You really don't expect winter storm warnings and dropping snow levels in your nightly weather report midway through May!! One day, I'm outside on my patio swing, thinking it was too hot to stay out very long. The next, I'm drying dogs off with bath towels, because they got soaked just going out to go potty. This isn't our normal weather this time of year, let me tell you.
I know that isn't a good excuse for being absent so much lately, but I do count it as one of the reasons. I've had some trouble getting used to the new protocol, side effects and the whole hoopla.
On the plus side, I've also been working on all kinds of things around the house, things I used to love to do, like sewing, knitting, indoor gardening and even some cooking. The sewing has really been the most fun. So, not all of my absence is because I'm laying in bed, I promise - and if I •am• laying in bed, it's quite likely I'm laying there with my nose in a book and the rest of the universe on hold. I've been reading some stuff lately that has been so good that I resent other tasks, like the minutiae of daily living, that take me away from the book!
{One recent recommendation is "Lost on Planet China," by J. Maarten Troost. I'd read his first book, in which the author follows his then-girlfriend Sylvia to the very, very remote island atoll of Kiribati, where she works in international relations, and he attempts (with varying degrees of success) to write a novel and to pass himself off as Sylvia's husband. That book was funny, and informative. "Planet China" the book took my entire complement of acquired knowledge about planet China the country, turned it upside down and shook it almost violently, until it was good and mixed and didn't remotely resemble what I'd started with - and made me laugh hysterically along the way. I was almost surprised how I never wanted to put the book down, ever--and how hilarious it was throughout, even though it was more educational and fact-packed than some texts I've read! *Great* book!!! And this was his third book - I'm reading number two right now}
We got a lucky break in the weather when Daddy came up this past week, and it was bright, sunny and gorgeous, but not overly warm. In short, perfect. After an unplanned morning detour to take a young lady to the doctor for a UTI that he described by spreading his hands as far apart as they could go. I took that to mean it was a pretty mondo infection. So, got her some meds, and then the three of us went out to lunch at Casa Lupe. That was a nice, rare treat - going out with just me, Daddy and Anna. The two of them have a pretty strong mutual admiration society going, so it really was cool for the three of us.
After that, we tucked the munchkin under a blanket and a few dogs on the couch, and Daddy & I headed up to Chico to do a little exploring. The whole time I've lived up here, I've never managed to make it out to Bidwell Park, pretty much unanimously regarded as the gem of the entire area, and to the Sycamore Pool; regarded by me as the gem of Bidwell Park.
"Bidwell Park … was established July 10, 1905 through the donation by Annie Bidwell (widow of Chico's founder, John Bidwell) of approximately 2,500 acres of land to the City of Chico. Since that time, the City has purchased additional land, such as Cedar Grove in 1922, and 1,200 acres in upper Bidwell Park in 1995. Today, the total Park size is 3,670 acres, nearly 11 miles in length, making it the third largest municipal park in California and one of the 25 largest city parks in the United States.
Bidwell Park is "divided" by Manzanita Avenue. The area west of Manzanita Avenue is referred to as Lower Park and the area to the east is referred to as Middle and Upper Park. Middle Park extends from Manzanita to a point roughly equal to the upstream edge of the Chico Municipal Golf Course. Upper Park is located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. It has steep terrain and shallow soils… Lower Park is flat and level with a deep soil structure supporting a thick canopy of trees which provide ample shade for the visitor.… Sycamore Pool [is] located in the One Mile Recreation Area. The pool was constructed in the late 1920s and provides a unique swimming experience because its concrete decks, walls, and bottom are built to contain Big Chico Creek as it flows through the park. A dam and fish ladder at one end allow control of the creek's flow. The dam is raised and lifeguards are present from Memorial Day to Labor Day of each year. " - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidwell_Park
Bidwell is, in short, gorgeous. I loved it, and I can only imagine if I were one of the countless Chico State students living with this as my backyard, well, I'd spend a lot of time out in the yard. We were lucky enough to be there before they put up the dam, so the water was no more than a couple feet deep at any given point. I puttered and waded a bit, and eventually, we got either brave or foolish and decided to attempt a crossing. Knee deep water and one HELL of a current made us wonder about our decision making skills once or twice, but we made it. Goodness knows I've spent more than my share of time hip-deep in streams, but those had topography, variation, something to grab your little toesies onto - this was a flat, algae and tiny bit of mud covered expanse of cement with no toeholds!!
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Ok. I started writing this on May 15. One part of the problem is this beautiful fuzzlebug who plops into my lap every time I start typing. But this is really getting silly... Since starting this, I've had... my great visit with Daddy, destined to be my last for quite some time, which leaves me very, very depressed; my latest chemo visit, which would have been fairly unremarkable had Aimee not come to visit, talk about plans for Relay for Life (you can all go contribute to this very important American Cancer Society fundraiser on my personal page at http://tinyurl.com/3odqz2g) & drive me home and watch the TORNADOES touching down in my county and those neighboring (this was quite exciting-slash-terrifying, let me tell you!); the scheduling of my next CT scan for June 23 (urgh); and the very unexpected, very cool phone call out of the blue from an old friend I haven't heard from in the better part of a decade.
Needless to say, a lot has happened, and my blogging has lagged far behind! Ok, I admit it, I suck. So, I'm just going to cut things off here before this becomes an even longer-duration writing!! Whew!
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