Day Lily Garden

Several years ago we started a Day Lily Garden.  We both like the flowers, and the idea that they bloom for a day.  Each year we would plant more, until we now have the garden the size we want it.

They are blooming now, and are beautiful.  Each day there are new ones, with new colors:

 

Here is a photo of the garden seven years ago. It takes a few years for the lilies to spread.

and now from the same perspective:

All grandchildren made flags for our garden

A photo of how beautiful they all look.    We enjoy sitting on our back deck looking at them.

Guri and Myer camp out at our home on Whidbey Island

Our "nephews" Guri and Myer.  They brought their parents to our home for the weekend to camp in our front yard.  It was really fun (added later:  and we did this two more times, until we moved)

Challenges getting ready for this year's STP

Preparing for this year's STP (our 6th) has been fun.  We have been on our bikes around 110 times, including 35 times on the trainers when the weather was bad early this spring.

We have completed more miles than we ever have, and have gradually improved our times on all of our standard rides.

In terms of muscles and endurance we are in better shape than ever.

So far so good!

But, sadly, other parts of our bodies have not cooperated.

The first and most important set-back was Vicky's back.  Over 20 years ago she was rear-ended, resulting in a fracture of one of her vertebrate.  She now has a titanium disk there.  She was told at the time that this meant she would never be able to engage in the physical activities that had been important to her.

The physician was mistaken.  She returned to running, to horse back riding, to hiking, and now has become a cyclist.   Knowing Vicky it is hard to imagine her slowing down. 

However, these kinds of back problems never really go away, and the arthritis that inevitably sets in has gradually become more of a problem, until at times this year she was in real pain.  That was unacceptable. 

We dealt with this by getting her a new bike, one known for its comfort--the Specialized Ruby.  And it has really helped.  She has about 250 miles on it now, and rates the improvement as being about 75%.  That's the difference between being able to ride 15 miles a day and being able to ride 100 miles a day.

The other thing that happened is with my reconstructed right foot.  I have had three surgeries on it.  These surgeries have kept me going for over six years.  I frequently have pain in that foot, but not enough to slow me down.

But this year was different.  Twice I have had serious pain in the toes.  If you have ever had toe pain (ever broken a toe?) you know that it is quite bad.  I assume I broke or seriously strained one of them mowing the yard with my DR mower.  Using the DR mower requires a lot of physical work when I mow our hilly back yard because it isn't really a mower---instead it is a brush cutter that I use as a mower because no real mower will cut the grass back there.    There are only two wheels, for example, so turning it involves heavy pushing.   I think I pushed against that toe too hard. 

The toe didn't improve with time, so I started wearing a post-surgical boot, the one I wore after my third foot operation that involved breaking and straightening toes.  That made it so I could cycle, because the bottom of the boot does not bend at all.  See the boot in the photo?

But I thought that boot wouldn't get me all of the way to Portland (besides I would look ridiculous and I still have some of my dignity remaining), so am trying another solution---I took my sneakers to a cobbler and had a steel shank inserted into the sole.  Now the sneaker doesn't bend at all.  That seems to work OK, although there won't be time to give it the kind of test drive that I need.  And why, you may ask, can I not try the new sneaker out some more?

BECAUSE, on our last ride (60 miles) I got the worst blister on my sit-upon I have ever had.  It is a total mystery why I got it.  We are having to rest for several days, instead of riding, so it can heal up before we try to get 210 miles to Portland.  Sixteen hours of rubbing one's skin raw doesn't sound like much fun, at least to me.

Now, here is an example of what happened to the rest of my dignity:  How do you recover from a blister on your butt when every time you sit down you are resting on the sore spot?  My solution was to remove the top of our camper's toilet and sit on it.  It feels so much better.
 

While I could, in a pinch, cycle to Portland wearing a surgical boot, I could never cycle to Portland sitting on a toilet seat, so MY BUTT BETTER GET WELL FAST!

There are all kinds of reasons we could come up with to just not do any more STP rides.  We are in our late 60s, we have a normal amount of body issues that are seen in people in their late 60s who do things that push their bodies, and sometimes we are in considerable discomfort.

But the rewards are too great.  Riding the STP gives us a focus for several months that keeps us healthy.  Some days we feel more like cycling than we do on other days (particularly if the weather isn't all that great), and having a goal like the STP tends to give us an added push to get out onto the bikes.

And it is an awful lot of fun on the ride, fun staying where we do in Napavine halfway to Portland,  fun doing it with Jules, and fun crossing the finish line.

So, a week from tomorrow we will head out of my son's family's house at 4:45 a.m. with my son Jules, and we will cycle to the start line.  We aren't going to let little things like arthritis, a broken back, three foot operations, a broken toe, and a blister on my butt stop us!

If you are on the STP route, look for us and cheer.  We'll be easy to spot---I'll be the one on the toilet seat.

Audrey II

What the heck is it?

A couple of months ago we saw these growing near the Day Lily garden.  They were about 6 inches tall.  We decided to let them grow to see what they were.

Do we climb them to get to a giant?

Never seen anything like them.  Any ideas?

Addendum.  We believe we have identified it.  It is called a Mullein. 

Vicky's new ruby Ruby

Don't get old.  Everything hurts more with each year.

We are up to 1500+ cycling miles this season, and everything hurts.  Both of my knees ache after rides, and Vicky's back has moved from being an ache to being pain.

My surgically corrected foot has been bothering me too.  A lot.  So I have been doing something very weird---I have been riding with a surgical boot.  It's like heaven in comparison.  The boot does not allow my foot to bend at all.  So last week we took a pair of my sneakers to a cobbler to have a steel plate inserted into the sole.  It won't bend either, and I'll look more normal.

I had an appointment with the orthopedist to get another shot in my knee, but then it started doing better so I cancelled it.  I can live with the ache.  It's not pain.

But Vicky is a different story.  Back pain is its own animal, a vicious one that thinks nothing of eating you.  And once you start having pain on a ride you not only ride more slowly but you are less inclined to get out and ride.  And then your health is affected in other ways.

The solution is a bike made specifically for comfort.  Specialized makes one that fits best for men, the Roubaix (which is what I have), and one that fits best for women, the Ruby.  Someone had fun naming it.

The Ruby is a carbon fiber bike that has shock absorbers built into the seat post and the handle bar.

We also changed from 25mm tires to 28mm tires.  The wider footprint allows one to run lower tire pressure, which also dampens road noise.  (and for a special treat, we got tubeless tires, which are virtually immune to flats).

She got the red color, which makes it fun because now it is her ruby Ruby.  It's also fun because as a young girl she did not have a bicycle, so she went door to door selling magazine subscriptions until she had sold enough of them that the company gave her a bicycle.  It was red.  She's come full circle.

We have enough time to test it out before the STP and tweak any fittings. 

Doesn't she look good on it!

Lazy spring afternoons with the girls

This spring Marina and Stella came over many afternoon after school.  And of course they wanted do crafts.  Jewelry making is always top on their list.










 The girls had painted rocks at our home before,  so one day they scrounged around our property, found some large rocks, and the painting began. The “magic garden” rock that the girls had given me had faded, so I painted with the girls and brightened up the colors.  Grandpa happily watched us from the porch.



They both painted some rocks to keep and some to give to their Dad....Father’s Day is coming up soon!




Every artist needs a break, and they had fun playing badminton.




I get a delightful hug!
 

Marina sews and Stella plays the piano

This spring was another big sewing year for Marina.  She wants to continue her sewing lessons.  Next year Stella will be old enough to start a major sewing project.  I had intended to have Marina over without Stella as we only have a small window to complete the outfit.

Stella made a loving card card for us with hearts and drawings, saying how much she “loves” to be at our home.  Then Stella asked if she could come over when Marina sewed, and she promised to “just hangout” and let me give Marina sewing lessons without interruptions.  She just melted our hearts.  Of course asked Stella to come over.

Grandpa had a great idea.  Since Stella is drawn to the piano, he would find a piano book for her and continue giving her lesson.  This was a huge success. Stella is a determined student and has a real talent with the piano.






Marina and I started on her new sewing project.  Last year she made a sleeveless dress.  This year she choose a pattern that will include buttonholes, pants, cuffs, pockets, and require some work learning how to make it fit just right.  A rather difficult and good learning project!



 













Marina sewing and Grandpa drinking wine on the back porch:



By the end of her project, Marina needed very little help from me.  She is a patient and expert seamstress.  And doesn’t she looks great in her new outfit!



Marina is happily modeling her outfit for Grandpa.



Stella spent many happy afternoons playing the piano and making beautiful jewelry.



 





Stella helping me make dinner:




Stella helped Grandpa hang our Grandchildren prayer flags in the garden.  Note the bird on the fence post:



What a wonderful time all four of us had with each other and our projects!

Project #7: New ceiling fixtures.....or why useful "instructions" went the way of the 8-track

For several of this summer's projects we have utilized "instructions."  By "instructions" we mean, "instructions."  You know, a step by step description of how to install and utilize a purchase.

I have followed instructions all of my life.  As a boy I made model cars and airplanes.  I followed the instructions.  In my home in Stillwater, Oklahoma, my bedroom was a ceiling of fighter planes shooting at each other and "flak" exploding.  I hung all of my model airplanes, and balls of cotton, from string.  In the dawn hours, when I couldn't see the strings holding the models to the ceiling, the whole ceiling was alive with a huge battle.  I loved it.

Over time, however, the art of creating good instructions has disappeared.  When you buy a computer these days you get practically nothing.  It is one reason why us older people have such difficulty with technology.  We are used to well designed instruction manuals.

About a month ago I purchased a $99 item that would, remotely, turn my router on and off.  It was a way of rebooting the router when we are traveling.  The instructions were laughably bad.  Two parts of them were screen shots that were so small that they were impossible to even make out.

I called customer service, and the very effective and friendly customer service representative spent TWO HOURS walking me through the installation.  Basically all he did was create a usable instruction manual.  The company lost serious dollars on that transaction.  Serious dollars that a usable instruction manual would have solved.

If I had a product that required an instruction manual, I would put one together, and then try it out on people who had no experience with the product.  In other words, I would test it out first.  That does not seem to be happening any longer.

We made two home improvements this weekend.  One was to assemble and install a new ceiling fan.  The old one still worked, but no longer fit the new interior of our home.

....and the instruction manual was terrible.  The worst part was that there was a significant step that was nowhere in the manual.  This was discovered after I had already installed the most difficult part of the fan.  I had to completely start at the beginning, after I figured out what I needed to do.

The instruction manual was for all of the types of ceiling fans made for this company, even though each fan is a bit different.  I discovered, by trial and error, that there were packing materials within the fan that had to be removed.  Nowhere in the instructions was there anything about this.

Somebody could create a serious money-making company these days entitled:  "Instruction Manuals for YOU!"

Anyway, here I am installing the fan.  You will notice that I am wearing a bicycle helmet.  Falls from ladders are serious business, and the main damage is done to the brain.  So, when I am on a ladder more than a few feet and working at any kind of an awkward angle I wear the helmet.  And Vicky stands below me holding the ladder and warning me of any obstacles.

The old, 1980s ceiling fan:

Me installing the new one:

The next ceiling project was to remove the fixture over the kitchen sink and install it in the great room.  The reason for this is to give more light to where we play ping pong.  At that place in the ceiling, when I bought the property, was a god-awful dining room fixture that I immediately removed and tossed.

But there was still power there.  We have a new kitchen fixture on order that will replace the one we moved from there.

Our home is a little more to our liking now.

Home projects would be so much simpler with well-designed instruction manuals for the products we purchased.  But, like 8-tracks, they seem to be a thing of the past.

We are sounding like old people, aren't we?  We are kind of the people equivalent of 8-tracks.  Sigh.



addendum:  The rest of the new light fixtures we installed a few days later.