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BASKETBALL COURT: A DATE WITH HISTORY FROM THE DRIVEWAY

May 13, 2020 by

A basketball court is today’s proving ground for American youth. Like other kids of a certain generation, though, baseball was my first proving ground. After I proved I wasn’t very good at it, something about a weak arm and slow legs, the basketball court replaced the diamond. Instead of going to a lumpy field, I […]

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CURIOUS CAT: REPORTS OF ITS DEMISE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

May 12, 2020 by

A curious cat looking for the right answers starts a journey. But where does it really begin? If it starts with reading, which books give the best answers? Young parents know this drill: Ask around at the library.

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PARIS REUNION OF THE FUTURE

May 11, 2020 by

A Paris reunion points to a specific time and place, where other reunions bring people from school or work or family. In any case, there’s always someone absent, which changes the focus from who’s there to who’s missing. Instead of guesses and speculations, try and show up and be with the others who found the […]

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MOTHERS DAY STACK: ADD AN ANNIVERSARY AND NEW CUP

May 10, 2020 by

Mothers Day some years includes a wedding anniversary. But not every year. It’s always close on the calendar, real close. When it’s the deuce, and on a Sunday, it feels like a home run, and the important thing is touching all of the bases and sliding in home.

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A BIRTHDAY, VE DAY, FLYOVER PORTLAND DAY

May 9, 2020 by

My dad’s birthday is May 8, so it was a big day before I learned about Victory in Europe, or anything in Europe. It’s still a big day. Sharing his day with the end of the worst war in the history of mankind, where industrialized death became the accepted norm, can’t be easy. Just ask […]

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FRIDAY FLEX: WHY GET READY A DAY EARLY

May 7, 2020 by

Friday flex on a Thursday? Why not Wednesday, or Tuesday? If you’ve got the flex gear, make it every day. Flex gear? Is there such a thing?

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CHECKLIST ORGANIZER: HOW MANY BOXES GET CROSSED OFF DURING QUARANTINE

May 6, 2020 by

A checklist organizer makes a checklist. If you’re not much of a list-maker, keep it short. Susan Orlean tweeted that she’s taken a shower every day for a hygiene flex. Is that checklist organizer worthy?

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WRITING LIFE LOOKS FOR SMOKING WRITERS

May 5, 2020 by

Do people in the writing life smoke to show they’d rather die than change bad habits? Or maybe they secretly want to lose a few pounds, although Joan Didion may disagree. The writing life? Please. I hear that and think of droopy people sitting around typewriters with a pipe or cigarette stuck in their face. […]

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BETTER PERSON? BETTER THAN WHAT?

May 3, 2020 by

Does a better person replace a good one? Or is ‘better’ the enemy of ‘good?’ Like most things, it depends on who you ask. You get an answer either way, asking or not.

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TIGARD HOUSE HUNTER REVIEW

May 2, 2020 by

Before Tigard house hunting began, one big question came up too often. Why Tigard? The view I had from downtown Portland included every direction out of the city.

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