“We need to improve the business climate of the Portland area, because we are racked with some of the highest unemployment rates and the lowest job-creation rates in the country. Those are unacceptable.” Those were the words of Jonathan Schlueter in an Oregonian interview after he was named the executive director of the non-profit Westside Economic Alliance in Portland. During the tech boom, Oregon became a desirable destination for professionals hoping to find an affordable alternative to the Bay Area, but it ended up driving up the cost of living, and the job market hasn’t quite caught up.

And people wonder why I hang on to my job and my house. Click here for the Forbes article.

I’ve been busy, and that’s why I haven’t written anything for awhile. Plus I don’t want this to turn into just another political blog.

I took Friday afternoon off and spent that and most of the weekend clearing out the back yard, which was getting a bit overgrown. #1 Son and several of the lost boys came over and helped. All of the boys worked really hard. And I really appreciate Alex hauling it all away to the recycling yard.

I’d hire Alex in a New York minute. He was really good about pulling only the weeds and leaving the non-weeds. #1 Son yanked up one of my roses that I’d asked him to preserve. It made me sad.

When I bought that rose, it was only about 6″ tall, and it had only one cane. It was on sale, for obvious reasons. I bought it from Oregon Heirloom Roses. All of their roses are grown on their own roots, so they tend to be hardier and you don’t have to worry about suckers. I nurtured that little rose when I planted it. I was surprised it made it through the first winter, but it bloomed the first spring. It was a single blossom: red with a white and yellow center and white reverse.

I know my yard doesn’t look nearly as good as I’d like to have it. I just haven’t been able to keep up on it, for various reasons. But I’d look out my window and see that cheerful little rose blooming, and it sort of gave me hope. It became a symbol of me getting my shit back together and getting the yard in shape — of my life not sucking any more. So when #1 Son pulled it out, it just felt like one more dream that bit the dust. I know he didn’t understand why I was so upset.

After that I told him to take all of the roses out. It made it easier to get to the weeds.

But I told him if he pulled out the marsh mallow I’d kill him.

The mallow still stands. 🙂

I wrote to Heirloom Roses, but they don’t carry Eyepaint any more. They have one called Dark Eyes. It has more petals than Eyepaint had, it’s darker red and doesn’t have as much white in the middle. But it has a white reverse. So maybe it will be reasonably the same. I need to get down there and see if they have one blooming.