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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.
There was quite a lot of hullabaloo over this dusting of snow: panic, oversaturated news coverage, school closures, and the like. It was, as you can see, quite fluffy and lovely, and the winter highlight for many school children and their parents. I went out long enough to feed my fine feathered friends and scoop a bit of the chill into my hands, enjoying the particular scent of snow before it all melted. Then, several hours later, it came back, a movie camera in reverse, giant flakes covering every surface again. Much of it remains, along with bitterly cold air and sunshine. Where am I?
Have a wonderful weekend!
It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness.
We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.
Chuck Palahniuk
Thinking about the Middle East, North Africa, and New Zealand. May they find peace, safety, and sweetness.
Tags: Quoting
It’s funny how a three-day weekend throws me off of my blogging game. Not that I am complaining (no way!), just observing, for it was a long and lovely weekend, to be sure. The highlight was this walk and learning ever more about this city I love so much. I also spent a fruitful afternoon in the garden, tidying and readying for the spring to come. Though not today, our forecasters say we are getting snow this evening, a rather BIG to do in these parts, possibly six inches on-the-valley-floor. We’ll see. Just in case, I’ve got the crock pot going with vegetarian chili goodness and a box of my favorite Jiffy cornbread (the cheapest and best) for dinner. Sturdy food for sturdy times. What a mantra!
Anyhoo, to the walk. This is Irvington, probably the most posh neighborhood on Portland’s east side, with Eastmoreland a very close second (sadly, it doesn’t have a walk – how about it Laura O. Foster?). It is beautiful, with quite a few stunning and truly grand homes, some mansions even, the majority built before WWII, and still looking rather divine. These two are among the oldest, dating to the early 1890s. Can you imagine being the one to paint them? Oy, that’s a lot of detail. By the way, the last two photos are not actually in Irvington, just in case archaeologists find this blog and decide to start walking. Pause Kitchen is one of our favorite eateries, a place we always manage to visit after long walks or drives, with ravenous bellies speaking well before we do. It’s well worth a hop, skip, and a jump across town. The very last speaks for itself, perhaps, as the hubster needed some bike accessories for the commute, which is going well, by the way.
Not so random thoughts:
Kinetic
A tree named after me…
Proof!
Eucalyptus
Fancy
Making Friends
Spring Pink
Well Trained
Going Vertical
Nap Interrupted
Maker’s Mark
Wait Here
Sky Blue
Getting Spiritual
Pause Kitchen
Gear Up
Happy Wednesday!
Tags: Portland, Restaurants
