Overheard on... S.E. Hawthorne St., Portland

“Do you think it would scare the other squirrels away?”

We were out for an early dinner date with friends (yes, I admit it, I went back to EVOE:>) and wandered past a store window displaying large animal head masks. There was a duck and a rhino (I think). But what caught my eye was the large squirrel head.

It is that time of year when I again go into battle with the baby squirrels who think they will succeed where others have failed. I hear them scratching at the roof, determined to find a way in… but I am on high alert and will not allow them access.

Still, it is nice to know, if worse comes to worse, I have a back-up plan. I don’t actually plan to wear the mask. But you have to think, if they saw it in the dark of an attic, it would scare the heck out of them. I know it would me.

It is truly amazing the things you can find in Portland. A friend recently saw a mannequin head and bought it for teacher appreciation week (the theme was Portlandia). Before displaying it in the staff room, however, my friend used it for a practical joke. She stuck the head in bed before her husband came up and when he got there all he saw was her, in bed, with another person. Pretty hilarious.

Admittedly, I have not watched many episodes of Portlandia. But I am glad we have our own show. I am glad to like in a quirky town. I am glad my daughter will experience cultural (in not so much racial) diversity. And I am especially glad that, although the weather may be gray, wet and cloudy most of the year, we are coming up to the most beautiful season…. Our month and a half of summer, when the sharp greens, bright sun, brilliant flowers and soft breeze are like finding you have the winning numbers to the lottery.