August 2013 in Oregon

     Hello!  Well, I started a post, but I can’t access it without the Internet, so Mark said to do this in Word again and he’ll post it for me through a zip file, however that works.  I’m excited to tell you all about things here in Oregon!
     For one thing, Easter Oregon is a whole ‘nother country compared to the rest of the state.  It doesn’t rain a lot here, but is slightly moister than SE Idaho.  La Grande is beautiful to me, with its ring of mountains and its quiet quaintness.  I love that EOU is here.  And people are so friendly and relaxed, and it’s clean and natural-feeling.  I feel very at home here.
     We are going to find out from Mark’s boss (a regional director, very likeable and capable, if we can possibly stay on site, with me being a paid Assisted Living resident on Medicaid (suggested by the Medicaid office).  Or we can get an apt. or house to rent.  At least we’d know one way or another, and could get on with that, so we could get the Internet.  And we need to get me a phone with long distance!  Things take a while because we hit the ground running here and we were gone last week, which was fun!
     Portland is situated on the Columbia River Gorge, right across from Washington State.  It’s so luscious, like some primeval jungle, with mist-covered scenery.  We were wondering how the early explorers must’ve felt, arriving at these tree-covered mountains and pristine views. 
     I stayed in the room while Mark went to his training, and I slept a bunch for some reason.  That leads to dehydration, which makes me sleepier, so it’s a vicious cycle, but I was able to finish reading Anna Karenina.  And we went out to eat a night, 2 nights at a restaurant and pie house, with the best chocolate milkshakes!  Other nights we went to Sweet Tomatoes, a salad buffet, and one night we got really good pizza.
     We also ate at St. Honore Boulangerie, which was a French bakery, very highly rated, that I found out about.  Some of their things, like croissants, we different, as in kind of tough and chewy, and other things were an unexpected delight, such as their pizza-like creation on a thin, crispy crust.  It had sun-dried tomatoes and zucchini and mushrooms on it, and was so tasty.  We also got a dense apple toast, round and filled with custard and cream – we  took that back with us.  And we got a strawberry and mascarpone, I believe, pie slice that was sooo flavorful and fresh.  That was super-fun!  Mark got a baguette to take back with him, too.
     I was still glad to get back “home,” as it felt, away from the busy, jungle-y Portland.  Oh, I forgot to say that we attended the temple there!  It was a peaceful place, as always.  What was amazing was that someone from our IF ward was there in the session with us!  He works in Portland during the week – I didn’t recognize him, but we told him to tell the bishop and everyone hi for us.  Isn’t that such a coincidence!
     Talk about a small world when you’re LDS:  Sunday we were invited over for dessert by a family in our ward.  Turned out, he’s our St. President.  Anyway, he grew up in our ward in Logan, he knew the Stones, he knew Mark’s bishop from Denver (from Mark’s later high school yrs.), his wife grew up in Littleton, where Mark lived there in Colorado, and something else, I forget what.  Oh, he knows Pres. Roylance, our St. President and friend in Logan.
     So, we had a fun trip and we’re returning next month for a shorter training.  Next time I’m going to the Portland Rose Garden and Powell’s Books for sure!  They also have a zoo and museums and a Japanese garden.  Fun! 
     It’s great that Mark’s expenses are reimbursed for these trips, so it only costs us for my food.  :)
I see Mark several times throughout the day here, which is great.  One time they had a car show here, to benefit the local 4-H.  So the Dog Group had dogs there, which Leto loved.  Lots of people have dogs here anyway.  They are usually little, toy breeds. 
     A couple of nights ago, Mark took Leto to go outside, and there were 9 deer outside on the patio, eating the tomatoes!  Leto wanted to go play with those big dogs!
     Leto likes the plush carpeting in our apt.  He really stretches out and sleeps deeply on it.  We had him bathed and his toenails trimmed before we came.  His paws are so cute now when he lies down with them out in front of him.  Also, in Portland we went to a Petsmart and got a big bag of his dental dog food, which they didn’t carry in I.F.  Along with his dental treats, it’s ‘Hello, clean teeth!’  Yay for a big, furry, clean dog!  The residents love him, and he’s been sooo well-behaved.  We can take him to Farmer’s Markets and so on now, and he behaves just like the dogs we always admire.
     We are on the third floor here, which is very quiet.  We can see the drivein screen from our windows.  Last week they were showing The Smurfs, lol.  We have a kitchenette and small living romm and bedroom, with some big closets.  It’s nice, but there isn’t enough room for us, really.  They have a couple of bigger apts. (we wouldn’t take a large 2-bedroom one), but we’ll see.  If we get to stay, it’ll be worth it!
     We don’t get many tv channels here in the bldg., without getting our own cable, but there are lots of high def. channels.  One channel has a show called Sarah’s House, and it’s great.  She guts old houses and redoes them, one room at a time.  I love it!   I can’t wait to decorate a place with what I have, really for the first time.  For one thing, I have better ideas, and I also don’t have cat fur to deal with. 
     That affects my feelings about my clothes, too.  I can wear all my black clothes, maybe with a colorful scarf, without being covered in fur, haha.
     I love Tut, and I dream about cats, but don’t miss the hair!  I also always dream about baby horses, but will settle for collecting them on Pinterest.
     We usually eat about 1 ½ meals per day here.  Mark brings them up here.  I just wave at people, but don’t know them.  I think it’s better that way, and I like it.  We do our own housekeeping.  Well, Mark does.  I straighten.  The food is quite good here.  And there are always choices as to what you have.
     There is a nice library where you can check out 35 items at one time, including DVDs, so we have plenty to watch here.  There are cute little shops and cafes downtown, while Wal Mart is way out in Island City, a suburb.  There are other small towns around here (within an hour’s drive), one with a lake and state park.  There’s lots of hiking, and in Oregon everyone wears long shorts and sports caps and sunglasses.
     The St. Pres. Said that Mormons were sent up here long ago, from SLC.   We are renewing our Temple Recommends, so we talked to the bishop Sunday.  He’s very nice, and really efficient. 
My life may seem very simple, but that helps me to concentrate on my medicines, etc., and staying on schedule.  And I like simple and quiet.

Well, I think I’ll close for now and continue later on…