Alarming News

By Saturday afternoon, the 10 inches of snow that took Portland by surprise had started to melt, despite temperatures below freezing at night.

On my walk home from the park, that melting sidewalk snow and ice had finally made possible, I got to thinking about the heaps of snow on my car. Some had melted and slid off, leaving a trail of moisture. There was still quite a deep pile on the roof and windshield. I figured I should help Nature along so getting to school Monday morning would be easier.

Once home, I grabbed my broom and went to town pushing and sweeping aside the accumulated snow. Once it was all gone, I realized that there was about two inches of ice around the wipers. Unable to break it with my tiny little fists, I decided to use the broom like an axe on the passenger side. It broke the ice, but set off my car alarm. I dashed into the house, grabbed the keys, ran back out and turned off the alarm. It’s nice to know the alarm works, I thought.

I left the ice that remained and went back in the house where a message on my phone let me know someone might have been trying to steal my car.

Sunday afternoon, I decided to tackle the driver’s side. I left the broom behind, hopeful that two days of melting with a freeze in the middle, might have loosened the residual ice. It had, but not quite enough. I set the alarm off again. Another dash back to the house for the keys and the alarm was off once more. I kept the keys with me and finished the job with the car unlocked. Maybe I was gentler, maybe the presence of the keys helped, but the alarm didn’t go off again and the car was finally ice free. As I re-entered the house, I wondered, since I hadn’t remembered the alarm issue from one day to the next, would I fall prey to the same issue the next time Portland experiences a snow and ice storm.

Food for thought

During my recent trip to New Orleans we chose the 2023 Sibert Award winners.

Travel can be tough – even on a trip you’ve been anticipating for a year. Your sleep and eating habits are radically disrupted. I’ve learned over time that it is important to find good places to eat. Carbs are easy to come by, vegetables more of a challenge.

On Friday night, before our decision making meeting, most committee members met at a restaurant named Shaya. It was the first time we’d met in person. We opted for a family style meal during which I had a life-changing pita experience.

After making our decision on Saturday, a committee member and I went to True Food Kitchen for dinner. I was excited to have so many veggie options. We shared a side of Brussels sprouts and I ordered an Ancient Grains Bowl. I was so enamored of this place and meal, that I ordered take-out the next evening for a picnic in the hotel room.

After returning home, I thought about those two meals. Last week, on Poetry Thursday, we learned about the poetic apostrophe and I was inspired to write this:

Dear pita baker at Shaya
You have changed my life
No more will I savor
The flavor
Of Store-bought pitas
Because yours were so light 
And fluffy
Arriving on the plate
Puffed up like a balloon,
Warm and tender.

Dipped into hummus
You brought joy to my heart
And tummy.

In a different twist on creativity, I endeavored to recreate the Ancient Grains Bowl at home. I was thrilled with my results.

Original Ancient Grains Bowl vs My homemade version: