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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2020)
10 Wednesday, August 5, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... Artisans ‘re-enchant’ Sisters Country By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief <If America could be, once again, a nation of self-reliant farmers, craftsmen, hunters, ranchers, and artists, then the rich would have little power to dominate others. Neither to serve nor to rule: That was the American dream.= 4 Edward Abbey Modern living offers us many blessings. Who would seriously want to live in a world without antibiotics and hot showers? But our modern comforts and conveniences come with a cost. Most folks are completely disconnected from where their food comes from. Tools, appliances, and furniture are deliberately designed to fall apart and be replaced; repairing things is a dying art. It9s hard to find <stuff that works; stuff that holds up& stuff that9s real.=* We9re not only filling landfills with our junk, we9re also fraying the solid yeo- man9s culture that lay at the bedrock of America9s found- ing. We9re surrendering our autonomy and self-reliance to unfathomably wealthy and powerful global megacor- porations that keep supply- ing us with dubious <needs= and profiting off of planned obsolescence. All is not lost, though. A cultural movement is grow- ing that runs counter to the mainstream current. Small farmers and ranchers are pro- ducing quality, wholesome foodstuffs for their neighbors 4 who not only know where their food comes from, they Fit For Sisters Andrew Loscutoff Columnist ISTOCK.COM/LAKSHMI3 know the people who grow it. Craftsmen are building stuff that9s real, heirloom quality functional art that profoundly enhances the quality of our lives. Central Oregon is chock- a-block with artisans creating everything from foodstuffs to furniture, musical instruments to decorative arts. Turns out, our region is at the epicenter of a worldwide movement of creative entrepreneurs 4 in the parlance of the moment known as <makers.= Blogger Joy Poe noted in a June 4, 2020 post at ToughNickel.com that: <Today, almost every government in the world is researching the economic impact of the creative indus- tries in their country. The study by the British Council concludes that small busi- nesses 8at the cutting edge of creativity, may not only be of growing economic signifi- cance, but in some sense, are a harbinger of a whole new economic order.9= Gypsy Wind Clothing SUNDRESSES, SUN TOPS & COTTONS! HOURS: WED.-SAT., 10 A.M.- 4 P.M. In an essay on <The arti- sanal movement, and 10 things that define it,= Grant McCraken cites farmer9s markets as an avatar of the movement: <The best example here perhaps is the farmer9s mar- ket&. (W)e want to see the face of the man who grew the food and shake his hand. We prefer to deal with a small retailer, someone who calls us by our first name, and knows our tastes so well, he sets things aside await- ing our arrival on Saturday morning. It is as if we have declared war on anonymity. It is as if we are attempting to 8re-enchant9 the world with personalization.= It is our good fortune to live in a thoroughly <re- enchanted= corner of the world, a region at the fore- front of a movement that is bringing back to life values of simplicity, authenticity and quality 4 stuff that works. *Hats off to Guy Clark: Craftsman. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good In health and fitness there is a common fallacy that leaves some people stuck and not making prog- ress. This person9s inten- tions are pure, their moti- vation high. It9s not lack of ability; the cards aren9t stacked against them; they are not <too far gone.= This person leads a per- fect life four or five days a week then when something derails perfection, it9s all over. A person chasing per- fection will sideline basic skill, habit, and behavior- building and seek out abso- lute purity. Once perfec- tion cracks, all is out the window and their feelings plunge to the negative, condescending, and harsh, depleting their ego. This depleted ego turns to com- fort and indulgence. All of the sudden the perfectionist is on a bender, pounding donuts and ice cream. Back to square one. It9s Monday and this will all change. Starting again with a no-carb, no-sugar, 60-minutes-of-cardio, 30-minutes-of-weights, leading a don9t-eat-this- make-sure-that9s-organic pure, yoga lifestyle of per- fection. Thursday strikes and a pounding headache means skipped morning cardio. Then a cookie tray is brought over from the neighbor. Time runs out for dinner 4 gotta order fast takeout. To hell with it. Off the rails. Back at it Monday morning. Does this at all sound familiar? It9s a story that many have imitated. The key to lifestyle is first <life.= Follow the basics: nutrition, exercise, and health all revolve around some very simple prin- ciples. If adherence is 80 percent, that will produce 95 percent of your results. Allow for a cookie and extra cup of coffee. Live with freedom 4 but know that on a day-to-day basis you must be flexible and just do the best you can. Over-analysis of the lat- est nutrition fad, or getting obsessed with a new trendy workout, lifestyle hack, or wellness mantra will be a house of cards that will topple at first breeze of life9s challenges. Don9t allow perfection- ism to stand in the way of pretty darn good! NuggetNews.com Antiques THE GARDEN ANGEL Organic landscaping... We fee d the soil! Delivery available! Have a great summ er, Sisters! 541.904.0066 5 4 1 9 0 4 0 0 6 6 23 years in business • LCB#9583 Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 7 days a week 541-549-2882 Painted Lady Come explore Sisters’ newest Antique Store! 141 E. Cascade Ave., Suite 104