Reaching May's Finish Line

We passed a notable anniversary this week. It's been a year since Gary fell from a ladder while trimming one of our palm trees. The fall broke 4 of his ribs, entitling him to an ambulance ride to Hospital Number One. ER pretty quickly designated his injury as "trauma" and then loaded him into a second ambulance for transport to Hospital Number Two, which is where the ambulance cases take trauma victims and can therefore handle such things better. After three nights in ICU, he was released to come home, instead of rehab, because I was there to help him (he was not going home to an empty house).

This morning we took our usual walk outside, which takes about 45 minutes and I followed that with 4 miles on my bicycle. As is our habit, Gary sat on the front porch, waving to me each time I went past. With my thumb I flipped the Ka-ching! bell on my handlebar several times since I don't have enough confidence in my balance to let go and wave with one hand. After my ride was done, I joined Gary on the porch with a hand-held fan and a big jug of water, cooling down from all the exercise in hot weather.

While sitting there we saw one of our neighbors down the street in front of our house. He was one of several who came running to our aid after Gary's fall from the ladder. Now this man was hauling out his own ladder and proceeding to climb it, with nobody else standing near by. 

How many times did those in our generation tell us, after Gary's accident, that they have been advised to not climb ladders any more? I've lost count. We are in good company.

Because of our experience and because that neighbor was the one who dialed 911 for us that day, today I felt an obligation to watch him until it appeared he was done. We think he may have been changing a bulb in the light fixture outside his garage door. This story ended well.

My second cataract surgery is scheduled for this next week. Recovery from the first procedure has gone even better than I expected. Having Gary here to help with the many eye drops (which will total six weeks by the time both eyes have recovered). I can tell a wonderful difference already in my eyesight, for which I am relieved and grateful.

On to other shared experiences of late.... We visited the graves of our late spouses on Memorial Day. Although our weather has been very hot, we stopped en route to buy small bouquets of fresh flowers to place at the graves. 

The two graves are not far from each other, although we do drive from one to the other. We usually sit in our lawn chairs for a time at each grave to quietly reflect, but since it was Memorial Day and there was a program to attend, we did not sit at the graves this time.

We easily found the site for the service because of the states' flags lined up along a walkway. While I did not see all 50 states represented, I was pleased to see Colorado had shown up. 

Horses lined up with flags for each of the military services, and of course, there were small American flags at every single headstone in the cemetery. That, in itself, was a moving sight. My snapshots weren't able to do the scene justice.

The program lasted just under one hour with presentation of the colors, the pledge of allegiance, music, speeches, the 21-gun salute, and taps. 

With another reference to horses, on another day this week, we had two of them visit our +55 community. Our county has mounted police officers who are needed for more than just parades and engendering a positive public image for law enforcement. In certain circumstances, the horses enable police to see what's going on from a better perspective than when on foot and can navigate tricky terrain for search and rescue.

Another adventure this week took us to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The attraction for me was the underwater observatory of manatees.

These large, lovable-looking water mammals could be seen from both above and below the surface of the river. The natural spring water maintains a constant temperature of 72-74 degrees year around, which keeps the manatees happy.

This park is not a zoo but a refuge for birds, animals, and sea life that have met with injury, mistreatment and illness. They are well-cared for here, including this female hippopotamus, the oldest one living in the USA. She seems very content at 64 years of age.

We also saw other members of the animal kingdom, including perhaps my favorite of the day, at least a dozen Flamingos who stood on one leg as they dozed in the mid-morning heat.

The park was pedestrian-friendly with a lot of shade and informational signage along the way.

To get from the parking lot and the visitors' center to the animals, we had a choice of a tram ride or a boat. We chose the boat, which took a few minutes longer, but the peaceful glide through jungle-lined water was the best. 

After our return to the visitors' center, we ordered lunch above the boat launch area. The restaurant gave us a view of the aquatic comings and goings as we enjoyed Meatball Marinara sub sandwiches, onion rings and coleslaw.

The Lord has been so good to us this month in spite of the helplessness we sometimes feel with the discouraging news of our world,  our country, and even our town. 

Now June is here. What does this month hold for us?

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Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, grace and peace.