Shout out to historian and newspaper columnist Patricia Ann Edwards for capturing this great quote in her history of Lorane Oregon, “Sawdust and Cider,” now sadly out of print.
She’s quoting farmer and former Lane County Commissioner Oral Crowe: “This soil is so bad that a man couldn’t raise hell on it with seven naked ladies and a barrel of whiskey.”
I believe our local library has a copy and I will be tracking it down. Edwards’ blog also looks pretty delightful.
I am the perpetually novice skier. I’ve been downhill skiing since I was 19. I’ve been cross-country skiing since I was 28. But years (heck, decades) can go by between outings. Every time I do go, the downhill slope looks as daunting as the first. Then I ski down it and a hint of muscle memory returns. Then again, a bit more. Every time on cross country skis, I freak out when the trail turns and drops. I can turn. I can descend, but not simultaneously!
I was feeling somewhat sad about this. How is it I am six decades along in life and still skiing only the easiest of runs. But after a three-day weekend of doing both kinds of skiing, I realized, this is me. Perpetually novice skier. So I will just enjoy all the best parts of it and laugh about the tumbles.
The best parts: three days in a cabin on a lake with the amazing Craig and the wonderful Isaac. Beautiful mountains, stunning night skies. Occasional encounters with people in an actual sleigh being pulled by a muscular clydesdale. Feeling that muscle memory return.
Thanks, Google, for letting me know that I am reading “A Brief History of Time” on author Stephen Hawking’s birthday. And thanks for creating such a great animated video with Hawking narrating. One of the quotes: “One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist. Without imperfection neither you nor I would exist.” What a stellar human.
Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now 