Commentary
Starting the day poetically
 Recently my morning ritual for connecting with the day has changed. I've put off reading the news whether it is delivered to the front porch (still!) or it is on my computer screen.
Instead I've turned to a small volume of poetry written by Nancy Richard. Nancy is fairly new to our community. She, her husband Charles and two Scotties live in the Hayhurst neighborhood. A daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters reside just beyond shouting distance of her deck.
She is also a fellow Quaker and much of her poetic voice comes from the contemplative calm of Friends.
The poems I've made part of my early hours are in Nancy's book "A Small Steadying Sail of Love." It is, as she describes it, a volume of "poems, meditations and photographs."
Imagine you are still bleary-eyed and just settling down for your first cup of coffee. Rather than staring at a front page headline like
Fired cop
to get pay
while city
fights him (Oct 20th Oregonian)
you dip at random into Nancy's book.
In this time of waiting
and not knowing
how things will unfold,
may you find a pool of calm,
a place of peace and rest
deep within your soul.
How very far "a deep place of peace and rest and calm" is from Pakistan, the Portland Police or the presidential campaign.
Here's one more of Nancy's pithy poems:
From ponds and creeks
to inland seas and ocean beaches,
my love of light on water
is like laughter -
it goes with me everywhere.
Could it be that the joy of living here comes from the laughter of light we see in the water around us?
The very thought brings a smile as I raise my coffee cup and ease into this Oregon day.
Nancy's book is available by going to the
Angel Center Press web site.
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 | | Just a hint of Hollywood Video's beacon lights remain as the old space is transformed into a pet hospital. |
Banfield Pet Hospital to open
at old Hollywood Video site
The old Hollywood Video store site at 7461 SW Barbur Boulevard is being transformed into a pet hospital, part of the national Banfield chain.
The grand opening is set for Saturday, Dec. 15, in the 2,000-square-foot space.
Unlike many of the 800 Banfield outlets in the US, this one will be free-standing and will not be associated with a PetSmart store, said Dr. Ari Zabell, who is Banfield's director of client advocate support.
The Grand opening will be an open house offering promotional gifts, he said.
Banfield began with a single hospital in Portland in 1955 and its corporate headquarters are here.
Zabell said the Barbur location was chosen because Banfield identified that many of its clients live in this area and have to drive some distance to get to other Banfield Pet Hospitals in Tigard, Beaverton and Progress.
Zabell said that the new Hillsdale hospital will have two full-time
veterinatrianss and one part-time. They will be assisted by approximately one dozen para-professionals. The hospital will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Banfield emphasizes preventive care and offers a package of preventive services to its clients, Zabell said.
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Imagine what a plaza would look like here. A Hillsdale Main Street committee wants your vision.
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Hillsdale Main Street
Plaza, storefront improvements
planned for next year
Two common complaints about Hillsdale are its dated appearance and the relative unattractiveness and haphazard feeling of the north side of Capitol Highway.
In recent months, the Hillsdale Main Street program has worked to address those complaints. The reconfiguration of the parking across from the post office and the plantings along Capitol Highway are two prominent improvements.
But everyone agrees much more needs to done. Main Street's design committee has two projects in the works that directly address the complaints.
The first is to build a plaza next to Casa Colima Mexican Restaurant. Richard Garfinkle, co-chair of the committee, says that folks with ideas for the plaza, called Plaza de Corazon (The Plaza of the Heart) should share them with Main Street. One idea is to have a water feature, like a fountain, on the site.
Once the committee has a design and cost estimates, it will apply for grants. The cost could be in the range of $80,000 to $150,000.
To share your ideas, e-mail Hillsdale Main Street Executive Director Megan Braunsten meganb@hillsdalemainstreet.org
The second project is a storefront improvement program. Main Street has $20,000 for the program and is seeking an additional $30,000 community improvement grant from State Farm Insurance. Main Street will learn in December whether it has received the grant. Main Street will provide owners a 70 percent match for projects.
At the October Hillsdale Business and Professional Association meeting, Braunsten urged businesses and commercial property owners to form partnerships in applying for the money. Applications will be available in January.
For instance, neighboring businesses might come up with new treatments for display windows, signage, color schemes or awnings.
Braunsten said she hopes to get a proposal from businesses in the Bank of America commercial block in order to make the area more attractive for pedestrians.
One concern is lighting. A recent design committee lighting audit concluded that some places have far too much light and others far too little. For instance, the Union 76 gas station puts out far more illumination than surrounding businesses. Also, misdirected lighting can make seeing inside shops difficult, Braunsten said.
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Hillsdale is on the map - on line and in printHillsdale Main Street is about to put our community and its businesses on the map, literally.
Businesses are signing up to have the map pinpoint their locations. Ads for the participants will go along the map's border. (One business that might want to sign on just to correct things is the franchise post office, which the map puts next to the Key Bank, a block away from the office's actual location.)
Recently the map project, spearheaded by Holly Heidebrecht, the former executive director of St. Johns Main Street, got OHSU to distribute the map to visitors, students and staff. Heidebrecht worked as a consultant for Mapclicks.
Multnomah Village is on the opposite side of the map from Hillsdale's display.
A $1000 Main Street promotions grant was used to help subsidize Hilldale businesses so they could be on the map. At the October Hillsdale Business and Professional Association meeting Heidebrecht predicted that the map will have a value of at least 10 times Main Street's investment once it rolls off the presses in the next few weeks.
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Signs of the times?
Hillsdale's face is shaped
by its signage
Hillsdale is a community of ecclectic signs. The fonts are diverse and random. The styles range from discreet to in-your-face. Some are legal; others (like A-board signs on our sidewalk), are illegal. And the messages can be crazy and confusing. Here is a recent sampling of signs. Some we have come to love and others, not so much.... You decide which is which.
 | | Hillsdale's new banners line Capitol Highway. They are part of the Main Street revitalization effort and feature the new Hillsdale logo. |
 | | On private property next to busy Barbur Boulevard, the original sign was vandalized, then revised with "Forward," then vandalized again. Finally the owner posted a "keep out" sign. Could this collage be a metaphor for politics 2012? |
 | | If you use the reconfigured parking lot near the post office, you are invited to "yeld" at an intersection. Could this be an invitation to road rage? Have you ever "yeld" at another motorist? |
 | Sadly, this "Love" sign, mounted on tricycles
no less, was only around for the opening of Hillsdale's new food plaza. We need to see more of it and its message.... |
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Date Book
Saturday, Oct. 27
Toy Swap for Halloween
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Westside Academy of Kung Fu and Crossfit Hillsdale, 1509 SW Sunset Blvd. Kung Fu Babies and Toddlers hosts a Halloween Dress-Up and Dance Party & Toy Swap. All ages welcome. Contact Lara Jones: info@westsideakf.com Tuesday, Oct. 30
Living with Urban Coyotes
7 p.m. Southwest Community Center. Friends or enemies? It depends. Learn more about coyotes at this free talk. Tuesday, Nov. 6
Election Day
Wednesday, Nov. 7
Hillsdale Neighborhood Association
7 a.m. St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2201 SW Vermont St. Transportation and land use are on the agenda. The HNA board meets at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9
repeat performances on Nov. 10,14, 15, 16 &17
Wilson presents 'On the Town'
7 p.m., Wilson High School Auditorium. The drama program's production of Leonard Bernstein's musical 'On The Town.' Special Veteran's Matinee: Saturday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. (Veteran's and Active Service Members Free at the Door this day only) General Admission Tickets $12 Students/Faculty $8. Tickets available at the door or online at wilsonthespians.blogspot.com. Saturday, Nov. 10
Big Neighborhood Clean-up, Recycling
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers needed for the Fall SWNI/SOLV clean-up. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Portland Christian Center parking lot, 5700 SW Dosch Road. Also, recycling is available. $10 fee. Sunday, Nov. 11
Former editor shares her kids' book
2 p.m. Annie Bloom's Bookstore, Multnomah Village. Former SW Community Connection editor Shasta Kearns Moore introduces her children's book, "Dark & Light," at this release party. Moore will read from the book and sign copies. Refreshments. For more about the book go to DarkandLightbooks.com.
Monday, Nov. 12
Hillsdale Veterans invited and honored
10 a.m. to noon, The Watershed, 6388 Capitol Highway. The Watershed building's management and residents are hosting all area veterans at a reception that will feature the presentation of a plaque of gratitude. Refreshments served. Free.
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