Judy – Page 68 – Dear Liza

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

Staying Healthy

Dear Liza,

On my birthday later this month, I will turn 66 years old. I am healthy, and want to stay that way so I can have more adventures and watch as you and your cousins grow into your own.

At a recent doctor’s visit, I found out my cholesterol is “marginally high” at 137 when it should be closer to 99. My blood glucose (sugar) is also high. My dad, your great-grandpa Lowell, had heart trouble and diabetes, so this runs in the family. But there are lots of things I can do to stay healthy longer.

Cholesterol is a natural compound in people’s blood. Some is necessary and natural, but too much is bad for your heart and blood circulation system. So it’s good to keep it low.

Toward this end, I have made some changes to my diet. Meats like beef and lamb have the type of fats that raise cholesterol, so I am avoiding them even more than before.

To make sure we still get enough protein, we are having fish two or three times a week in the form of canned tuna, poke (from Sea Sweets down on Hawthorne) or salmon. We are also including more beans, tofu and vegetables into our diet.

We have always enjoyed oatmeal for breakfast because it is filling, tasty (with cinnamon and raisins) and warm. Now that we know how good it is for our hearts, we appreciate it with desserts, as well. Crisps and fruit desserts with a dollop of sweetened low-fat yogurt on top are tasty and less likely to kill me. This is a good thing.

I was surprised to learn that our beloved French Press coffee has been working against me. Unfiltered coffee makes cholesterol higher! Who knew?

So I have started pouring mine through a paper filter every morning. It just takes a few minutes and doesn’t change the taste, and I know I’m helping my health.

Speaking of coffee, I have started having a cup of herbal tea during the day when my body wants a snack. This keeps junk food out of my system and keeps me hydrated and full.

And when I want a snack after dinner, I have some of Grandpa Nelson’s popcorn. He makes it in his popper, with just olive oil and a tiny bit of salt. It is whole grain, low fat, and delicious.

And of course, we exercise. When it is too chilly or wet to go out for a walk, Auntie Bridgett and I put on bouncy music and jog or dance like lunatics around the house. It is fun and gets our hearts pumping!

These are the ways I am working to stay healthy and happy.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Portland Oddities

Dear Liza,

After two sunny weeks of very unusual weather, we are back to the usual… rain, wind and cold. This is going to push my garden work back a week or so. But that’s okay, I have lots to keep me busy.

For this blog, I want to share some things I have found around town that are different, quirky, or just plain cool.

This beautiful pathway in a front garden is a combination of climate, pavers, and lots of time. The patterned concrete bricks were laid down flat to give traction on the gentle slope, where it can get slippery with our rains. To me, it looks almost like a green, fuzzy, stained glass window.

Here is another thing that is perfectly Portland. In this tiny free library down on Salmon Street, a box of Corn Flakes rests next to the books, ready to be taken by anyone who needs it. These little libraries are managed by the people who install them, who make sure they are stocked and kept in good condition.

While graffiti can be a nuisance in some places, these added words and letters on an electrical box in Laurelhurst Park made me smile. Delighting in my memories, and making new ones, is how I like to spend my time.

I hope you had a good day, and sleep well to have another one tomorrow.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Another Kind of Art Journal

Dear Liza,

Ruthie Inman has done it again, showing me a new way to make an art journal.

This one starts with an old magazine. Since magazines have really thin, cheap paper, you spread glue (or Mod Podge) and fold each page over on itself to give you a thicker page to work on.

I started with the cover, using a Payne’s Grey craft paint and some silver sparkly paint. Then I slathered craft paint over the pages, making sure to let each one dry before pressing the whole thing flat under a pile of books. This step took a few days.

But what sort of art should be in this journal? At another suggestion from Ruthie, I started using the idea of “The Exquisite Corpse”, a drawing game Cousin Kestrel taught me, to play with a new kind of collage.

Cutting different people, animals and things from magazines, I join them together to make some pretty cool Exquisite Corpse style images.

Is there no end to the nonsense I can get into with art supplies? I sure hope not!

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Visit to Books with Pictures

Dear Liza,

This weekend Auntie Bridgett and I walked down to Auntie Katie’s bookshop, Books with Pictures. Her shop was full of happy, comic-loving, mask-wearing people!

We got to find some books by artists and authors we knew and see the new decor.

We had gone to visit for her a reason, though.

The lovely mural on the side of her store got tagged with graffiti last weekend. Auntie Bridgett wanted to see if she could help repair it.

There are several reasons this is going to be difficult. The mural was painted way back in 1997, so the paint has faded and will be very hard to match. People in the neighborhood LOVE it, so you want to do a really good job. Also, the surface of the wall has cracked in a few places and needs to be mended. More immediately, our weather is predicted to be too wet and cold to paint for the next two weeks.

After Katie and Bridgett figured out what the next steps will be, we headed home. As we walked past the back of the shop, we noticed the new shed Katie has had installed to hold the supplies for the new food trucks, which are hopefully coming in spring.

It was a great visit, and we had a nice piece of carrot cake and cup of tea at Palio, right in the Ladd’s Addition, before catching the number 14 home.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Wallflower Coffee

Dear Liza,

There is a new coffee shop down at 34th and Division, called Wallflower Coffee, and they had their very grand Grand Opening on Sunday. It was a chilly day and rain was predicted, but we tucked the umbrellas in our bags and headed off.

The place was jumping when we got there! Sethy Jones, the pianist-for-hire, was playing a bouncing catalogue of Beatles, Elton John, and other “oldies”, which made the place feel like a party.

The small shop was crowded, but standing people and servers were wearing masks, and they made beautiful lattes.

Still, it felt weird being in a closed space with so many people we don’t know.

Grandpa Nelson especially hates crowds and found a small table in the foyer of the building next door where we could enjoy our coffees and chai out of the crowd, but still hear the music. As is usual for new places in Portland, the coffee was more lightly roasted than we like, but it was well-brewed. Lighter roasted beans give a more caffeinated coffee but also taste a bit sour.

We enjoyed our drinks in the cluttered but nicely decorated foyer and people-watched for quite a while. Feeling refreshed, we headed back home (in the rain)

Wallflower Coffee
New SE Portland coffee shops
Seth Jones
Covid precautions
D. St. Village
Safeway grocery store

by way of Safeway to do the shopping, then dinner, then a ZOOM visit with you.

Love,

Grandma Judy