Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
My semi-regular pattern of once-a-week diaries catches me with little more than a normal week. Sort of.
Garden work included getting the back driveway planted after PG&E destroyed our "good-neighbor fence". Summer heat may delay progress, but things do grow in our sunny climate, as long as we provide enough water. I think about how small our front plantings were a decade ago - initially spindly six-foot trees, they now tower over the entrance.
The yard is still fun. The cacti continue to surprise us with bright yellow flowers, lasting only a day, but so bright! These plants seem to thrive in our 100F+ temperatures. Speaking of surprise, Marianne was out in her art hut, when movement outside caught her eye. A fox was walking by the door, casually jumping to the top of the fence to continue its tour of the rest of the neighborhood. Hopefully, this guy will chase away the feral cats!
Most of our week was spent inside, partially due to the heat. It may be getting to be Fall elsewhere, but here in the Fresno desert, it is still summer hot. My inside distractions were the regular: YouTube, reading, and puzzling. My newest Yosemite puzzle defeated me, with dozens of sky pieces so similar that fitting them would have required one-at-a-time placement for hours and hours. No fun. Unfinished, I packed it up and moved on to an Oregon Trail challenge that I have solved before.
Of course, Marianne's elbow cast also limited activity, as did a 24-hour stint of her heart beating at twice normal speed. That's tiring. Piling on top of the elbow damage, the elephant and chemo pills, and a general tiredness, she spent some well-deserved time down in the dumps. Recovery came with rest, a restored heart rate, and cast removal. And blood test results showing a rebound of white blood cells, enough to not be too infection vulnerable. Too much detail? Maybe, but this was the week's backstory.
By Friday, Marianne was ready for a dress-up excursion to the Fresno Art Museum with friends Tari and Geri. The museum changes offerings about twice a year and opens each development with artist and docent presentations and explanations. Reports are that the presentations were not exceptional, but the gathering was fun. (This scary guy seemed like a good meme for the week.)
I suppose we need to have a better tour of the Meso-American displays on another visit.
Stay tuned,
John and Marianne