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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
The day before Thanksgiving, Grandpa Nelson and I went downtown. We always enjoy seeing the busy city, even when the weather is grey and damp.
This time of year, all the trees are getting some sort of decoration, getting ready for Christmas. Some trunks are wrapped with lights, but this one in the South Park blocks had these lighted dingle bangles hanging from it.
Further down on the Park blocks we passed one of my favorite places, the Portland Art Museum. It is an old building, and has been expanded and added onto many times for nearly a hundred years. Its current construction is two buildings being joined together across the courtyard. I leaned through the fence to get a view of the work.
Once the two buildings are joined, (where the Black Lives Matter sign is,) you will be able to easily get from one section of the museum to another. The downside is that lovely tree behind the gap won’t be visible from this side.
Finally, we got to the reason for our trip downtown. Grandpa Nelson had another appointment with Janna for physical therapy, and she showed him some more exercises to make his back and abdomen muscles stronger.
After wandering around some more and enjoying yummy Sesame Donuts, we caught the Magic 15 bus back home for a well deserved rest.
Our weather has gotten cold! We are looking at 41 F in the mornings, getting up to a still-chilly 53 F. The sunshine keeps it pleasant, but I am wearing three layers most days.
I love this time of year for many reasons, though. The time change and shorter winter days makes sunset-watching practical during after-dinner walks.
The trees are letting their leaves down, and people are very busy raking them up! Portland city has huge scoopers and trucks to come fetch the leaves, but you have to get them into the street. Yesterday, our neighbor April was out getting her exercise.
In Laurelhurst Park, families were making the most of the season. A girl and her mom were choosing just the prettiest leaves for table decorations. Mom had her hands full and said, “Are we going to be able to use all these?”
The girl said, “We can’t put them back! They’re all so pretty!”
Dear Liza 