Mountain View
Julia Hubbel, Walkabout Saga, Horizon Huntress
Two Local Gems: My Favorite Consignment Shops in Eugene and Vancouver
I can't believe more people don't know about them, but I hope to change that. Note to Dear Reader: I do not work for, nor do I receive any compensation from these stores, and there are no affiliate links. They are simply my favorite places to find consignment furniture...so far.
The Dangers of Self-Diagnosis, and Why You're Worth the Investment of Good Care Partners
We all injure, get sick and get aches and pains. When it comes to exercising, it makes good sense to have the right team around you to get better. Over the last few weeks I've cleared out a lot of blackberries around my yard, and then in the immediate area to control the spread. I just walked back in after another bout, covered in blood and scratches, my shirt and hair full of thorns. Such work, as I am pulling out the crowns (as well as my hair) means that there will be some respite for a few years. Then, I am hiring someone.
OMG What Happened to My Body? And What You Can Do About It Here in Eugene
If Covid and quarantine stress did a number on your numbers, you're living in just the right place at the right time. My part of the world is perfectly designed for healing the heart as well as getting back in shape, and the two are closely entertwined. Here's how that works, and where to go get started around here in Eugene.
The Goldilocks Bird Bath, and Adventures in my Back Yard
It started when a large, ceramic Mexican bowl of mine didn't sell at Fine Consign. Instead of storing it for the summer and putting it back on sale this fall, I decided to turn it into a bird bath. Eugene's summer last year was a dry one, three solid months of no rain. Without a stream running through or near my property, I thought that setting out water would be a kindness for the animals (it is) and it might also draw more birds.
Plan to Rest to Return to Your Personal Best. Eugene's Trails Will Still Be There.
How hard you should push, if at all, to return to and beat your personal best?. Ever since Eugene's gyms opened back up, I've been back at it early, three days a week. I've also added back my weekly hour-long program with my fitness trainer Ryan at Genuine Fitness. Between the two I've seen swift improvements.
Oregon Parks to Park Yourself and Your Dog, If You Can Get Gas
The big plans ahead to park yourself in the parks, and in the dog parks might be bumpy. Here's why, and how to smooth them out as much as possible. I don't own a doggo, but I used to. Mine was an ACD, or Australian Cattle Dog. Lots of those around here in Eugene. People love puppers who can keep up on the trails, and ACDs are among the very best hiker buddies. They track behind, alongside and ahead, alert, focused, and having WAY more fun than you do at the toughest parts of your adventure. However, lots lof doggos make great companions; having owned two ACDs I am, natch, very prejudiced about the breed.
A Careful Spring into Post-Quarantine Spring in Oregon
Why we keep having fits and starts to the beginning of warm season. Since arriving in Eugene last year and moving into my new-to-me home in the southwest hills, it's been a challenge to assimiliate. Not because I have a hard time meeting people. Not at all. Covid dropped a steel wall down between my home and my neighbors' places, restaurants and bars had shut down, and all the normal places I might have gone to mingle and make friends were shuttered.
The Importance of Professional Help In Getting Back in Shape
We're heading back to the weight room in droves. Let's be careful, too. Eugene is chock-full of gyms, and as of tomorrow, according to new guidelines from Governor Kate Brown, more of those gyms will be chock-full of folks. Which is a good thing, for many of us are chock-full of whatever we've eaten too much of under quarantine, which means that we've added pounds that can be painful when we start pounding the pavement again. If you haven't already started.
The Invasion of the Tiny Triffids
Mike Cornelius, owner of Rising Sun Landscaping, curved around the corner of my deck ahead of me and pointed at a spreading bed of lovely, soft green. "Invasive," he said. I could hear him smiling. I see this plant everywhere. That means lots of work for me, and his crew, because I am beginning to run out of time to fight it.
It's That Time of Year, Here's How to Prepare
Time to lace up and hit the trails? First, get ready!. Early hiking season is upon us as Oregon watches its spring snows melt and the trails open to an eager public. Especially if you've taken a long hiatus, moved like I did and haven't been out hiking regularly, or are just starting out, please take some time to prepare yourself before you head out, especially if you're carrying a full pack.
The Hitch In Your GiddyUp and What to do About It
Fresh out of quarantine and on the road again? Some side effects and how to handle them. It wasn't a nightmare per se, but it felt like it. Somewhere around 2 am, I woke up to a knot in my right calf. My foot was extended like a ballet dancer's, a knot that felt like the size of my fist consuming the center of my right calf. I was just barely able to grasp the rigidly pointed toe, pull it back and hold it as the charley horse slowly backed off.
I Can't Wait to Get to My Planet Fitness Today. Here's Why.
It’s spring and time to change things up for this bodybuilder. Last Friday morning at Genuine Fitness here in Eugene, I had a focused discussion with my personal trainer, Ryan. While I ran through my basics, he pored over the fat pile of exercises he’d created for me since last July, some of which I’d retyped from his hen’s scratch and separated into gym and home work.
Are You Ready for Post Covid Travel Season?
Oregon is RV central. Here are some head's up before you head out. If you're anything Iike I am, and I'm pretty extreme in this regard, being under quarantine when traveling is part of your career has been difficult to say the least. I got my second vaccine eight days ago, and within another week or so that means, barring some major news, I will be cleared to start to travel again. That's exciting.
Brambles, Blackberries and the Value of Getting Dirty on an Oregon Hillside
Three hours of work, so far, piled next to my garage. Julia Hubbel. The surprising health benefits of waging a war on an invasive species. I met my neighbor, Emily, yesterday afternoon. She's a tiny slip of a girl, with a toddler. I was getting mail, she was putting her youngster in the car. I asked if she minded if I went after the enormous, overwhelming blackberry thicket that separated our houses in this part of Eugene.
Regaining What You Lost, and Losing What You Gained
Some advice from my sports chiropractor on returning to an active life after quarantine. If my Planet Fitness on West 11th in Eugene this morning was any indication, life is stumbling its way in fits and starts back to normalcy. I got there late for me, as my normal routine puts me at the door at 5 am. Today, at 7, the pre-work crew was busy, the gym full of energy and life. I love it like that, even if I do have to wait for a set of dumbbells.
What Spring Brings in Western Oregon
Yesterday morning I walked into my kitchen at about 4 am. Over the last few weeks I'd been watching the bird population increase, particularly because I've put up multiple suet stations next to my kitchen window. When I saw the remains of the sunflower seeds on the sill, I just assumed. Nightime feeders.
On Heading Out and Heading Up Again in 2021
A word about heading to Africa's highest peak, if you put that on hold in 2020, and what to do to prepare if you live in the Pacific Northwest. Eugene, Oregon a town of adventurous outdoor folks. A local woman, Chris, and I just went for a hike this past week on Mt. Pisgah. She too has climbed Kilimanjaro. She's an active member of a local hiking group called the Obsidians, which has a reputation for moving fast up the mountain. Those folks might be slightly grizzled but they rival grizzly bears in their speed. They are hikers, bikers,kayakers, the lot- so it's fair to say more than a few have done this climb., and many others are planning on it.
Nobody Refers to This Guy As "Just Another Old Man"
Spring has come to Eugene, and we are emerging. But in what kind of shape?. I nodded. My gym friend shook his head. “Unbelievable,” he said, then went back to his bicep curls. I could see him grinning behind his mask. I was too.
Why Seeing the Funny is so Critical Right Now
The role of humor, laughter and how being funny can help us live better lives no matter what the challenge may be. This is an article about living near Portland, but also about living well. Yeah, that’s a cop, but stay with me here.
Armchair to Wheelchair: Is This the New USA?
It doesn’t take long to cripple ourselves. Just watch. As in watch TV all day, all night, and see what happens to your spine. Your brain, your organs, your entire body. Kevin Plummer is my sports chiropractor. At well over six feet and dynamic as hell, he sports the cobbled belly that is the envy of any man. A decathlete in his youth, he competed successfully from his home town of Creswell, a tiny but growing farming community just south of Eugene. That competitive lifestyle ingrained his lifelong training habits. Today at 48, he can jump higher, lift more and run faster than he ever did at 20. The same doesn’t go for his younger brother.
Julia Hubbel, Walkabout Saga, Horizon Huntress
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Welcome home. You are HOME if you like irreverent, smart, funny, in-your-face writing. You are HOME if you like stories about interesting people of all ages, cultures, stripes, backgrounds, beliefs doing amazing things because they made different decisions. You are HOME if you wanna learn about aging vibrantly, being in the outdoors, getting and staying fit no matter our number. You are HOME if, on occasion, you like to laugh so hard you spew your drink of choice on your lap cat/dog/gerbil/centipede/soon-to-be ex. I work hard, ride fast horses, do lots of sports, fly high and still leap out of airplanes. Yeah, really, and I am 68. And yes I love, respect and appreciate feedback, including stuff that's hard. Because hard is the recipe for resilient. Wanna play? Let's. Please. Pull up a chair. There's room by the fire. In summer, there's room on the patio. (Okay so I don't have a patio. I made that up.)Get comfy. Bring a towel for your lap. Welcome home.
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