My Mom Had The Funniest Story

Or, is that an anachronism.

We were talking about snotty noses, sniffly ones this time of year. My mom was adding her part to the conversation. She starts off with "I thought it was my lot in life, having a sniffly nose every day.  We used to say - back in school, "See that man walking down the street -- with the stripe running down his pants,"" ( as she motions with her hand).

That's it.  Blank stares. Then we got it.

A  l i t t l e   s l o w e r :
"See that man walking down the street" is said as your hand casually wipes across the nose to a semi-point (down the street). "With the stripe down his pants" as your hand , again casually, swipes down your pantleg. 

The Perils of Pauline

From the Pendleton Woolen Mills to Threads comes this video:

Collings Foundation

For Father's Day, we ate at the Donald Cafe around noon. As always, a very big and filling fresh cooked breakfast.  Looking around the web for their web site or other info., I found mostly, "Only if you lived in Donald all your life would you be able to find the Donald Cafe".
Which is a fine reaction.   Keeps it from being 'discovered'.

Then we drove the short distance to the Aurora Airport to view  the Collings Foundation "Wings of Freedom" Tour stationed there this weekend. The B-24 and the B-17 were there but the P-51 is stuck in Salinas getting some mechanical work done on it.
This P-51 Mustang is a two seater, meaning you can go for a ride for only $2200 for 30 minutes. The B-24 and B-17 only cost four and a quarter. That's how it was told to me.  ($425)

Supposedly, the Collings Foundation is working on getting a two-seat Me-262 operational to come along on the tour. A little over 500mph ride.
(P-51 mustangs go just over 400mph unless they are super-modified for the Reno Air Races.)
These WWII warbirds show up at Aurora typically about this time of year.

 LIVING HISTORY

Japanese Garden Inspiration

We were supposed to be here but the best laid plans...seem to derail handily into this.
 We are blessed in Portland to have a really well-known Japanese Garden.  I went seeking planting inspiration in renovating my 200 feet of 'garden walls' between my neighbor's shack and myself.

I tried last week to go but the torrential rains continued (rainiest June on record! and there is still a few days left in the month). This week, with my plane trip up to Olympia cancelled due to -- duh, more rain, I managed to take these photos.

Most of the photos were taken around 2pm - not optimum photo light but the surrounding firs in Forest Park help to minimize glare and haze. There is a outstanding view of the Portland skyline up here but the afternoon haze made for a deleted photo.

I am thinking one of the paths over to the neighbor's will become this. A shrub at the back of the water feature will easily transform the path to a little alcove.

I think I know where to get all the rocks.

I have a plant list but I still need to draw it out so the plants will fill in over the next ten years creating a living fence. Because good fences make good neighbors.

I'm not sure I can manage little paths meandering here and there. The bed may be long but only 25 feet wide at the widest point.

Weird green glare here - but I would like to try a multi-trunk Kousa Dogwood in the midst of shirred Azaleas. 

I could also put bamboo panels to block the worst shack moments while the plants grow up.

I am pretty sure I am not putting these concrete Japanese shrines in the design.
I like them but the rest of the yard will NOT be Japanese inspired. Nor am I Japanese. I think we will stick to really cool rocks.

2008 Olympic Air Show from Scott Gribble on Vimeo.

Memory Lapses - Rose Campion

I had to print these out, mail them to my mom, because my memory has gone. 

Pink Something, no - Something Pink - These are called Rose Campion.  Don't you hate it when you cannot remember simple flower names?  We are not even talking Latin here.
They have a soft, slightly fuzzy grey-green leaf, reminiscent of Lamb's Ears but with far prettier flowers about an inch across.

These are blooming right now in the bed where we cut down 18 trees. All of the surviving plants are loving all the light  this spring and growing gangbusters. As in, slightly wild and unwieldy.
Not to mention weeds that were never there before.

Pride & Prejudice

I am apparently on a Pride & Prejudice kick.
And I feel opinionated.

I am about halfway through Pride & Prejudice and Zombies via a CD audiobook.

It's full of engaging mayhem. I can drive and listen at the same time. 

They are making a movie of the book. I think it comes out this fall.


I can't imagine a movie of Austen and Zombies though.


At the same time, the 2005 movie version, starring Kiera Knightley is playing, right now, on my DVD drive. 

 Pieces are missing; Hairstyles, dress styles, one of Bingley's sisters, the flow of the story. Ick. The characterizations are off, and the acting is, well, missing.
And if Missy Kiera laughs one more time...





I have seen the BBC version with Colin Firth & Jennifer Ehle multiple times and it is always a delight to see it again. 
This favorite version does the best with characterizations from the Austen novel. Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennett are spot on.  The romantic flow of the story comes through.

I suppose, in my 'quest', I will see if I can borrow from the library, the classic  Greer Garson version from 1940.    (Not in the 9 county libraries!) Maybe I'll find one at a sale.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

This particular varigated iris has really long running blooms. Beginning of May through June 10.

Sunshine - Portland Breaks Through The Clouds

SunSunSunSunSunSUNSUNSUNSUNSHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have we been two months with no sun or what?

Taking advantage of a brief clearing of skies, we went flying this afternoon.
We flew north towards Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helen's and across the Columbia river and circled back around south over Beaverton and Lake Oswego and finally home.

US Bank Tower is NOT leaning. Yes - afternoon light is hazy at best. This freeway offramp is from the Fremont Bridge and Hwy. 30 heading west.

Back over the hill separating the Columbia River and Portland from Beaverton.
Curvy rivers of houses flowing down the hill.
This might be the only cool photo of Beaverton. It's all housing developments here and no trees and don't forget the gigantic flats of Intel and other big silicone industry.

Looking over the hill - you can see the mighty Columbia. Portland is to the right - if you squint through the haze - you can see a bridge or two.  This particular housing is near the Cornelius Pass Rd. and Germantown Rd. which is how you get over the hill if you don't have a bright yellow wing of your own.

This is the  freeway interchange where Canyon Rd. and Raleigh Hills (10?)  intersects with Hwy 217.
If you hang a left at the second light - drive 1/4 mile, this cool Japanese grocery store is a must-see. Inside is the bookstore back in the right-hand corner.
I really liked the wavy pattern of the interchange from the air.

I took a few photos of the interchange for god's sake.
I discovered a couple of years ago that all of my AT&T bars are at 2000' - up in the air. ON the ground, I am constantly losing people  but in the air, I can text everybody - but not in Beaverton. There are no bars in Beaverton.

Bend in the Willamette River near our home. I was trying (remember it's hazy in the afternoon) to show how chocolate the rivers are with all the terminal rain we have been tortured with.

Happy thoughts and remember it's Rose Festival Weather for the next couple of weeks.
(more rain).

Campfire S'Mores

These GIANT MARSHMALLOWS jumped into my cart today at Thriftway.
Can you steer me to the super-sized graham crackers and the GIANT Hershey Bar?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

My daughter and I saw this book at the bookstore a few weeks ago.
I picked it up from my library hold queue last night and I can't wait to start it.
 Billed as a Classic Regency Romance - Now With Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem.

Writing thus, I have already consumed Chapter 1.

Licorice

Gluten-free Licorice: Allen's Gourmet Licorice made in Nelson, B.C.

This licorice is made from Molasses, brown rice flour, aniseed oil & licorice root.

Bought here:

Kings Cupboard

2225 N Pacific Hwy Woodburn, OR 97071

503-981-3557

With all of my allergies, I spend an inordinate amount of time looking for foods I can eat. 

 Certain cravings surface continually.

One of these is Licorice.

Lately, a friend reminded me of Licorice Tea.   Licorice Spice Tea from Stash to be precise.

I've probably had ten cups of this tea in the last few weeks. And - it's almost enough to satisfy this craving.

I was at the King's Cupboard in Woodburn this morning and found this wheat-free licorice. It's a semi-soft, sticky type of licorice. It's good.

Then there is  salted licorice, more popular in Finland, called salmiakki. This is good stuff. It also doesn't contain flour or barley, typically.