Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

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Bearly Caught

At the beginning of last month, a bear cub made its way across our little lavender farm as I was administering Lizard's early morning medication. By the time I ran for my camera and returned to the window, the little skedaddler was already three fences down. I suspect he got separated from his mom and was trying to get away from curious humans as fast as possible. Oh, how I wished I could have snapped a shot of him in the lavender!

Just a few days later, Lizard awoke and noticed a bigger black bruin dozing in the lavender. He hobbled as quickly as he could to wake me and encourage me to start taking photos! The sky on the other side of the fence was even orange!!! Would have made such a GREAT photo!!! Alas, the bear was long gone by the time the camera powered up. Unfortunately, the damage the animal did to the lavender garden remained...

We knew lavender was relaxing, right??? I was able to put the mulch back into place and cover up the tarp and carboard beneath. The larger lavenders have fared well. I worried about the smallest plant. It looked SO squished!!!

To my delighted surprise, the squished lavender is making a comeback, too!!!

I really wished I could have snapped a photo of a happy bear in a lavender bed. What a fantastic greeting card that would have made!!! Heck, I could even use it in a calendar! I started wondering if perhaps I could draw the scene. Or... maybe even quilt it!!! Shy about drawing these days because it's been so long, I'm not sure I can anymore, I tried my hand at artificial intelligence.

... and was not too impressed at all.

I tried Photoshop filters and lenses.

Not exactly what I wanted, but kind of cute to show my grands. What it leaves me is back to the drawing board. Literally.

In the meantime, while I work on my drawing skills, I've been treated to a pair of bear sightings in Waterton Canyon. Photographers have been sharing photos of a black bear, a black bear with a cub, a cinnamon bear, and... the very same bear I have now seen twice. I cannot even begin to explain how exciting this was for me because I have never seen a two-tone bear, other than pandas in zoos.

And I haven't even begun to edit the photos yet!!!

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Rainy Days and Ride Days Always Get Me

It's been a while since I've done a Parkinson's update. I get discouraged sometimes because Lizard is losing so much so fast. I guess I stopped talking about it here because I didn't want to be a Debby Downer. Some days the future seems so bleak. Not just at home, but in the world. I've decided some attitude adjustment is in order.

One of my friends told me last week about losing her first husband to ALS. When I get discouraged about Parkinson's, I really need to think about those who've got it worse. ALS travels MUCH faster than Parkinson's, and ALS takes no prisoners. There is no real medication to ease the symptoms. They can delay the inevitable three to six months. There have even been a few cases when patients have beaten the odds for more than two years. But generally speaking, ALS is FAR, FAR worse than Parkinson's.

Bicycle rides so far this year have not been the day brightener they were last year. Every ride seems shorter and slower. For all the feelings I've been battling, Lizard's fighting it even harder. Some days, it takes everything he's got to even want to get on the bike. I think knowing what's happening to his body is playing a big role, but also, there is progression we haven't been able to slow, no matter how hard we try. So often, he describes it as, "I just don't have any legs."

When we do get out, oh, how wonderful it is to be outdoors, to see wildflowers and wildlife, to remember the adventures of days gone by. We took a short ride up Waterton over the weekend. We'd hoped we'd be able to do at least the shortest Elephant Rock route that day, as it was the final Elephant Rock. So many of our favorite rides have not survived two years of postponement. Many of our favorite rides have been sold; at least they are still going, but it feels as if everything has changed so drastically.

Elephant Rock's shortest route is - make that WAS - 12 miles. Lizard can barely do three miles these days. So I donned one of my favorite Elephant Rock jerseys, and we pedaled a short distance up Waterton instead.

Waterton Canyon is awesome therapy! We are so blessed to have such a beautiful and easy ride so close. Wildflowers are beginning to poke through the canyon walls, and there are almost always wildlife photo opportunities.

We waited until after the afternoon high, knowing Lizard would be able to go a little further if the temperature was a little cooler. Humidity was about as high as I've ever felt it in the canyon. But we were treated with a nice little rain shower on the way back down, which really cooled us off. I worried Lizard, who has no cold tolerance anymore, would be miserable. But when we reached the car, he said he felt refreshed.

Just as we were finishing up the ride, a muted pastel rainbow appeared, the first one we've seen in a while. I thought about the Biblical promise connected to rainbows. In spite of hardship, I need to remember God's always got us on His radar. I need to do my part and keep my attitude out of the bitter swamp. And He's given me an abundance of paint and canvas to help me do just that!

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Wordless Wednesday

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