PDXFran
@frangardner.bsky.social
I curate ideas, explosive and benign, at frangardner.substack.com. I had a career as a journalist, but all that matters now is writing and spending time with my husband. I also take photos, write poems and play with fabric.
I’m captivated by the light as winter descends—light that is sometimes laser bright and other times pussy willow soft. I find a chance to write poems for strangers in the company of tubas. Don’t miss the fire hydrant dressed as Santa.
December 14, 2025 at 3:09 AM
I’m captivated by the light as winter descends—light that is sometimes laser bright and other times pussy willow soft. I find a chance to write poems for strangers in the company of tubas. Don’t miss the fire hydrant dressed as Santa.
I explore early morning light, go in search of a mysterious chimney—and then drop the phone.
November 2, 2025 at 2:55 AM
I explore early morning light, go in search of a mysterious chimney—and then drop the phone.
I go out my front door and dog stories just appear!
October 26, 2025 at 1:18 AM
I go out my front door and dog stories just appear!
I am moved to tears by the patriotism warmheartedness and creativity of Portlanders as they turn out by the tens of thousands.
October 19, 2025 at 2:11 AM
I am moved to tears by the patriotism warmheartedness and creativity of Portlanders as they turn out by the tens of thousands.
@bsky.app
A nighttime protest for an audience of three. Singing “We Shall Overcome” at a Maxine Dexter town hall. A woman grieving on the bus. It was an emotional week.
A nighttime protest for an audience of three. Singing “We Shall Overcome” at a Maxine Dexter town hall. A woman grieving on the bus. It was an emotional week.
October 12, 2025 at 3:56 AM
@bsky.app
A nighttime protest for an audience of three. Singing “We Shall Overcome” at a Maxine Dexter town hall. A woman grieving on the bus. It was an emotional week.
A nighttime protest for an audience of three. Singing “We Shall Overcome” at a Maxine Dexter town hall. A woman grieving on the bus. It was an emotional week.
My love of color continues with loving shots of yellow and gray buildings and fall’s first red tree. Also, funny little poems by Ogden Nash, a kid named Onomatopoeia, and chasing the wild cortado.
frangardner.substack.com/p/i-have-eno...
frangardner.substack.com/p/i-have-eno...
October 5, 2025 at 1:22 AM
My love of color continues with loving shots of yellow and gray buildings and fall’s first red tree. Also, funny little poems by Ogden Nash, a kid named Onomatopoeia, and chasing the wild cortado.
frangardner.substack.com/p/i-have-eno...
frangardner.substack.com/p/i-have-eno...
Federal troops are coming to Portland. I went out early to check the city for signs of terror, confusion and chaos. What I found may surprise you.
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
September 28, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Federal troops are coming to Portland. I went out early to check the city for signs of terror, confusion and chaos. What I found may surprise you.
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
As summer starts to fade, I find patterns in unexpected places. Every window has a different configuration of fan.
September 7, 2025 at 2:01 AM
As summer starts to fade, I find patterns in unexpected places. Every window has a different configuration of fan.
I started out to explore a word and ended up opening up a world.
August 24, 2025 at 3:33 AM
I started out to explore a word and ended up opening up a world.
Summer color, a new idea for time management and a small nod to sex. It’s hot these days.
August 17, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Summer color, a new idea for time management and a small nod to sex. It’s hot these days.
Who are the best selling writers of all time? After Shakespeare, they are a couple of women.
July 20, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Who are the best selling writers of all time? After Shakespeare, they are a couple of women.
Besides crows, squirrels and the Monkees, I write about aluminum pop cans, bus therapy with friends, and the inventor of Liquid Paper
July 13, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Besides crows, squirrels and the Monkees, I write about aluminum pop cans, bus therapy with friends, and the inventor of Liquid Paper
Things get better, easier, more meaningful with practice.
July 6, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Things get better, easier, more meaningful with practice.
The texture of life in my first 40 years seems unimaginable now. Maybe you remember when a fax was a big deal.
June 29, 2025 at 12:28 AM
The texture of life in my first 40 years seems unimaginable now. Maybe you remember when a fax was a big deal.
The Toothpaste Building is painted a new toothpaste color. How many Stephens or Stevens do you know? Folks who ride unicycles clue me in to the saga of a giant sequoia.
June 8, 2025 at 3:35 PM
The Toothpaste Building is painted a new toothpaste color. How many Stephens or Stevens do you know? Folks who ride unicycles clue me in to the saga of a giant sequoia.
The end of May, the start of summer, abandoned shoes and a colorful quilt.
June 1, 2025 at 8:14 PM
The end of May, the start of summer, abandoned shoes and a colorful quilt.
Dressing pixies invade my closet and clutter threatens to consume me. It’s time to escape—ride the bus, visit a cemetery, and write in a coffeehouse. All while eating licorice.
May 25, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Dressing pixies invade my closet and clutter threatens to consume me. It’s time to escape—ride the bus, visit a cemetery, and write in a coffeehouse. All while eating licorice.
How sweet it is to remember the candy of years past. I also treat myself to more bus therapy.
May 18, 2025 at 4:26 AM
How sweet it is to remember the candy of years past. I also treat myself to more bus therapy.
Riding the bus cures what ails me. Explore how miso can sub for Marmite, that weird, sticky British bread spread. Stick around for a virtual visit to fascinating Brainerd, Minn. Pick up some poetry on the way.
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
May 11, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Riding the bus cures what ails me. Explore how miso can sub for Marmite, that weird, sticky British bread spread. Stick around for a virtual visit to fascinating Brainerd, Minn. Pick up some poetry on the way.
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
How to read books, writing poems for strangers, three words and one lone poppy.
May 4, 2025 at 4:04 AM
How to read books, writing poems for strangers, three words and one lone poppy.
I explore the history of spam and find beauty in an image of urban decay.
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
April 27, 2025 at 2:10 AM
I explore the history of spam and find beauty in an image of urban decay.
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
In my new Substack post: an eclipse, a pigeon, a Renaissance bassoon. Shadows and poetry and the looming expense of typewriter ribbons. One of the orbs in this photo is the moon.
March 9, 2025 at 2:54 AM
In my new Substack post: an eclipse, a pigeon, a Renaissance bassoon. Shadows and poetry and the looming expense of typewriter ribbons. One of the orbs in this photo is the moon.