“Reflections on the A - Z Challenge”

  

   I completed my second consecutive year of the April A-Z challenge. It’s always a tremendous satisfaction to finish anything I start! Around 2014, I belonged to a blogging group for a few years, but unfortunately it discontinued and I stopped blogging. I haven’t blogged to promote myself or make money (not that I wouldn’t mind), I just enjoy writing. Learning to blog and having my own site was exciting. It was a pleasant surprise when the A - Z challenge popped up in my Facebook newsfeed  in 2021. I’m in!

    It’s never easy to complete this challenge. I’m always busy with home, family, school and my indulgence in art. So, it is indeed a challenge. I never have my blogs prepared in advance. It’s on the fly on the day and at the moment. My blogs usually correspond with my life. I have never been a writer of fiction. I appreciate this opportunity and effort the creators of this blogging challenge and Facebook page have put forth to make it happen.

    I don’t have much else to say, but thank you! 

Linda 🌷

“Zoo”

 

    I do not like zoos. Have I ever gone to zoos? Yes, I have. When my kids were little, I took them a few times to a small zoo in San Jose. It was a very nice park with kiddie rides and climbing structures, a puppet show stage, food vendors and a train. There was also a zoo portion of this park with a little petting zoo.

    It tugged at my heart strings as we would pass near the tiger’s small enclosure, as well as the bear’s small pen too. It was summertime and the animals looked hot. A summer day in San Jose ranges from 90 - 100+ degrees easily. It made me sad to know they would never have the experience of a long gallop or run. There were other animals too, like the hippo. A small pond for it to cool down in and no mud to roll around in. The monkeys seemed to be stir crazy. I always left with a heavy heart and with unease.

    The last zoo I went to was the San Diego Zoo. This was probably twenty years ago. It was the final straw when I watched a polar bear trudge around in the hot sun. There was something terribly wrong with this picture and I felt a little sick. 

    When I was a little girl, I would watch a show called “Wild Kingdom” (wonder if anyone remembers) and Jacque Crusteau, with my dad. We would marvel at the beauty of nature and wild animals. If I could shut down every zoo today, I would. Wild animals were born to be wild and roam. We have no right to cage them. I am grateful for the animal advocates out there who put their beliefs into action and are the voices for animals who are wrongfully treated. 

    

                                                                        Freedom

“Year of transition”

 

    I would say it has been a year of relief in contrast to the two years prior. It’s a different experience when you are out dining and you can order from the menu without wearing a mask or even walk into a restaurant mask-free. I love seeing other diner’s smiles - seeing their joy and expressions of pleasure; as who doesn’t love to be out dining…and I’m back to wearing my favorite lipstick too. I returned yesterday from a flight to and from Las Vegas, flying mask-free. It felt great! I feel comfortable and not in fear of coming in contact with Covid. It was pretty scary there for a while. The possibility of catching a life threatening disease that was rapidly spreading throughout our country was real.  Today, that fear is lifted and yet I still take precautions such as, sanitizing in and out of any establishment, wiping down shopping cart handles and I do not touch hand rails. So, I’ve been working on my balance. The escalator can be challenging - steady as she goes!

    It feels good to be getting back to normal. I’ve spoken to many who discovered silver linings throughout the pandemic. I sure have. Prayers to those who lost loved ones due to Covid-19. I know there are many.

    

“X-ray”

 

    Here are my after and before pictures of my feet. On November 1, 2020, I had a double bunionectomy-osteotomy. This means I had bunions removed on both feet, along with bone cut and repositioned with a screw. My podiatrist asked me if I wanted one foot at a time done or both at once. After just a few minutes of thought, I said, “both, let’s just get this done.”

    My bunion journey has been a long one. Several years before Covid, my feet began hurting in certain shoes I would wear. Soon, they would hurt even when wearing tennis shoes. Aesthetically, it was getting hard to look down at my feet. To me, they looked worse than the x-ray on the right. The bone was protruding. I didn’t wear flip-flops last summer, they looked so bad. Today, I look down at my feet and smile. I’m still excited about the results. I have new feet!

    It is a six month recovery with this surgery. May will mark the end of my recovery period. I still can’t wear every shoe, as my feet are still a bit tender. And that’s fine with me. I was fortunate to have my husband take over with the household as I was sentenced to my bed for a month post-surgery. Slowly, I began to shuffle from one room to the next. Before the morning of surgery, I packed my lap top and an art supply bag and put it next to my bed. I was prepared to keep myself busy while recovering. 

    Two wonderful things came out of this surgery: New feet and being forced to be still. I tuned up my art skills during this time and watched YouTube sketch journal videos. I also practiced lettering and as Christmas approached, I painted some amazing rocks. They turned out quite nice.

    There’s always a silver lining if we look for one!

“Wedding”

 

    And the two became one today. This was a lovely wedding at St. Elizabeth Anne’s Catholic Church in Las Vegas. The wedding attendance was on the smaller side, which made for a more intimate and very sweet celebration. The reception was held at a reception nearby, catered and tastefully decorated.

    Who doesn’t love the first dance with the new bride and her father. They danced to the song “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole. The dance was sentimental and lighthearted at the same time. I think the photos convey that feeling.

                                                    Cheers to the Cassandra and Lorenzo! 🥂

“Vegas”

     

    Well, here we are in Las Vegas. We arrived yesterday and attending a wedding today. The best man in our wedding’s daughter is getting married. So, here we are.

    We gambled a little last night. My husband and I both broke even. I like Wheel of Fortune, while he heads for the Black Jack table. He actually came from the table $100 ahead. Sadly, this morning while I was at the spa - he is now in the negative. There’s always tonight! Gambling…what a racket. Very few get lucky and leave the casino with a jackpot.

    I’ll tell you what you can count on at a nice Casino Resort and that is good food. There are some amazing restaurants here with high caliber chefs. As a matter of fact, sometimes you can’t even get in to be seated. Planning and reservations are a must, which we have not mastered yet, but we fare well.

    My son attended a two year academic program in Utah and we would have to fly into Vegas, rent a car and drive to go see him. Hence, we became a little familiar with Las Vegas. Our hotel of choice is the Aria. Shopping is very pricey here, so I don’t do much of that, but I sure enjoy a spa day.

    This evening we will witness two become one. 

    My husband and I will be married 35 years this August. I would have to say the motto for my marriage has been “through thick and through thin.” 

    It ain’t easy

"Undertow"

 

    I live 5 minutes from the ocean and am a faithful beachgoer, so the undertow has always been a concern of mine. I enjoy swimming in the ocean. Every now and then, I'll hear about someone in the Monterey Bay being taken out to sea by an undertow. There are certain beaches that are known to have recurring rip tides; it's always a good idea to become familiar with a beach before venturing into the water. After learning more about the undertow, I could spot them along the shore. It's an eery feeling when I see one. My son is a surfer and well educated about ocean currents. He pointed out a diagram like this one and it helped me to understand what I was seeing.

    Merriam Webster's definition of an undertow: 1 : the current beneath the surface that sets seaward or along the beach when waves are breaking upon the shore. 2 : an underlying current, force, or tendency that is in opposition to what is apparent.

    The speed of an undertow as it goes back toward the sea is alarming. The only way out of one should you get trapped in it, is to swim parallel out of it (to the side). As you can see, it is a narrow stream of water with great force. 

    With summer upon us, many will be heading for the Santa Cruz beaches. I always post a YouTube video about the danger of riptides and how to escape one on social media as summer approaches.

    If you love the ocean water as much as I do - stay safe out there!