Even with the onslaught of winter, some flowers refuse to yield to nature. They won’t give in despite the overwhelming forces aligned against them.
Yes, I’m granting powers to plants — thinking, free will, emotions — that to our knowledge don’t exist. Read More
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Snow in downtown Portland is rare and scant enough to incite giddiness. Decades ago, however, blizzards buried the city. Doing historical research, I’ve come across microfilmed newspaper clippings from early in the last century that describe snowfall measured in feet, not inches. In some instances, the city was so paralyzed that food shortages occurred.
What arrived this morning may inconvenience some people but delights me. Not just the visual serenity but the joy in my little boy’s voice: “Daddy, it’s winter!” Or, “Daddy, snowflakes landed on my tongue!” Snowballs and a snowman are on the afternoon’s agenda. Read More
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U.S. Senate Republicans made quite a spectacle in 2005, trying unsuccessfully to prevent comatose Terri Shiavo from getting unplugged from life support. Their rallying cry: celebrate the culture of life. Now they’ve blocked efforts to help automakers stave off financial collapse, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of people their jobs.
In other words, the GOP fought to keep alive a woman in a “persistent vegetative state” and blocked saving the livelihoods of families across the country.
Increasingly, the Republican Party looks brain dead.
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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 stacks of mattresses. Christmas trees and mattresses are visually incongruous items, so I head back for a closer look. Read More
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I’m busy contemplating how to use the extra one second bestowed upon us at the moment 2008 ends.
The addition of a so-called leap second last happened in 2005, not that anyone noticed. But reading about this latest adjustment, I imagine life shifting into slow motion at 23:59:59. What dramas or epiphanies will burst forth in that precious extra second? Will someone fall in love in 2008 instead of 2009. Will a baby be born in December rather than January? The list of possibilities is, well, endless. Read More
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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 observe things that stick with me. They’re not momentous. They don’t give deep insight into anything. Still, they stand out, as if illuminated on stage. Read More
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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 weather. But this has been a dry and warm fall with exceptionally abundant days of sun. Read More
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What Google search term do Oregon residents use more often than people in other states? That’s what I wondered as I tried out a search application that ranks popularity of queries by state.
Rainfall immediately came to mind, but Oregon ranks third behind Hawaii and New Mexico. Bicycles is a sure winner, I thought. Nope, second behind Colorado. Sustainability? Second to Vermont.
No way any other state’s residents are more interested in all things organic. Damn that Vermont! Oregon finishes second again. Same goes for marijuana. Vermont also finishes atop all states for peace, climate change, hippies, granola, recycle, and farm. You get the picture. Read More
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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. Read More
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Who hasn’t wished for a chance to remember their distant past. Not just details but emotions dulled or lost in time. And remembering events so intensely that they feel relived.
Such a chance would be a priceless gift. Call it limited immortality, an oxymoron but accurate description of vividly experiencing one’s mortal life over and over.
Pondering the idea brings forth unbidden a long list of pleasurable events, as if they’re competing for priority. Inevitably they’re followed by a long list of events I’d do anything to forget.
It turns out that the human brain has this capacity, and scientists have identified a handful of people so blessed — or cursed. Much studied is Jill Price, a California woman who recently told the German magazine Der Spiegel: Read More
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