Should you be passing by Waconda and 99E – great blue roads – you may see a sign about Fresh Corn. They aren’t kidding. We were passing that intersection and turned for a quick detour on our Salem – Portland drive.
We got corn, a big mesh bag full, some onions, jalapeno peppers and broccoli. The corn is so sweet it reminded us of last year. It’s so good.
If you’re not around Wadonda and 99E go to the place selling corn near you. It’s the right time of year for those delights. But be warned, what you find isn’t as good as what we found.
“It all begins with one typed page.” So starts One Typed Page. You can see a link to it at the top of this page. It will take you to a page of images of One Typed Pages. People have submitted their pages and the editor puts them up early in the day. For example
A post from Kent Peterson. You can find him there on nearly any day.
In explaining the purpose of the page the editor refers to Cold Hard Type series. That’s a series of books from people who write on typewriters. But it’s not for everyone. And for those that it’s not there is One Typed Page. As he puts it:
We need people who can structure thoughts and ideas, then write a compelling story so others can make sense of the world. It’s easy to stop writing when the seams are coming apart and the world’s supply of toilet paper seems to have dried up. Don’t! Get a clean hanky, wipe away your tears and write. Write like the world depends on your words. Write like a warrior who is fighting for their survival. Write, because if you don’t, you’ll end up in a dark corner, balled up and sobbing.
But that won’t happen, because you’re the typewriter type who punches keys and makes the hammer strike. The force of your fingers is the force of will that conquers the page. Close your web browser, turn off the news, mute your feeds and get on the typewriter.
~ Daniel Marleau, Editor of One Typed Page
You can and are encouraged to contribute. Or you can, like me, drop by the page and read up on what people with typewriters are up to.
Thanks to Wirecutter (a review site) I found and bought a Uni-Ball Jetstream, well a pack of three. I’ve used them ever since – like in my daily Morning Pages (20+ so far) and everywhere else. Now two of the three are missing.
How much do I love these? Enough that I’ve purchased over 70 refill ink barrels. I’ve been using the same pens all this time. Write, write, write, pen goes dry, peel open a packet of ink, swap it out, write, write, write again. Many of those were ordered from Japan. Because, well why not? And I would get nice thank you notes with them.
And to think, they were recommended in 2013 and they still are today. And for much of the same reasons.
We interviewed experts with thousands of hours of experience testing stationery, and subjected their favorite pens to nearly 70 professionally picky Wirecutter staffers, to affirm that the Uni-ball Jetstream is the best pen for everyday writing. It’s easy to find in stores, it writes smoothly on most paper, and it’s affordable enough that you won’t be heartbroken if someone permanently borrows it.
You can find them at JetPens while you geek out on writing instruments. (like here or here) Or, ahem, Amazon. Check on their review of ballpoint pens – which has a list of pens recommended for different uses: professional, student, eco-friendly, colored. This list goes on. AND they have information. You know why you’re buying whatever. See Below:
But for your pen that is recommended for everyday use, here’s what they say:
The Uni Jetstream is our favorite ballpoint pen, and a perennial best seller. Its low-viscosity ink is some of the smoothest, darkest, and most consistent ink we’ve encountered in a ballpoint pen, and a pleasure to write with. In addition, the Jetstream is available in several versions so that anyone can find a style they like. Unusually for a ballpoint pen, its tip sizes range from a super-fine 0.38 mm to a broad 1 mm and it comes in 13 vibrant ink colors.
Yes, it looks good. Thanks to #bakewithjack, I’ve got a second and a bit more experience and I can tell what is going on. Now onward to numbers three through five.
Where Woodstock crosses Foster, right before you get to I205 there is a bakery. Bella’s Italian Bakery, a straight forward name. Bella’s? Where did that come from? In the words of the owner.
Michelle’s Nonna called all the girls in the family “Bella” – so Bella is all of us here working to bring you a little Italy. We are proud to be a woman-owned, women-led business.
We’ve been there three times now. Once for a “how is this place?” visit, a Saturday. It was also the first anniversary of their opening the place. Lucky us! Packed, delicious, a man passing out tiramisu after we’d eaten. It was jovial, people sharing their meals. And on the menu, we saw that every Sunday they served lasagna and on Thursdays pizza. It’s also a store, wines, milk, bread, pastas, and more to go. We were beyond happy with the pastries. They were enough to drive out there for. But I’m being unfair, they serve breakfast and lunch foods. Italian train station sandwichs anyone? Yes, you don’t need to go for just a (wonderfully done) coffee and snack. You can go for more.
Every day we bake focaccia, house bread, pepperoni rolls, and seasonal savory flatbreads as well as both traditional and modern pastries: almond cakes, berry tartines, lemon ciambella, sweet rolls, cannoli, ricotta cheesecake, assorted cookies, and sfogliatelle (weekends only). We also do rotating seasonal specials inspired by our farm fresh deliveries. Stop by and see what we’re baking today!
Their Menu
So we went back. For lasagna. As good as what we’d had earlier.
And then last night, for pizza. A perfect Margarita Piazza. How often do you get a perfect pizza? OK, there’s lots of pizza in Portland. We’ll go back. Again and again. Because the place is so damn good.
So if you want to feel like you’re in Italy, go here.
