Category: Uncategorized

This Year’s Halloween Movies

Dear Liza,

This year, Auntie Bridgett gave herself a challenge. She would watch a Halloween movie every evening of October and draw a cartoon of it. Lucky for me, we like the same kinds of movies!

Here is our list so far, and a few of her delightful drawings.

Bell, Book and Candle
Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (with Frederick March… we couldn’t finish it. Ick.)
Boxtrolls
Young Frankenstein
Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Hotel Transylvania 1,2,3 and 4 (First is the best!)
Arsenic and Old Lace
Nightmare before Christmas (My first time, and I didn’t care for it.)

The Blob (with Steve McQueen)
Hocus Pocus 1 and 2
Paranorman
Dracula (the original)
Haunted mansion (NOT Eddie Murphy’s)
Skeleton dance (old Disney short)
Haunting in Venice
Frankenweenie
Blithe Spirit (with Rex Harrison and Margaret Rutherford!)
Ichabod and Mr. Toad
It’s the Great pumpkin, Charlie Brown

The animated Addams Family (2019)

Room on the Broom

Monster House

Oh no!! We have run out of October before we ran out of movies!!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Living the Tour of Untimely Departures

Dear Liza,

Well, I survived! Being a volunteer for the Friends of Lone FiR Cemetery’s Tour of Untimely Departures was the longest, most exhausting, and most rewarding days I have spent since my retirement from teaching.

During the set-up, my new-found friend volunteer Jennifer and I raked leaves from the ‘off-road’ routes for the North and South tours. Each tour is about a mile… so two miles for raking.

Here is Jennifer later, in her Tour Guide regalia. Isn’t she beautiful?

Then we set out the solar powered tiki torches that mark and illuminate each actor’s position. Two more miles. Then it was time to walk home for lunch, a change into costume, and a rest. Half a mile each way.

When I checked in for the Tour, J Swofford met the actors, tour guides and assorted helpers with pizzas, making sure we knew where to be and what to do. Folks practiced their lines and prepared for the long evening.


During the evening, I was a ghoul. This role calls for walking among the tours at a distance, keeping an eye out for stragglers and making sure actors have what they need. It allowed me to see the beautiful Line Fir Cemetery at sunset and twilight.

Part of my evening was spent at the Exit gate, directing people to the Entrance, answering questions, and stopping folks from sneaking in. Luckily, I had found a lovely stick, about six feet long, which became a handy, authority-lending staff.

At 10:00, when the last of the visitors had left and the exhausted actors headed off, I helped gather the luminaries and Auntie Bridgett and Grandpa Nelson came to walk me home.

Total miles walked: about 7

Hours worked: 8

Satisfaction level : 100%

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dressing for the Dead

Dear Liza,

I know you’ve always asked yourself, “What does one wear to spent a freezing Halloween night in a cemetery? Well, I will show you.

This weekend I volunteered at the Tour of Untimely Departures in Portland’s Lone Fir Cemetery. The skies were clear, but it was forecast to be in the low 40s…. So I knew I needed layers. Remember, these are not three separate outfits.
This was all on me at the same time.

Layer #1. Long underwear and wooly socks.

Layer #2. Turtleneck sweater and jeans over the underwear.

Layer #3. Victorian blouse, vest, and skirt. This is the ‘costume’ part. The watch cap will save my ears!

Final ghoulish layer #4. Shroud-ish scarf and heavy black gloves. The little shoulder bag held energy bars to keep me fed for the six hour shift! My heavy Portland boots finished things off and kept my twinkle-toes warm.

And doesn’t Bridgett’s artwork make my face scary?

See you in the cemetery!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Halloween Spooks in the Neighborhood

Dear Liza,

Our weather has gotten very wet and very cold this week, and the spooks just keep popping up! Every time we head out we see something new.

This house down the street that has always had cutesy-pie goblins must have a new tenant, because the vibe has changed quite a bit.

Or maybe it is the semi-nervous-breakdown our country seems to be having that is showing itself in the ghouls.

You know, like this guy trying to get out of his rut, or these poor souls who can’t find a place to get comfortable.

It is just a few days to Halloween, and I am sure enjoying the season…. Even if the decorations look….um… half dead…

Love,

Grandma Judy

Finishing the Dictionary

Dear Liza,

I have had a fun few months hunting up pictures and looking up words in my new Danish-English dictionary, and your illustrated Danish dictionary will soon be on its way to you.

The book is called “More than 140 words in Danish” and I made it using a sketchbook that Auntie Bridgett started but couldn’t use for her art, because the pages were too thin for watercolor. They were perfect, however, for my collage (that is, cut and paste) and colored pencil silliness.

There are sections for animals, foods, clothes, family, buildings, numbers, and lots of others. They aren’t perfectly organized, because this was an on-the-fly, make is as you go sort of project. If I had tried to keep all the pictures separate and glue them in later, it never would have gotten done.

Still, thanks to the J. Peterman catalogue, I got some cohesive pages on clothes and accessories.

And thanks to desktop printing, family photos become part of the lesson. Even the silly ones!

And, of course, some art from Cousin Kestrel.


Which looks remarkably like this PHOTO of Cousin Kestrel! Art imitates life, all the lifelong Day.

And today, I head off on the number 14 to the Post Office and send this off to you!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Going a Little Crazy (Quilt)

Dear Liza,

I started my first crazy quilt just about ten days ago, thinking I would work at it a little here and there. I should have known better!

Once I get started on a project, I find it impossible to let it just ‘sit there’. Unless pulled away, I work on it…. Not constantly, but consistently. At least until something more interesting else comes along.

I am experimenting with how much embroidery is ‘too much’. So far, I haven’t hit that point. I piece the blocks on the sewing machine in the afternoon, and embroider on the couch in the evenings. I use simple, non-floral stitches, because I like the geometry of them. Blanket stitch, French knots, and running stitches go quickly and are very satisfying.

In the last ten days I’ve gotten 36 , 7 inch blocks pieced and 20 of them embroidered, on my way to about 120 total. Each block will be 6 inches square, so the quilt should be 5 feet by 6 feet, good for snuggling on the couch.

I worked out the math, and if I piece three blocks a day, I can have that bit done in just under a month. But don’t hold your breath. This is a ‘just for me’, long term, do-when-I-want project. It might be done by New Years’, or not until 2025.

I’ll keep you posted!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Needing Some Peace

Dear Liza,

The world seems to have gotten more stressed-out lately. Wars in Ukraine and Israel, along with American politics getting more ego-driven than ever, made me set out for a long walk yesterday, to see some beauty and find some peace.

I walked through the lovely Laurelhurst neighborhood, ran smack against busy, noisy, Sandy Boulevard and wondered where to go next. The number 12 bus zoomed by and my problem was solved. The 12 goes to The Grotto! I waited just a few minutes and caught the next one.

After stopping at the Cameo Cafe for a quick lunch, I walked a few blocks to The Grotto and inhaled the peace and acceptance of the forest and gardens. I bought my senior-discounted token for the elevator to the gardens at the top of the bluff and said hello to some old friends.

Mt. St. Helens in the distance.

St. Francis, chatting with his animal friends.

Sunlight glowing through the changing leaves.

I must have sat on half a dozen benches, soaking up the autumn sunshine and the beauty of the gardens. And when I felt filled to the brim and ready to face the cockeyed world again, I came back down.

I can’t fix the whole world, but as my Dad said, I can help what I can reach. And today, that was me.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Farewell to Giants

Dear Liza,

Walking around Laurelhurst Park last evening, we came upon a sad sight.

This enormous pine tree had been cut down, sawn into sections, and pushed off the path. It was an official act, obviously, of the Portland Parks Department. I have to assume they did it for a good reason. Maybe the tree was leaning, or suffering from a disease, or in danger of falling.

Still, it makes me sad. I was able to count the rings and learned that this giant was about 90 years old. That is a long time to live and contribute to the beauty and life of a city, and I am grateful to have known it for a while.

We continued through the park, thinking about how quickly time slips away. The sunset over Firwood Lake was pink and perfect, for just a few minutes.

And very soon, the sun was down and the lights came on, making the park into a magical place.

It was time to head home.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dress Rehearsal

Dear Liza,

We are fast approaching Halloween, and the Lone Fir Cemetery’s Tour of Untimely Departures is coming soon! Saturday was our dress rehearsal, and it was a treat.

There aren’t any specific costumes required for the Tour guides, but some sort of old fashioned, mostly black formal wear seems to be most popular. There were 37 of the 60 participants at the rehearsal, and most in some level of costume. Everyone looked so good!

The day was very chilly and I realized I will need to use my long underwear under my skirt and blouse, because the real tour runs past sunset, and rain is likely next Saturday.

We got to see many of the actors in costume, telling their subjects’ stories of life and death. Jeff Cole did a wonderful job portraying Charles Schoppe, a police officer who was shot in the line of duty on the day before he was to retire from the force.

Janice Sellers portrayed Dr. Esther Pohl Lovejoy, the first woman to practice medicine in Oregon and head of the public health department. She fought for healthier milk and sanitation laws.

Dr. Lovejoy lived to a ripe old age; her “Untimely Departures” were her loved ones: her husband, son, and brother all died young.

I got home, cold and worn out, after just three hours of rehearsal. The day of the Tour, I’ll be on my feet for six hours! I’ll make sure to take snacks and rest in between tours.

I love adventure, but I’m no spring chicken.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Roses, Crows, and Finds

Dear Liza,

Auntie Bridgett and I went for a walk the other day, in between rain showers. We carried an umbrella just in case.

First, we ran into a yard sale being held by a young man who is moving to France. He had all sorts of wonderful things out, but we were at the beginning of a long walk and had to be picky.

Two scarves and a hand embroidered laundry kit from about the 1940s were tucked in my bag to be washed and used. A well-used paperback copy of “Pride and Prejudice” will go on my bedside table tonight.

We continued down the hill to Auntie Katie’s apartment to feed the cats while she is away at the New York City Comic Con. I took a picture of Sir Isaac Snooten to send to let her know her scaly friend is happy.

By then, we were hungry for lunch. We walked across the street to Virtuous Pie, which we have walked past dozens of times. They sell vegan pizzas with gluten-free options, so it was a new experience. It is not pizza-as-usual, but tasty, crunchy and healthy. The place is bright and open, and the pizza smelled so good!

It looked good, too, and was delicious! Pesto sauce, cashew mozzarella and tofu sausage on a thin crust… perfect.

We walked home through the East Rose garden in Ladd’s Addition, where the lovelies are having their second bloom. Even with grey skies, they were beautiful!

Bridgett had brought a small bag of kibble cat food that Mouse can’t eat because of her allergies, and we shared it as we went along. We got noticed by the local crows, who would swoop down and have a snack. You’re welcome, crows!

We got home just before it started sprinkling, having walked more than four miles. What a lovely day here in almost-rainy season Portland.

Love,

Grandma Judy