Winter Activities (In a Non-wintery place)

Here, winter weather pretty much means rain. Usually there is also a good dousing of ice at some point. Occasionally snow. It has been a particularly mild winter in Portland. Warmer and drier than I’m used to. Not a single day so far with white on the ground or shrubbery caked in a quarter inch of ice. Knock on wood.

In the photo above, my classmates and I happily watched snow falling. It melted on impact, and was done falling by the time I went home again. In the image you can see a reflection of my Spanish professor, who allowed us to stop lessons for a few minutes while we all “oohed” and “ahhhed” at the scene outside.

We enjoyed nearly a week of sunshine and warm temperatures in early February. I began doing yardwork that week and that’s saying a lot because I am a timid pansy when it comes to yardwork in bad weather. I do not like being cold, or wet. But I began a couple of big projects, and looking out across the partially started projects is inspiring even now when temperatures are near freezing and it’s wet again.

In the center of the photo below, you can see a single wooden, raised bed built as part of a group that fanned around the large circle of bricks in our back yard. Originally the raised beds spread around the circle like daisy petals. There is only room for a half circle, but the design was a lovely idea. By the time we purchased this place, there were only two remaining raised beds. I built a third temporary raised bed of cinder blocks that were already on the property. We always intended to rebuild them. And now it’s time!

In the photo above, you can see the cinder block bed mostly disassembled on the left, one bed intact in the center, and a totally disassembled wooden bed on the right (boards piled at the base of the buddleia). The dirt is under the blue tarp so that it is protected from rain the rest of the winter. I pulled up some concrete circles that made up part of the walkway, and laid down slate rocks we found scattered here and there. We will have to find or buy a few more rocks to finish the path, but at least it now matches the rest.

I have begun digging up landscaping on the left that I will re-plant into the dirt where the wooden raised bed used to be, on the right. When that’s all cleared out, Pedro will build me three new beds. They will be thinner and longer, to make it easier to reach the plants inside, and they will all three be to the left of the rock path you see above. They will follow the same flower petal design.

Our one-year-old cat has become needier, and we are kept on our toes, trying to find new ways to keep her entertained and out of our hair. She reminds me of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever I had once, that had unbelievable levels of energy. We would take him for runs on desolate roads through the mountains and drive in the car while he ran beside. It was the only way to ever tire him out. Jupyter has been annoying Pedro by needing to be on top of his desk and in front of the cameras during his many video meetings. I suggested a window shelf, mounted high enough so that she can watch him and also watch outside. It was an immediate hit.

The old location for the hens was a dog run, and the previous owners had put down river rock, which holds up well in the rain. The new location has no rocks, just clay soil, and has turned into an oozing slippery cesspool on a hill. So awful. To date I have not slipped and sat in it, but the fear haunts me. The hens still have the chicken tunnel and can run down the length of the property back to the dog run, where there is a covered area, and I sprinkle their scratch grains on the dry ground. I am sure all of us are eager for Mother Nature’s spigot to turn off.

For his birthday, I surprised Pedro with dinner at Urban Farmer, which we had not visited in years. The weather had restored itself to normalcy and was an unending rain the entire day and into the evening. We parked on the street in downtown Portland and walked, dodging puddles and spray from passing cars, first to our dinner location.

Next we walked to Huber’s Cafe – the first time for both of us. We were both aware of the famous Spanish Coffees at Huber’s but had never been there or seen the coffees before. This oversight has now been remedied. The coffees are delicious by the way, and the presentation is worth the special trip.

Then we made our rainy way a few more blocks to the basement of McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom, and watched free stand up comedy. Apparently there is a standing invitation to comedians every Monday night to try out their new material in Al’s Den. They only get ten minutes, then they have to get out of the way for the next person. I love the idea of a free show that we could show up late for, or leave early for if we got tired. We missed the first few, but caught the last three and had some good laughs.

We were in excellent spirits for the rainy walk back to the car.

I’ve been watching the scenes unfold from massive snow storms in eastern parts of the country. Though I really do love a massive snow storm, I love it for about 24-36 hours. Then I want it to all be 100% gone again. That’s not how winter usually works. So, I am content to watch the scenes from a distance, and deal with winter the way it’s handed to us here in Portland.