COFFEE BREAK
B6 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
THuRSDAY, ApRIL 28, 2022
Widower wonders if age creates boundary for intimacy
DEAR ABBY: My wife of 41
years passed away four years ago.
I’m in my mid-60s. I have sought
grief counseling to fully pro-
cess her loss. The counselor has
encouraged me to maintain and
expand my peer relationships.
The counselor has also encour-
aged dating, which I have tried,
but no romances have resulted.
My wife was diagnosed with
bipolar type 2 mental disorder,
which progressed the longer she
lived. When she died, I was glad
she no longer had to suffer with
her mental illness. With the onset
BROWN
Continued from Page B1
the work we are doing now to
figure out how we invest in both
the natural and built environment
to create a 100-year water plan
for Oregon.
Q: When and why did you
become a proponent of pre-
scribed burning?
I have been all along.
One of my most devastating
experiences (was) in John Day
and specifically the Canyon Creek
Fire (in 2015). We lost 50 homes.
(I realized) we were going to have
to modernize and update our fire-
fighting efforts.
But, you know, we’ve had really
challenging fire seasons ’17, ’18
— I think we got a bye in ’19 —
’20 and, obviously, ’21. After the
Substation Fire (in 2018 near The
Dalles), it was clear to me that we
needed to rethink how we were
fighting fires with the strategies,
techniques, equipment and sys-
tems. So, we created the wildfire
council in 2019.
Q: How would you rate the
performance of the Oregon
Water Resources Department in
managing the state’s water, espe-
cially during drought? Is there
anything you’d change?
I think this is incredibly chal-
lenging when you don’t have
enough (water). No decision is
going to feel right; it’s much like
during the pandemic, right?
I think my goal for the depart-
ment and frankly for the entire
Western region is, we have to
be working more collabora-
tively, more creatively. We have
to be trying new techniques. I
think we’ve got to do better about
investing in wetland mitigation.
And we’re going to need help from
our federal partners.
Q: What’s your response to
farmers who say they don’t feel
heard by you? How do you per-
ceive that you’ve listened to that
community?
I mean, I will just tell you that
the criticism I get from the pro-
of menopause and the bipolar, her
libido had dropped dramatically.
The counselor has assured me
that if romance develops, sexual
relations can happen with women
my age.
Because of my religious con-
victions, I will not have sexual
relations before marriage. My
question concerns a woman’s
desire for sexual relations at this
stage of life. Are sexual relations
something that can be mutually
enjoyed, or just a requirement of
marriage? — WONDERING IN
IOWA
DEAR WONDERING:
Allow me to put your concerns
to rest. Seniors are not clones
of each other. Some enjoy sex
into their 80s; others do not. If
both partners are comfortable
with their bodies and willing
to accommodate the inevitable
changes that come as their bodies
age, they can enjoy sex as much
as couples who are younger.
While your religious beliefs
may not allow you to have sex
before marriage, there is no
reason why the subject can’t
be honestly discussed, and this
is what I urge you to do if you
become involved with someone.
DEAR ABBY: Recently,
my daughter asked if her girl-
friend could stay with us until
the two of them move out in a
month. To help them out, my hus-
band and I agreed. The problem
is, the girlfriend is very inse-
cure about her weight. She’s on
the heavier side, and my daugh-
ter’s weight is average. Some-
times when we’re talking about
fitness or nutrition, it feels like a
sore subject for her. I don’t want
her to feel uncomfortable around
us because I watch what I eat.
Advice? — WEIGHTY ISSUE
IN WASHINGTON
DEAR WEIGHTY ISSUE:
Ask your daughter if mentioning
these topics makes her girlfriend
uncomfortable. Keep in mind that
your houseguest will be staying
with you only a few more weeks.
Until she leaves, refrain from
discussing topics that make her
uncomfortable in her presence.
DEAR ABBY: I am 60 and
disabled. I desperately would like
a dog. I’m not a cat person. I can’t
get a bird because I have lupus.
Working at a shelter isn’t an
option. I added up all the pluses
and minuses, and the minuses
were more plentiful. However, the
pluses are so tempting.
Logically, I know it would not
be fair to either of us. The wiser
part of myself says no, but I want
someone who is happy when I
come home, kisses me, sits on
my lap and shares my bed. And
someone to care for. Any advice?
— NURTURER IN NEW
YORK
DEAR NURTURER: Rescue
a dog who needs nurturing as
much as you do. Adopt an older
one from an animal rescue, and
you may save two lives at once.
That said, it’s important you dis-
cuss those pluses and minuses
with a veterinarian and take out
pet insurance — just in case the
need arises.
gressive side is that I spend too
much time listening to people.
So, you obviously have to find
a balance.
In my role as governor, it’s
harder firsthand, and so we work
through organizations, right?
Through the (Oregon Association
of Nurseries), the Farm Bureau,
(and) I work with members of the
(State Board of Agriculture).
Could I have done more? Abso-
lutely. There’s no question about
it. When I was (Oregon) Secre-
tary of State (2009-2015), I had lis-
tening sessions with folks like the
Iversons (who run Iverson Family
Farms and the Wooden Shoe Tulip
Farm) and others to hear what was
happening on the ground. It’s hon-
estly more challenging to do as
governor — time constraints and,
you know, unfortunately, Oregon’s
been in crisis after crisis.
I think one of the biggest areas
of conflict, frankly, is around cli-
mate change. I think that’s where
we most strongly butted heads.
We worked hard after our first
version of “cap and invest” to
really listen to both rural and agri-
cultural community members,
to forestry members, to make
changes to the bill that would more
closely reflect the need and be
more responsive. I think we did
that. We obviously ran into other
issues — I’ll just say politics.
Q: When cap and trade bills
on emissions didn’t pass, why
did you sidestep the Legislature
and direct unelected officials to
create the “Climate Protection
Program,” similar to cap and
trade, without consent from leg-
islators or the public?
Well, I would say conservatives
sidestepped the legislative process
when they walked out. I was very
clear if there continued to be walk-
outs and the Legislature refused to
tackle this issue, that I would take
executive action.
We’re obviously still in court
battles, but I’m very confident that
the courts will support my execu-
tive authority. We are in crisis and
I have authority over state agen-
cies, and they are taking action
well within the confines of the
law. I would have preferred to do
it through the legislative process;
there’s no question about that. That
was impossible because people left
the building.
Q: Farmers have a spec-
trum of opinions about climate
change, but even among farmers
who agree with you that the
agricultural sector should play
a role in slowing climate change,
many criticize your methods,
saying they’d rather see positive
incentives for private enterprise
rather than more policies that
punish businesses. Do you favor
the “carrot” or “stick” approach
to achieving your climate goals?
I always prefer carrot
approaches. And what we liked
about our legislation is that by cre-
ating incentives, it would have
allowed us to create dollars to put
back into our communities that
have been underserved.
So, it was obviously a regula-
tory approach, but the resources
would have been targeted into the
communities that were on the front
lines of climate change.
Q: Can you describe a time
when a farmer changed your
mind?
Changed my mind — two
people have been instrumental
on multiple issues: Rep. Bobby
Levy and her husband, Bob Levy.
(The Levys farm in Northeastern
Oregon. Bobby Levy has served
as a Republican in the Oregon
House of Representatives since
2021.) I’ve worked with Bob on
water issues. Bobby has been a
source of information for me in
terms of wolves, frankly, and in
terms of ag and ranching policy.
Q: And what shift has hap-
pened or is happening in your
mindset?
I think it’s really important to
hear other people’s perspectives
and be able to listen and look at
things from a broader lens. Con-
versations that I’ve had over the
years with Bobby and others pro-
vided a different lens for me.
I will tell you that my votes on
cougars in the Legislature are dif-
ferent than probably most of my
counterparts in Portland. When
Dan and I started dating, he was
living in Enterprise, Wallowa
County. (Dan Little is Brown’s
husband.) I had friends living in
Wallowa County who were afraid
to have their kids walk up Los-
tine Canyon because of cougars.
I don’t know that people have
changed my mind, but I think
folks have definitely broadened
my perspective.
Q: In Oregon’s 2022 legisla-
tive session, many farmers asked
you to veto the farmworker over-
time pay rule, saying it could
hurt their businesses. Have you
decided yet if you’ll sign the bill?
Yes. This was a really diffi-
cult issue, but we have two com-
peting values here, right? We have
the value that (people) who work
hard in difficult and backbreaking
conditions should be paid fairly,
right? And at the same time, we
want to make sure that Oregon’s
family farms and ranches are able
to make ends meet, to be able to
put their kids through college and
to be able to retire.
And so, I made a decision.
I will be signing the bill. (She
signed the bill one day after the
interview, on Friday, April 15.) But
I have to say, I see this as a start.
In my conversations with folks in
the ag sector, I encourage them
to continue these conversations. I
do not believe this bill is perfect
by any way, shape or form. But I
think you have to start somewhere.
I think it’s important that it start
through the legislative process
because you can make changes,
right? This is a step forward.
Changes will need to be made.
But here’s the second piece.
The alternatives were going to
(Oregon Bureau of Labor and
Industries) and to the courts. I
know from talking to the labor
commissioner that would have
been overtime immediately for 40
hours a week. At least this legisla-
tion was a phase-in.
I think the economic bene-
fits are well-intended. I think the
question is, do they meet the needs
of our small family farms? And I
don’t know the answer to that. But
I think the time is now.
I would encourage folks to sit
down at the table now and if folks
want to talk with me about it, I’m
more than happy to have that con-
versation about how we could
improve it.
Q: Was there ever a point
during the legislative session
when you considered vetoing the
overtime bill?
I try to keep an open mind. I
met with the Farm Bureau and
folks. I talked to the people that
I know. I’ll just say that. And my
conclusion is this was better than
what would have happened if I had
vetoed the bill.
Q: Some longtime Oregon
farmers have recently moved
their operations to states
they view as more “busi-
ness-friendly,” citing the diffi-
culty of running a farm business
here under increasing regula-
tions related to climate, COVID,
etc. What’s your response to
those farmers who say that your
policies drove them away?
Well, I think our policies, our
goal of our policies is to make
sure that we preserve the future of
Oregon, that we keep people safe
and healthy, and I would hope that
for those folks who feel like we
aren’t doing the right thing or have
gone too far to stay engaged with
rule-making processes. That’s
really important to have your
voice be heard.
Q: Anything else you want
farmers to know?
My sister (Molly Brown) was
a cattle rancher for 25 years. And
she is back cattle ranching (in
Montana). It was through her that I
also gained a different perspective.
People ask if my job is stressful.
No question. But I at least have
control over a lot of things. These
folks, you know, have to hope that
it’s going to rain when we need
it to rain, and not rain and snow
when it shouldn’t. So, I think
(farming) is incredibly stressful. I
know folks work incredibly hard. I
think it is truly a labor of love.
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
43/56
Kennewick
43/59
St. Helens
44/62
TIllamook
42/64
43/67
46/61
42/59
Condon
Rain and drizzle
early
Baker City
0
52 37
9
0
0
Showers
around; colder
57 38
Eugene
52 40
60 40
48 38
0
9
0
57 36
48 38
0
10
0
2
ALMANAC
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Tuesday
Low Tuesday
High: 103°
Low: 13°
Wettest: 2.94”
50°
34°
50°
36°
52°
37°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
Tuesday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
0.17
0.98
0.70
1.65
2.76
0.10
0.85
1.58
3.23
6.20
0.19
2.64
2.13
9.83
9.99
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION FRIDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
40%
WSW at 6 to 12 mph
2.3
0.11
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Wednesday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
43/59
TUESDAY EXTREMES
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
10% of capacity
79% of capacity
46% of capacity
88% of capacity
45% of capacity
100% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Tuesday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
3860 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
27 cfs
Burnt River near Unity
6 cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
447 cfs
Minam River at Minam
485 cfs
Powder River near Richland
20 cfs
Eloy, Ariz.
Leadville, Colo.
Brownsville, Texas
OREGON
High: 67°
Low: 29°
Wettest: 0.31”
Rome
Odell Lake
Lakeview
State College, Pa., was buried by 20 inches
of snow on April 28, 1928. The train from
Pittsburgh to Philadelphia was blocked for
two days.
SUN & MOON
THU.
5:46 a.m.
7:55 p.m.
5:08 a.m.
5:51 p.m.
FRI.
5:44 a.m.
7:56 p.m.
5:27 a.m.
6:59 p.m.
MOON PHASES
New
Apr 30
First
May 8
Full
41/64
Last
May 15 May 22
Jordan Valley
Paisley
Frenchglen
29/53
City
Astoria
Bend
Boise
Brookings
Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Council
Elgin
Eugene
Hermiston
Hood River
Imnaha
John Day
Joseph
Kennewick
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
Hi/Lo/W
56/46/c
62/43/pc
58/38/pc
55/47/pc
54/35/s
55/49/c
60/47/c
56/34/pc
56/35/pc
62/48/c
64/47/pc
64/50/c
58/35/pc
54/41/pc
49/34/pc
66/46/pc
59/39/pc
55/33/pc
Hi/Lo/W
55/43/sh
57/37/sh
63/42/c
56/44/sh
56/33/sh
54/41/sh
59/39/c
55/39/c
52/39/r
60/41/sh
63/46/r
60/46/sh
59/40/c
52/38/r
50/34/r
61/47/r
55/32/sh
57/34/t
Grand View
Arock
36/62
32/57
31/57
Klamath Falls
24/59
Lakeview
23/55
McDermitt
Shown is Friday’s weather. Temperatures are Thursday night’s lows and Friday’s highs.
SAT.
Diamond
30/53
Fields
40/65
FRI.
Boise
31/52
26/59
27/57
Medford
Brookings
32/61
37/58
38/68
43/55
Juntura
26/54
Silver Lake
Chiloquin
Grants Pass
Ontario
39/63
Burns
25/60
29/56
RECREATION FORECAST FRIDAY
REGIONAL CITIES
WEATHER HISTORY
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
25/55
Roseburg
Powers
25/58
Beaver Marsh
44/55
Comfort Index takes into account how the weather will feel based on a combination of factors. A rating of 10 feels
very comfortable while a rating of 0 feels very uncomfortable.
Brothers
39/62
Coos Bay
Huntington
29/51
29/62
Oakridge
34/56
37/60
Seneca
Bend
Elkton
Council
32/54
33/54
29/63
42/62
51 35
32/47
John Day
28/63
Sisters
Florence
44/55
33/56
Baker City
Redmond
44/53
43/62
0
Halfway
Granite
40/60
Newport
52 34
5
35/58
38/58
44/62
Corvallis
Enterprise
32/48
37/56
Monument
39/65
Idanha
Salem
MON
2
8
32 48 31
Comfort Index™
SUN
Clouds and sun; Rain and drizzle Partly sunny and
warmer
warmer
37 56 38
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
SAT
32 54 33
Comfort Index™
La Grande
FRI
Elgin
36/56
La Grande
36/59
Maupin
TONIGHT
41/59
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
43/60
Hood River
40/60
42/57
Lewiston
Walla Walla
43/66
Vancouver
42/61
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
City
Lewiston
Longview
Meacham
Medford
Newport
Olympia
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Powers
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Spokane
The Dalles
Ukiah
Walla Walla
FRI.
SAT.
Hi/Lo/W
60/40/pc
59/48/sh
54/37/pc
65/49/pc
53/46/c
60/46/c
63/37/pc
67/44/pc
60/45/pc
61/50/c
59/50/c
63/42/pc
64/48/c
62/49/sh
57/38/pc
67/48/pc
53/39/pc
59/44/pc
Hi/Lo/W
61/46/r
59/42/sh
51/40/r
61/41/sh
52/42/sh
57/39/sh
62/44/c
61/45/r
59/42/r
60/47/sh
56/39/sh
57/34/sh
59/41/sh
60/44/sh
55/40/r
63/46/sh
50/33/r
55/43/r
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
Cold
Some sun; warmer
31
26
50
31
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Clouds and sun
Partly sunny; cool
41
35
58
38
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Partly sunny; cold
Mostly cloudy
35
26
50
34
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Partial sunshine
Periods of sun
49
34
60
45
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Partly sunny; cool
Warmer
54
33
56
38