B6 THE OBSERVER • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2022
COFFEE BREAK
Grandma raising boy is eager to live her life
volves around him. But, Abby, at 52,
I feel I have earned the right to do as
I want at this time in my life. I feel I
would be punishing Joey if I gave him
back to his mom to raise. His biolog-
ical father is not in his life, although
the paternal grandparents are in con-
tact with him. Your thoughts on this
situation? — LIKE A MOM IN SOUTH
CAROLINA
DEAR LIKE A MOM: Gladly. When
Joey is 18, you will be 60. That is not
over the hill. Please do not give up on
your grandson at this point. As you
stated, you are “everything” to him,
and in this case, it is literally true. Jo-
ey’s paternal grandparents did a terri-
ble job raising their irresponsible son.
DEAR ABBY: I have been raising
my daughter’s first child. “Joey” is 10,
and he has been living with my hus-
band and me full time for four years.
I love him very much and enjoy being
his “mom,” but I’m not good at help-
ing him with homework. My daugh-
ter doesn’t have time for him. She has
two other kids with a different dad.
The stepdad has no desire to be a dad
to Joey.
I am Joey’s everything. My life re-
Would you really consider turning
Joey over to them to mess up? Stay the
course.
DEAR ABBY: My husband has cere-
bral palsy. He can talk, but his speech
is slightly slurred. He can walk, but he’s
unsteady on his feet. We love to go out
and have a few drinks, but the issue is
that people think he is intoxicated. We
have been thrown out of places. We
were almost thrown out of a ride-share
service until I told the driver he has
a disability. We were at a concert go-
ing up the steps (I was holding beers),
and everyone stared at him thinking
he was drunk. Do you have any advice
(short of putting up a sign that he is
disabled)? — SOCIAL SPOUSE
DEAR SPOUSE: Your husband
should not have to display a sign.
When you go to a bar or a restaurant,
inform the manager or the bartender
as soon as you enter that your husband
has a disability that affects his balance.
While it won’t work in large crowds
such as at a concert, it should save you
and your husband from any misunder-
standings in smaller venues.
DEAR ABBY: One of the last times
we hung out, a friend made a com-
ment about my size. She said, “I
shouldn’t complain about my weight
gain. I’m smaller than YOU.” It was
really rude. I thought about that com-
ment and how to approach it for a
week, and when I saw her next, I asked
her to not bring up my size when she
complains about hers.
Instead of apologizing, she spent 15
minutes justifying what she said. But
there was no real justification. Since
then, I have avoided her. She keeps
reaching out and asking to spend time
with me, but at this point, I don’t feel
I should. What would you do? — OF-
FENDED IN HAWAII
DEAR OFFENDED: I would tell her
no, and I would tell her in no uncer-
tain terms exactly why.
█
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren,
also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded
by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear
Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box
69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Peak
Continued from B1
and sitting in on classes — she
even had her own yoga mat.
“She was just my total emo-
tional support, that you don’t
really realize you have until it’s
gone,” McIntosh said.
Kona passed suddenly in Feb-
ruary 2020, and her presence
is still missed — by McIntosh,
her family and Peak’s members
alike. Julie Dick, a longtime
member and former colleague
of McIntosh’s, remembers Ko-
na’s welcoming and friendly de-
meanor, from her “wise eyes” to
her comforting presence.
“When I heard that she had
lost her, it just broke my heart,
because she was a really special
dog,” Dick said.
So when McIntosh began
brainstorming names for the
studio’s new coffee and protein
shop, honoring Kona felt like a
perfect fit.
Ascending to Peak
A La Grande native, McIn-
tosh didn’t expect to live in her
hometown again after moving to
Colorado for veterinary school.
But when a family member fell
ill, she and her husband returned
once more to Eastern Oregon.
Upon returning to La Grande
she poured herself into work,
taking on jobs in Idaho, Eastern
Oregon and even San Diego. She
spent many of her weeks com-
muting by plane.
“I wasn’t enjoying it because I
wasn’t doing anything,” she said.
“I wasn’t putting myself into the
community and I wasn’t trying
to get to know people.”
McIntosh’s sister gave her a
push, asserting that she needed
to reconnect with the La Grande
community. With several years
of part-time fitness instruction
under her belt, McIntosh turned
to a source of connection she
knew well — fitness and move-
ment.
She kept her eye out for a
space in town for almost a year,
finally nabbing the 1118 Adams
Colleen McIntosh/Contributed Photo
Colleen McIntosh’s dog, Kona, was her confidante and supporter
throughout the process of opening Peak Lifestyle Studio. Kona passed
suddenly in 2020. The studio’s new coffee and protein shake cafe is now
named in her honor.
and daily classes, such as indoor
cycling, HIIT sessions, kickbox-
ing and yoga.
“I feel like the more we can
put ourselves out there to get
more people to move, that’s
what matters,” McIntosh said.
Eventually, McIntosh hopes
to have another studio space, so
that one can be designated for
high-intensity fitness and the
other for yoga and meditation
wellness practice. She hopes
more people will continue to
find connection and movement
through Peak Lifestyle Studio.
The Observer, File
Peak Lifestyle Studio, 1118 Adams Ave., La Grande, in 2020 during the pandemic announces virtual classes
in its front window. With its fitness spaces, upstairs salon and massage therapy studio, the businesss in 2022
added Kona’s Cafe, contributing to the space’s mission of creating and fueling community.
Avenue location in 2018. She ad-
mitted the building’s initial state
needed quite a bit of work, but
she and her husband got started
immediately on revamping the
space.
“We put up a few walls and
we just made the space fit us,”
she said.
In just over three years, the
studio has garnered almost 200
members ranging in age from
college students and new moms
to recent empty nesters and long-
time La Grande residents.
studio hosted classes in parks.
Although member and instruc-
tor numbers dropped during the
pandemic, the team worked to
provide quality services for those
who stuck around. McIntosh
and her husband also worked
through other setbacks in the
studio — the building’s awning
falling off, heating and cooling
issues and plumbing issues.
“Life slowed down a little bit,”
she said. “But for us, we just sped
up to make it work.”
Continued connection
Despite the challenges along
the way, the studio continues to
grow. The all-female instructor
team teaches a slew of weekly
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Turbulent beginnings
At the start of the COVID-19
pandemic, just a few months
after the studio opened, McIn-
tosh said the team had to think
quickly to accommodate for
changing safety regulations.
They purchased recording
equipment and were hosting
classes online by the end of
March. McIntosh started build-
ing up a library of recorded
classes for people to access
whenever they wanted to.
During warmer months, the
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
49/57
Kennewick
46/59
St. Helens
47/58
43/58
43/62
49/58
45/58
Condon
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
Snow showers
late
Rain and drizzle;
chilly
Mainly cloudy
and chilly
Afternoon
showers; windy
Clouds, a
shower; chilly
42 22
40 25
40 22
Eugene
0
0
1
44/57
47 27
42 29
43 26
2
0
0
La Grande
28 43 40
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
0
3
0
26 41 39
Comfort Index™
2
42 29
42 26
0
0
1
0
ALMANAC
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Tuesday
Low Tuesday
High: 93°
Low: 9°
Wettest: 3.86”
52°
33°
45°
33°
47°
34°
0.10
0.10
0.02
5.81
7.50
0.25
0.25
0.06
11.18
13.64
0.18
0.18
0.08
20.57
19.11
PRECIPITATION (inches)
HAY INFORMATION FRIDAY
60%
S at 7 to 14 mph
5.3
0.04
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Wednesday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
1% of capacity
25% of capacity
8% of capacity
31% of capacity
6% of capacity
1% of capacity
OREGON
High: 65°
Low: 28°
Wettest: 0.89”
Rome
Burns
Pendleton
A hurricane reached New York City on
Nov. 3, 1861. Flooding from torrential rain
lasting for 20 hours brought out thou-
sands of rats. Residents of the city chased
the rodents with their hunting dogs.
SUN & MOON
THU.
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
7:34 a.m.
5:37 p.m.
3:55 p.m.
1:53 a.m.
898 cfs
2 cfs
13 cfs
74 cfs
93 cfs
10 cfs
Full
Nov 8
Last
Nov 16
New
Nov 23
Beaver Marsh
44/60
FRI.
7:35 a.m.
5:36 p.m.
4:15 p.m.
3:09 a.m.
First
Nov 30
Jordan Valley
Paisley
Frenchglen
26/50
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
57/47/r
52/41/sh
42/41/r
54/50/r
48/42/c
59/51/r
58/46/r
37/35/r
46/41/r
57/50/r
60/51/c
58/49/r
48/44/r
46/41/r
41/36/sn
60/47/c
48/37/sh
47/37/c
Hi/Lo/W
51/41/pc
44/26/sh
51/32/sh
56/44/sh
47/21/r
55/44/sh
53/40/c
46/22/sh
46/28/sh
53/40/c
56/34/pc
52/37/pc
52/28/sh
46/25/sh
42/25/sh
56/36/pc
47/26/sh
43/24/sh
Grand View
Arock
26/43
27/50
26/50
Klamath Falls
21/48
Lakeview
22/47
McDermitt
Shown is Friday’s weather. Temperatures are Thursday night’s lows and Friday’s highs.
SAT.
Diamond
26/49
Fields
39/57
FRI.
Boise
25/45
26/46
23/47
Medford
Brookings
28/47
30/42
41/57
45/54
Juntura
23/48
Silver Lake
Chiloquin
Grants Pass
Ontario
29/40
Burns
26/49
21/47
RECREATION FORECAST FRIDAY
REGIONAL CITIES
MOON PHASES
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Tuesday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
Burnt River near Unity
Umatilla River near Gibbon
Minam River at Minam
Powder River near Richland
Plant City, Fla.
Gothic, Colo.
Alice, Texas
WEATHER HISTORY
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
47/60
26/48
22/46
Roseburg
Powers
Brothers
41/55
Coos Bay
Huntington
22/45
31/52
Oakridge
24/37
28/39
Seneca
Bend
Elkton
TUESDAY EXTREMES
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
Tuesday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
Florence
47/59
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.
26/46
31/53
Council
22/39
John Day
31/55
Sisters
46/59
44 27
25/39
Baker City
Redmond
47/55
48/57
Halfway
Granite
23/40
42/54
47/59
Corvallis
36/56
44/58
Newport
Enterprise
26/41
28/43
Monument
38/57
Idanha
Salem
TONIGHT
0
Elgin
29/46
La Grande
38/54
Maupin
Comfort Index™
41/58
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
Lewiston
38/50
Hood River
40/59
47/60
22 39 35
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Walla Walla
44/60
Vancouver
45/59
TIllamook
Baker City
“It’s a very positive, uplifting
atmosphere,” Dick said. “It’s re-
ally apparent that they want you
to love yourself and they want
you to take care of your body.”
Kona’s Corner is one of the
many ways McIntosh is striving
to connect with and provide for
the community.
“I thrive on people coming
into class, greeting them, seeing
how they’re doing and checking
them in and giving them their
coffee and saying goodbye,” she
said. “Peak is my reprieve from
all the chaos.”
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
50/45/r
59/43/r
43/38/r
57/48/c
55/49/r
58/42/r
40/40/sn
60/49/c
59/46/c
58/48/r
60/53/r
55/40/c
60/49/c
59/48/r
45/35/c
62/50/sh
45/38/sh
58/46/c
Hi/Lo/W
55/34/c
50/41/sh
42/23/sh
54/37/sh
52/43/c
48/36/pc
53/31/r
58/36/pc
51/34/r
52/42/c
56/42/sh
45/26/sh
54/41/r
53/42/c
46/27/s
54/36/pc
42/28/sh
53/36/sh
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
A little p.m. rain
Rain and drizzle
34
27
39
36
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Chilly with rain
Cold; p.m. rain
41
34
42
39
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Snow, 3-6”; chilly
Showers around
32
29
43
37
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
A bit of p.m. snow
Cloudy and windy
41
36
57
46
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Rain and drizzle
Rain and drizzle
39
35
43
40