PDXFran
frangardner.bsky.social
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 explore early morning light, go in search of a mysterious chimney—and then drop the phone.
November 2, 2025 at 2:55 AM
I go out my front door and dog stories just appear!
October 26, 2025 at 1:18 AM
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
@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.
October 12, 2025 at 3:56 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...
October 5, 2025 at 1:22 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...
September 28, 2025 at 1:14 AM
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
I started out to explore a word and ended up opening up a world.
August 24, 2025 at 3:33 AM
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
Who are the best selling writers of all time? After Shakespeare, they are a couple of women.
July 20, 2025 at 4:09 AM
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
Things get better, easier, more meaningful with practice.
July 6, 2025 at 1:24 AM
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 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 end of May, the start of summer, abandoned shoes and a colorful quilt.
June 1, 2025 at 8:14 PM
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
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
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...
May 11, 2025 at 2:00 AM
How to read books, writing poems for strangers, three words and one lone poppy.
May 4, 2025 at 4:04 AM
I explore the history of spam and find beauty in an image of urban decay.
open.substack.com/pub/frangard...
April 27, 2025 at 2:10 AM
April 21, 2025 at 2:48 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.
March 9, 2025 at 2:54 AM