Culture: Page 246

The Power of Walls

Gardening

Walls can do amazing things for a garden. Here in Eugene we rarely see free-standing walls enclosing spaces, but retaining walls abound. I’ve visited many hillside gardens in Eugene that would be just about impossible to cultivate or enjoy without the transformative power of terracing and retaining walls. Materials vary. Poured concrete is practical and can also look great in certain settings. Railroad ties and treated lumber are relatively cheap. Concrete blocks of various kinds are popular, but to me they always look like an opportunity missed. Continue reading →

It’s About Time – November 2013

About Time

This fall there is a new flock of nine turkeys that circulate through our neighborhood, snooping down our street every other day. Their core must come from the ones that nested on the butte above our home this past spring. The turkey chicks that left the nest in April are now the size of their parents. We are not sure what they find to eat in their foraging; hope their menu includes slugs and snails. Continue reading →

Share the Feast

Drink

Give thanks. Go ahead and feast, share a grand meal with friends and family. Sure, it’s not easy to feel celebratory in these times. Tea Party Republicans did all they could to undermine our confidence, to extol Ayn Rand’s absurd “virtue of selfishness” and to profane the very concept of communion. But this season and the impulses behind it are ancient: We celebrate the harvest. We come together as a community of families to share our bounty, even if we face a bleak winter. Continue reading →

Springfield Coach Gets To See Russell’s First Big Test

NewsSports

Mercedes Russell may have gone from Springfield to Tennessee, but she will have some of her hometown’s support system with her as she starts her collegiate career at one of the biggest powerhouses in women’s basketball. Bill Wagner, her former head coach at Springfield High, will be in attendance when the Lady Volunteers take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Nov. 11 in a battle of top-10 teams. And he couldn’t be more excited to see her in action on the big stage.  Continue reading →

Youth Soccer Options Grow With Pelada

NewsSports

Pelada Football Academy, a youth soccer academy founded as a nonprofit in February, aims to give more kids the opportunity to play and learn while seeking to complement and not compete with other soccer clubs by bringing in kids and their families who find recreational soccer too recreational or competitive soccer too competitive. These kids, in addition to clinics and scrimmages, will have a chance to play more than just soccer. Continue reading →

New Medical Marijuana Facility In Eugene

Cannabis

Regulations from recent legislation, HB 3460, are still being written, but a new medical marijuana facility is already open in Eugene. The law directs the Oregon Health Authority to establish a registration system for medical marijuana facilities. Emerald City Medicinal Delivery Service is accepting excess cannabis from Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) licensed growers on consignment and dispensing it at its facility or delivering it to OMMP patients. It also conducts educational outreach for senior care homes.  Continue reading →

Festival of Lights

Shore Acres State Park becomes an illuminated holiday wonderland

Travel

You won’t find any lights decorating the exterior of David and Shirley Bridgham’s Coos Bay home this December. That’s because the couple is far too burnt out from months of spreading holiday cheer throughout the decadent formal gardens of Shore Acres State Park for its annual Holiday Lights event.   For 27 years, the couple has worked to transform the park into an illuminated wonderland. “We started with 6,000 little white lights,” Shirley Bridgham says. “And now we’re up to 300,000.”  Continue reading →