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YAMHILL COUNTY FAIR 2026, THE OLDEST COUNTY FAIR IN OREGON

I went to the Yamhill County Fair for the rides?
Noooo.
Luckily I went with my wife and our friend (hey Josette) and they weren’t jumping in line.
Neither was anyone else since we were there early. It opens at 10.
So why drive out into the farmland past towns and graveyards full of pioneers?
Call it a reminder, an update, a check-in on kids and critters. 
For starters:

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OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER, BUT . . .

Age is determined by one moment.
It’s when you hear this: You’re old enough to know better.
You hear it the first time when you’re too young to remember your parents saying, “I thought they were out of that stage.”
But you weren’t.
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JAKE’S WALL OF FAME FOR NOTABLE OREGONIANS

If you’re a notable Oregonian your picture is in Jake’s Famous Crawfish.
They they are, senators, governors, a president.
Who’s missing? Mayors, councilmen and women, maybe a famous chef or two.
If you’re going to have a can kicking Hemingway on board, why not reach out for others?

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FINISHING TOUCH ON WHAT YOU START

vote

How often do you get to add the finishing touch on what you start?
Most of the time we move the pile of expectations, but it moves so slow it’s hard to know it moved at all.
Give it a shot, do your best, and maybe, just maybe, things will work out the way you intended.
That hard part is living with the consequences of inaction.
What’s that like?
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EXPERT OPINIONS? CHECK REFERENCES

Before you act on expert opinions, do one thing first.
Check references? Nooo, not yet.
First, ask why you need to trust someone when they ask.
After you’ve got trust locked in, be a good listener.
Believe them when they tell you who they are, after checking references.
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toughen up

ONE LOVE STORY

It Started Like Love Story, Then Everyone Said They Were Sorry. A nice man and nice lady met and became a nice couple. When they got married they were nice newly weds. They were nice parents when they had kids. A great family in the making, then things changed. One of the parents needed more, […]

CANCER SURVIVOR ESSAY STRUGGLE

    Stories about a cancer survivor are an inspiration to all cancer survivors. Even a cancer survivor essay about the trauma of being a cancer survivor holds important hope.   Pam Parker gets into it with a cancer survivor story in the Chicago Tribune.   It’s not pretty and sweet and all dolled up […]

MICHAEL BECKER WALKS WITH PURPOSE

I like people who channel their problems constructively. They’re effective in making me feel like the whiner I’ve always taken pride in.   Michael Becker channels his problems constructively, and he’s a big boost. I found him in a search of cancer memoirs. We’ve exchanged pleasant emails. Have I told him I’m scouting for my […]

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boomer years

WHEN FOREVER YOUNG GOT OLD

Bob Dylan Knows The Drill   Few poems and song lyrics speak to the baby boomer generation better than Dylan. People listened to his early work and it changed their lives. Why should it stop? Because his later work doesn’t compare to the early days? If that’s the best you’ve got, spin the old vinyl […]

Auntie Pammy Leaves Legacy Of Lennox Lancer Love

  Life transitions can mean so many things. After all other guesses run out, the final life transition is the end. Auntie Pammy’s life ended, but she left a legacy of love that’s hard to ignore.   From the time the news went out I thought of the a meme that said, “Write about what […]

WHO GETS FOOLED AGAIN? WHO? WHO?

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Baby boomers grew up with The Man. It wasn’t daddy, but daddy knew The Man. Sometimes daddy was on The Man reserve. Who is The Man? It’s the police Man. We saw him at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Man swung a hard […]

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buckle up

MODERN OREGON FOR EVERYONE

Move Here And You Won’t Miss Where You Came From. Oregon For Everyone. Oregon is more than Portland, much more, so much more that people who’ve lived here all their lives haven’t seen it all. There’s that much going on, too much really. Visitors have no chance of experiencing the Oregon-ness of Oregon, but they’ll […]

INVITATION FROM PORTLAND: WHAT’S MY NAME?

An old Russian saying explains it this way: The much loved are called by many names. With that in mind, Portland must be much loved by the number of names it has. Stump Town. Soccer City, USA. River City. Rip City. Rose City. Beervana. Bridge City. And they all fit. Just like weather that changes […]

Edward Hopper’s Portland?

The Perfect Painter For Dark Days Of The Soul. You’re not the first Portland baby boomer to wake up on a Sunday with no NFL games that matter. No early game, no late game, no Football Night In America game. You’re depressed, but don’t want to admit it’s because of no football. College ball is […]

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