Judy – Page 59 – Dear Liza

Storytime at Books with Pictures

Dear Liza,

When I was teaching, my favorite part of any day was story time. I loved holding my students captive by reading wonderful books aloud, doing all the voices and re-creating the exciting stories.

And on Friday, I got to do it again! The lovely lady who usually does storytime at Auntie Katie’s Books with Pictures took the day off, and Katie asked me to fill in. We met in the new garden, spreading out blankets to sit on. It was great fun.

There were four young children and their care people, dads or Moms or grandmas, and they were delightful. There were four pictures books about dragons, and my favorites were “Dough Knights and Dragons” and “Julia’s Hiuse for Lost Creatures.” The kids leaned in to see the pictures and were so focused on the characters, it was a joy to see. They offered opinions, talked to the characters, and explained why things happened.

The summer sun was getting fierce at just 10 in the morning, and I noticed the new plantings in the garden starting to wilt. So once everyone had packed up and headed for home, I got the watering can and made about a dozen trips to the faucet and back to give all the plants a deep drink.

After all, those lovely plants need water to thrive, and they aren’t used to all this sunshine. That’s okay. We’ll make sure they have enough water to get them to October, when the rain will take over. This garden is going to grow as surely as the kids!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Walking in the Sunshine

Dear Liza,

The sunshine that we have been missing for months seems to be here to stay!

It has been sunny, clear, and in the 70s all week. Brilliant sun brings delightful shadows, as well as harvesting lots of lettuce from the vegetable garden.

Our local flock of plastic flamingos is out in their yard, showing their support for Ukraine.

Kundalini’s flower beds down on Alder continue to grow beautifully, with the sunflowers more than a foot high.

And we even found some trees down on Madison with tiny little pears on them.

They will be luscious in the fall, I’m sure.

In the meantime, enjoy the summer!
Love,

Grandma Judy

Summer Solstice Picnic

Dear Liza,

June 21 is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, and the official beginning if summer. Here in Portland, it was also our first really warm day. We celebrated by making a nice picnic dinner and walking over to Laurelhurst Park.

We headed off at 6, which is late for dinner, but we still had more than three hours of daylight left. The low sun behind this Japanese maple was stunning.

We were surprised by how much mud there still was under the grass! Weeks of rain have made things very soggy. We had to search quite a while before finding a dry -ish spot.

When we were finally able to unpack our chicken salad, crackers, berries, cherries, veggies, and celebratory beverages, we settled in to watch and listen to the human show…. people on bikes, kids on scooters, dogs pulling their skateboarding owners, joggers pushing strollers…. you know, Portlanders.

Behind us, several folks played on guitars, and down the hill, a lone ukulele. It was marvelous.

But old bones don’t like sitting on the ground for long, and it was eventually time to go home.

We headed out of the park, thinking how lucky we were to be able to live in this pleasant corner of the universe.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Happy Pride!

Dear Liza,

On Sunday Grandpa Nelson and I went downtown for the Gay Pride Parade and celebration. The streets full of happy people!

We didn’t see the beginning of the parade, but got there in time to see the women’s rugby team, some proud parents, and support groups for kids and trans people, and lots of rainbows.

The weather was drippy, but spirits were light.

There was a long, long line to get into the part of the Fair where the booths were, but we got to chat with some nice folks and watch the parade go by.

The downside of all the drippy weather was the muddy ground . Two solid weeks of carnival events (first the Rose Festival, then Pride) on the same patch of grassy ground had lead to mud, mud, and more mud. It was epic. It was deep. And I managed, somehow, to not land on my face.

Finally, we found what we were looking for: Auntie Katie’s Books with Pictures booth! She was doing an absolute ton of business and only had time for a quick Father’s Day hug, but it was worth it.

As we left, I caught this accidental shot of perfectly dressed folks passing the street sign at the corner of 1st Avenue and Harvey Milk Street. Harvey Milk was the first out, gay person elected to office in California and was shot in 1978, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, by a fellow City Supervisor who didn’t like gay people. To help remember his sacrifice, a 13 block stretch of SW Stark here in Portland has been re-named for him.

What a beautifully rainbow day!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Cleaning up Alder Street

Dear Liza,

We walked home via Alder Street, coming from dinner at Bluto’s the other evening. A few weeks ago, we would not have done that.

For the past two years there has been a large encampment of houseless folks there. On May 13th the City cleared the encampment due to reports of stolen bicycles and a “chop shop” in the homeless camp.

This was not a camp of people or families trying to find housing. There was drug dealing, occasional violence, stolen property, drug paraphernalia and trash all over the block. Fires they set went out of control with smoke and ashes coming in nearby windows and the fire department coming to put out burning tents. Residents’ flower beds were used as toilets during the night. The coming and going of cars, noisy motorcycles, loud voices and fighting throughout the night also kept the neighborhood awake.

When the encampment was cleared by the city, several neighbors took it upon themselves to clean up the remaining trash, broken glass and drug paraphernalia and restore the ruined parking strips by turning the soil and transplanting plants that they grew in their own gardens. They strung ribbons so that dogs and people would know not to step on the newly planted areas.

We met Kundalini Bennett, the owner of Freedom Massage, located just across the street from the former encampment, who had spearheaded the replanting. In speaking with her, we learned that although many neighbors are relieved to have peace restored to their long-time home, there is a group of activists who are NOT the houseless folks vandalizing the neighborhood’s efforts.

These activists are mistaking the residents for rich people unsympathetic to the plight of the houseless. This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, one nearby property owner volunteered for many years at homeless shelters. Residents in the neighborhood talked with those in the recent encampment and gave them stuff to help from time to time.

These neighbors are trying to get their lives back in their own rented places and want to be able to sleep through the night while making the street look nicer with some plantings. It’s a lot of work and some of them get by with public assistance. These are not rich people.

It is disheartening to Kundalini and her neighbors to have activists vandalizing their beautification efforts without understanding who they are or their motivation. These activists are not homeless themselves but are young families and individuals coming from as far as St. Johns in nice cars, stealing plants and vandalizing garden beds while pretending to defend houseless people. This feels so unfair to those who are volunteering their time and energy – and their homegrown plants!

Since I like living in my neighborhood and not having to avoid streets to feel safe, I hope that Kundalini and her neighbors will have success in restoring cleanliness and beauty to the neighborhood. I will help them when I can.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The World Forestry Center

Dear Liza,

Last Thursday I got to spend the day with Cousins Jasper and Kestrel. We haven’t gotten into warm summer weather, so outside activities were not calling to me. Also, Kestrel asked for a place “with activities”.

We caught the number 2 bus, then the Red line train, got on the super-fast elevator, and were right there in Washington Park. This park is huge, with 410 acres including the Oregon Zoo, the Hoyt Arboretum, a Vietnam War memorial, a Holocaust Memorial, Japanese and Rose Gardens, archery range, and nifty playground.

But the kids had asked for the Forestry Center, newly opened after Covid, so that’s where we were headed. It did not start well. “This isn’t where I thought we were going,” Kestrel said, sounding disappointed. “It’s not a forest.”

Not being the sort of Grandma to argue, I shrugged, “Well, we’ll go in, and if you hate it, we’ll leave.”

But as soon as we were inside, both kids found fun things to do. In an ’underground’ display, we found niches with puppets of skunks, rabbits, snails, and weasels. I sat on the stairs and enjoyed the show as almost 11 year old Kes and almost 13 year old Jasper played like little kids.

There were displays of the uses of forestry products and lumbering methods, but in each case, the kids made their own games. At the display showing how to plant young trees for reforestation, they made a game of passing the plastic soil back and forth. At the story-time corner, a tree-slab pillow fight broke out.

The most unexpected room was “Rethinking Fire” an installation exhibit of Bryan David Griffith’s artwork interpreting fire’s effect on the forest.

It was beautiful and delicate, bold and interactive, and really caught our attention.

When we had seen everything inside the Center, we headed off to look at the park map and see where to go next. Standing still for the first time in two hours, we realized that we were just not up for another adventure at that moment, filed the Rose Garden play area and Japanese Garden for another day, and caught the return transit home.

I love being able to see things with new eyes.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Ken II, the (New) Oak Tree

Dear Liza,

Last summer I told you about the new oak tree planted in Laurelhurst Park. It was planted right at the roots of a huge oak that had fallen in a spring storm the previous year.

We watched as this new tree, which we named Ken, took root, got green, lost leaves during the fall, and came back this spring. We celebrated his new leaves.

Then, a few weeks ago, an unknown person, for unknown reasons, ripped the top off young Ken and threw the leaves to the ground. We were heart broken. I didn’t tell you about it at the time because it was just too senseless and sad.

I am telling you now because I have a happy turn in the story to tell. Ken’s sturdy roots have sent up new shoots to replace the damaged top! Look there, right at the bottom of the trunk. Oak leaves sprouting up!

I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Amid all the petty lawlessness, war and climate change, it is nice to know that this tree has not given up.

Way to go, Ken!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Creating Postcards

Dear Liza,

Since so many of my friends and family are far away and travel is difficult, I have started making cards and postcards to send to folks. There are many things I like about this type of art.

First, it is super cheap. The materials (old postcards, stationary, and magazines) can be found in free libraries and garage sales for next to nothing. The biggest expense in Mod Podge, and one $5 jar lasts a really long time. I also sometimes use acrylic paints as a background.

Next, it doesn’t require great artistic skill. You just paint, snip, place and layer until you like the way the card looks, then glue it down.

Third, each piece is small! You don’t spend a lot of time filling big spaces, and you can do several in a busy afternoon.

Fourth, it is easy to share your art with friends! After pressing it flat under books and protecting it with a spray of Kamar varnish (another expense, but one can lasts practically forever), just put a postcard stamp and a cheery note on your masterpiece and send it off.

Since the back of the postcard won’t match whatever you put on the front, you can glue plain paper to the back. I re-use the insides of envelopes, seen here being glued onto the back of the postcard. It gets trimmed to fit afterward.

And the best thing about this portable, inexpensive art form is that it can be made especially for the friend it is going to. Sweet flowers for Mae, a giraffe for Ruthie, or a beautiful butterfly mutant for Richard. It’s all for you to decide.

Have fun and send me a card!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear PeeVee

Dear Liza,

Today I am writing about our dear friend Pat van Noy, whom we call Peevee. It is her birthday!

I met Peevee about 20 years ago when she came to University Park Elementary School as a reading coach. She had taught in her own classroom for years, and, one last day of school, she decided to quit. She took a few years off, discovered she missed the kids, and came back to work part time.

We got to be friends and had so much fun together we just kept getting together. I met her son John, who has a different last name, working for a service group in town.

“You teach at University Park?” He asked. “You must know my Mom!”

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“Pat van Noy.” He answered.

I was so pleased. “She’s my favorite old broad!”

“Mine, too.” He said, and we got to be friends, as well.

She came to parties at our house and got to know Auntie Bridgett, Grandpa Nelson, and, of course, Harold the Stufftie. When we traveled to France and sent emails to friends, Peevee printed them all out and put them in a three ring binder for us to keep. It was so thoughtful! Because of her, we can re-visit our first impressions of Europe way back in 2008.

And Liza, when you got born and were big enough to visit, she got to know you, too.

Happy birthday, Peeves! I wish I could celebrate with you.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Other Parade

Dear Liza,

I have said before that one of my favorite things about living in a big city like Portland is watching the PEOPLE. The pandemic stole this from us for two years as we all stayed inside and avoided….. people.

Happily, our time at the Grand Floral Parade has begun to mend this gap with humanity. All sorts of wonderful folks were out enjoying the day.

Most of these were folks like us, visitors to the Parade. They made their own parade of kids, dogs, moms, and dads. We smiled at each other, chatted about the weather, petted the dogs and waved to the babies.

Just being able to watch kids play was good for my soul.

Other folks had a mission besides the parade. Several ladies were out circulating petitions to pass legislation to reduce gun violence. We signed, of course, and thanks them foe their work.

This fellow was out encouraging people to find peace in his way, politely handing out Bible verses.

All of them (even us!) were part of this other parade of humanity out and about. And I am glad for it.

Love,

Grandma Judy