The 2026 PNW Miniature Show

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While reading the newspaper last Saturday evening I learned about the PNW Miniature Show. The following day, Sunday, was the final day of this year’s three-day stop in Portland. Because I (1) love details and deeply appreciate passion and craft, and (2) am on the hunt for doll-sized clothing and accessories for Michael, I decided to go. Reader, I was not prepared. This event was so fucking cool.

Doors opened at 10:00 am. When I arrived a few minutes later, the parking lot was already full—every designated parking spot already taken, people were inventing parking spots almost out of thin air, etc. Immediately I understood that I had underestimated what I was about to experience.

There were 49 vendors; a branded photo backdrop; an entire hallway filled with themed miniature scenes that attendees were invited to vote on; a free “make and take your own mini” workshop; and, I learned, celebrities/influencers from miniatures YouTube (who knew that was a thing? Of course it’s a thing!). It was chaotic and overwhelming and so much fun.

Michael and I walked the main floor several times, trying to take it all in without burning out (visual busyness takes a lot out of me), and stopping to pose for photos along the way. I had so much fun looking for items to photograph him with, and I was so charmed by how charmed and amused so many people were by Michael. The ladies at the front desk asked to give him an entry wrist band!! So many people asked to take photos of him!! Every vendor I asked allowed me to pose and photograph him with their wares!! One offered to make him custom-fit apparel!! It was the most fun time!!

There was so much of so many different things, all of it impossibly small. I found it all very impressive. Going into the event, I knew miniatures are a thing. Because I’ve never been into dolls or dollhouses or any other type of small-scale stuff or things (aside from Michael), I didn’t understand how much of a thing this whole scene is until I stepped foot in that airport hotel event center. I was truly blown away.

Because I had no idea what to expect and I have a hard time reeling it in when it comes to anything Michael Jackson-related (I mean hello I saw the biopic FIFTY—50!!!—entire times in the theater), I walked in the door with a $0.00 budget—and I walked out only $10.00 in the hole. A miracle! And you know what? That $10 doesn’t even count because it wasn’t spent on any miniatures. It was a tip for the pop-up typewriter poet, which I allowed myself to spend money on because buying a poem from the pop-up typewriter poet has been on my bucket list for years (YEARS!), and this was the first time I saw him since the actual first time I ever saw him—on a sidewalk somewhere downtown—and added “buy a poem from the sidewalk typewriter poet” to my bucket list.

His name is Matthew (@thetravelingtypist) and he was so sweet. If you’re ever in Portland and spot him in the wild, I recommend stopping to buy a poem from him.

The poem:

Life is always a Thriller
when you’re there by my side
with the King of Pop
I never have a Bad time
don’t mind my paparazzi passion
a photo shoot here and there
documenting our travels
when you roll up to the mini show
everyone is Off the Wall
wherever we journey
you’ll be my Jackson #1
to past memories Michael
and all those still to come

I also loved seeing that the Sidewalk Joy Map, which I’ve shared about before here and here and here, was tabling.

Some vendors were selling items they designed and made themselves. Others were selling items mass produced by big brands that they’d collected more of than they needed over the years. Everything from individual items of furniture and home decor to food and drink to apparel and shoes and accessories to toys to camping gear to musical instruments was available. There was even a miniature coffin for sale!

My favorite find was Miniette Co. She was the only vendor specializing in miniature outdoor-specific accessories. It came as no surprise to me to learn that the brand I liked best was the most expensive one there. Extremely on brand for me. I will absolutely eventually be buying Michael almost every Miniette Co. item.

I do regret not buying some of the items I saw while I was there, especially since many of them ranged from only $0.60 to $1.00 each and, I’ve since learned, don’t sell online for less than $2.99 each. Oh well. You live and you learn.

The attention to detail and the mastery of craft—I found it all very impressive and inspiring. I’m so glad I picked up that newspaper, opened it up and read through it, impulsively bought a ticket for the show, and actually followed through on going. There truly was not a better way to spend $22 ($12 admission and a $10 tip to the pop-up typewriter poet) and three hours of my day. What a wonderful, fun, and joyful little world.

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to Paradise Park Loop 757

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The other week, I took Michael to hike on Mt. Hood and—I cannot make this sound dramatic enough—I do believe it changed my life: I finished the hike grateful to be alive; with my desire to backpack Timberline Trail reaffirmed; in awe of the pioneers, who traversed similar (and even more severe!!) terrain without modern accoutrements and with enormous wooden wagons, livestock, pack animals, pets, children, and pregnant women in tow (it boggles the mind); and with a deeper appreciation for the intimate knowledge of, relationship with, and respect for this land (and its other inhabitants) that Indigenous peoples had to’ve had to thrive on said land for generations.

October 7, 2026, 7: 55 am, the sun beginning to rise over Mount Hood (far right corner), as seen from Zigzag Canyon Overlook, about 2.5 miles from the trailhead at Timberline Lodge.

We hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, beginning at Timberline Lodge, to Paradise Park Loop 757, a 13.1-mile lollipop loop with 2,838 feet of elevation gain. This hike was so unbelievably, indescribably beautiful. Frankly, “beautiful” doesn’t even cut it. Nor does “gorgeous.” Or “breathtaking.” Or “astonishing.” Or “magical.” Or any other word I’ve ever been exposed to in any language ever. Imagine: If hiking Hood elicits this response from me, I might actually lose my entire mind whenever I finally hike the Enchantments and in the Sierras.

A heads up: This is a very media-heavy post. During the hike, I took 192 photos and 20 videos with my phone and a handful of photos on a disposable camera that I’ve not yet dropped off to be developed. As I put this post together, I narrowed down those 212 iPhone photos and videos to 99 and then spent almost all of Saturday agonizing (agonizing!!) over paring that number down even more, even if just barely, to about 65 total photos and videos. Ywfms 🫡

We began at sunrise and I kid you not it took almost 20 minutes to go the first quarter mile because I kept stopping to take in the sunrise and the 360-degree views, and trying to capture both with my phone’s camera. A fool’s errand! The sky looked like a watercolor painting and try as I did, my phone cannot and did not do it justice.

Starting at sunrise was the right choice. Watching the light hit the mountain, as well as the surrounding rolling hills and mountains, and illuminate the fall foliage was incredible. And on such a clear, calm, and warm morning? A blessing, even. Plus, if we hadn’t started so early I wouldn’t have had as perfect of a setup as I did to whisper to Michael Everything the light touches is our kingdom and then giggle to myself like a small child.

We hit Zigzag Canyon Overlook, the first viewpoint on the route that AllTrails lists, shortly after my photo shoot at this boulder, at 7:45 am and 2.45 miles in. That panoramic photo at the top of the post as well as the handful of photos and the video below were taken from this point. About a mile down the trail from here there’s a water crossing, over Zigzag River. If you’re not comfortable with water crossings, or don’t want to or can’t proceed any further for whatever reason, hiking to here from Timberline will make for a memorable-enough hike.

The hike from the overlook down to the river is about a mile. It’s a beautiful mile. I wish I’d taken more photos of it.

Zigzag River was a little nerve-wracking to cross. It’s very cold, and the current is faster and stronger and the water deeper than you might think from your view of it at the top of the canyon. Also, while many of the rocks I tested out were sturdy and did not rock back and forth under my weight, they were very slippery. When I reached the river, I was the only one there and it took me about five minutes to find a place to cross that felt safe to attempt without help, should I need it, around. The spot I found was upstream, toward the mountain, and I used my poles for extra support.

Keep in mind that if you decide to cross water, you will have to cross it again on the way back. You may not be able to find the spot you initially crossed to cross back over on your way back. And even if you do find it, the way you cross over the first time may not be as easy to cross on the way back.

The fork at which you must decide whether to hike Paradise Park Loop 757 clockwise or counterclockwise is about half a mile beyond the river crossing. We hit it at 8:36 am and 3.94 miles in, and hiked it counterclockwise, which is the way AllTrails prescribes. You can’t lose either way. And also, I think going counterclockwise is the right choice, especially if you hike it early on a clear day. This is opinion is based entirely on vibes.

Traveling counterclockwise, we were treated to vibrant fall foliage and picturesque views of the sun continuing to rise overhead.

I brought a disposable camera with me on this hike. Sadly, I didn’t use it as frequently as I’d planned. I mostly wanted to use it to capture the early morning colors and ambiance. I wasn’t sure whether it was light enough to get decent photos without the flash, or if using the flash would’ve made for better photos. There were a limited number of exposures left on the rollI and I didn’t want to “waste” them by experimenting. What a ridiculous notion!! I regret not experimenting when I had the opportunity.

It was a truly perfect day for this hike. Clear skies, no bugs, warm temps (it was 52 F when we began and 76 F when we ended), no wind, and, because we began so early, very few encounters with other people—there were about 10 people on the south bank of Zigzag River as we approached the north bank to cross back over; the real crowds began just after we passed Zigzag Canyon Overlook on our way back to Timberline, as people made their way from Timberline to the canyon.

Every few hikes I’m reminded of how many different types of people there are and how many different types of choices they make while hiking. This hike was one of those hikes. It was at this point in this particular hike that I encountered one person wearing strappy sandals and another wearing very heavy-looking leather motorcycle boots. ON A HIKE!! On a trail that is almost entirely SAND!! It reminded me of when I was finishing up another longer-than-10-miles-hike last summer and encountered (1) someone wearing JEANS!! IN JULY!!! In nearly ONE-HUNDRED DEGREE weather!! ON A HIKE!!! and, a few moments later, (2) a couple who asked me questions about the trail and who, it quickly became clear, had no understanding of the trail, no map, no food, and NO WATER!! HOW!! And WHY!!

Something that surprised me: how small and jagged Mount Hood looks from up close. From a distance, she’s a majestic, perfect point. Up close, at least from Timberline and without snow, she looks much less intimidating. So much so that I looked up whether you can summit her from Timberline. You can. It’s only (“only”) a seven-mile trip to the top. No, I did not attempt. A trip to the top requires mountaineering skills and gear, even when there appears to be no snow, and there’s no proper trail to guide the way. I would love to properly summit a proper mountain one day. I need much more knowledge and experience under my belt as well as the proper apparel and gear before I even consider such an attempt. And I don’t think it’d be smart to do it alone.

We spent just under six and a half hours on the trail, with five hours and eight minutes of actual hike time. Before heading home we sat in the back of my car, soaking up the sun, refueling and rehydrating, and feeling very privileged to live so close to such a beautiful place, and to have the resources to access it.

A few “start of hike” and “end of hike” comparisons (some of these are repeats from earlier in the post; some of them are included only below). First up, the view of the sunrise from the Timberline Lodge lower lot vs. the same-ish spot roughly six hours later after we finished the hike:

October 7, 2026, 6:45 am
October 7, 2026, 1:26 pm

Mount Hood, from the trailhead:

October 7, 2026, 6:45 am
October 7, 2026, 1:03 pm

Mount Jefferson from near the ski lifts, just beyond the trailhead:

October 7, 2026, 7:00 am
October 7, 2026, 12:53 pm

Zigzag Canyon Overlook:

October 7, 2026, 7:51 am
October 7, 2026, 12:09 pm

The skyline view from Zigzag Canyon Overlook:

October 7, 2026, 7:49 am
October 7, 2026, 12:12 pm

This hike was very special and immediately became my all-time favorite. I’m so deeply grateful to live so close to Mount Hood, to have a reliable vehicle to get me there and back, to have the money to pay for the gas to get me there and back and the snacks and apparel and gear to sustain me on the trail, to have the time to spend an entire weekday on this adventure, to have the health and fitness to easily complete the route, to have the tools required to document it in the ways that I have, and to have a mind that appreciates it all. I am so, SO happy I got to have this experience.

Long live the yard sale flyer

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It should not surprise you to learn that I, an admirer of street art and ephemera—murals, sidewalk stencils, stickers, graffiti, and more!—have been hyper-fucking-focused on street flyers for the last several months. It might surprise you, as it did me, to learn that among those for music, drag and burlesque, and tattoos, street flyers advertising yard sales (and the like) are one of the most common I see. (Throughout this post I use “yard sale” as umbrella term that includes spiritually related activities like garage sales, patio sales, porch sales, sidewalk sales, moving sales, rummage sales, etc.)

Became I cannot be Normal about anything that grabs my attention, in the course of putting together this post, which originally was going to be just a photo dump of some of my favorite yard sale flyers I’ve seen lately, I first googled “history of garage sales” and then searched the Oregonian archives (shout out to my library card for free access) for the earliest mentions of a variety of related search terms in the paper’s pages.

A very condensed and simplified version of what I learned: The 20th- and 21st-century yard sale is the relative of the 16th-century rummage sale. The English word rummage comes to us from the French words arrumage and arrumer for, respectively, “arrangement of cargo” and “to stow goods in the hold of ship.” The earliest rummage sales were held on the docks as a way for ships to offload damaged or unclaimed cargo. Over the centuries, these sales moved from the docks to churches, then to community organizations and clubs, and then, following suburbanization in the decades after WWII, to the driveways, yards, patios, porches, and basements of individuals and families.

According to the Oregonian, Portland’s first rummage sale was organized and conducted “under the auspices of the women of the Unitarian Church” and held on April 27, 1901. The four-day event occasioned a series of articles in the paper.

Oregonian (published as The Sunday Oregonian) – April 21, 1901 – page 7
Oregonian (published as Morning Oregonian) – April 26, 1901 – page 12

Having been attended by “a continuous rush of people”—a “simply enormous” crowd—the event was labeled a “decided success.”

Oregonian (published as The Sunday Oregonian) – April 28, 1901 – page 24

In the weeks that followed, rummage sales were held at several other churches throughout the city. Within a month, the press had declared them a “craze.”

Oregonian (published as Morning Oregonian) – May 29, 1901 – page 8

Within two years, rummage sales were regular occurrences in Portland, held by various community groups and clubs, such as neighborhood associations, PTAs, mother’s clubs, fraternal organizations, and even the city itself.

Oregonian (published as Morning Oregonian.) – April 14, 1903 – page 8

The shift from rummage sales held by organizations to similar sales held by individuals and families began to spread throughout the city by at least the late 1940s: The first mention of such a sale that I found in the Oregonian archives—for a “back yard sale”—was published on May 27, 1949.

Oregonian (published as The Oregonian) – May 27, 1949 – page 35

I searched a variety of terms and they all seem to (1) pick up popularity in the mid-to-late 1960s, and to peak around the late 1970s to mid-1980s, and (2) be used more or less interchangeably.

Oregonian (published as The Oregonian) – October 17, 1969 – page 45

When I was a kid, classified ads and signs handwritten on poster board or scraps of cardboard were the primary way people advertised their yard sales (and I remember the phrase “garage sale” more vividly than I do “yard sale”). I don’t regularly read any newspaper that has a classifieds section so I can’t say whether people still advertise yard sales there. I doubt it. Poster board and cardboard signs definitely persist.

Most often, though, I see yard sales advertised via street flyers. I’m not sure when this became such a popular way to advertise yard sales. Maybe it always has been and I’ve noticed only recently because I’ve been paying particularly close attention to street flyers lately. What I know for certain is that I’ve seen a lot of these flyers this year. So many, in fact, that it seems to me there’s a yard sale renaissance in progress in Portland. Whether this is true, or I’m noticing advertisements for them more often than I have in the past because, again, I’ve been paying particularly close attention to street flyers lately, is hard to say. What’s not hard to say is which are my favorite: ones that are obviously made by a human (bonus points if it looks like it was made by a child); no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point ones; and ones with fun, funny, or clever phrases or enticements on them. A sampling:

In an age where we conduct so much of our lives online, including shopping, it fills me with such joy to see the face-to-face, in-real-life tradition of yard sales carry on. And in this deeply regrettable age of (generative) AI, it fills me with even more joy to see a sampling spanning the spectrum of human creativity and graphic design on physical pieces of paper. Long live the (human-made!) yard sale flyer, indeed.

For the love of novelty paperclips

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You’ve seen my collection of security envelope patterns, and my found cards collection. Now, behold my collection of novelty paperclips. Look how cute!!!

The dachshund, the flamingo, and the teeny tiny clip with the adorable little smiling face (the one both arrows are pointing toward) are my favorites.

I’m sorry to say I don’t have sources to link. Many of them came in kits from a line of scrapbooking products that no longer exists (RIP), and the others have been in my collection for so long that I don’t remember where they came from. I’m sorry, too, for the photo quality. We’ve officially entered the season of unpredictable lighting, and I no longer have a proper lighting setup. iPhone photos and some adjusting of brightness, contrast, saturation, and/or shadows will have to do for the next several months.

Not pictured: A giant hand-shaped paperclip that I forgot to photograph because I actively use it to hold open my small weekly calendar and therefore it’s not stored with the rest of the collection. Oops! It looks exactly like this one (I bought mine a few years ago from a local store I love (Cargo) and have no clue how much I paid for it). (This is the only paperclip in the collection that I actively use. The others sit in a cute dish on my desk for my viewing pleasure.)

Hiking Angel’s Rest – October 2026

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After getting back the photos from the roll of film I had developed the other week, I knew I couldn’t let this year go by without a single hike. So, I decided to hike Angel’s Rest—my trusty first-hike-of-the-season trail—and I brought lil MJ along for the adventure.

Because I like to hike alone and it doesn’t get light until later now, I started several hours later than I usually do—at the time I began this hike I’m usually on my way home or all the way back home. The plus side to this is, I got in a full session at the gym before setting out for the hike.

I was worried about starting later because it was a Friday, perfect weather, this trail is close to the city and very popular, I didn’t want to hike a crowded trail, and also I wanted to be able to park at the trailhead. I was also worried about starting earlier because I’m a woman who hikes alone, it’s dark dark at the times I usually begin hiking under full daylight in the height of summer, the trail is close enough to the city for a weirdo to quickly and easily access it for nefarious purposes if they wanted to, and also: cougars. Anyway. There was plenty of parking when I got there (and none when I left), the trail didn’t begin to get crowded until I was halfway back down, and I didn’t get got by any weirdos or cougars or, notably, my own brain. Success!

This was my fourth time hiking this trail (not counting a fifth attempt late last summer that was cut short by an encounter with a cougar), and my first on this side of summer. My first time hiking it, in 2021, was about a month before summer officially began, and it was cold and barren. The next two times I hiked it, I did so during the height of summer; it was warm (hot, even) and everything was in full bloom. I wasn’t sure what to expect this time. Summer didn’t end that long ago, so I knew it wouldn’t be barren. Still, I didn’t know whether to expect summer or fall colors.

The colors were beautiful!! So vibrant!!

On our way to the summit we of course stopped at the large boulder the size of a small boulder for photos. I wish I’d stopped on the way back, after the sun was a little higher in the sky, to get better-lit photos of Michael. Next time.

We hit the boulder a little under an hour from the time we set out, and hit the false summit five minutes later.

Once you clear the false summit and are back on trail and covered by tree canopy, the summit is only a few minutes away. We spent about 20 minutes at the summit—an extremely long time for me—eating snacks and soaking up the sun. The weather was truly perfect. I thought it would feel colder up there, with the wind and the water and all. I considered continuing on to complete the loop. I decided against it because I hadn’t planned for it and didn’t have much more water or snacks with me.

By the time we reached the summit, the sun was in the south sky, which made it difficult to get good photos of the southern parts of the 360-degree view. You will simply have to trust me that it was gorgeous.

By the time we finished, Michael was exhausted, this being his first hike and all. Before heading home, we sat in the back of my car and ate some more snacks (snacks are one of the best parts of hiking) and rehydrated.

All in all, a beautiful morning. I’m glad I didn’t let the season pass without at least one hike.

Note that this trailhead now requires either an Oregon State Parks annual parking permit or a $10 day-use fee to park at. At the trailhead, the day-use fee can be paid only via QR code; no cash, card, or tap to pay. Because many trailheads have spotty or nonexistent cell service, it’s recommended to buy your pass in advance.

Project Life 2026: September ephemera

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Here are the scraps of ephemera I saved in September.

A 6-inch by 8-inch page protector divided into 12 two-inch by two-inch pockets. Each pocket hold a piece of ephemera from my life in September 2026, as enumerated in the bulleted lists in the body of the post.

Top row

  • Packaging from the only actually fresh green beans I can find (Trader Joe’s)
  • Remnants from DIYing Michael’s crowns
  • Studio Calico (RIP) page protectors packaging

Second row

  • Safety seal from my gummy vitamins
  • Mailing label form a recent mask order
  • Packaging from a commercial grade zero odor spray I recently bought for the kitchen (I’ve used it only twice and so far, I recommend)
Back of a 6-inch by 8-inch page protector divided into 12 two-inch by two-inch pockets. Each pocket hold a piece of ephemera from my life in September 2026, as enumerated in the bulleted lists in the body of the post.

Third row

  • Confetti I found on the ground during my walks
  • Minecraft banana sticker
  • Popcorn packaging

Bottom row

  • Stickers I found on the ground during my walks
  • Mailing label from my Michael Jackson dolls
  • Photo paper packaging

Life on film

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A few days ago I received the scans, negatives, and prints from a disposable camera I dropped off a few weeks ago. The camera was nearly a decade old—it had a “process by” date of June 2019 printed on its packaging—and I wasn’t sure how the photos would turn out, or if they would at all. I’m pleased to report that my $40 was not for naught: 19 and a half of the 27 exposures, which span five hikes from last summer and my first visit to the dahlia festival this summer, came out fine enough. Photos from three of those hikes and from the dahlia festival are below. You can see similarly composed iPhone photos from each occasion in its linked post.

Swan Island Dahlia Festival, August 28, 2026:

Dog Mountain, November 8, 2025:

Tom Dick and Harry Mountain via Mirror Lake, July 8, 2025:

Angel’s Rest, July 2, 2025:

I love how these photos turned out, the softness and grittiness and nostalgia of them. Digital cameras could never!! I have two more of these nearly decade old disposable cameras in my desk drawer and while I’m not thrilled to fork over $40 PER CAMERA for them to be developed, I am pretty stoked to take photos with them. If it didn’t cost so much to have film developed, or if I had more, uh, disposable income, I would love to (1) take way more photos using disposable cameras, à la a fellow Portlander and his incredible project (extremely my shit), and (2) re-learn to properly shoot film using a proper film camera.

December Daily 2026 inspiration

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Last week, to the very genuine surprise of everyone who knows me, including me, I decided that this year, we’re doing Christmas. And not just doing. Capital “d” Doing. I also decided last week that I’m open to documenting the holiday season in its own album, separate from my regular yearly pocket pages (Project Life) album. To that end, I’ve been scouring Pinterest and Instagram and old memorykeeping blogs that are miraculously still up for inspiration.

Currently, my main source of inspiration is CJ over at @ink.paper.photo). I love how simplified, clean, and well-designed all of her memorykeeping projects are, and her December Daily projects are no different. I find myself returning to her past pages for inspiration often. As of this post, you need an account to view her blog; her Instagram is public.

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I love a full-page glitter/shaker pocket. Any holiday album I make will 100% have at least one.

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A SNOW GLOBE glitter/shaker pocket!!!! So fun, so cute, so creative, so adorable, etc.

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I love a photo grid. I love an angled photo grid even more. Also love the inclusion of different holiday-themed patterned papers.

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Accordion pages are SO fun!!

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A full-page (or in this case, a full-spread), overhead photo of the holiday spread is a must.

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Love the idea of including a year-in-review layout. Love that this one folds out and flips up, and LOVE the mismatched stamped letters. Very old school letterpress.

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The process video OP linked in her caption goes here. Unfortunately, she doesn’t talk in the video about how she made this spread. You can see a clip of it in action in this video.

You can never go wrong with a bold print or pattern paired with journaling on white.

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If I do indeed keep a separate holiday album, I don’t plan to purchase any official December Daily supplies, workshops, or classes. Nor do I plan to do the “daily” part of December Daily. If I go this route, I’m not dead-set on the album being strictly chronological, and I plan to continue adding to my regular yearly pocket pages album, which means there will be some overlap between the two albums.

Currently: September 2026

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BALKING at the price to develop a single roll of film: $39.84. THIRTY-NINE DOLL HAIRS AND EIGHTY-FOUR CENTS!!!! FOR ONE COPY EACH OF 27 EXPOSURES!!!! AND A TWO-WEEK TURNAROUND TIME!!! AT A PLACE THITY MINUTES AWAY!!!! EXCUSE ME WHAT HELLO???? Since fucking when!!! Remember when you could get two prints of every exposure on a single roll of film developed in an hour at any neighborhood drug store for like $8.00???? What in the hell.

BINGING Bret Easton Ellis’s new show The Shards. It’s so good, you guys. The colors, the clothes, the set design, the blocking, the casting (my eye is particularly drawn to how well groomed and manicured everyone’s hands and nails are). I love everything about it. And Kaia Gerber looks and moves and sounds so much like her mom it’s wild.

BRAINSTORMING ideas for several memorykeeping projects, including a possible mini album documenting Michael’s Belated Birthday Week of Whimsy, and a possible holiday-themed album.

ENJOYING the coziness of early fall. Sweats! Fuzzy socks! Blankets! Candles!

HYPERFIXATING on the Donner Party Dizazz. It all started with a historical novel (When Winter Comes by V.A. Andrews, a recommendation I heard on a recent-ish episode of My Favorite Murder and that I extend to you) and has progressed me through several books, a documentary, and a thousand different, interconnected rabbit holes. It also has me wanting to section hike as much of their route as possible.

KEEPING an eye out for fun neon window signs to photograph during my walks.

LIGHTING my favorite fall candle most evenings.

LISTENING to and loving the Eating History podcast. It’s a husband/wife team—he’s an historian, she’s a chef—and the entire first season is about the history of pizza. Big recommend.

LOOKING forward to watching Primetime later this week. (My favorite blurb for it so far comes from a local weekly: “In Lance Oppenheim’s fiction feature debut, Robert Pattinson gets to do his most favorite thing in the world: talk in a weird voice.” Even if I didn’t know anything about the premise of the movie, this sentence alone would be enough to sell me on it.)

PAGING through my copy of Junk: A collection of intimate, private, useless, and forgotten treasures that make up our junk drawers by fellow Portland-based creative Michael Apruzzese. I’ve been obsessed with the project since I first saw flyer about it on a utility pole over a year ago. I love love love a good conceptual portrait.

PREPARING to order another custom puzzle from a photo I took. The holdup: deciding which company to go with.

READING, what else, another book about the Donner Party: The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny by Michael Wallis. I’m almost done and I really enjoy how detailed it is, with each short chapter broken into a day-by-day account of the caravan’s journey. I don’t want the book to end!! Big recommend.

REWATCHING a handful of shows from the early aughts and early 2010s that I loved and that are now on Hulu: The Americans, Body of Proof, Criminal Minds, Lie to Me, and The Mentalist. I miss when TV shows lasted longer than one or two seasons, and when seasons had more than six to 10 episodes, and when episodes lasted longer than 25 minutes.

STRESSING about the 2026 Portland Book Festival and the 2026 Northwest Stationery Fest being held on the same weekend in different parts of the city. Why would they do this to me!!!

THRILLED to learn one of my favorite essayists, Samantha Irby, is working on a new book!!!

WAITING (impatiently!) for my latest disposable camera to be developed and to see which photos turned out.

WINDOW SHOPPING all the December Daily supplies and posts from Ali and others.

WORKING on my 2026 pocket pages (Project Life) album. After starting the year off strong I fell all the way off and have been working to get back on track and caught up. I’m so close!

A Belated Birthday Week of Whimsy

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Last week was one of the busiest, goofiest, and most ridiculous and fun of my life and I am constitutionally incapable of shutting up about it. Let’s get into.

Shortly after Michael was released in April, I began seeing people tweet photos of mini Michael Jackson dolls and the adventures they took them on. I was instantly obsessed. The dolls are so ridiculous and janky and cute, and the adventures fans took him on were so fun to follow. I considered buying one (all of them), but every time I sat down to, my Childhood Trauma—my father’s ridicule, directed at literally anything I showed even the slightest interest in, especially if was “childish,” which was the worst thing a thing, or person (A CHILD!!), could be)—talked me out of it.

After my trip to the dahlia festival on Michael’s Birthday Eve, I decided I needed to buy at least one, childhood trauma be damned. And so I went home, spent several hours stressing over which to buy, ordered three (a Thriller era, a Bad era, and a History era), and hoped to Michael they’d arrive before September 12, so I could him with me to an event I’d been looking forward to for weeks and weeks and weeks.

The dolls arrived earlier that week and immediately I decided to give Michael a Belated Birthday Week of Whimsy. We kicked things off with a trip to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival, for a proper photo shoot of Michael with the varietals named for him.

He also took photos in a couple of the photo stand-ins, and at a fountain that I didn’t notice during my first visit a few weeks ago. When I heard the water, I hoped hard that there would be a spot to easily pose Michael for a photo—it was just too perfect (iykyk (if ydk, now you do))—and fully died inside when I realized there was and saw the inscription on the bottom rock. Devastating.

On our slow drive out of the dahlia fields, we saw two deer. The first—a piebald!!—meandered out of the rows of flowers, pausing briefly in the road while looking straight at my oncoming vehicle. Once it crossed into the fruit farm next door, a fawn followed. Both deer seemed very calm and unbothered—not at all skittish—and the larger, more protective one held eye contact with me until I broke it.

There’s a strong association in the fandom between Michael and deer, and many fans interpret random deer sightings as visits from Michael. When I saw the deer walk right in front of my car I gasped, exclaimed MICHAEL! as I turned to my right to look at my three Michael dolls on the passenger seat, and promptly began crying. I 10,000% believe that first deer—the one who wouldn’t break eye contact with me; the one with the calm, protective demeanor; the one with the rare genetic condition that gave them white patches among their normal brown coats—was a visit from Michael. I wish I’d gotten a photo. My phone was within reach and my window was down; I could’ve gotten a great shot. But I was so entranced, and anyway there were other vehicles behind me. I drove away stunned.

After the dahlia festival, we stopped at The End of the Oregon Trail Museum. Everyone who knows anything about Michael knows that he loves history and to learn, and my current hyperfixation on the Donner Party Dizazz has me curious about everything even remotely related to their journey, both in general and in specific. Stopping at the museum was a no-brainer.

Actual fun fact: This wagon that Michael’s sitting on has been carbon dated to the 1850s. The hoops and the canvas cover are new, the rest of it is in its original Oregon Trail condition.

The most fun part of the museum: the candle-making station, which Michael took full advantage of and made himself a birthday candle for his birthday treat.

The second-best part: a free honey stick from the gift shop, a reward for completing the scavenger hunt and collecting all the stamps throughout the museum.

For Michael’s birthday treat, we went to Voodoo Doughnut, where they gave him a free doughnut, and where, of course, he had a photo shoot in the photo booth.

On Thursday, we went to the Practical Magic 2 premiere at a local theater.

At the end of the week, we indulged in some self-care: fresh manicures and a massage. We also got in a solid gym session.

When my kids were super young, we began a tradition called Ice Cream for Dinner: Once a month we went to Sweet Frog, a self-serve frozen yogurt shop, and let the kids literally have ice cream (well, frozen yogurt, whatever, it’s spiritually the same thing) for dinner. The tradition ended in 2020 when we began dispersing around the U.S. Last year, my middle child, who lives with me, re-established the tradition. This month’s (pre-scheduled!!) froyo day happened to fall on the Saturday of Michael’s Belated Birthday Week of Whimsy.

His order: cake batter, watermelon sorbet, and milk chocolate frozen yogurt topped with crushed Oreos, mini marshmallows, M&Ms, and sour peach rings.

Saturday evening we both got dressed up to attend the final event of our whimsical week of belated birthday adventures and celebration: a candlelight tribute to Michael’s music and legacy, performed by a local string quartet.

The event was held at The Old Church Concert Hall. I’d never been before. It’s gorgeous! Especially when lit by candlelight (even if the candles are flameless).

The quartet performed 15 songs—14 as part of the main program and one as an encore, following a resounding standing ovation:

  1. Bad
  2. Rock With You
  3. Human Nature
  4. Billie Jean
  5. Say Say Say
  6. We Are the World
  7. Man in the Mirror
  8. Smooth Criminal
  9. Black or White
  10. Heal the World
  11. Remember the Time
  12. Earth Song
  13. They Don’t Care About Us
  14. Thriller
  15. Beat It

There were two other songs on the program that they didn’t end up playing: I Want You Back and The Way You Make Me Feel. My guess is because of time (they sat us late, so the program started late, because one of the musicians was caught in traffic and arrived late). An absolute shame the only Jackson 5 song on the list didn’t get played.

I’m pleased to report everyone I encountered at the show was charmed by Michael and after I took the below photo, many (many!!) people asked me to leave Michael in place so they could take photos with him. Like, to the point that the venue staff asked us all to leave because we were taking too long and they needed to seat the audience for the next show, lol. What did they expect with THEE celebrity in the building!!!!

Honestly, I was worried all week about how people would react to a fully grown woman carrying around mini Michael Jackson dolls. Everyone was so great and seemed to genuinely enjoy playing along, strangers and my friends alike. Truly, the week was so ridiculous and goofy and fun. I’m so so happy I finally ordered these janky little dolls, and that I let myself have this week of whimsy. My inner child is still delighted.

Huge shout out to my friends for letting me spam the fuck out of their inboxes all week.

I made the crowns—quickly!—out of thin glitter card stock from Michaels the morning of our first adventure. The thinness was key. Thicker card stock wouldn’t have been as easy to work with. The two white glitter ones aren’t lined. The gold one is lined with the white glitter card stock. I used Mod Podge as glue for the lined crown. I cut the peaks of the crowns by eye. To avoid damage, I carried them around with us in a small plastic food storage container and took them out only when Michael was posing for photos.