Happy Birthday to Me

Dear Liza,

Last week was my birthday. The celebration was spread out over a few days, which is always nicer than one, fat, overwhelming day.

Sunday, we headed to the Kennedy School for dinner at the Boiler Room and a St. Patrick’s Day concert of traditional Irish music by Katie Jane. Besides being a fine musician and singer, she is a local music teacher, and many of her students were in the concert. It was raucous and delightful.

On Monday, Grandpa Nelson and I had a long walk to Ladd’s Addition, where I introduced him to Floyd’s Coffee Bar. We had delicious snacks and coffee and enjoyed the people watching. We also took a cookie to Auntie Katie, who gave us a ride home on her way to fetch Kestrel from school.

My actual birthday started off with a text from your Daddy, since Denmark is hours ahead of us. Such a nice surprise!

After breakfast, I opened my presents. Auntie Bridgett and Grandpa gave me books on Sister Corita Kent, an artist and nun whose “Ten Rules” have inspired me to keep doing art. Donna, Auntie Bridgett’s mom, send me a big package of embroidery floss to replace all the floss I’ve used up in the crazy quilt.

Once the sun came up, the weather was so bright that I wanted to be out in it! We had a Nutella and cracker picnic at Laurelhurst Park and played the first badminton game of the year.

Our form wasn’t great, but we sure had fun!

At dinner, it was time for pizza at Straight from New York, down on Belmont. We walked across the street to Belmont’s Inn for pinball. Our new favorite game is Medieval Madness. It is amazing how much fun can be had for six dollars’ worth of quarters.

Turning 68 isn’t so bad when you have the right folks to celebrate with.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Naming the New Trees

Dear Liza,

The city of Portland has planted over a dozen new trees in Laurelhurst Park, just a few blocks from us. These are to replace trees that have fallen in the last few years, victims of storms, heavy winds, and in some cases, just old age.

As we get to know the new trees, we entertain ourselves by giving them names and backstories.

For example, the three Katsuras along the path by the Pine Street entrance are named for The Three Caballeros; Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Chevy Chase. They lead right up to Ken the oak tree, who is now called Just Ken.

A well-established tree that we have admired for years has been given the name Mama Rose, after the main character in the play “Gypsy”. She is strong, a flamboyant pink, and always the first to bloom.

A new Douglas fir by the Wallosaurus (a stone wall with a spiky top) along Cesar Chavez Boulevard has been given the named Dougasaurus, for obvious reasons.

A new Dove tree, a variety of dogwood, will go by the name Dove, to honor my friend Dove, a strong and wonderful educator, mother, and supporter of the world. Dove is planted overlooking Firwood Lake.

A new Linden tree will go by Hal, for Hal Linden, the actor and star of the old Barney Miller tv series, who is amazingly still with us in his 90’s. His character was always kind in an often unkind world. He made me smile.

Artful Dodger, a new tree by our old friend Oliver, is planted in the Cesar Chavez/Ankeny corner. He was named so that these two Charles Dickens characters will always be together.

So now, when I go to the park, it’s like visiting friends!

Love,

Grandma Judy

This Year’s Garden Journal

Dear Liza,

Since there is a garden, there must be a garden journal. For a few years, I made mine from scratch, delighting in learning a new process. Last year, I re-used a found day planner. This year, I looked in the box of books that we are giving away.

I found a book I bought years ago, called “Film Listography,” by Lisa Nola and Jon Stich. I enjoyed it very much, but I haven’t touched the book in about ten years, so I was ready to re-use it. To start the transformation of the cover, I laid down a leafy page from a magazine, then dabbed on some acrylic paint.

This softened the colors so they would be a background for the words. I love how they look all summery together! (And the bugs add a teensy creep factor).

For the back cover, a page from the PAM magazine and a holiday napkin from Ruthie Inman go together for a proper autumnal ending to the book. I used a technique Ruthie taught me to get a nice soft edge on the napkin image. It’s just a little water and a gentle tug.

It still looked a bit empty, so I hunted up a gardening quote I like and gave it the “ransom note” treatment. I added few more flowers and a bit of paint. You think maybe it’s too much?


But I made it for me, and I like it!

Inside the journal, there will be some decisions everyday about how to manipulate the interesting images that are already in the book and include my own news and art. I can’t show you much of the unaltered art, because of the “no use without written permission” rule.

I am really looking forward to a garden-filled, artsy summer.

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Art of Figuring Things Out Part 3

Dear Liza,

Some things take longer to figure out than others. The last time I worked on the stacking hearts paper sculpture, inspired by Ruthie Inman, was March 7.

I laid some colored paper on it, and it wasn’t turning out like I wanted. I got to what Auntie Bridgett calls The Picasso Stage, where you sort of hate your project. I set it aside to work on the Crazy Quilt, work in the garden, and make pies for Pi Day.

By Saturday, I had some time to spend and hated the project less. I added some acrylic paint, then some sparkly papers, then ink, then more paint. I started stacking them while on a zoom call with you and your Dad.

And by the end of the day, I had the hearts the way I wanted, and even had a solid base for them to stand on. I got the Elmer’s Glue out and stacked them up!

When it was dry and strong, I gave it all a shiny coat of high gloss medium and varnish.

I like that this piece has a front and a back, and that it stands all by itself. I like a lot of things about it. Still, I know I can make a better one, and maybe I will sometime.

But for now, here are my Stacking Hearts. Eight inches by five by three, light as a feather and finally done.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Springtime in the Hundred Acre Wood

Dear Liza,

Last summer, I transplanted a Japanese maple seedling from a local flower bed into my bonsai forest, which I call the Hundred Acre Wood. I named it Mr. Naito after a local businessman.

I have been wondering how this tiny tree had made it through the winter. Even with getting protective draping during the coldest nights, baby trees have a lot to deal with. Would he make it to see a second summer?

The rest of the bonsai is doing well. The juniper is bushy and the larch has little Muppet-like tufts popping out. Mr. Naito seemed late.

But one bright morning, after five days of warm temperatures, he has woken up! See? The tiny bud at his top is showing a bit of green and looking promising.

I will keep you posted as to his progress.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Just a Bit More Sun

Dear Liza,

Even though official spring isn’t here yet, we have had sunny after-dinner walks for a week now.

The tulip trees are opening up their fuzzy catkins and sparkling against the blue sky.

Cherry blossoms are smiling down on us, and these ‘what ever they are’ giant white fluff balls are just adorable.

Everyone is out and about, walking their dogs, chatting with friends, and squinting in the bright sunshine. We even had dinner at Franks-a-lot up on Burnside, and sat outside to fully enjoy the evening.

We take the weather as it comes, but boy, I do love the sunshine!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Celebrating Pi Day

Dear Liza,

You know about Pi Day, I am sure. Since the irrational number Pi starts with 3.14, Pi Day is the 14th day of the third month, as it is written in the U.S., 3/14.

Since Auntie Bridgett is staying away from gluten and I have never made a tasty gluten-free pie crust, I made her blueberry tarts with a walnut and filbert crust. Ground nuts mixed with some sugar, melted butter, and an egg white. The Cuisinart comes in handy.

Remembering to lay little parchment paper slings in first, (they make unpanning a lot easier) I pressed the nutty crust mixture into the muffin tins. Wet fingers are less likely to stick, and it all went smoothly. The nutty crusts get parbaked for 10 minutes at 325 F.

The filling is even easier. Two cups frozen blueberries, corn starch, salt, and a bit of sugar get heated over medium heat until it thickens, then it gets spooned into the crusts and baked another ten minutes.

Not a traditional pie, to be sure, but tasty!

Love,

Grandma Judy

First Day in the Garden

Dear Liza,

Don’t worry, I’m not planting any veggies yet! But this week is going to be bright and cool (rather than cloudy and cold), and I just couldn’t stay out of the dirt.

I unfolded my red wagon, loaded up three tubs of ground up egg shells, put on my grubbiest clothes, and headed off. First, I pulled the protective burlap off and laid it down in the path between my plot and Melanie’s.

The pitchfork from the shed came in handy for opening up the clumps so they can dry out a bit, because it has less of a chance of chopping the sleepy worms in two. I tossed some leftover manure from last fall and the eggshell powder and shifted it around.

It will need more turning as the soil dries, but this first step is important.

I am so pleased to be getting out in the garden, and can’t wait until the spring really arrives so I can put some lettuces, tomatoes and zucchini in the ground.

Love,

Grandma Judy

To Bead or Not to Bead

Dear Liza,

The Crazy Quilt’s top is almost done! It has been pieced and embroidered and just about ready for the back and batting…..

Or is it? Is there anything else I could add? I don’t much care for lace or ribbon…. But beads could work! I found some on sale a few weeks ago at I’ve Been Framed, watched a few YouTube videos, and decided to give it a try.

Mostly ignoring the advice of the videos, I used three strands of embroidery floss to attach the beads rather than a special thread. The rest of the embroidery is done with it, so it all goes together.

Beading is very fiddly and fussy. The needle is thin, extremely flexible, and sharp AT BOTH ENDS. The beads themselves are always trying to skitter away and escape. But once my fingers got used to it, it got easier.

I made a straight row of beads, which felt very heavy. A row of blanket stitches with a bead on each stitch looked better.

I finally decided to just put a bead in the middle of all the little flowers, a sprinkle, rather than a flood. I like how it looks!



So now I am ready (after five months of work) to put the quilt sandwich together. I’ll tell you about that when it happens.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Another Fine False Spring Day

Dear Liza,

Spring hasn’t really come to Portland yet, but last week we had a perfect day. Sunny enough to make sharp shadows, warm enough to be out in but cool enough appreciate going inside, and full of things to do.

First, Auntie Bridgett and I headed north to Bolt Fabrics to get some backing fabric for the Crazy Quilt. We were early, we stopped in at New Seasons for some bee pollen and horseradish. We walked around Alberta Street, looking in windows and seeing what was going on.

We saw some happy folks painting new trim on a store that will open soon called “Golden Pliers Bicycle Repair.” I love to see new businesses opening up!

The murals of Alberta are always beautiful, but the sunshine really makes them smile.

When Bolt opened, we hunted around for the right color to back the super-busy super-colorful crazy quilt. Our friend Cynthia joined us and added her ideas. Black? Too strong. Bronze? Not enough. How about this purple?

Perfect! It will get washed and ready for the quilt very soon.

We headed to The Great North for a snack, but they had nary a chair available. Cynthia suggested “Just Bob”, down the street. It was stunningly friendly, funky, and comfortable.

A delightfully retro mix of chairs and sofas had room for us, with chai and coffee and even a light lunch for me. We chatted and ogled all the decor.

“Bob” seems to be a unicorn, and his likeness was everywhere. Small statues and figurines filled every shelf, and Bob the unicorn had been added to several old landscape paintings.

After our snack and seeing Cynthia home, the day just kept being busy.

I met MJ at the Blair Community Garden to do some early spring weeding. The Lesser Celestines are invading the parkway outside the garden gate, and need to come out with all their roots, so they will stay gone.

An hour and a half later, I was done, done, done. Home for a rest and a chat with Grandpa Nelson, who had been out walking in all the pretty weather and was home to crash, as well.

And after a nice dinner at Ankeny Tap and Table, we watched a very silly Alfred Hitchcock movie and fell happily asleep.

I’m glad I had this perfect sunny day…. Next week we get more winter!

Love,

Grandma Judy