Portland’s robust recycle and reuse ethos is stronger than I thought. But the competition for customers may be getting out of hand, judging from this scene: A sign in a vacant lot on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard advertises potted Christmas trees. I see some as I drive past. Next to the trees are […]
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I live between two Portland groceries stores a mile apart. But shopping at them feels like visiting different countries. Whole Foods to the north is organic, expensive, and attracts a well-scrubbed crowd. Safeway to the north is cheaper, bigger, and attracts more diverse clientele. Both meet my consumer needs. But during trips to Safeway, I […]
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Across the Portland area, people are posting to blogs their photos of today’s sunset. It was breathtaking, and I too have pictures to prove it. For those of us living east of the West Hills, memorable sunsets are rare. This is especially true in December and many months to follow because of the persistent rainy […]
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A squirrel is mocking me. We had a peace pact for a few years. But the critter has had an attitude ever since I removed its nest from the eaves above the front porch. Or maybe it’s because I inadvertently dig up nuts the squirrel has socked away around the yard.
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Move to Portland and you’ll immediately encounter people’s obsession with weather. I’ve lived here nine years and joke about the obsession while enthusiastically contributing to it. The climate isn’t extreme, though the contrast between summer and winter is. But the weather obsession is less about reviling cold and rain and more about seeking connection to […]
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I have this thing for gardening. Just me and plants and dirt. Creative yet mindless. Mixing and matching. Trial and error. Nobody telling me how to do it. My three-year-old son draws better than me, but the yard is a canvas on which I can paint something of merit. I say “I” as if it’s […]
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Hate knows no boundaries, judging from a map compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It’s especially disconcerting to see the presence of hate groups in my city, Portland. But I’m not naïve about such matters. After all, I grew up mainly in the South. Not that racism wasn’t rampant in the Northwest. I’ve read […]
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Some days some things jump out at me. This morning it was signs. I was traveling a familiar route, and three signs looked new to the urban landscape. “Keep Portland Weird!” cried out from the west side of Music Millenium, the only place I buy CDs in person. I knew the store on East Burnside […]
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A young man played bagpipes while riding a unicycle on one end of the Portland Farmers Market. On the other, protesters decried passage of the anti-gay marriage amendment in California. In between on the Park Blocks amid the produce and other foods was scene after scene that made my Saturday morning. Maybe the brisk bike […]
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