Two favorite people

Steve and Lily at Adagio's

 I'm not sure at all what we were looking at in this picture, but it's one that I like of both of my friends, taken last Saturday at the coffee shop. Afterwards, I went for a really nice walk with Steve, although I realize that I am not as strong as I think I am; partway through my hip began to ache. It wasn't enough to stop us, but Steve began to look for shortcuts back to our cars. We went more than five miles, and I was able to continue on, even though I forgot to bring some Advil, just in case. It now resides in my new pack, and I'll take it some next time I feel the hip complaining.

This coming Saturday, we will be experiencing much less comfortable weather, with the high only reaching into the fifties (Fahrenheit), with rain. It was much warmer and sunny last week when I took this picture. It is beginning to cool down during the day, and the much shorter days are continuing to bring sunrise and sunset ever closer to the winter solstice in late December. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying whatever sunny conditions we have. There was a time when I wouldn't let a little thing like some rain keep me from exercise. But things have changed, especially during the last year for me. It mostly started with that fall on the ice last February, when I went airborne and came down on my already injured right hip. Through the months, I've gotten much better but have never regained what I had before the fall.

Today is sunny, even if it's not exactly warm. I went to the hearing aid place to have another hearing test to see if I have lost any more hearing in the past year or so, and I was pleased to find that not much has changed. The audiologist gave my hearing aids a good cleaning and adjusted them, and sent me on my way. I found that the extended warranty expires at the end of March, and although I can still continue to use them, if anything breaks, I will have to pay up to $300 for the fix. And my usual copay from here on out will be $20 more, but it is all doable. Of course, everything everywhere is going up, isn't it?

Tomorrow is my monthly Facetime call with my sister Norma Jean. I hope she's doing well. It is also my time for the weekly yoga class I enjoy so much. And I always feel much better and grounded afterwards. I'm very grateful for that class. 

:-)

Perfect weather

A peek at the boats in the bay

Although this almost looks like a black and white picture, it's really just a peek at Squalicum Bay last Saturday on my walk. I saw the boats lined up from behind a big tree, and I thought they looked like they could have been from another century. I was resting on a bench before heading back up to the coffee shop with my friend Steve. We only walked around five miles, but I was tired the last half of the trip. I'm not feeling all that energetic these days, and I wonder if it's because I am no longer making weekly hikes with the Trailblazers, or if I'm just feeling my age, or both. 

Our skies cleared up quite nicely after all the orange sunrises of the previous week, and I am glad to be living here in the Pacific Northwest. We could use some rain, but at least the lawn mowers are not a daily occurrence, as they tend to be when it greens up. The trees are just now beginning to change color, and that will go on for another month or so, my favorite time of the year.

Today my guy had to endure a bone marrow biopsy to give his doctor a better idea of how to proceed further with his cancer regimen. He didn't tell me the details, but he said it was "not fun." A real understatement, if you ask me. My own skin cancer Mohs surgery has healed up and will barely leave a scar, but we have entered into the stage of life where these unpleasant occurrences will happen more often. But as I sit here with sunshine pouring through the windows, a light breeze ruffling the trees, I am feeling no pain, only a tummy a little bit fuller than I wish it was, and my hips a little broader than they should be, but otherwise life is good. John was at the coffee shop this morning, and I realized that since I didn't have breakfast with him on Sunday (since he went dancing Saturday night and wanted to rest up), I missed his company. Another sign of our advanced years: we need to pick and choose our activities carefully. At least we are still iupright and on the right side of the grass, as they say.

I told him that I was glad to see him and had missed hanging out together, which might have surprised us both. We tend to take for granted our friends until they aren't there for one reason or another. Plus I am definitely a creature of habit and wish I could always have things stay the same. But they don't, do they?

In any event, I am feeling very happy to have such a full life, and tomorrow I will have my monthly FaceTime talk with my sister, after what I hope will be a good yoga class. And that will be the extent of my daily activity. Not bad, eh?

:-)

Here come the iris and rhodies

This iris just bloomed this morning

I've been watching the flowers across the neighborhood begin to bloom, and it's the only time of the year when so many are in bloom at once. I can't remember a time, however, when so many are emerging while earlier ones are still going strong. The lilacs (which I wrote about here last week) are STILL beautiful and luxuriant. Usually the lilacs only last a few days, but as I walked by last week's lilacs, they are all out there, with their fragrance continuing to waft into the air. I wish I could smell them, but the memory of their fragrance is strong, even in my weakened nostrils. Odor is such a funny thing: I am not sure whether I can smell certain flowers, or whether my recollection of that smell is strong enough to fill my imagination.

When I walked to the bus this morning, I considered whether or not to join the Senior Trailblazers in their excursion to Abbotsford, Canada, since the hike is not a long one or with much elevation gain. I decided against it, though, since my right hip is still sore from Saturday's walk. And I had a great yoga class yesterday that loosened things up, but  these days I no longer feel a need to push myself. That might reassert itself during the summer, but for now I am happy to get my three-mile walk from the bus into my local neighborhood. I might go out and take a walk to the boardwalk at Squalicum Beach, but I probably won't. I've got another great yoga class tomorrow, and who knows what I might feel like after that? On Thursday I have my volunteer work at the Senior Center, where I almost always acquire a ten-thousand step workout. 

And, hopefully, I will be able to get my haircut on Friday, delayed a week because my stylist ended up sidelined with measles. She's originally from Vietnam, and has two college-aged kids who might have brought the disease to her. I am okay because I had it when I was a pre-teenager, along with my dad. We were both quarantined for two weeks in the same bedroom, so I remember it well. I also had the vaccination (I think) and was not terribly sick, but sick enough to remember the time.

Beautiful rhododendron bush

I will eventually write about something other than the gorgeous flowers, but for now it's just the most delightful thing to see all these incredibly beautiful flowers on my daily walks. Hope the world is lovely (and not too hot or cold) in your neck of the woods.

:-)

Cool Thursday

Warrior Three

 Five years ago, before the Pandemic that caused my favorite yoga studio (Yoga Northwest) to close, I won in a raffle a half-hour private session with Denise, my favorite teacher. She taught me how to do a version of Warrior Three, seen in the picture above, taken back in 2019 at the now defunct studio. It isn't exactly easy to do, or to get into it, but I was determined to learn the pose. As you can see here, I did manage to at least, if not perfectly, get into the correct position. The hanging straps, I thought, added an interesting backdrop. Denise took the picture.

The reason this picture came to mind is because I took a different yoga class today at the Senior Center where I have been attending a class every Monday for awhile. Now that  am no longer hiking regularly on Thursdays, I was also available for the class today. The teacher, however, was a substitute, as our regular teacher is sick with Covid.

It turns out that Dani, the sub, was also a student at Yoga Northwest for years. We chatted about our favorite teachers and how much we still miss the place. She teaches regularly at some place I have never heard of, but I was thrilled to have someone who knew the kind of yoga I practiced for years. And she will soon be teaching twice a week at the Senior Center, starting next month. She supplies poses that are more advanced than Mary, our other teacher, provides. So I figure I'll be changing classes soon. I still enjoy Mary's classes, but I feel much more worked out after today's class than I usually do. It will be nice to have a choice, and there will be many more classes to choose from. The two available classes are always full in no time at all, and you have to sign up weeks in advance. So, I am happy about this new wrinkle in my exercise routine.

 

Trail to Excelsior Peak

Today the Senior Trailblazers are hiking this trail, and I did briefly ponder whether I should go or not, since the temperature has cooled down drastically, and I do think they will have no problem with the seven or eight mile hike with a couple thousand feet of elevation. I probably would have done just fine, but for the first time since I decided to stop going on the Thursday High Country hikes, I didn't feel wistful that I should be there with them. Instead, I had a wonderful yoga class!

I had purchased that hat which makes me a lot like I belong in the French Foreign Legion, to help keep myself cool. It didn't work all that well, but then again, my age is beginning to make me look forward to some new activities. Being an octogenarian is challenging but also interesting. I am intrigued by those new neck fans that I see on Amazon. I will probably try one out next year. Life is good!

:-)

:-)

Getting toasty around here

Flowers along the harbor

Melanie and I walked around the harbor one day not long ago, and I loved seeing these late summer flowers. You can see in the reflection that the sky was overcast, making it quite lovely to be walking outside that day. We had a nice respite from the heat, but then it came back, with a vengeance. I see that Seattle will probably break its high temperature record today and tomorrow, with a slight respite on Thursday. It's just after noon on Tuesday, and we are already well above the maximum comfort level for my body. Fortunately, I returned from my walk well before it started to get hot. 

All the fans are going and windows open, and inside our un-air-conditioned apartment, it's quite comfortable, and I don't think that I'll be going out again any time soon. Hopefully it will remain bearable around here. If not, I'll be forced to go shopping in someplace that's got A/C.

I woke this morning feeling pretty stiff with lots of sore muscles. I had to think on why that might be, since I did a Zoom yoga class yesterday with my usual practitioner. Then I remembered some of the stuff she had us doing, and the soreness made sense. We did something called the "pigeon pose" or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana in Sanskrit. We also did a few of the variations. Here's what the basic pose looks like:

We used a blanket to sit on first

Now, it doesn't look like this should make me all that sore, does it? But we also bent forward from this position until our foreheads were on the mat. Then she got creative and had us doing some very unusual twists:

Hahaha! It's not me and never will be

No, we didn't do this entire pose, but I did manage to reach back and grab the toes behind me. That is when I got a severe cramp in my back leg, but once I worked it out, I was able to manage something similar. I needed both hands to help me, though. Now you know why I felt so sore this morning, eh?

I do enjoy attempting to tie myself in knots, bending in unusual and quirky ways in these poses, but mostly I just enjoy the stretching and bending. Since it's a Zoom class, I don't have to be too exact but I always give it my best. 

:-)

Magnificent sunrise

Taken this morning by Emily Polis Gibson

When I walked out into the early morning sunrise, it was really lovely and I tried to snap a picture, but I figured that someone on my latest favorite place on Facebook would have done a better job of capturing it than I did. Sure enough, Emily Polis Gibson has a series of photos on the Seeing Bellingham group page. This is taken from her fabulous collection. I tried to link to her page, whether or not it works is not clear to me. But isn't it beautiful?

It's been a week of mostly difficult news stories. I've been trying to keep myself from taking in too much of the most dire ones, and looking constantly for some lighthearted stories to help keep me sane. I don't need to list them (although I did briefly consider it), since our news outlets keep going over and over them, just in case somebody somewhere thinks one might escape my notice.

I can't see today's date without remembering 1963, when JFK was taken from this world. But it is also the birthday of one of my favorite people, Karen Lynch, married for many years to my old boss Mickey Glantz. I was at their wedding, which people thought might not last, because of the age difference between them (something like 13 years), but these days it would not even be considered notable. Times and customs change over the years, sometimes for the better.

I am so grateful that I have recently begun a meditation practice of following my breath for 15-20 minutes each morning after I get out of bed and before heading out the door. I am amazed at how just that short practice has calmed my mind and given me a new way to find some serenity. Of course we breathe all the time, but how often do we pay attention to our breath? For me, it was pretty much never, and now I am aware that I am constantly breathing! It's one of the few parts of our nervous system that is within our ability to change. The breath is a barometer for our nervous system. If you're interested in learning more, you can check out the Yogic Breathing Study Guide. 

Once I started taking yoga on a regular basis, I was introduced to pranayama, using the breath to become more focused. From that link:

Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic responses serve a purpose. Ultimately, we are looking for balance and some degree of mastery over the nervous system, so that we see the purpose of each state and can use the practices of yoga to find a place of inner equilibrium. Yoga helps us to establish—and maintain—this balance of the two.

Hey, look at that! I did find something positive to give you today, on top of that wonderful sunrise. Perhaps the coming American holiday of Thanksgiving will spread throughout our country and shower blessings of abundance, peace, tranquility, and love upon us. It can happen and I'm willing to start with myself. 

:-)

Searching for spirituality

Another Rita Eberle-Wessner

This serene landscape is taken by one of my favorite artists. She entitled it "Cathedral" and you can see why. To me, this picture gives me a chance to walk into a forest cathedral and reflect on all the surrounding beauty. I do get a chance to see places like this in my frequent walks, but I also know I can visit at any time by gazing at Rita's work whenever I want.

I have recently been studying Tibetan Buddhism a little, mostly because of having stumbled upon a series of four books by David Michie, who writes stories about Buddhist philosophy from the point of view of The Dalai Lama's Cat. I have been interested in and have followed various spiritual paths during my long life, and I seem to keep returning to the tenets of Buddhism. Several years ago (around six) I took up yoga once again, after having practiced it in my twenties. It's completely different, looking at the philosophy after having enjoyed almost eight decades of life.

Once long ago, I lived in a commune in Sacramento. I had just divorced my third husband and my son had gone to live with his father in Michigan. This left me completely without any obligations, and since I had saved a little money, I quit my job and became a, well, a hippie. There were around twenty people living together in this commune, in a huge old mansion that had seen better days. In the basement there was a very large ballroom, and a couple times a week, Sufi dancing was practiced there. I got involved in studying Buddhism at that time, and I went to various retreats and gatherings with friends to learn more.

One day, I went with some friends to hear an Indian female sage, I think she was a nun. She spoke no English and had an interpreter with her. We all gathered in the large room, which held maybe a hundred people comfortably, crossed our legs and settled in to hear what she had to impart. I remember nothing of her message, but she did ask us to join in an experiment with her: she asked us to meditate using a particular mantra and listen to what emerged in our consciousness.

After a few minutes, I began to feel a warmth spreading in my forehead, where the fabled Third Eye is located, and it caused me to lose all track of time as I sat in a very blissful state. I can still remember the feeling, but I don't remember anything else about that day. It's never happened to me since, although for years I did meditate every day.

It does make me wonder if there really is anything to all those ancient spiritual teachings. I have been away from even thinking about such things for decades, but I can feel something beginning to reawaken within my spirit. Have you ever experienced anything like that yourself?

:-)

Well, that was no fun

Snagged from the internet

I went to bed Saturday night feeling pretty good, except for a little scratchy throat. In the morning, however, I woke up with a full-blown sneeze session. Once I spent some time in the coffee shop, I realized what I could not deny: I was sick with a cold. So, I went home and snuggled up under a warm blankie and ingested some cold medicine. If it had not been for these drugs and hot tea, there would have been no way for me to get through the next two nights with any sleep at all.

At first, I thought it was just a simple cold, but I felt so awful that I began to wonder if maybe I had the flu. But this morning, after two bad days, I woke feeling so much better! At the coffee shop, John commented that I looked like I must be feeling better, and then I went off to my yoga class, the first of the new semester. I knew it would be an easy one (the semester starts off easy and gets harder as the weeks go by) and sure enough, I did just fine.

Now I'm home, and after having had a nice lunch and settling in to write my Tuesday post, I think I can safely say I'm on the mend. If it's not one thing, it's another, it seems. My knee feels good, and if all goes as planned, I should be able to tackle the Thursday hike. Fingers and toes crossed.
:-)

Private yoga session

I didn't look quite like this

Yesterday when I went to my yoga class, I was the only practitioner to show up. Maybe it's because it's a holiday week, or perhaps it's because there are only four people signed up for the semester and they are out of town, so it was just Alicia and me. She had decided to introduce us to this more difficult pose, Warrior III. Believe it or not, I was able to balance for a few seconds on one leg, but not quite as well on the other.

She started me off by leaning on the wall, standing on both feet and making a 90-degree angle, both feet on the floor, and fingertips touching the wall. Then I backed off a little from the wall. I bent my forward leg 90 degrees, and then I leaned forward on the bent leg, gradually leaning forward until only my toes were on the floor with the back leg. Little by little, I was able to lift the leg off the floor, and if I lost my balance, I could reach lightly for the wall. Then I slowly straightened the other leg and was able to do it, if only for a few seconds.

It was great to have all her attention, and she helped me believe that I could learn the pose, and sure enough, I was able to do Virabhadrasana III, even if not for very long. It was so thrilling to do it, I thought I might take another extra class today, but when I woke up, my stiff body thought maybe that would not be such a good idea. If I'm sore today, I'll be more sore tomorrow. But I'm happy!
:-)

Signs of spring

Blossoms!

Walking to my yoga class on Friday, I saw that the cherry (?) trees are already in bloom in Fairhaven. I was happy to see this unmistakable sign of spring greeting my eyes. And I have to say that the yoga class is just what my sore and tired body needed after Thursday's hard hike. Getting out of bed was the worst part of my day; before too long I only had to hang onto the rails when descending stairs. By the end of class, I was feeling much better.

Display at the local grocery store

This morning I walked 5.2 miles around Lake Padden twice with the ladies (and Gordon), and some of us went to the local grocery store for coffee together afterwards.  Now that I am home and all worked out for the day, I decided to do some household chores and then sit down in my easy chair and take it, well, easy!
:-)

Snow, yoga, and closed stores

Nice hat

This statue is on a bench near the Village Bookstore in Fairhaven, a local bookstore I frequent often. This morning I woke to yet more snow overnight, making our total somewhere around five to six inches. Since I've not made my usual 10,000 steps for three long days, today I decided to walk to the bus and make my way to town. Yesterday my friend John picked me up and took me to the coffee shop, but today I really wanted to walk.

It has been colder and snowier than I remember in years. Every night when I snuggle into my warm down comforter in our unheated bedroom, it's usually frigid and I need to shiver a little bit to get it all warmed up, but eventually I'm happily ensconced underneath and fall asleep easily. Last night was the first time in days that I didn't wear my socks to bed.

Yesterday, I remembered that stashed in the back of my closet are a pair of Sorel snow boots that I haven't needed or worn in years. Since I was taken by surprise by the amount of snow we've been dealing with, I pulled them out and have been wearing them to help with the deep snow. They work great! Here's a picture:

Same Sorel style that I have

This morning before dawn, after bundling up against the snow and wind, I walked the three-quarters of a mile to the bus stop. I was very comfortable waiting, and once the bus came, I almost made it to the coffee shop before John got there. On line, I learned that the Y would not be opening until 8:30am, so I sauntered over to be one of the first ones there. Lo and behold, I was not only early, but all the classes had been cancelled as well! So I decided to take off on a bus to Fairhaven (where my yoga classes are held, as well as the bookstore with the statue).

My class was to begin at 11:00am, but the door was locked and no signs on the door. I headed over to the bookstore, but it was also closed, with no sign as to when they might open. Fortunately there is a grocery store nearby, and I got online on their wifi and found that the yoga studio would be opening late, but that my class was on! I walked back and found the teacher and a couple other students had arrived. It was a wonderful class, if on the small side. I took this picture from inside:

Snow-covered trees through the studio window

And then afterwards I caught the bus back downtown, and a final bus before my short walk home. Walking in deep snow is similar to walking barefoot in sand, I think. And then I was home, where I probably won't stir from my easy chair much more today. My step count accomplished, nicely worked out from the class, and I'm feeling ever so much better than the past few days.

But the snow can stop any time now. I've had my fill of wintertime.
:-)

Winter, finally

Boulevard Park on Superbowl Sunday

Sunday brought us the first snow of the season here in Bellingham, and then the winds started, coming down from the Fraser Valley in Canada, and the temperature dropped precipitously. I stayed inside on Sunday (after my usual trip to the coffee shop, that is, and my hour-long private session with my yoga teacher). I tried to watch the Superbowl, but it didn't hold my interest, and then the team I wanted to win lost. I watched a little TV and then went to bed, listening to the roar of the wind outside.

Monday morning it was still blowing, and the snow had pretty much stopped. Not knowing how bad the roads would be, I walked to the bus stop a half mile away, bundled up with plenty of down, long underwear, and mittens to keep me warm. I made it just fine, but the wind was brutal. Bellingham didn't get nearly as much snow as Seattle did, and what there was on Monday was made worse by the unrelenting wind.

The schools were all closed yesterday and today, and I pondered calling Monday afternoon to cancel my appointments to help people write their Advance Directives. But happily for me, the office closed for the day, and I didn't venture out again until this morning. Still cold, but the sun came out and it's actually rather nice when you're properly clothed. The wind died down to practically nothing. Now it seems almost normal outside. I'm glad I lived in Colorado before moving here: it toughened me up.
:-)

Busy time of the year

Mt. Baker Bicycle Club

I snagged this wonderful picture from Love Bellingham on Facebook. It didn't list the photographer, just the bike club, and mentioned how important it is to get exercise at this time of the year to stave off the winter blues. I'm not sure what the lighted house is, but it's just so pretty I had to share with my friends.

The shortest day of the year will occur this coming Friday. The sun will rise here at 8:00am and set at 4:15pm, with a day length of eight and a quarter hours. There's just not a lot of light in the sky, even on clear days (which we don't have many of at this time of year), and it amazes me when I look up from my book and see that the sky is dark, although it felt like the day had just begun! In the summer, the opposite happens, and the days seem way too long.

This coming week is filled with appointments, shopping, and whatever exercise I can fit in. With my yoga classes on hiatus, I feel the need to indulge in my new home practice, which came about from the 100-day yoga challenge I started in September and finished yesterday. I did at least fifteen minutes of yoga each day and now find myself thinking about getting in a bit of stretching before heading off to yet another party this afternoon.

I hope you are staying comfortable and getting into the spirit of the season. My scales tell the tale of my recent indulgences. But I'm not letting it stop me!
:-)

Thanksgiving 2018

Pumpkin pie, anyone?

This morning, I met my friend John at a local grocery store that's open 24/7 and was not closed for the holiday, as our usual coffee shop always is. We were able to get some good coffee and spend time visiting before heading off in different directions. He's going off to have Thanksgiving dinner with a lady friend at one of the local casinos.

Then I headed off to the yoga studio, which is closed except for a benefit class taught by Ingela, who owns Yoga Northwest. For a donation of $20, she held an hour-and-a-half class, which was pretty hard in some ways but very beneficial. The benefit is for Homes Now, Not Later, a local group of volunteers working together to provide homes and shelter for the homeless in Bellingham and Whatcom County. On the way to the class, I saw three different homeless people. One was asleep on the floor at the post office, and two were bundled up, carrying their belongings with them in shopping carts.

Hubby and I are not having any meat in our Thanksgiving feast this year. Instead, I made ratatouille in the Crock Pot last night, and we'll nosh on it all day, with some crusty artisanal bread and a salad. We were going to have a sit-down meal, but instead we agreed that it would be more fun just to eat a little, all day long. Here's a picture of some ratatouille that looks a lot like what I made.

Snagged off the internet

I won't make my usual number of steps today, since there's no hike, no buses, no gym, and other than the great yoga class, no exercise. I'll be lucky to burn more calories than I eat. But hey, that's the way you're supposed to do Thanksgiving, isn't it? I have so many wonderful elements in my life that give me plenty to be thankful for. I wish you the best Thanksgiving ever!
:-)

Becoming proficient at yoga

Yoga props and challenge sheet

I think one of the best parts about having a blog is being able to go back in time and see when I started different activities. It will be three years in January since I started attending yoga classes at Yoga Northwest. It's not the first time I have gotten involved with yoga, but getting older and stiff and unable to bend and twist in ways I did without thinking in my youth, well, it was time to return.

I started out with what they call "gentle" yoga, meaning that there would be no inverted postures and the class would be geared to those of us older folks. Iyengar Yoga makes plenty of use of props, like blocks and bolsters and blankets. So when I decided I needed to start a home practice, I went to Amazon and got everything online.

Plenty of time went by with the stuff just gathering dust, but I did move from taking one class a week to two, and then this year the studio organizers decided to make a "100 Day Challenge," to celebrate B.K.S. Iyengar's 100th birthday in December (he died at 95, but his birthday will  be a good excuse for parties all around the world). I decided to try to do it, having moved up to harder poses.

It started on September 5th, and I've managed so far to do at least fifteen minutes of yoga every day, and now I make plenty use of those props. Once the weather is too cold for the front porch, I'll move into the living room, but I am amazed that I've made it this far without missing a day! Wish me luck.
:-)

Late summer flowers

A daisy of some kind

Walking to my car after a wonderful restorative yoga class, I saw these pretty flowers smiling at me. I do think they are a decorative daisy, but I could be wrong. It was early afternoon and I thought I'd just take a few pictures to remind me to write a blog post today. Being Tuesday and all, I was mulling the post as I drove home.

And then, as soon as I hit the apartment, I spent some time making myself a delicious salad for lunch, ate it, and picked up my latest book and completely forgot about the post. As I finished the book just in time to dash out the door to our monthly WAHA meeting (Whatcom Alliance for Health Advancement, where I do my volunteer work), I remembered.

So here I am, back home after the meeting and writing a quickie to assuage my guilty conscience. Why is it so important to me to keep to a schedule? After all, I'm the one who made it up. I figure it's because I like deadlines, whereas most people really don't. Especially when those deadlines don't matter, I'm happy to slip myself into my imaginary timetable. So here's the other picture I took. Are these really daisies? Does anybody know?

Maybe they are dahlias

:-)

Lily's new car

Lily and her new (to her) Kia Sportage

Lily wouldn't let me drive this morning to the coffee shop and to our walk with the ladies, because she wanted to take me in her 2017 Kia. It had 7,000 miles on it and was used as a loaner when she bought it last week. She got a pretty good deal. On this morning's walk it began to rain a little (a very little), so we left the walk after three miles. Once back in her car, when she went to turn on the windshield wipers, they only cleared the rear window. Since we weren't far from the dealer where she bought the car, we went over there to find out how to change from the rear to the front. It was so easy, once we knew how.

The rain is welcome, but there sure isn't much of it. However, it's possible that tomorrow might bring us a little more. It's a good thing Lily figured out the wipers when it wasn't pouring! I actually like to walk in cool sprinkly weather, but Lily, not so much. So now I'm home, thinking about what to do with the rest of my Saturday. My friend Judy and I will go to the movies together, but not for several hours yet. Until then, I think I'll get some chores done. And maybe a few minutes of yoga under my own direction. Why not?
:-)

My yoga teacher and more

Erica getting ready to launch that leg forward

I asked my yoga teacher, Erica, if she would demonstrate for me how one is supposed to get one's leg in a forward lunge while doing the sun salutation. I simply cannot get it back far enough to manage to get it forward between my hands. But of course she does it without any problem. One day I'll do it, but it's gonna be awhile. For now, I can get it to land somewhere in the vicinity, and then I sneak it forward with my toes. One day.

In the meantime, I've been trying to figure out how to get around an annoying aspect of Blogger. Since last Friday, I have stopped receiving email notifications when somebody comments on one of my blogs. Nothing. Nada. So if I want to read or react to a comment, I must visit the latest post and see who's commented. I got on the blogger help forum and discovered this seems to be universal. But nothing from Blogger to suggest when (or if) it might be fixed. One person suggested the following:

I've learned a short-term (hopefully) fix for this. When writing a blog post, leave yourself a comment at the end and check the box that says "email follow-up notifications". You'll then receive notification of any comments that come after. If you like to respond to comments, you might notice that commenters come across as "no-reply" even when they aren't. You can click on the name of the commenter to come up with an email if one is available. Then, copy and paste into your response.

So, once I finish this post, I'll leave myself a comment and see if this works. It sure would make it easier, but it won't do anything for earlier posts. Grrr!

:-(

Our wonderful weather

Foggy downtown scene

For more than a week now, we've had simply wonderful sunny weather, with dense fog most mornings, which give me pictures like the above ethereal scene, taken early one morning this weekend. And now it's all coming to an abrupt end. By Thursday, our hiking day, we are forecast to have a 100% chance of rain. That doesn't mean it will rain constantly, but if we even have a few minutes of rain, that forecast will be correct. Considering that much of our rain doesn't always happen when we're out in it, I'm going to stay optimistic. The forecast for the following days is even worse.

Optimism has carried me through the last few days since my last post. I've done quite a bit of research online to figure out how much advantage I'll gain by having cataract surgery, and it seems that in most cases, it helps, at least for a short while. The kinds of intra-ocular lenses that are available these days is also fascinating. I'll know more when I have my pre-op consultation on the 13th, but for now I'm going to keep my spirits up by considering all the good in my life and hoping for the best. It doesn't help anybody for me to get down in the dumps and all sad about things I can do nothing about.

I just finished my Tuesday yoga class and found that I could perform almost all the asanas our teacher was showing us without a problem. It's the first time I got my hands in prayer position behind my back! I didn't know I could even do it; I just had to be shown how to try. My shoulders are  both going to feel it tomorrow, I'll bet. I sure do enjoy pushing my limits, it seems.
:-)

My poor damaged car

Ouch!

This time, it wasn't my fault. I was on my way to yoga this morning, when I stopped to allow a woman and her daughter cross at a pedestrian crosswalk in a roundabout, right in front of a bus stop. Little did I know that I would be crashed into by a—wait for it—a tow truck! Here's how it happened. Take a look at the roundabout.

Roundabout on the way to Fairhaven

I was traveling on the road in the upper right-hand area and was past Wharf Street, when I saw a mother and her daughter waiting at the crosswalk as you enter Boulevard. I stopped to let her cross just at the same time a big tow truck came up Wharf Street and didn't see me. I have a very low profile in my little Honda Civic, and he was high up in the cab. When he hit me, we both pulled over into the bus pullout (just above the Boulevard lettering) and assessed the damage. He was very apologetic and we both exchanged insurance and contact information. I was able to drive the car, and all the taillights seem to be working.

Once I got home and talked to SG, we called the tow truck company, and they asked if I would be willing to deal with it privately and not involve the insurance companies. We agreed after they said they will pay for everything AND pay for me to rent a car for my trip to Vashon Island next week. The only fly in the ointment would be if they don't hold up their end of the bargain, but I think they will.

The next problem was trying to make sure the damaged fender doesn't fall off. I took it to my fisherman friend Gene, who for no reason other than he's a great guy, put screws in the front and back of the damaged fender to keep it in place until it can be fixed.

When I called to get an estimate on the damage, it will be October 11!! Work on the car won't happen until December, unless I decide to take it elsewhere. In any event, it's driveable until then, and I will get to drive a cool rental to Vashon Island for my five-day writing retreat. So all is working out just fine, I'd say.
:-)