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.
Conscious Engagement 
Great post! There’s never a dull moment at your house, huh? Home ownership = never ending projects. Tell Pedro feliz cumpleaños. :o)
I will pass on the birthday wishes to my guy, Lenore. ¡Gracias! yes, the projects are never ending and it helps that we both enjoy them so much. Pedro is a godsend in his workshop for anything made of wood. He also set the place up for welding, and his plan is to take classes and begin metal projects, too.
Sabrina and Marcus are jealous! Cavorting about the garden in February!!! That lovely suspended bed on a window! Jupyter is just spoiled, just spoiled! Hmmmmphhh!
True, we do have days here and there in February when it’s absolutely appropriate to cavort! And the window shelf has been appreciated by Jupyter every single day. She got so confident leaping up there from the desktop that the weight of impact pushed the suction cups down the glass. So Pedro had to reinstall in a more meticulous manner, with alcohol swabs and warm water to heat the rubber cups. This time it should hold up to her abuse. She is absolutely spoiled.
We are both curious about how this week will go. We leave in a few hours for Disneyland and Jupyter has never been left alone that long. She might tear the house apart and punish us when we return. Most of all, we know she will be aching for company, and that breaks our hearts. The neighbor and her kids have promised to spend quality time giving her the attention that she is entitled to, which helps.
Odds are that she’ll turn her back to you until tha fresh can of food comed out. Then she’ll mercifully frogive you…But don’t doit again!
Ha!! Probably!
I really enjoyed this look at your daily life. Like you, Jackie has been kept out of the garden by all the rains; like Jackie you have been digging up rocks. There are some lovely pictures of Jupyter, especially the one of her studying the dog. That would make a splendid caption competition. The suspended window shelf is a great idea. The hens look happy in Pedro’s pen, as he does enjoying his birthday treat. I also like the juxtaposition of the Spanish teacher’s reflection and the empty chair
A caption competition is a fun thought and I appreciate the suggestion. I might try that in the future, and I’ll keep the photo for that purpose. Moving rocks is hard work but as Jackie has shown us, the finished product is beautiful and satisfying. I am much more pleased with the rock path than the concrete disc path, even though it remains unfinished. It’s a nice time of year here, where we are blessed with spontaneous good weather days now and then, as Spring approaches. I am grateful to be retired and able to go outside whenever it happens. Pedro has remarked that the lovely weather tends to happen during weekdays when he must work.
That is the beauty of retirement. Bad luck for Pedro to be subject to the weather
Ah, Huber’s. Famous for turkey (not my favorite) and Spanish coffee (yes!). Be careful about wishing for snow – Portland isn’t very well equipped for a lot of the white stuff. And it tends to arrive when it’s most inconvenient and stick around longer than you’d like. ❄️😉
I heard about the turkey also, but saved that for a future visit. The coffees were good enough for a second visit. Glad you have those memories. I’ve lived here since 2007 and have been through a couple of record-breaking winter storms. Were you here in 2008 when we got almost TWO FEET of snow at Christmas? That was amazing. Don’t mistake enjoying flakes out the window as wishing for snow, ha ha. I’ve lived in Vermont, Colorado, Nevada, Massachusetts, Idaho, Alaska, Illinois, Washington… heh heh…I’ve had enough snow to last a lifetime.
Yes, we were in Portland in 2008. I believe that was the year The LovedOne had to walk down from Pill Hill (she worked at the medical school) because the #8 bus couldn’t manage hill + snow. I had to go pick her up at the bottom with my 4×4.
Did Jupyter wish Pedro a ‘feliz cumpleaños’?
ha haha!! She did!! It was too silly. We don’t have any food colouring, so I used some dark coffee in a dish to wet her paw, then had her walk on a card for him. But it was way too wet and just made a big brown mess. It was the thought that counts. She’s only 1 year old, after all. We have time to get it right.
💕
You have a good life, dear. I love watching Jupyter’s adventures. I’m without a pet in this house for the first time in 23 years and I feel oddly connected to Jupyter 🙃. I headed out to walk today and saw lots of spring shenamigans beginning in the bird world. Spring is coming soon, I wouldn’t mind one last snow before it arrives! Happy Birthday to Pedro!
Living without a pet would be a massive shift after 23 years of multiple pets. But I can relate after losing Racecar. It took a long time to get out of the habit of looking for her. Spring is a great time to reset though! Adjust to the home without your babies, watch new babies outside, heal your heart (in multiple ways), get warmer while thinking about a couple more doses of snow. I’ll be sure and let Pedro know he is getting wishes from afar. Here’s to a brighter future my friend. Looking forward to Part 2, and take your time and make it real.
To be honest, I looked at the first picture of Jupyter on the tarpaulin on the ground and thought “What manner of psychopath shows a picture of a cat’s funeral?” I thought I’d wandered into CSI:Feline . Perhaps a little more warning next time?
“CSI:Feline. There are no worse criminals than those bent on pet attack. Watch our experts unravel the darkest, furriest secrets.”
The thoughts of a cat are, I fear, no place for the unwary. If they had opposable thumbs “Planet of the Cats” would be a real possibility.