Retire In Style Blog Too

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson We were invited for lunch with friends. When we arrived with the bag of Friendship Cake starter batter the first question was "How do I make it for my daughter?" The second from the friend from Sumner, Washington was, "How did you know I have been making them all summer? A friend gave me the starter!" So, the Amish Friendship cake is making the rounds it seems. A couple of weeks ago at Sharon's house, Janice was passing out plastic bags with the starter and the recipe. About 8 days later I had two beautiful cakes resting on my kitchen counter. We also have home brewed beer in kegs in the basement. My husband is a brewer extraordinaire and we have enjoyed the fruits of his labor for years. In fact when he brews, men from around the neighborhood appear at our garage door asking for lessons or better yet, free samples. So, you ask, how do these two things tie together? Well, wh...

In our neighborhood there seems to be a sense of calm and sometimes it even seems empty. But when you look a little deeper, you will find we are like an ant hill, busy and out of sight. The Ladies of Orenco Station Book Club We didn't always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomison the third floor and before that we.... The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros The Orenco Station book club met last week. It is not earth shaking news but it very interesting. We are a group of woman that gather once a month to discuss a book and how it relates to our own lives or how we find a way to connect with the book that was chosen. Because I am gone for a large part of the year I only get to attend sporadically. But each time I am struck by the diversity of this group and yet the sameness of our experiences. I am from a lower middle class family and was raised in Eastern Oregon. Others of us were raised in British Columbia, Mississippi, the mid west, the east coast and ...

Writing Down the Words: How come This is a great blog written by a 2nd grade teacher/writer. You will be so impressed. b

Hawthorne District, Portland, Oregon " Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza. " -Dave Barry The Neighbor loves exploring. She and her husband spend a lot of time traveling and love the adventure. She will have to admit though, that Portland has some of the best little neighborhoods in the world. I followed her advise yesterday when my daughter and I had lunch in the Hawthorne District on the east side of the river. Believe it or not, I had never been there. We love brew pubs. I love shopping. How could we have missed this place? After a sandwich at the Baghdad Theater , we moved west on the street to a little shop called EIGHT WOMEN. This little shop has a wonderful collection of hand made baby clothes designed by the owner as well as mothers comfort items...night gowns, etc. When I asked the owner why "Eight Women...

An email came to the O renco Opinions yesterday. The sender was excited about the idea of sharing and including items. She said: Can photos be included by bloggers such as myself? I have lots from my garden and may have a need to share some. I am feeling bereft at the moment in regards to my garden. Our house is next on the chopping block and my garden will take a major hit (we have the faux stucco). As soon as the rain stops I have to go out and dig stuff up and move it somewhere where it will be safe. I have lots of pots with no place to go. The watering system must be dismantled. I was so looking forward to enjoying my patio and garden all summer. But the wrecking ball comes on Monday. First of all YES you can include photos by emailing the website email address: orencoopinions@gmail.com. The photos will be then posted with any comments you want to include. If you find something you really like; a book, a shopping destination, an event or even a recipe please ...