Fitting in with ease

Flag of Portland, Oregon. Designed by Douglas Lynch. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Moving cross-country to Portland seemed like a challenge, 300 days of rain, steep hillocks on every turn. But that was a year back
I've since slowly and ungrudgingly embraced the hippie lifestyle of Little Beirut where cyclists ride leisurely on the road cars following them in no hurry, and pedestrians smile when they glance at you. It all started quite innocently one Spring Sunday morning on the way to the Pancake House, I saw people in a parking area shuffling from booth to booth. On the return journey, I stopped to investigate and discovered my first-ever Farmer's Market. 'Organic' was plastered on everything from beeswax candles to the coffee van.
Ended up buying veggies and digging into Nutella-smothered crepes, all organic of course. The tastes and flavors of organic produce were exciting; an orange smelled and tasted 'real' unlike the Cuties from the big produce store. A different perspective for food.One thing led to another and now I shop at New Season's or Whole Foods filling my basket with gluten-free and vegan food (I had no clue what these were until I landed in the city of roses)
Search results in Google intuitively started throwing search results for DIY projects so my bathroom vanity now stocks home-made toothpaste, face cleanser and shampoo. The cool rain-laden weather nurtures a bountiful herb garden of chives, basil, mint, chillies, scallions  harvested every month. Am adding 'shrooms in my next harvest.