Of Cats, and Mice, and Little Nagging Issues That Won't go Away

We lost our little cat about a year ago. Frodo was about twelve, and a much-loved member of the family. His personality fit the family very well. We think the coyotes got him, but of course, we’ll never know. I miss him. About a month after he failed to show up at the house, I noticed that we had a big bag of cat food in the garage. We usually keep his food in a small garbage can, to keep the mice and insects away from it. I told my wife “We’ll have to put that away, before the critters get into it.” But I didn’t do anything about it. Several months later I mentioned it again. “I’d better put that away, before the mice get into it.” But I didn’t do anything about it. A few weeks ago, a full year after we lost Frodo, I finally got around to moving the bag. When I picked it up, it was less than half full. The mice had burrowed into the back of the bag, where I couldn’t see the hole, and had been feasting on the contents. They’d eaten more than half the bag. (Actually, they’d also been moving the contents to other places. A pair of my work boots was half full of cat food.) I realized that this situation has a life lesson for us. We ignore small problems that can drain us of energy and passion. Remember that phone call with your neighbor that didn’t end well? The cross words you had with your brother last Christmas? The handful of office supplies that you took home from work for your child’s homework project?. (You meant to go back and pay for them, but never got around to it.) Some of these things may be almost invisible, but your mind touches on them from time to time. Each time they come to mind, they take a small piece of your contentment away. Take the time to address some of those small issues that may be draining you of peace. Merry Christmas.

Beating up on the French?

(en espanol, debajo) There’s a recurring story that France isn’t grateful for the sacrifice that America made in liberating their country from German occupation. Some say that they are even surly regarding America’s role in WWII. I've heard that many times, and I suspect that you have, too. Could be. But I’ve never seen or heard anything but gratitude. My wife and I have visited dozens of sites in Normandy that commemorated Americans who fell, Regardless of the time of day or day of the week, each plaque or statue was decorated with fresh flowers. These weren’t inexpensive bouquets from the corner grocery store, but expensive floral arrangements. This pattern extended to remote, isolated, farmer’s fields where men and aircraft had fallen. As we moved from marker to marker, we were touched by the care that had been given to preserve the history of these fallen Americans. Every town in Normandy has a corner, square, street, or statue that commemorates fallen Americans, British, and Canadians. Most have many such markers. And these aren't little 12 inch by 12 inch plaques, but huge bronze casts, six to ten feet long. Are all the places where Americans fell marked this way? Of course not. But many are. Are all markers around France decorated with fresh flowers? Probably not, but many are. If you’ve experienced something different, I’d like to hear about it. But don’t buy into idle chatter about France. The French people that we've met were uniformly grateful, they were cognizant of the huge cost of their freedom, and weren’t shy about saying so. By the way, if you are French, you’re welcome. We'd free you from oppression again. It's the American way. Hay una historia recurrente de que Francia no es agradecido por el sacrificio que América hizo en la liberación de su país de la ocupación alemana. Algunos dicen que son incluso maleducado con respecto al papel de Estados Unidos en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. He oído que muchas veces, y sospecha que tiene, también. Podría ser. Pero nunca he visto o escuchado nada más que gratitud. Mi esposa y yo hemos visitado docenas de sitios en Normandía que conmemoraban los estadounidenses que cayeron, sin importar la hora del día o día de la semana, cada placa o estatua estaba decorado con flores frescas. Estos no eran ramos de flores baratas de la tienda de la esquina, pero los arreglos florales costosos. Este patrón se extendió a los campos remoto, aislado, de los agricultores donde los hombres y las aeronaves habían caído. A medida que avanzábamos a partir del MP en Marker, fuimos tocados por el cuidado que se le había dado a preservar la historia de estos estadounidenses caídos. Cada ciudad de Normandía tiene una esquina, plaza, calle, o una estatua que conmemora caídos americanos, británicos y canadienses. La mayoría tienen muchos de estos marcadores. Y estos no son poco 12 pulgadas por 12 pulgadas placas, pero enorme de bronce yesos, de seis a diez pies de largo. Son todos los lugares donde los estadounidenses cayeron marcada de esta forma? Por supuesto no. Pero muchos lo son. Son todos los marcadores en los alrededores de Francia decoradas con flores frescas? Probablemente no, pero muchos son. Si usted ha experimentado algo diferente, me gustaría saberlo. Pero no creo en la charla ociosa sobre Francia. El pueblo francés que nos hemos encontrado eran uniformemente agradecido, que eran conscientes de la enorme costo de su libertad, y no fueron tímidos a la hora que lo diga. Por cierto, si usted es francés, de nada. Le estaríamos libres de la opresión de nuevo. Es el estilo americano.

"I Don't Like Your Religion," he told me.

An acquaintance recently told me that he didn’t like my “religion.” I’m not sure what he meant. It’s a pretty broad indictment. (Between you and me, I’m not big on religion, either. My faith is more about relationship.) If it’s my church that he doesn’t like, I wonder what he is basing his comments on? I’m pretty sure that he’s never been to Good Shepherd Community Church. I know he wasn’t referring to a national organization, like “Baptists” or “Quakers,” because our church is a non-affiliated community church. We aren’t part of any bigger body. It could be that he meant Good Shepherd. True, our church wouldn’t marry a gay couple, but is that a cause for a blanket indictment? The Mormons, Catholics, Russian Orthodox Church, Seventh Day Adventists, and a hundred other churches wouldn’t conduct a marriage for me, because I’m not of their faith. That’s not cause for an indictment - it’s cause for a shrug. (I’m happily married, by the way, thanks, not looking to get married.) If it’s all Christian’s everywhere that he doesn’t like, then I feel sorry for him. It makes no more sense for him to “not like” all Christians than it makes sense for me to hate “all Muslims.” Both comments make no sense. At last check, there were about 2.2 billion people in the world (out of a population of 7 billion) who self-identify as Christians. Can it be that he doesn’t like 2.2 billion people? How many of them has he met? Did he mean “I don’t believe what you believe?” Maybe, but that’s not what he said. And again, I don’t know what he thinks I believe. He and I have never discussed what I believe. Did he mean “I don’t believe that the Bible is true?” Could be, but I suspect that he’s never read it, so that would be an uninformed opinion. If someone asked me what I thought of Shintoism, I would say that I’d never read about it, not that I “didn’t like it.” I sure hope he’s not reaching that decision based on what he thinks he sees on television. TV loves to paint most people of faith - all faiths - as radical, closed-minded, judgmental people. If what he doesn’t like is how I’m living out my faith, I wish he would explain what I do that he finds offensive, because I want to work on it. I’m not perfect, but if I’m actively doing something that he finds offensive, then I want to change. The Bible says that the world will know we are Christians by our love. Good goal, good standard. I hope the love shows through. If it doesn’t, I’m failing in my daily walk. But please, don’t be to quick to condemn the Christian religion. I did a quick check. There are 17 homeless shelters listed in an online Portland directory. Of those, 9 are run by Christian organizations. None of them screen the cold and the hungry to determine what they believe before they are fed and sheltered. The doors are open to all. Christian organizations, for all the disrespect that they are shown, are doing some things right. Oh, and the number of Portland area shelters run by Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Muslims, animists, and Sikhs? All together, they are running… wait for it... zero homeless shelters in Portland. It doesn't mean that individuals of those beliefs aren't volunteering, but the organizations haven't stepped up.

Dear Cher,

Dear Cher, I heard you don't like Donald Trump for President. Well, you get one vote, like the rest of us. You can grab a microphone and reach thousands of people, but when we step into the box, my vote counts as much as yours. I appreciate you sharing your opinion, but no offense, I'm not sure that working in Hollywood has prepared you to have an informed opinion on his qualifications for a run at the oval office. He meets the payrolls for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of workers every month. That's a pretty good credential. He's a little better qualified than you to hold the office. He's got a degree in economics from one of the finest universities in the country, Wharton. And you? Oh, that's right. You dropped out of high school. I'll take you to task for one more thing. You tweeted that you'll leave the planet for Jupiter if he wins. Excuse me? If you can't have what you want, you pack up and leave? You have no commitment to change, no willingness to fight for what you believe that America is all about? Nope, you just want to run. Contrast that with our founding fathers, who pledged "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" for what they believed in. And many of them gave full measure for their commitment to the American dream. You and I will disagree about many things, but there's a chance that we might agree about one thing: You, ma'am, are no patriot. Patriot's don't run. You know what would grab my attention and respect? Someday an actor will announce his unhappiness with our political situation, and follow that with a commitment to spend a year working for change - no movies, no tv shows, just working for change. But that day won't come. Best regards, Bill Leslie

Portland's Homeless: Let's not pretend that this has a simple solution.

There's been a lot written lately about solving the problem of Portland's homeless. Some might say that it's simple: Just rent an apartment for each homeless person. It’s a lot more complicated than that. A friend of mine explained that his wife had moved out of the house, propelled by mental illness, to live under a tarp. She couldn't take living with other people. He rented her an apartment, so that she could live by herself. She rejected it, and went back to a tent. She tried to come back home. It did not work well. I don't know what percentage of the homeless are facing mental illness. One study says 30% to 40% of homeless single adults are facing serious mental illness. We will never stop homelessness completely. Solving homelessness is not as simple as renting an apartment. How much is fair rent to pay to compensate landlord for a tenant with serious mental illness, or someone who is doing drugs? The company that I work for owns several apartment buildings, and a “bad tenant,” one who is battling drugs or alcohol or mental illness, can cost a landlord a fortune. Actual expenses due to a) loss of other tenants, b) out of pocket costs associated with responding to problems, and c) cleanup when a tenant leaves, can cost $20,000 a year. And I don’t think it’s fair for one private party to carry the expense that is more properly a public cause. Is that a lot of money? A landlord might net (after expenses) 5 % on his investment. That means one bad tenant can kill the profit on five units. We had one public assistance tenant who was facing eviction. She punched holes in the walls and tore down part of the ceiling to support a claim that we were bad landlords, to help her fight the eviction. Fortunately, we had photos. Another tenant brought a legal action against us because we wouldn’t let her friend move in with her, in a small studio. (325 s.f. That’s a bit small for two.) We had to pay to fight her lawsuit. Why would she want a friend to live with her? The government pays the rent to the landlord. To get cash, the tenant shares the unit, and pockets the rent that is received from the second party. Sometimes the tenant even moves out, and lives somewhere else, and subleases the unit to someone else, often for money that goes to drugs. In that case, the person living in the unit isn’t even on the lease. This is how public assistance for rent can turn into cash for drugs. Are these problems common? I'm not sure, but from my experience, they aren’t rare. I’m all for compassion, but this is not a simple problems, and let's not pretend that there are simple solutions. But treating everyone like human beings is a good start. And you don't lose your constitutional rights to due process just because you are homeless. Bill

Goodbye, Old Mustang... but wait!

In October, 2014 we sold our 70 Mustang, which we'd owned for 24 years. We sold it to a dealer, who was buying for a collector car lot somewhere in Germany. We were ready for it to have a new owner. It was time.

On a lark, I tucked my name and phone number and a note with a little history of the car into the back of the owner's manual, thinking that perhaps some day I might learn what happened to it.

I got an email from them today! Below are some photos. It has landed in good hands, apparently an American couple. Fun to know what happened to it. It looks wonderful. It's been repainted to its original color, and it's now a Boss 302 clone. Looks very nice. Thanks to Michael & Lynn, of Munich, for their thoughtfulness in telling us about the next step in its life.

Three Stories about Why I May Give Up On Brick & Mortar Bookstores?

What's Wrong with Bookstores?

I checked out a local bookstore online and saw that they had a first edition of The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The price was out of my range, but I wanted to at least examine it, so I drove across town. They couldn't find it. The man offered to check with his father and get back to me. (I completely understand. I misplace two thousand dollar books all the time, too.) I left my business card, but I never heard from them. I went back a month later and he told me that he'd lost my card. And they hadn't found the book, either.

I asked about a particular type of map that I was looking for, but the man told me that he didn't have any of those. I browsed for about a half an hour, and found six of them.

"Say, I found some of those maps. See? How much are they?"

"Oh, we have those? I didn't know. Are they priced?"

If they were priced, I wouldn't be asking.

"No, they aren't marked."

"Well, then I don't know. I'd have to ask my Dad."

"Could you call him for me? You see, I live about 20 miles from here. I don't get back here often."

"No."

"Could I leave you my card, and you could have him call me or email me with his prices?"

Him: "Sure."

I left my card. You guessed it. They never called.

Another Store:

I'd been looking for a particular book about Portland's great flood of 1894. After more than a year of looking, I found one online.

"Hi, I'm calling about your book about the Portland flood of 1894."

"Is that online?"

"Yes. Is there a place I can pick it up, or do you only ship?"

"We don't have a storefront. We only sell online."

"Okay. Can I give you my credit card over the phone?"

"Well, it's not really for sale."

"It's not for sale? But it's on your website."

"Yeah, well. It was for sale. I think I'm going to keep it."

"Ahhh."

"I'm probably going to make copies and sell them. If you leave your name, I'll call you when it comes out."

I did.

He didn't.

I stumbled into a new bookstore in Portland. It was located in the basement of the Old Church. The electric sign over the door said "Open." I greeted the man behind the desk and offered to check my briefcase. (Some stores prefer this.)

"Sure. I guess. If you want to."

I looked around and found several items of interest. I mentally marked where they were, but didn't pack them around. It was a fascinating mix of things, not like things that I see in most bookstores. He liked the same sort of ephemera that I like. I knew I'd leave with several items.

After I'd been there three minutes, he spoke.

"Can I help you find something?"

"You have a great assortment of things here. I like a lot of your stuff. For the moment, I'd rather just look around."

"Cuz you see, I don't really like customers in here."

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have come in, but your sign said open."

"Yes, well, I didn't really mean it. Actually, I prefer to sell online."

"So, even though the sign says "open," you don't want customers?"

"Exactly."

"Would you like me to leave?"

"Yes, please."

I left. What's wrong with bookstores? It seems that they don't like their customers, they don't know their inventory, and they really aren't interested in selling. And if they do sell, they want to do it online.

No wonder we're going online.