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Wednesday, December 21, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Holiday cheer and other challenges
By Katy Yoder
Correspondent
The holidays, regardless
of your religious persuasion,
can be hard on the heart.
While shopping, there’s
the need to evoke your
inner-warrior to defend your
chosen gifts and get them to
the goal — I mean cash reg-
ister. And the challenge of
waiting in line to mail gifts,
get something to eat and, of
course, the ever-frustrating
pursuit of a parking place
is enough to turn even the
meekest shopper into a
lunatic.
Hopefully, it’ll all be
worth it when you see the
joy on the faces of the recip-
ients of all your hard work.
There are still tasks to
accomplish. The tree’s not
up, the lights aren’t lit and
the driveway’s hardly pass-
able after the last big dump
of snow. But somehow I
know on that special morn-
ing, it’ll all be done. Until
then, there’s the challenge
of coping with it all.
I know I’m in trouble
when the alarm goes off
warning me I’m over-doing
it. My boob barometer used
to be a good indicator too,
but after two lumpecto-
mies, the girls have given
up and tend to stay just as
diminished as ever. But
there’s the butt barometer
showing me in no uncertain
terms that I’m eating too
much. My pants start fit-
ting a tad too snug and then
3
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*Source yogahealth h .org
1
2
How can
unexplainably shrink in the
wash. I stop making eye
contact with certain pairs of
pants … best to just ignore
them and avoid the cruel
truth.
Even with my new eat-
ing regime — no meat and
very little dairy (sometimes
it sneaks in there when I’m
not looking!) I can still
emotionally eat with the
best of them. Sometimes,
its memories of those
who will no longer join
us at the Christmas Eve
table — either out of free
will or a one-way ticket to
Heaven. They are missed
and thoughts about the good
times and the bad bubble up
like champagne. Speaking
of booze, I’m trying to
limit my alcohol intake to
minimize a repeat perfor-
mance of breast cancer, but
sometimes those hot tod-
dies and luscious glasses
of red wine are hard to
resist.
The countdown con-
tinues toward the big day,
and it’s easy to feel over-
whelmed. Who did I forget?
What the heck should I get
those family members that
I hardly know anymore?
What do you get a “tween-
ager?” Then there’s the real-
ity that when it’s all bought
and paid for, that dreaded
credit card bill will show
up in January, making for
an anemic wedding anniver-
sary on January 5.
When I feel the blues
coming on, I do what I can
Yoga
ga
a For
F or Everybody
E veryb
b od
d y ~ Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 P PM
Karen Kassy, MS in Integrative Medicine ~ life.love.yoga. 164 N. Elm St.
SISTERS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Thrift Store
ReStore
STOREWIDE ALL CHRISTMAS
1/2 PRICE SALE 75 %
Now until Dec. 30.
We will be closing at
2 p.m. on Dec. 23 and d
closed Dec. 24-25.
541-549-1740
OFF
oo
It’s not e t corate
late to a d Claus.
like
541-549-1621
541
5 549
49 1 16
141 W. Main Ave., Sisters
254 W. Adams Ave., Sisters
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, 12-4 p.m.
Donations accepted
Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Closed Sundays
Donations accepted
Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
to remember the very basic
reality: I’m still here! I get
to see my husband, daugh-
ter, mother and sisters.
One of my favorite things
is watching our dog open
his presents. He reminds
me of the days when Amy
was a little wee-one and she
couldn’t contain her enthu-
siasm for what lay ahead.
Alfie’s the same way. He
lurks around the tree, eye-
ing the gifts that smell like
chew-toys. He knows it’s
only a matter of time before
he gets to tear into the wrap-
ping paper and start gnaw-
ing on his new toy. I can
hear the squeaking already!
Another coping mecha-
nism that works well is to
talk to friends about how
I’m really feeling. Surprise,
surprise! I realize I’m not
alone in my struggles. We’re
all in this together. I’m
hopeful that we can all give
each other a bit of a break
during the rampage. I’ll
even try to forgive the crazy
drivers who take my life in
their hands when they pass
me on an icy blind corner.
Actually, no, I can’t forgive
you and if you take out any-
one else but yourself when
you careen off the road, I
hope you get the karma you
deserve. Oops! Here comes
my inner Holiday Raging
Bull again. I’m a work in
progress. Maybe a month in
silent meditation would do
me some good.
I’ll ask for that next
Christmas!
PHOTO PROVIDED
Skip Armstrong at work on BendBroadband’s mascot.
Sisters artist tapped
for cable ad campaign
When the “local dog,”
BendBroadband, got to
work on a new advertis-
ing campaign, they tapped a
“local dog” to represent the
company.
“We have had a series of
BendBroadband campaigns
that have featured local peo-
ple who excel at their craft,”
said spokesperson Krista
Ledbetter.
For the current cam-
paign, that local is J. Chester
“Skip” Armstrong. The noted
wood-carver sculpted the
BendBroadband dog mascot.
“It just seemed like a
natural fit,” Ledbetter said.
The planning and precision
required in Armstrong’s work
was, she said, “a fitting ana-
logue for BendBroadband.”
She said that representa-
tives from the local cable
provider visited Armstrong’s
workspace in Sisters.
“We went out to his place
in September and I was just
blown away,” she said.
The company commis-
sioned Armstrong to carve
their mascot, which will
be taken out to events and
promotions across Central
Oregon.