This winter has easily been the mildest that I have
ever experienced. The coldest day was January 15 when the day time high was
about 33 degrees. We had far more 50 degree days than ones in the 40s and we
topped 60 degrees on several occasions. We had our many rainy days but there
have been enough sunny ones to offset the dreariness that I felt the first two
winters out here. One day in early January I was in the midst of some mild
flurries but since the ground was too warm, they disappeared upon landing. One
other morning I saw that the cars had a dusting of snow so light that simply
moving the vehicle blew that residue off. On January 5th at 2:48 am
we were at our perihelion for all of you record keepers reading this.
Well I wrote that on March 13th imagining
that the temperatures predicted for the next 5 days would bear out in be in the
upper 40s and low 50s. It did not and when I woke up on Saturday, the 14th
I saw about two inches of snow covering while it continued to fall until about
11:00 am. Mainly the ground was too warm and the snow melted immediately. It
looked like a blizzard most of the morning and since the snow couldn’t melt
fast enough we did end up with several inches. Yet it continues to melt and so
we wade through slush to get to our cars. It is also staying in the low 40s and
overcast so what snow we have is deign to leave as early as I wish it would.
First
snow at our community garden
With the exception of a very early winter trip (see
below), I stayed pretty close to home. I did go up to Seattle. Hannah’s son
Ali, grows exponentially to those of us who do not see him every day. When I go
up again in early April he’ll probably be shooting baskets with his dad.
Ali
at 6 weeks
Ali
a few weeks later
As with everyone on earth we are affected by the coronavirus.
Its effects on daily life rapidly have become bothersome. Not only are
restrictions severe but they provide an ominous foreboding. It reminds of the
few days post 9/11 where much of America wondered what would happen next.
So as of March 15th the local schools are
closed for 6 weeks which probably thrills local parents. Several major
employers are granting leaves to employees or allowing them to work from home
if that option works for all. To a large extent that leaves many with no
income. I wonder if they can get unemployment benefits. I suspect not.
The museums and libraries are all closed until further
notice. No public place can have over 250 people there at any one time. I
wonder how that will work at big box stores such as Target. My plans to fly to
Baltimore in late April now pend.
So it not only is a discomfort it also may be the
onset of a pandemic killing millions worldwide like the 1918 flu.
The baseball season openers set for March 26 are
postponed maybe for the entire season. While I enjoy the library and museums my
needs are pretty unaffected by the current restrictions. I don’t like them but
I am not really suffering. My income will continue despite the corona virus.
It is likely to worsen before it subsides as viruses
do. Listen and read science based information rather than POTUS who is more
concerned with the stock market or Fox News which will only feed the viewer
propaganda.
This winter I took a couple of courses at the community
college. The first in late January was a one evening cooking course. I often
take these. This one was focused on Ethiopian cuisine. Though in my lifetime I
have probably not eaten ten times at Ethiopian, I have always enjoyed them a
lot. Not only is it an exotic food but in all cases the atmosphere was similar.
They were small places in which all elegance was in the multiples spices whose
aroma confused the air. The rooms always dimly lit and the food served in small
crocks of savory meats, lentils and/or vegetables stewed in the mixtures of
spices that constitute the air that I just mentioned. All is eaten with the
injera that is the bread permanently associated with this food. Everything is
gracious and nothing is ostentatious.
But the class was not performed in a restaurant but in
the “cooking class” room at Clark College. It is a good instructional setting
but that means lots of light and stainless steel. The instructor was an
Ethiopian woman probably in her 40s though I am not good at judging ages. She
was diminutive and soft spoken which is not good for this old man whose hearing
is ebbing away.
There were about 20 students of various ages and
ethnicities. Only a few were male. So we learned how to prepare and cook a
variety of vegetarian dishes and actually cook the injera. Since that bread
takes more than a day to prepare, the instructor brought with her a large batch
of the prepared ingredients and each student actually fried two or three large
pancake sized pieces.
My experiences in restaurants has been that the final
product of whatever meal is being eaten are quite stew like in that it is
actually a soup like concoction. In the class however, our lentil concoctions
were pasty and dry. This was regardless of whether it was the split peas in turmeric
sauce called Atir Kik Alicha, the green beans and carrots called Fossolia or
the Miser Wot (Red lentil stew). The spice blends were quite aromatic but
required locating a store that sells them and mixing a blend together.
Finally the injera which cooks in about one minute,
takes a lengthy process that includes fermenting. It is saner to make a large
base and keep it available for use while adding ingredients while the process
continues. The instructor used a variety of flours that she undoubtedly keeps
on hand but most students will have to find the stores that sell them. The
flours used in the class made the color sort of like toasted white bread. The
same spongy and porous texture I expect from restaurants was maintained but
nowhere near as pretty as what is served in other settings than this class
room.
It is not likely that I will ever buy the special
ingredients required for these recipes since Ethiopian cooking is never going
to be a standard for me. More likely I will explore one of several restaurants
clustered on Killingworth and Martin Luther King Drive.
The other class was a two month long, one day per week
and the subject was Memoir Writing. I had been thinking about writing something
like that and it reached a higher pitch when my daughter recently gave birth. I
want to leave a legacy since it is not likely that I will be around by his
adulthood or that of any other grandchildren that may be born later. I did not
have a method for organizing this endeavor. I also am not sure that my writing
is as clear to others as it is to me. I had hoped to get some expository
criticism. I really did not get what I sought except in very small and
scattered doses. However, I really enjoyed it and am able to organize a process
for rendering 75 pages or so to a readable rendition of how I see myself. The
instructor used what he called “prompts” which give the writer a nudge to
remember aspects of their life that they would like to describe or elaborate
on.
This is a subjective undertaking which is not my
strong suit. It clearly was what my classroom peers thrived on. I know this
because each week we prepared about a 3 page story to share with the class and
get feedback from them as well as the instructor. That feedback was rarely
constructive regarding anything specific. The most common line was “I want to
know more”. It was so oft stated that it became one of a few tropes used in
formulaic suggestions. I could almost predict the words of many of those
offering criticism.
I like to think all of my stories were interesting
though it is not for me to judges things like that. I do know that a lot of the
stories were damned interesting and on the last day of class, one was so funny
that everyone had tears of laughter streaming including the narrator. Some of
them were clever takes on experiences. A few of them were simply awful and
would be awarded the grade of C in an 8th grade English course. Some
were poorly written and sophomoric, some poorly written and intriguing.
I selected one of those that I prepared for class and posted
it on line.
It was a very good way to spend 2 ½ hours every
Tuesday for two months. I think I will be looking for other classes to help
bolster what I hope will be my product in the fairly near future. I did enjoy
the company of most of my peers and the instructor as well but in order to fine
tuning of this venture will require some examination of style for instance, rather
than my emotional input. I already understand the latter.
Lucie came down from Seattle for a visit with friends
in Portland and she and I spent several hours together on January 18th.
We went out to Multnomah Falls which was only about 30 miles to the east.
I had planned on going to see the falls shortly after
moving here but only about 6 weeks after my arrival forest fires raced through
the Columbia Gorge and access denied to the public for quite a while. When
Lucie suggested that we go out there I agreed. It was a quick trip and when we
arrived we found weather conditions significantly different.
It was overcast and in the mid-40s in Portland. It
always is this time of year. It was not much different at the falls but there
was significant snow. The above freezing temperature created significant fog
and since the area froze at night, there was significant ice one the walkways
which made much hiking not to our liking. It was especially difficult to go
down since we inadvertently skated on several occasions as did many of the
other visitors to this very popular place.
Anyways, Multnomah Falls is pretty majestic and on a
less icy surface taking the path to its top would be doable though perhaps
arduous as it winds to well over 100 feet. Above it is a bridge and you can see
walkers more intrepid than I.
Multnomah
Falls
We did not stay more than half an hour or so and then
went to another visitor’s sight nearby. I cannot think of what it is called but
it was high enough and closed enough that we only stayed a few minutes. The
visibility nearly nothing due to thick fog but also a pretty swift wind made it
not so comfortable. With no respite via an open building we gave this venture
about 5 minutes of our time.
We finished up our visit over some Mexican food almost
next door to where she was staying.
I did several days over the Holidays along the Oregon
Coast which brought me as far south as Coos Bay during this trip. It is already
online for all to see (if they choose to).
In the days preceding this blog, the entire world has become gripped with the effects of the pandemic labeled Corona Virus 19. Those infected are dying like the oldest and slowest zebra on a savanna. The compromised old and babies who have not yet developed immune defenses. Since it is such a rapid spreading virus the whole earth has suffered some consequences of it. Trump's stock holding share owners are worried about their Wall Street dividends but most of the rest of the world is first concerned with the survival of themselves and their loved ones.
Last Friday a friend and I had lunch in Portland and had a beer at another establishment without hardly a thought of the virus. By Monday all bars and restaurants in this region are closed. The service industry workers which include my daughter, are at best temporarily out of work.
Most stores and entertainment venues are closed. Non-emergency or critical health services are on hold. Traffic and undoubtedly air quality are improving. Whether we like it or not we are saving money.
I am going to post blogs regarding my experiences in this quagmire every week or so and sooner should some crashing new item merit comment.
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