Morning Clouds Clear to Pleasant Evenings

We had some cool, marine mornings that clear, much like the days of intense work cleared by a couple of lazy evenings.

Ann and Hunter stopped by for a visit Wednesday. It was a perfect-weather evening on the deck. Nothing like family to put you at ease. No food in the house? No problem; we made do. Some friendly conversation and a glass of wine helped place into the context of work the troubles of people who call me for help:

“We were recruited to work as bartenders in Lakeview. She fired us, and told us to leave town by noon tomorrow. . . .” Or, the woman from Milton-Freewater who left work at noon because she could not handle another disciplinary write up for things others do without write ups, “ever since I was off work with my carpal tunnel surgery.” Or, the local man fired at age 50 as part of a “young-sizing” effort by the company. Or the man from Califonia whose 18-year-old daughter was killed in a car wreck. Or the Gresham woman whose knee is wired back into place after falling on pavement. Or the daughter whose dad suffered mistreatment by the medical community in a small town before he died. Or the Minnesota man who believes a legal malpractice claim might help recover money that should have been his. Or the guy still limping one year after the botched hip replacement.

Yes, a glass of wine and friendly conversation provides a good way to unwind after absorbing the worries, grief, and perceived injustices from around the nation.

Thursday, Allyson & I made it up to Kruger Farm for a get together with friends and their children. The band provided the excuse; the acreage give the boys room to roam; and the prepared food and wine made it easy for the adults.

Friday, it was just Allyson and me for happy hour on the deck before we noticed that a little bit of Trout Lake was coming to Portland. So we dashed out to hear Lincoln Crockett and his friends play folk music at an Alberta Street Public House. It really was a gathering of his friends and few others. I enjoyed the mostly folky music from the singer-songwriters. Also, I learned the latest fashion for men seems to be capri-like jeans. It’s those dirty-looking, yet (no doubt) expensive jeans that look rolled up to below the knee. How ironic: these men with the personas of not caring being so fashion conscious. Makes me wonder how much of all of this Portland-Local-Green-Bike-Folksy-Organic stuff is just all of us bowing to peer-enforced fashion.