Leaving Shalom

We pack up, make the beds with fresh sheets, lay out clean towels for the next Shalom guest, say goodbye (photo), get in the car and drive to Portland. Re-entry is usually a bit bizarre, and this time is no different. Too much of everything human-made, and too little natural sproutings is the general sensation. A little lost.
Have to remember to pay attention with my eyes to what the other cars are up to, use the turn signal, keep eyes forward--no longer able to scan the landscape; the roadside underfoot and up in the tree branches...
Back in Portland, after refilling the bird feeder and birdbaths, we put walking shoes back on and walk from Woodstock to Hawthorne. Eyes gladly relax back into animal eyes. Gardens enliven us, speak loudly. Birds are noisy. Lettuce and tomato plants among the foxglove, rhodies, and rosemary bushes make us smile and breath deeper. How is it that on our feet walking the city neighborhoods, there is more conversation between us and the landscape than when walking in the parts of the valley that grow the foods we eat, and grow the food (grasses & hay) for the animals that we eventually eat?
Decide to keep Walkabouts blog-posting through the weekend even as we both settle back into separate "home" spaces. Let what's left within us and wants to be shared with you arrive in its own time.