Miz Loretta Reads To You June 17 7:30, Baby

My first official reading is tomorrow night at Annie Bloom's Books in Multnomah Village. Yes, I've told y'all before, but I really am excited. I lived the first nine years of my life at 6491 SW Capital Hoghway. I even remember my first phone number--246-4363! All four of my sisters attended Wilson High School. I went to West Hills Christian School--yup, I did--and later Mary Reike Elementary but back in those days we called it Little Wilson. My library was the Hillsdale branch. My grocery store was Lynches (where Nature's is now). Lynches had these little brown paper grab bags that I loved to buy. They came in two sizes--large for a quarter and small for a dime. You never knew what kind of junk you'd get. It was the surprise that mattered. My sister was married in the Hillsdale Community Church when I was five--I was the flower girl and very proud to be dressed entirely in pink.
I still love that part of Portland. After my divorce I moved deep into the heart of Multnomah within walking distance of Annie Bloom's. I spent many lazy afternoons and evenings curled up in one of their cushy chairs reading, then stopping by Fat City or Marco's or O'Connor's for a drink or a bite to eat. I lived on a gravel street that got little traffic. It was a small house with a huge yard. The owner had been my brother-in-law's friend from school. He lived in Baltimore and needed someone to keep up the yard and live in the place. The rent was only $200 a month. Like I said, it was a perfect place for me to try out my wings. I worked and went to school and had incredible potlucks every weekend all summer long.
Multnomah Village is truly one of the treasures of Portland. It's a part of town that makes me feel like I'm out of town on vacation somewhere small, quaint and charming. So much of my personal history has taken place within walking distance of Annie Bloom's it is absolutely perfection to be reading there tomorrow and having a drink next door after. If you're out and about, stop by. And if you've never been to the Village get yourself there, toot sweet, baby. You won't regret it!