Tag: Oregon

New Moon

Translation

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

Our dog Ellie stands in the dog park at Portland's Irving Park

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.

A Day for Dogs and Children

In a heavy snow, young parents pull their child in a sled down the street while in the far distance a dog walker approaches from the sidewalk

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.

Walk in the Park

A lone pedestrian walks through a snowy Irving Park with the Door of Hope church in the background

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

People ski on the snow-covered paths at Portland's Irving Park

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!

People ski on the snow-covered paths at Portland's Irving Park

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.

People ski on the snow-covered paths at Portland's Irving Park