Whether it's Santas or units of blood, red is definitely good!

Mama's feeling some better after getting two units of red blood cells on Tuesday. Including travel time, the process took six hours. We had no idea it would be that long--thank goodness she was in a comfortable recliner and could eat part of a Cobb wrap, in a bright green spinach-tinted tortilla, that I got at the hospital's coffee/sandwich shop. As I unwrapped it, I heard, "What's that? It looks like someone spit on it!" With my encouragement, she ate half of her half then and the rest for supper later after we had returned to our apartment. On Wednesday she managed to do everything she does each day for herself when I'm at work, all by herself. I feel much better about going back to work on Thursday.

In fact, I feel better than I've felt in almost a month. It was Dec. 24 the last time I took her to play the penny machines. She had a good time, got totally worn out, and said as we drove out of the parking lot, "I won't be doing that again any time soon; it took too much outta me." You have to understand that she really gets a kick out of playing those penny machines, and she's always said, no matter her health, "I can sit on a stool and push a button as good as I can sit in a recliner and do a crossword puzzle." When she made that statement on Christmas Eve and put her head back on the headrest, I wondered, "What have we got now?" Wednesday evening, though, she looked over at me from that recliner and said, "You know, if this keeps up, I might feel like going to the casino? Will you take me when I do?" "Of course I will, Mama," I replied, smiling. Hope returned. Hooray!

Y'all in Mississippi notice anything particular to the home state about this photo? Anyone else? E-mail or comment if you do, puhleeze.

Here's some info about where these two Santas stand, busy at the TriMet ticket machine. The Albina/Mississippi station is a light rail station on the MAX Yellow Line in Portland, Oregon. It is the second stop northbound on the Interstate MAX extension. The station is located in the median of Interstate Avenue near the intersection of N Albina Street. The station serves the Lower Albina Industrial District, Emanuel Hospital, and an emerging and redeveloping commercial district. The station is a center platform, with its main artistic theme drawing upon the lively jazz scene that thrived in Albina in the post-World War II era.

I took this photo on Dec. 5 as I was riding by in the Buick, Leland driving. Those are some responsible Santas, getting set for what I found out was the North Portland Santacon (NoPDX Anticon). The link has lists with all sorts of hints, guidelines, info and a link to five pub crawl routes. It even points out that most stops for the Santas will be near or by the Yellow Line.

Here's another photo filled with Santas that I took on Dec. 19, from the Buick, Leland driving, on W. Burnside at SW 12th.


More of the Dec. 19 Santas. "Who's Your Santa?" That's what one Santa's shirt says, the one to the right of the Santa in the green shirt who must be going for the Mexican mariachi look (witness the sort of sombrero, serape, and guitar).

Mama News and the Last of the Snow Pix from 12/29/2009

She's getting a blood transfusion tomorrow morning. Let's pray that it makes a difference, a positive one.

The row of trees beside the Taco Bell, at NW 21st and Burnside, as seen from the bus.


Someone came to the Subway on this bike? Maybe before the snow started falling in mid-afternoon. I took this photo looking out of the bus.


My bus continues on its way, going west another block and half before turning north on NW 23rd Avenue.


Here's how the row of trees looks in autumn.