In Gratitude, A Close Call in Everyday Ramblings

It is hollyhock on the flower clock. This week I was having trouble getting a decent picture in my neighborhood, so I was chuffed yesterday when we went for a walk on the other side of the river and I got a clear shot at this one.

Over there it is also just coming on dahlia, gladiola, all kinds of lilies and yellow squash as well. They get more sun. There was a particular garden I wanted to visit. It is on a triangular corner, so the garden is to the side of the house but available to be viewed from the sidewalk. The gardener was out and because I was with Mrs. Sherlock and Charity, who will talk to anyone, of course we chatted. He has a most beautiful rose called a Marilyn Monroe that is almost golden in color.

There is this magnificent Scarlet Oak, that is designated a heritage tree on his lot. He told us a little about the history of his land and house and that was for me fascinating. There is an older house, perfectly sited with a view of the river, almost a small mansion nearby that is now a parks department community center and he said they owned all the surrounding land including his and the tree is from that time.

It was a total hoot to introduce Mrs. Sherlock and Charity and listen to them chat and get to know each other. It turns out that they were born within months of each other, both had Army fathers that reached the rank of Colonel. Charity’s father was older so not a cross over in posting, though Charity lived in Germany until she was 6 and Mrs. Sherlock’s parents met and married there. Mrs. Sherlock’s mother was in the German army even though she was Austrian, a nuance and legacy that Charity did not miss.

The other thing I discovered is that they both love cars, especially sports cars or muscle cars or…and of course I wouldn’t know that because I am so not a car person. There was much oohing and ahing over a number of restored cars we encountered on our way. Charity drives a beautiful non-diesel 1995 black Mercedes that is her pride and joy.

Charity was relaxed enough to tease us about our knowledge of trees and plants and we were telling her that it was something, particularly the tree identification we had just picked up in the last three years or so.

Last year over in Mrs. Sherlock’s garden we got out all the tree identification books and were trying to identify a big tree near the house in the back. We decided it was a black walnut. But last week I was Zooming with her and telling her about this whole unfolding Tree-of-Heaven saga I had been undertaking…(I had someone confirm via iNaturalist that the big tree that the owner’s hated was one this week)…and she told me yesterday that after we talked she looked it up, went out and evaluated carefully and yep… she confirmed it is a tree-of-heaven instead.

Boy do I hope we don’t get any Spotted Laternflies here. They love love love the tree-of heaven trees. We have 830 of them as street trees here.

Oh and I found out why our power company took down all those beautiful healthy Oregon Maples a few weeks back; they are running an underground power line up that street to improve the grid.

It was so great to get out and be in the world with people (and dog) I enjoy.

Last week I acknowledged that I was having some pretty intense back pain when I woke up each morning as well as mild ankle pain. It occurred to me midweek that it might have something to do with the new to me statin I had been taking for a month. So, I stopped taking it. I looked up side-effects at a reputable site and saw that kidney pain, which I was having is a reported side effect.

That was it. I did tell my doctor and she gave me her blessing to try living without a statin and see how my cholesterol levels do over time.

I am thrilled not to take it, but I admit there is a bit of a transition period off of it. The kidney pain has already resolved, and I hope I can do something about the truly annoying weight gain.

On Thursday in the early evening a delivery guy dropped a 30lb. box of kitty litter so hard near my door, it broke the box that then slid half off the slab into the landscaping. In trying to retrieve the box I twisted my ankle really badly.

I elevated it and iced it right away and although it is a little tender when I move my foot inward say coming into a cross-legged position it is absolutely fine.

Able to walk 3 ½ miles yesterday and enjoy the day, I came way too close to either a bad sprain or a break. Thank goodness for my yoga practice! I work my ankles every day, a little but clearly enough.

I will be teaching them as a feature this week in gratitude.