when i was little i had several diaries, mostly pink or purple in hue, lined and dated with gold-leafed edges and a small lock with accompanying tiny key. i would start out well enough, keeping record of each day's activities and thoughts, and then a lull would hit. suddenly i would go to my diary and realize that there was an entire chunk of blank pages for which i had to make up. sometimes i would go in and try to remember what i had done, chewing on the end of my pen, and sometimes i would just go to the current date and write things like "sorry diary, i am so bad to you." that silly guilt is mostly gone in my adult life, but i have a small hint of that old feeling today, with so much to record.
it is still raining! it rained for nearly all of june. we had one beautiful weekend in new york for renegade and then came the clouds, settling in for a stay. but nabil and i have not let this stop us.
last week nabil and i were tooling around portland with my dad, and he suggested that we have lunch at the greek food festival. the sun was shining on that miraculous thursday and we went to partake of the gyros, spanikopita, moussaka, and baklava--mmm deliciousness be. it was so delicious, in fact, and the taste lingered with such force on our minds that we returned on saturday for a second helping. the weather was rainy but the music was playing and the tent was tall, wide, and waterproof...smells of heaven heavy in the humid air. the members of the portland greek orthodox church did not disappoint--their annual feast a smashing success.
these two women were expertly dropping perfect round balls of loukamathe dough into the fat; so intent on their mission they did not even lift their heads when i asked them if i could photograph them... simply shrugging their shoulders, raising their brows and saying 'yes.'
on sunday we had an accident. on our walk with gus in the evening, his leash slipped from my hand and he took off at top greyhound speed down a very busy road. this has happened before, and the feelings were exactly as they were then--'he is gone,' my mind said, sure that he would be hit and killed. he was very lucky. instead, he was merely clipped by a car, and suffered only a few gashes and some road rash. GUS! my heart nearly jumped from within my chest and i am still feeling the aftershocks. thanks to the aid of our kind veterinarian neighbor and a visit to our own vet on monday morning for some staples and a prescription of antibiotics, gus is feeling just fine, acting as though nothing happened, and naughtily licking his wounds whenever we are not looking. i am wavering between wagging my finger at him and covering him with kisses...but mostly the kisses win out. so thankful he is okay.
and such kind help from a neighbor late on a sunday evening deserves a freshly baked pie. nabil and i have been monitoring the local strawberry fields, waiting for the farm owners to put out their sandwich boards for the annual 2-3 week season of pick-your-own berries. after taking gus in for his staples on monday morning, and spending some time with him at home until he fell fast asleep, nabil and i took our berry box out of the basement (saved from last year), and headed out route 77 to the fields. it was misty and cool, and the foghorn was sounding as we gathered our strawberries one at a time.
i had wanted to make a strawberry rhubarb pie, but i ended up with so many berries that i made a straight strawberry pie instead. i must say that i missed the tartness of the rhubarb, but a pie with fresh summer berries is always just that, and wonderful.
and since nabil had two days off in a row, we felt we must maximize our fun. we awoke yesterday morning and i asked nabil what he wanted to do...to which he responded, much to my surprise, 'let's go to the place where you can rollerskate.' well, okay! let's go! i put on my stretch pants and striped red dress and off we went to happy wheels, a time warp if ever i've had one. i can't remember the last time i went there but it was at least 18 years ago, i am sure. it looks exactly the same, though i am sure it has changed. and though the songs were different this time around--beyonce instead of new kids on the block--they still gathered everyone for the hokey pokey and the chicken dance, and true to form, i still can't do any fancy tricks.
nabil had thought that no one would be there, as it was a tuesday morning. he had specifically wanted to go at that time as he is still learning to skate, and was feeling a little nervous about being there with other people. well, he didn't take into account that it's summer, and it was a rainy day at that, and the rink was packed with summer camp kids. he almost turned right around and left the building. but with just a little practice on the rugs and in the practice area, he was soon rolling around the rink with everyone. how american.
what i saw yesterday at happy wheels made me smile--the very same rink of my childhood, now filled with the long flowing skirts and flowered hijabs of our young female somali neighbors and friends. swelled up with love for our little city, my heart amply warmed, my feet tired, nabil and i took our leave--'let's come back for adult skate next week,' he said. okay, dearest. okay.
