Entries by TATIANA

I started my day with some tea and cookies and Townshend's Tea Company - so yummy and relaxing. It is my time to just slowly start my day, I read, think, plan my day, plot evil stuff (lol), write sometimes and relax.



My plan was to go and pay for some layaway Christmas gifts at Walmart today....Tyler Perry did that and I thought it was such a great idea and wanted to do it as well. Tyler spent about what POTUS gets in his yearly presidential salary. I can't match that amount but thought I would shell out about $150. Well.....guess my surprise when the lady working behind the customer service counter told me that the layaways had to be paid for and picked up by December 10. What? I think that is weird. What if you would want to get your kids some Christmas gifts and wait until about the second week in December, put the stuff on layaway with the intention to pay for and pick it up right in time for Christmas Eve? No, I guess that is not a possibility at Walmart, you have to do it before December 10. Whatever! I was annoyed. Now I am thinking I will give away some food and maybe some well needed items to a couple of homeless people in Portland instead. There are a LOT of homeless in Portland.



Winter Solstice today! And Capricorn season has begun. I am a Capricorn. Best sign in the zodiac.....

I spent a couple of weeks in Portland and here are a few pics of what I did.
Met up with a friend to talk.



Drank latte everyday in different places.....read up on the latest Portland stuff.



Check out these beautiful homes!



And this Christmas tree.....are you feeling Christmasy yet? I'm not. There is no snow here and I'm kind of just like MEH....as always I am excited to give away some nice presents. This year I got inspired by Tyler Perry and I am going to do what he did this year but in a much smaller scale of course. One does what one can.



Driving around in Portland. Not like Bend where it is downtempo and you get from point A to point B in a short amount of time. It is also easier to drive around in Vegas where the infrastructure in general is newer and gives you more room. Portland driving is bumpy, pot holes everywhere, winding roads, hills all over and confusion in general.



I am back to the calm in Bend now but I will be returning to Portland soon and it looks like I will be spending a lot of time there next year.

Today I went to ScanFair, a Nordic craft fair that was held in Portland over the weekend. I had pancakes and glögg....probably the best glögg I've ever had.



I still believe in tomtar (gnomes), trolls and all the other mystical creatures that exist in nature with us. I grew up reading these stories.

Midvinternattens köld är hård,
stjärnorna gnistra och glimma.
Alla sova i enslig gård
gott intill morgontimma.
Månen sänker sin tysta ban,
snön lyser vit på fur och gran,
snön lyser vit på taken.
Endast tomten är vaken.

(Excerpt from "Tomten" by Victor Rydberg)



Magic mushrooms are often found in art together with Santa. There is a reason for that, old history there.

Lily an elephant that was born in captivity at the Oregon Zoo died two days ago, a day before her 6th birthday. She had a virus that is found in elephants in the wild and in captivity. A vigil for Lily and a protest against the zoo in general was held there this evening. When I found out about it I wanted to see it for myself. According to one of the signs 21 elephants have died inside the Oregon zoo. Lily was the latest elephant to die.
I am of course very much against animals being held in captivity for human enjoyment. I am against circuses that use animals for entertainment and places like Sea World. If you want to see animals, go out in nature or watch Animal Planet or something like that.
Sure it it also dangerous for elephants to live in the wild, SADLY because of poaching. But just because elephants in the wild risk succumbing to poachers does not make it right to keep them in zoos. I was reading random comments when looking up the Oregon zoo earlier that some people used holding elephants in zoos as a good reason for them not to be in the wild and therefore not die in the hands of a poacher. Like zoos would be a safe place for them.
It is really not OK to support places like zoos in 2018, people should be more enlighten by now and realize that this is animal abuse.

I am in Portland and I will be here for about a week.



I am staying in an area called Hillsdale and walking distance from the house there is a great bakery called Baker & Spice, they have delicious pastries and OK latte. The reason it is just OK is because they don't have frequent customer clip cards. I think every great coffee shop should have something like buy 10 coffee or lattes and get the 11th free. On top of quality coffee and baristas that know what they are doing of course.





On today's agenda, get gas at Costco (the cheapest gas around here), go to the bank, walk the dogs and go to the gym (I got a trial membership for free at River's Edge Hotel). There is a Swedish event this weekend that I want to go to.

Today I found the best mug, it says "I work hard so I can give my dog a better life". I ❤️ it!
And last week I spotted some of the cutest post cards I have ever seen, I looked up the artist, she is a local and her art is amazing. Her name is Megan Myers and her site is www.meganmariemyers.com
I got two cards today and I would like to purchase a print or two. I love everything that has to do with humans and animals, also mermaids and faeries.



Speaking of dogs, I am happy to read that that South Korea has shut down its largest dog meat slaughterhouse.
"About one million dogs are consumed every year and activists have sought to end the custom.
Dog meat was once considered a delicacy in South Korea, but attitudes have changed in recent years.
"This is a historic moment," Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA) said in a statement. "It will open the door for more closures of dog meat slaughterhouses across the country, expediting the decline of the overall dog meat industry."
Here is the full article
www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46309211

Even President Moon of South Korea evolved and recently adopted a rescue dog, GOOD JOB President Moon!
www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-40740717