Half Past Crows in Everyday Ramblings

This is the area next to the far end of our convention center this morning. When I ran/walked the half marathon the start and finish were here. On Rose Parade day in June all the participants with gorgeous horses stage here.

If one turns the corner down at the far end to the right under the freeway bridge, which I do most Saturday mornings, there is a robust and ever changing homeless encampment. And the concomitant piles of trash.

It has occurred to me lately to consider the photo challenge of taking pictures of said piles of trash. They are an eyesore and a unique expression of many of the problems that are battering at the door of civil society in our urban centers.

This morning early on my way to the bus stop a man in a car drove over to my side of the street and asked me how to get to a particular street nearby that as the crow flies is quite close but because of the complicated legacy of urban renewal is anything but easy to get to in a car.

He argued with me. I am like what the heck; I just want to catch my bus.

He kept telling me he had tried what I was suggesting and that he was getting different results. This went on and on. If I hadn’t been concerned about missing my bus I would have showed him on my phone, he said in an exasperated voice that he didn’t have a GPS or a smart phone.

All those homeless people in the encampment have phones! In the end I directed him to the nearby convenience store for directions.

Annoying at the time this would have made a great scene in a movie. It was pretty funny. The bus was early and I am quite happy I made it.

On the way across town there was a camera class out shooting the budding trees like these on the west side of the incredibly high muddy Willamette River.

Later as Mrs. Sherlock and I walked around the river we saw whole trees floating towards the Columbia, which is still, still at flood stage.

I went to the Farmers Market for the first time this year after we had tea and coffee and a schmooze with Frida. Frida was full of energy and wanted to play today. I got chard, beautiful super fresh chard and my favorite prunes.

As well as politics, and church stuff, we talked about the failure thing. We talked about the fact that it is emotional, this perception and coming from quite a privileged place. Of course she doesn’t think of me as a failure as none of you do and as rationally I know I am not.

It is more a question of not living up to my own expectations. As well as wants and desires. At least by this morning, a bit rested and thrilled by THE EPIC FAILURE to repeal and replace The Affordable Care Act I can see this clearly. Now, that, that was failure.

How can one not feel buoyed by all the unfolding life around that spring brings? Even if it is accompanied by hundreds of raucous crows rising from their roost to get on with their day.

Last updated March 25, 2017