tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54823974965626686902024-03-10T20:23:55.222-07:00Allison Lamplugh News reporting, feature writing and topical explorationAllison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-73627579188868665382019-07-02T10:37:00.001-07:002019-07-02T10:37:55.753-07:00Creating a Servant Leadership Culture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">INTEGRITY. TEAMWORK. EXCELLENCE. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. PROGRESSION. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">These are the values of O’Brien Dental Lab. </span></span><br />
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At O’Brien, the leadership team lives these values. These values are not mere words – these values are alive at O’Brien. These values are evident in the actions and interactions that the leadership team extends to its customers, to each other, and to their team.</div>
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In 2018, O’Brien Dental Lab, specializing in restorations and custom implants, brought 16 of their leaders to work with Terri Houde, corporate trainer for Extended Learning. Their goal was to create a two-day, customized leadership retreat focused on Servant Leadership. </div>
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“It was a great team building experience, forcing us to get out of our comfort zone and be totally honest with each other,” said participant Lee Montgomery.</div>
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Before training began, Terri emphasized the importance in understanding that Servant Leadership is more than a philosophy – it is a practice. And that practice of a leader, she said, develops the culture of an organization. </div>
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In the training, participants focused on exploring the role of a leader, the power of being authentic, and the path to building a Servant Leadership culture. Participant Tony Megale summarized his experience after reflecting on their time with Terri.</div>
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“The question you have to ask your heart is: Are you here to serve or be served?” Tony said.</div>
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Everything from productivity, communication, and collaboration can be improved by Servant Leadership principles because a servant leader’s first practice is always to <i>serve</i>.</div>
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Karli Luksch, Senior Team Leader at O’Brien, has seen more efficiency company-wide since their retreat with Terri. Among other things, she has noticed its positive impact on the manner in which they serve their customers.</div>
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“We are able to discuss issues within the frameworks we learned and come up with solutions faster for various situations that come up on a daily basis,” she said. “It was valuable to have a cohesive message and philosophy articulated to the group and to work through the exercises that helped grow us individually and as a team.”</div>
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Terri’s focus during the facilitation helped lead O’Brien participants to their own conclusions of who they are and how they will <i>be</i>.</div>
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“Servant Leadership is a way of <i>being,</i>” Karli said. “You have to believe it on a personal and internal level. It is a mindset that requires continual growth and challenging yourself to be in a constant state of getting better. I do more, to get more, so I can give more.”</div>
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With her knowledge and passion for teaching, Terri inspired another participant, Mike Wilson, with her willingness to be vulnerable with the group as they explored their own selves.</div>
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“She created an atmosphere where team members felt empowered to share their thoughts and concerns with respect to what our company's challenges are and how we can improve.”</div>
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Since Terri’s training with O’Brien, the team is still putting the tools learned to use and building upon those tools for continued improvement on a holistic level.</div>
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<i>*This content was written for Linn-Benton Community College Extended Learning.</i></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-18011831491659198062019-07-02T10:28:00.000-07:002019-07-02T10:28:07.606-07:00Sprinkle the Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">J</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">olene Wilson enrolled at Linn-Benton Community College to further her career goals, as many others do. At the time, over a decade ago, her plan was to become a Dental Hygienist.</span></div>
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After her time at LBCC, she moved away and traveled, following her husband who was in the Navy. She was exposed to new cultures and places, taking note of new flavors and foods. </div>
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She had always eaten healthy but began to take initiative in cooking healthier for her family. With more time at home after her firstborn, Jolene became more involved in baking.</div>
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“I fell in love with it,” she said. “So, I started baking cakes.” </div>
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Then, she started making sprinkles.</div>
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“It’s a labor of love; it’s a lot of mixing and processing and dyeing,” she said.</div>
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After years of practicing her craft and attending a culinary academy in Alabama, Jolene’s family moved back to Albany. In 2017, Natural Sprinkles Co. was introduced as a booth at the farmers market with baked goods adorned with handmade, all-natural sprinkles.</div>
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When Jolene realized the complexity of running a business, she knew she needed guidance. She went back to LBCC where her journey had begun years before. There, she found the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).</div>
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At the SBDC, Jolene was paired with Anne Whittington, advisor for over 12 years. With Anne, a seasoned business owner, Jolene found the expertise she had been looking for.</div>
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“Anne really helped me work through my fears of small business,” Jolene said. </div>
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Anne helped her figure out how to price her products. She encouraged her to know how long it took to make those products. She introduced resources Jolene would need to build her business, and she introduced people in the community she should be connected with.</div>
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“I met with her consistently each week,” Jolene said. “It’s been really great to have Anne in my back pocket.”</div>
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Through the SBDC, Jolene even got Quickbooks training to better manage her bottom line. </div>
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After years of working her booth at the farmers market and building a customer base, she was ready for a storefront. </div>
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After six months of searching, Jolene found the future home of Natural Sprinkles. Everything from plumbing to electric to tearing down walls needed to be done and the SBDC helped find reliable contractors for the job.</div>
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It took a year to complete the remodel, transforming it into a light and bright place that pops with color and comfort. The grand opening came in November of 2018. </div>
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“We’re looking at this as an investment in the community,” Jolene said. “After leaving our service in the military, this is kind of our extended service to the community.”</div>
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<i>*This content was written for Linn-Benton Community College Extended Learning.</i></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-8562776211454926272019-07-02T10:23:00.000-07:002019-07-02T10:23:01.788-07:00Making the roads safer, one student at a time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">L</span>eah Hansen is a certified instructor for LBCC’s Driver Education program. Each instructor has their own reason they teach safe driving to teens, but for Leah, her passion is personal. </div>
<br />The privilege that driving allows has been something Leah has appreciated for most her life. She spent many years as a Corvallis city bus driver and often considered becoming a driving instructor. But, it wasn’t until a fateful event nearly a decade ago in which she finally found the motivation to start teaching.<br />
<br />Charles Simmons, her former husband, was a lawyer in Eastern Oregon. He was leaving for an early deposition in court on a September morning in 2009. He had driven almost 100 miles that morning and was only 9 miles away from his destination when he fell asleep behind the wheel. When his car crossed the center line, he hit a truck pulling a livestock trailer and died on impact.<br />
<br />“Even though he had his seatbelt on and his airbag deployed,” Leah said, “he was in a tiny car and the vehicle he hit was very heavy.”<br />
<br />Although all the factors surrounding his accident are unknown, what Leah does know is that he worked long hours, often on little sleep. With many hours of preparing and planning for his cases, she believes his routine of limited sleep caught up to him.<br />
<br />“Safe driving is something I am super passionate about,” she said, “because obviously, his accident was horrible, and I don’t want it to happen to someone else if I can help it.”<br />
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In the classes Leah teaches, she focuses not only on the rules of the road and how to safely operate a vehicle, but she also reiterates personal preparedness and safety.<br />
<br />“Drowsy driving is the same as driving impaired, and far more pervasive, actually,” she said. ”And teenagers are especially apt to drowsy driving because their lives are very full.”<br />
<br />With school, work, sports, homework and social obligations, teenagers need more sleep than most adults and making sure her students understand the importance of staying alert while driving is a personal mission for Leah.<br />
<br />“They watch a video about drowsy driving and then I show them the pictures,” she said. “The response has been positive every time. They’re obviously very engaged because it happened to someone they know, which is me.”<br />
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For the last four years, she has been teaching about 25 students a term. After Leah’s students get to know her throughout each term, during the final weeks of class she shows them a photo of her former husband’s car at the scene of the accident. </div>
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With many of the students approaching her after class and thanking her for sharing her story, Leah looks forward to each new term when she gets to meet and educate her next cohort of young drivers.</div>
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<i>*This content was written for Linn-Benton Community College Extended Learning.</i></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-73495019115754404682019-07-02T10:16:00.000-07:002019-07-02T10:16:51.386-07:00Plying with the Palatte<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">M</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">ark Allison has been a Community Education instructor at LBCC for 25 years, a recipient of the 2003 Teacher of the Year award, and an accomplished artist.</span></div>
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The son of a photographer and a civil engineer, his life has been largely influenced by aesthetics, composition, and creation. The first time he sat at an easel, made by his parents, he was 5 years old. That was the start of what would become his lifelong passion.</div>
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His Open Studio class, one of several he teaches through Community Education, is designed for beginning to advanced artists to create freely with Mark’s guidance when requested.</div>
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On an April morning, 15 people came to create, ages spanning from teenager to retiree. One painted a portrait of his sister’s dog for her birthday. Another painted his son’s ‘63 Chevy for his birthday. Someone else painted a landscape from a photo on her phone. Some used pencils, some used paint, some used charcoal. </div>
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A group of students gathered around Mark who began a color intensity exercise. On a piece of paper, he showed them different styles of applying paint. He discussed how the oils on your hands affect the paper, how the dampness of your brush will react on paper, and how a paint stroke will look based on the pressure applied.</div>
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“Working with water is kind of like driving in traffic - you have to kind of hurry along,” he told the students. “You have to carefully access the dampness of the paper.”</div>
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He showed onlookers how to mix colors to make other colors, and recommended colors to use or not use. He cautioned of things to consider when choosing colors. He explained in poetic detail why he prefers some colors over others.</div>
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“The color yellow is for relaxation, often used by color therapists,” he told them. “Blue reduces heart rate so it’s a great color for a bedroom. Red does the opposite.”</div>
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Looking at the palette in front of him, he pointed to a vibrant red.</div>
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“The color of love,” he said, “it just opens your heart looking at it.” </div>
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Around the classroom, Mark displayed paintings used as visuals to show techniques he referred to. Many of the works used Cubism, a technique made famous by Pablo Picasso, where geometric shapes create two-dimensional images. </div>
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“I like using sharp edges,” he told his students “Jagged and sharp edges get both right and left brain to look at them.”</div>
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Since the left side of the brain wants to create order and the right side does not, Mark explained the tidiness of the geometric shapes that create abstract images gives the brain both order and chaos, attracting both sides to engage.</div>
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Mark encouraged his students to understand the rules of painting; why things are taught the way they are.</div>
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“Once you learn the rules you can then start to challenge them,” he told the class. “But first, you learn the rules.”</div>
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With many accomplishments as an artist in his own right, Mark was selected to design the 2009 Fall Festival poster and has received a Purchase Award from Oregon State University for his works featuring agriculture. </div>
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<i>*This content was written for Linn-Benton Community College Extended Learning. </i></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-8945136321006146322019-07-02T09:22:00.000-07:002019-07-02T09:25:54.924-07:00Gifts of Sensitivity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Catherine VanWetter grew up feeling like she was different than those around her. She was often told she was “too sensitive” or “too fragile” and that she needed to “get over it” when things bothered her more than others thought it should. She spent a lot of time punishing herself for </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feeling </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">too much.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Catherine now knows she is different. And she knows she does </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feel</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> more than others. She has made it her life’s work to educate people about her gift</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">her gift of sensitivity. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As is 15</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20% of the population, Catherine is a <a href="https://highlysensitiverefuge.com/highly-sensitive-person-signs/">Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)</a>. HSPs have neurological systems designed to feel more than the other 80%. They have heightened sensitivity about oneself, others, and their environment.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“They are shamans and medicine people of indigenous peoples,” Catherine said. “They are the peacemakers, the counselors, those that are intuitive and empathetic.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Catherine has dedicated her career working in community mental health so that she can help other HSPs.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Being sensitive in my family was not really a blessing,” she said. “All of my training was self-preservation and to find like-minded people.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that she has done.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“When sensitives are in a room together it’s like we’ve all written the other’s story,” Catherine said. ”Our stories aren’t that different.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the 30 years she has worked in the Corvallis area, Catherine has had many clients who battle depression and contemplate suicide. She has found about 75% of the people she has worked with are HSPs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We live in a culture that is sometimes less than kind to people who are timid, kind, and emotional,” she said. “And those people might find it hard to fit in.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HSPs tend to feel the mood of those around them, taking on emotions that are not their own. Because of this, it can be hard for HSPs to decipher if what they are feeling is their own or someone else’s. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Catherine has learned that depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and isolation are side effects of being an HSP. This is because HSPs have heightened physical, mental, and emotional responses to stimuli, making them overwhelmed by the amount of information they must process. They find it difficult to quiet the sounds, smells, lights, and other stimuli around them. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“When most people have 10 fingers to feel with, imagine the HSP has 50,” Catherine said.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She believes that many people choose to suppress or ignore their sensitivity because our society employs the mindset that we must be strong and thick-skinned.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It is my mission to educate people, to empower them to educate others, and create a culture where sensitives can live in alignment,” she said.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In her work, Catherine helps HSPs and their families create a proper balance in their day which might include meditation, creative arts, walks in nature, or yoga. She helps HSPs and their loved ones learn which environments serve them best. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This fall, Catherine will teach a class through Community Education called HSP: Thriving in the Workplace, focusing on how to create functional and welcoming working environments for the HSP.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>*This content was written for Linn-Benton Community College Extended Learning.</i></span></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-82393401707070152262018-03-25T10:22:00.001-07:002018-03-25T10:40:14.107-07:00Local organization ready to award $35,000 in scholarships<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>L</b></span>ocal organization readies to award nearly $35,000 in scholarships to Linn-Benton Community College and Oregon State University students. Deadlines approach in early April.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each year, Zonta Club of Corvallis awards scholarships to OSU and LBCC students. An international organization that works to empower women through service and advocacy, Zonta has 67 clubs worldwide. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We want to support women in pursuing careers that help improve the status of women,” said Debrah Rarick, scholarship committee chair for Zonta of Corvallis. “And to help women pursue careers in non-traditional fields for women, particularly in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">The hope, according to Rarick, is that the scholarships for a technical field of study will encourage women to enter the field and break down barriers, and that recipients will then serve as role models for women to also choose fields less populated with women.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Giving scholarships is one way to show students that we believe in them and want to help them reach their goals,” said Rarick.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">To raise the money for the scholarships, Zonta of Corvallis holds fundraisers throughout the year. The main event is the Zonta Auction and Dinner held each November. The event features auction items and the opportunity for attendees to give tax-deductible donations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">From donations last year, this year at least seven $3,000 scholarships will be given to women pursuing careers in STEM fields. Other scholarships with specific criteria are the Starns, for a single parent attending LBCC, the Grateful Nation, for a woman who has served in the Armed Forces, the Career Technical Education, for an LBCC student in a CTE program, and the Klausman, available for women in business.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">At least four $3,000 general scholarships will be given to LBCC or OSU students who had a minimum of a one-year delay in pursuing their college studies, have an interest in pursuing a career that advances the status of women, and have financial need. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although Zonta focuses much effort on service to women, men are not excluded from applying for scholarships, as long as their field of study supports the advancement of women.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Full scholarship descriptions, requirements, and deadlines are listed on Zonta of Corvallis’ <a href="http://zontacorvallis.org/scholarships">website</a>.</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-43449054412853187752018-03-05T00:32:00.000-08:002018-03-05T00:40:46.937-08:00A Century of Stories to Tell<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trudie Timpone, February 2018, 102-years-old.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’d never met someone with a century of stories to tell, until a few weeks ago when I met Trudi Timpone. She is 102 years young.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few days before I met her, the house next door was demolished. I watched one morning as it disappeared. With each swing of the excavator, I thought how unfortunate it was that a house standing since 1901 disappeared in about the same amount of time it took me to make and drink my coffee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I watched the excavator slam its boom into the second-story of that old, red farmhouse, I heard the sound of its walls caving in, collapsing under their own weight, crashing down, and swallowing all the stories held between them, forever. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I heard from neighbors that the house was one of the original homes in the area. It used to be surrounded by a vast orchard, they said. It was built just decades after Philomath was renamed from its first given name by pioneers, Mary’s River Settlement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I began to think of what the world was like when that old farmhouse was built. In 1901, baseball had not yet held its first World Series game; Henry Ford had not yet founded Ford Motor Company; the first silent film had not yet been made. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the day I met Trudi, my experience watching that century-old house disappear was fresh on my mind. Then, I realized, Trudi was almost as old as that house. She was a keeper of stories, just like that house had been. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many of Trudi’s stories are from a time I’ve only read about: The Roaring Twenties, The Prohibition, The Great Depression. I was overwhelmed thinking about all she has witnessed in her 102 years. And I was eager to ask her some questions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her answer to one particular question resonated with me for days. I had asked what she thought people and society have today that is for better or worse. Her answer was quick and matter of fact.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I grew up during The Depression, so a nickel was very important,” she said. “I don’t think I’d want to live that again, but maybe we have too much now. Things are a little too easy for people today.”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">After pondering a few days about what she had said, I came to understand how Trudi may think we have it too easy. I began to notice the things that frustrated me throughout my day - wifi being too slow, lines at the store being too long, Facebook making another annoying update - none of which threatened my well-being. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trudi, however, remembers a time when people stood in the cold for hours just to get their daily ration of bread in hopes of surviving another day. A time when people, such as herself, walked the eight miles from Wall Street to 44th Avenue in New York because they didn’t have the nickel it cost to ride the subway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">The thought of this comparison gave me a moment of clarity I won’t soon forget. I’ve come to realize that the hardships that Trudi and many others from her generation faced are foreign to my middle-class, Millennial mindset. I don’t worry about where my next meal comes from, or if our house will be heated this winter. I do, however, worry about whether I have cell reception or if I can charge my laptop. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since meeting Trudi and witnessing the demise of the old farmhouse, I’ve spent much time thinking about </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">time</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I’ve concluded that </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">time</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> really does change everything. That life is full of fleeting moments that will never happen again. That our tomorrows may bring things we’ve never even dreamed possible. That our todays are like time capsules, made of stories that forever hold the essence of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">time </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">passed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t help but wonder how lucky we would all be to get the chance to collect a century of stories to tell.</span></div>
<br />Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-79183779163066556452018-02-08T13:50:00.000-08:002018-02-09T12:25:11.663-08:00102 Years Young: Trudi Timpone Writes Her Life Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">W</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hen Trudi Timpone strolled into Linn-Benton Community College’s class entitled “Write Your Life Story,” she had 102 years of experiences to consider for her assignments. Her daughter was the one who enrolled her, and since Timpone stopped driving at the age of 99, her daughter also drops her off at class.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">With dangling earrings and the Star of David hanging around her neck, Timpone took her seat at the table and instructor Lori McNulty moved her four-wheeled walking aid with a padded seat out of the aisle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Trudie, I’m going to move your Cadillac,” McNulty said with a smile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Class began with the ring of a handheld bell. Around the table sat 10 ladies, most with salt and pepper hair. Each had a handwritten nameplate in front of them. Each had come prepared with a story and photos they brought to accompany it. They were ready to share aloud with the class. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first volunteer shared a story about her husband, then boyfriend, and how they got together. Another told a story from her cat’s perspective entitled “Tiger’s Thoughts on Travel,” that recounted the struggles of her feline friend during a move. Someone else told the story of a wedding bouquet she made as a floral designer that was a replica of the one Princess Diana held.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each story read was detailed, using imagery to place the audience in an exact time and place. Some were light-hearted or funny, others were sad or serious. Conversations sparked between stories, and, at times, the room was filled with a cacophony of chatter. With the ring of her bell, McNulty would refocus the class and give constructive feedback before the next person read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it was Timpone’s turn, she shared the story of “Sam,” a painter she knew as a child. A family friend much older than her at the time, she recalled sitting in silence in Sam’s studio and watching him work. Her delight in recalling Sam, a character long in her past, shown on her face as she credited him for her lifelong love of painting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I painted just about everything I could - it’s fun,” she said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">She told the class that after decades of it being lost, last year she found a painting she did of Sam. It’s one of her prized possessions, she said, and now hangs in the Corvallis Arts Center. She passed around a photo of her painting of Sam, and tears came to her eyes as she looked at the face of a man who clearly inspired her many years ago. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the notebook she held in her lap, Timpone kept other stories she wrote for class. There was the one about the July day in 1943 when she met her husband, Ted, and after a whirlwind courtship how they were married by mid-August. Her favorite song to this day is </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0o_2aMKdjc" style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Begin the Beguine</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Cole Porter, a classic from 1938 to which she and Ted danced on the night they met. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">In her collection, there were stories of job hunting during a time when women got limited work. There were stories about her dad and photos of him in a World War I uniform. There was the story of “The Lost Nickel,” a time she walked from Wall Street to 44th Avenue in New York because she was embarrassed she didn’t have the nickel it cost to ride the subway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I grew up during The Depression so a nickel was very important,” she said. “I don’t think I’d want to live that again, but maybe we have too much now. Things are a little too easy for people today.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">She moved from New York to Los Angeles in her 20s. She served meals to soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen during World War II. She joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps to help further with the war effort. She remembers President Roosevelt and “all he did for the children.” She’s amazed we’ve had a man on the moon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although she can no longer type, with over a century of stories to tell, her family is helping her write her stories so that her three children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren may continue to know her after she’s gone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I have a wonderful family,” Timpone gushed. “They are all so wonderful.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, despite her 102 years, she has no plans of going anywhere soon. Her mind is sharp, her laugh is contagious, and her wisdom is beyond what many have the chance to gain. She plans to take more classes, maybe a pottery class next time, she said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">We, at </span><a href="http://linnbenton.edu/quick-links/schedule-of-classes" style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Linn-Benton Community College Extended Learning</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">, are proud to be part of Timpone’s story. Are you ready to start writing yours?</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-65693916608161482562018-01-31T13:39:00.000-08:002018-01-31T13:39:43.672-08:00Cheers to the Dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">have a new book on my nightstand. It arrived a few days ago and happens to be the first book written by my friend of 20 years, Morgen. The publication of her book reminds of the importance of passion and perseverance in chasing your dream. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As kids, we’re often told we should decide what we’re going to be when we grow up. We’re supposed to consider what the job stability for that chosen career will be, if it will provide a sustainable income, and if it will allow a lifestyle we want to live - as if we have any idea what the real world is like as children still living at home. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, at the same time, many of us already know what we love to do from a young age. Yet, somewhere along the way we get distracted by what we’re told to be focusing on - college, careers, cash flow - and we often lose sight of the very talent we were gifted naturally. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In high school, Morgen and I made a game of writing. The rules were simple: Pick a topic and stick to it. One of us would take a sheet of paper and write our sentence, then fold over the paper so the other couldn’t see it. Then the other person would write her sentence. This could go on for pages. It didn’t matter what we ended up writing, we just loved that we were writing together. It’s a fond memory to this day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About eight years ago when I was living in California, I got a manuscript in the mail from Morgen. It was a rough draft of a book she had been working on for fun. I was absolutely delighted to read it, and had much time to do so on the bus I rode each morning to work.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the bus, I would pull out the hefty manuscript from my bag and become immersed in it. Since the bus I rode was specifically for those commuting to work in West L.A., I often sat near the same people. Some of them became interested in what I was reading because it was clearly a raw version of something, hundreds of single-sided, 8.5 by 11 pages stapled together.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As time went on, those curious commuters began to ask me about the book, so I told them about it. After a while, they routinely asked for updates on the characters. I was so proud to have such a talented friend and happy she would trust me with her unfinished work. But, somewhere along the way she got discouraged and put the project aside. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fast-forward to this January when she made a surprise announcement that her book is published and available on Amazon. I purchased it immediately.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The news of her book becoming a reality brings me back full circle to all the times we spent together writing, imagining, creating. It’s ironic that we are both writers who never really thought we would be. I had my ah-ha moment about five years ago when I realized that in all the things I’ve ever done, no matter how successful I was, writing has stayed with me as my passion. It was then I realized it was time to make it part of my job.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But that wasn’t easy, because of the comments I heard while growing up. When I would tell people I wanted to be a journalist, more often than not their response included a statement of how the profession “doesn’t pay any money” - as if that should matter if you are doing what you love. It took me a long time to get those remarks out of my head, as I imagine the same for Morgen. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Authors, like Morgen, who want to make a living with their words, are told on a regular basis that very few will ever hit the jackpot like Stephen King, John Grisham, or J.K. Rowling. But, in the back of my mind, I can’t help but wonder how many people told that to Stephen King, John Grisham, and J.K. Rowling. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Passion and perseverance can go a long way for any dream as long as you keep focused on </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">your </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dream and not the one that others have for you. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, for this Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to not forget that love begins with you. Love your talent. Love your passion. Love your dream. Love yourself. And even if it takes 20 years, you can be what you want to be if you don’t lose sight of who you were meant to be.</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-9401027692503705952017-12-03T19:04:00.000-08:002017-12-03T19:09:52.670-08:00Christmas tree time capsule<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QgPmpfulAWheOQ9LCxVHEIGL06tR5Bh5xxM_8dawzfyYxoEOFK-BlvVoljPCwiyeSKYoVKN9fV1uddQK_upX66tdlGx0ceGCZ2DW9Pto4K0d-1GV6XIvpMDAgj3HBU89eMlXoDtsSBU/s1600/christmas-2933007_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="960" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QgPmpfulAWheOQ9LCxVHEIGL06tR5Bh5xxM_8dawzfyYxoEOFK-BlvVoljPCwiyeSKYoVKN9fV1uddQK_upX66tdlGx0ceGCZ2DW9Pto4K0d-1GV6XIvpMDAgj3HBU89eMlXoDtsSBU/s640/christmas-2933007_960_720.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I</b></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n what feels like the land of Christmas trees, I must admit, we have a fake tree. Its lights permanently woven within its branches, the branches made from hidden wire under the faux fir needles, our tree must be straightened and fluffed each year after its 11-month stay in a box. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s a small tree, maybe 4-feet tall, and although it doesn’t have the refreshing scent of a real tree, our tree does everything we need it to do</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it tells the story of us. For me, the actual tree is the least important part of the Christmas tree tradition. Each year we bring our fake tree to life with the ornaments we hang from it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a typical Christmas growing up, we dedicated a whole day to picking out and decorating the tree. Once we got it home we would make hot chocolate or pour a glass of my mom’s homemade eggnog. We would turn on Christmas songs, pull out the ornaments, and hang them one by one. It was not a task to be rushed because many of our ornaments had a story and we liked to reminisce about those moments together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that I’m an adult, my parents have passed down some of the ornaments I’ve looked at for much of my life. I continue to add new ones as my story evolves, but each year I’m reminded of decades passed as I unwrap them. Like a time capsule, ornament by ornament our tree is a place for the past and present to collide, history dangling from its branches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When my parents were married, the symbol of their union was a moon and star. In our family home, there were several places that symbol could be found, including ornaments on our Christmas tree. Each year I hang one such ornament, a half moon with a star dangling from its corner in honor of my parents.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">A gold metal ornament in the shape of a little girl with wings and a halo bares the engraving, “Allison 1982.” The ornament was given to me on my first Christmas. As a small child, I hung it from my own mini tree that sat on a bookshelf in my bedroom. As I have grown, it has come with me to all the homes I’ve lived, all the trees I’ve had, and will hopefully continue to do so.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a series of ornaments that represent the East Coast, where most my family still lives. There’s a painted blue crab shell symbolizing the crab feasts my family always has when we come visit. A ball ornament that was hand-painted by my cousin two decades ago has what looks like the Baltimore skyline</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the area much of my family grew up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other ornaments were made by me, and my parents insisted on saving them. There’s the origami star I made in 4-H fiber arts class, dipped in wax to preserve its shape and sprinkled with sparkles to give it some bling. In kindergarten, I made an ornament using the lid of a can. With a string pulled through a hole to hang it, my school picture is glued to the front; two pigtails on the side of my head and wearing a plaid jumper my grandmother made. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there’s the bungee jumping Santa. Santa is in a pose as if skydiving and attached to a slinky-ish wire that allows it to bounce up and down when pulled. Around since my childhood, two years ago we hung it from a lamp in our living room and our young nephew pulled too hard, sending Santa crashing down on the wood floor, breaking into a half dozen pieces. Last year, we </span>were gifted<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"> back Santa, whose pieces had been picked up after the accident and glued back together with expert precision. With barely-there “scars” from where he had been broken, he is now whole again with new stories to tell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the ornament that often gives me the biggest smile is one closest to my heart. Although its construction was simple, its nostalgia runs deep. On a square piece of paper in which a young me drew two holly leaves, centered in between them is a red footprint. Just below her footprint is a picture of my beloved Elsa, a black and white fur ball with an arrow shape running up her nose. As my first best friend and companion for 17 years, that ornament is always front and center on the tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year, as our tree is lit up once again and embellished with all these memories and more, I stare at the stories that hang from it. I think of all the trees the ornaments have hung from, all the homes they have been in, all the people who have touched them. With this thought, I realize it’s not the tree that makes it feel like Christmas, it’s the ornaments that adorn it.</span></div>
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Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-37363546620865266982017-10-27T15:19:00.000-07:002017-10-27T18:51:30.714-07:00Praying mantis: hunters of hummingbirds<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1dH8vfyMz0KpW6EXINEywfotbSJFX5ePJyvYL0i8B6oOy9DmDLk4sFwRp5OdovJSmKCbWeOH-OQsXnPRP5qOJ1VrNn-HnVw1545gPuGXKrgr4BfzJeeVQPiw2HKzwox4LEyC9dyLrtk/s1600/22789179_10207899627247482_688325084080014308_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1dH8vfyMz0KpW6EXINEywfotbSJFX5ePJyvYL0i8B6oOy9DmDLk4sFwRp5OdovJSmKCbWeOH-OQsXnPRP5qOJ1VrNn-HnVw1545gPuGXKrgr4BfzJeeVQPiw2HKzwox4LEyC9dyLrtk/s320/22789179_10207899627247482_688325084080014308_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I</span>’</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ve been protective around our hummingbird feeder since I’ve learned there’s an unlikely predator on the prowl.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-290e104e-60ab-0fde-849a-bc8714391cda" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The feeder hangs outside our dining room window and is a constant waterhole for our hummers. We spend much time watching them, and sometimes, they rest on the feeder and watch us in return. We welcome them in our yard’s mini-ecosystem because, after all, they are pollinators.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My protectiveness began a few weeks ago after we saw a praying mantis in our yard. We were excited because we had not seen one there before and because they are such unique creatures. To think the mantis is a relative of the cockroach and termite, creatures humans often detest, is surprising. But because the mantis has such a regal poise and sophistication, we often underestimate their dominance in the food chain. They are predators.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A praying mantis patiently waits and ambushes its prey. While they appear peaceful, often stoic in a “praying position,” they have spikes on their legs for snaring and are equipped with large mandibles made for munching. With the ability to camouflage itself and a head that turns 180 degrees, they are superior hunters.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As in any ecosystem, both predator and prey are needed for a healthy balance. That’s why it’s a good sign when a praying mantis is in your yard, and for that reason, I was excited when we saw one on our porch, not far from our hummingbird feeder.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While much of the mantis diet includes insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, and flies, I found out they also have an interest in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lizards, frogs, and small birds — such as hummingbirds.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I came to find this out when a friend posted on Facebook a picture of a praying mantis in their yard. One comment on the photo said they eat hummingbirds. Someone replied to that comment and said they had seen this happen. But I was skeptical, having never heard of such a thing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I began my research of more “qualified” sources. I read articles published by National Geographic, Newsweek, The New York Times, and even The Bend Bulletin. Those articles quoted experts and scientists on the matter.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also found YouTube videos that caught the event as it happened. Most of the videos showed the attacks occurring on a hummingbird feeder. I was shocked to watch one. And one was enough. I thought about the mantis we saw just a few feet from our feeder and realized what it may have been up to.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As it turns out, a praying mantis may see a hummingbird feeder as a honey hole. It positions itself in stealth and silence until an unsuspecting hummer comes to feed. It strikes at a speed faster than the blink of an eye and snatches the hummingbird, often stabbing its leg through the bird’s skull. The mantis then uses its strong mandibles to bite through the skull and eat the nutrient-rich brain.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watching that video reminded me of when I was on a safari in Tanzania years ago. One day, as we drove on two ruts in the middle of the Serengeti, we were stopped by a lioness and her two cubs out for a hunt on a group of gazelles. The lions were using our “road” for their stalking zone.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since drivers can’t leave the road, we were stopped indefinitely as the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lions</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> went about their business. When the cubs made a break towards the herd, after a short and slightly sloppy chase, the gazelles bounced away to safety. It was a rare gift we were given to see such an incredible event. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was relieved to not witness them get captured, but I soon realized how selfish that was. The family of lions may have gone without food that day. That could have been the meal they needed to sustain the next few days. For them to thrive something else had to die. Like the gazelles, hummingbirds are also part of the food chain and satisfy the hunger of a predator.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know every species must eat to survive. But I feel so protective of the hummers that fly above me without fear and chirp at me when their feeder is empty. Since learning about the praying mantis and its brain-sucking tendencies, I’ve been watching our feeder closely. I don’t think I could kill the mantis, but I don’t want to see the mantis kill a hummingbird. I do know, however, I want my feeder to be a mantis-free-zone. </span></div>
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Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-18882077607208127892017-10-08T11:48:00.000-07:002017-10-09T11:53:18.261-07:00Philomath High School names 2017-18 homecoming queen<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">P</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hilomath High School named the new homecoming queen during halftime at Friday night’s Warrior football game.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Five homecoming princesses walked in front spectators at the stadium anticipating the results of who the student body voted as their 2017-18 homecoming queen. Each princess wore a gown and crown. Just after 8 p.m. on Oct. 6, Sarah Buddingh, senior, was announced as queen. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I feel very honored,” Buddingh said. “It’s a very special experience.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Princesses were selected by their peers during two rounds of voting. First round voting named nominees within each class. The top five from each class and six from the senior class were then voted on again. High votes from each class become nominees for queen.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When asked why she thought she had won, Buddingh’s best friend, Hailey Davis, who stood next to Buddingh after her win, quickly answered.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Because everybody loves her,” said Davis. “And she’s also the student body president so everybody knows her.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buddingh added that her win made her proud because her mom, Connie Buddingh, was also the senior homecoming queen when she attended PHS.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another princess, Ashlynn Wulk, sophomore, also shared the title of homecoming princess with her mom, Shannon Smith.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“My mom was very proud because she was a princess in high school,” said Wulk. “And my dad was surprised because I’m so quiet.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wulk believed she was nominated because of her involvement with basketball and the number of friends she has on the team. She plays wing position.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upon hearing Buddingh named as queen, Wulk and the other princesses</span>—freshman<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Danielle Beck, junior Jamie Chambers, and senior Mariam Coskey</span>—gracefully<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"> congratulated Buddingh. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buddingh has been on the student government cabinet the past two years but this is her first as president. Because of her duties on the cabinet, she was also involved in organizing homecoming week festivities which began on Monday, Oct. 2. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The week included theme days such as Mega Action Monday, Cartoons Tuesday, Western Wednesday, and The Classics on Thursday. Friday was Fear the Tribe day, a time for Warriors to get pumped up for the evening’s football game against North Marion. Friday morning also included the homecoming parade.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Wednesday, the underclassmen claimed victory over the upperclassmen during the Powder Puff football game. A bonfire for students and their families followed the game on Wednesday evening.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday night ended the week’s festivities with the semi-formal homecoming dance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, Buddingh was happy with the turnout and participation of homecoming week.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Involvement has been incredible with all the activities planned,” she said. “I’ve been really impressed with the student body and cabinet.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buddingh plans to attend Eastern Oregon University after graduation. She wants to study anthropology and sociology in hopes to become a youth counselor. She will return to next year’s homecoming game to crown the new queen.</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-3286191959820043602017-10-07T15:17:00.000-07:002017-10-08T10:25:02.515-07:00Lilly's Lope for Hope, fundraiser for suicide education<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy of the Stagner family.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">O</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n Saturday, Oct. 14, Lilly’s Lope for Hope, an annual fundraiser, will take place. This year’s 5k run and 1k walk will happen just shy of four years after the PHS freshman, Lilly Stagner, committed suicide at the age of 14.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Organized by Paula May, aunt of Stagner, all proceeds will be donated to Lilly’s Grant for Guidance. Funds are used to further suicide education and counseling assistance for children within the Philomath School District.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">The shock of Stagner’s suicide opened May’s eyes to a need in the community which led to the creation of the Lope fund.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">“After she died,” said May. “I decided what I saw as one of the biggest problems was when someone needed to get into counseling to see somebody there were a lot of hoops, and the wait time could be up to six months out.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What I had initially wanted was the money to go towards counseling needs so that someone could get in right away, no matter the cost or whether they were in an insurance group,” she said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">But after the first year, May found that the bulk of the grant money was not being used. She then decided to partner with the middle and high schools.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Each year Philomath has Inspired Day, which is devoted to giving a message of hope or story of overcoming odds for the kids,” said May. “There is a speaker that comes and we have paid for the speaker over the past two years with the Lope money.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">After Stagner's death, May also realized that children don’t always know how to tell adults about a friend they think is at risk of suicide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">“None of us adults knew about it,” May said. ”But after the fact, we found out that she had been telling friends about it."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">The topic of suicide is hard to discuss, but May believes it is necessary in order to prevent more suicides. She has dedicated much of her time getting involved in prevention education and overseeing Lilly’s Grant for Guidance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the past two years, Lope money has also contributed to the middle school’s HERO Challenge. The challenge confronts issues of bullying in schools. Students learn to prevent and overcome bullying, to build and enhance personal skills, and to create friendships and alliances to help prevent bullying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most recently, May and the Lope fund have collaborated with Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis. Good Samaritan will pay for up to 500 people in the community to take suicide prevention classes called QPR, an acronym that stands for question, persuade, refer. QPR courses are built from evidence-based, peer-reviewed studies and qualify for Continuing Education credits.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">May hopes children in the community will attend QPR classes to gain prevention knowledge and the confidence to tell an adult if they know of an at-risk peer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year’s Lope fundraiser will begin 10 a.m. at the Philomath City Park. Pets are welcome on a leash. Parking is available in the middle and high school parking lots. Figeros Pizza in Philomath will provide free pizza after the day’s activities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">The event will feature a silent auction. Bidding will open at 9:30 a.m. and close at noon. Items donated came from various businesses and private residents. Donations include quilts, hair care products, massage certificates, a Yeti cooler, dinner certificates, photography packages, and artwork. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Several pieces of artwork were created by Stagner’s friends, many of which shared her love for art. Participants in the run will receive a t-shirt with artwork of Lilly’s on it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">As part of the event’s tradition, there will be a balloon ceremony where people can write messages to those they’ve lost and send them up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">“At the </span>funeral<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"> we did that,” said May, “ And we’ve wanted to recreate that every year.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">To register visit lillyslope.com. Registration is $30 in advance and $35 the day of the event. Registration of four or more will get 20 percent off using the promo code </span>BETHEHOPE<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-70717420170802444522017-10-07T11:46:00.001-07:002017-10-08T11:54:27.311-07:00Philomath: Nectar Creek's facility nears completion<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy Nectar Creek</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">O</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n the west end of town, Nectar Creek’s construction nears completion. The 7,500-square-foot production facility will include a taproom and restaurant. The build is a massive upgrade to their current 8-foot by 8-foot tasting room in Corvallis. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Founded in 2012 by brothers Nick and Phillip Lorenz, Nectar Creek combines a passion for beekeeping, agriculture, and brewing to make handcrafted session meads, a drink created by the fermentation of honey.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The grand opening of their Philomath location is expected this year. An official date has not been set. While the original plan was for October, that is unlikely.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It’s the nature of such a large development—there’s always something that comes up,” said Nick.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nectar Creek’s new facility will offer several options not offered at their Corvallis location. While current visitors can sample products, fill growlers, and buy cases, there are no tables or food. That will change when they settle into their new facility.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We won’t have a full menu but will serve lunch and dinner,” said Nick. “We’ll have a big smoker on our patio that features fresh smoked meat that will accompany our food.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There will also be an appetizer menu including meat and cheese plates for those seeking a small bite while sipping local brews.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In their new taproom, with a honeycomb theme, Nectar Creek will have 24 options. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We’ll not only be offering our mead but also a selection of beer, cider, and a little bit of wine,” said Nick. “We’re also going to create our own honey soda to have non-alcoholic offerings.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their honey soda is exclusive to their new location and for taproom visitors only. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the sales floor, local honey-related products will be available for purchase. Among those products will be Old Blue Raw Honey, a Philomath-based business that has collaborated with Nectar Creek in the past.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of Nectar Creek’s brews are made with raw honey from farms in the Willamette Valley. One of those vendors, Corvallis-based Queen Bee Honey, is where Phillip worked for seven years before the brothers created Nectar Creek.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We are excited to work with local agriculture as much as we can,” said Nick. “We grew up in local agriculture, and part of the foundation that inspired us to start Nectar Creek was that connection with local agriculture.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Due to added space and services in the new facility, Nectar Creek will hire bartenders, cooks, and servers as the move-in date gets closer. Applications will be accepted only after public job postings have been placed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For their grand opening, they plan to celebrate the occasion with live music and a few surprises. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We’ll offer a selection of products we’re going to pull out of our cellar that we’ve been storing and aging especially for our opening that you won’t be able to find anywhere else,” said Nick.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They hope to continue to showcase live music on a regular basis.</span></div>
<br />Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-75403818399233498762017-09-29T11:57:00.001-07:002017-10-01T10:19:59.350-07:00Gone but not forgotten<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">O</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ver the summer I had the chance to write some articles for the Philomath Express while the editor was on vacation. One of those stories led me to Philomath Middle School. I had not been to the school in over 20 years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was to meet the source for my assignment in the gym. As I entered the school from the side parking lot, the doors seemed smaller. The hallway seemed smaller. Everything seemed smaller. Or maybe I was just bigger. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">I walked past where my old locker was and remembered the collage of clippings from Seventeen Magazine I had taped to the inside of the door. Most of which were probably of Home Improvement’s Jonathan Taylor Thomas. He was so dreamy to my 11-year-old self. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Painted in the hallway I saw a familiar drawing; a muscular Indian, hands in the air, a painted face. It looked to me like the art of Daniel Bain. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I remembered when our class voted on it. We chose that drawing to be the one for the cover of our yearbook. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">A smile came to my face as I remembered him, and how he left us too soon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I made my way to the gym I realized how, like me, it too had grown up. It had new, fancy bleachers that replaced the old, clunky wooden ones. I recalled how loud those wooden bleachers were when they were pushed back into place against the wall. The new ones now retreat in near silence at the push of a button. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I continued on the day’s assignment, I headed towards the music room. I spent a lot of time in that room with Mrs. Crocker as I learned to play the trumpet. I saw the back row in which I sat, often in </span>second<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"> chair. I thought about my friend, Rachael, who always seemed to land in that coveted first chair seat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I continued around the hallways, the library prompted me to remember the day of the OJ Simpson verdict. On that day we gathered in the library, rows of seats set out where tables usually stood, projection screen pulled down. We watched with the rest of the nation as the “guilty” or “not guilty” decision was made. When we heard it, I remember seeing the faces of our teachers who stood among us. They looked shocked. I was shocked. Many of us were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Down the hall from the library was my fifth-grade homeroom. I used to get “hall passes” to the bathroom, but, really, I wanted to walk by the neighboring classroom where a cute boy was. I would slow down as I passed the open door and pretend I didn’t mean to catch his eye. I chuckled as I recalled this because that same boy is now my boyfriend. This month marks our four-year anniversary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When done with the day’s assignment, I left through the same doors in which I had come. I looked up again at Dan’s drawing, saying goodbye to an old friend. With thoughts of life and death and all the unknown in between, I remembered another Brave no longer with us. As I drove past the front of the school, where the buses line up at the end of the day, I saw the tree planted for Nicole Gee. It stands today as another memory of someone gone too soon.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After my visit to the middle school, my trip down memory lane continued. I was added to the Facebook group “Mr. Mortlock’s Battle with Cancer.” The group of 2,049 people began to share fond memories of the school’s seventh-grade science teacher. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I imagine on the days that he could Mr. Mortlock read some of them. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t help but think of what a wonderful gift the Mortlock family gave him—the gift of a forum where people could share the impact he made on their lives. I should only hope something so meaningful can happen to us all—to leave this world knowing we had changed it, if only in the small portion of it that we call home. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I think about Dan’s drawing on the wall and Nicole’s tree in the lawn, I wonder if it’s time to add another tribute to the school’s grounds. Post after post in Mr. Mortlock’s group proved that his PIADIAMCBLASFAA lessons stuck with us all, even though many of us forgot how to spell it. To me, a mural of this phrase somewhere in the school seems to be the perfect reminder of another person gone but not forgotten in our community.</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-89632081140145995652017-09-01T13:01:00.000-07:002017-09-01T13:14:45.252-07:00When day become night<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JXw81P-4OPsb1u51l8O4nI9t2WNtfv-71IfMXSFINORQx7RKlYAFYEjQ2UJSgrk_AfLRgOnI0xODOm2VTrqYBVmUkuWKgnyT3qKew_O85qlo2XG1SFW2Uv4Seoqpa6q7SF2fY7wDjjk/s1600/21231036_10207595517804936_2439346169177494180_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JXw81P-4OPsb1u51l8O4nI9t2WNtfv-71IfMXSFINORQx7RKlYAFYEjQ2UJSgrk_AfLRgOnI0xODOm2VTrqYBVmUkuWKgnyT3qKew_O85qlo2XG1SFW2Uv4Seoqpa6q7SF2fY7wDjjk/s640/21231036_10207595517804936_2439346169177494180_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Moment of totality, Aug. 21, 2017, Philomath, Ore.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">N</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">o matter what the experts said, I had no idea what to expect the morning of Aug. 21. I took my seat at a friend’s house off Alsea Hwy at 9 a.m. We sat in the open air, surrounded by grassy fields in a yard filled with flower beds, ornamental bushes, and fruit trees. Perched on the hillside, we had a direct view of the sun. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nature was loud. Birds chirped, chickens clucked, cows mooed, dogs barked. Cars sped by. Life was as usual. And then it was not.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The moment the sun began to black out, as if Mother Nature had taken a bite out of a cookie, my imagination began to swirl. Questions I’d never pondered cluttered my mind: What would our world be like with no sun? Would we even be able to survive? Which plants or animals would disappear first? </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the moon’s shadow blocked more of the sun, we felt the temperature drop. It was then I realized how even the smallest portions of the sun radiate such immense amounts of heat. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Halfway to totality, shadows from the leaves of the many plants around us began to cast mini moons everywhere. We scattered like kids chasing fireflies, catching thumbnail moons in our hands, bewildered by the phenomena. Our skin turned the color of tangerines and gold, a sun-kissed glow I’d never seen before. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our ISO glasses allowed us to see what we normally could not: We saw the sun’s pulse, we saw its rays, we saw the motion of its fire. Its edges looked like melting wax, a burning rim spitting its heat downward. With my new eyes, I realized, each day as we go about our business, the sun shines and we miss the magic of its reign, the dance of its light. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just before totality, the only traffic left on the road were semi-trucks. They remained on schedule, it appeared, but I wondered if that was the driver’s choice. Humans put so much emphasis on time and duty. We put value on minutes and tasks, and yet, this event was something most will never see again. Was it not important enough to take a break, pause your duty, and see the value of this time?</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the last sliver of sun shone, the crickets sang the song of night. The birds returned to their nests. Grasshoppers jumped back to wherever they came from. Bees disappeared. Perhaps the creatures were confused, or perhaps they were paying attention to instincts humans often fail to recognize. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then, day became night. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sky turned a deep blue twilight, as if the depths of the ocean had suddenly been placed on top of us. For that minute and 15 seconds, stars sparkled in the day-night sky. Jupiter showed itself. The crickets ended their song. The breeze stopped. The world was at a stand-still. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the busiest times of the day</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">—</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">those when there is sunlight</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">—</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">we are accustomed to sound. Sirens, horns, voices, wildlife. In the moment of totality, silence had never been so silent. Not a car was on the road. Those truckers must have taken that break after all. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I sat in my chair, jaw-dropped, transported to a world I’d never been to. I stared at a different sun, a different sky, hearing the different sound of nothingness. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In that moment, I realized that everything is relative to what we know. And in that moment of totality I knew nothing about anything. Yet a feeling of serenity consumed me. I could not speak, and that was fine, I had no words to describe how I felt. I knew I didn’t want to miss the moment. I wanted to capture its essence. I wanted to experience a world different from our reality.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the sun reappeared, those mini moon shadows returned, but they were reversed. The sun revealed itself from the opposite side of where Mother Nature had first taken her bite from the cookie. I didn’t expect reversed shadows, but then again, I had no expectations at all. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the second time that day, birds came out of their nests. Dogs barked. The temperature rose. Cars returned. The sun became whole. Life became normal again on a day that was anything but.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Experiencing the total eclipse was one of my life’s monumental moments. A time I felt so small that I wanted to howl at the moon like a wild animal. A time that was invaluable and worth stopping for. Because when this life is over, we only have our memories; moments like the morning of Aug. 21. </span></span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-34602708961275255622017-07-28T13:48:00.001-07:002017-07-28T15:37:34.897-07:00Sweet Valley HIgh. Cell Phones, and Guacamole<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj5pj80peK8Ty_lNdy0cVfVN5FnO28Ue5zuLE65G_1fItv2A88CYg14gJOjMRmwebbDU2EGdX9S3CBVYXAIF95_PTZQWdLpJ_AA5PtJ2ftzOCyvIxIt4sUHT1IbGcfxsaJU53aPJlZas/s1600/PHILOMATH_1472599900465_5884993_ver1.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="1130" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj5pj80peK8Ty_lNdy0cVfVN5FnO28Ue5zuLE65G_1fItv2A88CYg14gJOjMRmwebbDU2EGdX9S3CBVYXAIF95_PTZQWdLpJ_AA5PtJ2ftzOCyvIxIt4sUHT1IbGcfxsaJU53aPJlZas/s640/PHILOMATH_1472599900465_5884993_ver1.0.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">T</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he other day I drove by Philomath high school and began to think about what it used to look like when I went there. How it didn’t have a second floor or those big, fancy glass windows. For some reason seeing its new iteration made me think about the old book series “Sweet Valley High.” Then I realized the kids at the school today probably have no idea what that series is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">That thought led me to think of how different experiences and opportunities are for kids today. When I was a freshman, I believe I was the only one in my circle of friends that had a cell phone. My mom would sometimes let me take hers to school. It was as big as my hand and a flip phone, but most other kids still had pagers, so it was pretty cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would guess that most teenagers these days have no idea what life was like without a cell phone. Back then we had to pre-plan events with a meeting time and place so that we could find each other. It was not possible to send a quick text asking where someone was or what they were going to do. Instead, we had to “page” someone who then had to scrounge change and find a payphone to call from. The process was a drag.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">For unplanned rendezvous, we needed a central meeting place to find people on the fly. At the time, the Taco Bell/Subway/Texaco complex on Main Street was that place for most kids I knew. If we were looking for things to do, we would go there and see who else was there. Compared to what we can do today, that complex acted as a way to send a group text about what the day’s activities may be.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the Texaco complex, even though there were “no loitering”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">signs outside the building, many of us did just that. I remember countless times that the lot would be full of teenagers socializing and congregating before they moved to another location. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">That complex was also where I worked my first job. For its grand opening, the companies held interviews in the high school counseling center. I joined dozens of peers that showed up, and, at the age of 14, I was hired for Taco Bell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Working at Taco Bell was more of a social event than a job. Because the interviews were held at the school, nearly all staff excluding some managers were peers. This meant that we often governed ourselves. It wasn’t “Lord of the Flies” but it did get a little crazy at times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I recall the sour cream and guacamole wars we had after closing. Since we had to clean the floors anyway, sometimes we shot the devices similar to a caulking gun, at each other. Standing inside the walk-in cooler and waiting for someone to open the door would get extra laughs if you could surprise them with sour cream to the face. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Looking back, it was wasteful and probably punishable, but we were kids, and the thought of having fun consumed most of our time. That, I am sure, is the same for kids today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I remember a project assigned in Mr. Dunham’s AV Tech class called “A Day in My Life.” We were supposed to make a video (yes, like on a video tape) and present it in class. My parents had a video camera. It was twice the size of my head and so heavy it made my shoulder numb. Nevertheless, they allowed me to bring it to school to record for the project.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">I spent a couple of days filming friends skateboarding, being silly in the halls of the school, and engaging in shenanigans during off-campus lunches. I recorded myself at work making and wrapping a bean burrito in less than five seconds. I also had footage of friends building a castle out of Taco Bell’s sporks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the time, that AV Tech program was cutting-edge. We got a chance to splice and edit video, early training for what would become common knowledge among today’s kids. There’s an app for that now, of course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Memories like these make me wonder what life will be like for youth 20 years from now. I’m not THAT old and I’ve already seen so much. I remember “car phones” in cases that fit between your seats with a cord that plugged into the cigarette lighter. I remember when text on a computer screen was neon green with a black background and letters often appeared slower than you typed them. I remember Pac Man on Atari.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">The boom in technology, and in the growth of Philomath, scares some people. But I’m curious about what’s coming next. I wait in anticipation for experiences and opportunities the future holds. And for what places in Philomath may create fond memories for kids yet to come.</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-78274715273662674842017-07-15T08:29:00.000-07:002017-07-15T08:29:30.673-07:00Record numbers attend Vacation Bible School in Philomath<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carla Kaminga stood in front of a group of wide-eyed kids and held up a bracelet. It was made from woven threads of yellow, black, red, green and white. Each color of the bracelet reminded Kaminga of a story in the Bible, she explained to her audience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“This yellow part here,” she said as she pointed, “reminds me of the streets of gold and of heaven.” She continued, “this black part here reminds me of the sins that Jesus died for.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After she finished explaining what each color meant to her, she asked the kids if they were ready to have their own bracelet. The room erupted with excitement as arms shot up, each kid wanting to be the first to claim a gift. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The kids, age 4 through 5th grade, had gathered at Philomath Middle School for Vacation Bible School (VBS) held July 10-14. Hosted by local Evangelical churches, VBS is a specialized form of religious education that incorporates fun for kids to learn Bible stories, religious song, crafts, and skits. VBS is free.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We have teachers from different churches, people that take the week off work for this—a lot of people that have come together to make this happen,” said Mat Phelps, Living Faith Community Church youth pastor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Five other local churches teamed up with Living Faith to make VBS possible. This year there were 50 junior leader volunteers, youth in 6th to 12th grade, and 20 adult leader volunteers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attendance was among the highest ever, according to Kaminga, who has been involved with VBS for over two decades. Total registration was 250, exceeding last year’s 200. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“There’s a lot of kids who come that don’t have a church or don’t go to church,” said Kaminga. “We make it open to everyone.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With several rooms of the middle school transformed for VBS, there was a story room for kids to hear Bible stories, a memory verse room to learn scripture, and a music room to practice songs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year’s theme was “Deep Sea Discovery,” so all stories and activities related to water and the sea. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">School lockers that lined the hallways were covered in blue paper, adding to the deep sea theme as kids traveled from room to room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The school gym became the music room. Kids gathered in the center, facing a stage built by Philomath residents </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christie and Ryan Vaughan</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Using paper mache, a seascape of coral reefs surrounded the stage, with a large octopus made from pool noodles and orange spray foam. Jellyfish hung from the ceiling, and blue drapes in the background gave the feel of moving water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The stage will be disassembled and taken to a church in Eastern Washington for another group of VBS kids to enjoy later this summer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During story time the children heard stories of kids in other countries, such as Danielle, an impoverished girl in Mexico who came to know Jesus through people that helped her in difficult situations. Each day Kaminga read a portion of Danielle’s story, building up to the final chapter at week’s end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The kids love it,” said Kaminga. “Their eyes get big and they have so many questions. They’re just so empathetic.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each day of VBS started with a skit performed by the kids, incorporating the day’s theme. Theme days included inside-out day, crazy hair day, hat day, and flip-flop/water day. Volunteers planned months in advance for crafts, stories, and skits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Wednesday night, the children and their families enjoyed a Corvallis Knight’s game as an extracurricular group activity. On Thursday night, VBS hosted a barbecue in which the kids invited their family, friends, and neighbors. An estimated 400 people enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers, and shaved ice. The evening included games, a bounce house, and music. A local sheriff and police officers were present to talk with the kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It’s just a big community party,” said Phelps. “We love it because it’s an opportunity for people to come together.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end of the week, each kid received an Adventure Bible personalized with the child’s name to take home.</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-66355836856786077192017-06-30T11:38:00.001-07:002017-06-30T12:05:53.599-07:00What I've learned about being human from dogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRZImINOWSHsEYVGsRRdLhyphenhyphen0LUHEcXtQdR9CsC8Lq6tfoe8OQsW04esqPEa6wbvUcqeK4Akq2wRVLiUelACt5p3ZLp_nXgNrl-SkYaWckhmG3uxOPplUT9R10N_qhK_-wV-oJPRNQ11A/s1600/19598851_10207176841458289_6213031420832338721_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="640" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRZImINOWSHsEYVGsRRdLhyphenhyphen0LUHEcXtQdR9CsC8Lq6tfoe8OQsW04esqPEa6wbvUcqeK4Akq2wRVLiUelACt5p3ZLp_nXgNrl-SkYaWckhmG3uxOPplUT9R10N_qhK_-wV-oJPRNQ11A/s320/19598851_10207176841458289_6213031420832338721_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’ve learned many lessons in life from dogs; how to be a protector, a nurturer, a friend. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The day I found Elsa was the day my lessons began. I was 8 years old, and my parents took me to the Summit Festival. As I wandered, I went to where people were gathered under an RV awning. There I saw a wire play pen with nine little furballs in it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of the puppies except for one were pressed against the wire, reaching as far as their little legs would stretch, trying to make their way into someone’s arms. In the back corner was Elsa. Her black body curled in a ball with a thin, white marking on her face that inspired her middle name, Arrow. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her gaze was locked onto me. Her eyes demanded my attention. I made my way to her, and as I got close she got up from where she was tucked away and walked to me. Once she was in my arms I knew I wasn’t putting her down. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">She had chosen me. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elsa was docile and attentive and full of love to give. There was not a mean streak in her soul. She was my companion and my adventure buddy. She pulled me in my plastic sled in the snow, she stood with me at the bus stop, she licked my tears away. She was my first best friend. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although she was the ideal dog in the house or on the leash, she was a born runner. When a door was left open it was as if a switch flipped and she was driven to bolt through it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It became apparent that she wasn’t running “away” from us. She was rather running around us, seeking freedom and opportunity like so many humans do. She always stayed within eyesight of the house, coming home when she was ready, sometimes days later. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Through her running I learned that sometimes we are compelled to follow our instincts. She tested my dedication to her time and time again. Even though I wanted to be mad at her, I accepted her with open arms every time she came home. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elsa taught me that friends are always your friends no matter where they go or how long you have been apart. She taught me that if you love someone you forgive their flaws. She taught me that no one is perfect, even if they appear to be. She taught me patience and understanding.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was because of Elsa that I found Sirrus. A neighbor admired our bond and told me of a friend who had puppies that needed a special home. The puppies weren’t like other puppies, she said.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sirrus’ dad was purebred gray wolf, standing almost 5 feet tall with long legs, a slender body, and a mane like a lion. Her mom was half Mexican red wolf and half Rothweiler. Because of who she was born to, Sirrus would be outcasted from most family homes and was an unwelcomed resident of the Bay Area county in which I lived. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was the only one of the litter that was stuck like glue to our ankles when we met her. It was clear, once again, I was chosen by my four-legged friend. We were to be her pack, and our duty to protect her had begun.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because her coloring could pass as a German Shepherd mix, that was our cover story when people asked. When we brought her to the vet for the first time they saw her long, curved canines. We may have been able to hide what she was from others, but the vet knew her secret. We were lucky they didn’t confiscate and euthanize her as the county rule said they should.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sirrus grew to the spitting image of a red wolf, petite and only 40 pounds. She was the most loyal, responsive, and intelligent “dog” I’ve ever known. The level in which she communicated with us was beyond anything I’ve experienced before. She was adored by everyone who knew her. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We spent her lifetime protecting her from people that associated “her kind” with characteristics she did not have. She was not vengeful or intimidating. She was kind and gentle. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Never did she display aggression to us, Elsa, or any other dog.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sirrus taught me that we are not always what people expect us to be. That we can learn to see past labels. She taught me how to stand up for those that need an advocate. She taught me that everyone should have a chance to be loved. She taught me compassion and acceptance. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been fortunate to learn how to be a better member of society because of my dogs. I believe their pure, unwavering devotion can teach us all valuable lessons about being the best version of ourselves.</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-36748223380521485122017-06-16T11:52:00.000-07:002017-06-17T17:03:29.293-07:00Saddle up, it's rodeo time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">T</span></b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">he tradition began 64 years ago when the first frolic was organized in 1953. As the event grew, in 1983 the rodeo was added, creating what is now the regionally renowned Philomath Frolic and Rodeo. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With over 5,000 tickets sold each year, not including attendees under the age of 6, the event now attracts more people than the town's population, and is its largest annual event. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the past year, there has been uncertainty about the future of the Frolic and Rodeo because of possible land use restrictions, leaving many community members wondering about its longevity. But the tradition will continue now that </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul and Lola Skirvin have donated </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">the 15-acre property used for the grounds to the city.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now that the future is certain, the event's board of executives needs volunteers to help during the weekends leading up to and during the event. This year’s Frolic and Rodeo will be held July 6 - 9. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the transfer of land ownership, there is now means to start putting money into improvements. Chris Workman, city manager and president of the event's executive board, is currently mapping out a five-year facilities plan for prioritizing upgrades. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“The lights, the grandstands—those are the big ticket items,” he said. “You don’t replace those things if you don’t know if you’re going to be here. Now we can do those things.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To attract visitors from all walks of life, organizers have continued their focus on adding special events to the festivities. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year's new event added to the schedule is a freestyle bull riding contest.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“It’s basically like Spanish spear fighting without the spears,” said Workman.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The bulls used in the competition are Mexican bulls, smaller and more aggressive than other breeds. The competition includes distracting with colorful cloth, dodging the charging bull, and jumping over the bull. Points will be given for performance, style, and for not getting run over by the bull. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thirty bull riders will travel to Philomath from Texas, Colorado, Washington, and greater Oregon. With a grand prize of around $4,000, stiff competition is expected as well as a showcase of talent, all from the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“This is a new rodeo event nationwide and we’re right on the fringe in Oregon,” said Workman. “This will be the largest bull riding event in Oregon ever, and there will be three national champions of Oregon here.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">With organizers working towards a goal of keeping the Frolic and Rodeo true to its tradition, they also aim to keep it fresh and fun.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Everything we do is looking at the fan experience and trying to improve it,” said Workman.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With that in mind, organizers have decided to move vendors behind the grandstands, reducing walk and wait time. Beer will also be allowed in the stands, eliminating the need to gather in the beer garden away from friends or family. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To help manage lines in the entrance area, tickets sales will now be available online. Tickets can be printed at home or scanned from one’s phone at the entrance. Buying tickets online includes a reduction in price and free parking.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Care has also been put into scheduling events to ensure they are not overlapping each other, another complaint organizers have heard and addressed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A fan favorite—the fish rodeo</span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">will be back. Two-hundred tickets will be available to catch 12-inch trout by hand. Organizers want volunteers to design merchandise for the event.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“We could have shirts that say ‘no hook, no pull, no problem,'” Workman said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The amount of time spent is up to each volunteer. Pulling weeds, trimming trees, mowing fields, or preparing facilities are all on the list of things to do. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“There’s always chores to be done,” said Darrell Hinchberger, vice president of management on the executive board. “I don’t think we’ve ever said no to anyone; everyone is welcome.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">For more information or to volunteer, contact Chris Workman at pfr.president@gmail.com.</span></span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-83410559746518115262017-06-03T23:16:00.001-07:002017-06-05T22:16:49.886-07:00Exclusive: Can Font, Spanish cuisine in the Pacific Northwest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfwGfhfZ1o8Ztc-UWrFEa4Q-FupushEF_fXsbh9Gs9NMXK_WPt_pDkFOCE2M2F7LlMQiIG_x7ZJBlDUpYGztOqKuyUvGFpidvXs5JxqJRn8KsMeaDj1pqHRL5PIVlnLQEIR-x7of68Ek/s1600/DSC06428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1525" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfwGfhfZ1o8Ztc-UWrFEa4Q-FupushEF_fXsbh9Gs9NMXK_WPt_pDkFOCE2M2F7LlMQiIG_x7ZJBlDUpYGztOqKuyUvGFpidvXs5JxqJRn8KsMeaDj1pqHRL5PIVlnLQEIR-x7of68Ek/s640/DSC06428.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.willametteliving.com/"><br /></a></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.willametteliving.com/">W</a></span></b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.willametteliving.com/">illamette Life Media</a> had the chance to celebrate the highly anticipated arrival of Portland’s newest restaurant, <a href="https://www.willametteliving.com/">Can Font</a>. On May 31, with an exclusive tasting of Chef Joseph Vidal’s specialty menu, we were among invited guests experiencing the restaurant before its June 3 opening. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The self-described “traditional Spanish cuisine with avant-garde Mediterranean flair” is the sister location of Spain’s famed restaurant of the same name. Located just outside of Barcelona, Can Font is included on the 2016 and 2017 Michelin restaurant guide’s Bib Gourmand, a list focused on high-value restaurants. Portland’s sister location will mimic many of the same dishes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Located in the Pearl District’s Cosmopolitan Building, its floor to ceiling windows, accent mirrors, and white table cloths create a refined space of openness and class. A thoughtful design of woven woodwork on the ceilings lined with oversized light bulbs similar to strung lights on a trellis, holds the appeal of an intimate indoor patio.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTw2tTOWHqGzTzQ9EH8GRx3QHT8J7wOyyWdgw2Mjf4kaecCG36jFKk9kwk0fZxSVVPSLebULGd-J7TPDTOCSq3EN7Bsz_U3cSIOh84ydpPJMefspSlA0rKYPGfnU2Q_BN9YlXEir5AKdM/s1600/DSC06426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1452" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTw2tTOWHqGzTzQ9EH8GRx3QHT8J7wOyyWdgw2Mjf4kaecCG36jFKk9kwk0fZxSVVPSLebULGd-J7TPDTOCSq3EN7Bsz_U3cSIOh84ydpPJMefspSlA0rKYPGfnU2Q_BN9YlXEir5AKdM/s320/DSC06426.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Owned by acclaimed Executive Chef Joseph Vidal, he has partnered with Portland-based restaurateur Vladimir Zaharchook to bring the Catalonian dining experience to the Pacific Northwest. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before the night’s five course meal was served, Zaharchook stood before guests as they sipped on Cava, Spain’s sparkling wine.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I always was a dreamer and I always try to convert my dreams into reality,” he said. “When I see people eating and drinking I always enjoy myself. I’m proud to say one of the best cities in the United States, one of the coolest in the United States, has our presence now.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The evening’s meal included sliced potatoes with sheep’s milk cheese and langostino; canelones stuffed with black truffles, chicken, beef, pork, and foie gras; squid ink paella; duck confit and seared duck magret; and Catalan custard with an almond biscotti.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Textures were smooth and rich and exquisite. Everything was cooked to perfection, and sudden bursts of flavor came from creamy, savory sauces that delicately adorned the dishes such as aioli, piquillo pepper sauce, orange infused demi-glace, and pear puree.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The space includes a tapas bar, open view of the kitchen, and a dining floor for about 60. Turquoise accent walls channel a classic Mediterranean feel, and a mural wall captures the essence of Spain. With their shared passion for innovation and a rich culinary experience, the duo have created a unique, must-have dining experience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can Font will be open for lunch and dinner and available for catering. With plans to change the menu several times a month, the selections of fresh seafood, locally-sourced produce, and a rotation of rice, pasta, and paella dishes will certainly wow guests for many years to come. </span></div>
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Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-51992290060151516652017-06-02T10:49:00.000-07:002017-06-03T11:05:02.223-07:00Cammo, machetes and pyros: Camping to remember<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">W</span></b>ith the recent three-day Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of camping season has begun. I embrace the chance to sit under the stars, soak up the beauty of the night sky, and experience the sights and sounds that surround me. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Camping can be quite entertaining, but that entertainment doesn’t always come from around the campfire. It sometimes comes from people-watching opportunities. With no walls of a home separating us from one another, people often still act as if no one can see them despite being in plain site. Their antics can be comical or a little crazy at times, but either way, they make for good stories. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had one such experience at Moonshine Park last summer. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a hot weekend, one of the hottest we had. Temperatures were over 100 degrees, even though we had expected to escape the valley to cooler weather. Spending much time laying under the canopy of a tree trying to beat the heat, a series of odd events made for a good show.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first was the arrival of a man with one arm in a sling and his very pregnant companion. She seemed about to burst and he looked to have seen better days. After watching him struggle to put up their tent, he began to pump up their air mattress. He had a handheld pump, and with only one arm, it was difficult for him to maneuver and hold it steady. She was of little help.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With each pump it hardly seemed the man was making progress. After we had enough of watching his battle, we offered our leaf blower which doubles as an air pump and souped-up fire blower. He was grateful, and his mattress was ready in minutes. However, the mattress apparently had a hole, and each morning he would come to our site and ask to use the blower again. We had opened our non-existent door to our neighbors.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there was a group of boys, maybe around 10 years old. They kept appearing at vacant sites to start fires in the pits. They would gather whatever they could find on the ground to build them, have their fun, and walk away. But they would leave the fires burning, which as you can imagine in 100 degree heat is not the best idea, so a few times we went over to stifle the fires. We wondered where their parents were.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Periodically there was a shirtless man with a machete. He was not the camp host we had encountered when buying firewood. He appeared to just be a camper. We watched him several times whacking at blackberries and brush along the banks that lined the campsites. He made sounds which added drama to the activity, and his efforts piqued our curiosity. We didn’t expect to see a man channeling Danny Trejo in Moonshine Park.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Through all the commotion of firestarters and bushwackers, there was a relentless barking dog. Every few minutes, the dog, who was tied to a table across the campground, would bark insistently. All the while, the owners sat, talking around their fire as if they couldn’t hear it, or didn’t care to. I wondered why someone would allow such behavior in a place with no walls.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Among all the chaos there was a wedding in an open field below the sites. We watched as the young couple said “I do.” The groom was wearing cammo.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Come morning, as campers would pack and head back to where they came from, we would watch as a mad dash to collect left-behind firewood began. If a neighboring camper wasn’t quick enough, like clockwork, the camp host would appear in his golf cart and swoop up the wood to resell to the next camper. Both smart and sneaky, I thought.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The park may have had an interesting cast of characters the weekend we were there, but it won’t stop us from going back. I imagine in the next couple months we will find ourselves at the river’s edge; sitting on smooth, warm rocks in the middle of the current, lounging on float tubes, hiding in the shade of a tree, and staring at the night sky. Camping, after all, is made for exactly that. And even though you never know what company you will find yourself surrounded by, that, to me, is the fun in the gamble of camping. </span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-85124428382290526192017-05-25T09:53:00.001-07:002017-05-30T15:26:37.535-07:00The Taste of Italy in Oregon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NPPL71HWgY598jZo7OJQLJEfKYlHwU2Dw9vHfKRfdD8dzR71IZh8bXEG6gmy9tip6yJSmiQEuVaHPLb4sObG7O5mEdfuymUnxoT-xlZIH8ZLgU0Qr2HqlGiJKwwrghnbxg2nspgNCE4/s1600/DSC06368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NPPL71HWgY598jZo7OJQLJEfKYlHwU2Dw9vHfKRfdD8dzR71IZh8bXEG6gmy9tip6yJSmiQEuVaHPLb4sObG7O5mEdfuymUnxoT-xlZIH8ZLgU0Qr2HqlGiJKwwrghnbxg2nspgNCE4/s640/DSC06368.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ucked behind Arby’s off West 11th Ave. in Eugene, you will find a small, modest complex of industrial buildings. Within the unassuming lot is <a href="https://www.crescendospirits.com/">Crescendo Spirits</a>. I found Kyle Akin, owner and cello maker, standing outside the warehouse-style door with a big smile and warm welcome. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inside I was surprised to find a cozy and classy space, in which Akin has designed a lounge complete with couches and lamps, giving the feel of a living room. It also had a tasting table and small bar surrounded by bold, red walls. Akin wasted no time beginning to educate me on what exactly cello is.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Cello,” he told me, “is defined as a homemade liqueur and is the name for an Italian liqueur.” He continued, “There’s always this mystery surrounding how it’s made and everyone is locked into their grandma’s recipe. But I don’t have that, my ancestry is German.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how, I wondered, does an American of German descent rise to the top of the Oregon cello market for making the highly coveted and secretive liqueur? The short answer is trial and error. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The long answer is on a visit to a Northern California winery a winemaker offered Akin a sip of his homemade Limoncello. Akin was intrigued by its robust, unique flavor and asked to take a small sample home. The winemaker obliged, and as an engineer by training, Akin began rigorous research to discover what exactly makes “grandma’s” traditional Limoncello, limoncello. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The process is quite difficult to do,” he said. “It has to do with how you cut the rinds, the jar you use, and the duration of steeping.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The details of how exactly that is done was off limits. It involved countless hours of learning curves, tracking down the equipment, and negotiating with Italians to get the equipment to the Willamette Valley.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His secrets are his key to success.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This past winter, their top-seller, Limoncello, was entered into two competitions: the 6th Annual Denver International Spirits Competition and the 4th Annual Berlin International Spirits Competition. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Denver, it was given the top honor of a double gold medal by a double-blind panel of highly regarded beverage professionals. Competition was stiffer in Berlin with over 400 entries from 20 countries. Despite their underdog status, Crescendo earned a bronze medal.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“When we sent it across the pond to Europe no other fruit liqueur won but us,” he said. “The judges were definitely wanting a particular type of liqueur that took a significant more finesse. But, we still got the nod, we still got the bronze, no matter how they were feeling.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He asked if I wanted to taste the award-winning cello, and I welcomed the opportunity.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“These are the primary colors of bartending—lemon, lime, and orange,” he said as he placed the bottles on the bar. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Traditionally cellos are sipped straight, but the engineer in Akin has had fun playing with flavors and textures mixing them with other spirits and juices. He lists some of his favorite recipes on their website.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First up to taste was the Limoncello. It was fresh on the palate, left no chemical taste and the flavor subtly disappeared, making it very easy to drink. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next up was the Limecello. Again, it was smooth and pleasing on my palate and I couldn’t help but ooh and ahh as I sipped it. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last, but certainly not least, was the Arancello, which tasted like drinking a creamsicle. It was flavor-packed and my personal favorite. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With these staple flavors used so often, my mind started to wander thinking of the possibilities of how the cellos could be used. They could be added to lager, to cider, to ice tea; poured over ice cream; drizzled on key lime pie or chocolate cake; used as a marinade. My mouth began to water.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each of the cellos had clean, fresh flavors with no syrupy aftertaste. Akin explained that all their spirits are dye-free, GMO free, gluten free, and are organic with no artificial flavors. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the heels of their award-winning season, Crescendo is now adding vodka to their handcrafted delectables. Expected to be ready for distribution by late summer, I was able to taste from a bottle Akin had on hand.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vodka is not generally my first choice for hard alcohol, but the taste I had was delicious. It was pleasant, didn’t have a bite, was sweet, and easy to swallow. I didn’t even scrunch my nose and close my eyes as straight vodka often provokes.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Akin explained that their vodka is distilled five times. Gray Goose, for example, is distilled three times. With each round of distilling it further purifies, filters, and refines the essential characteristics of the vodka, making it more concentrated.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The defining characteristic of a good vodka is that it does not taste like, or smell like, anything,” he told me. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With hopes to infuse botanicals in the future, Akin is already experimenting with fruits and flavors that may be contenders. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During my time at Crescendo Spirits, I was impressed by Akin’s enthusiasm, knowledge, and passion for making liqueur. If the chance presents itself to stop by, I recommend it. You may not leave with his secrets, but you will leave with a friend. And possibly a new favorite liqueur. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>(This content was written for <a href="https://www.willametteliving.com/">Willamette Living Magazine</a>.)</i></span></span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-23852357409005610362017-04-28T16:29:00.000-07:002017-04-28T16:29:56.465-07:00More than just a garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTipBoSfXC-LZziZJSPjBctl_OlTdSOYEIlUmWZ4bPOHRtP1BLfvz7aBZwkM2VCMkmMp__HETdmILxkwGWhfu2rgYKZdR6UA2L1do6IW8GdPOIios5ydRYDDwhwQOJE_xlqvj1uj3jujI/s1600/peony-139407_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTipBoSfXC-LZziZJSPjBctl_OlTdSOYEIlUmWZ4bPOHRtP1BLfvz7aBZwkM2VCMkmMp__HETdmILxkwGWhfu2rgYKZdR6UA2L1do6IW8GdPOIios5ydRYDDwhwQOJE_xlqvj1uj3jujI/s640/peony-139407_960_720.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">T</span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">his time of year reminds me of visits from my grandmothers when I was growing up. Especially when I work in my garden. My flower beds are full of little reminders.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My mom’s mom loved day lilies. She had them in plentiful bunches all over her yard in Maryland. I remember them clearly, with their bright yellow and orange and maroon flowers. I spent many hours playing among them with my cousins. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My grandmother loved visiting us. On one of her visits we took her to Myrtlewood Mystique Gallery off Main Street. She found the store fascinating and thought Myrtlewood, native to Oregon, was a beautiful wood when polished and presented in the form of art.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On that particular visit, she bought a Myrtlewood seedling and brought it to our beach property. She was excited to plant it and hoped it would grow. Sadly it did not, probably because it’s native to Southern Oregon, but it was worth a try. Soon the place we had cleared for it was taken back by salal, the leafy shrub found as a prominent groundcover in nearly all areas of the coast.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Years later, after her passing, we had a chance to plant again in her memory. My mom dug up some of her day lilies and carried them home on the plane. Uprooted and transplanted to a new life, like many of us humans do, they began their life on the Oregon coast.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those lilies have since established themselves at my mom’s and multiplied like lilies do, packed in bountiful bunches, just as I remember them in my grandmother’s yard. I have since dug up a section of those lilies from my mom’s garden and planted them in my garden. In the past few weeks I have watched them spring to life, once again, keeping my grandmother’s memory alive.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My dad’s mom also loved coming to Oregon. When she would visit us we would take her to Marys Peak. She was not an outdoorsy-type. In fact, in all her 90 years she never got a driver license. Listening to the radio, doing crossword puzzles, and watching soap operas was her idea of a good time. But she did love her peonies. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The house in which she was born and raised was her home for 80 years, until her Alzheimer’s became too advanced to live alone. In the backyard she had lined the fence with peonies. Come summertime her yard was in full bloom, rows and rows of peonies decades matured. I can still smell their sweetness.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When my dad brought some of her ashes to Oregon we sprinkled a handful into an oversized ceramic pot. Mixed into the soil, gently and with love, we planted a peony. Each year it grows back from the depths of the soil and memories of my grandmother’s peonies return. I want to remember what she ultimately forgot; that they were her favorite flower.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, as I tend to her peony, which I have affectionately named “Grandma,” I think of her, her yard, and our trips to Marys Peak. I recall the times we sat together at the picnic table at the top of the peak. She would be so proud of herself for “hiking” to the top. The gravel road that led us there had enough of an incline that she felt like she was on a true adventure. She would look over the valley in awe, amazed by the lush, green trees. “They don’t make trees like that in Delaware,” she would say. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I have worked the soil these past few weeks, I’ve come to realize that my garden beds are full of love. Not just the love I give them, but the love they represent. I’ve never before thought of my garden as a place reminiscent of time spent with loved ones. But, as I come across plants that spark memory of moments passed, I realize my garden is more than just a garden; it’s where my memories will sprout back for years to come. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, this realization is a reminder that life goes on in beautiful forms if you take the time to see it. Looking at my garden, I can now smile at the little reminders. I think about the saying “home is where the heart is,” and, for me, my garden is also where my heart is.</span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482397496562668690.post-74256081087633520202017-03-28T13:13:00.001-07:002017-03-28T13:43:01.249-07:00Corvallis: Local organization seeks scholarship recipients<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh0B8HLFsXtySkt7qYt7eMY4m_acqoZzKu_ZSkFTIxGsMxVdbnbZqbLIOWAkCOmdiqfAoVRhmOcousMuVgKmZ8YiDcNd1liDaI8d_vp9QFOHvm5AwNm9wvDGC6f_RdpENGollcTedPcU/s1600/College-Scholarship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh0B8HLFsXtySkt7qYt7eMY4m_acqoZzKu_ZSkFTIxGsMxVdbnbZqbLIOWAkCOmdiqfAoVRhmOcousMuVgKmZ8YiDcNd1liDaI8d_vp9QFOHvm5AwNm9wvDGC6f_RdpENGollcTedPcU/s640/College-Scholarship.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">T</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">here’s much to consider when making decisions about college; where to go, what to study, how to pay for it. With local options for a community college or a university, Benton and Linn County students can at least get help with one of these decisions. The Zonta Club of Corvallis is seeking awardees for their annual scholarship giveaway. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zonta International, devoted to empowering women and improving their lives through service and advocacy, was founded in 1919</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zonta is now in 67 countries and works closely with the United Nations to influence laws impacting women worldwide. The Corvallis Club holds an auction each year to raise money for the club’s scholarship fund. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most recent event, held in November 2016, featured a silent and oral auction for the benefit of the Zonta Service Foundation. With 250 community members in attendance, the event raised $34,000 for Linn-Benton Community College and Oregon State University students. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of 2016’s recipients, Vanessa Reid, an OSU interior design and sustainability student, spoke at the event about the impact the scholarship had on her and her family. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Her comments on going to college full-time while raising four children inspired many that night to donate to the scholarship fund,” said Debrah Rarick, Zonta scholarship chair.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reid was one of 13 local students last year to receive a Zonta scholarship for $3,000. This year, Zonta is seeking at least another 10 recipients. Their mission to support students who will in turn support their community is one of the club’s primary focuses, says Sally Widenmann, dean of instruction at LBCC and member of Zonta scholarship committee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Although Zonta is an international organization that focuses on the empowerment of women, it starts local and spreads nationally,” said Widenmann. “So when you compare that to the vision of LBCC it aligns perfectly for both entities making them quite similar in that way.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scholarships are not exclusive to females, however, the recipients must be entering a career in which women are the minority, or for those that plan to dedicate their careers to helping women and/or children. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scholarships available give no preference to which of the two schools one attends and can be used for tuition, fees, books, and supplies. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Specific scholarships include those for women in business, women in the Armed Forces, and women in S.T.E.M. Preferences include merit, financial need, older-than-average students, and student-parents. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Starns Scholarship is one of particular interest in which Zonta hopes to find a recipient this year. Designated for a single parent, Rarick said they have not had any applicants for the past few years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We’d love to give it to a worthy recipient,” she said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deadlines, depending on the scholarship, are April 5 and 29. Each scholarship has varying criteria that can be found on their website, <a href="http://zontacorvallis.org/">zontacorvallis.org</a>. </span></div>
Allison Lamplughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289366607153289445noreply@blogger.com0