A PARABLE OF SATAN AND THE DONKEY

A farmer rode his donkey to the field where he worked and, after leaving water, he tied the donkey to a tree to rest while he worked the field.

Satan came by and untied the donkey who ran into a nearby field where a woman grew a garden.  Because he was hungry, he ate most of the produce in the garden so, when the woman saw what had happened, she killed the donkey.

When the farmer found the dead donkey, he shot and killed the woman.

When the woman's husband found her body, he stormed off and shot the donkey's owner.

The sons of the donkey's owner avenged the death of their father and they set fire to the house of the man who killed their father.

Suddenly struck by remorse, the sons asked Satan why all those terrible things had happened.  Satan replied, "Why, I did nothing - except release the donkey.  It was you who reacted and released your inner devil."

Please listen to this parable.  Pause........... and think...............................

BEING 80 YEARS OLD

  

An 80th birthday is a milestone and my children made sure that it was special.  They sent us to Cannon Beach for two nights at the WAVES Hotel and treated me to a birthday dinner at a special restaurant.

To stay safe, we made a menu and took food to cook in our room, except for our one special dinner at the Wayfarer.

My personal chef, Roger, prepared a Persian recipe for eggplant omelet the first morning and we enjoyed a very lazy day.  We wanted to be very careful about covid exposure so we just took a short walk through downtown. and spent time on the patio overlooking the beach.

Today we slowly made our way back home to Portland.  Unfortunately, the smoke here is very thick but we are thankful that we're safe from the wild fires.

There is so much to be thankful for - long life - good health - love and companionship - fabulous children, family and friends.

Being 80 is GREAT!

TODAY I JOINED THE 80+ CLUB

My friends, Allison and Ann treated me to a birthday lunch today at McCormick and Schmicks Harborside restaurant, with delicious food and a beautiful outside table overlooking the Marina.  Both of them have been looking forward to my joining them in being 80, still healthy and slightly  feisty.  

We haven't socialized for months so there was a lot to talk about.  Ann is busy writing her memoir and Allison is presently working with the Census Bureau.  I'm still working to rent an apartment here at American Plaza, with a showing this afternoon, so we all manage to stay active.

POWELL'S BOOKS OPENS FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

Roger likes Powell's, too

 HAPPY DAYS, AGAIN

Powell's Book Store will open soon and we are excited.  Now we have lots of time to read and Powell's is the "go to" place for a huge selection.

The streetcar stops outside the store - I'll see you there!

Little Chicks Peeking Out of the Eggshell ...............

Ann and I were like two newborn chicks venturing out into the world today when we got brave enough to have lunch in a restaurant.

Portland has the perfect venue at the Marina where McCormick & Schmicks Restaurant serves food at outdoor tables overlooking the harbor.

The restaurant has done everything necessary to keep customers and employees safe and the food was delicious and beautifully served.







The Portland Streetcar line is nearby so we also used public transportation wearing gloves, wiping things down with disinfectant wipes and acting paranoid - but we feel brave and we feel confident that we did what was necessary to stay safe.


CHEERS !!

Married FIVE YEARS August 28th

As they say "Time goes fast when you're having fun".  

Five years ago, on August 28th, Roger and I got married and this year Roger gave me a beautiful anniversary gift, filled with hard work and love.  Using a photograph from our marriage ceremony, he painted our portrait.

What makes this unique is that the center is a raised plaque.  The flowers are hand sculptured and three dimensional and my pearls are composed of dozens of tiny "pearls" that Roger made by hand.

Double click on the photo to see the sculptures.

Mucca Osteria Takeout In Downtown Portland

After cooking three meals, most days for the last three months, I decided that I needed a restaurant dinner, so last night I used Grubhub to order dinner from my favorite Portland restaurant, Mucca Osteria.

I ordered an Antipasti, Prosciutto e Barrata (Parma ham, Burrata Mozzarella, with pickled red onion.



I had some fresh cooked black eyed peas in the refrigerator so I added them to the dish and it turned out to be my dinner.  The bread in the photo is house made and it was warm when the food was delivered.  There are no words to describe the bliss that I felt when I broke into the "marshmallow soft" cheese and the accompaniments.

Tonight I'll enjoy the remainder of last night's order, Tortelli ai Funghi.

If you're in Portland, this restaurant is one that you don't want to miss.  Please help them stay in business while they are only able to offer take-out.