February 19, 2021: Support Your Local Economy, Hawthorne Edition

The ice and snow have melted, so the latest house arrest phase of the pandemic is over, in Portland at least. I took a long walk, partly to work off some cabin fever, and partly to support our local economy, which is my excuse for buying anything from a real human. 

News! (News to me. You may know this already.) The Bagdad Theater - which I l have long loved because they do not bother with extraneous H's, it's just BAG and DAD, thank you very much - appears to be open, not just for beer and pizza on the sidewalk, but for a real indoor movie, Nomadland. I believe Nomadland is also on Hulu, but no matter. 

I didn't attend - I'm still not going inside most public buildings, and though the door was open, it wasn't four o'clock anyway. It was eleven o' clock in the morning. And the door was open so that the waiter could bring an entire pitcher of beer to a guy sitting alone at one of the outside picnic tables. He was probably recovering from cabin fever too. 

Over at the Red Light, there's a slightly tense air to the window displays, but the BE KIND socks are only ten bucks, so there's that.

The people at Hawthorne Cutlery may be dyslexic, but I am sure they spelled it "Potland" on purpose. I found their sign captivating. I'm all for mandatory masking, and I thought their offer of Clothing Optional was broad-minded, but somehow, in a knife store, I'd feel better clothed. Also in February. Also in general. But again, that's just me.

Whoever is stapling these "positive propaganda" signs to phone polls gives me the pip. 

Wow, where did THAT come from - where in the back of my brain, and also where in the world? Turns out "the pip" was a poultry disease in Great Britain in the 1800s, and if something annoyed or irritated you, it gave you the pip.  These signs irritate me. They are probably trying to help me make lemonade out of the boring bits of the pandemic, but I think they are smug and lecturing. 

On the very bright side, though, Rum Happy Hour is a crazy good deal. (Again, I didn't attend. It was 11 am, for pete's sake. I didn't even sit down to a whole pitcher of beer.)

Most importantly, and in exquisitely appropriate morning fashion, the Waffle Window is open, and a warm waffle can be yours for less than four bucks, if you stand outside the window for just a moment or two. It will last you for a very happy 15 blocks on your journey home.