Today’s Forecast

49º | Showers | 84% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:50 a.m. | Sunset 4:40 p.m.

Keep calm and yard on

Take pride in your yard

A front yard of a white house with green trim that has grasses, purple lupine and lavender.

The lupine and lavender are blooming in City Editor Ben’s front yard. | Photo by Ben McBee, PDXtoday

Whether you grow a lush oasis on your apartment balcony, get your hands dirty at a nearby community garden, or have the nicest lawn on the block, cultivating your own outdoor space is one of life’s simplest, yet satisfying pleasures.

When the PDXtoday team isn’t putting together your favorite daily newsletter, chances are they’re outside giving their yards a little TLC. They shared a few thoughts about what goes down when the laptops turn off and the gloves go on.

On the left, a two story house with a chimney sits by a manicured yard with trees and roses. — There’s always something to do.
|
Photo by Cambrie Juarez, PDXtoday

🍎 City Editor Ben

Favorite part: Gravel fire pit area that we built from the ground up.
Newest addition: Pumpkin seeds sprouting beneath the apple tree in the front yard.
What still needs work: The shed requires a new roof and floor; it’ll be quite a project.

🌹 City Editor Cambrie

Favorite part: A growing collection of English roses, no-till garden beds we designed with soft angles, and large areas left mostly natural to support wildlife.
Newest addition: A blueberry patch and an expanded cutting flower garden.
What still needs work: Everything! But mostly I still need to mulch a couple of beds and build a trellis arch for two new climbing roses.

Now we want to hear from you. Answer these questions and leave us additional comments to join our bulletin of back (or front) yard beauty.

Mo' lawn, mow problems

Events

Monday, May 22

Paranormal Cirque | Monday, May 22 | 7:30 p.m. | Clackamas Town Center, 12000 SE 82nd Ave., Happy Valley | $20-$60 | Reality and illusion blur under the big top, where you’ll see an animal-free show that’s part theater, part circus, and part cabaret.
Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Suite and Violinist Simone Lamsma | Monday, May 22 | 7:30 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland | $25-$125 | Enjoy the beautiful melodies of this timeless tale.

Tuesday, May 23

At This Time: MFA/BFA Showcase | Tuesday, May 23-Saturday, June 10 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | JSMA at PSU, 1855 SW Broadway, Portland | Free | Appreciate PSU School of Art + Design graduates’ work and meet the artists during gallery talks.

Wednesday, May 24

Music of Led Zeppelin with the Oregon Symphony | Wednesday, May 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland | $29-$95 | “Ramble On” down to The Schnitz and show these performers a “Whole Lotta Love.”
Native American Cultural Night: Native Voices Featuring Author Cynthia Leitich Smith | Wednesday, May 24 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | David Douglas High School, South Building Cafeteria, 1500 SE 130th Ave., Portland | Free | Join the New York Times best-selling, award-winning author and member of the Muscogee Nation.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Number

18,200 — that’s how many people moved out of Portland from July 2020 to July 2022, according to census data. This 2.8% reduction makes the Rose City the sixth-fastest shrinking city in the country, although it still holds the No. 26 spot in size. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Ranked

Some people must have missed the memo. U.S. News & World Report put Portland at No. 36 on its best places to live list for 2023-24. Our city’s highest-rated factor was “desirability,” and residents were described as “friendly and laid-back while maintaining a healthy work ethic.” (U.S. News & World Report)

Eat

A restaurant and bar from the team behind Olympia Provisions are coming to the Hotel Grand Stark. Grand Amari (already open) and Little Bitter Bar (starting Wednesday, May 24) will serve “unapologetically traditional” Italian fare, partnered with herbal liqueur-based drinks. (Eater Portland)

Trending

Like many gamers, it seems Portland artist Mike Bennett is enjoying playing “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.” In his signature cartoony style, he recreated Koroks, small wooden spirits of the forest, and hid them around the city over the weekend for people to find and take home.

Fun Fact

Well, maybe fun is the wrong word. Freaky, let’s go with that. Arachnophobes, look away. There are scorpions in the Columbia River Gorge. Don’t worry, the western forest scorpion is nocturnal and only “slightly venomous,” preferring to stick to rotten stumps and rocky hollows. (KOIN)

Finance

$200 welcome bonus — check. Unlimited cash back — check. 0% interest into 2024 — check. This card checks all our boxes.*

The Word

Galleta. Start using it in conversation in three weeks.*

Travel

Which Vrbo Vacation Home of the Year is most your style? Maybe it’s the mountain views and woodsiness at this Big Sky cabin. Or maybe it’s a Hamptons holiday at this breathtaking retreat. If vacation means heat, spas, and golf courses, check out this Palm Springs poolside property.*

Development

🛹 Kick, push, kick, push

Portland powerslides its way toward building a new skatepark in Creston Park

A sign in Southeast Portland reads Creston Park

PP&R strives to put a skatepark within two miles of every household in the city; 65% do not have one.

For those working to bring a skatepark to Southeast Portland, the grind is over — or is it just beginning?

After extensive research, Portland Culture & Livability Commissioner Dan Ryan and Portland Parks & Recreation have landed on the site — Creston Park, located at 4454 SE Powell Blvd. So far, nearly 700 people have shared their thoughts on the future skatepark, which will also offer recreation opportunities for BMX and scooter riders, inline skaters, and other wheeled ways of catching major air.

Here is the project’s timeline (subject to change):

Conceptual design and analysis — spring 2023 to fall 2023
Construction documentation — winter 2023 to spring 2024
Permitting and bidding — summer/fall 2024 to winter 2024
Construction — spring/summer 2025
Grand opening — spring 2026

The skatepark will be funded by $5 million in Parks System Development Charges (SDCs). To receive updates, contact Community Engagement Coordinator Odalis Perez-Crouse to be added to the e-mail list.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Ben

From the editor

At my childhood home in Rogue River, I was pretty spoiled when it came to a backyard, which was basically a grassy meadow running up to a forested mountain.

I’ll always cherish the memories I have about it, like when a hot air balloon pilot made an unplanned landing there, or when we saw a mama black bear and her cubs.

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