La Vida Local
Irregular Notes on West End Life
By Rosanne Graef
The Pause That Refreshes
Last month I made a promise that I have to go back on. I’d intended to continue my ‘Can Portland Be Saved?’ lamentation on how our fair city is going to hell in a hand basket. However, the total exhaustion wrought by the disasters of late August/early September caused me to rethink and take a hiatus from that plan. Instead, this month’s La Vida Local brings you some humorous moments of West End life.
Are You Granny?
One evening my husband and I were walking on Brackett Street and saw a young man of about four years of age trying to toss a stuffed animal up to another child standing at an open second-floor window. Gravity got the better of his attempts, but he swiftly turned away from any sense of failure. Running to the end of his driveway, he called out, “Are you granny?”
Perfect husband guffawed. I held up a lock of my mostly white hair and called back, “I know what gives you that idea!”
The boy flashed a grin, burst into laughter, and disappeared from sight. He’ll go far in life, I’m sure.
80th Birthday Surprise
September 1st marked the 80th birthday of a friend. A couple of us deftly arranged a small surprise potluck picnic at Harbor View Park. We were defter at the surprise than practical in our organization of the food and ended up with a well-rounded menu of three dozen deviled eggs, a basket of plums, and a scrumptious maple-pecan cake. Bon appétit!
Like the Darwin Awards
The fellow in Wisconsin who arranges my husband’s high school reunions periodically e-mails jokes to the Class of ’74. Recently he sent three short videos along the lines of the Darwin awards, except no one gets hurt. Of course, I immediately shared this hilarity with my friend, Marsha, but totally missed the fact that autofill put in the e-mail address of Alex Marshall, the Director of Portland Parks Department. Luckily Alex got some laughs and you can, too, at https://thewestendnews.com/la-vida-local-videos .
Blessing Box Bustier
For about a year we have had a “blessing box” in our driveway. People give and take food, toiletries, etc. It works well. Some have left items such as the plaque in the photo and $2 rolled up with an EBT card number.
I went out one morning and found a small brown paper shopping bag set on the ground beside the box. I was not surprised and looked inside to find… a brand-new black satin bustier with nipple openings. A little taken aback, I took it in the house to contemplate what to do with it.
Late the next morning, the doorbell rang. My husband went out and met an embarrassed young woman who anxiously inquired about a bag containing a gift of a nursing bra. She had left it at the wrong house for her friend who just had a baby. He came back in, told me her tale, and said, “I’m not going out there again, you take it to her.”
If you are that young woman, don’t worry. Without your mask and your hat, we’ll never recognize you!
Rosanne Graef lives in the West End and is a regular volunteer contributor. Email: lavidalocalwen@gmail.com.
