Washing Harold

Dear Liza,

Our stufftie buddy Harold has had a busy life down in San Diego. He has been an emotional support stufftie for Madi, who is just your age and has needed lots of hugs. He has been to sleep-overs and out on bike rides through the neighborhood.

It was time for a bath. The problem is, Harold’s body is made of a knitted chenille fabric which has gotten very threadbare over the years, and we were afraid the usual washing techniques might be too much for him. So washing machine, or even hand-washing, were out.

He got baking soda. Put in a bag, sprinkled with baking soda and shaken gently, Harold looked, for a while, like a dusty snowman. I took him out on the balcony to shake him off so I didn’t make drifts in the house.

He was much cleaner, but his face, which had gotten lots of post-cheerleading, make-up laden hugs, was still schmutzy.

I rubbed gently with some dish soap, pulling off layers of color, and eventually knew I had to stop.

Here is our boy as he is, happy to be home, much loved, and a bit cleaner. He doesn’t look like he did fifteen years ago, but who does?

None of us can be bathed back in time.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Harold’s Home!

Dear Liza,

I’m sure you remember Harold, Auntie Bridgett’s stufftie. He has been with us for years, traveling all over Europe and Canada, as well as keeping us company when we were home.

For the last few years, Harold has been staying with Niece Madilyn in San Diego, while she was mourning the loss of her own dear stufftie, Bear. Harold and Bear had been friends and he wanted to be supportive.

But how Madi has agreed to let Harold come home ! We are so happy!

Cousin Kestrel has even decided to make a stuffed friend for Harold. She chose the same fabric I used for your placemats and napkins! Then she made the pattern and got the bits cut out the other evening. Next week, she will continue working on it. I will keep you posted if her progress!

I am hoping Harold will be strong enough to come with us on our visit later this spring.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Discovering New Art Downtown

Dear Liza,

We made a trip to downtown Portland the other day, getting computers repaired and buying new boots. We were early for our appointment at The Genius Bar and sitting around inside the Apple Store gives me the heebie-jeebies, so I went out for a walk.

As I was waking along, I looked down …. And saw a quote engraved into a stone in the the sidewalk!

“I could have been a contender. “Marlon Brando’s lament of lost legitimacy in “On the Waterfront.”

As I kept walking and looking, I saw more! Some were serious and lyrical, like bits of poetry by e. e. cummings and prose from Ursula K. LeGuin.

“Nothing can surpass the mystery of stillness”, by e. e. cummings, was part of a term paper I wrote in high school. Seeing it here, in my adopted city at this point in my life, was an amazing bit of circular memory. I got a little teary-eyed.

But of course, the next minute, I saw this brick that said “gobbledygook”, and got the giggles. I proceeded to see “granfalloon”, and then saw Groucho Marx’s

“I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll make an exception.” Nostalgic tears were defeated by more giggles.

By that time it was our turn at the Genius Bar, and then we headed off to lunch at McMenamin’s. Once we got home, I tried to find the name of the art installation, but have not been able to find anything about it. I’m glad I live in a city where Art just sneaks up in me!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Illustration Progress

Dear Liza,

I am still working in the illustrations for your story, Adventure Grandma, and have changed gears a bit. Instead of drawing the pictures of our imaginary adventures in Denmark, I am playing with collage and acrylic paints.

As I go along, I am discovering all sorts of new possibilities and difficulties. Finding the right colors and patterns is tricky. I found some in my collage box and am creating others. You never know what will work. All the circles for my moons, suns and bicycle wheels came off Kleenex boxes.

I need to make sure that all the illustrations are cohesive, as Tim Gunn says, so they look like they are going to the same party. I am doing this by using some of the same colors on each page. Red and yellow from our Portland Art Museum magazine are featured in flames, bicycles, sails, and the Peacock Theater.

Then there are the actual shapes and sizes of all the bits. Trying to make sure that the unfortunate cyclists are believable lead to a sort of accidental circus.

The process of collage involves making a thousand decisions. You get an idea of what your picture should look like, then hunt for paper that will get closest to that. There is a lot of reconsidering and rejecting along the way.

I am having such fun with this project! My only worry is getting it all done before we visit you in the spring, so I will go work on it now.

Love,

Grandma Judy

New Year’s Jazz at 1905

Dear Liza,

December is definitely our month for going out! In the 35 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, we have two anniversaries and three major holidays. It feels a bit much, sometimes.

We have spent the last half-dozen New Year’s Eves at home because we were worn out from all the holiday-ing. But this year, Grandpa Nelson found a place we just couldn’t resist.

1905 is a jazz club, cocktail bar and pizza joint all in one, up in the Mississippi neighborhood. It’s a small place with seats and tables for about 45 people. We ordered our food and drinks by way of an app called Union, which minimizes close conversations with strangers.


The Caili O’Doherty Quartet played a wonderful set of different types of jazz, from Herbie Hancock’s “Butterfly” and “Come Running to Me” to Betty Carter’s “Tight”. Callie lead the band with her melodic and racy piano playing.

Parnell Newton, on trumpet, was innovative and powerful without hogging the sound wall. He could make the trumpet sing, shout, or whisper. Cory Cox, on drums, was all over the drum kit, putting in amazing flourishes that gave the music texture and imagination.

Ross Garlow played the stand up bass with head-bopping joy, dancing with his instrument as he laid down the bass line.

Besides the wonderful music and the joy of hearing it live, the pizza was outstanding and the cocktails delightful. We will definitely head up to 1905 again, once we have recovered from this holiday season.

Happy New Year!

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Very McMenamin’s Holiday

Dear Liza,

I have told you about the McMenamin brothers and all their interesting restaurants created in historical buildings. Last night, we visited another one! Auntie Bridgett drove us through the rain and dark to the Chapel Pub.

It all started with Grandpa Nelson’s Christmas gift to Auntie Bridgett, a McMenamin’s Passport. This is a little booklet, like a real passport, which has a page for each region in Oregon. When you visit a restaurant (or bar, or hotel) on that page, you get a stamp.

Some larger venues have lots places to visit and get stamped. Edgefield has a dozen! When you have filled a page, you get a prize. This can be a free appetizer or drinks, but mostly what you get is the fun of going out.

This is, of course, a very clever marketing scheme, sort of an adult version of “Collect ‘em All!” We know this, and we don’t care. It is fun. We always have a good time at a McMenamin’s, enjoying the artistic renovation, the historical preservation, friendly service, and reliably tasty food and drink.

The Chapel Pub started life in the 1930s as a mortuary and chapel, which may explain the green “spirit orbs” in one of my photos. I imagine any mortuary would have a few lingering ghosts.

Another charm of The Chapel Pub is its historic pipe organ, and last night we got to hear it played. The talented and versatile Steve Kerin brought his giant suitcase of music and played requests for an hour and a half. Enjoying a Terminator Stout at the bar while listening to Steve play Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy” on the organ was a high point of the 2022 holiday season, for sure.

Have a wonderful new year!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Zooming Again!

Dear Liza,

After what seems like a really long holiday break, Ruthie Inman’s Zoom Art group is back together. I have missed doing art with this bunch of friends!

This week, Ruthie asked us to assemble collage materials in very specific color groups: white with black, black with white (an important difference!), reds, and something neutral, like a light brown print. I was intrigued. I dug in my scrap box and found some bits.
Ruthie had found a wonderful art piece by Deborah Shapiro for us to use as reference. The red wine positively sparkled!

Art supplies are always a bit crowded on my desk, but I make it work!


As the meeting started, Ruthie, Shirley, Vimi and I chatted about everything under the sun and started sketching, sorting and snipping.

A quick hour and a half later, we were all surprised at how well our pieces were looking.


The next meeting, we made more progress.

But still not quite finished. But we will play along, and all will be well. Patience!

Love,

Grandma Judy

International Adventure Grandma

Dear Liza,

Since you moved to Denmark, I have been studying about your new country so I can feel like I am visiting you. Denmark is a lot smaller than the United States. It is even smaller than the state of Oregon, where I live.


Don’t get me wrong. I really, really, like that Denmark is small. It is like Peter Pan’s Neverland, so it is never too far from one adventure to another.

The story is about an imaginary YOU and an imaginary ME traveling around Denmark, from Copenhagen to Horsens. The current title is “International Adventure Grandma”.

I have looked at a bunch of maps and websites, and have followed streets and bike paths with Googlemaps. I have found fun things to do and gotten us involved in interesting disasters.

And after four months of working away and lots of help from friends and family, I felt almost ready to share. But something was missing. It needed pictures.

I am not an illustrator, but have decided to do the pictures myself and learn as I go along. Here are some very rough ideas. I haven’t even decided if the pictures will be water colored, colored pencils, collages, or some other media. I am still learning.

But I promise it will be done by the time we visit in the spring!!

Love,

Grandma Judy

A White, Slushy Christmas

Dear Liza,

By some freak of nature, we had grey clouds and snow on the ground for The Winter Solstice, and you, in Denmark, had clear skies and sun! It snowed a few days before Christmas and, though it got a bit soft and slurpy, the snow was still with us December 25th.

I had to get out and see it! I put on as many layers as I could, including long underwear and gloves that were gifts from Auntie Christy, and headed out. Traffic hadn’t started yet. I stood in the middle of Stark Street and enjoyed having it all to myself.

I love how everything looks magical with a layer of snow! It’s like we live on a plain cake all year, and then “Whoosh!” it’s someone’s birthday and here comes the frosting.

I walked carefully, planning my steps to avoid landing on my rear end, and headed for Laurelhurst Park.

Just as I suspected, kids were in the ravine with their sleds, even though the ground was clearly visible through the icy cover.

And most of Firwood Lake was frozen over! This wonderfully weird blue-grey sheet of ice chased the ducks all the way to the east end, where the inflow pipes keep the water moving. The whole flock paddled there, keeping each other company and grumbling a bit.

Soon, I headed home to get some feeling back in my toes!
Love,

Grandma Judy

Freezing Outside, Cozy Inside

Dear Liza,

December 21st is always a special day for us. It is the day Grandpa Nelson and I got married! It is also officially the first day of winter, and the longest night of the year. This year, it was also the coldest.

When We Three stepped out to catch our Lyft ride to La Moule for our anniversary dinner, it was near freezing! The Christmas lights on all our neighbors’ balconies sure looked pretty.

The driving was safe, but only because it has been so DRY that there was no water to freeze on the roads.

Our dinner was incredible, as usual. The waitress even brought us glasses of champagne for our anniversary! I had a radicchio salad and moules (mussels) served with buttery garlicky sauce and crusty baguette, and Auntie Bridgett had escargot served on focaccia bread with a creamy, yummy sauce.

Grandpa had pommes frites (French fries) and a fine glass of Merlot.

We shared and laughed and had a great time. It was a fine way to celebrate 48 fun years!

We got home and lit the candles for the fourth night of Hanukkah while enjoying the Christmas lights. Never miss a chance to celebrate!

Happy Everything!

Love,

Grandma Judy