Uncategorized – Page 36

A Book for Jasper

Dear Liza,

It is hard, as a Grandma, to give gifts to teenagers, even those I know and love. Video games, music , and drumming are Jasper’s favorite things, and I know next to nothing about them.

So I’m making him a gift that is all about him. Literally.

I have culled and printed 60 photographs from his 14 years (so far) of life, put them in order, and written rhyming couplets to give the book some ‘bounce’.
For the two page spreads, the parts of the couplet aren’t always visible at the same time. But here is one where they are.

I made the book with directions from several books and Ruthie Inman, and I am pleased with it.

It is about 60 pages long and has taken about two weeks to get this far, working pretty obsessively.

I know it is wonky and some cuts are slightly askew. If I worried about them, I would never be able to make it at all. So wonky it is.

I am very pleased with this project, wonk and all. I hope Jasper will keep it for a while, returning it to me every now and then so I can continue his life story.

Love,

Grandma Judy

…. And Then, the Tree!

Dear Liza,

We have had our new Christmas tree, Lilly, in the house for more than a week now. We had dashed out before the atmospheric rivers hit to fetch her in nice and dry.

But life got busy and she didn’t get decorated until after dinner on Friday.

We put in the second of our Christmas movies (“Miracle on 34th Street” was first, of course) and got started. The beauty of “White Christmas” is not just the music and comedy, but that we know it so well we can enjoy it by ear.

So, as we listened to Bing, Danny, Rosemary and Vera sing and dance, we got to re-connect with some old friends.

Admiral Nelson and the Eiffel Tower remind us of our travels to England and France, letting us remember the joy of discovery.

Ornaments bought in small shops on Main Street remind us of our old friends in Salinas.

And our oldest ornaments remind me of my Momma, and decorating trees when I was little.

So, when is a tree more than a tree? When it is a collection of memories, old friends, and distant family, all set to music.

Love,

Grandma Judy

First Friday at SideStreet Arts

Dear Liza,

It’s been a while since we have visited SideStreet Arts, a local gallery where Auntie Bridgett shows her art. We stopped by Friday in our way to dinner and saw some lovely things set out for Christmas.

Ha Austin has made these adorable Christmas sweater tree ornaments.

Amelia Opie has added these dapper mice to her repertoire of painted animals. We already own three of her pieces that feature cats!

New member Jaclyn Evalds is displaying this delightfully soft vision of the rabbit in the moon, the South American take on the Man in the Moon.

And, if it is kitchen wares you need, check out this coffee mug by Michelle Briones. It is totally usable and food safe, but includes a fireplace and mantelpiece. Absolutely amazing!

Happy art! Happy shopping!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Neighbors Being Neighborly

Dear Liza,

While we were out getting our Christmas tree the other day, Lawrence, who runs the tree lot, let us adopt a bunch of the little branches that he trims off trees to let them fit into the Christmas tree stands.

We brought a whole bunch home and used them to make a small wreath and a nice wash of greenery around the new Yew tree in its pot.

We had branches left over, so Auntie Bridgett suggested that we offer them to Stacy across the way. “Sure!”, Stacy said, “put them by the doomed pumpkins on our porch.” After some discussion, Stacy said I could take her pumpkins and leave the branches.

Free food! Hooray!

So today I processed (roasted, then puréed) our two pumpkins and Stacy’s two, and made about five pounds of pumpkin puree. Some will wait in the freezer for a few weeks, I think.

The pumpkin puree is flavored with a little bit of honey, real butter, and fall-ish spices, and roasted for an hour and a half at 350 F. This evaporates a bunch of moisture and concentrates the sweetness. It is so easy, and makes good use of the giant fruit that a lot of people just throw away after Halloween.

So now I have some pumpkin butter to share with neighbors, thanks to neighbors being neighborly.

Ain’t life grand?

Love,

Grandma Judy

Downtown Past and Present

Dear Liza,

We went downtown yesterday for another physical therapy session for Grandpa Nelson. He is doing better with the exercises but still needs work, (like we all do.)

After 45 minutes of workout, we wanted some scenery, so we bundled up and headed out.

Walking around Portland is always a revelation. Look at this whimsical, brand- new mosaic applied to the side of a parking garage, of all places. It makes an otherwise boring brick wall something to notice and smile at.

More amazing details were on the next corner. The Scottish Rite Masonic Temple at the corner of Broadway and SW 15th was built in 1902. It is used for Masonic meetings and such (it is a sort-of secret society, so who knows?) . It also rents out rooms for offices.

And look at these lovely details! These naked ladies and deer running along look like the decorations put on fine Wedgewood China dishes.

Still further along, we found this, one of my favorite views in downtown Portland. Here you see a twenty story apartment building, built in the last five years or so, standing just behind the carriage house of Elliot Ladd’s old estate, built in 1883. Even though the newer building is a more efficient use of the property, I think I like the older one better. It’s kept in good condition because it was used for a fancy restaurant for years, and just recently closed.

And that’s what we saw yesterday.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Seasonal Overlaps

Dear Liza,

Sometimes there just isn’t time to put one season’s decorations away before the next one sneaks up on you! The months between Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (what I call decorating season) just run together, sometimes making for some interesting collections of things on the table.

The whipped cream that we bought for the Thanksgiving pies topped the first of this Christmas’s hot cocoa.

And Mouse, on her favorite lap, has some quality time with a Santa hat.

And now we just get to stroll through the season, shopping and cooking and visiting friends.

Happy Holidays!

Grandma Judy

A Good Start to the Holidays

Dear Liza,

Well, Auntie Bridgett got home from San Diego, and Christmas got a swift kick start.

First, Bridgett and I headed off to Portland Nursery to see what sort of potted trees they have that we could use as a small, year round, living tree. I was surprised at the variety of plants they had for sale, considering it has been near freezing at night.

Annie, at the front desk, gave us advice about the best tree for our shady front patio, and we chose a small yew that has a lovely Christmas tree shape and will grow slowly. Here it is on the porch as we were in the middle of arranging things.

Once we got that set up, it was time to go and fetch the BIG tree. We drove over to our regular tree lot and found Lilly, our 2023 tree. Like all our Christmas trees, she is from Molalla, just down the road.

We brought her up over the balcony and soon she was standing by the window, just waiting to get decorated.

As you can see, Mouse approves.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Seasons in the Garden

Dear Liza,

I’ve told you about the garden at Auntie Katie’s bookshop, Books with Pictures. It was created in the spring of 2022 by Katie and dozens of her friends out of an overgrown triangle just behind the shop.

A small backhoe, loads of topsoil and gravel, donated plants and months of faithful watering have created a wonderful oasis enjoyed by passers-by, Comic-con goers, readers, birds and bees.

And now this lovely spot is entering its second winter. The other evening, seeing it from the rooftop, I felt like a proud Garden Grandma. This little space has grown from dump to garden to welcoming haven, sunny in the daylight and glowing at night.

Once again, I am so grateful to be in a place where good people join together to make good things happen, and to be able to see them grow.

Love,

Grandma Judy

PS. Just to remind you, this is what it looked like this last July!

Jasper Turns 14

Dear Liza,

Sunday was Cousin Jasper’s birthday party, and it was like no other party I have ever been to.

Since the weather has been clear (but COLD) and there is a fine strong new roof on their building and new ladder going up to it, Jasper decided that he wanted the party on the roof. At night. With video games.

Of course, there were logistical issues. Just getting the screen, digital projector and all the cords and lights up the ladder and through the hole onto the roof was a huge job. But to seat 6 kids comfortably took every pillow and blanket in the house, including the sofa cushions. Most of this got done before I even arrived. I was totally impressed.

As the sun went down, the views became even more beautiful. Unfortunately, it became clear that the projector screen was catching too much wind and was not going to be practical. Jasper paced and thought a minute, and decided that his smaller, heavier flat screen monitor would work.

So, screen folded and taken down, monitor carried up. Lots of tricky balancing and figuring out as we went along. Problem solved.

As the guests arrived, well- prepared for the chilly party, things went from slightly stressed to happy and smooth.

Guests helped carry the last bits up or down. Everyone shared the controllers for the games, kids brought out spare chargers.It was wonderful.

Dinner delivery paused the game as Pizza, cupcakes, and soda fueled everyone and made for happy, chatty middle school conversations inside.

While the kids were eating, I needed to head off with Grandpa Nelson for shopping and such, but Auntie Katie sent me pictures that show everyone returning to the roof for more Tetris.

This was my first roof-top party at Katie’s, but I have a feeling it won’t be the last. The next one should even be warm… Kestrel’s birthday is in July!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Thanksgiving Day

Dear Liza,

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, a day for food and togetherness and family. We had lovely dinner here in Portland with Auntie Katie, the cousins, and Katie’s bestie Douglas. Auntie Bridgett is in San Diego with her family, and had her own holiday.

There was cheese and salami and crackers before dinner.

Then there was actual Turkey, bread Turkey, veggies, tofu, and cranberry sauce for dinner. We all ate just a tad tooooo much, I think.

Once the leftovers were put away, most of us headed to Laurelhurst park for a walk about. Kestrel found a great wizard’s staff, and Auntie found an even BIGGER branch. The shape was amazing and most of the bark was gone, leaving a smooth surface. They both came home and will be used somewhere interesting, I am sure.

Back at the house, we ate pie Douglas’s cranberry apple crisp, Katie’s sweet potato and pumpkin pies, and my apple crisp. Jasper had some pie, and then discovered that whipped cream is even good on snickerdoodles! We were still full from dinner, but they were all so good!

Then the ukuleles came out and the music started. Douglas and Katie sing so well together, it was a joy to be entertained. Cousin Jasper used his drumsticks in Grandpa Nelson’s muted bongos when drums were needed. Then Mouse the cat got some snuggles from her favorite girl.

As the energy began to lag, we pulled “The Thin Man” from the cupboard to introduce the kids to the wonders of William Powell and Myrna Loy. It was a fashionable, witty, delightful end to the day.

Katie packed pies, cheeses and those huge sticks into the car (“Cool Mom problems”, Jasper teased) and headed off to decorate her bookshop for the first big holiday shopping day of the year, Black Friday. She didn’t get to bed until after midnight, exhausted but happy.

I hope your day was lovely as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Grandma Judy