Endangered Species Day offers chance to view imperiled pollinator conservation PORTLAND, Ore. — Visitors to the Oregon Zoo this weekend can catch a rare glimpse of the life cycle of two of its most elusive — and endangered — residents. To celebrate Endangered Species Day, the pathway to the zoo’s butterfly conservation lab will be […]
It was the height of the depression in 1934 and the women from the Sunnyside Seventh-day Adventist Church- dubbed the Sunshine Ladies- met to sew quilts and clothing for struggling families. Food for many during that time was in short supply and the ladies gathered up scarce resources to provide to those families who had […]
In my mid-forties, we lived in Milwaukie, Oregon. There was a great group of women in the surrounding neighborhood – Helen, Carmen, and Elizabeth. I was fond of walking up a dirt road alongside Helen’s house. I went up this road because at the top was a resident flock of Stellar Jays – the tradition […]
When I was a little girl, I often wondered why days were set aside for mothers and fathers as special days. “Why isn’t there a children’s day?” I would ask my parents. My mother would respond with something her mother used to tell her: “Every day is children’s day.” (Puh-lease, I’d be thinking…) But if […]
Farmers are diligent to prepare the soil for planting. When everything is right, they put seeds into the ground. As they do this, they have a mental picture of a field ready to harvest. They anticipate corn, oats, wheat or soybeans in abundance – what they call a “bumper crop.” Gardeners follow a similar routine […]
Earlier this year, my wife and best friend Nanci was diagnosed with colon cancer, and is now beginning a combination of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. (You can read more on her Caring Bridge page; we would really appreciate your prayers.) Nanci recently wrote a prayer based on Psalm 23. It spoke to me, and I […]
The herb known as Sage (Salvia) actually consists of over 750 species that are widely dispersed throughout the world. It consists of annuals, biennials and perennials, herbs, sub–shrubs and shrubs of various habits. The name Salvia is derived from the Latin Salveo, meaning “I save or heal”. The Greeks used Salvia to heal ulcers, consumption […]
March gave us a glimpse of spring and during those few days when the sun shone and the blustery winds subsided. I happily peered out the kitchen window trying to identify what species of sparrow was flitting among the greenery. There were so many spots on the window, though, I had to temporarily quash the […]
The Resurrection In 2012 my dear Mom passed away. My wife and sister and I went through her things in preparation for taking care of her estate. We discovered that Mom had quite a collection of jewelry. Most of it was costume jewelry. She never spent a lot of money on herself. But even though […]
Legend has it that, in 1849, a mechanic named Walter Hunt owed a friend $15 and decided to invent something new in order to earn the money to repay him. He invented the safety pin. On April 10, 1849, Hunt received a US patent for his invention. The anniversary of the day when the patent […]