Giving Voice and Burning in Everyday Ramblings

The big news here of course is the fires. The heartbreaking scary drought and wind fueled wildfires. Yesterday the air here in Portland was bad. The whole city smelled like it was on fire and there was a glow in the mostly overcast glare. By 1PM I was inside with all the windows closed and the dehumidifier on to filter the air a bit. I grew up in LA and it has been a long time since I have experienced air as bad as yesterday was here.

And with all that they went ahead with a planned fireworks display over the new non-car bridge that crosses the river that is near where I live just after dark. The booms were loud and terrifyingly close. Blessedly they were short in duration. I am sure they were quite spectacular to look at but really the whole transit project cost an absolute fortune, did we really need fireworks? A big pizza party maybe, but…

The screening rhododendrons in front of my place are basically dead. The sprinkler setup was not done properly in that area. There is anecdotal evidence that many of us are secretly watering favorite trees. I have never longed for rain as much as I am right now. A good soaking rain.

They say maybe we’ll get a little by the end of next week. Based on the forecasts for the weather year it will be extremes. No rain and then too much, that sort of thing. But then all of us are experiencing that to some degree I think.

We have state monitored liquor stores here for hard alcohol, anything other than beer or wine. I heard a statistic the other night that liquor sales are way up in Oregon over last year. People are buying more expensive booze but also more. They have done analysis that shows that people in general are not drinking significantly more but they are drinking higher quality (as the economy kind of sort of improves) but also more people are drinking.

I could have told you that. Out and about there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that we are booming in population as well as fireworks. There are more people everywhere! I am starting to feel some concern about my ability to continue to live here when I retire.

Since I gave voice to my exhaustion Toad has had a lot to say! She is even making lists. What I find particularly endearing about her is that she wants a boyfriend and she could care less about the emotional risk and effort involved in finding one.

She misses Mr. Finch desperately, the ease of the companionship, the way that I relaxed when I was with him and all the ways strange and familiar I let him nurture me. His battering ram criticisms came from this place of wanting me to be the best poet I could be but he was also quite interested in what we were having for dinner.

So is Toad.

She like crepes.

And yesterday she talked me into buying my favorite pastry at the Farmers Market and we enjoyed it enormously. Even savored it I’d say. I am thinking maybe she is of French via Louisiana Purchase heritage.

Who knew?

I love my Fitbit. I am having fun with it.

I am glad I bought it last weekend before the $400 copay bill for the MRI came in.

Last updated August 23, 2015