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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Five-day closure, detour coming to Merlin interchange project in May Teenager struck, killed by car 10 things to know for Wednesday Emergency Services Medford, Talent language groups hope to attract Spanish speakers Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Teenager struck, killed by car Emergency Services Serial killer Susan Monica found guilty on all charges, gets 50 years Monica on the stand: 'I generally shoot my animals more than once' Five teens sent to hospital after crash near Medford Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies Education Students participate in fuel reduction effort at Ruch School New funding formula awards universities for graduating more students Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Crater dropout says graduating high school would've saved him time and money New Medford middle school would offer Montessori approach Environment Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste Sugar Pine Mine co-owner: "Please stop calling the BLM and threatening their personnel" Oath Keepers say they'll defend contested mining claim on BLM land Central Point's Arbor Day project will provide shade along Mingus Creek State News Oregon lawmakers advance vaccine bill to budget committee Agency: Humpback whales' recovery is national success story Les Schwab descendant plans to close Central Oregon road popular with hunters Oregon bill would prohibit charges for filming police Woman, 98, gets birthday wish: horse-drawn carriage ride Nation - World Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Florene LaVonne (Johnson) Stephens Cheryl Ann Orr Karen Colleen Granman (Karr) Norma Lee Nicholas Genevieve Rose Truly Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Brent St. Germain: It’s risky to draft QBs early Howard, Harden propel Rockets past Mavericks Fisher takes medalist honor in SWC meet Tornado cruises to win over Willamette Panthers rally for SWC victory Varsity 541 College Sports Marshall stays with Ducks to get better Eckert, Beavers take series from Arizona Randall drives SOU into postseason Beaver fans get first look at Andersen, Collins Raiders drop two pitching duels at EOU Pro Sports Howard, Harden propel Rockets past Mavericks Injuries again have a major role in playoffs We should appreciate Jabbar while he’s still with us Bucs have front-runner for draft, stay mum Vogt homer powers A's past Angels Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Jackson County's March unemployment rate returns to pre-recession level Ride & Drive: 2015.5 Volvo V60 Cross Country Burger joint coming to Ashland Rogue Credit Union nearing $1 billion in assets Real Estate News Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd Since You Asked: Metro Medford rebranding proved economical Jackson County median home price hits $215,000 in first quarter People In Business People in Business, March 26, 2015 Transportation Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Erickson shores up business with three contracts Agriculture Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Broth maker leaves San Diego for Medford Opinion Latest Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again Letters to the Editor, April 22 Kathleen Parker: Mr. Hughes goes to Washington Landgren cartoon: Tick season Granlund cartoon: Minnesota ISIS Editorials Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again Other Views: Delay edible marijuana products for safety Our View: The rule of law vs. armed confrontation Other Views: State Board of Education dragging its feet over Native American mascots Our View: Impeachment should be an option Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 22 Letters to the Editor, April 21 Letters to the Editor, April 20 Letters to the Editor, April 19 Letters to the Editor, April 17 Columns Kathleen Parker: Mr. Hughes goes to Washington Esther Cepeda: What happens in Latin America should be reported Kathleen Parker: Presidential election 2016: The woman trap Dana Milbank: America's new cycle of partisan hatred George Will: Don't seize the raisins Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Lifestyle Latest stories Tammy Kelly: The South’s favorite side dish — slaw Community blog: Steep, don't smother, chilaquiles in red chili sauce David Murdock: Toward a modern mythology Page H. Onorato: Did you really eat that? Lost in Suburbia: Ashes, ashes, we all fall down Food Tammy Kelly: The South’s favorite side dish — slaw Community blog: Steep, don't smother, chilaquiles in red chili sauce Page H. Onorato: Did you really eat that? Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Season Stepp: Learn how to cook asparagus with a few easy tips Home and Garden Garden Cameos: Spring is time for azaleas in the garden Dear Monty: Seven costly mistakes of new real estate investors Paul Rogers: Enjoy convenience of container gardening Home Help: 3 quick, easy kitchen and bath upgrades Carol Link: Tea olive shrubs can be propagated from new growth Health Brent St. Germain: One year and counting Community blog: The Healing Power of Nature Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Book Notes: A big body is not a bad body Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Milestones and Achievements Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Moment in Time present 'Viejo con Nuevo' Britt adds Watkins Family Hour concert with Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Fiona Apple and others Five picks for entertainment this week L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Theater 'Secret Love' playwright Stan Lai appears in Ashland REVIEW: 'Secret Love' strikes comical, poignant balance Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director A tale of two plays at OSF Oregon Cabaret Theatre's "The Musical!" delivers five clever Broadway parodies in Ashland Music Britt adds Watkins Family Hour concert with Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Fiona Apple and others Alex de Grassi and Andrew York play SOU Live Music in Local Clubs L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Community Events A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Third Fridays celebrates poetry, student art 'BRAND,' 'Western' among Ashland Independent Film Festival award winners Ashland Co-Dependent Film Festival 2015 Pear Blossom Festival kicks off in Medford Dining Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Restaurant inspections: April 19, 2015 Siam Cafe offers 'mild' to 'very spicy' Thai cuisine Restaurant inspections, April 12, 2015 La Tapatia offers authentically delicious cuisine Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Teenager struck, killed by car ... Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again ... Medford, Talent language groups hope to attract Spanish speakers ... Teenager struck, killed by car ... Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again ... Medford, Talent language groups hope to attract Spanish speakers ... Barbara Presnell: What wife does when husband is away By Barbara Presnell More Content Now MailTribune.com By Barbara Presnell More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 @ 7:50 am By Barbara Presnell More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 @ 7:50 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Kate Chopin, the tortured and socially restricted author of “The Awakening,” also wrote a short story in the late 1900s that is considered a frontrunner in feminist literature. It’s called “The Story of an Hour.” In its opening paragraphs, a young woman named Louise Mallard receives the terrible news that a train wreck has killed everyone aboard. Her husband, Brently Mallard, was on that train. While her friends and neighbors gather downstairs, wondering how they will console her and how she will live through this terrible tragedy, Louise goes upstairs to her bedroom, throws open the windows and says, “Free! Free! Body and soul free!” The world outside her window is all sunshine and blue sky, and she’s invigorated by the life she’s about to live. But then comes another knock on the front door. It’s her husband, Brently. It seems he missed the train, and he is home safe. When Louise sees him, she collapses and dies. Doctors proclaim that she died “of heart disease — of the joy that kills.” Indeed. Now, it’s not the late 1900s, and my name is not Louise Mallard, but I have to admit that, when my husband climbed in the car and headed south for a week away, something in me was saying, “Free! Free!” I admit this because I know I’m not the only one who feels this way when suddenly the house is empty and my time is wonderfully my own. I can do what I want, eat what I want, fill my time outside of work with my own quirky idiosyncrasies. Understand that I am not unhappily married, nor do I feel confined at all by my long relationship with my husband. In fact, I love him deeply and completely. We have a good time together almost always, support and care for each other with devotion. Unlike Louise Mallard, I am not restricted by societal expectations to behave a certain way. And if anyone tries to so restrict me, they get a piece of my mind. Still, there is a gasp of fresh, clean air when suddenly the house is mine. That very day after he left, I headed straight to the grocery and bought a pint of chicken livers. I love chicken livers. I love the rich, livery flavor. I love them baked, with bread crumbs and a side of Brussels sprouts. He doesn’t like them. That was my first night. Day 2, I started watching “Jeopardy.” He thinks it’s a waste of time, and I think his televised stock reports are major sleepers, so the compromise is we don’t watch TV when we eat together. But when I’m alone in the house, Alex Trebek calls and I answer. It feels like a deviance. Day 3, it occurred to me I was talking non-stop to Arty, my emotionally challenged dog who follows me around the house like he’s connected with a string. I can tell him everything, and he listens to each word, his ears perked up, his face assuring me he understands and loves me no matter what. Day 4, I realized I was singing pretty much all the time. I like to sing. I get tunes in my head and mindlessly sing them over and over and over. I sing while I cook. I sing while I shower. I sing while I brush my teeth, tuning to the pitch of the electric toothbrush. Day 5, my friend Malcolm sent me an email. He’d been on a ski trip to Montana with his wife and three boys, but he’d come home ahead of them to teach his classes. “I’m alone in the house,” he said. “Two days of NOT MAKING THE BED.” He spelled it in all caps, just like that. “Not making the bed?” I emailed back. “This is what you do when she’s gone? Is this a gender thing?” When I’m alone, I make the bed obsessively, neatly, corners turned, wrinkles smoothed. “Must be,” he responded. Malcolm confessed he was also obsessively talking to the dogs, except they followed him only twice a day, in the morning and again at night, and they stopped following him as soon as he filled their bowls. It was Day 6 before I realized the most amazing thing about my week alone: There was no basketball. No 24-7 tournament or March Madness games that tend to rattle my brain and make me madder than a hatter. I came home in the afternoons to a blissfully quiet house. Malcolm and I acknowledged what goes unsaid here: that we wouldn’t trade our noisy, family-filled houses for anything. A few days is heaven. But a week is enough. Anyway, I’d filled up on chicken livers, “Jeopardy” had been preempted by basketball games, and even Arty was starting to ignore me. I think if only poor Louise Mallard could have had a week completely to herself now and then, chances are her heart would be still be ticking. Barbara Presnell is a poet and teacher of writing who lives in Lexington, North Carolina. Contact her at barbarapresnell.com. By Barbara Presnell More Content Now MailTribune.com By Barbara Presnell More Content Now Posted Apr. 21, 2015 @ 7:50 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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