boolie

Chilling

Ellie has a dog bed in every room on this floor except the bathroom and the kitchen, where she is here, but sometimes she likes the harder surfaces like the tile of the kitchen or the hardwood everywhere else, I suppose because they are cooler. In fact one of the dog beds is a few feet behind her on the other side of the wall (and there were no cats in it at the time, which is not always the case). She may also be playing the odds and hoping a pizza will accidentally fall off the counter, more likely to happen in the kitchen than anywhere else. Smart thinking pup.

We had air conditioning installed today so the house will be cooler for her during the summer from now on, although these pictures are from March.

Racing Stripes

I always assumed the stripes of an orange tabby were all about camouflage but Sam says they also make him 18% faster. I’m not sure I believe him but on the other hand he can really scoot if he thinks he’s going to the vet.

New Moon

Some of the homes in our neighborhood post poetry near the sidewalk that I like to read on our dog walks, and though I detested poetry when I was young a couple of them have really caught my eye and made me want to start exploring it. I loved this short poem from a few hundred years ago by samurai and poet Mizuta Masahide, who is quoted in this translation as:

My barn having burned to the ground

I can now see the moon.

Mizuta Masahide

There are several translations available, translation is tricky in general but I would guess especially so for poetry, another version is:

Barn’s burnt down –

now I can see the moon.

Mizuta Masahide

I was unfamiliar with the poem but loved it immediately, there are many layers in those few words. And I think this translation, though not as poetic, hints at that:

My storehouse having been burnt down,

nothing obstructs my view of the bright moon.

Mizuta Masahide

It’s important to stay positive in the face of tragedy, to see opportunity in change, to seek the beauty of the world that surrounds us but that we hide from ourselves, to see how easily our love of wealth harms the spirit. But to remember too, that barn may have stored food for the winter, and if people are suffering, they need more than “thoughts and prayers”, they need help. That they are us. Let us break bread together and wonder at the moon.

Good Morning America

Ellie and I enjoyed a warm but peaceful morning on the 4th of July in the dog park at Irving Park before heading out into the neighborhood. The headlines are a daily reminder that there is a vast difference between what as a country we believe and what we say we believe, and always has been, but there is much to love about America too.

Silent Witness

The basketball courts at Irving Park will be silent today as we are facing not only extreme heat but smoke from fires far to our north in British Columbia. On this winter morning, however, the courts stood silent in heavy snow that muffled what little sound was coming from the surrounding neighborhood.

A Day for Dogs and Children

Young parents pull their child in a sled down the street while in the far distance a dog walker approaches from the sidewalk, all heading to Irving Park. I knew our black lab Ellie would love the snow but I was surprised to see even the small dogs were having a great time in the deep snow. I’m told we’re actually in the midst of a cruel heat wave, that the snow is not real but a distant memory surfaced, a hallucination brought about by what in the earth tongue you would call heat madness.

Evening Bath

Red & White

On a winter morning with everything covered in snow, red really stood out against white in both the doors of the Door of Hope church and a nearby stop sign.

Walk in the Park

Ellie and I weren’t the only ones out and about exploring the neighborhood as the snow continued to fall. They said we had a high of 94° today but I can’t see how when we’re having all this snow. Are they living in an alternate reality? I admit that driving to work today was as easy as if the roads were as clear as a summer’s day, but I put that down to my Subaru’s excellent all-wheel drive system. The house thermometer says 82° so it must still be stuck on Kelvin degrees. Which would be around -300° Fahrenheit, and I mean it’s cold but not that cold, but you can’t expect a household thermometer to be accurately calibrated for such cold temperatures. Brrrrr!

Alternative Transportation

I’ve decided to drive the rest of the week. TriMet is warning of potentially long delays on the light rail as they have to run the trains slowly in the excessive heat. Excessive heat? What are they talking about? Look at these cross-country skiers in Irving Park! I was wearing multiple layers and thankful for it! Granted the thermostat said the house only cooled down to 77° overnight but I think it must have switched from Fahrenheit to Kelvin, it’s ccccooooollllddddd!

I had already taken Ellie back to the house and gone out again for pictures when I came across this couple navigating the slight uphill climb near the dog park in Irving Park. I was moving more quickly on my feet than they on their skis, but we were all enjoying the snow in our own way. Portland’s Irving Park is a multi-use park for a variety of outdoor activities, Ellie and I visit the dog park, but this unusual winter storm added cross-country skiing to the list.