It’s About Time – December 2013

Darkness comes early in December, now that midwinter is upon us. Remembering that Solstice isn’t until four days before Christmas, long nights are going to be around for a couple of months. We treasure clear, chilly nights when the stars put on a show from early in the evening. I mark the yearly cycle with only one constellation: Orion of Winter. It is the easiest to recognize, after the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia. Orion has three bright stars decorating his belt; his sword marked by four close, smaller stars angling off below. I begin to see Orion in the late night sky on my midnight creep (last evening walk with the dog) sometime in the fall and say goodbye to Orion in the spring. These nights he seems to be pointing to Jupiter over his head, the brightest “star” in the sky in the middle of the night after Venus has set.

Deciduous perennials are resting for their quiet season. The exotic weeds exhibit scant dormancy, throwing up green leaves as soon as the fall rains begin. None are as prominent in town as poison hemlock.

The Delta Ponds are flush with duck diversity. Every day I see at least a dozen water birds. Besides the year-round regulars — mallards, Canada geese, blue heron, kingfishers, coots and double crested cormorants — winter visitors have flown in. Old friends are buffleheads, wigeons, northern shovelers, grebes, gadwalls, teal and ringnecks. Rare in our pond are hooded mergansers and egret. No wood ducks yet.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!