Raindrops on roses.

Last evening's rose.

Right before 5 p.m., I walked across the street to take a look at the Albertina Kerr roses. I lucked out and got to take this photo.

Walking this morning before the predicted rains

My lower legs, ankles, feet, shoes, and socks carried the rest of me two blocks east, one block south, two blocks west, around Albertina Kerr, and back across the street to home.



My first stop, Providore Fine Foods, where I bought two chicken breasts, never frozen, and a container of medley tomatoes--several sorts of cherries and other small tomatoes. I do not intend to have to go to Fred Meyer this weekend. By the way, I had to enter through this partially open door since I arrived right at 9:30 a.m. and no one had yet unlocked the door. This is a photo I took a few weeks ago when we had brilliant blue skies which I wish we had today. Alas, it is May in Portland and lately our weather has been spectacular which makes anything at all bearable.



On that block south, I noticed these lovely flamingos advertising Pie Spot where one finds fabulously-crusted-and-filled delights, sweet and savory. So happy they weren't open yet because the brown sugar pecan pie tempts the hell outta me.



Across the parking lot, here's more exciting art--a mural I know nothing about other than I like it! Next to 24th and Meatballs, a place I've only eaten at once back four years ago when they opened. I didn't care for it, at all, so I've not spent any more money there.



See what I mean by exciting art! Here's a close up for y'all to enjoy!



I sat at a picnic table on the sidewalk at the end of the block and took this photo looking west along the rest of the micro-restaurant pod known as The Ocean. I have no idea why. I've only eaten at the last restaurant in the row, Slow Burger. It's pretty good but doesn't call my name very often.



Across the corner, a shop I've never been in--I don't drink wine--but I like their windows a whole lot!



Around the corner as I headed back west, I noticed some lovely roses on a shrub/tree beside the steps up to an apartment building. Well, it might be condos for all I know. It has a locked wrought iron gate on a wrought iron fence which keeps folks who don't belong out of the courtyard. I'm still learning how to use my Olympus E-M5II that I got last October, and it took me several tries to get a photo I could live with. What do you think? Is it OK?



The peonies look heavy-headed alongside one of the driveways to the Albertina Kerr parking lot.



For perspective on our spring, the peonies on March 27.



And the peonies on April 16.

Now for random roses at Albertina Kerr. I'm blessed to have these across the street!













And the crow who joined me for a few seconds.

UPDATE and we've had some hard rain off and on today, so I imagine these roses no longer look like this

UPDATE: I stayed up later last night but still got plenty of sleep. I've taken a few naps today, not as many as the last two days. I've enjoyed hearing the rain falling outside my partially open window. We really needed this rain. I wonder what it has measured at the airport.



Friday when I went for a walk, I noticed this fading yellow rose and decided to photograph it with the polarizing lens filter. I think the yellow came out true to what my eyes saw. I like that a whole lot!



One more fading rose blossom. I'm really going to miss the roses in the front yard at Albertina Kerr when they cease to bloom. I'm shocked that they're still at it since it's almost Halloween! I'm leaving the polarizing lens filter on the camera all of the time. Leland will help me remember to take the plain one with me if need be--I cannot remember when he said I might want to have it instead, dadgum chemo brain.



Here it is again, with a bit of surrounding greenery. I like both photos.

UPDATE and the skies of Portland over the past few weeks

UPDATE: Slept well until around 3:15 a.m., then slept off and on until 8:30 a.m. I've been outside before the predicted rain started so that I could get in some walking. I'm walking in the building off and on now. I don't have much stamina yet, but I'm working on it. In fact, I walked the two blocks to Subway and got a tuna sandwich which I carried back home in a rain shower--I wore my hooded raincoat on purpose, y'all, so I was fine and able to rest at the somewhat wet picnic table at the Blue Diamond's back door on the way there and back. Y'all, thanks for your continued prayers, love, and concern.



I took this photo today, mid-morning, when I went out for a walk. For me, the sky tells the tale of why this flag flys at half mast--the heaviness in a lot of folks hearts and minds after the murders at Umpqua Community College on October 1. I assume that's th case, that Albertina Kerr followed the President's call to lower the American flag to half mast; however, they've not returned it to the top of the flag pole yet--the order was half mast through October 6.



Portland has some fantastic blue skies, sometimes with clouds which magnify their impact. I took this photo on October 8, six minutes after I took the next one on today's post. I was on my way home after work. I waited at East Burnside and NE Grand for a 12 or a 19 bus. That building on the left will end up 21 stories, not all visible from this position since the ground floor of it rests below the height of the Burnside Bridge, and I'm at that height here on East Burnside. The one on the right tops out at 10 stories. Both of those heights are what I found online in early stories about the construction--I assume there have been no changes.



Thirteen blocks south of the previous photo, same day, 2:34 p.m. I took this one as I sat at the Portland Streetcar shelter, waiting. I like the juxtaposition of the rust-induced-chocolate-truffle-colored public art with the blue sky. The sculpture's title is Inversion Plus Minus.



Downtown, outside the Portland Art Museum, September 26, when Leland and I had been inside at The Artisans Cup American Bonsai exhibition. I'm sorry to report that I don't know the name of this sculpture; it's in the outdoor courtyard between the two buildings that make up the PAM. The 175-foot tall church bell tower peeking between the trees and the cloud is across the South Park Blocks; it's the First Congregational United Church of Christ and is amazing in its architecture and Povey Brothers Studio stained glass windows.



One last photo of Portland skies, this one taken as I arrived at work on September 22. More of Inversion Plus Minus, the public art which also appears at the opposite end of the block and is shown in an earlier photo in today's post.

UPDATE and a young woman on her bike

UPDATE: Well, there's no doubt in my mind that the chemo side effect known as fatigue is here, in all is cumulative-ness, as in the impact increases with each round of chemo. No matter how much I sleep and/or rest, I remain tired. I'm still able to get what I need to do done, if I sleep and/or rest. I guess that's because I don't go into the negative, energywise. If I don't sleep and/or rest, I'm wiped out. I know that it could be much worse as far as side effects go, so I shall not give up. I expect this to happen. I am dealing with it the best that I possibly can.



The other day I sat in front of Albertina Kerr and noticed this young woman looking intently at the traffic. I knew why she waited. She wanted to go across the street so that she could get on the far side into the bike lane, more than likely so that she could go west on NE Sandy Blvd. A construction worker from around the corner got in my way, or I would have a photo of her doing that to share with you. Sometimes serendipity doesn't happen. That's OK.

UPDATE and I enjoyed sitting outside for a little while yesterday afternoon

UPDATE: I woke up at 3:15 a.m. today and couldn't go back to sleep, no matter what I tried. I dozed a bit now and then, but when it was time to get ready to go take the group photo, I could tell I wasn't up to it. I had to call and back out which made me very sad. Someone else took a great photo, though--I've seen it on Facebook. I knew someone else would step up! Anyway, I finally fell back into a real sleep, for about two full hours. Therefore, I made it to meet my friend Pat from Seattle with Lamont and Leland at Pine State Biscuits for lunch on SE Division at SE 11th. The hugs, smiles, and talking made me feel wonderful. So did the lunch. She brought an actual photo album and shared with us photos of Canterbury, Brussels, and Alaska--she and her husband, the special man known to me as BobRobert whose house provided the perfect place for my wedding on December 31, 1972--travel every chance they get. Now I'm back home, fooling around with photos and the blog before I go take another nap.



First, while sitting in my folding aluminum lawn chair, I noticed a Red Hat Lady in front of Albertina Kerr. I figured a group had a lunch-get-together planned. The lady on the right must not be of the official RHL age since she's wearing a lavender hat.



Here they are with the lady who had caught their attention in the first photo.



Next I noticed this crow. At first, it was on a line going from a wooden pole over to the building across the parking lot beside where I sat. I couldn't get my camera up quick enough to get a photo of it there because the crow dropped what it held in its mouth. I got this one, by chance, right after it picked up the nut--I guess it's a nut--and before it flew off across the street.



At first I saw this squirrel walking toward me on the low, gray-painted wall that keeps in place the dirt in my building's front yard. Otherwise, it would wash away into the parking lot which is more than three feet lower. Anyway, I slowly reached for my camera and the squirrel--I couldn't believe that it also had a nut in its mouth--took of for the very tall evergreen to my right. Shoot. In a few minutes, I saw the squirrel's shadow on the parking lot as it walked around the pole with the lines going to it--the same lines that the crow had landed on a few minutes earlier. I lifted the camera and watched through it for the squirrel and managed to get this photo before it disappeared into the leaves. It's not a very good photo, but I certainly enjoyed trying to get it.



Three more ladies drove up and made their way into Albertina Kerr. The ones waiting inside greeted them with joy loud enough for me to hear all the way across the street. I remember thinking to myself how good it is to have friends who are happy to be with you.



Last but not least, I got a few photos of Lamont walking toward me from his parked car. He came over with a couple of boxes of sugar cubes (for me to use in my hot tea) and his hair clippers. About a week ago I noticed stray hairs on my head, here and there, growing longer than my stubble and catching the light. I found them disconcerting because I felt like they made me look like a sick ol' lady. He agreed to try to get rid of them for me since, although I am an ol' lady who has cancer, I do not consider myself sick. In treatment, yes. Sick, no. When he finished, my head had shorter stubble and very few stray hairs. Thanks, Lamont.