Sunday Night (again)

Wasn't Friday night just a few hours ago?

More of Barbara's Garden

I think this girl has a green thumb! They lost some trees thanks to Superstorm Sandy and here are the changes that were made.

The stump of tree #1 has become a base for a planter of flowers.

 

Barbara says:  Large protruding roots are all that is left of tree #2, so we had to rebuild the bank there and planted some ornamental grasses.

 



 

Barb says:  I made a swing for myself in between the truncated trees #3 & #4, and planted peonies around tree #3.



Graduation Day from PT

Today was my last day of Physical Therapy. I had my last "speed test" where I've gone from 23 to 17 to 13 seconds, and today I did it in 12 seconds. The speed test is starting in a seated position, getting up, walking a certain distance, turning around, coming back and sitting down again. I joked, "Wow I shaved an entire second off my time," and Steve pointed out that was a 10% improvement. Hmmm... he's a glass half-full guy.

He asked me what I still had trouble doing and I reviewed more what I have less and less trouble doing -- and finally said, "Well, so it's not entirely rosey, I still have trouble standing for any period of time." To my surprise, he said that standing is the hardest activity -- harder than walking. That surprised me.

In my list of what I do way better, I mentioned getting in the shower is much easier, but I added, "Of course I still have to get in one foot at a time." Steve sort of looked at me sideways and said, "Pat, that is how EVERYONE gets in the shower. I don't know anyone who vaults over the edge of the bathtub to get in." Oh yeah, I guess he's right.

He and I were a good match, and I really liked him. He is soft-spoken, not rah-rah, just a quiet guy. I thanked him for putting up with my occasional bouts of pissiness, and he said I am less pissy than many people.

So his parting advice was, "Take advantage of all your abilities" which I will try my best to do.

Meanwhile on the reading front, it's back to mayhem and murder:

 

 

This book is about a murder at the turn of the 19th century in New York City -- and it's more about the wars, rivalry and competition among the various newspapers. The murder is secondary to it, and it's an interesting read. 

Long-Time Love

Lane's parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last Saturday and I sent a corsage for her mother and a boutiniere for her father. At the time I didn't know that her mother had told her that she wanted a corsage for the party but decided it was an unnecessary expense. It really made me feel good to know I made her mother happy.

So she sent me these photos which I think are so lovely. I love the one where her dad is feeding the cake and you can just see in his eyes how much he cares -- wow! 60 years is something.

More Milo, More Gardens, More PT

Catching up... here is Milo enjoying the Sunday papers just like his companion:

And here are Fran's photos from Kenilworth gardens:

As for me,. it is PT day and Steve and I walked down the block. I have since bought a sun hat -- the kind you can crush and put in a suitcase and it was fun to wear it outside. Very hot, very sunny today. Thursday is my graduation from PT. Other than that, I am just keep on keeping on, doing work work, etc.

Two Gardens

Mary and Fran made a long-planned (but never accomplished until today) trip to Kenilworth Gardens in DC which is a national park created in 1926 to preserve waterways and wetlands in DC. Here are Mary's pictures:

When I had dinner with Barbara this past week, she told me how lush her garden was in the country, and I asked her to send photos... here they are:

Rainy Fourth

Not a sunny Fourth of July -- rainy, overcast and in the 60s. I believe we'll have a sunny weekend, thought. Right now, the people who have the garden next to mine are grilling steaks and I'm drooling, sort of rehearsing if it would be too crude to stick my head out and comment about how good the meat smells while looking hungry and pathetic.

Yesterday, I went out on the street with Steve for PT and the new accomplishment is that he wanted to see if I could cross the street in the time the light gives you and I can. I wasn't that worried about it. Two more visits and then I graduate.

After finishing my cannibal/primitive art/Michael Rockefeller book, I was going to read something lighter, but before I could select another book, I picked up one I had just gotten through Book of the Month Club... and I sort of half to laugh that I went from cannibalism to serial killer.

Here's the book:

It's about a normal guy who always knew he was adopted, had a happy, productive life and then his bio-mom contacts him. He meets her and they develop a relationship and then he asks about his bio-dad. She was 14 when she gave birth to him and he was older and the marriage got annulled and so she didn't know that much about him -- but he decides he wants to investigate.

So far, it's just this fascinating family saga where the author (the adopted boy, now man) goes back four generations in his father's life. Then there's the whole story of his bio mom and bio dad together. I haven't gotten to the serial killer part yet, but I have to say it's so interesting, very well-written, so I'll keep at it and read a lighter one next time.

Happy Fourth to all.