Wednesday, August 17, 2022

The Perils of Old Age

UPDATE: Finally saw the lung specialist last week and he says I have ZERO signs of emphysema or other COPD. He looked at the last 3 x rays I've had in Oregon (since 2009) plus the two abdominal CT scans I've had in the last year, which show the lower part of the lungs. Nothing on any of them. I feel lighter already. :)

Dahlias are blooming in the garden boxes right now. So beautiful!

So, what's on my mind today is that I had a routine physical Monday and ended up with a diagnosis of emphysema. Nice, huh? I've never smoked, but I did grow up in a house with two heavy smokers for the first 18 years of my life. Second-hand smoke matters. Doesn't help that I had Scarlet Fever when I was 6, which damaged my lungs.

I mentioned to my doctor that I'd been having some minor, occasional breathing issues, so he ordered a chest x-ray and another test that hasn't happened yet. The x-ray showed enlarged lungs, though little to no obstruction. That's the good news, I guess.

Other than that, I seem to be the picture of physical health, with indicators unusually good for my age.

I watched my mother die of this disease and watched the progression. It took years, and she was much younger then than I am now. I'm assuming it'll take years for me, too. Right now it's just an occasional annoyance. It won't stop me from walking or going about my life. 

I am so grateful for my years of Buddhist training and practice. It enables me to accept this information with equanimity and peace. I live fully in the present and don't worry too much about the future. Not the long-term future, at any rate. We all have to look to tomorrow to some degree, and right now, tomorrow doesn't look any different than today. I'm grateful for that.
 

Monday, August 8, 2022

I'm still here!

Happy to report that my health is back to normal, hopefully. I still haven't had much urge to write here but I don't want folks to think I've left the room, either. That will be true someday, and there will be no notice of it here, but maybe I should try to at least say hello now and then.

I spend most of my time on Twitter, and post photos there, where they don't go into a total void and where there is feedback.

Most of those photos are just iPhone snaps taken on my walks, but some of them are likable. Here's a few: I love sunrise at the ponds. The Hawk is a Cooper's Hawk, photo taken with full zoom from my window. Saw this guy at the bird bath several times during the spring/summer. Turns out there is a nest in one of our big trees (currently hidden by foliage) and now we have three noisy juveniles flying about all the time. I don't mind the screeching, but they are loud. I love watching them, too. Others here are not as amused, but as they grow older they'll likely seek out territories of their own.





Friday, February 25, 2022

I may not make many more posts here, though life takes strange turns and one never knows.  For the few friends who read this, I just wanted to let you know. My health is going downhill, and how far it will go and how quickly I haven't a clue. I don't really feel like writing, or taking photos. 

Spent a few hours in the ER again last week.  Totally different reason than in November. Just got off a week of two really powerful antibiotics. And so it goes. 

Peace out, amigos!

Monday, January 24, 2022

A Foggy Week in the Willamette Valley

We're having some serious overnight fogs all up and down the I-5 corridor this week.

Yesterday, I walked over to the ponds to play with that fog a bit.

This photo is from an isolated overlook that I don't visit all that often because it is isolated and hidden, though not far from the road. There are Canadian geese in front of and on that little island, if you can enlarge the photo. Saw them on land throughout the walk. Looks like they're getting ready for nesting season.

 These two were quite near the shore, where I was standing. Lots of people walk by this spot, so they're probably used to humans.

The geese were a little more skittish -- same area as the ducks, but a little further away. Lots of feeding going on this morning.

Today, more fog but this time it was freezing fog. 30F when I got up, 32 by the time I got up the nerve to go outside. Wanted to be sure the pavement wasn't icy. I opted for a different walk, since I do the ponds and river so often. This is another favorite place with man-made ponds and fountains in a swanky residential area.

The fog was already starting to burn off, since I got such a late start, but it was pretty nonetheless.

More ducks! Hungry ducks, I guess.

My fingertips felt frozen by the time I got back home. I didn't wear gloves for fear I'd drop the phone.





Monday, January 17, 2022

Riverwalk

 

I haven't walked along the river for awhile, so this morning I opted to do that. Not surprisingly, it's full to slightly overflowing, and running fast. I guess this is about as full as I've ever seen it. 

Didn't hurt that the skies were clear and almost sunny, but not at all warm. About 36 when I left home and my hands felt it for the hour it took to walk the loop.

I'm so lucky to live where this is in my backyard, so to speak.


This little fenced-off riverfront sitting area belongs to a nice retirement center down the road. That bench, as you might imagine, is not normally sitting in water.

After awhile the path turns inland along the ponds. These ponds are on the opposite side of the road from the ones I normally walk, but they all flow together via culverts.

It's not easy to see because it's dark, but on the top upper left is the main culvert/turbine complex that moves water from these ponds (and the river) to the other ponds. I just liked the reflection. There's a Great Blue Heron in there, too, but you'll never find him. Next photo!

This is from atop the culvert/turbine looking back. That heron must have had a very good breakfast because he was resting quite comfortably.

Took me 48 minutes, per Fitbit, to walk, which is probably about right with all the stops I made to take photos. Nice to get out again. I'm not doing it nearly often enough these days.





Thursday, January 6, 2022

Delta Ponds again -- full of water

 
 
We've had weeks of rain and/or snow, seemingly constant and indeed, mostly constant. This morning was clear so I headed out for my first good walk in a couple of weeks, or more. Walked down to the ponds to see how much the rain has affected them, although I could tell just driving by that they were much fuller than usual. These ponds are actually an old gravel pit, but over the years since they've been city property there has been an opening cut between the ponds and the river, and then culverts under the bike path and roadway to link it all together so they are a natural overflow area for times like this. At least one of the culverts has some power assist pumps, to help things along. And then there's a natural creek that they empty into at the other end, which also has some good overflow areas at a highway cloverleaf. 

That's all a long way of saying that there's lots of water in those ponds right now! The geese were enjoying it, certainly. And more were flying in even as I walked home.

This is one of my favorite views, from the path through the ponds looking at the bike bridge in the distance. And this time of year, the light tends to be nice in the mornings, too. Not a lot of ducks or geese or other birds out there. The water surges into this area via the above-mentioned pumps and culverts, and then under the bridges that link the various land masses. 

I probably could have found some birds if I'd walked further than this, but my goal was the bike bridge so I could look down on all of this.







This is from the bike bridge looking over much of this part of the ponds. The previous photo was from near the footbridge near the center top of this photo. The water comes into this section from the left, and you can see the motion showing in ripples as it floods in. Maybe that's why there were no birds there. Or maybe it's just too deep at the moment for the herons and egrets to stand in and feed. Who knows!


Thursday, December 23, 2021

Focaccia!

In case anybody cares -- doubtful, I know -- yesterday's focaccia was wonderful, and wonderfully easy. I just mixed the flour/water/yeast/salt around 3:30pm one day, covered it tightly and left it on the counter until around 9:30 the next morning. By then, it had risen a lot and was bubbly all over.


Having it in a glass bowl has its advantages. Next step involved simply putting some olive oil into a cast iron skillet and coating the bottom, then I tipped the dough into that, turning once to be sure it was totally covered in the oil, then patted it enough that it covered the bottom of the skillet. Then I poked some roasted garlic bits into the dough, covered it again and ignored it for a couple more hours.

Recipe calls for 550F cooking, but I doubt this old stove goes that high, and I wouldn't feel comfortable trying. I had it around 450 or a little over. Hard to be sure as the oven isn't accurate, but it was hot. Recipe calls for 16-24 minutes, but I semi-panicked when it had gotten quite brown at 15 minutes so I took it out and finished the bottom on the stovetop, as suggested. In retrospect, I think another couple of minutes in the oven would have been good, browning the top even further.

All that was left then was to spoon the quick garlic/butter/oil/oregano mixture I'd made while the bread was cooking right onto the hot top so it would soak in nicely.

The crumb was good, though there again another minute or so in the oven would have helped. I also cut it while it was still hot and squishy, but I couldn't wait.

You can see the roasted garlic -- which I'm not convinced was worth the effort -- and the oil seeping into the bread from the top. So yummy! I actually ate half of it, though I'm rather embarrassed to admit that. I had to put the rest into the freezer so I wouldn't eat all of it. I also made some good chicken/veg soup yesterday so both will be part of my meals the next few days.

The recipe is from one of my favorite sources for anything food related, J. Kenzi Lopez-Alt on Serious Eats, if anyone wants to try it. Highly recommended!

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today marks the beginning of my last year as a septuagenarian. A year from now will be one of those hated 'zero' years. Assuming I live that long, which I likely will barring the unforeseen.

A few weeks ago I moved my big (6 feet long) oak desk from my bedroom into the living room. I'd always wanted it in the living room, but when I moved in here I had different furniture plus I think perhaps I just didn't see how I could make it fit. At any rate, it's here and I love it. In the past, I generally only used it in early morning hours, sipping coffee, checking email, twitter, and doing my NY times puzzles and often, some genealogy. It was quiet and peaceful, but cold, since I keep that side of the house basically unheated so I sleep better at night. Plus I couldn't hear/see the TV, blah blah.

The room is now a little more crowded than I normally prefer, but I don't find it unpleasant and I sit at this desk much of the day now, doing whatever nonsense I find to do. The point of all this is that today, weeks after making this move, I realized that I could now listen to all the music that's stored on this computer. It wasn't realistic before, since the bedroom wall where it was located abuts my neighbor's bedroom, and is above the downstairs neighbor's bedroom. I tried to be quiet when I was in there, as the walls here are thin. And even during the day I'd have needed to turn it up too loud in order to hear it in the rest of the apartment.

So Hallelujah!! With the belated realization I finally found where Windows 10 hides my music file, and while it looks a lot different I found that if I click on 'play all' it randomizes just as it once did. I don't think all my music is in this file, as I probably had 40 or so CDs there, but there are a bunch of my favorites. I'll be curious to see how long it'll play before stopping. Probably been a couple of  hours already.

This is important because music -- especially this music that I love -- has always been an important part of my life. I always had a good music system and no TV because I preferred music. It lifts my spirits, calms anxieties, and does wonders for my overall well-being. It's good to have it back. Good beyond words.

Apparently that's my birthday present to myself, and it's a damned good one. I'm also making some good soup and trying a focaccia recipe from one of my favorite sources. The dough has risen overnight and has a wonderful sourdough aroma. Soon it'll be time for the next step. Yum.

Monday, December 6, 2021

Early morning walk around Delta Ponds. Again.

Yesterday dawned clear and bright, so I set out for a 'short' early morning walk along the ponds. Turned out not to be so short after all, as I found so many places to use my iPhone's camera. I don't use it much as a phone, but it gets good use as a camera, and I love it. As you can see, things were quiet over there as all the critters were waking up.

These ducks were splashing, diving and making a hullabaloo as they did a little morning bathing. Some of them swam away before I could get a photo. Should really have  been a video, but I haven't learned how to do that yet.

I've always liked reflections, and this is no exception. The sun was so bright in my face that I couldn't see the camera, so I pointed it down into the water, with the sun brightening the shore and the still reflection in the water.

More reflections.

I realized last night when it was way too late that I'd missed a good opportunity for some wonderful lighting when I didn't continue on across the bridge where I found the ducks. The sun wouldn't have been in my face then, but coming from all directions with wonderful lights and shadows. Something to remember next time it's clear at dawn. I'm happy with these, for now.





Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving

Lest anyone be concerned by my last post -- and I doubt anybody is as there really aren't a lot of visitors here and only a couple who I actually know -- there have been no more incidents of Transient Global Amnesia or anything like it. My mind doesn't always feel as swift as before, but that's been creeping up for awhile and is probably just old age.

I finally entered the 21st century a couple of days ago and bought my first smartphone. I didn't really need one, but so many companies and medical types that I deal with only want to communicate via text nowadays that I felt pushed into it. My old flip phone wasn't meant for that. I could receive texts, and if pushed I could even answer them, but that 10-key pad wasn't worth the trouble. And I could definitely not open attachments. So I spent some $$ for a smart little toy that'll rarely be used. I don't make/get many phone calls, but I am learning to text with my daughter and a local friend, so that's kind of fun. I also appreciate the camera, as it's lightweight, doesn't require any tech knowledge, and takes good photos. And I like being able to post photos directly to Twitter, which I couldn't do with the camera. So, there's much to enjoy with it, though I prefer the iPad for everything else, as it has a much larger screen.

Today is the first day I'm supposed to drive again. I cheated a few days ago, and for a couple of days, going on long walks with my hiking buddy a few times and driving my car one day with her along. The issue wasn't whether I could drive or walk, my fear was that I'd be out walking or driving somewhere alone and have another incident and not know who I was or where I was or how to get home. And nobody -- including me -- wants me driving under those circumstances!  The docs said it was unlikely to ever happen again, and I hope they are right. I have a grocery run to make. And maybe some other things.

Be well, everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving. The photo is from a group photo at some event at Beringer in the 80s. Someone sent the group photo to me not too long ago, and I carved this one out at the request of that someone's daughter as part of an upcoming birthday surprise. As always, my fashion choices astound me.