Let me say upfront, I’m one of those. I follow the rules of the road and try to be polite as both cyclist and driver. For years I've felt a bit apologetic to drivers when cycling on streets that were narrow or curvy - as if I was cramping their style, slowing them down. I … Continue reading An apologetic cyclist no more
Environmental health and industrial hygiene
Yes, industrial hygiene is a cool career
Last spring a friend suggested that the public needed to better understand environmental health and industrial hygiene. "Y" felt others would be interested in its relevance to daily life and living, and I would be the perfect person to write about it. I liked the idea, but was busy with job decisions, a book release … Continue reading Yes, industrial hygiene is a cool career
Portland shipyards, trades and women
I’m certain it is because of Dad’s love affair with our Willamette and Columbia Rivers past and present, that I too feel tied to Oregon’s river highway stories, and those that happened at their banks. Perhaps, more than Dad, I am aware of the environmental and cultural leftovers from some of those bygone eras. It … Continue reading Portland shipyards, trades and women
A circle of caregiving
This piece first appeared in Today's Caregiver on April 4, 2022. Thank you Today's Caregiver for sharing my writing with your followers. My mother died in my dining room during the pandemic. Three weeks prior, the 2021 ice storm devastated Oregon’s Willamette Valley and cut power to our home and her electric hospital bed. Yet, … Continue reading A circle of caregiving
Industrial hygiene: from science to the art of winging it
Being an industrial hygienist in the time of the novel coronavirus is a bit surreal. Most of us IH's have gotten used to the challenge of trying to help people understand just what it is we do, once in a while apologizing for what feels like a dated job title. I know that early in … Continue reading Industrial hygiene: from science to the art of winging it
Masks and quarantines: Spanish Flu to COVID-19
During my last in-person visit with Mom, prior to the current ban on visitors, I likened aspects of today's situation to her growing up during World War II and the Depression. While circumstances and details are vastly different, I related to her how daily life was changed and people made sacrifices then, as now. Although … Continue reading Masks and quarantines: Spanish Flu to COVID-19
From Zidell to Illahee: put these bunks to bed
I will admit that rarely has a bunk bed been my favored, most comfortable sleeping spot. Decades ago a fall from my brother's top bunk led to a jagged, sloppily sewn scar I still wear today, created after I struck the corner of a dresser drawer. A decade or so later, I suffered through nights … Continue reading From Zidell to Illahee: put these bunks to bed
Hair and formaldehyde, power and health
Life occasionally delivers moments when my newer author life intersects with my thirty-year industrial hygiene profession. I didn’t expect Brazilian Blowout to be captured within the pages of The Female Persuasion, as I leisurely read this 2018 novel by Meg Wolitzer while on vacation. This chemical hair straightener briefly shocked me away from my traditional … Continue reading Hair and formaldehyde, power and health
Worker safety, politics, the past
I didn't want to blog about politics. In fact, when I began these "musings" and my novel last fall, it was precisely because of politics. And my worries for our country. I imagined a creative outlet; a needed heart-and-brain-break from news. Neither did I imagine much of an intersection between my career and day job … Continue reading Worker safety, politics, the past