Behind the Douglas fir curtain

Milwaukie, Oregon (NOT Wisconsin!)( Part 7)

Back to the City

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   I've always admired Buddhist monks; even nuns.  Why?  Because they denounce all worldly possessions!  They don't even own the clothes on their backs.  They do not have the burden of hiring a moving company to haul their stuff to a new location.  Just imagine what would happen if the general public adopted this spiritual discipline?  The moving industry would vanish over night!

            Well—not in MY case!  It might be that I have a mental disorder, or I am very sentimental of my possessions.  What ever it is, it cost a fortune to move my stuff!  I have a huge vinyl record collection!  It might total over two thousand; or maybe around 950—I don't know exactly.  When CDs came out in the early 90's, I started accumulating lots of those; DVDs, too!  And books!  You combine Pamela's and my collection—you got a bookstore!

            Pamela and I had to downsize from a big house in the forest to a 2-bedroom duplex apartment in the city.  Back in the boondocks, we couldn't find work, now we are (hopefully) in the midst of potential employment.  Isolation is a too expensive a proposition for anyone.  I liked it but my retirement savings were disappearing faster than the Tea Party movement.  Pamela felt quite depressed because, at heart, she is social person.  Plus, it was cold and cloudy and rainy 75% of the time!  If either of us had found a job, there would be a required commute of over 100 miles a day!  I don't think our old vehicles could of have withstood that for very long.  Not to mention, the GAS!

            After a lengthy and frustrating search—by phone, online, and printed classifieds—Pamela found a small, 2-bedroom apartment in which we could live with our beloved dogs and cats!  At every "pet-friendly" residence she looked into, there was a limit based on the number (we have four), breed, and/or weight!  You cannot imagine the joy we felt once we found a nicely maintained apartment in a great location that would accept our animals and us!  The place is located in a small suburb, just about 10 miles south of Portland—just a short 20-minute drive, or 30-minutes by bus.  It is situated in Oregon's well-known Willamette Valley, adjacent to the Willamette River, which flows from the Columbia River at Oregon's northern border, through the great city of Portland, and south through our city to central Oregon.  The river is surrounded by millions of evergreen trees, and many other small cities and hillside communities.

            So, we went from a dirt road to paved streets with sidewalks.  Walking the dogs is much easier now, especially since my golden boy, Benny, is no longer in danger of getting swept up in the currents of the Nehalem River where we used to walk.

            We live on a relatively quiet residential street, just about two blocks up from Milwaukie's main drag, McLaughlin Boulevard.  Keep in mind; we came from a place that had only a general store, a restaurant, and an inn.  Now, we have every conceivable retail establishment within just a few minutes walking or driving distance.  Markets, great restaurants, fast food places, dentists, auto repair places, motels, movie theatre, veterinarians, convenience stores, large and small shopping malls, and huge car dealerships, just to name a few!  At our old place, Pamela would make no less than 80-mile round trip excursions to buy groceries, pick up prescriptions, visit the post office, and what ever other errands we needed.  She would be gone for eight hours!  This would create havoc on her legs and back.  Now our shopping and other needs are only minutes away!  McLaughlin Boulevard reminds me of Pacific Coast Highway back home. Ah...civilization again!

            The complex we live in is situated like a motel, with several one-story duplexes lined up around a parking lot.  It consists of mostly white working class families, struggling to get by.  When I say white...I'm not talking about Jewish white, Italian white, French white, or even Irish white!  I am talking about Teutonic white!  Nordic white!  You know?  "The Master Race!"  The Saxons white!  All dressed in Viking regalia white.  (Shall I go on??)  However, these poor saps are not ruling class white.  There are Section 8 families, couples on welfare, retired married couples living on some pension or Social Security income, disabled people in wheel chairs on government assistance, and even some ex-cons.  I have never seen so many women with tattoos in my whole life!  There are also a lot of smokers here.  Everywhere I go, I see cigarette butts tossed across the sidewalk and in the street.  These people smoke more than Israeli's!   Most of them are nice, except for a few.  Our neighbors are a young couple who (according to the apartment manager) are using medical Marijuana.  You'd think that pot would make one vivacious and amicable?  Not this couple!  They are like Zombies with ice water in their veins!  Pamela said hi to them a couple of times and they responded with a weak "hi," not even raising their gaze to look at her!  Just once, I would like to have nice neighbors!  No luck this time around.

            It's summer time and all the residents' children are home.  A few times a day, they play in the playground, just outside our apartment.  Our bedroom window overlooks a portion of it.  Otherwise, children aged 3 to 10, are running, laughing, talking, and shouting as they play throughout the complex.

            When I hear that sound, I know I am home.