The Speaking Clock

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Pamela

Downtown Portland. This photo has nothing to do with the post.

There’s a Facebook group for people who grew up where I grew up. This is another source of endless nostalgia that keeps clubbing me on the side of the head.

People have brought up a number of “do you remember …” places and things that I haven’t thought about in years.

One thing was: the party line.

I’m not even sure I can remember exactly how we did it.

This is how I think it worked. It was back when we only had landlines and there was a phone number to call for local time. Oh wow, look here’s an article about when the service was discontinued in SoCal in 2007. The phone number was 853-1212. I remember that.

“At the tone the time will be, 8 o’clock. Beep.”

I can hear the exact tone of the recording. Here’s a little bit about it.

When you called the local time number while the phone was ringing but before the local time lady picked up you could shout out your phone number, or you could write down a phone number that you heard. There would be lots of voices shouting out stuff but you had enough time to get or give a number.

I know it sounds crazy but we didn’t have any sort of computer-derived entertainment. We couldn’t stalk boys on Facebook (which I give thanks for on a regular basis because that would have made me miserable.) Another version of this game was we knew the phone number of the pay phones at the mall and we would call and try to get people to talk to us.

I had several friends that I called the partyline with and we successfully talked to people. Now that I’ve typed this all out I don’t have much for a dramatic finish. At the time we thought this was a fun game we were too young to drive so we never could meet anyone and never invited anyone to come meet us.

I remember doing this in high school while I was babysitting. (So much for exercising good judgment.) I ended up talking to a guy that I didn’t know who went to my high school and as I recall it was a really nice talk. But he was related to one of the popular kids who much have filled him in on my status between the night we talked and the next day we went to school because I never talked to him again.

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Portland Timbers We Adore You

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Pamela

Our last regular season game was on October 22, 2011 and I’ve been meaning to do a love letter wrap-up to my Timbers ever since.

I’ve followed World Cup for years and years but I’ve never followed a club team before. I’ve never followed any sports team before. I’ve pretty much avoided going to sports. I have been to a few Trail Blazer games that were fun.

I had seen Timbers a bunch of times since I’ve moved here but I didn’t go regularly until the 2009-10 season before we moved up to Major League soccer. I never paid attention to the away games.

Hannah warned me that I would probably get pretty into it. She was partly correct.

I lost my mind.

It would be impossible to convey how much I loved this season of Timbers.

Here are some things about me: I hate waiting in line. I hate crowds. I hate events at stadiums. I don’t spend my money on random crap.

I did not hate any of these things when it was a Timbers match. Every single home game I was like a kid on Christmas day. I spent time planning my Timbers outfits. I bought plastic pants so I could sit in the rain and watch soccer. I bought two jerseys, a scarf and 5 t-shirts.

I saw 25 matches at home including U.S. Open Cup, exhibition and reserves. I saw 1 away match. I had a blast at every single time. And it’s not like we’re the greatest team. Well, we are the greatest team but we don’t win all the matches. I think we placed 12th out of 18 teams.

Losing to Seattle at home after being ahead was heartbreaking. That giant losing streak mid-season was rugged. I referred to them as the disappointing boyfriend I couldn’t give up on. Losing the last game at home was a bummer.

Winning our first home game ever was amazing. Beating LA Galaxy 3-0 was one of my favorite games of the entire season. And then Futty scored in stoppage time of our last game in Salt Lake to tie it up so we ended on a high note.

I know the team is going to change and every year is going to be different but this inaugural team will always have a special place in my heart.

Can’t wait until March.

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California Dreamin’

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Pamela

I managed to bring back a souvenir cough from San Diego. Last weekend I had people coughing all over me in on the plane.

This weekend it was my turn to cough all over everyone. Usually once I get a cough I’m stuck with it for three weeks but this one seems to be on the fast track. It’s barely started and already my abs are sore and I’m doing that gagging cough that sounds like I’m puking up my stomach.

It’s neat. But if means I’ll be done faster, I’ll take it.

That was what was going on at the airport this morning. Unlike some people, I feel bad about coughing on people and was trying to hold it in and chain-eating Fisherman’s Friend. It was a long morning.

I had another reunion in California this weekend. This one was college friends and mostly people I haven’t seen for 25+ years. It was a somewhat spontaneous event. I think they came up with it barely a month ago.

I didn’t really want to jump back on a plane after being gone all last weekend but there were too many people I wanted to see.

It was awesome although my life seems to be exceptionally nostalgia heavy at the moment which is great but also killing me and probably worthy of a longer post if I’m ever in the mood for it.

The flight in this morning was amazing. Mostly sunny and clear. The flight path went over downtown which I can’t remember doing before. Ladd’s Addition really stood out with those giant trees all turning yellow. I could pick out the park blocks and my office and my beloved Jeld-Wenn field.

It’s a good day to get outside and chop down dead dahlias.

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Fallout

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Pamela

Every time I walk by this sign I want to take a picture. I finally had my camera with me. Now I wish I could remember where it is. SW 6th, maybe near Columbia? I can see it in my mind’s eye.

Last weekend I was at a rented beach house.

I severely underestimated how difficult it would be to cook in a kitchen that I’m not familiar with and that was woefully under-equipped. There are things that I could make at home blindfolded that were giving me fits in this place. Plus the stores didn’t sell the exact things I usually buy.

At one store I asked about something and he said they don’t stock it because no one will buy it. What is wrong with these people?

I already knew I was a knife-snob but I had no idea such sorry excuses for knives even existed in the world. I had considered bringing my knives (checked bags) but it seemed like a ridiculous idea. I regretted it the entire time.

I’ll know for next time.

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Before and After

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Pamela

I enjoyed my flowers more than usual this summer. Maybe because summer took so long to get here.

At this time of year I know the days are numbered and I keep an eye on them knowing that the first cold snap is going to ruin them.

I have mixed feelings about the end of the garden. I love being outside and digging in the dirt. But I also like being inside and not having to worry about the yard.

The flowers are finished. I saw a bit of sunlight this afternoon and thought I should run out there and try to haul off some of the dead stuff.

It’ll be there later.

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Stinker Cat

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Pamela

We have a swinging chair in the backyard with a cushion on it.

During the summer Toes napped on it almost every day. Every time I wanted to sit there I had to take the cushion inside and vacuum it off.

The second I opened the backdoor, Toes would launch himself at me with a bleating whine and he would not leave me alone until he was thoroughly scratched and petted. I had to be seated for this and let him crawl in my lap. I couldn’t get away with just a lean down and pat.

If I attempted to ignore him he would trip me or try to crawl up my leg. This was especially fun when I was wearing shorts.

It was sort-of annoying but also sort-of nice. A pet that I didn’t have to feed or take to the vet. One afternoon I was trying to get a bunch of stuff done and didn’t really want to sit down for Toes time. He insisted so there I was, forced to sit still on my porch. The sun was going down and there was a breeze so all my flowers were waving back and forth and birds swooped around the sunflowers. One of my great summer memories.

Last month when the weather turned cool and damp I brought the cushion in for winter. I looked out the kitchen window and saw Toes sitting on a plastic chair glaring at me. The next time I went outside, he wandered by and ignored me when I said hello. Then he squatted down and peed right in front of me and didn’t even flinch when I yelled.

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Watch the Ripples Change Their Size

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Pamela

I was gone for almost a week. I went to San Diego where the weather was mid-70’s with blue sky and bright yellow light and completely amazing. I sat on the sand by the water and practically cried because it was such a treat.

At home I’ve been watching the leaves since the weather turned cool but they didn’t seem to do much. But while I was gone they were busy.

It was still daylight when my plane descended and we did one of those tipping turns going from north to west and I could see changing leaves all over Oregon.

The neighborhood adjacent to ours has lots of huge leafy trees and when they start shedding it’s quite a mass. Looks like its going to start raining any minute to turn it into a yellowish sludge.

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November is Here

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Pamela

View from San Diego beach house.

Today it is November first and with this post I can keep alive the idea of a blogpost every day (NaBloPoMo) which seems like a good idea since I’ve been averaging about 1-2 posts a week and could really use a kickstart.

However it’s a terrible idea because I am in the middle of a time that’s so busy I have to brush my teeth while folding laundry just to get it all done.

I did not even make my pitiful goal of 300 words per day last month and I still can’t decide whether to have a 200 words per day goal this month or to really push myself and try for 250.

Adding daily blog-posting would seem insane seeing as how once I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it, no matter how miserable and stressed out it makes me feel.

But then I could do phoned in posts like pick photos from my giant collection that correspond with the numeral date. e.g. Tomorrow I could post any photo I have that was taken on the second of any month.

We’ll see how ambitious and clever I am.

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Apples and Pumpkins

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Pamela

For the first time our backyard apple tree not only has tons of apples, it has tons of pretty ones (relatively). Last weekend I picked two giant bowls full and canned applesauce.

It really isn’t that much work but I timed it poorly so I was trying to cook dinner and keep track of my canning which involves lots of things boiling at the same time. It all worked out and now I can have a stash of applesauce.

I thought it would be funny to label it all 2005 so when we pull it out in February we can gasp and wonder how it had gotten lost in the cupboard for so long. The canning specialists tell you to eat it within a year but I’m here to tell you I’ve let stuff go way longer than that and no one died.

I have a recipe for slow cooker apple butter and I was thinking of doing a quick batch of that since I have tons of canning jars. But I already have 10 other projects going this weekend and canning would probably push me over the edge.

Check out these pumpkins Kent gave me. His are the two big pretty ones. The sad little one is mine. Babe the pig is there for perspective.

I gave him some seeds a few years ago and now he likes to grow them, too. He brought them to work and I walked over to pick them up. I put one in a backpack and carried the other one. Everybody smiles and says hi and makes chitchat with you when you’re carrying a pumpkin.

Some guy asked me for directions to a place that was completely in the opposite direction. I pointed in the direction he needed to be going and told him it was a hike. He shook his head and said I must have misunderstood and then very carefully enunciated the name of the place he was looking for. “Yup, it’s still the other way,” I said. He said he must have just overshot it and would backtrack. He’d overshot by about 12 blocks.

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Three Tidbits

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Pamela

This was one of the first promising looking early pumpkins that then withered without explanation.

A couple of weeks ago a guy called the office. I answer the phone with the name of the business. He said, “Yeah? I had a missed call from this number.”

Me: Okay.

What is he expecting me to do with this information? I don’t know who he is. Sure, it’s only a 2 person office, but it doesn’t really feel like my problem to solve.

Him: (on the verge of dying of annoyance) What is this again?

I repeat the name of the business.

Him: (Derisive snort) Well?

I asked if he had business with us. Co-worker overheard me and called, “I dialed a wrong number earlier.” I tell greatly inconvenienced lunkhead this.

Him: (Another derisive snort and then hang up.)

I’ve already have the answer but do people really do that? If I see a missed call from a number I don’t recognize it would never occur to me to call it. If someone wants me, they’ll try again. I wish we’d kept his number because I would call it from a different phone every day and hang up.

One dinky Cinderella pumpkin. Barely worth the trouble to process it.

We got a notice from our bank inviting us to refinance. They’re getting itchy because our house is almost paid for. The profit margin on us is dwindling. They used to do this to me in person, too, but I asked them to put a note on my account not to try to sell me stuff when I go in. They still do sometimes.

This one was funny because it has a graph with what our payments would be if we refinance for 30 and 15 years and then how much we’d save on interest. Those boxes were blank with an asterisk that said, we wouldn’t actually save any money on interest.

Nice try!

This is the new variety Baby Pam, which doesn’t seem to want to turn orange. I’m so sad about my pumpkin crop. A friend brought me some Cinderella pumpkins he grew from seeds I gave him. I’m going to pick them up after lunch.

This past weekend I had the time so I put the garden (mostly) to bed.

One reason I was putting it off is the birds have been loving the sunflowers. Every morning on the weekends I would see all kinds of activity out there. We had several days of cold rain and the sunflowers looked like refugees from a Tim Burton movie.

The cucumbers which have sent out all kinds of vines and nothing else finally started producing about 2 weeks ago. I’ve eaten two and put 4 in the fridge. Gee, thanks for nothing. I took out two of the tomatoes and optimistically left two in in case they want to keep going.

I dug up everything else and I now have about two pounds of beets in the fridge. We’re going to have something beety this weekend.

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