Fishing for Pot and Beer

Last night, downtown: homeless man on the corner of SW Broadway and Morrison with a mini-fishing pole made of a stick, string, and a paper cup.

Sign reads "fishing for pot and beer".

I was tempted to give him a buck if he let me take his picture.

Remembering a Beautiful Woman

Today the world lost a beautiful woman. A woman who loved life and lived it to its fullest. A woman who always saw the beauty in life and in everyone she came in contact with. A woman who saw the good in people, who touched your arm or held your hand when she talked to you, who had a warm smile and an even warmer heart.

I first met her in the spring of 1974 when I began to date her youngest son and we became instant friends. She taught me so much about life, both with her wisdom and by her example. Her favorite phrase was “and this too shall pass” – a saying that sometimes frustrated me because at times I was too upset to think that it would ever pass. But most of the time it gave me comfort because I knew she was right.

This is the woman who was always here for me, always a beautiful light in dark times, a helping hand in times of need, and always – always – my friend. When I had surgery she was the one who took care of my kids and brought meals to us. When I, or one of the kids, were sick she was the one jumping in to take care of us with meals, medication, hugs, you name it. If she thought it would help, she was there to offer before we could ask.

When we told her that I was pregnant with our first child she let out a scream, fell to her knees in front of me and hugged me like I’ve never been hugged. Three years later when I was pregnant with her second grandchild, she let out that same joyous scream and said she couldn’t believe she could be so lucky to have another grandchild. After each of those births, guess who was once again there with meals. Yes, you guessed right. If Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart had a child, she would be that child.

She is the mother that everyone hoped for, the grandmother every child wished for, and the wife that every man hoped to find. In August she would have celebrated 70 years married to the man of her dreams. By law she was my mother-in-law but in my heart she was my mother. I told her my feelings often and she told me just as often that I was the daughter she never had. For the past 35 years we had a special bond and tonight I am missing her more than words can express. After three hours of crying I turned on the television to take my mind off my grief. These words were on the television screen…”and this too shall pass”. It was a political show, I haven’t a clue what they had been talking about, but I know who was sending me the message. And it made me smile through my tears.

Today the world lost a beautiful woman. A world that is a better place because she was here.

Margaret “Peg” Barratt – you will be missed.

1917 - 2010

"The Girl Who Fell from the Sky"

You must read this book. You must.

Last night I went to Powell’s Bookstore to hear Heidi Durrow talk about her debut novel, “The Girl Who Fell From The Sky”. It was the first time in three years that I cried in front of strangers. And it was because I identified with the character Rachel. Not the story of her mixed roots, but of the grief that she keeps silent and how it affects her life. When Rachel says, “I am not the new girl. But I will pretend.”, it hit me hard. I know that feeling. As I left the bookstore I heard the streetcar pulling up to my stop but I needed to walk. I crossed the street, avoiding the streetcar, and the driver who recognized me as a regular waited. I waved and walked on the other side of the street. I needed the night air and the noise spilling out of the jazz club and of the people out on a Friday night to fill my head with other thoughts. This morning I woke up, grabbed the book from the table and didn’t leave my reading chair until I had finished it. I haven’t done that in a very long time.

Heidi Durrow won the Bellwether Prize for fiction because of the social issues of the book. But there is much more to the story. “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” is a story of life, love, grief, survival, and learning about your past as well as your future.

Rachel talks of a blue glass bottle with a cork top that she keeps inside of her, where she puts all of her sadness and anger. I like that, and I realized that I need to find my own blue glass bottle for those things instead of the corner of my heart where they have been stored for almost four years. Rachel goes to a blues club to hear Etta James sing, she has never heard the blues before, and has a beautiful way of describing them: “The bottle is where everything sad or mean or confusing can go. And the blues – it’s like that bottle. But in the bottle there’s a seed that you let grow. Even in the bottle it can grow big and green. It’s full of those feelings that are in there, but beautiful and growing too.” That, to me is beautiful. And I will remember that analogy when I go to the blues fest this summer.

I love it when I hear just one line of a conversation and nothing else...

"Does anyone need the prostitute outfit?"

Airfare to Great Britain, anyone?

April 27 – Corner of SW 10th & Alder

Elderly homeless man holding a passport in the air with right hand, left hand is holding a cardboard sign that reads “Need Airfare to Great Britain – Anything Helps”.

Well no shit…I also want airfare to Great Britain.

Santa Cancelled Due to Snow

December 14 –

Today it snowed and my beautiful city went into panic mode. I, on the other hand, went to the mall.

There sits Santa’s throne. Majestic. Empty. With a sign that read “due to inclement weather, Santa will not be here today”.

Only in Portland would Santa be cancelled because of snow. A bit ironic. Hope the kids don’t pick up on this one.

More Irony

This, from the same people who balk at a president telling kids to set goals and to stay in school. A woman on our local news actually cried...yes, cried tears...because her child would be "subjected to this propaganda". E.E. Cummings said, "the most wasted of all days is one without laughter". Thanks to people like this...I'm not wasting a single day.

The Water Nazi

We recently had a heat wave in Portland – 90 degrees and humid – definitely not normal for early June in our city. As I waited at the Seattle’s Best Café inside the downtown Border’s for my iced coffee, a young woman came to the counter and politely asked for a glass of water.

“May I please have a glass of water?”

“We’re not allowed to give out water.”

“Can I pay for a glass of water?”

“We can’t do that, you have to buy a bottle of water from over there,” pointing to a wicker basket display of room temperature water, “unless you buy food.”

The girl and I both looked at the display, knowing that wasn’t going to do the trick, and she didn’t want (or couldn’t afford) food. I was about to tell them I want water with my iced coffee when the barista said “you can go to Starbucks down the street, they will give you water.”

The girl left. She was much nicer than I would have been in the same situation. I just looked at the barista and stated what she already knew: Seattle’s Best is owned by Starbucks.

Sadness on a Bathroom Wall

The fun part about using public restrooms are the things you read on the wall, but this one made me very sad --

"too gay to live, too young to die"

I sat on that porcelain throne in the little stall and read this short sentence several times. I wanted to cry for this obviously young woman who wrote what her heart felt. I still think about her and hope she is ok.

Paradox

While waiting for the bus outside of Powell's I glance across the street at Red Light and see this sign.
Does anyone else see the humor?