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Words and Photos by Dascha Orlova

Ron Beideck has called the house on the corner of NE Alberta Court and NE 36th Avenue home since 1994. Though the neighborhood has evolved, one constant remains: Ron’s creative spirit. As a retired typography editor, Ron’s eye has found new expression in an unexpected medium—stuffed animals and toys. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Ron began collecting whimsical items and slowly transformed his yard into a colorful and playful space that incites curiosity from passersby. The windows are adorned with themed collages made from pages of magazines and recycled books that change with the seasons—or rather, the bleaching of the sun. The current theme? Animals. The toys in his yard aren’t just for show—Ron encourages visitors to explore the yard, find a toy they love and give it a new home. It’s his way of spreading joy and fostering a sense of community, one saved toy at a time.

By Kepper Petzing | Contributing Writer

Every spring and fall, billions of birds  migrate through North America. Most make this remarkable and perilous  journey at night, sensing the magnetic  pull of the earth and using the moon and stars to set their course. From mid-September through mid October, on any given night, a million birds might be flying over your home. Turning off lights in our homes during this time reduces skyglow over our cities, and can help birds make it to their destinations safely. Lights Out is a national and international campaign every September 19th – October 19th and repeating April 15th – May 19th for spring  migration. 

Why is light pollution dangerous? 

Light from cities drowns out the stars  and other natural cues birds use,  disorienting them. The lights lure  birds into the city, where they are at risk of colliding with windows. They  may end up circling lighted areas until  exhausted, often leading to death. Skyglow is the result of both too  many lights and poorly designed fixtures that throw light up into the  sky. Growing evidence links the loss  of darkness at night to negative effects on wildlife and ecosystems, as  well as crime and safety (yes, lights can increase crime and decrease  safety.) 

https://darksky.org/resources/what-is light-pollution/effects/safety/ 

Humans need the dark too! Multiple  studies suggest that exposure to  artificial light at night may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease,  diabetes, depression, sleep disorders, obesity and breast cancer.  

Follow the migrators.  

Track our feathered friends with  maps showing actual bird  migration from sunset to sunrise,  as detected by the US weather  surveillance radar network.

https://birdcast.info/ 

Take the pledge.  

You can make decreasing night light  an all year plan. Turning off  unnecessary lights helps us save  energy, reduces our carbon footprint,  saves money, improves health, and  lets us see the stars. 

The Bird Alliance of Oregon has a  pledge program which many  corporations, small businesses,  homeowners and renters have taken.  Take the Pledge to go Lights Out  today by visiting birdallianceoregon.org. 

For the lights you want to keep, make  sure they are well chosen and  properly installed. Select warm LED  bulbs that are under a 3,000 Kelvin  rating. Looking for good lighting?  The International Dark-sky  Association has a Fixture Seal of  Approval program! Learn more here: darksky.org/what-we-do/darksky-approved/

Go Lights Out September 19th– October 19th 

During peak migration weeks,  from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.: 

• Be sure outside lights are  aimed down and well shielded  from the sky.
• Turn off non-essential lights –  especially outside lights. 
• Reprogram automatic lights to be off from 11 pm to 6 am. 
• Have needed lights on motion   sensors, when appropriate, so   they are on only when needed. 
• Turn off interior lights in  unoccupied areas. 
• Close blinds or curtains in rooms where lights are in use  to prevent light escaping. 
• Share the news about the  “Lights Out” campaign. 

Each light matters, and your  commitment makes a difference.

Kepper Petzing has lived in  Concordia for 42 years and  has sadly seen the decrease in  the number of birds in our  neighborhood. Kepper is  nonbinary. They love community and are grateful  for Concordia News.

By Barbara de la Torre | Contributing Writer

You can’t run on a broken foot.

I once saw a patient whose mental health depended on daily exercise. I’m talking about someone who ran every day without ever missing a workout for two years. Three weeks before seeing me, she noticed pain in the middle of her left foot. The pain would get a little better and then worse after running. She finally checked into urgent care after the pain became suddenly worse.

I ordered an x-ray of her foot, which showed a stress fracture. It’s a tiny hairline crack in the bone that doesn’t cause a full break but is vulnerable to more injury or delayed healing. When I shared the results with my patient, she said anxiously, “I can’t stop running. That’s the only thing that helps my stress.” 

I studied both Western and Chinese medicine to gain the best tools from each system. Western healthcare is good at rescuing and dealing with emergencies, but it’s bad at  preventing chronic diseases and cultivating mental wellness. Chinese medicine is a culmination of thousands of years of observation of patterns and rhythms of the natural world. According to Chinese medicine, many chronic mental and physical diseases come from negative emotions—not from having them but from how long we hold on to them. It doesn’t matter how much we exercise or pay attention to healthy food trends if these emotions still linger. 

I have a Master’s certification in a movement-based therapy called qigong (pronounced “chee-gong”). Qigong is a branch of Chinese medicine that focuses on movement, breathing, stretching, and mindfulness. The word qigong means “the cultivation of Qi (chee),” which is the energy that sustains life. Qigong started 5,000 years ago in China and evolved into thousands of forms to address several health conditions. It’s a way of being, living, and seeing the world. 

One form of qigong is called Xi Xi Hu (“she she who”) or “walking qigong.” It consists of five easy routines to balance and release the five negative emotions of sadness, worry, overexcitement, fear, and anger.

Even though my patient’s mind wanted to continue to run on a broken foot, her body had to stop. We are a mind/body ecosystem where all the parts depend on one another for survival and vitality. The mind and body communicate with us every day if we’re listening.

 Qigong, when combined with proper breathing, good sleep, and eating and living with the seasons, helps us listen a little better. Superior medicine doesn’t come from the doctor. It comes from the right to repair yourself.

Join Barbara at Concordia Commons (NE 30th and Killingsworth) for a free group qigong lesson on Sunday, September 15, from 9 to 11 a.m. 

Barbara de la Torre is a Concordia resident, artist, and physician. She founded ThirdOpinionMD.org to cultivate healthy individuals and communities.