Heather, Heather who wants sunny weather
How will your garden grow?
With onions and peas and herbs that will please
And lettuces all in a row
It's aaallllmost time to begin my planting for the summer...but not quite. It's still cool, damp and pewtery out there, with temperatures hovering in the low fifties as the day grows into the afternoon. Thankfully it's not blizzard weather or flooding as other parts of the country is having, but when April rolls around, I start feeling quite ready for the weather to roll into true Spring weather, and then into Summer.
Hopefully it's not going to be like last April, which was awful. It was the coldest, darkest and dampest one we'd had in a long, long time; at one point, I came home so starving for light I turned on every single bulb in my apartment. Due to that possibility, I'm really glad I'm in this new apartment with the big glass doors and the Southern light. It's been very bright in here all winter and less "cave-like" as Jane said.
When the weather finally rolled into the radar blip of a summer, it was well into August; we had decent-ish weather for the "Summertime", but it was more like a prolonged Spring. Bleah. But I did get a great idea for the bit of Summer weather we did have after I moved into my new place that I could grow veggies and herbs in addition to my geraniums.
Last spring I lost my first round of geraniums (they usually did fine, even in my shadier apartment), and the second one was only able to limp along half-heartedly. But when I brought the planters over here, the geraniums and chrysanthemums exploded happily, and continued to bloom with great enthusiasm right up to the day the blizzard blew in.
Needless to say...they weren't blooming any more after that. Nor was anything else. My palm tree had snapped in half and my jasmine plants wilted into a dejected version of their more robust selves. I did bring them in, finally, but three have clearly died, and one keeps pushing out little shoots...which then melt into little brown dead crispy versions of what they'd been.
I have a feeling that one is on its way to the happy blooming grounds, too.
I did find that I had one survivor of the blizzard and freeze. When I clipped back the moldy, mushy 1950's sci-fi monster-like stems of what had been my geraniums, I discovered a tiny little green shoot. I thought at first it was a robust geranium that had weathered the weather, so to speak, but as it grew I realized it was one of my chrysanthemums.
I was going to replace the jasmine, but I think I'm going to wait until next year to do that, and put in geraniums and other plants in the pots for this season. I have other things I want to try this year.
After work tonight, I went to Fred Meyer and bought seeds, planters, soil, and all the things I need to get my little garden going. I spent about 20 minutes chatting with a co-worker today about what we wanted to plant, and it was too much to bear...so I went to Fred Meyer to at least get the tools.
I likely got more soil than I'll need (three bags, in addition to the one and a half I already have), but it always seems like you never have enough when you start. 1/3 of the way through your project, you discover you're running short...so you run to the store to get another bag. But then another 1/3 of the way through, you realize you're still running short. Argh.
I knew right away last summer when I moved in I wanted to plant tomatoes, as the lovely Southern exposure and bright sun was perfect for it, but as I talked with friends, I realized I wanted to try more. Tomatoes won't go in for at least another 6 weeks, but I think I can start a few other things soon.
In addition to the tomatoes, I'm also going to plant bell peppers, sugar snap peas (I even have a nice trellis for them!), green onions and an assortment of lettuce. Kati (my friend at work) said she'd had good luck with lettuce all summer, even in warm(er) weather, despite the fact the packet says "cooler weather". I got a "gourmet blend" -- Buttercrunch, Grand Rapids, and Red Sails, Parris Island Romaine. It says they take 40-70 days to mature, and now would be a good time to get them going. Even if they don't last through the summer, I'll at least have some nice, fresh lettuce from a garden until I can't grow them any longer. I do know I can also replant in the fall.
I also decided to plant some herbs. I got a packet of lavender, sage, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (queue Simon and Garfunkel), sweet marjoram, and parsley. I opted not to get basil, as it tends to get rangy really fast. I love fresh basil, but I can't use it up that fast. Or...maybe I'll try later. Hmm...now that I think about it, maybe I will just do it. I can always take in my "extras" to work. And / or share with family.
I thought about doing cucumbers, but the article I read online said to make sure that "you have at least 7 feet of area to grow"...no thanks. A close cousin, or perhaps step-sibling to summer squash and zucchini. Around late July or August, there's usually a large pile of them, free for the taking, on the table in the office kitchen. I once read -- perhaps it was Dave Berry -- who said that by late summer, people end up dropping bags of the squash and zucchini on neighbor's doorsteps, ringing the doorbell -- then running away. Not that such a thing would help; you'd likely finish up with your dropping off only to come home and find a bag on your own doorstep.
I'm just thrilled to actually grow things out there. I'm anxious to get things started, and some of the herbs and such say you can begin planting in April...but I think I'm going to wait a few more weeks. The lettuce I can do now, I think. I wanted to do things like this at my old apartment, but I had neither the space nor the light.
Oh, and I have some nice garden twine for my rangier plants as they grow, spikes to fortify the tomato cage and plastic "T" labels to let me know what's what for the herbs. I can start those indoors now, so I think I might do that this weekend. Get the itch out of my green thumb.
And Oh #2 -- I'm also going to do hanging cherry tomatoes from a basket, then plant geraniums on top to keep the soil moist and covered. I'm so excited! My father said with all I have going out there, I'll be nice and shady out there. Ha!
I haven't gotten to have fresh veggies from a garden (other than from a farmer's market) in years and years and years (or, at least that's what it feels like). Well, there's been the tomatoes a co-worker has brought in...but it's not the same. When I was little, I used to have my own little veggie garden outside, and I remember growing radishes, carrots, and a few other things. I really liked planting the seeds, tending to them, watching them peek out from the soil -- then grow into adulthood. And they were super tasty.
I did spend more than I thought I might to night...but not too much. And if the garden does well, then I'll get the money back through the food. Plus it's not like I have to buy new planters and such every single year.
And...then when this all gets started and going, I'm planning on finally having a housewarming shindig. I just didn't have the wherewithal after I moved and got settled (I'm still settling in with reorganizing, re-reorganizing, getting things down into the storage unit I finally was able to rent) to have one. Once things get growing and pretty and warm out there again, then I'll send out the invitations.
Here's to tasty fresh veggies all summer long!
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Whaaaaaaat?
Earlier this week, I finally got a storage unit in my building. Happily, I've been getting stuff down there that I've been wanting to unstuff from my closets so that I don't feel like I'm so packed in.
I got inspired tonight to start sorting through some stuff in my closets again to find and re-find some items, and just get things in better places, as I've been wanting to do ever since I moved in back in September. It was, however, contingent on the storage unit.
I just pulled out a box from my closet, and it was clearly one I'd into which I'd carefully placed many items, and had -- I thought at the time -- just as carefully labeled what each one was on the lid of the box.
However, I was clearly inebriated from packing dust and the heady scent of new carpet, paint and cabinetry, as my handwriting is confusing at best. Some things I can understand, but others -- not so much. Here is what I can see:
- APE Bast
- Blue Erile pilowe
- Med. Corner misc.
- Misc framed hickey carols
- inunse burng
- A + A wall thing
- gutter / bath thing
- green tassels
- Han and Leia Dolls
- 4600 Nilcn Box
- James's Tapes
- Ruticles
- Phantoom Men
- Port. CD players + Cord
- Again bowls
- Fecund cill ph.
Stumped, I was prompted to open the box so that I could know what was in it. Apparently I had also been planning to use it as a time capsule, as I had hermetically sealed the top seams with three layers of packing tape. Once opened, the mysterious scribbles began to take on their translations.
- APE Best -- APE Battery; A.P.E, that is -- a backup battery for my old tower PC.
- Blue Erile Pillow -- No clue. There is no pillow in the box.
- Med. Corner misc. -- items I had in my "meditation corner" in my 2nd bedroom.
- Misc framed hickey carols -- Misc. framed hockey cards.
- inunse burng -- incense burner
- A + A wall thing -- a quilted Raggedy Ann and Andy wall decoration
- gutter / bath thing -- I have absolutely no idea. There were baths, yes, but no
gutters in my old place. Maybe "rubber wrist thing", i.e. my rubber wrist rest from my desk, but why the / mark? And the "bath" word doesn't start with a "w" .... No clue.
- green tassels -- decorations from my old 2nd bedroom.
- Han and Leia Dolls -- toys.
- 4600 Nilcn Box -- 4600 Nikon box; the box my camera came in.
- James's Tapes -- VHS copy of movies a friend made.
- Ruticles - VHS copy of the movie The Rutles.
- Phantoom Men -- VHS copy of the Phantom Menace
- Port. CD players + Cord -- Portable CD Players + Cord. About the only thing that's legible.
- Again bowls -- Asian bowls. Plastic bowls with Asian symbols on them.
- Fecund cill ph. -- Second cell phone.
I am glad I got into the box; I was wondering where my little CD players were, as well as my other cell phone, in case this one goes dead and I need another one while it charges.
Funny thing is, I was so proud of myself for taking the time to so laboriously label the boxes into which I was condensing things as I unpacked and got settled. I remember thinking, "Oh, this is good! I'll be able to find what's in here so quickly!"
But, I thought that a lot as I unpacked and repacked and got settled back in September. I can't remember where many things are now; I saw them...and then I didn't. And now I don't know where they are (my entire pirate Halloween costume has disappeared). I had one escapade where I found a frame that matched a collection of lighthouse photos, but I had a photo in it. My mother had given back to me me another photo from the same lighthouse series that I had given her to frame for herself, but had never found a home for it, and so I thought I'd put it with my own.
Over the long weekend I used to move in, I'd keep finding the photo, but not the frame; then I'd find the frame but didn't know where the photo was. I went around like that several times. I then, at one point, found the frame again (but didn't know where the photo was), and decided to put it away, just to keep it out of the way. I remember staring at it and thinking, "Okay, I'll remember it's here. Right here. I'll picture it in my head and I WILL REMEMBER -- !"
I put it away, and then, some time later, found the photo again, and quite delightedly thought, "Oh! Now I can frame it!" -- And then realized I had absolutely no idea where I'd put the frame. In my mind's eye, I saw myself staring at some box (plastic? Cardboard? Wooden? Plastic and decorated with Smurfs?) but the exact box wasn't clear. The frame wasn't with the other framed photos I'd packed away in a clear plastic box (the logical place), and beyond that ... no idea. So I left the photo out on the top of my dresser. It's still there, waiting for its home.
I came across the frame again tonight -- but I realized I have no place to put what's now in it; it's not a photo as I remembered, which could just go in with my the other loose photos I have stored in a plastic shoebox. It's a hockey card. It was a semi-valuable one I stumbled across in a card shop in San Jose when I lived there, and I'd gotten it for a cheap price. It had surprised me to discover I'd found the little gem quite by accident, and so I'd honored it by framing it.
So that means, because it's something I need to keep tidy and clean and in good shape, I can't just stick it some place. (Hmm...come to think of it, I have some other cards some place that are actually worth something. Where are they? -- ??? Ack...wait. I think I know.)
Ahem.
-- I can't just stick it some place, I was saying. So that means I have to keep it in the frame for now, and with the other framed hockey cards. Like with like and all that, for organizing. Which is what' I'd done before (it was in the box labled "framed hockey cards", but I'd remembered it being a photo. I suppose one could argue that a hockey card is technically just that, but -- not really. Which is why I didn't put it in the box with the other framed photos I couldn't hang up.
But -- whew. It's like I'm still moving, as my mother observed about herself, and about me finally getting my storage unit. I guess that's sort of why I still don't feel settled. It's hard to feel settled when you feel ... stuffed ... into your home.
With time, I'll get it all organized and in better shape. I've been wanting to for awhile, but I've been resistant, as I still felt like I was nursing a move-in hangover, and I didn't have anywhere to put it until now. But at least I now have the storage unit, and I can start getting things all shaped up.
I was going to put my boxes in the unit, but it's on the ground floor and opens to the outside, and so it's sort of damp. I have a bunch of really nice Rubbermaid Roughneck containers for it, and there's shelving in it already (nice sturdy metal-framed ones with wood for the shelves) where I can put other things, just not cardboard boxes that will start to rot over time. I did buy some nice vacuum seal storage bags for comforters and such, so those are stored nicely down there and are out of the linen closet.
I also had to put a bunch of my Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls in another one of those bags down there. Most of you know, but not all, that I collect Raggedy Ann and Andy things. Or used to. Haven't in awhile (no storage room). But it was quite amusing; I ended up with a brick of Raggedies; one Annie is looking out, hair and face smooshed back so that she looks like she's riding with glee on the front of a supersonic Air Force jet.
I did also sweep up my terrace tonight; the debris from the Winter storm(s) -- the snow and then the windstorms that followed -- made a small disaster out there. However, it was nothing like my Dad's backyard; his yard looked like a small thermonuclear weapon went off and splintered about four Douglas Fir trees; his entire back yard was insulated with everything from tiny finger-sized branches, to ones taller than I am, and as thick as my upper arm. Many of the branches came down on his lovely rose bushes and his beautiful tulip tree. He remarked that the side yard, where he has many rhododendron and fern bushes, will take several years to nurse back to health.
They say it was the worst storm that Portland has had since 1908; I can believe it. I've never seen such weather in the 30 years I've been here. They had to limp snow plows down from Timberline lodge to help clear out Portland, and many dump trucks were molded into makeshift ones.
Even so; it was a bit embarassing to tell someone from Sweden that our whole city shut down from 16 inches or so of snow and ice. "I realize that's something your weather can sneeze at you in a few hours there," I said to him, when I felt his listening silence shift into a deeper irritation from not having received his package, "but we never get weather like this. It would be like you having to deal with a bonafide monsoon in summer. We just don't get weather like that."
He did laugh, at that, and, while still a bit frustrated that he'd have to wait another week or so for what he had ordered, he was understanding.
When it all melted away, it left a muddy, filthy mess. The layers of gravel that had been put down on fresh dumpings of snow and ice mixed and became thick, shuddery rolling messes that sent you skidding in your car for a few feet if you weren't careful. The gravel has since been cleaned up, but the dust it left behind is still blowing around, and we've now slipped into several days of an air stagnation warning. There's been absolutely no wind, not even anything to move the tallest trees, even though it's been sunny. I haven't heard my windchimes in days. The air's been downright stinky at times as smog from cars collects and goes nowhere, except in thin and soupy mists that hang around for longer than my lungs would like. I remarked to a friend that it was "like Los Angeles had moved to Portland."
There's been no in-between as of late. From a blizzard right out of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to downpours to windstorms to flooding to air stagnation warnings. Bleah. I'm done, thankyouverymuch. Let the balance of weather begin.
My beautiful geraniums are all dead from being frozen, and are now glurking with enough mold and mildew to make them look like creatures from some 1950s B movie; my palm tree looks like it's either dying or is dead. The top snapped off, and I think it just went kaput. The bamboo plants are all fine, though. A couple do look a bit sad and fretful with singed-looking leaves, but new shoots are coming out, so they're at least recovering.
I brought in my jasmine plants during the storm, and they're slowly coming back. They're even starting to shoot out new green armlets and even some new buds that will blossom into flowers. I'm happy about that.
Okay -- back to work. I can rest easily now that I know where my fecund cell phone is.
-- H
I got inspired tonight to start sorting through some stuff in my closets again to find and re-find some items, and just get things in better places, as I've been wanting to do ever since I moved in back in September. It was, however, contingent on the storage unit.
I just pulled out a box from my closet, and it was clearly one I'd into which I'd carefully placed many items, and had -- I thought at the time -- just as carefully labeled what each one was on the lid of the box.
However, I was clearly inebriated from packing dust and the heady scent of new carpet, paint and cabinetry, as my handwriting is confusing at best. Some things I can understand, but others -- not so much. Here is what I can see:
- APE Bast
- Blue Erile pilowe
- Med. Corner misc.
- Misc framed hickey carols
- inunse burng
- A + A wall thing
- gutter / bath thing
- green tassels
- Han and Leia Dolls
- 4600 Nilcn Box
- James's Tapes
- Ruticles
- Phantoom Men
- Port. CD players + Cord
- Again bowls
- Fecund cill ph.
Stumped, I was prompted to open the box so that I could know what was in it. Apparently I had also been planning to use it as a time capsule, as I had hermetically sealed the top seams with three layers of packing tape. Once opened, the mysterious scribbles began to take on their translations.
- APE Best -- APE Battery; A.P.E, that is -- a backup battery for my old tower PC.
- Blue Erile Pillow -- No clue. There is no pillow in the box.
- Med. Corner misc. -- items I had in my "meditation corner" in my 2nd bedroom.
- Misc framed hickey carols -- Misc. framed hockey cards.
- inunse burng -- incense burner
- A + A wall thing -- a quilted Raggedy Ann and Andy wall decoration
- gutter / bath thing -- I have absolutely no idea. There were baths, yes, but no
gutters in my old place. Maybe "rubber wrist thing", i.e. my rubber wrist rest from my desk, but why the / mark? And the "bath" word doesn't start with a "w" .... No clue.
- green tassels -- decorations from my old 2nd bedroom.
- Han and Leia Dolls -- toys.
- 4600 Nilcn Box -- 4600 Nikon box; the box my camera came in.
- James's Tapes -- VHS copy of movies a friend made.
- Ruticles - VHS copy of the movie The Rutles.
- Phantoom Men -- VHS copy of the Phantom Menace
- Port. CD players + Cord -- Portable CD Players + Cord. About the only thing that's legible.
- Again bowls -- Asian bowls. Plastic bowls with Asian symbols on them.
- Fecund cill ph. -- Second cell phone.
I am glad I got into the box; I was wondering where my little CD players were, as well as my other cell phone, in case this one goes dead and I need another one while it charges.
Funny thing is, I was so proud of myself for taking the time to so laboriously label the boxes into which I was condensing things as I unpacked and got settled. I remember thinking, "Oh, this is good! I'll be able to find what's in here so quickly!"
But, I thought that a lot as I unpacked and repacked and got settled back in September. I can't remember where many things are now; I saw them...and then I didn't. And now I don't know where they are (my entire pirate Halloween costume has disappeared). I had one escapade where I found a frame that matched a collection of lighthouse photos, but I had a photo in it. My mother had given back to me me another photo from the same lighthouse series that I had given her to frame for herself, but had never found a home for it, and so I thought I'd put it with my own.
Over the long weekend I used to move in, I'd keep finding the photo, but not the frame; then I'd find the frame but didn't know where the photo was. I went around like that several times. I then, at one point, found the frame again (but didn't know where the photo was), and decided to put it away, just to keep it out of the way. I remember staring at it and thinking, "Okay, I'll remember it's here. Right here. I'll picture it in my head and I WILL REMEMBER -- !"
I put it away, and then, some time later, found the photo again, and quite delightedly thought, "Oh! Now I can frame it!" -- And then realized I had absolutely no idea where I'd put the frame. In my mind's eye, I saw myself staring at some box (plastic? Cardboard? Wooden? Plastic and decorated with Smurfs?) but the exact box wasn't clear. The frame wasn't with the other framed photos I'd packed away in a clear plastic box (the logical place), and beyond that ... no idea. So I left the photo out on the top of my dresser. It's still there, waiting for its home.
I came across the frame again tonight -- but I realized I have no place to put what's now in it; it's not a photo as I remembered, which could just go in with my the other loose photos I have stored in a plastic shoebox. It's a hockey card. It was a semi-valuable one I stumbled across in a card shop in San Jose when I lived there, and I'd gotten it for a cheap price. It had surprised me to discover I'd found the little gem quite by accident, and so I'd honored it by framing it.
So that means, because it's something I need to keep tidy and clean and in good shape, I can't just stick it some place. (Hmm...come to think of it, I have some other cards some place that are actually worth something. Where are they? -- ??? Ack...wait. I think I know.)
Ahem.
-- I can't just stick it some place, I was saying. So that means I have to keep it in the frame for now, and with the other framed hockey cards. Like with like and all that, for organizing. Which is what' I'd done before (it was in the box labled "framed hockey cards", but I'd remembered it being a photo. I suppose one could argue that a hockey card is technically just that, but -- not really. Which is why I didn't put it in the box with the other framed photos I couldn't hang up.
But -- whew. It's like I'm still moving, as my mother observed about herself, and about me finally getting my storage unit. I guess that's sort of why I still don't feel settled. It's hard to feel settled when you feel ... stuffed ... into your home.
With time, I'll get it all organized and in better shape. I've been wanting to for awhile, but I've been resistant, as I still felt like I was nursing a move-in hangover, and I didn't have anywhere to put it until now. But at least I now have the storage unit, and I can start getting things all shaped up.
I was going to put my boxes in the unit, but it's on the ground floor and opens to the outside, and so it's sort of damp. I have a bunch of really nice Rubbermaid Roughneck containers for it, and there's shelving in it already (nice sturdy metal-framed ones with wood for the shelves) where I can put other things, just not cardboard boxes that will start to rot over time. I did buy some nice vacuum seal storage bags for comforters and such, so those are stored nicely down there and are out of the linen closet.
I also had to put a bunch of my Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls in another one of those bags down there. Most of you know, but not all, that I collect Raggedy Ann and Andy things. Or used to. Haven't in awhile (no storage room). But it was quite amusing; I ended up with a brick of Raggedies; one Annie is looking out, hair and face smooshed back so that she looks like she's riding with glee on the front of a supersonic Air Force jet.
I did also sweep up my terrace tonight; the debris from the Winter storm(s) -- the snow and then the windstorms that followed -- made a small disaster out there. However, it was nothing like my Dad's backyard; his yard looked like a small thermonuclear weapon went off and splintered about four Douglas Fir trees; his entire back yard was insulated with everything from tiny finger-sized branches, to ones taller than I am, and as thick as my upper arm. Many of the branches came down on his lovely rose bushes and his beautiful tulip tree. He remarked that the side yard, where he has many rhododendron and fern bushes, will take several years to nurse back to health.
They say it was the worst storm that Portland has had since 1908; I can believe it. I've never seen such weather in the 30 years I've been here. They had to limp snow plows down from Timberline lodge to help clear out Portland, and many dump trucks were molded into makeshift ones.
Even so; it was a bit embarassing to tell someone from Sweden that our whole city shut down from 16 inches or so of snow and ice. "I realize that's something your weather can sneeze at you in a few hours there," I said to him, when I felt his listening silence shift into a deeper irritation from not having received his package, "but we never get weather like this. It would be like you having to deal with a bonafide monsoon in summer. We just don't get weather like that."
He did laugh, at that, and, while still a bit frustrated that he'd have to wait another week or so for what he had ordered, he was understanding.
When it all melted away, it left a muddy, filthy mess. The layers of gravel that had been put down on fresh dumpings of snow and ice mixed and became thick, shuddery rolling messes that sent you skidding in your car for a few feet if you weren't careful. The gravel has since been cleaned up, but the dust it left behind is still blowing around, and we've now slipped into several days of an air stagnation warning. There's been absolutely no wind, not even anything to move the tallest trees, even though it's been sunny. I haven't heard my windchimes in days. The air's been downright stinky at times as smog from cars collects and goes nowhere, except in thin and soupy mists that hang around for longer than my lungs would like. I remarked to a friend that it was "like Los Angeles had moved to Portland."
There's been no in-between as of late. From a blizzard right out of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to downpours to windstorms to flooding to air stagnation warnings. Bleah. I'm done, thankyouverymuch. Let the balance of weather begin.
My beautiful geraniums are all dead from being frozen, and are now glurking with enough mold and mildew to make them look like creatures from some 1950s B movie; my palm tree looks like it's either dying or is dead. The top snapped off, and I think it just went kaput. The bamboo plants are all fine, though. A couple do look a bit sad and fretful with singed-looking leaves, but new shoots are coming out, so they're at least recovering.
I brought in my jasmine plants during the storm, and they're slowly coming back. They're even starting to shoot out new green armlets and even some new buds that will blossom into flowers. I'm happy about that.
Okay -- back to work. I can rest easily now that I know where my fecund cell phone is.
-- H
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Good Day Sunshine!
Well, after seeing snow in one form or another for eleven days straight, I finally saw the sun break out and stream through my living room glass door at about three in the afternoon. I haven't seen it in nearly two weeks!
It got warm enough yesterday to melt off all the icicles and create slush in the parking lot, but it then foze over last night and stayed pretty stiff all day today. Every car I heard that went through the lot (and there weren't that many people oout and aboot) made crunching sounds. That's got to be terribly hard on the car's tires, given the height of the ruts and the fact it's all ice, for the most part.
My dad says there are so many branches that came down from his fir trees that it's going to take him about three months to get his yard cleaned up; luckily nothing came down here, though the trees around here were pretty laden with snow. In the nearly 30 years I've lived in Oregon (aside from the few years I lived in Texas while in the Air Force and then in California after college) I've never seen it last this long, and this has been the only solidly white Christmas I can remember. Oh, we've had some where there were large-ish patches of snow, but that doesn't really make it a "White Christmas" worth singing about.
I am going to be working from home again tomorrow; there's no way I can get out of the parking lot, and, while the main streets are now okay, getting to the cleared main streets is rather dicey. Better to just wait it out. I do have to go out and get the food for Saturday (I had to move Xmas Eve dinner to Saturday), but the store I'm going to is just down the road and things should be much clearer by tomorrow afternoon when I'm planning on going.
I have developed so much shoulder and neck tension from being house bound it's slipped into a habit of clenching my jaw; I have been doing my daily yoga practice every morning, but that can't outweigh not moving as much as I usually do during the day. Coupled with the posture I've had to have for working on email from home (sitting on my couch, back supported with pillows, laptop on a TV tray -- not the most ergonomic way to work) I'm not surprised.
I did go to the apartment gym today to get moving on a treadmill, only to find none of them were working for some odd reason. They were plugged in, but they wouldn't come on when I hit the buttons -- and so I had to use the crosstrainer. Which was fine, but I really wanted to do some hill walking. After 30 minutes of that, I came upstairs and did another hour of yoga, putting my focus on working my uppper back and neck. Towards the end as the spasms started to release my jaw started shaking as if I were shivering; between that and massaging my shoulders and neck and jaw throughout the day has helped make my jaw feels a lot better. Downing a bunch of Advils every 4 hours has helped, too. Teeth still ache, as does my back jaw, but not as much.
Jane is supposed to come and visit Monday and Tuesday, so hopefully the weather will have cleared out all the mess up here by then, as I have to drive to Woodburn to meet her parents and her Monday around lunchtime, and then get her to the airport on Tuesday. I guess if all else fails I can stick her on the train out to the airport, but I'd rather not do that. It's a long ride from here (about an hour).
I began my Christmas morning by watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas (I watched A Christmas Carol yesterday afternoon) and then working through the Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon my DVR's been working on all day. It's been decent, but it's kind of ironic. Out of all the years where I was in Texas or California and Andrew was a way for college, we still managed to all get home for Christmas. Here we are, within 15 or so miles of each other, give or take, in the greater Portland area and we couldn't get to gether. This is the first Christmas in 37 years I've spent alone. I always thought that would occur if I moved away from Oregon and couldn't get home. It never ocurred to me it would happen while I still lived here!
For dinner I made fennel-encrusted lamb chops, yellow curry rice and steamed veggies; to drink I had water and a nice glass of red wine. I also ate at my table with my Christmas tablecloth, napkin and some burning candles. It was very nice, but kind of lonely. Despite also listening to some very nice Christmas music on the Classical station, it still didn't feel very Christmassy.
I do hope everyone reading this had a nice day, and that you were able to spend it with friends and family.
Technically I guess, to be politically correct, I should say Happy Christmakwanzunnakah, but I'd much prefer to close by saying Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
-- H
It got warm enough yesterday to melt off all the icicles and create slush in the parking lot, but it then foze over last night and stayed pretty stiff all day today. Every car I heard that went through the lot (and there weren't that many people oout and aboot) made crunching sounds. That's got to be terribly hard on the car's tires, given the height of the ruts and the fact it's all ice, for the most part.
My dad says there are so many branches that came down from his fir trees that it's going to take him about three months to get his yard cleaned up; luckily nothing came down here, though the trees around here were pretty laden with snow. In the nearly 30 years I've lived in Oregon (aside from the few years I lived in Texas while in the Air Force and then in California after college) I've never seen it last this long, and this has been the only solidly white Christmas I can remember. Oh, we've had some where there were large-ish patches of snow, but that doesn't really make it a "White Christmas" worth singing about.
I am going to be working from home again tomorrow; there's no way I can get out of the parking lot, and, while the main streets are now okay, getting to the cleared main streets is rather dicey. Better to just wait it out. I do have to go out and get the food for Saturday (I had to move Xmas Eve dinner to Saturday), but the store I'm going to is just down the road and things should be much clearer by tomorrow afternoon when I'm planning on going.
I have developed so much shoulder and neck tension from being house bound it's slipped into a habit of clenching my jaw; I have been doing my daily yoga practice every morning, but that can't outweigh not moving as much as I usually do during the day. Coupled with the posture I've had to have for working on email from home (sitting on my couch, back supported with pillows, laptop on a TV tray -- not the most ergonomic way to work) I'm not surprised.
I did go to the apartment gym today to get moving on a treadmill, only to find none of them were working for some odd reason. They were plugged in, but they wouldn't come on when I hit the buttons -- and so I had to use the crosstrainer. Which was fine, but I really wanted to do some hill walking. After 30 minutes of that, I came upstairs and did another hour of yoga, putting my focus on working my uppper back and neck. Towards the end as the spasms started to release my jaw started shaking as if I were shivering; between that and massaging my shoulders and neck and jaw throughout the day has helped make my jaw feels a lot better. Downing a bunch of Advils every 4 hours has helped, too. Teeth still ache, as does my back jaw, but not as much.
Jane is supposed to come and visit Monday and Tuesday, so hopefully the weather will have cleared out all the mess up here by then, as I have to drive to Woodburn to meet her parents and her Monday around lunchtime, and then get her to the airport on Tuesday. I guess if all else fails I can stick her on the train out to the airport, but I'd rather not do that. It's a long ride from here (about an hour).
I began my Christmas morning by watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas (I watched A Christmas Carol yesterday afternoon) and then working through the Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon my DVR's been working on all day. It's been decent, but it's kind of ironic. Out of all the years where I was in Texas or California and Andrew was a way for college, we still managed to all get home for Christmas. Here we are, within 15 or so miles of each other, give or take, in the greater Portland area and we couldn't get to gether. This is the first Christmas in 37 years I've spent alone. I always thought that would occur if I moved away from Oregon and couldn't get home. It never ocurred to me it would happen while I still lived here!
For dinner I made fennel-encrusted lamb chops, yellow curry rice and steamed veggies; to drink I had water and a nice glass of red wine. I also ate at my table with my Christmas tablecloth, napkin and some burning candles. It was very nice, but kind of lonely. Despite also listening to some very nice Christmas music on the Classical station, it still didn't feel very Christmassy.
I do hope everyone reading this had a nice day, and that you were able to spend it with friends and family.
Technically I guess, to be politically correct, I should say Happy Christmakwanzunnakah, but I'd much prefer to close by saying Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
-- H
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Old Man Winter
I'm sitting here at 7:31 on Saturday morning (I was wide awake at 6 am...) watching yet another batch of snow come down, just as I was doing last Sunday. And Monday. And Tuesday. And off and on Wednesday and Thursday and Friday....It wasn't snowing when I got up at 6, but it started shortly after.
I realize that for other parts of the country, the "Arctic Blast!" (as the news channels are calling it) is paltry, but for Portland, it's big. Partly because we have so many hills and snow that melts and then freezes creating ice on those hills isn't fun. Schools were canceled all week, and I worked from home Monday and Tuesday, and most of Wednesday. I was in all day on Thursday and for a half day on Friday as it was supposed to start freezing that afternoon.
I did finally break down and buy two things I should have gotten years and years ago: cables for my tires and winter boots. I've been meaning to get both for a long time, but I always balked at the idea of spending money on things I might use a couple of times every other year. It just didn'[t seem fiscally sound, and in the past years when this kind of weather hit, I simply stayed home.
The cables were well, made, of course -- but the boots, well, for the most part they were, but when I went to put them on Thursday morning the zipper tag doohickey that you pull popped off the top of the zipper; upon inspection, I discovered that neither zipper on either boot had stoppers at the top of the zipper to keep the tab from pulling off...so I had to spend 20 minutes that morning modifying the zippers with needle and thread to create loops to keep the zipper in place.
Every couple of years Portland gets a big winter storm or two; usually it only lasts for a couple of days (so, yes, those of you who live in weather where you have snow from October until March, I realize there are only very small violins for us) and we're done with it. But like I said earlier, it's the ice that can get really bad; with the 11 main bridges going over the Willamette and the many streams going under the streets throughout the city, it makes for icy conditions. One year, there was a half-inch of ice surrounding the leaves on a tree outside my window.
Luckily, I have the ability to work from home. It's tedious, as the email I answer is done directly from our server, and it's more basic than someone would use in Yahoo! or Google Mail. After working from home the day after Thanksgiving (an optional day) and doing it all by hand, I finally remembered, the next Monday, to burn all my stationery onto a CD to have at home. Stationery is my saving grace; it's what allows me to reply to upwards of 100 emails in a day on some occasions.
Working from the server is doable, and even with my stationery on a CD to copy and paste into a reply it's still tedious. It was enjoyable on Monday and into Tuesday, but by Wednesday it was old and I was going stir crazy. I love my little apartment, but it was rather claustrophobic by Wed, and by Thursday I had a dull headache that got worse when the sun came out and was gleaming off the mirror surfaces of the snow and wet pavement.
But at least I don't lose hours by being able to work from home; it was nice to go in yesterday and Thursday, but the weather's supposed to be crappy again all weekend and into the week, perhaps even into Christmas. It's like this all down the valley, too; my friend Ruth in Eugene is "mostly sane" from being at home with her three young, energetic daughters and only one television. Her husband works for the USPS, and so it's probably been equally crazy for him, too.
I have seen snow here many times throughout my 28 years of living in Oregon, and I have seen stiff winds in that same time. But I have to admit, last Sunday was the first time, in my memory, of seeing both at the same time. The wind must have been blowing around 20-25 miles an hour, creating blizzard-like conditions. My terrace is covered, but the winds drove enough snow onto it that I had about an inch by the innermost wall, and there was about four sitting on the railing.
But what was the most amazing was watching the hummingbirds -- yes! humming birds! -- zipping in the wind, trying to feed from the feeder. One little fellow figured out how to hold onto the bottom of the plastic flower reservoir with his feet and curve his little body into the wind while drinking. I did have to add more food to the water to make it thicker, as it started to freeze in the jar, and I discovered it had turned to fairly hard slush in the reservoirs, making it hard for the little birds to feed. I've also been bringing in the feeder at night and hanging it up again in the morning so that it doesn't freeze.
The finches and chickadees and other birds that feed from my suet feeder and loose seed feeder devoured nearly 3/4 of the seed on Sunday and Monday; since then it's been less popular as the weather's been better and more ground has been exposed. But it was fun to sit here in my living room as I worked on Monday and watch everyone out there at their respective feeders. I'm still amazed by how the little hummingbirds were able to feed in that wind -- and that they survived!
I kept meaning to get my deck plants wrapped up and protected against a winter storm, but the weather kept staying calm and warm I just let it go; this storm came with a warning, but I shrugged it off, given Portland has a tendency to go into Panic Mode with a couple of inches of snow. The way it's reported, you'd think we were in the midst of something akin to the Long Winter that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her book by the same title. So my poor, still blooming, still pretty geraniums got frozen. I did get them wrapped up on Tuesday morning in plastic bags to create a sort of greenhouse environment, so who knows if they'll be okay. For the ones that were too big for the bags I protected them as best I could with empty clear plastic storage boxes and their lids situated in a way to cover them and create a wind break.
I brought in my two jasmine plants, and they already look happier. The big bamboo in pots I had to leave outside (I figure if they can last through snow and cold in China, the'll be fine out there), but my palm looks kind of sad. It's all droopy and the top looks like it got bent and a bit broken in the wind. Hopefully that will pull through.
Tuesday morning I had a funny dream where I woke up and looked out my bedroom curtains to check the weather, and saw a couple of people ice skating on the swimming pool. My thought, in the dream, was, "It's too cold out. I'm going back to bed!" -- And then I woke up.
I really hope this storm blows itself out. It's now really old. I'm supposed to be cooking Christmas Eve dinner at my dad's house, but it's still supposed to be gross around that time, so who knows what's going to happen. I've already ordered a turkey from New Seasons to pick up on Christmas Eve Eve...maybe it'll keep until the weekend when the weather is supposed to return to the balmy 40s.
At least I'm stocked up on food and I'm warm. But I'm getting bored. The shows in my DVR are nearly cleared out, and I only have a few unread books around here. I guess I could go for a winter walk in this weather now that I have good boots just to get out and about; we'll see. There's only so much yoga you can do in your own apartment before you feel like you're on house arrest.
And so it's now 8:03 and the snow is still coming down. Small, dry flakes, but still. There's already a couple of inches out there and the sky is a dull pewter color. This may be the first time in my memory of having a white Christmas (I think we may have had one once before many years ago), but I'm not sure.
I do hope you all are warm and dry as you read this; I am at the moment, and I certainly hope my little birdies are as well.
-- H
I realize that for other parts of the country, the "Arctic Blast!" (as the news channels are calling it) is paltry, but for Portland, it's big. Partly because we have so many hills and snow that melts and then freezes creating ice on those hills isn't fun. Schools were canceled all week, and I worked from home Monday and Tuesday, and most of Wednesday. I was in all day on Thursday and for a half day on Friday as it was supposed to start freezing that afternoon.
I did finally break down and buy two things I should have gotten years and years ago: cables for my tires and winter boots. I've been meaning to get both for a long time, but I always balked at the idea of spending money on things I might use a couple of times every other year. It just didn'[t seem fiscally sound, and in the past years when this kind of weather hit, I simply stayed home.
The cables were well, made, of course -- but the boots, well, for the most part they were, but when I went to put them on Thursday morning the zipper tag doohickey that you pull popped off the top of the zipper; upon inspection, I discovered that neither zipper on either boot had stoppers at the top of the zipper to keep the tab from pulling off...so I had to spend 20 minutes that morning modifying the zippers with needle and thread to create loops to keep the zipper in place.
Every couple of years Portland gets a big winter storm or two; usually it only lasts for a couple of days (so, yes, those of you who live in weather where you have snow from October until March, I realize there are only very small violins for us) and we're done with it. But like I said earlier, it's the ice that can get really bad; with the 11 main bridges going over the Willamette and the many streams going under the streets throughout the city, it makes for icy conditions. One year, there was a half-inch of ice surrounding the leaves on a tree outside my window.
Luckily, I have the ability to work from home. It's tedious, as the email I answer is done directly from our server, and it's more basic than someone would use in Yahoo! or Google Mail. After working from home the day after Thanksgiving (an optional day) and doing it all by hand, I finally remembered, the next Monday, to burn all my stationery onto a CD to have at home. Stationery is my saving grace; it's what allows me to reply to upwards of 100 emails in a day on some occasions.
Working from the server is doable, and even with my stationery on a CD to copy and paste into a reply it's still tedious. It was enjoyable on Monday and into Tuesday, but by Wednesday it was old and I was going stir crazy. I love my little apartment, but it was rather claustrophobic by Wed, and by Thursday I had a dull headache that got worse when the sun came out and was gleaming off the mirror surfaces of the snow and wet pavement.
But at least I don't lose hours by being able to work from home; it was nice to go in yesterday and Thursday, but the weather's supposed to be crappy again all weekend and into the week, perhaps even into Christmas. It's like this all down the valley, too; my friend Ruth in Eugene is "mostly sane" from being at home with her three young, energetic daughters and only one television. Her husband works for the USPS, and so it's probably been equally crazy for him, too.
I have seen snow here many times throughout my 28 years of living in Oregon, and I have seen stiff winds in that same time. But I have to admit, last Sunday was the first time, in my memory, of seeing both at the same time. The wind must have been blowing around 20-25 miles an hour, creating blizzard-like conditions. My terrace is covered, but the winds drove enough snow onto it that I had about an inch by the innermost wall, and there was about four sitting on the railing.
But what was the most amazing was watching the hummingbirds -- yes! humming birds! -- zipping in the wind, trying to feed from the feeder. One little fellow figured out how to hold onto the bottom of the plastic flower reservoir with his feet and curve his little body into the wind while drinking. I did have to add more food to the water to make it thicker, as it started to freeze in the jar, and I discovered it had turned to fairly hard slush in the reservoirs, making it hard for the little birds to feed. I've also been bringing in the feeder at night and hanging it up again in the morning so that it doesn't freeze.
The finches and chickadees and other birds that feed from my suet feeder and loose seed feeder devoured nearly 3/4 of the seed on Sunday and Monday; since then it's been less popular as the weather's been better and more ground has been exposed. But it was fun to sit here in my living room as I worked on Monday and watch everyone out there at their respective feeders. I'm still amazed by how the little hummingbirds were able to feed in that wind -- and that they survived!
I kept meaning to get my deck plants wrapped up and protected against a winter storm, but the weather kept staying calm and warm I just let it go; this storm came with a warning, but I shrugged it off, given Portland has a tendency to go into Panic Mode with a couple of inches of snow. The way it's reported, you'd think we were in the midst of something akin to the Long Winter that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her book by the same title. So my poor, still blooming, still pretty geraniums got frozen. I did get them wrapped up on Tuesday morning in plastic bags to create a sort of greenhouse environment, so who knows if they'll be okay. For the ones that were too big for the bags I protected them as best I could with empty clear plastic storage boxes and their lids situated in a way to cover them and create a wind break.
I brought in my two jasmine plants, and they already look happier. The big bamboo in pots I had to leave outside (I figure if they can last through snow and cold in China, the'll be fine out there), but my palm looks kind of sad. It's all droopy and the top looks like it got bent and a bit broken in the wind. Hopefully that will pull through.
Tuesday morning I had a funny dream where I woke up and looked out my bedroom curtains to check the weather, and saw a couple of people ice skating on the swimming pool. My thought, in the dream, was, "It's too cold out. I'm going back to bed!" -- And then I woke up.
I really hope this storm blows itself out. It's now really old. I'm supposed to be cooking Christmas Eve dinner at my dad's house, but it's still supposed to be gross around that time, so who knows what's going to happen. I've already ordered a turkey from New Seasons to pick up on Christmas Eve Eve...maybe it'll keep until the weekend when the weather is supposed to return to the balmy 40s.
At least I'm stocked up on food and I'm warm. But I'm getting bored. The shows in my DVR are nearly cleared out, and I only have a few unread books around here. I guess I could go for a winter walk in this weather now that I have good boots just to get out and about; we'll see. There's only so much yoga you can do in your own apartment before you feel like you're on house arrest.
And so it's now 8:03 and the snow is still coming down. Small, dry flakes, but still. There's already a couple of inches out there and the sky is a dull pewter color. This may be the first time in my memory of having a white Christmas (I think we may have had one once before many years ago), but I'm not sure.
I do hope you all are warm and dry as you read this; I am at the moment, and I certainly hope my little birdies are as well.
-- H
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ode to the Green Dragon
I raise a happy mug to thee
My favorite pub so near
Which has gone the way of barrels past --
Different and here no more
I raise a happy mug to thee
My Dragon'd pub so fair
My heart is touched with hoppy thoughts --
Filled with tasty fries and rotating taps
I raise a happy mug to thee
My foundered pub o' my heart
Alas! You leave! O! Like the yeast of my beer --
You gave your life to make us happy
I raise a sorrowful mug to thee
My cheerful pub of brewing beginnings
Has come to a rogueful end --
I wish thee fair and happy barley dreams
I raise a sorrowful mug to thee --
Farewell!
Rogue makes great beers -- one of my favorite ales is Dead Guy Ale -- and they do serve good food, but The Green Dragon was a truly unique place. I didn't get there as often as my brother (who was a Founder -- he invested some money, and, in return got a huge ceramic mug made especially for him -- something like 20 oz, I believe? -- which he got one free filling each time he went there -- all Founders got that -- and then 10% off his tab.).
They had many awesome beers; the hope is that Rogue will keep the rotating taps and remain true to the original philosophy and atmosphere of the pub, but only time will tell. I was sad to learn the news of the changing of the guard, but hopefully it will remain unique.
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