Portland Snow Day!

Yay for snow!

It's fun when snow falls here in town because it really only happens once or twice a year. It shuts us down because we little West Coasters don't really know how to deal with it...on the roads anyway.

And the more adventurous of us always head out there thinking we know how to drive on ice and snow. And so you watch the slow, oddly graceful sliding of cars into curbs, into other vehicles, both parked and moving. I watched an accident happen slo-mo right outside of the Firestone today. A guy tried to head out and make a left onto Powell, but he slid into the curb; a woman came along in a big ol SUV and stopped in the middle of the road, causing another guy to careen into her at bumper car speed. He roughed up his taillight and was pissed, but otherwise unscathed.

I watched people wipe out on their bicycles (good for them for trying!), wipe out on their feet. I myself nearly took a little skidder on Powell when my back tires failed to gain traction, but I eased into it and was fine. And then a super nice guy named Mark put my chains on for me and all was swell again.


Which means that I was able to keep my date with Chaela and head down to Goodwill to get me some new threads. I have a great dearth of clothes, very little nice stuff. Chaela is the friend everybody needs to have in this situation in that she picks out great clothes for me and she's fun to be around. She will also say things like,"I'm serious, you need to put that down," when I show her yet another thing I think will look good on me. And, "Yeah, that combination of colors will make you look like Beef and Broccoli, so...no."

On the way home, driving slow as can be, I saw families with toboggans and a guy on skis and little bundles of people smiling and whipping snowballs around at each other. One little girl was rolling up a snowman belly.



And then I got to come to Gwennie's sweet, warm and toasty house and make a wonderful dinner of artichokes (that she picked up for me) and chicken (which she cooked for me). And now I am sitting here, with the wind whipping the flurries around and the heater percolating, and really, there isn't a better place to be on a snow day.

First Ski Day of the Year!

Beautiful day up on Mt. Hood. The first good snow of the season and it was pure powdery fun. My buds Monica and Debbie were there with me as we scooted around Enid Lake.
It was super cold today, Portland is getting ready to experience quite the cold snap this weekend - it's expected to get down in the teens! We're all a flutter.





We had to put on chains...well, Monica put them on. I kind of helped, but not really. Monica's super tough and endured little pre-frostbite hands in order to keep us safe on the roads.



Happy dogs Lolo and Petey frolicking



Flo is built for swimming in water, not tromping through snow. Her little paws are webbed, which means snow gets all clumped up in there> Here is Monica de-clumping her paws.



A very handsome Petey.



Look at that little snow mound on my head. Nice, very nice.

Is that the same dog?

So I get a phone call a few days ago from Addie who tells me that she has relocated to Portland! This was the day after Roman called me to let me know that he too had decided to rest in this neck of the woods for awhile.

So last Saturday I went over to NW Portland and picked Miss Addie up and lo and behold there was "lil Booger!" Awwwwwwwwww! He's not so little anymore...not like this...



But now he is a handsome little guy...like this!



We went to Kelly Point Park and he ran and ran and ran. And then was all sleepy in the truck on the way back. Look at his eyes...and there's Addie too!



We went over to where Roman is working and got to chat with him for a bit. I got all warm and fuzzy on my way home that day. Carrie had called me, but I missed talking to her. I talked to Kathleen. I love my walker family so much still...these guys...

Floating

I'm in a daze. I've been working on a few proposals and queries this week and finding myself frustrated with my inability to come up with good, solid prose for the articles I'm trying to write. I'm working on four different proposals right now and bop back and forth between them, trying to jog something worthy out of my constantly headached brain.
I've been reading a lot as well, so I've got a lot of words jamming up the works.
The headaches are due to my eyesight I'm afraid. Over the last several months my prescription has changed and I need to get into somewhere and get some new specs. I'm fretting over money, but this is probably not a place to skimp. I'm really just procrastinating the inevitable...I need bifocals and I know that, but that just seems to be admitting to an aging process I want to deny. However, I absolutely cannot read anymore with my glasses on, and that is just sad, sad, sad.
Last year when I went to the optometrist to get the perfunctory exam, the doctor told me that bifocals were in order. I told him, "no..I'm not doing that." And he smiled, that doctorly knowing smile and simply asked my age. I told him.
"Well, that's usually the age when it begins."
"Begins what? My RAPID DEMISE?!"
"Yes," he said, "Bifocals is the 'one foot in the grave' step...it's all over from here really."

Dammit. I knew it. I'm aging. @*#($)!

So, I'm sitting in New Seasons, drinking tea and withering into dust as we speak. Sorry Dad, I don't think I'll have time to write that best seller.

Lewis "Mucaw" Jefferson (1987-2008)

I was deeply saddened tonight to hear that one of our Walker family, Mucaw, crossed over to the Spirit world. I don't know the details of his passing.
I loved hearing Mucaw sing, which he did so often, up at the front of line, his rich, baritone voice keeping time with his tin can shaker. I walked countless miles to the songs of his ancestors,from the Quechan of Arizona, songs that he sang proudly and with the utmost care and respect. Sometimes, when I heard him sing, I couldn't place that deep, soulful voice in the body of such a young man...it just seemed to come from somewhere else.
I pray that he is still singing with his ancestors and offer my prayers to his family and beloved grandparents who were so proud of him.
You will be sorely missed my friend.

Gettin' cold here in these parts

And I know for my friends on the East Coast, and those folks in Minnesota, complaining about 40 degree weather will just be mocked and scoffed at. But..I'm a West Coaster and dammit, it's getting cold here in these parts!

I'm sitting here in Gwen's cozy house tho, having enjoyed a fabulous pre-Thanksgiving turkey dinner (but mine was with eggs and toast and spinach - the fun trimmings will wait until Thursday). Gwennie will be gone over Thanksgiving, but she felt the need to cook a big 'ol turkey and I got to enjoy the spoils.

Today was my first real "Monday" since I've been home. I got myself up and out of the house early in time for my old home group meeting and then went to a coffeeshop down the street where I worked for about 4 hours, drafting and sending a query letter here, looking for submission placements there. I also started work on a story about my time on the goat farm. My brain has defogged considerably in the last few days and I've enjoyed wrapping my head around something more tangible than whether I'm gonna have eggs and toast or beans and tortillas. Or both. I continued the work later in the day and am dearly looking forward to one of my queries finding interest in an editor's hand.

In other news...

Patrick from the Walk is here in Portland (this guy)


and I had a chance to catch up with him last night - so nice to see him and share stories of what we and everyone else has been doing. He'll be here all week, so I look forward to seeing him again.

Also got to spend time at Lone Fir yesterday - it's so nice to revisit my old comfy places. I have found a new love for Portland and her sweet, goofy tribe of inhabitants.

Yesterday afternoon I was walking down Burnside near the Laurelhurst, and this trio of hipsters were standing on the corner, talking the talk. One of them, a lanky guy in a stripey scarf and pointy wool hat, blurted out suddenly,
"Hey you guys, look at my reflective tape."
And everyone turned (me too, since I was right there) to check out his bike, which had a strip of bright orange tape down the crossbar, but he had meticulously carved out "flames" all the way around it. It was funny, and there was something so sweet about his enthusiasm for his idea and execution, that it just made my afternoon.

So, there you have it.

Hoodies, Beanies and Dreadlocks. So good to be Home!

I'm sure I don't look as cute as Gwen's cat when I'm sleeping, but that's pretty much what I did for the first few days I was home. I was completely laid out by jet lag for a good 4 days. Brutal.

My friend (and massage therapist) Jenna told me a little story about jet lag that made me smile. She said that we always have a spiritual pony with us when we travel and that if we do something crazy like fly for a bazillion hours across land and sea, the reason we're so tired is because we have to wait for our pony (who can't fly!) to catch up with us. That's a lot of miles for the little pony to travel (and swim!). I feel, now it's been about 10 days since I've been home, that my pony has arrived.

I haven't been doing a whole lot since I've been back. I've had two massages (I know, it's crazy decadent, but I tell you...my body...wracked up. After my first session Jenna said, "great, that's layer one!" I think my poor bones and muscles just haven't really known what to do with themselves now that they're not carrying a load and moving miles everyday. Everything just stopped, so things are kind of shifting and settling, causing me much discomfort and general achy-ness. But it's fine, really.

I went and re-upped my gym membership and have been able to do a few miles on the treadmill. I saw my old trainer Regina who is cutting me no slack and expects to see me back soon for her brutal cycling and cardio classes. I'll need to stay on it, lest all this hard earned muscle starts to slip and slide into pockets I'd rather not see on me.

Money...well, it's running low but I have a lead on a job, so that's good news. And I also have a possibilty, perhaps, of a new housing situation here in a couple of weeks.

So, essentially, we are just putting things back together. It's a little overwhelming, but I'm so happy to be home that it's all just gravy for me. Walking my beloved Portland streets. Going into coffeeshops and making small talk with people...man, I missed that being away. Just chatting with people can make such a difference in your day, I so love having community again.




So...that's about that for now. Oh, I also got my astrological chart read. I do that every year on my birthday with my writer/astrologer friend Emily Trinkaus - who is so good at what she does. I love having her tell the tales of possibilities ahead.




I have mucho ideas for stories and am starting work on those as we speak. Gonna sign myself up for a language workshop, keep myself in the Spanish language realm. Have plans to get down to Southern Oregon and the Bay Area in Mid-December; but until then I am settling into the wintery weather here in Portland and catching up with everyone. It's really nice to be able to the hear the voices of my friends and family again!

Oh, and eating all my favorite foods again has been...wow. You think things like eggs and toast aren't special? They're special..added bonus of spinach and sausage on the side? Yay! Miso soup, pinto beans, granola, burgers...yum.



Okay, I'll talk with you again soon. If you haven't checked this in awhile, you may want to scroll down and check out the new pictures. Also, there is a fun little video of Ellen DeGeneres' goat routine in the October posting. It's only about a minute and a half long.

Great to talk with you from this side of the world! Look at this amazing tree!