Trails for Two

Mark B wrote:Boy, time flies when you're having fun!

Let's see what's happened since I last posted.

- We went to the Oregon Coast for spring vacation. 

- Alita had to have a root canal. 

- Alec finally passed his driver's license exam. 

- Allstate told us how much it'd cost to insure him.

- An independent agent referred by a neighbor found us better coverage for all 3 of us at a screaming deal. 

- I used one of those grocery store blood pressure machines and it showing unusually high blood pressure for me. Weight's up, too. 

- So I started a low-carb ketoish type of eating strategy to see if it'd help. It's been easier than I thought it'd be so far. 

- And a bunch of other stuff. 

So to say that its been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs would be pretty much accurate. Trying to mitigate the stress all these good and not good things are causing, and it's left us all a bit twitchy. We're hoping things start to settle down so we can depressurize a bit. 

I am walking as much as I can, when I can, during my lunch breaks. It feels good, and I can feel my muscles starting to wake up. Our plan is to try to get moving faster soon, though realistically it's probably after school is out. 

And only 49 days to graduation!

Well it looks like life has been moving right along whether you're ready or not!  I do hope things settle down a bit so you can all relax and move on relatively stress free.

Many people really get all worried and depressed when it's time for the kids to leave home.  We actually enjoyed our empty nest for a few years and then the grandkids moved into the neighborhood.  We enjoy having them close as we can send them home when we need a break!  Is Alex planning to stick around this summer or head out to live independently shortly after graduation?

Nice to see you're walking a bit and thinking about running again when life allows...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Boy, time flies when you're having fun!

Let's see what's happened since I last posted.

- We went to the Oregon Coast for spring vacation. 

- Alita had to have a root canal. 

- Alec finally passed his driver's license exam. 

- Allstate told us how much it'd cost to insure him.

- An independent agent referred by a neighbor found us better coverage for all 3 of us at a screaming deal. 

- I used one of those grocery store blood pressure machines and it showing unusually high blood pressure for me. Weight's up, too. 

- So I started a low-carb ketoish type of eating strategy to see if it'd help. It's been easier than I thought it'd be so far. 

- And a bunch of other stuff. 

So to say that its been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs would be pretty much accurate. Trying to mitigate the stress all these good and not good things are causing, and it's left us all a bit twitchy. We're hoping things start to settle down so we can depressurize a bit. 

I am walking as much as I can, when I can, during my lunch breaks. It feels good, and I can feel my muscles starting to wake up. Our plan is to try to get moving faster soon, though realistically it's probably after school is out. 

And only 49 days to graduation!

Well it looks like life has been moving right along whether you're ready or not!  I do hope things settle down a bit so you can all relax and move on relatively stress free.

Many people really get all worried and depressed when it's time for the kids to leave home.  We actually enjoyed our empty nest for a few years and then the grandkids moved into the neighborhood.  We enjoy having them close as we can send them home when we need a break!  Is Alex planning to stick around this summer or head out to live independently shortly after graduation?

Nice to see you're walking a bit and thinking about running again when life allows...

Stress free? That'd be interesting (or really, really boring...). But we'll see what happens. The countdown clock is down to 42 days, halfway there from when I first posted it. I'd like to say it flew by, but anticipation has a way of s-l-o-w-i-n-g   d-o-w-n   t-i-m-e. 

We'll have our worries, of course, but I know there are also parents who are ready to dance a jig when the time comes. Not that they don't love their kid, of course; it's just the idea of a break from 24/7 up-close-and-personal parenting can be kinda appealing sometimes. 

I agree.  But the cats can fill in for mischief, since he's gone and they don't see him anymore for a while.  Can you entertain 2 cats with one human gone?

ounce wrote:I agree.  But the cats can fill in for mischief, since he's gone and they don't see him anymore for a while.  Can you entertain 2 cats with one human gone?

We had years of entertaining cats before the spawn came along; they'll miss him (and we will, too), but it'll be fine.

And I can share some good news now! I've had a headache for 2+ weeks now, and it's one of those ones that gets worse with straining and bending over. A percentage of people with headaches like that have a blood vessel issue in their brain, which is obviously not a good thing. My mother was totally disabled and then killed by ruptured brain aneurysms, and there's a genetic component to that issue, sooo... when I showed up at the doctor's office with this #@$! headache, they decided to give me an MRI to check the brain structure and and MRA (magnetic resonance angiogram) to check the blood vessels.

They didn't immediately call an ambulance, stat, which is a good thing, but they waited two days to give me the results, which was excruciating.

The results? Yup. Nothing interesting between my ears. Normally, that'd sound like an Ounce joke, but it's a huge relief. Ever since my mom's cerebral hemorrhage, I'd wondered if I had a little time bomb waiting for me. Apparently not. Imagine my relief.

The headache is still there, but that's just aggravating. Compared with scary, I'll take it.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:I agree.  But the cats can fill in for mischief, since he's gone and they don't see him anymore for a while.  Can you entertain 2 cats with one human gone?

We had years of entertaining cats before the spawn came along; they'll miss him (and we will, too), but it'll be fine.

And I can share some good news now! I've had a headache for 2+ weeks now, and it's one of those ones that gets worse with straining and bending over. A percentage of people with headaches like that have a blood vessel issue in their brain, which is obviously not a good thing. My mother was totally disabled and then killed by ruptured brain aneurysms, and there's a genetic component to that issue, sooo... when I showed up at the doctor's office with this #@$! headache, they decided to give me an MRI to check the brain structure and and MRA (magnetic resonance angiogram) to check the blood vessels.

They didn't immediately call an ambulance, stat, which is a good thing, but they waited two days to give me the results, which was excruciating.

The results? Yup. Nothing interesting between my ears. Normally, that'd sound like an Ounce joke, but it's a huge relief. Ever since my mom's cerebral hemorrhage, I'd wondered if I had a little time bomb waiting for me. Apparently not. Imagine my relief.

The headache is still there, but that's just aggravating. Compared with scary, I'll take it.

There are royalties on jokes attributed to me.  I was thinking maybe just a couple of marbles rattling around in there caused the headaches.  You ARE in management, after all.  

Good on the ruling out the history.  Two days is long, but if it was bad, they would have called much, much sooner.

Get back to work!

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:I agree.  But the cats can fill in for mischief, since he's gone and they don't see him anymore for a while.  Can you entertain 2 cats with one human gone?

We had years of entertaining cats before the spawn came along; they'll miss him (and we will, too), but it'll be fine.

And I can share some good news now! I've had a headache for 2+ weeks now, and it's one of those ones that gets worse with straining and bending over. A percentage of people with headaches like that have a blood vessel issue in their brain, which is obviously not a good thing. My mother was totally disabled and then killed by ruptured brain aneurysms, and there's a genetic component to that issue, sooo... when I showed up at the doctor's office with this #@$! headache, they decided to give me an MRI to check the brain structure and and MRA (magnetic resonance angiogram) to check the blood vessels.

They didn't immediately call an ambulance, stat, which is a good thing, but they waited two days to give me the results, which was excruciating.

The results? Yup. Nothing interesting between my ears. Normally, that'd sound like an Ounce joke, but it's a huge relief. Ever since my mom's cerebral hemorrhage, I'd wondered if I had a little time bomb waiting for me. Apparently not. Imagine my relief.

The headache is still there, but that's just aggravating. Compared with scary, I'll take it.

There are royalties on jokes attributed to me.  I was thinking maybe just a couple of marbles rattling around in there caused the headaches.  You ARE in management, after all.  

Good on the ruling out the history.  Two days is long, but if it was bad, they would have called much, much sooner.

Get back to work!

Definitely scary!!  And it wasn't very nice to make you wait two days for the reassurance but I guess you had a pretty good idea since they didn't load you into an ambulance or move you directly to surgery!

Anyway...glad to hear it was good news.  Hope you're enjoying the nice weather...maybe a Mother's Day stroll...

Had there been a surgery, it would've been quick because.......there really is nothing interesting between his ears.  

Shocking!

ounce wrote:Had there been a surgery, it would've been quick because.......there really is nothing interesting between his ears.  

Shocking!

I KNEW YOU COULDN'T RESIST THAT JOKE!! I JUST HAD TO WAIT YOU OUT.

HA! 

I'm pretty sure they'd have found something like this:



If not this...



(Actually, that looks like a pretty sweet spot to run barefoot, but hey...)

Oh! And this just in...

T-MINUS 30 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!



Alec finished up his final AP test of his career yesterday. (AP Biology. He took an AP English Literature and Composition test last week.) We won't know the results until July 9. If he does well, it'll be a huge confidence boost going into college.. and a big boost on his college credits, too. Cross your fingers!

College stuff: He qualified for work-study, which is fantastic news, and we're trying to see if he can get something through the anthropology department, since that's what he wants to study. We had chatted with the department head last summer, and he said they really like getting lab assistants into the system early so they can make use of them for as long as possible, so there's a chance for a real win-win situation here. To get work study funds while getting experience in the field in which you want to work is about as good as it can get. (Of course, his parents are probably more excited about this than he is, because we can see the potential while he's just trying to get through the last bit of high school. Hey.. can WE go back to school and do this? It sounds fascinating.)

We went for a hike on Mother's Day in our local forest. It was a beautiful day. Alec says he's liking being outdoors hiking more and more, especially in the woods. I hope that weaves its way into his soul, because that's a gift we really wanted to share with him.

Oh hey. I guess I might as well also mention that my keto-lite (DIY low carb) approach to eating seems to be taking some of the excess blubber off of my carcass. I think I'm down about 10 pounds so far (it's a guess because I was too chicken to check the scale at my heaviest, but it was probably over 200 pounds.) 

There hasn't been a rapid, dramatic weight loss, but just chipping away at it. I'm right around 190 right now, maybe into the upper 180s, so I've got a ways to go.

One nice thing was when I did a blood test to check for weird headache causes (nothing turned up), my cholesterol levels were lower than I have ever seen them. Apparently my body likes this way of eating. Interesting.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Had there been a surgery, it would've been quick because.......there really is nothing interesting between his ears.  

Shocking!

I KNEW YOU COULDN'T RESIST THAT JOKE!! I JUST HAD TO WAIT YOU OUT.

HA! 

I'm pretty sure they'd have found something like this:



If not this...



(Actually, that looks like a pretty sweet spot to run barefoot, but hey...)

Oh! And this just in...

T-MINUS 30 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!



Alec finished up his final AP test of his career yesterday. (AP Biology. He took an AP English Literature and Composition test last week.) We won't know the results until July 9. If he does well, it'll be a huge confidence boost going into college.. and a big boost on his college credits, too. Cross your fingers!

College stuff: He qualified for work-study, which is fantastic news, and we're trying to see if he can get something through the anthropology department, since that's what he wants to study. We had chatted with the department head last summer, and he said they really like getting lab assistants into the system early so they can make use of them for as long as possible, so there's a chance for a real win-win situation here. To get work study funds while getting experience in the field in which you want to work is about as good as it can get. (Of course, his parents are probably more excited about this than he is, because we can see the potential while he's just trying to get through the last bit of high school. Hey.. can WE go back to school and do this? It sounds fascinating.)

We went for a hike on Mother's Day in our local forest. It was a beautiful day. Alec says he's liking being outdoors hiking more and more, especially in the woods. I hope that weaves its way into his soul, because that's a gift we really wanted to share with him.

I feel like the cockroach working towards the food.  The light comes on and I scurry back.  The light goes off.  I wait what I think is enough waitin....

I've been on these boards too long.

Now, where was I?  Oh, AP tests.  So was there a box to check on the test application form for a 5 digit contribution to starving AP students in Fraudikistan?

So what career track is anthropology?  Have to get a masters 'n PHD?  Working for a university?  Spend a summer as free labor tapping through parking lots in Portland to figure out which century Portland was normal?  Sucking up to whomever to get on a project of interest to Alec?  Travel to places not considered vacation hot spots?

Mark B wrote:Oh hey. I guess I might as well also mention that my keto-lite (DIY low carb) approach to eating seems to be taking some of the excess blubber off of my carcass. I think I'm down about 10 pounds so far (it's a guess because I was too chicken to check the scale at my heaviest, but it was probably over 200 pounds.) 

There hasn't been a rapid, dramatic weight loss, but just chipping away at it. I'm right around 190 right now, maybe into the upper 180s, so I've got a ways to go.

One nice thing was when I did a blood test to check for weird headache causes (nothing turned up), my cholesterol levels were lower than I have ever seen them. Apparently my body likes this way of eating. Interesting.

There are so many versions of keto, these days, compared to when I started looking into it in 2012.  I'm glad it's working for you.  Holler if I can help.

ounce wrote:I feel like the cockroach working towards the food.  The light comes on and I scurry back.  The light goes off.  I wait what I think is enough waitin....

I've been on these boards too long.

Now, where was I?  Oh, AP tests.  So was there a box to check on the test application form for a 5 digit contribution to starving AP students in Fraudikistan?

So what career track is anthropology?  Have to get a masters 'n PHD?  Working for a university?  Spend a summer as free labor tapping through parking lots in Portland to figure out which century Portland was normal?  Sucking up to whomever to get on a project of interest to Alec?  Travel to places not considered vacation hot spots?

Oh no, my friend. You haven't been on the boards nearly long enough!  

He's interested in the archaeology specialty. He's most interested in Incan civilization, but understands that's maybe not the best immediate career track, though your suggestions are outstanding! He talks a lot about getting at least a Master's degree. Maybe teaching. Maybe working. (There's a decent demand for archaeological work required prior to constructions of highways, buildings, etc.) He doesn't really know what he wants to do yet. Which as an 18-year-old makes sense. (Or as a 56-year-old, even.)

Ounce also wrote:
There are so many versions of keto, these days, compared to when I started looking into it in 2012.  I'm glad it's working for you.  Holler if I can help.

Thanks. My general rule of thumb is to try to keep my net carbs under 50 grams per day, but I'm not sweating it if I go over a little. I'm not checking for ketones or anything like that but the combination of cottonmouth and peeing like racehorse is a good clue that my body's chucking any scrap of glycogen that it can. The lowering weight is a good clue, too.

I've seen some more extreme keto ideas and they talk about 12 grams of carbs a day and measuring EVERYTHING that goes in and out of the body, but I don't want to be that fastidious about it.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:I feel like the cockroach working towards the food.  The light comes on and I scurry back.  The light goes off.  I wait what I think is enough waitin....

I've been on these boards too long.

Now, where was I?  Oh, AP tests.  So was there a box to check on the test application form for a 5 digit contribution to starving AP students in Fraudikistan?

So what career track is anthropology?  Have to get a masters 'n PHD?  Working for a university?  Spend a summer as free labor tapping through parking lots in Portland to figure out which century Portland was normal?  Sucking up to whomever to get on a project of interest to Alec?  Travel to places not considered vacation hot spots?

Oh no, my friend. You haven't been on the boards nearly long enough!  

He's interested in the archaeology specialty. He's most interested in Incan civilization, but understands that's maybe not the best immediate career track, though your suggestions are outstanding! He talks a lot about getting at least a Master's degree. Maybe teaching. Maybe working. (There's a decent demand for archaeological work required prior to constructions of highways, buildings, etc.) He doesn't really know what he wants to do yet. Which as an 18-year-old makes sense. (Or as a 56-year-old, even.)

Ounce also wrote:
There are so many versions of keto, these days, compared to when I started looking into it in 2012.  I'm glad it's working for you.  Holler if I can help.

Thanks. My general rule of thumb is to try to keep my net carbs under 50 grams per day, but I'm not sweating it if I go over a little. I'm not checking for ketones or anything like that but the combination of cottonmouth and peeing like racehorse is a good clue that my body's chucking any scrap of glycogen that it can. The lowering weight is a good clue, too.

I've seen some more extreme keto ideas and they talk about 12 grams of carbs a day and measuring EVERYTHING that goes in and out of the body, but I don't want to be that fastidious about it.

I did a couple of days at 0 gross grams back in '13, when I first committed to it.  I settled at 4 grams to be the least.

For any version of keto, I will most heartily recommend that you eat a minimum of 85-90 grams of protein a day for the following reason.
Glycogen is the easiest to burn.  When the body runs out of glycogen, muscle cells are next.  So eating 85-90 keeps the body from burning existing muscle cells, until it finds and converts fat cells into energy.

I wasn't eating 85-90 in 2013, which explains some of the small muscle aches I was having back then.  I was more like 35-40.  

Today, I target 30 grams of net carbs and 125-150 grams of protein.

Veggies from below ground...carrots, potatoes, etc have more carbs than above ground veggies cabbage, squash, spinach.  I didn't know that until 2 months ago.

**

Enjoy Alec's ride because it don't do no good to worry about it.  If he keeps his nose clean, it'll shake out and maybe a girl, to boot! Yesssssss.  A girl.

Dang. That is a LOT of protein. How do you manage to pack it all in?

Mark B wrote:Dang. That is a LOT of protein. How do you manage to pack it all in?

One could do it by dividing the total by 3 or 45-50 grams a meal (double meat hamburger, 8 oz salmon, 8 oz chicken).  I understand one can do a breakfast smoothie with whey powder.  I think 1 scoop of powder is 25 grams.  There are some protein bars that have 20 grams, but you have to look for it.  I think Clif's is called 'builder protein.'  Quest bars are keto friendly with 20 grams protein and 4 net carbs, but they're about $2-2.50 each.

3 eggs (7 g each) and some bacon would be 25 grams.  A 5 oz can of tuna is 30 grams or so.

Typically for me, I swap around meals where breakfast has the most protein and supper won't have much and may just round off the protein that I need for the day.

For you, the key in my opinion is to eat at least 25-30 grams of protein when you eat.  There's a term called gluconeogenesis that will explain it.  It's why one eats a minimum of 25 grams at a meal, whether you're keto or not.  Of course, veggies can account for some of the protein count.

Old folks that don't eat much lose muscles and fall down because they're not getting 60-90 grams and their body is eating up available muscle cells, when glycogen isn't around.

Oh, if you like fried chicken or something with a coating on it that's high on carbs, try buying a bag of pork rinds and grind it up for the coating.  zero carbs.

And when you have a weight plateau...only eat when you're hungry.  That idea can work any time, but could really break the log jam to eat only when you're hungry.

One political question.  Is Gov. Inslee running for the long game of gaining name recognition for a more serious 2024 run?  I'm sure he thinks he can win, but right now, he only has a 1 in 23 (or is it 24) chance.  Just curious.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Dang. That is a LOT of protein. How do you manage to pack it all in?

One could do it by dividing the total by 3 or 45-50 grams a meal (double meat hamburger, 8 oz salmon, 8 oz chicken).  I understand one can do a breakfast smoothie with whey powder.  I think 1 scoop of powder is 25 grams.  There are some protein bars that have 20 grams, but you have to look for it.  I think Clif's is called 'builder protein.'  Quest bars are keto friendly with 20 grams protein and 4 net carbs, but they're about $2-2.50 each.

3 eggs (7 g each) and some bacon would be 25 grams.  A 5 oz can of tuna is 30 grams or so.

Typically for me, I swap around meals where breakfast has the most protein and supper won't have much and may just round off the protein that I need for the day.

For you, the key in my opinion is to eat at least 25-30 grams of protein when you eat.  There's a term called gluconeogenesis that will explain it.  It's why one eats a minimum of 25 grams at a meal, whether you're keto or not.  Of course, veggies can account for some of the protein count.

Old folks that don't eat much lose muscles and fall down because they're not getting 60-90 grams and their body is eating up available muscle cells, when glycogen isn't around.

Oh, if you like fried chicken or something with a coating on it that's high on carbs, try buying a bag of pork rinds and grind it up for the coating.  zero carbs.

And when you have a weight plateau...only eat when you're hungry.  That idea can work any time, but could really break the log jam to eat only when you're hungry.

Dang. That's a lot of meat. We'll see how that goes. Already starting to burn out and feel deprived, even though I have no real desire to eat grains at this point. 

The weight has plateaued a bit, but we'll see what happens.

I have to be careful about pushing the Not Eating thing. It's a potential trigger for Alita, who is still in recovery (and always will be) from a longterm ED. 

ounce wrote:One political question.  Is Gov. Inslee running for the long game of gaining name recognition for a more serious 2024 run?  I'm sure he thinks he can win, but right now, he only has a 1 in 23 (or is it 24) chance.  Just curious.

Who knows what he's thinking? He was just in our office the other day to meet with our editorial board, and the general feeling everybody came up with is he is just about the most relentlessly upbeat person they'd ever met. 

But he's not an idiot, either. So yeah.. maybe 2024. Or trying to bend the national dialog and maybe the platform.

Mark B wrote:
Dang. That's a lot of meat. We'll see how that goes. Already starting to burn out and feel deprived, even though I have no real desire to eat grains at this point. 

The weight has plateaued a bit, but we'll see what happens.

I have to be careful about pushing the Not Eating thing. It's a potential trigger for Alita, who is still in recovery (and always will be) from a longterm ED. 

ounce wrote:One political question.  Is Gov. Inslee running for the long game of gaining name recognition for a more serious 2024 run?  I'm sure he thinks he can win, but right now, he only has a 1 in 23 (or is it 24) chance.  Just curious.

Who knows what he's thinking? He was just in our office the other day to meet with our editorial board, and the general feeling everybody came up with is he is just about the most relentlessly upbeat person they'd ever met. 

But he's not an idiot, either. So yeah.. maybe 2024. Or trying to bend the national dialog and maybe the platform.

Eating is a complicated part of our life isn't it.  So many things affect when/what/why we eat.  And I agree that your actions will affect Alita's eating habits so you're right to be cautious!  It will be interesting to see how things change when Alec leaves for college as well.  Good luck to both of you as you figure out healthy habits moving forward.  

We may have a new up and coming politician in the area.  Kevin is running for the school board.  The election is today.  There are three candidates on the ballot.  Trying to figure out how to say this in a politically correct way but not sure that's possible.  Kevin is running against another white male and a Native American female.  The two males are both concerned they will split the vote and the Native American will win the majority.  Both men said that had they known another quality candidate was running they would have waited till the next election.  The concern is that the tribes have been making a very obvious attempt to stack the board with tribal members...they already have an appropriate percentage of representation on the board.  On the bright side it's a win-win situation for us personally.  If Kevin wins we think he'll be a good addition to the board.  If he loses he'll have more time to help on the farm...and with the twins...and can run again next time.

Still walking at lunch time?  We've been getting rain so I'm sure you're getting wet over there!

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:
Dang. That's a lot of meat. We'll see how that goes. Already starting to burn out and feel deprived, even though I have no real desire to eat grains at this point. 

The weight has plateaued a bit, but we'll see what happens.

I have to be careful about pushing the Not Eating thing. It's a potential trigger for Alita, who is still in recovery (and always will be) from a longterm ED. 

ounce wrote:One political question.  Is Gov. Inslee running for the long game of gaining name recognition for a more serious 2024 run?  I'm sure he thinks he can win, but right now, he only has a 1 in 23 (or is it 24) chance.  Just curious.

Who knows what he's thinking? He was just in our office the other day to meet with our editorial board, and the general feeling everybody came up with is he is just about the most relentlessly upbeat person they'd ever met. 

But he's not an idiot, either. So yeah.. maybe 2024. Or trying to bend the national dialog and maybe the platform.

Eating is a complicated part of our life isn't it.  So many things affect when/what/why we eat.  And I agree that your actions will affect Alita's eating habits so you're right to be cautious!  It will be interesting to see how things change when Alec leaves for college as well.  Good luck to both of you as you figure out healthy habits moving forward.  

We may have a new up and coming politician in the area.  Kevin is running for the school board.  The election is today.  There are three candidates on the ballot.  Trying to figure out how to say this in a politically correct way but not sure that's possible.  Kevin is running against another white male and a Native American female.  The two males are both concerned they will split the vote and the Native American will win the majority.  Both men said that had they known another quality candidate was running they would have waited till the next election.  The concern is that the tribes have been making a very obvious attempt to stack the board with tribal members...they already have an appropriate percentage of representation on the board.  On the bright side it's a win-win situation for us personally.  If Kevin wins we think he'll be a good addition to the board.  If he loses he'll have more time to help on the farm...and with the twins...and can run again next time.

Still walking at lunch time?  We've been getting rain so I'm sure you're getting wet over there!

Politics is complicated, isn't it? Good luck to Kevin. If he doesn't get this, I'm sure there will be something else in his future. Greg Walden better watch his back! 


We're pretty sure things will get easier, food-wise, once we're empty nesters. And I'm not getting walks in every day (pesky rain), but I am getting out there several times a week. It's helping.

Mark B wrote:Politics is complicated, isn't it? Good luck to Kevin. If he doesn't get this, I'm sure there will be something else in his future. Greg Walden better watch his back! 

Funny that you should mention that...we hosted a Coalition for the Deschutes Shared Vision event on the farm on Saturday.  50 people.  Half farmers and half environmentalists.  No fist fights so I consider it a huge success.  

Jamie McLeod-Skinner attended.  She approached Kevin after he spoke and offered her assistance if he ever decided to become more involved at a higher level.  Interesting as they aren't really on the same side...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Politics is complicated, isn't it? Good luck to Kevin. If he doesn't get this, I'm sure there will be something else in his future. Greg Walden better watch his back! 

Funny that you should mention that...we hosted a Coalition for the Deschutes Shared Vision event on the farm on Saturday.  50 people.  Half farmers and half environmentalists.  No fist fights so I consider it a huge success.  

Jamie McLeod-Skinner attended.  She approached Kevin after he spoke and offered her assistance if he ever decided to become more involved at a higher level.  Interesting as they aren't really on the same side...

Someone with practical knowledge and life experience who can listen to everyone, no matter their point of view, would be a very good person to have in higher office. I know there are still some of those folks out there - they just tend to get drowned out by the other kind.

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Politics is complicated, isn't it? Good luck to Kevin. If he doesn't get this, I'm sure there will be something else in his future. Greg Walden better watch his back! 

Funny that you should mention that...we hosted a Coalition for the Deschutes Shared Vision event on the farm on Saturday.  50 people.  Half farmers and half environmentalists.  No fist fights so I consider it a huge success.  

Jamie McLeod-Skinner attended.  She approached Kevin after he spoke and offered her assistance if he ever decided to become more involved at a higher level.  Interesting as they aren't really on the same side...

Someone with practical knowledge and life experience who can listen to everyone, no matter their point of view, would be a very good person to have in higher office. I know there are still some of those folks out there - they just tend to get drowned out by the other kind.

Well said Mark.  My frustration with politics/public service...and the reason I stepped back for several years...is that folks with opposing views tend to demonize one another.  I don't understand why we can't disagree on an issue and still be respectful and remain friends.

Enough politics for today...off to Pilates and the pool...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Politics is complicated, isn't it? Good luck to Kevin. If he doesn't get this, I'm sure there will be something else in his future. Greg Walden better watch his back! 

Funny that you should mention that...we hosted a Coalition for the Deschutes Shared Vision event on the farm on Saturday.  50 people.  Half farmers and half environmentalists.  No fist fights so I consider it a huge success.  

Jamie McLeod-Skinner attended.  She approached Kevin after he spoke and offered her assistance if he ever decided to become more involved at a higher level.  Interesting as they aren't really on the same side...

Someone with practical knowledge and life experience who can listen to everyone, no matter their point of view, would be a very good person to have in higher office. I know there are still some of those folks out there - they just tend to get drowned out by the other kind.

Well said Mark.  My frustration with politics/public service...and the reason I stepped back for several years...is that folks with opposing views tend to demonize one another.  I don't understand why we can't disagree on an issue and still be respectful and remain friends.

Enough politics for today...off to Pilates and the pool...

I posted something on your blog, too, but CONGRATULATIONS to Kevin! He outpolled everybody -- by a lot -- in the school board race. Not sure if it's a primary or if he's in, but either way, it's a solid win!

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Politics is complicated, isn't it? Good luck to Kevin. If he doesn't get this, I'm sure there will be something else in his future. Greg Walden better watch his back! 

Funny that you should mention that...we hosted a Coalition for the Deschutes Shared Vision event on the farm on Saturday.  50 people.  Half farmers and half environmentalists.  No fist fights so I consider it a huge success.  

Jamie McLeod-Skinner attended.  She approached Kevin after he spoke and offered her assistance if he ever decided to become more involved at a higher level.  Interesting as they aren't really on the same side...

Someone with practical knowledge and life experience who can listen to everyone, no matter their point of view, would be a very good person to have in higher office. I know there are still some of those folks out there - they just tend to get drowned out by the other kind.

Well said Mark.  My frustration with politics/public service...and the reason I stepped back for several years...is that folks with opposing views tend to demonize one another.  I don't understand why we can't disagree on an issue and still be respectful and remain friends.

Enough politics for today...off to Pilates and the pool...

I posted something on your blog, too, but CONGRATULATIONS to Kevin! He outpolled everybody -- by a lot -- in the school board race. Not sure if it's a primary or if he's in, but either way, it's a solid win!

Thanks Mark.  He's in!

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Politics is complicated, isn't it? Good luck to Kevin. If he doesn't get this, I'm sure there will be something else in his future. Greg Walden better watch his back! 

Funny that you should mention that...we hosted a Coalition for the Deschutes Shared Vision event on the farm on Saturday.  50 people.  Half farmers and half environmentalists.  No fist fights so I consider it a huge success.  

Jamie McLeod-Skinner attended.  She approached Kevin after he spoke and offered her assistance if he ever decided to become more involved at a higher level.  Interesting as they aren't really on the same side...

Someone with practical knowledge and life experience who can listen to everyone, no matter their point of view, would be a very good person to have in higher office. I know there are still some of those folks out there - they just tend to get drowned out by the other kind.

Well said Mark.  My frustration with politics/public service...and the reason I stepped back for several years...is that folks with opposing views tend to demonize one another.  I don't understand why we can't disagree on an issue and still be respectful and remain friends.

Enough politics for today...off to Pilates and the pool...

I posted something on your blog, too, but CONGRATULATIONS to Kevin! He outpolled everybody -- by a lot -- in the school board race. Not sure if it's a primary or if he's in, but either way, it's a solid win!

Thanks Mark.  He's in!

Woot! Congratulations! 

Better get him an extra-large bottle of headache medicine, given the job he's just taken on. 

A political dynasty in the making!


Mark - How about you and I have a weight loss challenge.  I wager $1,000 in Monopoly money and Marvin Gardens with 3 hotels on it that I can lose a higher percentage of weight between now and July 4th.

I do better on losing weight, when there's a competition.