This is from the river looking up toward Mom and Dad’s place. They call this part of the place “the meadow.” The shed thing is a small shelter that’s good for shade in the summer if you’re having a get together.
I had a bunch of ideas for a post earlier and now I’m drawing a blank. An uneventful day.
Here we are with our Christmas berets on the Orleans bridge. You are looking downriver at the Klamath in the background. From left to right the back row is: Aunt Janet, Sinead, BG, Meredith holding Samwise, Me, Mom and Erin with the raspberry beret. In the front is Fernando, Josa, Geena and Noah. There were three photographers. That’s why we’re all looking in different directions.
Good trip. We were monitoring the weather and yesterday after breakfast noticed that things were going to go from bad to worse in the next 24 hours so we threw all our stuff in the car, kissed everyone goodbye and high-tailed out of there a day early. There were several dicey stretches, a bit slick on the pass and several bouts of heavy rain and/or very wet snow so it was a long drive. But the drive along 96 was gorgeous. The sun shone most of the way and the trees were dusted with snow and the river was fast and frothy.
We’re glad to be home. We were enjoying puttering this morning. I went to refill my tea and noticed that it was snowing and I checked the forecast and they were predicted a bit of snow in the morning growing heavier all day. It looks like it’s going to stay pretty wet but we both ran for the clothes we threw on the floor last night and dressed and zipped out to the grocery store so we wouldn’t have to venture out in it later.
Now we’ve got a firelog going and hot drinks and plenty to eat. We can enjoy the day.
I first titled this the Xmas Overload — but every time I looked at it I saw “overlord” and it seemed funny, so I changed it.
I knew I wanted a yoga class today and I decided that driving to downtown Portland on the Friday before Xmas at rush hour was stupid so I did a drop-in class at a studio I’ve never been to before this morning in Vancouver. It was fabulous. Exactly what I needed. Very focused on calming and centering.
Then I went to the bank, ran by Safeway for one critical item I needed and then stopped to top off the gas tank and arrived back home at noon, relieved that I was done with my errands for the day and could focus on my cooking project, wrapping, laundry, packing and so forth.
I went to start my cooking project and hey, I didn’t have the item I bought at Safeway. I went to the market. Stood in line. Paid for my one thing. And then walked out of the store without it.
Yes. I did that.
So I had to get back in the car but as it turned out, not a total loss because when I arrived home (the first time) there was a message from my Mom asking me if I could pick up something at the store and as the message played I was thinking, “Not likely.” So I returned to Safeway, proudly admitting that, I was the woman who came into the store for one item and left without it. (Yes, they were expecting me.) I got my Mom stuff and then I returned home at last.
I have some nice photos on the camera that I was hoping to download for today’s post, but no. This is it. This is your Merry Christmas and good-bye post. I will be offline for several days. There is internet where I’m going but I prefer to retire from all computing while I’m there and read my books and look at recipes and hang out with family. Also, there are some weather issues along our way so think good thoughts for us for safe and trouble-free travel. I have fresh camera batteries, in case, to document everything, either way.
I wish you all the best possible Christmas ever. So far.
Several weeks ago the yoga studio decided to lock the door while class was in session because there was too much noise from people going in and out, using the restroom, talking and basically being inconsiderate while class is going on. I was very unhappy with that idea because the way my schedule works I’m always there early and it’s a nice, quiet place for me to wind down from the work day. When the weather is nice, there is no problem waiting outside but now it’s cold and dark and usually raining.
The locked door policy didn’t last long but now I feel some responsibility for keeping people quiet while the class before mine is in session.
Last night two elder ladies walked in. One was really ancient and slow moving and her entire vocabulary at this point in life, probably consists of, “Oh my.” The other was a stout, poker-faced lady carrying a Christmas present and not even holding the door or helping the ancient one. They came blustering into the wait area of the studio last night talking away and heading straight into the area where class was going on.
“Shh! There’s a class going on,” I whispered and motioned for them to be quiet. Grump face continued obliviously on her way. I don’t know why I didn’t clue-in that they weren’t there for yoga. I thought maybe they were friends with the teacher and bringing her a gift. I said, “Shh!” again and the lady looks at me and says, “Why?” So I repeated that there was a class going on and she says, still in normal speaking voice, “Oh. We’re in the wrong place,” and she crashes back out of there. They were going to the restaurant next door. I mean, that’s understandable, right? Mistaking a yoga studio for a restaurant.
I really wanted to be un-Christmas-y and yell, “Dumbass!” at them when they left. But there was a class going on and I was trying to be considerate.
I actually finished it at the beginning of the week and I still haven’t sent out the word. I made paper copies and they sit in a folder on my desk. I’m chipping away at it. No holiday freaking out here. I’ll jet off the URL to my email address book and get the mail ones out tomorrow night.
You can find the online version of the latest holiday newsletter here.
Yesterday I was at the bookstore picking up a couple of last minute things and I found about 5 things I wanted for myself. I wonder how many people end up buying stuff for themselves during the holiday shopping frenzy. I always find lots of things I want.
I resisted the urge yesterday, barely, because I already have a ton of books to read and since books are my favorite gift to receive it would be dumb to buy something that might appear next week wrapped in green Santa paper.
I need to do a quick inventory on my holiday booty and see if I have any last minute errands. I think it’s all under control. I have a some wrapping to do and one gift thing that’s a small project that I need to do. But I’m ready. Bring it on.
I’ve mentioned that a new office building is going in on the block next to ours. Right now is the phase where huge steel beams two stories high are pounded into the ground around the perimeter. (I’m not a construction or engineering specialist and they might not be steel, beams or two stories high, I’m just explaining what it looks like from a non-pro point of view.)
This operation is happening on the opposite side of the building from my office and the noise is still unbearable. There is a machine that sounds like a giant pressure washer or a jackhammer of the gods sound that sometimes will vibrate the spoon in your coffee cup. Then there’s another device that sounds like: “swish clonk, swish clonk.” This goes on for maybe a half-hour at a time and then stops for a few minutes then starts up again from the time I come in the door in the morning. I don’t notice what time it stops in the afternoon because by then my brain is leaking out my ears. If you are standing outside the building you can’t hear a conversation with a person next to you.
How long does it take to build an office building? I have a sense this is just the beginning.
This is a parking lot across the street from our building. This was taken at the end of October and already the daily rate has gone up again. The daily parking rate around my building has gone up something like 50% in the last couple of years.
I’ve barely had time to pull up my socks today. I made 2 dozen tamales, processed 4 more pumpkins and I’m at about 80% on the holiday newsletter.
I tried something different this year and I’m doing one page at a time and doing the online page and then the for print page together. That way I have all the text and photos open at the same time. This probably sounds like crazy talk. Just trust me, I’m doing it in a more time-efficient way.
I keep seeing all the projects I haven’t touched yet. Ah! Panic. At least the purchasing of goods part is finished.
Our DVR has been on the fritz for eons. There would be times when you’d turn it on and if you chose a show you’d get a blank screen. You can phone Comcast and they do what I guess is the equivalent of a reboot and it would work again. But they advised us to swap it out when we could.
About 2 weeks ago the menu screen went wonky and it would be smudged black and dark green. You could just make out your show title and the show would play fine so again, I put off the swap.
Today I had time and since almost all my shows are on hiatus for the holidays or writers strike, the thing was cleaned out, I took it in. This is at least our 4th DVR. I always worry when people tell me they have a seasons worth of Show X that they’re saving. I’ve lost a lot of shows. I watch and delete as soon as possible.
Going to Comcast is sort of like going to the DMV. The parking lot is poorly paved. There’s a gadget when you walk in where you press a button depending on what you’re doing there and it prints out a ticket with a letter and number. You sit around with the masses, waiting. Then an automated voice announces your number.
The employees are also like the DMV. They don’t smile. They aren’t friendly. Anything you might have done to anticipate what they need to make their life easier, say, previous paperwork, if they don’t need it it’s like you’re trying to hand-off chicken guts or something. I’m sure they deal with moronic, frustrated people all day long. You’d think they’d appreciate a friendly face.
I got it home and all hooked up but there was no color. The online guide was worthless so I phoned for help and sorry, but I don’t speak TV. I don’t know a coaxial video output zebraphone from a deltawire fusebar high-def jiggiwonker. Turned out I had to take out the red, white and yellow things and then put the yellow thing in the green thing and put one red thing back. Hard to believe I didn’t figure that out on my own.
And I got my dead presto-log from last week to light. I guess it needed a week to cure in the fireplace. Probably the Sunday paper and kindling I added to the mix helped.
I have chewed a lot of gum in my lifetime. My Mom hates gum. She was also a librarian. I don’t know if these two things are related. There is nothing, with the possible exception of revealing she is really a man, that my Mom could do that would shock me more than if I saw her chewing gum.
I chewed a lot of gum when I wanted to eat less. I’m not sure if it worked.
Then I gave up gum for a long time and I got back into it when I discovered Glee Gum at Trader Joes. Not only is the gum “all natural,” they sell “educational kits” for kids. I wish I could see the expression on my Mom’s face when she reads this.
Glee gum is made with rainforest chicle, the way gum used to be made. I’m not really up-to-speed on the history of gum so I don’t know how gum used to be made but I really like this gum. It chews with less squish (more bite?) and the flavor isn’t too gnarly. (You can see why I would make a terrible food writer.)
I visited their website for the first time earlier this week and found out they have cinnamon and tangerine flavors, too. I had no idea and plan to buy a carton of each after the holidays.
Last month C-Tran did a major service change which included dismantling the 7th street transit center downtown and opening a new transit center at 99th street. We live almost exactly in the middle of these two locations.
The downtown transit center is now a series of bus stops and Bob has been dropping me off on his way to work and picking me up on his way home. That system has been working fine.
The 99th street transit center is a park and ride but I hadn’t tried it yet since it seemed counter-productive to drive further away from my intended destination. Bob has finals and grading and whatever end of the quarter/year stuff college instructors have to do and could not pick me up this week so I decided to give the park and ride a try.
Turns out: it’s fabulous. It only takes about 10 minutes from the house. Super easy access in and out. I don’t have to get on the freeway or deal with any gnarly intersections. And the best part is that the bus is every 10 minutes in the morning AND in the evening.
This is the giant drawback about the other bus. In the afternoons it comes only every 25 minutes. At rush hour even.
Yesterday by luck, I was able to board my bus as I stepped out of the office. There were no freeway snafus and I made it door to door in 40 minutes. Unheard of. Another good thing about the park and ride is that my way home takes me by Target and Safeway, perfect for quick errands.
