I discovered that whenever I was engaged in singing (sad or happy songs, it made no difference), I did not feel anxious or depressed. It felt as though the activity of singing changed something in my brain and nervous system. That’s exactly what music does.

Along with working to get her body back to normal, Peggy works on getting our earth back to normal. In the Gorge, we live in farm country. The use of pesticides is prolific.

I reluctantly woke up and marveled that such a peaceful image had come to me. My inner dream maker had given me a gift that transcended rational thought or words. I spontaneously started humming the Beatles’ song, “When in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom: Let it be. Let it be.”

So if you are having difficulty feeling understood by a family member, coworker, or friend, take a look at your own behavior first. Do you focus more on expressing yourself than you do on listening? Is your focus more, that is, on trying to be understood than to understand?

On Toby’s twenty-first birthday, his surgeon removed his diseased colon and pulled his upper intestine down to form what was called a “W” pouch, a make-do replacement for the colon. From the hospital bed, Toby, with his rye sense of humor, cracked, “Shouldn’t I be out cruising the bars?” 

Years ago, as fall menaced the skies with rain in Portland, I interrupted my dinner preparations to answer the phone. It was my twenty-year-old son, Toby, calling from Eugene.  In my habitual good cheer, I asked, “How you doing?” Silence drained the line. With the weakness of a starving kitten, he said, “Not so good.” 

Owning and running a restaurant is not a get-rich-quick business. It’s hard work, long hours. I asked Kaye and Barry, what is most rewarding? “The positive things people say on Facebook and Google. The comments mean the world to us. This place is like a little bit of Americana, to have a dream and have it work out so well,” answered Kaye. Barry beamed, “Worth the ride!” 

Misconceptions about mental health and aging include the idea that we can become “too old” for therapy to be of any benefit, as though we were a piece of petrified wood someone was trying to water back to life! It’s worth noting that…older adults often benefit more —and more quickly— from therapy than younger people do.

“My god, it’s raining cats and dogs! What do you think? Shall we go?” I asked the trio poised silently beside me. Four-year-old Elena quipped, “I don’t see any cats and dogs… I whispered, “We need to be quiet, everybody. No talking. Got that, Angela? Toby, you hold her hand. I'll take Elena. Ready? When we get to the end of the dock, we’ll light the candles and put the rafts in the river.”

Whenever we consider a change in our lives, even a positive one, we encounter the paradox of transformation. On one hand, we are on familiar ground. It may not be the best, but it’s what we’re used to. When we think of making a change, we run the risk of losing our stable ground. We tend to settle for what is familiar. Why rock the boat?

Bob and Evelyn look like ordinary folks. Don’t be fooled.  Sure, they raised two daughters. The Brockman’s house and yard are well kept and the neighbors never complain about them. You’d never suspect they have a secret obsessive interest, mostly hidden from the public eye. 

Watching chickens go about their daily business of strutting, tilting their heads just so, to one side, then the other, and earnestly pecking at a particular spot, entertained me to no end. I could stand, leaning against the fence railing, and watch for long stretches of time. It was impossible for me to feel bad about myself around chickens.

Besides his wife, Jennifer, there were others who had a significant influence on Russell Spino’s life at TDHS. Mr. Rolen, Mr. Radford, and Mr. Kramer were always there for him. He’s grateful they encouraged him to finish high school. These men all believed in him and that made him believe in himself.

For thirty years Steve Hinatsu- a 1972 Wahtonka High Grad - was a coach, referee, and volunteer in other sports besides football here in The Dalles. He likes the friendliness of The Dalles. And, it is a town that has shown that providing a good school environment helps raise educated, caring, responsible adults.

It reigns still, needles intact and brown, dead, on the steep slope of the basalt cliff to the south, close to the property line. This majestic tree may well have been 300 years old or more. Ponderosas can live 500 years. Imagine its history: a pine cone sprouting before the Lewis and Clark expedition opened up the West…

Sometimes kids need a helping hand. When Rachel Cole Miller, a local successful restauranteur, was a sophomore at The Dalles High School, she had a baby. Rather than be shunned and kicked out of school, she was able to attend a childcare program provided by the school district. She was able to continue her studies. Without that support, she doesn’t think she would have graduated. She and her husband Jason are now owner-operators of Zim’s.

Gabriel Prado has made a career of serving others both in his service in the Marine Corps and now as a nurse. The lifelong learner spent his seminal years in The Dalles Schools and graduated from TDHS in 2000. It was from this foundation he developed compassion for others and decided The Dalles was a great place to call home.

When you feel sorry for yourself, your heart is closed to the love and wisdom that is within you and all around you; when you choose to be kind to yourself and gentle with yourself, your heart opens to the love, wisdom and power of spirit.

When describing The Dalles, and why she has stayed after considering opportunities to go elsewhere, Gretchen says our town stands out as a friendly and helpful, welcoming community, with an independent pioneer spirit.  "It will always be home!"

Functionality and maintenance become greater challenges as years go by, and the life expectancy of this venerable structure turned out to be a mixed blessing.  It’s a lovely, substantial, well-built building, adequate for its time. But times change.