Judy – Page 66 – Dear Liza

Lots to See in the Neighborhood

Dear Liza,

Spring weather is here! The flowers are popping, birds are singing, and the days alternate between sun and showers.

On a walk through the neighborhood to Collage Art Supplies, we saw our first tulips, hanging out with their friends hyacinths and daffodils

Down in SE Division Street, the employees of our favorite vintage shop, Artifact, are protesting unfair promotion practices and pay. We waved in support of the protesters and will shop elsewhere until the management figures out how to treat its staff better.

Grandpa Nelson was very patient while I picked out my birthday presents, two jars of Mod Podge, two pencil sharpeners and some Liquitex acrylics, which will fill in some gaps in my art cupboard. Then we walked to The Daily Dose coffee shop for a pick-me-up. Nicole Little’s art on their walls was intricate and colorful, showing real skill with a bandsaw and showing the peace sign from my childhood.

Heading back home, we ran into a free roaming duck and chicken, wandering up 32nd Street.

And just to put the SPRING stamp on the day, we saw our first tulip tree blooming! This variety of Magnolia, which popular here in Portland, is not as bulky as those I knew in Salinas. I like them so much better!

Have a great day!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Spring Confetti

Dear Liza,

In between the rains, we had one spectacular, sunny day. The trees looked like they were dressed up for a party because of their bright colors.

Pink cherry blossoms, yellow forsythia, and white plums are not just blooming above, but dropping lovely confetti on the sidewalks.

And knowing that the storms we have coming are going to blow these petals all away make us love them even more.

They say “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Right now, we seem to be going back and forth between lions and lambs about every three days.

Happy Spring!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Terracing the Allotment

Dear Liza,

Saturday morning was our last sunny day for a week, and I headed out for a walk around the park to enjoy it. But on the way, I got distracted.

Bill lives right next door to my allotment in the Blair Community Garden and had put out some old cedar fencing to give away. As we chatted, I realized that they were exactly the right size for the terraces I had been thinking about for my garden. With Bill’s blessing, I picked up four and, abandoning the park, set to work.

Fetching a small trowel from the shed to save my hands, I started in.

I knew right where to dig. These terraces will make flat areas within my sloping plot, making it easier to water properly.

I folded up two burlap sacks to use for narrow pathways for when things start getting Big and Green, with the lavender and cat mint sitting pretty to show me where things can fit in between.

The rain started after I got home, and it is supposed to continue for several days. I’m glad I got this piece of hardscaping done. Now, once the rain lets up, I can put seedlings and seeds in and get this growing season really popping!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Restoring the Mural

Dear Liza,

A few weeks ago, I told you about the mural at Auntie Katie’s comic shop, Books with Pictures. The mural, which was painted in 1997, had recently been tagged with ugly graffiti.

Fortunately, art is Auntie Bridgett’s super power. The first day it was warm enough to paint, she gathered her supplies, and we headed over.

She used a combination of Liquitex acrylics and house paint to mix just the right shades to cover the graffiti while keeping the picture looking great.

While Bridgett was mixing and painting, I went around the building to see local artist Alex Chiu working on a different mural on the new shed by where two new food trucks will be. He has finished the background, and will come back next week to add a painting of kids, comics and whimsical animals.

I visited Cousin Kestrel upstairs for a while, then went back down to see Bridgett’s progress.

I was amazed! In just a few hours, Bridgett had managed to cover most of the graffiti and the mural was looking almost back to its beautiful self.

But it was time to go home for today. We are expecting rain for the next few days, and we will go back to finish it up when the weather clears. I am so happy that Bridgett has been able to save this neighborhood landmark.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Blinding, Freezing Days

Dear Liza,

After staying inside for two whole days because it was just too cold to go for a walk, I bundled up and made it as far as the park. The temperature has been below freezing at night and never above 40 for days, but the sky has been blinding bright.

It is a crazy, bright, beautiful combination.

Of course, all the sunshine is encouraging new spring flowers.

Hyacinths grow just a few inches high, but camellias are budding way above my head!

There are some I don’t even know the names of, but they sure are going to town!

Once I got to Laurelhurst Park, I found a bench in the sun and enjoyed watching the people parade go by. Of course, it was still cold, but I was determined to soak up the sun. I lasted almost half an hour before I needed to get back inside.

I hope your weather is pretty and pleasant.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Finding an Old Friend at Palio

Dear Liza,

I have told you about Palio, the coffee and dessert shop on the Circle in Ladd’s Addition. It is close to Auntie Katie’s place and we often stop there on the way to or from.

The other day, Auntie Bridgett and I went down to leave a present and evaluate the mural that needs repair. Both errands went well, and we celebrated with tea, coffee and a croissant at Palio. We sat in a part of the cafe I’d never been in.

There was interesting art on the walls, and this fabulous old book on the shelf. It is a leather bound 1932 anthology of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poetry. I first met Longfellow in college in 1976, where I was told his poetry was trite, preachy and old fashioned.

Yes, he did live a long time ago. He was born just after 1800, and his poetry style fit the time. And he has his flaws. His “Song of Hiawatha” stomps over 130 pages without a chuckle and “Paul Revere’s Ride” is historically inaccurate.

He didn’t start writing poetry until he was in his late forties, after his first wife died in childbirth. Twelve years later, his second wife died when her dress caught fire. These losses made him thoughtful, and in some of his poems, he seems to be trying to convince himself that life, after all, is good.

I re-discovered my first Longfellow poem, “A Psalm of Life” in this book.

The rhyme scheme is rock solid and the tone a bit didactic, but I like it better than my professor thought I should.

“Dust thou art, to dust returneth, was not spoken of the soul.” Knowing that he lost the two loves of his life to tragic deaths, I can understand why he needed to convince himself that the immortal souls of his loves were intact in Heaven.

My Momma, your great grandma Billie, had grown up reading Longfellow and knew ”The Village Blacksmith” by heart. This next bit would come out of nowhere when things weren’t going well. It’s the third stanza of ”The Rainy Day”.

When we had enjoyed our snack, I gently patted the book and put it back. I’m sure I will visit it again. It is a relic of our American past, a walking, rhyming encyclopedia of the way we were. And sometimes, that’s just what I want.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Changeable Spring Weather

Dear Liza,

I have been writing about the weather but every time I write about it, it changes!

Last week, I wrote a nice blog about how blindingly clear and freezing cold it was. Then the weather changed. It was rainy and chilly. So now I will just tell the truth.

The weather in Portland is currently… well, changeable.

When we headed out for the zoo, it was pretty and clear. We visited the eagle under grey clouds and the lions under real rain.

On the way home there was grey clouds ahead of the bus and at the same moment, beautiful sunlit clouds behind us. These three photos were taken within three hours of each other!
It never gets boring, anyway.

Love,

Grandma Judy

And the Planting Madness Begins…

Dear Liza,

On Monday, our weather is predicted to get above, and stay above, freezing. That means it’s time to start planting!

First, I watered the peat pots from Portland Nursery and planted zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds. They are sitting in the sunniest window in the house and should be ready to transplant in a few weeks.

I went up to the Blair Community Garden and worked on the soil a bit, breaking up the clumps. This will be an ongoing project as the soil dries out enough to crumble.

Then, using what I learned last summer, I laid out the hardscaping for my vegetable garden. Tomatoes, pumpkin and squash will be on the side that gets the most sun, and the lettuces, radishes and carrots will be in the partly shady bit.

Pumpkins and zucchini will be planted by the ladder for support off the ground, and the cucumbers can use the slanted trellis. Tomatoes will have five cages to climb up.

The next day, I did my ’service’ hours, weeding, then laying burlap and bark mulch down on the pathways. This keeps them from getting muddy and makes everything look fresh.

This is going to be a busy summer… once it starts.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Art of the Zoo

Dear Liza,

I have showed you a lot about the art AT our zoo. Jim Gion’s lions and statues of Charles Darwin make our visits more fun.

But besides putting art in the zoo, there is also an art to creating a beautiful zoo.

So many of these are missed in a hurried dash from enclosure to enclosure, so this past visit I made a conscious effort to stop and notice these wonderful touches.

In the Africa area, there are these delightful carvings set into the planters. These let you know what animals are coming up, and give a nice rustic feel to the area.

When artfully designing a zoo, it is good to understand the climate. This fabulous moss covered wall leading down into the gorge of the Pacific Northwest area is nice all year round, but positively blooms in the spring! The moss feels like velvet and I love to walk slowly, letting my fingers enjoy the texture.

These wonderful lichens grow by the giraffes, and add to the visual interest of the planters. It is so prehistoric looking and unexpected, it really stands out.

And growing right next to the unusual lichen were these tiny, fuzzy purple flowers. They were as delicate and pretty as the lichen were weird and unworldly.

Chuckles are always good at a zoo, too. Kids want to learn about the animals, but have fun, too. This interactive chart uses funny words to let kids know that red pandas sleep A LOT, all day. Napping, resting, dozing, and dreaming are how these fluffy critters spend their time.

I hope we get to visit the zoo when you come up to visit!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Predatory Beauty

Dear Liza,

It was a nice rainy day Thursday, and Grandpa Nelson and I went to the zoo. On really warm days, or weekends, it can be crowded. We like it better with more animals than people.

On this visit we had some real quality time with the apex predators, the lions and eagles. In the Pacific Northwest Forest zone, the big bald eagle had come right down to the edge of the river where the salmon and sturgeon are, and seemed to be eyeing them for lunch.

I loved the way the forest and eagle were reflected in the calm water.

Over in the Africa section, the whole pride of lions was out on the rocks, enjoying the cool, wet weather. Looking at them through the rain and mist, it was easy to imagine myself watching them on the African savanna, some early morning.

I saw a lot of other lovely things at the zoo, but I will save them for another day.

Love,

Grandma Judy