Thursday, July 30

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

This has been a week of firsts for this boy.

Sunday, at a pool party with one other family and in a moment of stupidity - I was butterfly swimming across a pool that I wasn't familiar with, I did one rep too many and impacted the shallow step which did extend out into the pool by an uncharactisticly 3 feet. Great for the little ones, not so for formally aspiring swimmers!

KRAK! I hit my forehead and nose flat against the step. I came up thinking, "Okay, you idiot, compose yourself, shake off the stars, and get back to entertaining the kiddos." I was cupping my face, but I couldn't see the stars do to the blinding pain that just wouldn't subside. After a moment I could hear my friends asking me if I was okay. Jokingly I said that I might have broke my nose. Then I felt it!! (in disbelief) It was smashed to one side! NO WAY! Then there was a ton of blood and everything was shifted to getting the kids out of the pool and me to the hospital. What a spoiler!

So that was Sunday. Its now Thursday and I've been lying low, taking the week off, healing. Annette's been extrodinarily helpful getting me to both Urgent Care for the initial stitches - 7, and then to the specialist on Monday to get the nose reset. Poke! Snap! Ouch! All in about 20 minutes. It was broken in 3 places. The swelling's been going down and there's a little color around my eyes, though much less than I really expected. Some of Annette's herbs I attribute to this.

Feeling a little more pluck, I decided to test my ability to exert myself by a bike ride to and from Santa Cruz (about 12 miles roundtrip by road and an elevation difference of about 700 feet. On Tuesday I'd done a 2 mile walk and had felt some exhaustion and head weariness. But cabin fever was setting big time I had some errands to run in Santa Cruz. Plus there was Annette's new (via a yard sale) mountain bike. It was exactly like the mtb I have, only this one's a size smaller (and thus lighter!) and 3 years older. It was a great score at the yard sale. And should worse, come to worse, there's the public bus that runs from SC to Felton, so I was covered if I'd done too much.


Learned a lot of new things about the local geography, history, and demographics - returning via the train tracks was gradual with an incredible view!! And the bike was well up to the challenge, as I was. I did walk up a few steep parts and took a couple breaks but now I'm feeling more like getting back to solarizing the South Bay! (really?) I have been enjoying writing some over the last couple days.

Hope you're all doing well....

Wednesday, July 22

Going to the World Music Festival


I took Ruby to the World Music Festival at Grass Valley (sadly Annette couldn't get to come). Good Friends and music all around but a special shout-out to Karen Folger and Jon Bowls for hangin' with me and the Rubster (esp Karen for watching RJ while I had to do those early morning bathroom runs - single moms, how do you manage! Too busy for photos at the actual event, but seeing all that talent (Los Lobos, the Indigo Girls, Om Ensemble, Fishtank Ensemble and too many others) and Ruby dancing on the lawn with others - super great.

I received numerous comments from folks on how great it was to see a single dad taking his daughter to such an event. One guy claimed he was a therapist and after seeing me felt a renewal in his faith in men as fathers. He'd seen too too too many fatherless children in his line of work. Renewed my energy in the moment as keeping track of a two year old while tending to camp needs can be a challenge!

Friday, July 3

Cat Zen

Thought I'd wish you my own form of happiness and reflection for the 4th. "Zen Out" while you can!