Hi Friends,
The preposterous decoration above was a present from Ron and Janet Lunde some years ago. We call it the Squeaver, part squirrel and part beaver. Illuminated at night by an internal light string, it is part of our Christmas cheer in the outdoor space, The Pad, that we created in the spring in response to Covid-19 limitations. The Pad, a flowerbox-dominated garden space on the driveway in front of June’s art studio, is where we meet friends and relatives, two at a time, masked and distanced.
On February 1, long before Covid-19 flourished in the U.S., we headed south to Arizona via Highway 101 along the Pacific Coast and then southeast and east via secondary roads and freeways to Tucson. We spent about a week there in a small house and then three weeks in a charming cottage in nearby Oro Valley before the escalating coronavirus threat sent us scampering home on March 10.
After returning to Portland, we revised our habits, stayed home, and focused on our gardens, including construction of The Pad.
Our habits changed drastically after we returned from Arizona. Nobody except the two of us and two others (one time each) have been in our house since January. Our food comes mainly via Blue Apron and Instacart, delivered to the front porch by people in masks. We have not eaten in a restaurant since March, though we occasionally order take-out from Monti’s Cafe, a sandwich shop near our house, or Pastini’s, a chain with a larger menu than Monti’s.
Our book group, the Prousties, no longer assembles monthly at our house but instead meets by Zoom. We also Zoom with friends from British Columbia and California as well as with family. We mask and distance for medical appointments and get our prescriptions delivered. Our cooking skills have expanded, and we have modified our exercise routines to suit the times.
Our closest relatives cope with the pandemic’s effects on work, maintenance, and shopping as best they can. Jan, our daughter, is teaching Spanish at Portland Community College via Zoom; Rick, our son-law, has arranged for low-risk freelance work; Sam, our grandson, visits his office when necessary but otherwise works from home.
Jer still does a bit of editing for Wikipedia, and June is busy as ever with art and writing projects, of which the latest involved digitizing her award-winning 1980 documentary, Blessed Blessed Mama, and uploading it to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16pu9kvm3e8&feature=youtu.be
For more Underwood news, visit https://southeastmain.wordpress.com/
Happy holidays to one and all.
– J & J
East of 82nd 
Hello, June (and JERRY)
This is your old Penn State and Laramie friend Ron Gaskill. I have just had my poetry collection printed in paperback and would like to send you one– “In the World In the Mind.” The address I found for you is 145 NE 86th. Is this correct? Just read your newsletter and I check out your art online every once in a while. It’s great to see old dudes and dudesses still doing excellent stuff. Wish that we all might keep at it for at least another 20 years. If we can we will.
Later,
Ron
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Ron Gaskill!!!
How great to hear from you. Once in a while we wonder where you are and what you are up to — and here you are, offering gifts and good cheer. Indeed the address you have found appears to be correct; we would love to have a copy of your poetry collection.
It is amazing that our friends just keep chugging along, doing good things — and even reappearing once in a while. I will pass this along to jer, who seldom checks the blog. He’ll be delighted.
Cheers,
June
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What a lovely collections of your beautiful house and everything we can see. Have a happy Christmas and thank you (finally – since I have been slow getting all our friends to thank them – since we gave been doing all over our property to things to them – to explain why I have been sooooo slow to write back to you.
Hope there is no snow there – we had some but not too much. I hope the weather is good – and friends are around – and from me, George too, Much love from us to you – finally after these long days – again, sorry! Love from us both, K and G
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Glad you got to see a bit of how we are living these days. You guys stay safe and enjoy the holidays. We shall have to zoom one of these days soon.
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Mainly I just want to say, have a lovely time around Christmas – and enjoy the food that is there. Happy Christmas! Hope it is a lovely time – xoxoxoxoxo Kit and George
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Merry Christmas Kit. Hugs to George. So good to hear from you.
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Hi Sheila, Back atcha and I’m feeling optimistic these days, so on to the next year! Hooray!
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Happy holidays to you as well. You have a beautiful little haven to isolate in, if the photos are any indication. Plus you DID get that trip in before everything went upside down. 2021 will be better. It has to be . . .
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