Sunday February 17

Four or five to start the hour, nine of us at the end. We talked about health, particularly high cholesterol and statin drugs and arthritis. Our topics reflect our age? Three dogs visited us, though only two were there simultaneously.

Saturday February 16

Four, five, six of us through the vigil. The hour was quiet and uneventful.

Friday February 15

Three at 5:00PM, eight at the end of the hour. We talked about riding a bicycle safely in Corvallis.

Thursday February 14

Valentine's Day. One person at the start of the hour; two or three arrived later, with three of us at 6:00PM. We wondered, is red licorice really licorice? or is all licorice black?

Wednesday February 13

Four or five of us throughout the hour. We talked about rights of way and what to do when your neighbor builds a fence on your lot. :)

Tuesday February 12

Mardi Gras Tuesday. Only one person remembered to come in costume. :) Four of us at 5:00PM, eight at the end of the hour. We talked about our health and our gardens.

Monday February 11

The vigil's trademark van did not make it. Still, four or five held signs at the start of the hour, nine when the clock chimed six. The hour ended with a light rain, enough for some of us to unfurl an umbrella.

Sunday February 10

Four or five to start the hour, six at the end. We discussed one point from an article about vaccination from a recent Harper's Magazine: an unvaccinated person in a generally vaccinated population is less likely to fall ill than a vaccinated person in a generally unvaccinated population. Some of us said that makes sense, others were less sure.

Saturday February 9

After a small turnout of three people on Friday, this evening there were three or four at 5:00PM and nine at 6:00 (plus one dog!). We talked about how to attract birds to our gardens.

Thursday February 7

Two at the first of the hour, six when the clock struck six. We talked about single-payer health care and problems with our jobs. The recent assassination of a Tunisian secularist politician did not get discussed.

Wednesday February 6

Two people at 5:00PM, three when the end of the vigil came. We were joined by an OSU student, as an assignment for a sociology class on social movements. We had not thought of the vigil as a social movement. We chatted until the rains came ten minutes before the end.

Tuesday February 5

Two or three at the beginning of our time, seven when the clock marked the hour. On a cold and showery Corvallis afternoon, we felt lucky to not have any rain. :) Conversations were about jobs and books.

Monday February 4

Two at the beginning of the hour, six or seven at the end. We talked about how to not watch the Super Bowl [other than attending the vigil :)].

Sunday February 3

Three to begin the vigil, seven or eight at the end. Along with Thanksgiving and Christmas, Super Bowl Sunday is one of the quietest evenings of the year at the vigil. A pleasant surprise: a passerby stopped to make a contribution, for coffee or for gasoline for the vigil van. We appreciate the support. :)

Saturday February 2

Three or four to begin the hour, six of us at the end. We talked about chess in the schools, including the recent film Brooklyn Castle, and about the recent controversy at Oregon State University concerning the art exhibit Windows and Mirrors in memory of the civilian casualties of the war in Afghanistan.