Entries by TATIANA

Well Christmas is over, at least for me. I put away the Christmas decorations that I had out and it wasn't that many. No tree. Bye Bye Christmas until next time! I feel a bit sad that Christmas is over.....too soon! I had a cozy and relaxing Christmas with lots of food, the only thing missing was snow. It's been raining a lot but there might snow here next week, at least that is the prediction for now. Well, it says "snow showers" whatever that means.



How are the New Year's resolutions going? Mine are going excellent!



I found something called Swedish Cream.....never heard of it before but it is delicious and addicting! I can eat it every day.

Well..... I think it is officially a new year, a new decade all over the world. 2020 has arrived. Perhaps it will be somewhat similar to the roaring 20s? I hope the new decade will bring more compassion and understanding to where it is needed, the less fortunate, the animals and nature. And more order in the world. If that is even possible.
I had no plans at all for last night. I went out briefly to a place in the neighborhood, won at pool (surprisingly) and headed downtown to the waterfront so I could watch some spectacular fireworks, or so I thought. Yeah Portland did not have much to offer in that department at all but instead I had a very nice walk, it was a beautiful evening and I was in good company. Went home and sat and read, relaxed and nibbled on food. Felt appreciative of my home. My first meal after midnight was a bowl of sauerkraut, I love sauerkraut.
Today I woke up from the sun peeking in through the blinds. A nice day unfolded that I have spent in calmness. To me the first day of the year is important. I want to be in a clean home with not a lot of clutter over from the last year and I don't want to do any errands, clean or anything of that nature.
I want to enjoy the first day of the year peacefully, eat good food and relax. I feel that the first day of the year sets the tone for what's to come.
So far so good.....
Here are a few pics from last night.
Happy New Year everybody! ❤️

I spent some time on the Oregon coast exploring the small towns of Astoria and Seaside. Lots of interesting history here. And many salty old men with long beards walking around.
Sacagawea, Lewis and Clark plus entourage made it to Seaside and saw the Pacific Ocean towards the end of 1805.



Peace and Friendship was mentioned, I think the Native Americans got the short end of the stick.



Seaside is a beach town with lots of touristy shops and restaurants.





There are lighthouses.





And a long beach.







The Grave of the Unknown Sailor.



The shipwreck of Peter Iredale that ran ashore in 1906, located on a beach in Warrenton. There is not much left of it.





The Astoria-Kegler bridge connecting Oregon and Washington. I think it's a bit scary to drive across it and there are people that are brave enough to bike it.



The bridge engulfed in fog.



I met a friend. Another alien.



Found a fly agaric.



There is a place in Astoria called Coffee Girl, go there if you ever make it to Astoria.
One of the original coffee girls.



I am a coffee girl too!



The Astoria Column. I climbed the stairs to the top and felt like I was going to faint when I stepped outside to look at the view. Worth going up there but I am scared of heights. Once it good enough for me.



The Underground Shops in Astoria - great shopping!



Somebody painted a painting of me. How nice!

Birthday time (!).....again. Felt a bit melancholic about that today. Started out with a bath and a face mask around 1am, so I would go to bed nice and clean and wake up the same way. Woke up several hours later and went for a long walk with my babies, no matter what kind of a day it is animals always come first.
Had English Breakfast tea and crackers with very good cheese. If you are into crackers, try the ones by Raincoat Crisps, I really like those. Took a nap around 6 pm and woke up by 7. Got ready and went to Kachka, a Russian restaurant. Today I wanted my fave soup which is barszcz. At Kachka they have Russian style red beet soup and they call is borscht. Not as good as my Mom makes it but still OK. Then I had some cheese dumplings. The portions were too small for my taste, I like food and I want to feel satisfied after eating a full meal at a restaurant. And for dessert a nice glass of black tea and some cookies. I was very pleased with the tea. Served in a glass with thinly sliced lemons on the side and sugar. That is how I remember tea from my childhood.





Then it got late and it was time to make it home. Felt a bit of melancholy still.....it has to do with that time goes by so fast. And birthdays are a reminder of that.

It is the night before Christmas Eve and it is so calm outside, the fog has wrapped itself around the homes where I live. I am inside with Tomten.



Foggy nights remind me of a picture in a book, a picture that I have remembered since I was a child. My Mom gave me these four books when I was around six years old. Books about words, each Swedish word has the English translation. I used to spend hours looking through the pages in these books, learning the English words and I got lost in my imagination while looking at the pics. I loved these books and I still have them.



These two pics kind of etched themselves into my brain....a foggy mysterious night and a calm night.

First of all Happy Winter Solstice!
So last night I was at work and we did the Secret Santa thing. To understand what to get for each other we were asked to write down our likes and dislikes. I actually said that I didn't need anything and wrote down more general stuff that you can't really give as a gift. You technically could but we agreed on not spending more than around $50, which is reasonable. It's not like I am expecting to get a random live animal or several Rolfing (also known as Structural Integration) sessions or a ticket to Burning Man. The things on my list are things that I like mixed in with a splash of humor (of course). Ohhhhh and I wrote that I dislike men. Because yes, in general I do.
My Secret Santa actually gave me something that I can use and that I will enjoy so I was very happy.





Since the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was cancelled this year I decided to bring a little Victoria's Secret to you. I wore this teddy from Victoria's Secret for the first time.....(teddy is such a weird word for lingerie but whatever).





And in case you are looking for a very yummy perfume for yourself or a special lady in your life, I have a "new" scent. Decadence by Marc Jacobs. It is not my fave perfume but I would never waste my favorite perfume at work.