I Live in Portland Or, but grew up in a small town in Or populationabout 100, we had a small farm, a milk cow and pigs, chickens, and the neighbors horses to ride, we grew and canned our veges, also had fresh, homemade jams & jelly's, when i was old enough, i helped my mom in the kitchen, it was great bonding time, comeing from 7 children I was 2nd out the the 7 & the 1st girl out of 4, also 3 brothers, so just some bonding time with my mom was so preceious to me, I'll never forget it, it was the best summers i had, digging in the garden, getting dirty was fun, now I'm in the city, things have changed, but my love of using fresh ingrediants hasn't changed I love to cook comfort foods, also i love to go in the oppisite direction and love vegetarian meals, growing up my Dad loved meat, and now that I'm my own cook, there are many wonderful vegan meals, so good that you do not miss the meat, but never met a vegetable or a meat that i haven't liked. I love going to my sister houses, and having thankgiving, Christmas. and Easter, helping in the kitchen, or sometimes every one bring a dish, so it is less work on a family member, a summer party on the 4th of july, I have fireworks out side on my balcony, curtisy of the city of Portland and Fort Vancouver Wa, can see them all. Making a new receipe from scratch and it turning out wonderful the first time with no changes on the second time. Like Many of us, forgetting to take the giblets out of turkey before cooking, Once i made this 3 layer jello, custard and i can't remember what was on the top, i forgot measured wrong and needed 3 more cups of water, my siblings had fun tossing the bowls of this concoction, like playing catch in the living room, and nothing drippeed or fell out of the bowl, was young and they made me cry, that was the worse thing at that time in my young life, now i laugh with them because it was pretty bad.