Inconceivable!

No, this is not a post about The Princess Bride, but we do have the new book written by Westley, a.k.a. Cary Elwes here and D. has started to read it.  Maybe a review will be in another post.

When I visit my parents my mom asks what food I'd like to have in the house and she makes great meals.  I try to return the favor and keep a list of foods to buy before they arrive.  I have company this weekend and asked about food.

nuts, coconut cream, pepper, olives, pickles, and eggs (not shown)

I went shopping and found not just any pickles,

but my childhood pickles!  

Unbelievable!  I never need to go to Ohio again (except maybe to see my parents).

Because I'm worth it!

While picking up some other things I decided to splurge.  Why should I continue to be annoyed by lousy ice cube trays?  Happiness for less than $5!

old - imagine that you can see the cracks

new - no cracks and the water stays in the tray

The Return

six o'clock this morning

This morning I rode my bike to the pool and swam 2350 yards, surpassing my goal of 1000 yards.  The water felt great, but my stroke felt off.  Breathing was the hardest part, harder than flip turns.  The dizziness did force me to focus on the black line instead of looking around at my teammates.  It also encouraged me to sometimes breathe every fifth stroke instead of every third.  I didn't throw up and it did feel better by the end.  Maybe if I have been out for a month then in a month I'll feel back to normal?

Yesterday I started a couch-to-5K program, which I have used when recovering from an injury and when preparing R. for her phys. ed. test.  The very first minute of running was awkward, but after that it felt great.  The amazing thing was that I felt very clear-headed afterward, maybe the best I had felt in ages.  Here's hoping it lasts!

Foothill Boulevard

Life goes on along Route 66, which is Foothill Boulevard in Claremont.

The dentist office is still being built.

The bank building is for sale, but I am not sure what is happening to the bank.

Two years ago some incredibly ugly signs were added in front of the
Old School House were put up, which I wrote about here.  They were removed this week.

The Burger King about a mile from house closed.
We never ate there.

The Goodwill that is close to the Burger King is closed because of a fire,
but they are still taking donations.

The biggest change is in the urban forest.
Many trees are being removed and replaced with climate appropriate trees.

Some trees take too much water and cause damage to the sidewalks
and also drop enormous limbs.  I'll miss the shade!

Getting closer

You may remember what the Millikan Building looked like in the summer of '13.

 I wrote about the demolition and a lot has happened since then!

I was especially pleased to see the atom above the doorway.

Q.  Do you think they moved it from the old building?

  

A.  Yes!  It was cleaned and looks fabulous!

Big Step

I can ride a bike!  All the things I couldn't do last time I can do now.  I can take my hand off the handlebar and signal.  I can turn my head and look at traffic without being overcome by a wave of dizziness.  Freedom!  Joy!

Therapeutic gardening

I am tired of the doing the Cawthorne head exercises and am looking for new ways to teach my body to adjust to changes in the vestibular nerve system.  One suggestion was to change from sitting to standing and turning around in between.  That was an effective way to make me dizzy.  Another suggestion was to look around a lot while walking, which I also tried.  It felt like good practice for riding a bike.  Any movement that involves stooping, stretching, and aiming, like bowling and basketball, would be good.

 I decided weeding would be a good activity.

Most of the weeds were the type in the middle, but there was a little variety.

Just as the rain is good for the weeds, it is also good for the garden.

I don't know if that was enough stooping and stretching, but it was good to be outside, the yard looks better, and I was happy to chat with some neighbors.