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If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.
Daphne du Maurier
Look at our little sweetheart. Adorable, I think. Oddly enough, she is a cat who doesn’t mind a bath, which is good, because, rather unfortunately, she’s in for a lot more of them. At sixteen, her grooming isn’t what it once was, places harder to reach, or maybe maintaining a certain degree of cleanliness is no longer a concern. This girl has her own mind, to be sure. Combine that with some health problems I will leave to your imagination, and she’s on an every other week bathing schedule. Lots of meows and rubs in the sink before a tight swaddle in a towel and a date with the hair dryer. The end result is a super fluff and stuff scented like a summer cedar forest. Lovely and ever so soft. Good girl!
If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come.
Anonymous
Tags: Quoting
It’s been awfully rainy in Portland, even by our standards. We’ve gotten more than five inches in the first three weeks, when, on average, we get about 3.75 for the whole month. Wet! So when the sun busted out during dinner last week and made my plate look so pretty, I had to take a picture. It’s the small things in life…
Tags: Portland
Happy Monday, gentle readers. It is gloriously grey here in Stumptown, and I’ve no complaints. Well, not any serious ones, anyway.
Here’s hoping you had a lovely weekend. Mine began in earnest on Thursday, with my friend and maker of the exquisite little beaded angel pictured above, Bebe. We met way back in college, and hadn’t seen each other in thirteen years. She called out of the blue, on the road in my neck of the woods, and we spent two fun filled days thrifting and eating around Portland (Broder and City State Diner – yum). It was a hoot and a holler to be sure.
Then Saturday was blessedly sunny enough to be in the car with the windows rolled down, doing all kinds of running around to purchase an odd assortment of items: delicious strawberry rhubarb jam (from my friend’s brother’s company), bread, my favorite Italian nougat, safety vests (for bicycling), metal straps and braces (for earthquake “proofing”), and something else that evades my memory at the moment.
We also spent a lovely evening with the jam maker’s sister, Lori (but sadly not her husband, as he was quite under the weather). She made the sweet (in scent and looks) sachet above from a thrifted quilt. Our chosen hangout was Circa 33, a newer place on Belmont with good service, delicious fare, and super drinks. Steamed mussels, a pulled pork sandwich, and a cocktail called La Louisiane (whiskey and absinthe make great partners) were the tops.
The highlight of the weekend (more like my life), was the company and conversation of truly wonderful friends and one sibling (Hey brother!). I am beyond blessed in this department, with so many kind hearted people near and far, giving of their time and hearts, cheering me up, willing to listen, share, and withstand my occasional and excited but no less annoying interruptions (noticing the problem is the first step to mending it). Thanks to you all.
Have a wonderful week!
Tags: Portland, Restaurants
As a bee seeks nectar from all kinds of flowers,
Seek teachings everywhere.
Like a deer that finds a quiet place to graze,
Seek seclusion to digest all that you have gathered.
Like a mad one beyond all limits,
Go where you please and live like a lion, completely free of all fear.
from the Dzogchen Tantra
I am doing my best to embrace an ebb period, gaining strength as I swim circles in the vortex of life. Writing, for me, right now, is pretty difficult. Keeping a single train of thought is also difficult, and, quite frankly, tiring. I feel as though my brain is chasing some bit of ephemera. Every time I feel I have it, it slips from my grasp. There are, however, moments of illumination, which I hold gratefully in a tight metaphorical embrace. Like that last post, it came pouring out while I was making the soufflé pictured above (which was delicious), two minutes on a blue legal pad, boom. I’ve got it! This post, well, I’ve been at the keyboard for about an hour, scratching my head, and it still feels a bit off. Definitely ebbing. Hoping the best for you.
p.s. Thanks Katie, for asking. I appreciate it!
Ebbing and flowing.
All places I’ve been before and will be again.
Beautiful and bright as summer sun.
Dark and ugly as pain.
In between, wondering.
I listen for clues.
Everywhere.
Take me where I want to be.
Pure love resides there.
Tiny before exploding into greatness.
No air.
Then I remember.
I’m already there.
Here.
Ebbing and flowing.
Colleen Sohn
Tags: Poetry
This is true happiness: to have no ambition and to work like a horse as if you had every ambition. To live far from men, not to need them, and yet to love them. To have the stars above, the land to your left, and the sea to your right, and to realize all of a sudden that in your heart, life has accomplished its final miracle: it has become a fairy tale.
Nikos Kazantzakis
Tags: Quoting
Very cold and uninspired today, so I am resorting to my favorite page in Vanity Fair, the very last, or first, in my case. Have I ever told you that I read magazines back to front? It’s probably because I am a left-handed deviant.
Perfect Happiness: Being warm, but not hot, while doing exactly what I please. The hubster is nearby doing the same.
Greatest Fear: Unrecognized talent.
Most Admired: Anyone unafraid to live the truth.
My Most deplored trait: Spiteful.
Most deplored trait in others: Insecurity. It colors everything.
The Most Overrated Virtue: Honor.
What do I dislike most about my appearance? My toes.
What living person do I most despise? Myself, though I’m getting better.
Words or phrases I most overuse: You know?
Greatest Regret: Not loving myself sooner.
Greatest Love of My Life: Gregory Spencer Cooper
Happiest Time: Right Now.
Talent would I most like to have: To work harder. To be more focused.
Current State of Mind: Pleasant anticipation.
One thing I’d like to change about myself: Lengthen my unpredictable fuse.
One thing I’d like to change about my family: Less insecurity would be nice.
Greatest Achievement: Me
Lowest Depth of Misery? Not believing in one’s worth.
Favorite Occupation: Enjoying life as it is, not as it “should” be.
My Most Marked Characteristic: Desire to improve.
What do I most value in my friends? Ease in their own skin.
Real Life Heroes: RFK, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Most Dislike: The various incarnations of insecurity. It’s a definite theme for me.
What animal would I come back as? A cormorant – I could swim, fly, and not mind the cold.
How would I like to die? Peacefully.
What is your motto? Be yourself.
Welcome to Under a Red Roof.
I’m Colleen Sohn, writer, poet, dreamer.
I like to take pictures.
I’m a bit silly, love yoga, eating, and good stories, because bad ones are a bummer.
Thanks for stopping by…
