). According to Dr. Sadler there is a brief dip in the learning curve during early adaptation to life. Then we progress upward towards a peak near the middle of life, where we reach a plateau. From there it is a gradual descent. This is the old, conventional view of life.

The poet T. S. Eliot, at age seventy expressed a conventional view of the second half of life in very unconventional and blunt terms: “I don’t believe one grows older. I think that what happens early on in life is that at a certain age one stands still and stagnates.”

What has really changed is our lengthening life span. In eighteenth-century American, the average life span was barely forty. From 1900 to 1993 the average American life expectancy went from 47.3 yeas to 75.5 years. As we enter the twenty-first century, the average American life span is nearly eighty.

Many of us are getting a thirty year bonus. I’m going to live mine to the fullest. Dr. Walter Bortz of Palo Alto, California, has specialized in vital aging, says that we should plan on living one hundred years or more. Between 1960 and 1996 the number of centenarians in America increased from 3,000 to over 55,000. He feels that millions will pass this milestone in this century. There will be too many of us to be mentioned on the Today Show. Willard will have to up the age to 110 or 115.

According to Dr. Sadler, “Getting older has commonly been associated with five deadly D words: decline, disease, dependency, depression and decrepitude (feebleness). After these, of course comes the sixth dreaded D word, which marks the end of the line.”

Ever since that first E-Letter I have focused on the R words, such as rebirth, renewal, regeneration, revitalization and rejuvenation. It has also lead into a new career field and looking at new dreams and goals. I’m enjoying my second life.

I welcome and encourage feedback. I want to hear your stories. It also lets me know I anyone is reading this.

A Memorial Day Note

2007-03-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

I know Memorial Day is still several weeks away, but I came across this article I had written in 2002. I was looking or something else but this one spoke to me. If we want to do something different this Memorial Day, May 28th, we should start planning now.

While researching material for my Memorial Day presentation to the Columbia Gorge Kiwanis Club I came across the following on the Internet:

"This weekend I am going to do something different. I am going to buy some carnations each day and go to one of the nearby cemeteries and walk through the sections for soldiers. When I find a grave that has no flowers, I'll leave one and say a prayer for the family of that person, who for some reason could not bring their soldier flowers. I will pray for our country and all who serve or have served. For their families, who also serve by losing precious days, weeks and months spent with their loved ones who are off serving, preserving peace and the freedom we have in this country. I'll pray for the families who paid the ultimate price, who's loved ones died, or were taken captive and never returned. I'll pray for anyone who may still be held in captivity and thinks perhaps they are forgotten. I do NOT forget."

How are you going spending this Memorial Day? Is this just the third day of the three day weekend that marks the beginning of summer? Did you visit the grave of someone who served his or her country? Did you pause for a moment to remember the true meaning of today?

I will be in a local cemetery tomorrow morning with a bunch of carnations, looking for the graves of servicemen without flowers. I will leave one and say a prayer for that person. In many cases, it’s not that the families forget; there are no families left to remember these men & women. I do not forget.

Moina Michaels wrote in the following in 1915.

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

General Order 11 of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued in 1868, states:

“Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.”

In 2002 I went to a local cemetery. Since then I have traveled to Cathlamet, Washington, my mother’s hometown and visited the cemetery when my relatives are buried. I have taken a bunch of carnations and visited each of their graves. I have also honored the veterans long forgotten.

Where will you be on Memorial Day, May 28th, 2007?

The Mess at Walter Reed

2007-03-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

You may have not noticed the news coverage of living conditions at the Walter Reed Medical Center for solders well enough to be outpatients.

The Army and the Defense Department began investigations after The Washington Post published stories that documented problems in soldiers' housing and in the medical bureaucracy at Walter Reed, which has been called the Army's premier caregiver for soldiers wounded in. Even the network news programs picked up the stories.

The problems at Walter Reed pertain not to the quality of medical care for wounded soldiers but rather to the treatment of those who are well enough to be outpatients, living in Army housing at Walter Reed. One building, called building 18, was singled out in the Post reports as being in bad repair, including having mold on interior walls.

The Commanding General at Walter Reed has now been relieved of his command. His firing could very well mean an end to his Army career. I had been hoping that they would treat him like the slum landlord that he is and make him live in building 18.

The investigation is now beginning to look at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and other military medical treatment facilities around the United States. A blue ribbon panel is looking the housing conditions and the processing of determining disability when soldiers are unable to return to duty.

I spent 23 years in the Navy Medical Department and was stationed at Bethesda in the late 1970’s. As young, new commissioned Medical Service Corps officer at the Naval Hospital, St Albans (in the heart of Queens) New York I had first had experience dealing with patients from all the uniformed services. During the Viet Nam war patients were sent to the military hospial closest to their home. We always had more Army patients and Navy and Marine Corps.

The challenge has always been how to keep these young men and women motivated. They are separated from their units and most are also separated from loved ones. They are in limbo, waiting for the medical and military bureaucracy.

We need to find new and creative ways to make these young men and women feel useful and productive. With all the modern technology there has to be better ways.

Congress says they fully support our troops. Now it is time for them to provide the resources necessary to take care of our wounded warriors. They need more than just the lip service that our politicians are famous for.

Artist Dates

2007-02-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a chance encounter with a book, The Right To Write, written by Julia Cameron I can publicly admit that I’m a writer. According to Julia “we should write because it is human nature to write.”

While reading The Right To Write, I learned about Morning Pages, Weekly Walks and Artist Dates. Morning Pages and Weekly Walks have become part of my daily life. The last tool I have adopted is the artist date. Julia says the artist date is to nurture the creativity that is within each of us. I am getting into the habit of taking a weekly solo expedition to do something that is just plain fun.

Last week I went to a furniture store to look for ideas. I will be moving within the next couple of months and will need to outfit an apartment. I was looking for ideas. Yesterday it was a visit to Troutdale, Oregon, and a visit to the many shops in the downtown area, including the gift shops and the antique shops.

Now it’s becoming fun to plan my future dates. Sometimes it’ a visit to a museum, sometimes a special store. On other dates I have gone to parks. One of my favorites is a visit to Oneonta Gorge and Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. The best time to visit is a summer weekday at around noon. Getting to the falls requires wading up Oneonta Creek. I enjoy looking at the awesome power of mother nature.

Try having an artist date. If you don’t think of yourself as an artist, call it something else, just get out and experience new things. Explore your community.
It’s Friday and I’m off to the Portland Garden Show.

Just A Random Thought

2007-02-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

I’m bothered by all the senators and congressmen who say they support our troops, yet they deny funding to the programs that support these very troops.

The Veterans Administration is under funded and the very veterans they claim to support are being turned away everyday.

The Labor Department, with a major veterans training program, is left to languish on a continuing resolution. Funding for state level training programs have been cut to 40%.

The states have been stripped of vital equipment with no replacement in sight. They have important missions at home that are being compromised.

If Congress really supports our young men and women, then lets fund the Veterans Administration to 100% of their needs. Not a single veterans should be denied benefits.

The Labor Department needs a budget and the Veterans' Employment & Training Service (VETS) should be funded at 100% of their needs. Not a single veteran should be turned away because of a lack of funding.

The state National Guard units need all their equipment replaced in a timely manner.

Finally we need to show our active duty men and women that we really support them. We can not afford to pay them what they are worth, but we could make a step forward by eliminating all income taxes (federal, state and local) on our men and women in uniform. Several states have found they can live with taxing retired military pay, why not extent the exceptions to everyone?

With fully funded training programs our veterans will more than make up the lost tax revenues. At worst, the Air Force might have to give up one bomber or the Navy a couple of ships.

It’s time to write letters to the editor’s, your senators and representatives. You may not support the war, but show the troops that you support them.

Living Treasures

2007-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

While surfing the net I came across a reference to the living treasures program in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Check out their website at http://livingtreasures.kxx.com/

According to their website Living Treasures is

“…a simple concept of honoring those in communities, schools, or the workplace who make a difference. Honoring those who serve as models and mentors--those who provide quiet inspiration with their hope, heart and wisdom. "Living Treasures" are the folk heroes who live among us. This special distinction is a community's gift to a beloved elder and a gentle reminder that we all need more Thank you's!”

I have always been bothered that we wait until someone is gone before saying thank you. The people of Santa Fe have found a way to say Thank You while our heros are still with us. They offer a free workbook designed to help other communities create a Living Treasures program. Every community should be honoring their local hero’s. How about starting a committe in your community? I will let you know how I'm with introducing Living Treasures in Sandy, Oregon.

What Type of Retirement for You?

2007-01-31T06:58:00.001-08:00

While surfing my favorite blogs in the internet I came across a reference to the Vanguard Center for Retirement Research (https://institutional.vanguard.com) talks about six paths to retirement. For the past couple of years I have been very interested in our second fifty years.

The conventional view of retirement – working full-time until a set date and then shifting to full-time leisure – does not match the experience of many older Americans, according to the Vanguard national survey. According to the study “The paths to retirement are varied, and different types of work are common in the early retirement years.”

What I found interesting is that only 29% of Americans age 55 to 69 fall into the Early Retiree’s category. These are the people who exit the workforce in their 50’s or 60’s and stop all work thereafter.

Others plan to continue working in various forms through their 60’s and beyond (10% of Americans age 55 to 69) Their decision to never retire is based on a desire to be active, the type of work, or working to meet basic living expenses.

The other groups include Work and Play (12%), Still Working (35%), Returnee’s (5%) and Spouses Retirement (9%). There are various reasons people in these groups are still working. Some are semi-retired and working part-time or are self-employed.

The Vanguard survey of 2,474 individuals age 40 to 69 indicates that “The conventional view of retirement — working full-time until a set date then shifting to full-time leisure –- does not match the experience of many older Americans.”

I guess the boomers are not going to become conventional in retirement. Are we rejecting the system created by our grandparents and parents? Interesting thoughts. I would love your comments.

Red Dirt and T-Shirts

2007-01-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

You own a t-shirt company on the island of Kauai when flooding from hurricane Iniki damages your inventory. Now you’re on the verge of financial ruin. What to you do? Some people would give up and move on.

Paradise Sportswear looked at the pile of white t-shirts now stained with the red volcanic dirt of Kauai and saw their future. Kauai’s Hanapepe Valley is the source of their natural dye; the rich red dirt used to create their now famous Red Dirt shirts. I loved the picture of the row of washing machines covered with the red dirt. Their brand is known around the world as Original Red Dirt Shirts.

I discovered Paradise Sportswear during a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands and picked up a t-shirt and a flyer. The t-shirt is one of my favorites and the flyer has been sitting on my desk for a year. Today I decided to write about a great American success story and a little Hawaiian red dirt.

Thank You Sean...

2007-01-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

The Oregon National Guard said Sergeant Sean Patrick Fennerty died after a bomb hit a vehicle he was in while fighting anti-Iraqi forces in the Al Anbar Province.

Fennerty graduated from Jesuit High School 1999 and Oregon State University in 2004 as a history major.

He joined the U.S. Army and became an Airborne Soldier and was stationed at Ft. Richardson, Alaska with the 25th Infantry Division, the Guard said.

According to newspaper articles, Fennerty loved to ski, fish and spend time with his friends. Officials said he was survived by his mother Mo, father Brian, two sisters, Kelly of Seattle, and Colleen of Chicago, and brother Conor of Washington D.C.

The following statement mourning the loss of Sgt. Sean Fennerty, was released by Jesuit High School.

It is with deep sadness that Jesuit High School has learned of the death of Sgt. Sean Fennerty of the Class of 1999.

Sean is remembered as a faith-filled person who participated in all areas of the school. He took it upon himself to strengthen the school community with his generous and giving spirit. These qualities enabled him to be a friend too many faculty and students while he attended Jesuit.

His classmates will miss his sense of humor and deep sense of loyalty to them. His awareness of duty to make our world a better place is what led him into the military service of our country. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sean's parents, sisters, brother, and the extended Fennerty family during this difficult time.

Requel, Oh No!

2007-01-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

Raquel Welch was on Today this morning. She was talking about how the 60’s of today. My mind was not on the interview. I was remembering Raquel at an earlier time. It was Christmas 1967. I was serving onboard a hospital ship, USS Sanctuary (AH-17), supporting Marine operations in Northern South Vietnam.

Raquel was traveling with Bob Hope. Bob, Requel and a large contingent of photographers flew out to the ship to visit the patients. We were all excited. I remember standing between two Navy nurses and making a comment about getting to see a real American woman again. I survived but the nurses started saying they couldn’t wait to see Bob, a “real American man.”

I was the senior ward Corpsman or two sixteen bed Urology wards. The wards had upper and lower bunks and Requel was trapped in the back corner by the photographers. It was exciting for all of us.

That was 39 years ago. Seeing Requel on the Today Show brought back a lot of memories. To me she has not changed at all. She is still one very beautiful woman. I’m glad I had the chance to met Bob and Requel.

Retirement, Not!

2007-01-15T20:39:00.001-08:00

Marika and Howard Stone have given me the the best advice on retirement I have received so far: Don’t!

"Think about it. Why would you want to quit something that provides a place to go and people to see, mental stimulation, a feeling of being needed, a way to hone skills and experience and keep learning, not to mention an income? Even if you can afford to join the leisure class, there is ample evidence that good work– even part-time, flex-time, on your own terms — is good for you. "

Howard and Marika Stone are co-founders of http://www.2young2retire.com/ and and co-authors of Too Young to Retire: 101 Ways to Start the Rest of Your Life . Visit their website and sign up for their newsletter “Reinventing Retirement.”

Ok, I have decided not to retire. Now I have to put a plan together that will carry me into my 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I agree with the Stones “Retirement is just so 20th century!”

Good Bye Arthur

2006-04-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Arthur Winston? He is the Los Angeles transit employee who retired on his 100th birthday in March. President Clinton gave in an “Employee of the Century” citation in 1996.

During his more than 70 years with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Arthur missed only one day of work. That was to attend his wife’s funeral in 1988. He supervised the workers who cleaned and refueled the bus fleet.

Arthur passed away last Thursday, a month after retiring. Could it be that he no longer had a reason to live. I am sure Arthur will be missed. He is an example to all of us that our careers do not need to end at age 65. We can continue to make our contributions to society (and the social security fund) well into our second fifty years.

Jazz in a Strip Mall

2006-03-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

Working in a retirement and assisted living community can lead to all kinds of new adventures. Last month one of my volunteers, Ivan, who plays piano at lunch on Mondays, suggested a trip to a little jazz place.

So, last Friday night I loaded seven residents in the van and we headed out. I have lived here for six years and knew where I was going, a strip mall featuring a Bi-Mart Store and Harbor Freight, an outlet for tools of all kinds. I had never noticed Dy’s Broadway Diner or Donna Marie’s Pizza, as it was formerly known.

The owner invited Ivan and Bill, one of our residents, and a former dancer to play before the entertainment started. Bill had not been behind a set of drums in a number of years. This was a special night out for him

The owner, Jim Federman, is a California native who had lived and played music in New York City for several years, created a place where jazz musician could gather and play.

My favorite was Margie Hayas, an 82 year old clarinet player and singer. The Brooklyn native is a show all by herself. She plays, she sings, she entertains. She is a class act.

The highlight of the evening was when Jim invited Ivan and Bill to play for play while Margie sang and played the clarinet.

It was a great evening and I just might be hooked on jazz.

Dodging Eva

2006-02-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

An Associated Press article this morning reminded me of one of the games I used to play in my hometown. Like small towns across America, we had a local reporter who reported time “local news” for the three nearby papers, The Stayton Mail, the Mill City Enterprise and the Scio Tribune. At one time her weekly column might have been carried in the Salem paper.

Eva was an institution. The close proximity to the post office may have helped her in her gathering of the news. Being the sister of the local telephone operation must have also helped. Her weekly columns recorded the coming and goings in the small town I call home. Some call it the “quilting-bee” kind of news, the kind of news picked up during conversations.

Each visit home for my oldest brother, my sister and myself (all three Navy) was reported by Eva. It soon became a game to see if we could visit home and get away before Eva discovered us.

With the old phone system Eva’s sister Alta knew the movements of my brother and sister. When my parents weren’t home when they called she would track them down. That personal touch was lost with the arrival of the new dial system.

I remember when I was still in high school. We had to ride a bus 10 miles back and forth to Stayton. One afternoon we pulled up behind Eva’s car at the elementary school in Lyons. Eva came out and walked between her car and the bus, got into her car, started it and backed into the bus. Soon after that Eva had to give up driving.

Small town newspapers have changed. I dropped by subscription to the Stayton paper when state and national news became more prominent than the local news. People read their local paper to see their names. Now the obituaries are the most prominent local news and by the time your name gets there it is too late.

I’m glad to here that some small town papers cling to the local columns, reporting about the lives of everyday people, their out of town guests, family reunions and Sunday dinners.

I'm Back

2006-02-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a year I have had. At the end of March last year I accepted a position as Activities Director for a retirement and assisted living community. It has been a very busy 11 months of learning.

I discovered 94 great people. We have had residents die. Some have moved. New residents have joined the community. They are a great group of people to work with.

One of the things I have missed is working on this Blog. I have missed writing. I'm back now. The posts may not come as frequently as they did at the beginning.

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to send comments.

Tom

A Diversion

2005-05-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Two months ago I was happily enjoying my retirement and the second fifty years of my life. Then the activity director of the retirement community where my Kiwanis club volunteers decides to quit. Two of the residents talked me into applying for his job. I did and now I’m an activity director for nearly 90 residents living in a retirement and assisted living community in the Portland area.

It has been an exciting two months. They have kept me busy and many of my “normal” activities have gone by the wayside. That includes keeping my by blog. There is just too much to do each day and for the first several weeks I was exhausted at the end of the day.

Now things have gotten better and an email from someone who had found this blog reminded me of how much I miss writing.

I am the oldest employee at the facility and there are only a few residents who are younger than my 59 years. According to one of my twin daughters I get to hang out with my peers all day. Yes, that’s right and I am enjoying every minute of it.

According to George E. Vaillant, author of Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study, there are four “basic tasks” that are essential to postjob satisfaction: social activity, play, creativity, and lifelong learning. Neglect any of these, he says, and you will not enjoy your later years as fully as you might.

My job is to create opportunities for social activity, play, creativity and lifelong learning. It is an interesting challenge, especially with people have withdrawn into themselves or have physical or mental challenges.

This month I organized a Red Hat Society. Next month we will have our first men’s breakfast. Sometimes I just sit and talk. That is what they seem to like; someone to listen to their life story and each of them has a unique story.

I’ll be writing about my adventures at the old folks home.

Tom

Portland's Baby Boomers Social Club

2005-03-14T09:02:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday night I stepped way outside the box and attended a singles dance sponsored by The Baby Boomers Social Club. It was a spur of the moment thing. I saw a tv new report on the dance and decided to go.

Getting there was easy. The Portland Red Lion is right on the MAX (rapid transit) rail line. Many of the boomers who grew up in Portland remember it as "Top of Cosmo", where in the 1960s and 70s it was the place to go for Prom Night or that special night on the town. The view is spectacular overlooking Portland city lights and the Towers of the Convention Center. It is a nightclub atmosphere offering music from the 50s to the 70s with a few 80s.

I got there early so that I could attend the dance class. For the past 45 years I have been telling myself that I cannot dance fast. There were two women for every man at the class. I knew I was going to be in for a fun evening.

After a short half hour lesson the games started. I found a spot to set at the end of a long table. Before long I was joined by Elizabeth, Arlene, Maureen and Evelyn. Like most boomers, they could dance and they took turns with me. It was a fast four hours and before I knew it I was on the train heading home.

The following is from their website http://www.babyboomerssocialclub.com. They say it better than I can.

“The Baby Boomer Generation was born 1946 to 1964. Boomers grew up in a time of change, music was changing, we ushered in rock n roll and we proved it was here to stay. There were many societal changes whereby we were called "The Me Generation, If It Feels Good Do it". Well, it still feels good to dance and the Baby Boomers Social Club is meeting that demand and making it happen for hundreds of Boomers. Music is good for our soul and dancing is good for our hearts. Most all health organizations tell us we all need to exercise more, what better way than meeting a group of your peers and dancing to the music you love. The Baby Boomers Social Club provides this form of recreation and entertainment.”As we get older, our children leave home, our parents or a spouse pass on, or we could be in a rut and need change. There is emptiness and we all deal with change differently. The Baby Boomers Social Club is here to help us get out of our comfort zones, go out and meet new and old friends, to establish new relationships to last our lifetime. The Baby Boomers Social Club provides an atmosphere where friendships can be cultivated and members feel they have an extended family. We want to grow into our old age and beyond "in our own way". As always, we are changing the definition of middle age and old age. We are not going to age quietly.

“Everyone has their own reasons for coming but many are saying, "We really needed a place like this", "we needed a place for our age group, our time and our music". Some have run into friends they had not seen for 25 years.

“We can be ourselves, aging rock n rollers out to have fun, dance and remember the good times. We are now making more good times. We have left our inhibitions, clicks and attitudes back in high school, now we just have fun.”.

Ladies in Red Hats

2005-03-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed older women running around in red hats and purple outfits? They are members of an organization called The Red Hat Society. I went to their website (http://www.redhatsociety.com/) looking for information about the group. I found the following poem. I have reprinted it here is all the disclaimers. Thank you ladies, for brightening my day.

"Ode to the Red Hat Society"

by Sue Ellen Cooper
A poet put it very well. She said when she was older,

She wouldn't be so meek and mild. She threatened to get bolder.

She'd put a red hat on her head, and purple on her shoulder.

She'd make her life a warmer place, her golden years much golder.

We read that poem, all of us, and grasped what she is saying.

We do not need to sit and knit, although we all are graying.

We think about what we can do. Our plans we have been laying.

Instead of working all the time, we'll be out somewhere playing.

We take her colors to our hearts, and then we all go shopping

For purples clothes and hats of red, with giant brims a-flopping.

We're tired of working all the time, and staying home and mopping.

We order pies and chocolate fudge, and rich desserts with topping.

We crown ourselves as duchesses and countesses and queens.

We prove that playing dress-up isn't just for Halloween.

We drape ourselves in jewels, feathers, boas, and sateen.

We see ourselves on television and in magazines.

We laugh, we cry, we hug a lot. We keep each other strong.

When one of us goes out for fun, the rest all go along.

We gad about, we lunch and munch, in one big happy throng.

We've found the place where we fit in, the place we all belong.

We do own the rights to this poem, and we share it with our members freely. The "Ode to the Red Hat Society" may not be used on product for sale or in the promotion of product for sale except by express written permission from the Red Hat Society.A beautiful bookmark with this poem on it may be found on sale at the Red Hat Society Imperium.

Nancy, I miss you so

2005-03-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

Nancy,
I miss you so!
I have become just
a shadow in the
chambers of my mind.
I have nothing
but old letters,
cards, emails
and memories
to keep me company.

There is a lonely
wind blowing
cold within me,
searching within a
heart made empty
Of song.

I am missing you
with a madness
that wrenches my
soul and renders
me incapable of
living in this
world of walks, sunsets,
full moons and
endless nights

Perspectives - an email story

2005-03-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

This arrived by email this morning from a good friend. The author is unknown. It's too badpeople don't give credit where credit is due. I did a web search and checked the Urban Legend site (www.snopes.com) without success. I'm going to go ahead a reprint the story here. Enjoy.

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. "Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Please pass this page on to friends and acquaintances to help them refresh their perspective and appreciation.

"Life is too short and friends are too few."

Welcome Home

2005-02-26T06:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome Home

I found this in my inbox this morning. It was from an old friend who forwards a dozen or so emails each week. It got me thinking about my homecoming 37 years ago. I arrived home from the USS Sanctuary (AH17), a Navy hospital ship, on February 28, 1968. There was no cheering.

I checked out this story on the Urban Legend site (www.snopes.com). The status is undetermined. Maybe it really happened. Maybe it is an exercise in creative writing. It is however, the kind of homecoming that every one of our returning men and women should receive. Tom

Welcome Home

I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry-ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long , uneventful flight home. With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the growing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well.

I was anxious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on "my" issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together. I knew I couldn't say a word so I just thumbed thru the "Sky Mall" magazine from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's really getting rough when you resort to the over priced, useless sky mall crap to break the monotony. With everyone finally seated, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any hurry to get us going although we were well past the scheduled take off time. No wonder the airline industry is in trouble I told myself. Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to inform us all that we were being delayed.

The entire plane let out a collective groan. She resumed speaking to say "We are holding the aircraft for some very special people who are on their way to the plane and the delay shouldn't be more than 5 minutes. The word came after waiting six times as long as we were promised that "I" was finally going to be on my way home. Why the hoopla over "these" folks? I was expecting some celebrity or sport figure to be the reason for! the hold up.........Just get their butts in a seat and lets hit the gas I thought.

The attendant came back on the speaker to announce in a loud and excited voice that we were being joined by several U. S. Marines returning home from Iraq!!! Just as they walked on board, the entire plane erupted into applause. The men were a bit taken by surprise by the 340 people cheering for them as they searched for their seats. They were having their hands shook and touched by almost everyone who was within an arm's distance of them as they passed down the aisle. One elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the Marines as he passed by her.

The applause, whistles and cheering didn't stop for a long time.

When we were finally airborne, "I" was not the only civilian checking his conscience as to the delays in "me" getting home, finding! my easy chair, a cold beverage and the remote in my hand. These men had done for all of us and I had been complaining silently about "me" and "my" issues. I took for granted the everyday freedoms I enjoy and the conveniences of the American way of life I took for granted others paid the price for my ability to moan and complain about a few minutes delay to "me" those Heroes going home to their loved ones.

I attempted to get my selfish outlook back in order and minutes before we landed I suggested to the attendant that she announce over the speaker a request for everyone to remain in their seats until our hero's were allowed to gather their things and be first off the plane. The cheers and applause continued until the last Marine stepped off and we all rose to go about our too often taken for granted everyday freedoms.........

I felt proud of them. I felt it an honor and a privilege to be among the first to we! I come them home and say Thank You for a job well done. I vowed that I will never forget that flight nor the lesson learned. I can't say it enough, THANK YOU to those Veterans and active servicemen and women who may read this and a prayer for those who cannot because they are no longer with us.

Sweet Dreams

2005-02-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

The following is from Joe Tye’s Spark Plug for February 25, 2005.

Joe has a hypothesis, but it’s a hypothesis based on facts. These are the facts:

Fact 1: The average American is chronically sleep-deprived, to the tune of upwards of an hour per night.

Fact 2: The average American spends between 3 and 4 hours per day watching television.

Fact 3: Long before you become physically dysfunctional, you begin to lose mental and emotional capacities. The first thing to go is usually the ability to think creatively. Shortly thereafter, you lose the capacity to be enthusiastic and optimistic.

Fact 4: People who are sleep-deprived have impaired judgment that causes them to do stupid things such as running up big credit card bills through shopping therapy as a replacement for real joy (debt can put a real damper on love within a household).

Fact 5: Sleep deprivation causes reduced energy levels, resulting in people ignoring their loved ones and not undertaking enjoyable but strenuous activities in favor of less emotionally-taxing activities such as couch vegetation.

Here’s his hypothesis: If that average American would replace just one hour of daily TV watching with one extra hour of sleep, there would be a lot more love, a lot more joy, and a lot more prosperity in this world.

How about it, are you getting enough sleep? I know I’m not.

Certified Organic Pot

2005-02-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

It was bound to happen. Medical-marijuana is legal in California (along with ten other states) and now Mendocino County officials want to be able to certify the locally grown pot as organic.

According to an article from the Associated Press article, the officials in Mendocino County are simply responding to the request of two local growers. There is also concern of reports of people getting sick from pesticide treated pot.

It seems to be the next logical step as medical-marijuana moves into the mainstream. The states with medical marijuana laws are issuing “user” cards. According to the article at least one insurance company paid a claim for a stolen pot plant.

Certifying pot as organic will open all the doors:

County fairs will be revived as pot growers compete for the best in county and the best plants will go on to the state fairs. Will the judges get to smoke the pot as part of their evaluation?

The state agriculture research centers and state agriculture colleges will be able to conduct research on improving the pot plants.

Will we see pot growing 4-H clubs? How about a pot growing merit badge for Scouts?

What fun is it to just look at the plants in the fair. Will pot we have pot tasting parties like we do wine? Why should the judges at the county fair have all the fun?

Counties, such as Josephine in Oregon, would be able to advertise that their pot is the “best in Oregon”. Please note, I lived in Josephine County for six years and never smoked any of their pot. Experienced second hand smoke – yes.

Of course all of this leads to the final acceptance by the state – the taxing of pot. It would just be another sin tax that would help balance the local budgets. It might even replace the declining alcohol and tobacco tax revenues.

Thoughts of Gary Hann

2005-02-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

I made my first posting to my Faces of Oregon Blog. I decided to use an article I had written about a high school classmate we lost during the Vietnam War.

In the process of rebuilding my computer files I came across an article I had written about my best friend in high school.

I wrote this in September of 2001. An email from one of my twin daughters, talking about her first day of high school, reminded me of a similar day, 41 years ago. It was on the first day of school at Stayton Union High School, in Stayton, Oregon, that I met Gary Hann. I don’t remember the class, but we were sitting in alphabetical order and this redhead from Aumsville starting bugging me right from the beginning.

We remained friends through our 4 years of high school. During our junior year I decided to join the Naval Reserve. I was planning to join the Navy upon graduation. By joining the reserves I figured I could gain experience and have a step ahead of my classmates. Gary decided to join also. His father had been a Marine during WWII and refused to allow Gary to join the Marine Corps. He decided that the alternative way to the Marines was via the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps, whose members provide the medical support for the Marine Corps.

During the summer between our junior and senior years we spent two weeks at a reserve boot camp at the Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, California. The San Diego Naval Training Center had been closed due to meningitis outbreak and a temporary two-week boot camp was set up across the bay. After those two weeks, we spent two weeks aboard a Destroyer Escort, stationed at Treasure Island, San Francisco. Those two weeks included a weekend cruise to Monterey Bay.

Upon graduation Gary and I reported to the Hospital Corps School in San Diego, California, for a sixteen-week course in instruction. During this time the Gulf of Tonkin incident was stages, which lead to the buildup of U.S. forces in Viet Nam.

Corps School was crowded. We were together 24 hours a day for those sixteen weeks. He had the bottom bunk in and I had the top one. When Gary found out I was writing Wanda, who was a year behind us in school, he started writing her too. When he didn’t write, she would ask about Gary and would also let me know when he did wrote.

Those sixteen weeks went by fast and we all realized that we had a good chance of going to Viet Nam with the Marine Corps. Close friendship drafted apart during this period. I think that deep down we knew that many of the class would not survive. We saw the reminders everyday. The halls of Corps School were lined with the pictures and citations of the members of the Hospital Corps who had been awarded the Medal of Honor. Most had been awarded while serving with Marine Corps units and most had been awarded posthumeriously. We were young, invincible and didn’t dwell on such things.

Upon graduation I was ordered to the Naval Hospital on the Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California. Gary went to the Naval Hospital, Oakland, California. After six weeks of ward duty, Gary volunteered for duty with the Fleet Marine Force and his offer was accepted. The Field Medicine School is at Camp De Mar, on the beach at Camp Pendleton. I saw Gary and couple of times. He spent a weekend with me in the barracks at the hospital.

Every month another 25-30 corpsmen were drafted from the hospital and every month my name was missing from the list. I lasted until December, when my name was finally on the list. I believe there were 25 of us on the list. 23 sets of orders came from the Bureau of Personnel: Fleet Marine Corps. Two of us waited and waited. I remember joking with a nurse that I was going on a Mediterranean cruise. We were both shocked when I got orders to the USS America, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier and she was on her first Mediterranean cruise.

So, while Gary went west to the Fleet Marine Force and duty in Viet Nam, I went east and joined the USS America at Nice, France.

It was another classmate, Wanda, who wrote and told me that Gary had been killed in Viet Nam. It was a shock.

That was in 1966 I have not forgotten Gary and his friendship. For years I felt that it was my fault that he was killed. He joined the Navy because I did. He went to Hospital Corps School because I did. It has taken a long time to realize that Gary would have joined the service and would have found his way to Viet Nam.

I stayed in the Navy and dedicated my service to the memory of Gary Hann.

I moved to Gresham, Oregon, in September 2000 and on a clear spring day I made my way to the Oregon Viet Nam Memorial, in Washington Park, above downtown Portland. Here, on a series of marble tablets, are the names of 741 sons of Oregon, who gave their lives during the Viet Nam War. I said goodbye to Gary that day. I have taken others and introduced them to Gary.

Thank you Gary, for being such a great friend. You will always be a part of my life and you the first of the Faces of Oregon.

Second Wind Dreams

2005-02-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago I became away of an organization called Second Wind Dreams (http://www.secondwind.org/) They have goal of enhancing the quality of life for those living in eldercare communities.

The program began with the work and passion of P. K. Bevill, PhD. Who co-wrote Second Wind, a heart warming book about life within nursing homes. Today the program reaches facilities in 38 states, Canada and India, and is changing our perception of aging one dream at a time.

According to their website there are basically five categories of dreams: (the following is taken from the website)

·Relationship Based Dreams: So that the resident can reunite with friends and family members that they may not have seen in many years. One resident had not seen his brother in over 40 years! Approximately 12% of the dreams are this kind.

·Life Long Dreams: Learning to play the piano, swimming with the dolphins or going to Graceland are just a few of these powerful dreams. Approximately 6% of dreams fall into this category.

· Dreams to Relive Past Experiences: A simple trip to a favorite restaurant, paint supplies so that a resident can go back to creating paintings make the difference, feeling needed when they can relive their jobs. These are 14% of the dreams.

·Dreams for Fun: An unbelievable 46% of the dreams fulfilled are just for fun. Our residents want to go to the Price Is Right, ride a go-cart and ride all the roller coasters at an amusement park.

·Need Based Dreams: Imagine needing something as simple as a cup holder for your wheelchair or a dress so that you can attend church again and no matter what you do you will never be able to get it. This is a humbling 22% of the dreams.
Seniors who are living in eldercare communities are most need of assistance. Family support may be non-existent, money can be at a premium, especially for our Medicaid supported seniors, and these senior adults are often our frailest— the ones who need a dream fulfilled.

The lack of dreams and goals can have serious physical and mental consequences. By fulfilling dreams we improve the quality of the residents’ lives by stimulating residents both physically and mentally while giving them the special attention they deserve.

According to Second Wind Dream, older adults and their dreams shine much brighter than anything we will do. “As each dream unfolds, the local community sees the wonder of older adults and understands that each stage of life is unique and bountiful. Long after the dream has been fulfilled, the effects linger on.

Organizations, such as Second Wind Dreams, cannot do it all. According to the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, 60% of nursing home residents have no visitors.

What have you done to reach out to the eldercare residents and other elderly citizens in your community. Take a minute and post a comment or send me an email.

Down but not out!

2005-02-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

For the past two days I have been experiencing major computer problems. Not all is lost. A recent backup will allow me to recover much of my work. It's just the pain of having a good friend die.

A 10 Second Kiss Can Save Your Life - Part 2

2005-02-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

Here is part 2 of the 10 Second KISS. These are the excuses people have come up with for not practicing the 10 second kiss.

Excuses:
Excuse #1: I’d like to give my wife a ten second kiss when I get home, but I’m afraid my breath will smell and she’ll be offended.
Solution: Invest in fifty two rolls of breath mints, one for each week of the year.

Excuse #2. I can’t kiss and keep time all at once.
Solution. Set the microwave or oven timer until you get a feel for how long 10 seconds is. If you go over ten seconds…oh, well!
Let’s try something. Everyone close your eyes and raise your right arm. Either one will do. When I say start, keep your arm up for what you think is ten seconds, then lower it. OK, let’s go.
Excellent. Now, turn to the person sitting next to you… just kidding.

Excuse #3. The kids (or grandkids) keep getting in the way.
Solution. Let them try. What better childhood membory could they have than trying to squeeze between Mommy and Daddy or Grandmother and Grandfather while they were kissing.

Excuse #4. The phone rings, or I’m already talking to someone on it and can’t clear my mind of our conversation when I hang up.
Solution. Let the phone ring. Whoever it is can call back or leave a message on your answering machine. If you’re on the phone, tell whoever you’re talking to that you spouse just walked in and you want to finish the conversation later. Your spouse will get the message that they matter more to you than whoever was on the other end of the phone line. The same goes for the computer.

Excuse #5. The Dog is all over me as soon as I open the door.
Solution. Life begins when the children leave home and the dog dies. No. Just don’t dare pet your dog before you kiss your spouse. Block out the barking, panting, sniffing and go for the kiss.

Excuse #6. When I come through the door at the end of the day, I get hit with a million problems at once. I cannot get my spouse to stop talking along enough to kiss me.
Solution. Don’t come in the same door every day. Come in another entrance and kiss your spouse. Sneak in the side door.

Excuse #7. My spouse seems so tense at the end of the day. I don’t want to be a bother.
Solution. The loving energy you’ll transfer to your spouse through your kiss will work wonders to relieve tense and make your spouse feel cherished.

Excuse #8. The mail always comes first.
Solution. Hide the mail and give it to your spouse after you kiss. After a few days the mail will be forgotten.
Excuse #9. A kiss always leads to sex.
Solution. Don’t let it. I kiss shows you love your spouse, rather than a means to an end. The alternative is just accept it.

Excuse #10. I only see my boyfriend once or twice a week and it’s usually in a public place. It’s too embarrassing to kiss each other like that in public.
Solution. I agree. Why not meet in the parking lot instead and give each other the kiss there.

These have been just 10 of what are probabley hundreds of excuses. You have one. So what. Just Kiss.

The 10 Second Kiss is only part of the K.I.S.S. Plan that author Ellen Kreidman, PhD, describes in her book The 10 Second Kiss.
After the 10 second kiss, comes:
· The 5 second compliment. Compliment at least one thing your mate has said or done – every day.
· 30 minute talk. Talk and listen to each other for thirty minutes every day (with the TV off)
· Hug for 30 seconds – every day.
· Stay connected sexually.
· Plan a fantasy for each other.
· Make love on the spur of the moment.
· Laugh together – every day.
· Make all your decisions based on love.

A 10 Second Kiss Can Save Your Life - Part 1

2005-02-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

This is from a presentation that I put together a couple of years ago for Valentines Day. It’s long, so I’m going to post it in two parts. Give me your feedback.

Kissing can help you lose weight, relax, express love, boost your immune system, improve self-esteem, manage stress and stimulate your brain. Have I captivated your interest? Is it too good to be true? Science says no! There is one caveat; you have to be kissing your significant other. Kissing the wrong person at the wrong time can actually be hazardous to your health.
Here’s something that feels good, is natural, contains no additives, has no calories and is good for your health: Kissing! So pucker up, it could save your life.

Why Kissing? There are a number of reasons.

A serious, tongue-tangling French kiss exercises all the underlying muscles of the face – which some say could keep you looking younger and certainly looking happier. A pucker kiss only uses two muscles. A real French kiss activates all 34 of your facial muscles, and the highest level of serious making out, properly done, engages every muscle and tendon in your body.

Kissing will make you smile, too; and that’s definitely will make you look better, happier and healthier.

Kissing can slow the aging process – it tones your jaw and cheek muscles, reducing sagging.
Kissing might even help you lose weight, says Bryant Stamford, PhD, professor and director of health promotion center at the University of Louisville. “During a really, really passionate kiss, you might burn two calories a minute—double your metabolic rate,” he says. (This compares to 11.2 calories per minute you burn jogging on a treadmill).

Kissing is a “sensual meditation”, says Joy Davidson, PhD, psychologist and clinical sexologist in Seattle, Washington. “It stops the buzz in your mind, it quells anxiety, and it heightens the experience of being present in the moment. It actually produces a lot of the physiological changes that meditation produces.

While kissing isn’t a replacement for brushing your teeth, it does provide extra saliva that washes bacteria off your teeth. Kissing also boosts your immune system. By exchanging bacteria through a kiss you are stimulating your internal defense mechanism.

You live longer.

Now that we know kissing is actually good for you, what the problems. Here are the ten common excuses and the solutions.

Tomorrow I will post the common excuses for not kissing more and will include the K.I.S.S. Ten Second Plan.

Rekindling the Passion

2005-02-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

According to Shad Helmstetter, the brilliant behavioral researcher and best-selling author of What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, the choices that we make every day determine our direction in life.

I had the opportunity to spent a week with Dr. Shad while attending The Life Coach Insitute. One of my favorite quotes of Dr. Shad is “Choosing to live your life by your own choice is the greatest freedom you will ever have.”

America’s Dream Coach, Marcia Wieder, suggests that we can use passion as a barometer for deciding what we will or won’t do when choice is an option. She says we can rekindle our passion by going on a “Passion Quest by observing what excites us versus what drains us.

We can then rekindle or reignite our passion by simply doing more of what we love. This can be applied to both work-related and personal matters.

Is it a Stroke?

2005-02-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

Every day I get emails encouraging me to read and then forward to all my friends. I have learned to check them out on the Urban Legends site (http://www.snopes.com/). Usually I discover they are false. This one turned out to be true. The following information is from the American Stroke Association. Email me if you would like the link to the web page.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness often spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

*Ask the individual to SMILE.

*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

*Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After discovering that a group of nonmedical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved. Help spread the word.

37 Pounds - Weight Loss Update

2005-02-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

Back on January 10th I wrote about my Monday Morning Weight checks. That morning I had weighted in at 235 pounds and had lost a total of 30 pounds. This morning I weighted 228 pounds. The downward trend continues and I feel great.

This past weekend there was quite a discussion of my buns at our annual Kiwanis Chili cook-off. Embarrassing, yes, but it also felt good to have people noticing. It made all the work worthwhile.

The last two pounds came off despite having a plate of spaghetti at the Gresham Senior Center fundraiser (my Kiwanis club had volunteered to helps serve) and being a judge at the chili cook-off. We had 15 outstanding entries and it took a lot of sampling to pick the winner.

It looks like I’ll be needing some new clothes soon. Everything is getting to be too big. That’s the kind of problem to have, right?

Five Simple Rules to Being Happy

2005-02-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

You may have seen these before, but a reminder is good now and then

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

What I Want to Write About

2005-02-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

I believe that all of us are writers. Some of us are welling and able to come out of the closet and let the world know what is deep within our hearts.

I have been trying to explain why and what I want to write about. Kim Pearson http://www.primary-sources.com/ says it much better than I have been able too.

Her mission is to help people tell and preserve their unique and valuable stories. She publishes a free seasonal newsletter, filled with stories and poems, writing and remembering tips & tricks, upcoming events, and more. It is always informative and entertaining! You can subscribe at her website.

What I Want to Write About
Here is a piece I wrote during a "Write to Remember" class, about the reasons I do what I do:

I want to write about my real life and how it feels to be lonely some mornings and at the same time glad to be alone. I want to write about the giddiness that I feel when I see that the truth is not the truth, and that lies are sometimes the only honest way to go.

I want to write about the time my father threw a glass milk bottle at my mother, and how the bottle didn't hit her or even break; instead it swooped down one side of the porcelain sink and then up and out the other side, landing with a perfect tring right at Dad's feet. I want to write about how their laughter echoed off the walls like the pieces of broken glass that should have been there but weren't.

I want to write about the foregiveness that lives in the sweet secret river under the reeds of guilt and the mud of shame. I want to write about those stagnant emotional ponds full of fat tadpoles and biting bugs.

I want to write about the longing that fills my head and my hands that itch with fury. I want to write about how our stories merge together, and how our stories fall apart. I want to write about how the stories of my life are the stories of yours.

I want to write about the smell of new-cut grass and the taste of a mealy potato running with butter. I want to write about the moonlight hiding everything but the shadows. I want to show you how the shadows may speak to you if you listen with your heart as well as your ears.

copyright 2004 Kim Pearson http://www.primary-sources.com/ Reprinted with permission.

Why do you want to write? Share with us. Click on “Comments” below and then on “Post a Comment”.

Lessons from our Elders

2005-02-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

I published a weekly E-Letter for a couple of years. In October 2002 I published this article.

A friend sent the following to me.

"A few years ago my husband and I were given the opportunity to minister to some elderly ladies that attended the church where we were at the time. One of them kept asking us why we bothered with them because they were so old and feeble and really had nothing to do here anymore. I told her at the time what the Lord told me---that everyone has worth in his eyes, but it is in our own eyes that we are nothing. The reason for these ladies being here and not with him was because there were people here who needed to learn compassion, and the only way for them to do that was to care for people who were here who needed them, for whatever reason in the natural. If there were no people who needed us, we would never learn to be compassionate---it is part of becoming like Christ---he was compassionate to everyone of us!"

At one time our families were multigenerational with children, parents and grandparents all living under one roof. The grandparents had a roll in the life of the family. Children had a chance to know their grandparents.

Now the elderly are moved into retirement centers, extended care facilities and nursing homes. Elder care has become a growth industry. Once children took care of their grandparents and parents until the end, now they pick the facility where their parents will live out their lives. Today over 1.6 million people live in nursing homes.

I remember reading a book by Leo basically. He describes a class on love that he taught at the University of Southern California. One of the assignments for his students was to spent time in a nursing home with the elderly. I always remembered that story. Later I would encourage Club Scout Packs to adopt nursing homes and to have the Cub Scouts visit at various times during the year. I also remember doing a flag ceremony at a retirement center on Independence Day. My three scout age sons assisted me. The residents were wonderful.

Leo basically, the Love Professor, as he was fondly called, said "It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely."

On Monday nights you'll find me at the Cascadia retirement home in nearby Sandy, participating in a sing-a-long with fellow Kiwanians and residents. Together we make beautiful music. Lucille, Eleanor, Bob, Libby (we lost Libby this past August), Andy and all the others have taught me so much about life and living. I also found that I really like to sing. They are all very kind and don't tell me how bad I really am. The encouragement is wonderful.

When are you doing to bring hope to the lost and love to the lonely? Up to 60% of the nursing home residents have no regular visitors. My next column will be about the Adopt-a-Nursing home program.

A Hundred Acre Wood

2005-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

For nearly two years I have been walking nearly everyday. Usually I walk through the Kelley Creek Parkway near my home in Gresham, Oregon. I love to walk. I meditate, I dream, I enjoy the changing seasons around me. I have walked in the cold of winter and the heat of summer. No two walks are the same.

One of my dreams is to have my very own Hundred Acre Wood. I guess I have always been jealous of Winnie the Poo and his friends. All of their adventures take place in their Hundred Acre Wood.

Growing up in the small town of Lyons, Oregon, I had hundreds of acres of woods to explore, but not a single acre was mine. Some my friends explored with permission, some we explored without permission, which we added to the adventure. In those days nothing was ever said. We only cut down trees that had no commercial value, primarily alder and Viney Maple. We dug holes and built forts and played war and cowboys and Indians.

I have been cleaning up computer files and I came across something it had written on March 20, 2002 about the park and my dream.

Spring had arrived in the Portland area. I celebrated by taking a walk through the parkway, which is an undeveloped City of Gresham park. Houses surround the parkway, yet the only sounds usually birds, the rushing water in Kelly Creek, and an occasional jet headed for Portland International Airport.

Actually it’s the spillway of a flood control dam that creates the sound. The sky was blue and there was a hint of warmth in the air, a sign of the coming spring. Leaves were appearing on the underbrush. Awakened to the coming spring, the birds were cheerfully singing. I spotted a squirrel sitting on a branch and eating what I assume is food saved from last fall. Is he thinking of the free stuff that will be coming as the seasons change?

Mother Nature and her helpers, the birds and small animals, plant the trees in a haphazard fashion.

Every time I walk through the parkway I get a clearer vision of my own hundred-acre wood.

I want wild land, overgrown, with lots of underbrush and stands of trees. There are thousands of such acres in Western Oregon. A lot of it was logged and forgotten. With small hills and valleys the sights change as I walk along the paths. The valleys can provide for small seasonal streams and the hills for vista points. There is also a health benefit. The hills provide a little exercise.

My paths are wide enough for two people and covered with shale to allow year around walking. This is Oregon and one must be prepared for rain.

For the most part I have left the haphazard plantings of Mother Nature. Brush had to be cleared to build the paths and a few small meadows were developed. Bridges were built over the low spots where seasonal streams.

One of my favorite spots is Spirit House, a small storage shed size cabin located in the far corner of my hundred-acre wood. There is no electricity. A Lateran provides light. A table and a couple of chairs are the only furnishings this is a place for meditation and thinking. I carry a coffee thermos and by notebook. Here I can spend hours reading from one or more of the uplifting books that I have stocked the cabin with.

There are other dreams I have about my hundred ace wood. They will have to wait for another day. It’s time to head out the door for my daily walk.

American Association for the Encouragement of Fidgeting (AAEF)

2005-01-29T10:42:00.000-08:00

Fidgeting is good for you and must be encouraged. To that end I'm considering forming the American Association for the Encouragement of Fidgeting (AAEF). There was a news report in the Internet yesterday on the benefits of fidgeting. The Medical research has shows that the difference between obesity and leanness is very small, just a little bit of activity here and there.

Teachers and parents must be warned of the dangers of reducing or eliminating fidgeting by children. They may be contributing to the obesity problem we're facing today. I'm also worried that attorney's may get wind of this and start class action suits against schools and teachers. How about children suing their parents for making them sit still in the car, at the dinner table or in church?

The study reports that if you have a natural tendency to fidget you can use that to your advantage to help keep your weight now. However, if you’re not a natural fidgeter (or the urge to fidget has been repressed) don’t despair. You can walk and do other things to get physical activity back into your life.

The research has shows that the difference between obesity and leanness is very small, just a little bit of activity here and there. Taking an additional 7,000 steps (as long as it isn’t from the TV to the kitchen for snacks) each day would burn an additional 350 calories.

The article was published in the LA times Friday, January 28th. If you cannot find it, just send me an email and I will be happy to forward it to you.

The Same Yet Different

2005-01-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

36 years ago, as a long Navy Hospital Corpsman I met a slightly older Navy nurse by the name of Pat. No, this isn’t a love story. It was the beginning of a professional relationship and friendship that lasted all these years. We both stayed in the Navy. She retired to Florida. I retired to Oregon.

Email has allowed us to stay in touch. Pat emailed me last night to alert me to a CNN special, hosted by Paul Zahn.

The piece was produced by Alex Quade and reported on the medical care our troop receive from the battlefield in Iraq when they are wounded, through various levels of care in Iraq to the hospitals in Germany and the states.

Pat and I served for a year off the Coast of South Vietnam, support Marine and Army operations. I was assigned to the Urology ward and to the triage area, where at times we received causalities direct from the battlefield. Pat was one of the nurses I worked with every day.

Watching the show, I was impressed by the care being provided to our young men and women and how the different medical services are working together.

The medical personnel looked so young. Pat called them babies. That got me thinking and I found my cruise book (a year book for sailors) and looked through our pictures. There’s Pat, holding one of our young Vietnamese patients. I can hardly recognize myself. We were kids too.

Some of the tools are new. Military medicine has always taken advantage of the latest technology. I operated a kidney dialysis machine on board the Sanctuary before the manufacturer had even printed the manual for it. We had one of the three banks using frozen blood.

One thing hasn’t changed, the tender loving care that we gave our patients, is the same care being given today. I had tears in my eyes while watching the strength of the wounded troops and the strength, expertise and kindness of the Army, Navy, and Air Force medical personnel. It also brought back memories of the young men we treated so many years ago.

Thoughts of Spring

2005-01-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

I know, it’s only the 24th of January, but my thoughts turned to spring this past week. We have had some unusually warm weather, hints of what is to come.

I love Oregon in the Spring (and in the summer, fall and winter too). It’s a time to get out and hit the back road. I-5 and I-84 is great for making fast time. If you want to enjoy the scenery you have to take the byways. For example, I live near the mouth of the Columbia Gorge, one of the most beautiful areas of the state. I-84 transverses the gorge and you can drive from my home in Gresham to The Dalles, at the other end of the gorge in less than 90 minutes. Most people make the trip in less time.

To see the real beautify of the gorge you need to take the Old Columbia River Highway out of Troutdale. An alternative is to take Route up the Washington side. Either route will make you slow down and enjoy all that the gorge has to offer. Even then you will miss much. There are places your car cannot take you. You can see a glance of Multnomah Falls from your car on I-84. On the Old Columbia River Highway you can pause in front of the fall and take a picture without getting out of the car. Or, you can park and walk the short distance to the observation area.

A little further east there is another falls. Most people drive right by. A few will stop and climb down to Oneonta Creek and walk up its bank to the logjam. Some will stop at the base of the large, tangled pile of logs and then turn back to their cars. A few will climb carefully to the top of the pile and look into the gorge. Then they will turn back to their cars and wonder what the attraction was.

A few will climb over the jam and wade up Oneonta Creek. It is impossible to make the journey without getting wet. The walls of the gorge preclude climbing. In the summer months the water isn’t deep. I’m 5”ll” and the water has never been deeper than my waist. The walk is level and after a couple of bends you can see Oneonta Falls.

It’s not a spectacular as Multnomah Falls. It’s the adventure of getting there that makes its exciting. Thousands of people will stop at Multnomah Falls. Only a few hundred will make the short trip up Oneonta Gorge to see and take pictures of Oneonta Falls. Sent me an email if you’d like to see pictures of the fall. Send me an email (or make a comment on this page).

There are hundreds of such spots scattered along the back roads of Oregon.

How did I find out about Oneonta Falls? I read an article in the local paper on a Thursday. I went Friday morning and there were a dozen people in the gorge. I went back on Sunday with my niece and we couldn’t find a place to park. That’s why we keep our favorite spots a secret.

The Prayer of Jabez

2005-01-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today I started praying the Prayer of Jabez. I have missed very few days in between. Has it worked? I didn’t think so until this past week. Then I realized what had happened.

Every day I had prayed for God to let me do more for Him. What happened? I stepped forward and volunteered to serve on the Evangelism Team. I then found myself leading the team. That’s not all. Next Sunday I will start leading a ten week class on rekindling the dreams, the vision and the passion in our lives.

I asked for the opportunity to do more and God heard me. I listened to Him.

It’s going to be an interesting time. Can I help my church grow? Will the team and the congregation respond to my leadership? Will I be a good servant for God? Will people attend my class?

Lessons from Waiilatpu

2005-01-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

I had a great-great uncle, John Law Osborn. He was born March 1,1844 in Henderson County, Illinois and died Jan 24, 1848, in Oregon City, Oregon Territory. If he had a tombstone it would read:

John Law Osborn
1844 – 1848

He was less than 4 when he died, but what a life he lived. The real story is in that dash, that little mark on tombstone between the date of birth and the date of death. That little dash is what matters most about people. Oh, our date of birth is important. It tells everyone when we arrived on this earth. The date of death is important too. It tells everyone when we departed this earth. Family members and strangers will come a look at our tombstones. Genealogists will note the beginning and ending dates of our lives and fit us onto the family tree.

He learned to walk on the Oregon Trail. His sister Nancy was only five and Sylvia Jane was under four in the spring of 1845. His mother Margaret was pregnant when they started across the continent that spring. She gave birth to Alexander Rogers Osborn on the Continental Divide. The family spent the winter of 1845-46 at the Whitman Mission at Waiilatpu, in what is now Southeastern Washington State. They would come down the Columbia River in the spring of 1846. The wagon trail went as far as The Dalles. From there it was down the river on rafts, with a portage around the rapids at the Cascades.

In the summer of 1846 Marcus Whitman found the Osborn’s at the Willamette Mission and hired John Law’s father, Josiah, to work at his mission at Waiilatpu. The family journeyed back up the Columbia River by Hudson Bay Company boats, only to arrive in time to be at the mission for the massacre that occurred on November 29, 1847. His family had already suffered the loss of Sylvia Jane. She died November 24, 1847, at the Mission. Another child was stillborn on November 14, 1847. Both are buried in the Mission Cemetery.

The family survived the Indian attack by hiding under the floorboards of the Mission. Than night they would escape and reach Fort Walla Walla, an outpost of the Hudson Bay Company. On January 2, 1848, along with remaining sixty two captives who had been rescued from the Indians, they started down the Columbia River in open boats. Nancy would later talk of the cold and of the portages around Celilo Falls and the Cascades. The journey downriver took 6 days. On Monday, January 9th, the party was transported from Fort Vancouver, headquarters of the Hudson Bay Company, to where the City of Portland now stands. There Governor George Abernethy of the Oregon Provisional Government welcomed the former captives and survivors. John Law Osborn died two weeks later.

The family would settle near Brownsville, Oregon, in the Willamette Valley. Four years to the day after the death of Sylvia Jane, twin daughters, Narcissa and Melissa, would be born to Josiah and Margaret Osborn. Narcissa is my Great Grandmother.

Today only God knows the burial place of John Law Osborn, somewhere in the vicinity of Oregon City. There are no photographs of him. No books have been written about John Law. No movies have been made documenting his life. His story is all but forgotten, except for a handful of family members who have taken the time to research his short life.

John Law has taught us that it doesn’t matter how much we own, the cars, the house, or the cash we have in the bank. What really matters is how we live our life and how we love. What matters is how we spend our dash.

John Law was only given 46 months to live out his life here on earth. How much time will you have? Are there things you’d like to change, family members you’d like to spend time with, places you’d like to visit, books you’d like to read, stories you’d like to tell?

We just need to slow down enough to enjoy our life, to be less quick to anger and to show appreciation more. We need to love the people in our lives more and treat each other with respect and to smile more . The time will come soon enough when our eulogy is being read. Are we going to be proud of the things they say about how we spent our dash?

Electric Cows

2005-01-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting story on the Internet this morning being reported by the Associated Press. The Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport is generating electricity for Vermont’s largest utility by using the methane gas produced by their 1,500 cows.

The process appears to be simple. The manure is heated and the resulting methane gas is collected and used to power a generator, which then sends the electricity onto the power grid. Customers have signed up to pay about cents more per kilowatt-hour for their electricity to support the farmers.

Wow, everyone seems to benefit. The consumers have another source of renewable power. The farmers are able to turn manure into a cash flow. The cooking the manure gets rid of close to 90 percent of the smell and the depleted manure can be used for animal bedding or as compost. The farmers can offset their electricity costs and recover the cost of the processing equipment.

Hopefully the dairies of Oregon will pick up on the idea. Maybe the engineers will be able to tap this power support at it source and also be able to capture all the methane gas produced by the cows. Attaching small generation units shouldn’t be a problem. The only challenge I see is keeping the cables from getting tangled as the cows wander over the pasture.

Stories about Sunken Grade - Coffee and the Gospel

2005-01-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Another Sunken Grade story. This one was inspired by a high school classmate.

Coffee and the Gospel

Even in high school Juanita was different. There was a certain grace about her.

It took me many months to ask her out. In fact I was home on leave from the Navy when we had our first and only date. She was (and remains) unlike any girl I had even known.

Later she would call herself a self proclaimed Jesus freak.

For many of us she was Pastor Juanita of Sunken Grade Church and Coffee Shop, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

When I came home from the Navy Juanita was away at college. I would run into her mother at the post office and she would keep me current on Juanita’s progress. Sometimes I felt like she was reminding me that her daughter was way out of my league and I agreed with her.

Of course Juanita and I were in two totally different worlds. She was working toward her goal of becoming a minister. I working at enjoying life in Portland during the week and in Sunken Grade on the weekends I came home.

Then Juanita came home.

There was only one empty building that was usable as a church. It was the old Sunken Grade Feedlot building. It had been used for several different purposes during its seventy years. In the late 30’s it had been a feed store. In 1961 it was converted into a restaurant. The new owners had high hopes that the coast traffic would increase as the highway was improved. The State Highway department decided to bypass Sunken Grade and after a couple of very poor seasons, they moved their restaurant to the new highway.

Juanita fell in love with the old building when she first saw it. It solved three problems. First it would provide a home for her church. Second it would provide a place for her to live. There was a small apartment on the back of the building. Finally, it would provide employment while her new church grew.

I came home to Sunken Grade too. The excitement of Portland had worn thin and I found it harder and harder to leave Sunken Grade Friday night.

One Saturday afternoon I had encountered Jack Powers, publisher and editor of the Sunken Grade Tribune. He offered me a job. Jack didn’t say it, but I soon realized that he was burned out.

The staff of the paper included Mae, Jack’s wife of 39 years, Eva Hollinghead, who had started as a high school reporter in 1915, and Howie Skidmore, typesetter and pressman. I was to be a Jack-of-all-Trades. Jack wanted me to be a reporter, sell ads and to learn about new publishing techniques. Mae ran the office and she was more than welling to let me do whatever I wanted.

Now I’m sure you think you know where this story is going. I go to the coffee shop, see Juanita, fall in love; we marry and live happily ever after. You’re wrong… will partly.

I did go to the coffee shop. Actually, I saw Juanita and her mother and the building on the day she first looked at it. I stopped by to welcome her home and to offer to help any way I could. Juanita promised to take me up on the offer and her mother gave me the evil eye. Even after all these years she was protecting her daughter from the sailor.

Stories about Sunken Grade -

2005-01-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

One of my hobbies is writing and I have created a fictional community, Sunken Grade, as a focual point of my writing.

Native American Woman Lake. (Nov)

An article in the Sunday Oregonian about the name changes for certain geographical features with less than desirable names reminded me of the renaming of Squaw Lake, outside of Sunken Grade, several years ago.

No one remembers how or why the oversized pond became known as Squaw Lake. For many years J. D. Walks owned the lake and a surrounding 750 acres of timber and meadows.

When J.D. died in 1915, title passed to daughter Helen, the wife of an attorney in Portland. The farm became a weekend retreat and summer home for Helen, family, friends and business associates.

Helen died in 1949 and ownership passed to a son, Congressman Jonathan Bigalow. His wife preferred life in Washington. Jon used the place for parties, most of which never made the society page of the Oregonian and only rarely came to the attention of the county sheriff. There was a rumor that a lady friend of the senator ran a bordello at the farm.

Jon and his wife died a few months apart-and they had no children. The farm went to Horace Greenleaf, a grandson of Helen and nephew of Jon.

Horace (actually goes by Ace) had a dream. There were several things that Sunken Grade lacked, including an airport, a country club, hot tub rentals, RV Park and golf course. His dream was to offer all these services and more.

Congressman Jon had put in a runway with help of the Naval Reserve units from Portland and Salem. It is the only field in the area. Jon allowed friends and neighbors to use it

The boathouse his grandfather had built became the Slip Inn. The inn became a hangout for many. Of course having the hot tubs nearby made it a favorite for lovers. Ace had spent a week in San Luis Obispo, California, with a cousin and she had introduced him to the hot tubs at the Sycamore Hot Springs. The tubs were scattered on an oak covered hill. Ace was able to copy that at Squaw Lake.

The large barn on the upper pasture became the clubhouse for the Sunken Grade Golf Course. The course started with a driving range and three holes. Every Spring Ace would add another hole and another campsite in the Squaw Lake RY Park.

The SG Country Club building was built new. Now realize, it is just a larger version of the Slip Inn. There is no steep initiation fee; all it costs is $10 for a lifetime membership. Everyone is welcome

Oh, the name change. When the government started remaining geographical sites Ace decided to go along. After much discussion at the Slip Inn and the Country club a new man was picked for the small lake. Someone had mentioned that a squaw was just a native American woman. Ace liked that and soon the sign on the highway pointed the way to Native American Woman Lake. The name of the RV park was also changed.

Everything else remained the same, including the name of the lake on county and state maps. Ace never got around to asking the state to change the name. Some of us still call it Squaw Lake.