When the temperature dropped from 105 to 85 degrees the other day, I did a little gardening. I got tired and really sweaty. It's too hot to do anything outside. We should be resting, not working. My best models of how to rest are cats. They lounge around, confident we are working to provide their shelter and food. They don't even read a book or watch Netflix

Think about what freedoms you cherish and which ones we don't care about. Maybe, in the future, instead of lighting fireworks we'll get a bang out of dinner parties and street dances. Rather than the sounds of a war zone, we'll hear music. Let's start with 'Give Peace  A Chance.'

Need a mouser? Spring brings a new litter. The good news is that Trap-Neuter-Return, (TNR) is a proven method to manage overpopulation of feral cats. We can alleviate suffering by assisting Sally’s Cat Fund. And these felines could really use a barn.

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.

There is no quit in Hood River legend Peggy Lalor. The Gorge Games founder has fought her way back from a near-death experience when she was hit by a car while riding her bike in Calgary in 2010. The physical challenges of recovery seem to have made her even more steadfast as she pushes forward on her goal of improving the planet.

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.”

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.” 

“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.

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.

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.

Her family didn’t have the financial resources to pay for college. But when she was sixteen, one of her teachers recognized her intelligence and made an effort to make sure Laura recognized it as well. This teacher’s belief in her gave Laura the confidence needed to find ways to make a college education attainable.

This is the third column in a series looking at students who were educated within The Dalles School system and who have gone on to make major contributions to our community by bringing their skills and experience back home to make an impact for all of us. In this story find out what Erik Gardipee has been up to since graduation.

People return to The Dalles to reconnect with the community. As he put it, “I want to push the ball forward.” His priority is not pay, it’s people. 

I might be mad as a hatter, but I am not about to get all hot and bothered about idioms. I’m dropping the study of idioms like a hot potato. What really concerns me is the weather prediction for next week; you probably are too. Hang onto your sun hat. We’re facing the dog days of summer. It’s going to be hotter than six shades of hell.

The entire place reeked of burnt plastic from a burned boom box. Every square inch of the walls, floors, ceilings, and furniture, everything, had to be washed and our clothes sent out to the cleaners.

She loved that little ball of fur. I paid the bill. There was a man in the clinic watching what had transpired.  Remarkably, he gave his name and phone number to the clinician, saying he’d pay the kitten’s future medical expenses.