14 June …

 

 Soft rains last week made for a nice picture taken by John one day on his way out to Cold Comfort (which is in the area where the rainbow ends on the left) …

and there was a very interesting view out the window one morning.  There was bright sun at the house and the trees just across the drive, but anything past the trees, i.e. the meadow and beyond, was black black.  Just minutes later the close trees were greyed off, the meadow was ablaze with sun, and the mountains past the meadow were still black black.  Shortly all was back to sun and black.

Cloud patterns are great.

~~~

Last Monday, I went for a clinic appointment to have the MediCare physical exam.  It was interesting. 

It’s the first full exam I’ve had since I quit working.  They checked the normal stuff … ecg – no abnormality;  breathing – well within normal;  reflexes – no problem;  blood pressure etc. – nothing out of the ordinary.  In fact, the doctor said I’m in good shape for a 67-year-old, so that’s really good for an 87-year-old.

The interesting part came when they began examining my mental situation.  I was asked questions like “What year is it?”, “Where are you?”, and asked to repeat a list of words.  It was the same kind of test the doctors running the VITAL study do over the phone, although shorter.

The final item was for me to write a full sentence.  I wrote “My husband and I will have calzone for dinner today.”  That resulted in a couple of attention grabbers.  The examiner couldn’t read what I had written because it was in cursive … and George had thought to himself as I was writing … “We are having calzone for dinner.”

So now that’s done for this year.

~~~

While reviewing last week’s blog, I discovered another interesting thing about the “Women who Read …” book.

The name of the author is not on the cover of the book.  Instead the name of the woman who wrote the Foreword is featured. 

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm …

~~~

George recently came across this painting …

That made me think about the role of fathers and wonder why I’d never seen a painting or other depiction of Joseph and the child without Mary.  It seems there are a lot of them out there.  To check them out, search

https://www.google.com/search?q=saint+joseph+and+the+christ+child

I was gobsmacked by the plethora (that’s a great word) and variety of depictions and really surprised I’d never seen one before. 

So far I’ve not been able to choose a favorite.

Happy Fathers’ Day …

~~~

It is an interesting Spring for the evergreens.  The ground is full of evergreen cones.

On one of my recent trips out I became aware of the large number of small trees along the road … pines and firs three to five feet tall.  That speaks well for a nice local forest in another twenty or so years.  George and I won’t see it, but our children and grandchildren will.

And the trees which result from this year’s crop of seeds will be a forest in forty, fifty, or sixty years.  I wonder if they will be allowed to become a forest, or if men (mankind) will have continued to expand to the detriment of nature. 

Maybe I’m not too sorry I won’t be here to see it.

~~~

The Castle Crags Bicycle Event will be different this year.  The wet winter has left the high areas still under snow.  Last year there had been traces of snow at Mumbo (my regular station), but it wasn’t enough to stop the bicycles.  This year access to Mumbo is closed from both directions by between three and four miles of snow which obscures the road … in some places the snow appeared to be about three feet deep.  As a result, the entire south route is closed.  The routes to be used go no where near the Crags. 

Oh well …

I will be working a station near Shastina, in Hoy Park, and George will again be doing net control.

~~~

We skipped RailRoad Days in Dunsmuir last weekend.  The mainstays which we enjoy didn’t seem to be part of the fun this year.  No speeder clubs were scheduled to be there, and the UP line isn’t as open to allowing others to use their tracks as SP used to be so there was no rolling stock to explore.  Add bad weather to that and the trip wasn’t worth the effort.

It might be that interest in trains is dropping off except for the old timers (like those of us who go ga-ga over steam) and die hards. 

Maybe things will be different next year.

~~~

Two thoughts to end this week …

When you want to feel rich, count the things you have that money can’t buy.

and …

When you say something (or someone) is beautiful, it (or they) are.

 

So … ’til next week …