Disorientation (in a Good Way) and Exploring in Everyday Ramblings

This is a Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis) and is heritage tree #79 that was brought up from California on a flatbed truck about 95 years ago. It lives in a side yard of a Tudor Revival mansion that takes up a whole oddly shaped block on the east side of the river that was built in 1927 by a plywood baron (the mansion, not the block). The house has a view of the river and downtown.

Mrs. Sherlock forgot her book but we knew where we wanted to start hiking because we are going to a potluck there week after next and she was thinking we could find some hidden public stairways. We found one and a narrow alley with a fabulous view and a spectacular fruiting prickly pear. In Oregon!

It was a fun walk, with lots of odd streets and a busy high-end Christmas tree market at a large (also Tudor style) old church we walked past twice that smelled so good.

There was one house that had amazing large Christmas display animals in the front yard as well. They were cool, not hokey. There was an extraordinary lion and a giraffe but what got my attention were the three adorable alpacas with woven green and red socks on. Someone went all out.

Mrs. Sherlock loves to shop and wanted to go to the hip garden center where she bought my birthday doormat and catnip plant. I stayed in the car that time but this time we had Frida and the car was blocks away so I came in and sat with her in a comfortable chair near the door. With the attention grabbing black poodle in a pink dog coat at my feet…let’s just say I wasn’t lonely sitting there. It is a great store.

I’ll go back in the spring.

It was apparently small business Saturday so that was a great place to be and I admit I did buy somebody a gift that was not on the agenda.

Unlike on Thursday, where the only snow in sight was that with fell off the undercarriage of the train from the Midwest, we did have a little real snow today. Nothing to stick but big fat flakes. Snow is rare here in the flatlands so we are like little kids when we first see it.

I’ve been doing meditation and yoga “stuff” all day. Podcasts, books, videos and physical practice, it has been great to be able to have an immersive experience.

Yesterday I was weirdly compartmentalized in my thinking. I knew what day it was and what I was doing but somehow or other I convinced myself it was Sunday to the point where I went out to check for the paper three times (much to my embarrassment when I realized my confusion) and even reported the paper as missing.

Late in the day I texted them to confess my mistake as I didn’t want the local delivery folks to think I was a total ditz.

No…I am only a Newly Retired Person! One that apparently can’t keep her days straight. How cool is that?

My next test baking challenge are molasses spice cookies for Mr. Sherlock and a Swiss Chard and Red Bell Pepper Gratin. I can make a test batch of cookies for my taste testers on Wednesday. The gratin is for the above-mentioned potluck and I made it once before and it was good.

The cats have been here 5 years! How could that possibly be?

Time did not seem to fly and I was not having fun (except for teaching and hiking and reading and writing) and yet, poof! here we are.

Did anybody else read The Jungle Prince piece in the New York Times?

There is a companion 3 podcast series I haven’t finished yet. It is all so evocative and beautiful and sad and troubling it went straight to my dreams.

How could it not get into my poetry somehow as well?

Last updated December 01, 2019