Columns

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Virgo writer Caskie Stinnett lived on Hamloaf, a small island off the coast of Maine. He exulted in the fact that it looked “the same as it did a thousand years ago.” Many of the stories he published in newspapers featured this cherished home ground. But he also wandered all […]

Wendy and I are moving tomorrow for the 10th, maybe 11th time in the past five months. All is well. Our home is under reconstruction, and living there with the roof off and pounding hammers all day has not been one of our options. So, it has blessedly been an amazing assortment of hotels, stove-less […]

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In honor of the Virgo birthday season, I invite you to be exceptionally distinctive and singular in the coming weeks, even idiosyncratic and downright incomparable. That’s not always a comfortable state for you Virgos to inhabit, but right now it’s healthy to experiment with. Here’s counsel from writer Christopher Morley: “Read, […]

Hello amazing readers! Here we are again for Round Two of Savage in Bend, a new column where curious individuals submit those burning questions about everything Central Oregon. Our latest question comes from avid “Source Weekly” reader Dennis D. who asks, “What do you know about the Pilot Butte airport? Nada. I have to admit, […]

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo journalist Anthony Loyd has spent a lot of time in war zones, so it’s no surprise he has bleak views about human nature. He makes the following assertion: “We think we have freedom of choice, but really most of our actions are puny meanderings in the prison yard built by […]

Off on an early morning hike, a girlfriend and I encounter three younger friends of mine on the trail. Based on a lifetime of evidence I knew my nervous anticipation of a four-way introduction was the guarantee I’d forget a name. So, I defaulted to a brief if awkward hello to the threesome, and my […]

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “I don’t believe that in order to be interesting or meaningful, a relationship has to work out—in fiction or in real life.” So says Virgo novelist Elizabeth Curtis Sittenfeld, and I agree. Just because a romantic bond didn’t last forever doesn’t mean it was a waste of energy. An intimate connection […]

Off on an early morning hike, a girlfriend and I encounter three younger friends of mine on the trail. Based on a lifetime of evidence I knew my nervous anticipation of a four-way introduction was the guarantee I’d forget a name. So, I defaulted to a brief if awkward hello to the threesome, and my […]

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Unless you are French, chances are you have never heard of Saint-John Perse (1887–1975). He was a renowned diplomat for the French government and a poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Now he’s virtually unknown outside of his home country. Can we draw useful lessons for your use, Leo? […]

When most think of reactions to food that can compromise health, the classic peanut or shellfish allergy typically come to mind. These can cause serious and potentially life-threatening reactions, sometimes within minutes of eating that food. This type of reaction, called an immediate hypersensitivity reaction, can result in a sudden onset of hives, itching skin […]