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| This is the Ya Po Ah parking lot |
CHRISTMAS 2022
Cold weather, snow squalls, and the Peace on Earth sign on top of Ya Po Ah means the Christmas season is here. Time to reflect on the year’s events in my life. Last Christmas it snowed on Christmas Day, just a little accumulation but enough to add to the spirit of the season. Last Christmas was at Chris and Diane’s home here in Eugene. A quiet and pleasant day. This year I will go to Ashland to Diane’s daughter’s house where other family members will come on Christmas Day. I love it when there is a lot of people.
Last winter went by fast , cloudy, rainy, but also some sunny days. Nothing unusual happened that I can remember. Spring was rainy, making all the vegetation green and vibrant. Eugene is a city where bikes are used a lot and there are bike lanes on most streets. After my trike was stolen another resident let me use her trike that she could no longer ride. There was an electric bike fair that I went to in the spring and I decided to buy a recumbent trike, two wheels in front and one in back, pedal with electric assistance. I shopped around and bought the trike from a company in China. It didn’t take long to get here and arrived in a large box. The bike had to be assembled so I found someone here at Ya Po Ah that likes to work on bikes to put it together. I had no idea it would be difficult. I know nothing about bikes. If I knew then what I know now I would have taken it to a bike shop. It was frustrating for the person that put it together , and I am sorry for that but it did get assembled. I brought the trike to a bike shop to get the chain put on and adjustments made. The trike is in my apartment, because there is no safe place to store it. A safe storage space was going to be built for the residents of Ya Po Ah that owned bikes and the structure they are building is not designed well and I can’t even get the trike into it. So I get around on my friend’s trike which is outside locked up on the old posts. Update on recumbent trike, everything working except throttle button. The motor will turn on when peddling. Chris took the trike to the farm, no storage here yet.
The last of June I went on a camping trip with Kevin, the person that drives the Ya Po Ah bus. We went in his car to Smith Rock State Park, and got there about 11 o’clock.AM I found a place to paint this amazing place, while Kevin and his dog went hiking. In the late afternoon we headed out to find a place to camp. We found a spot off of a logging road and Kevin set up our tents. We were 5000 feet up and it got really cold when the sun went down. I was cold all night. The next day we headed out to see the painted hills. It got really hot .He drove on and we stopped at Sheep Rock where there is a great museum of natural history with information about the history of that area that goes back millions of years. I tried to make a painting of Sheep Rock but the light on it wasn’t good. Another night of camping in the cold. Kevin gave me his sleeping bag and I was warmer but still a little cold. Next day it was hot again. Kevin is a great person to travel with because he travels everywhere and knows all the interesting places to see. Both of us love the water and we found a good swimming hole along the river we were following. I have friends that live in Redmond that I haven’t seen in 40 years and we were able able to stop there, for a couple of hours, on our way back to Eugene, They own a number of my paintings and Pam showed them to me and I couldn’t remember any of them. The paintings were of Newburyport where we lived back in the seventies.
I was tired the next day which led to sleeping for 3 days and then going to the clinic to find out what was the matter with me. I had a bladder infection and had to take antibiotics . It knocked the stuffing out of me and I had no energy. I was recovering from that and fell in my apartment and broke my right wrist. All this time I was hoping to get to Maine and the hot summer was slipping by, no swims in the river, no energy . But slowly everything improved. .
Doug booked my flight and I arrived in Maine the last of August and had my six week with family in my old house in Waldoboro. The first two weeks in September were warm and I was able to swim off the rocks in the cove but Doug had to go with me to help me get out as my right arm was still weak . I was able to see most of my friends, had a couple of outdoor painting days with a couple other artists friends and went to the museums and galleries. Had three days in Newburyport, saw friends there and made day trips to Salem, MA and Cape Ann. Chris came out for a week and we hooked up with him in Boston and drove south to visit Charlie’s relatives. Of course we had lobsters, clams, mussels, oysters and fish. It was a jam-packed six weeks. Chris picked me up October 11th in Eugene airport and drove me home to Ya Po Ah.
The good thing about being in Maine in October was being able to see and experience the fall color. Within a few weeks green leaves turn to the brilliant yellows and reds and whole hillsides are dotted with a patchwork of mixed colors. The blueberry fields are also one carpet of deep dark red. The back roads of the area where I lived are winding, narrow and follow the up and down contour of the hills. They also follow beside the inlets and coves. The sea water moves in and out over and around the massive granite shore where mostly pine and oaks grow. When October comes, driving around the back roads one sees the display of nature,s rainbow colors.
The fall color hadn’t begun when I got back to Eugene. It was still in the eighties and I was able to go to the river and have a couple of dunks. However the temperature dropped into the fifties and summer ended abruptly. The trees in the city, of which there are many varieties, turned color and it was a very colorful, long season. Now the mornings are in the thirties warming to the forties in the afternoon. It is dark at four thirty. The city is aglow with lights for the Christmas holidays. We make merry here at Ya Po Ah with a number of events. The seventh was a great party with food, singing, dancing and yes Santa visited us too. Santa doesn’t just come to children.
Children and family; Even though my mother and father came from big families there aren’t many of us living. Many of my cousin’s children I never meet. I was not one to keep in touch. My oldest, Douglas, is now sixty. He makes pottery and sells it on Etsy. Christina ,his mate, works on a farm. They will be coming to Eugene in January. Christopher lives in Eugene and he and Diane work and operate a cannabis farm. I am grateful that I can be with them quite often.
Charlie went to the other side 2007. I lived alone on Back Cove until 2016. Due to heart problems my sons convinced me to move too Eugene where my youngest son lives. I went from living in an isolated, sparsely populated area to a city filled with people. I was amazed how friendly the people are. Soon after moving into Ya Po Ah I made friends. Now I have become a social person , learning about other people's lives, and older people have interesting stories, interesting personalities. Many have overcome difficult situations. Living in Ya Po Ah is living in a connected community, a little village. Back in Maine I wore the same cloths every day. Now I am stylish. I like skirts. I Put on different cloths every day and people notice . The people of Eugene are uninhibited, open, friendly. They remind me of the old hippie days. The Saturday market is a great place to watch people. My social skills are improving. I take part in many of the activities. I love the people here at Ya Po Ah, even the ones I don't know personally. I have learned from them. I appreciate life more than ever. I think it is because one has to be aware of every action, to pay attention to details, to listen with respect, to help when needed. Slowing down and knowing you can't do what you used to do. Prioritize: I work at what I love to do. If I don't get much done, does it matter? Here are a few things I am working on. Don’t interrupt a persons conversation, respond as soon as possible to acknowledge what someone said or did. Answer emails and messages. I am on Facebook and hardly go there. Thank people, tip service people, they are underpaid and be patient . What matters is being part of humanity, of living life, learning from living. Being physical with all its feelings and emotions, to experience with awe being alive. I will never understand humans but I can love them, I can feel good being around them. Every one, every person is here for a reason and I believe it is to care, respect all livings things and work toward love and peace. As it says on top of Ya Po AH PEACE ON EARTH.
One little story about my lost iPhone. Two weeks ago at the clinic the nurse asked what antibiotic I was on for the congestion in my lungs because it might be a touch of pneumonia . I went to look it up on my phone, and no phone in my pocket. The phone was in a case along with credit card and medical cards. Back at Ya Po Ah I search the apartment and no luck. Then I called the bank and canceled the card. Well I panicked. iPhones are expensive .My friend Prem was helping me and we were using her phone. I called Doug for help. He said I had Find my iPhone on the computer and we managed to set it up. A map appeared and there on the map an arrow pointed at my phone and location. The phone had fallen out of my pocket on the way to the clinic. While we were talking to Doug he said he was getting a call from my phone. Meanwhile Prem had entered her number to call and then she was getting a call from my phone. A person that works at Mountain Rose Herbs picked up the phone and called the numbers. I couldn’t believe how all this happened. Wow: technology and honest people. I have had several situations this fall, one after another of caring individuals that have helped me. You think a situation is going to be a disaster and it turns out to be a positive reminder how good, honest and considerate people are.
At our Christmas dinner where we sit at long tables I started to talk to Kim, next to me, a resident I see often but don’t know well. A lot of people at Ya Po Ah volunteer for non profit organizations, because they have time and like to be with other people. Kim works once a week at a free food distribution center. Food is brought in every day and her job is to sort it out and put it on shelves. There is a lot of canned goods but also fresh food from local grocery stores like Whole Foods. What surprised me is that she said anyone can go there for food. No one is checked for income or being homeless, or jobless, NO PAPER WORK of any kind is needed. Food comes in ,food goes out to whoever needs it. Now that is service to all. With no strings attached!!
One other item . Eugene has MANY homeless people and a lot is going on to help them. I just want to say that Eugene Weekly does publish stories about individuals that have died homeless. There are many circumstances that lead to being homeless. I appreciate those articles that give us time to think about the lives of others.
Back to Christmas and all the things I love about Christmas: music, lights, decorations, traditions, Christmas trees, ceremonies, gatherings, giving and receiving and for me snow. It is a magical time of year, when miracles happen. This is a time to be with loved ones, to share memories, stories, food. It is a time to forgive and be forgiven. My apartment is decorated with a seven foot real fir tree, and greens everywhere, lights across the ceiling and fake candles that look real. I just sit and enjoy my surroundings and listen to Christmas music.This year we had an open tour of our decorated living spaces. Only five participated. I liked that other people were able to see my decorations. That same evening our singing group came around on each floor caroling.
Children love Christmas. Their imaginations are real. They are joyful and all people should enjoy Christmas as a child. Santa is still with us . The angels are singing. Strings of lights are strung around trees, bushes, fences, doorways, roof eaves . All the lights shining in the dark, beautiful, magical. Think about the meaning of light. Remember and be thankful. It is a wonderful world. It is us, we together that make it so.
Some uplifting sayings
The great sea has set me in motion
Set me adrift,
And I move as a weed in the river.
The arch of sky
And mightiness of storm
Encompasses me,
And I am left
Trembling with joy. Eskimo song
May all things move and be moved in me
And know and be known in me.
May all creation dance for joy within me. Chinook Psalter
When I rise up
Let me rise up joyful
Like a bird
When I fall
Let me fall without regret
like a leaf. Wendell Berry
