That Orygone Life – What Joe Knows

All-American

Fireworks over Willamette River, behind the Ellsworth Bridge, in Albany, OR

I’m going to date myself a little here, lol. Way on back, around 1989, I was a college student…first at San Bernardino Community College and then at Linn-Benton Community College, upon moving myself and my two-year-old son back up here to my hometown. I originally started my college career as a Biological Sciences major. IContinue reading “All-American”

City of Peace

Salem, Oregon capitol building surrounded by blossoming cherry trees

Salem. The word comes from the Hebrew noun shalom, which means completeness, wholeness, and peace. When we look at the Hebrew verb, shalem, it means to make something complete, whole, and at peace. In Arabic, we also have the word sālim, which means the same thing. I live in Salem, Oregon. Things aren’t always peacefulContinue reading “City of Peace”

Idealism at End

close up of tears streaming down young boy's face

I remember grade school, in a little country school here in this humble, blue-collar river town. Knox Butte Elementary school had less than eighty students. It was so small that some of our grades were combined – second and third grade shared a classroom as did fifth and sixth grade. Aside from the typical dramasContinue reading “Idealism at End”