Week 12 - Oregon City - March 20 - March 26, 2023

Spring has sprung, for sure, because the daffodils are blooming all throughout the woods.  I went down into Sector 2 to take this photo - proof of spring!

In the process of taking the photo, I saw a whole bunch of little piles of limbs/debris/branches that I had collected last fall.  Dang it!@!  I thought I had burned everything.  So I spent most of the day on Wednesday burning it all.  

I discovered in Sector that one of the big snags had fallen over and had collapsed into a sodden pile - there is no firewood value there.  I'm going to leave it in place to become "new soil" in the woods and also perhaps a habitat for some animals.

Wednesday night, at Activity Day, the kids painted their clay creations.  It went quite well.  I'd asked them (and I was talking to the boys) to try to use more than just one color.  I think they did well. 

Here is Jude's banana.

Ruby's basket

Abby's bumblebee

all day Saturday we went to Tree School at Clackamas Community College.  It's an event that has bee on the books since 1991.  There were lots of people!  Dad took three classes.  They were 1-Chain saw management, 2-Coyotes, wild and free 3- Fruit Tree Pruning.  Mine were: 1-Wildlife habitat in your woods, 2- herbicides for woody plants, 3- herbicides for herbaceous plants 4- plant and tree identification.  All in all it was a good experience.  We both learn some new things..

Saturday evening was an adult ward activity - Karoke!!! and dinner.  It turned out pretty well.  The food was plentiful and delicious...Costco rotiserie chicken and sides.  The Karoke was...well...umm...lacking. Only four people did it.  Three men were just goof offs and then Ryan sort of did a sing along.

Brother Dinsdale went all out.   So did Sam DeBaltzo and Dan Bean.

Then Katharine Wilson stood up and sang a simple Primary song...I couldn't believe she did it.

I think it will be tetter next time if there is a simple sing along...of very familiar tunes...with the words and a bouncing ball illuminated on a screen.

My foot has been out of the boot for two weeks.  Feels pretty good..but not perfect.  I am doing all kings of stretching and strengthening exercises every day.

We celebrated Eric's 9th birthday on Sunday.  He loves sharks  - so shark cake!

And......yet another week passes.

 Week 11 - Oregon City - March 6 - March 19 2023

This was another really good week....because I went back into the woods to work....on burn piles.  The daffodils are blooming everywhere.

And, don't forget that spring is here because the Osmaronia cerasiformis is also blooming

On Wednesday, in Sector 5, I burned the piles of Doug Fir branches I'd collected in the fall.  It was challenging because of my ankle.

On Friday and Saturday, I upped the difficulty by burning on First Slope.  The main challenge was dealing with the upper third of a 60 year (I counted the rings) old Western Red Cedar that had snapped in a windstorm and dropped right in the middle of the trail in Sector 1.  It was challenging because the slope was much steeper and the branches were long and curved and big.  

But, I prevailed.

Heh-he!

On Monday we went with Randy and Katharine Wilson to a concert by the Navy Sea Chanters.  We went to one years ago which I like better than this one.  This one was at the Assembly Hall at Camp Withycombe (US Army Natl Guard).  The seats were uncomfortable, the acoustics not too good, the stage was not raised so we couldn't see much - they are still great singers.  And I didn't much like the selections of songs they performed.  We had fun anyway.

On Thursday I went on my first unaccompanied shopping trip since my boot came off.  Wait for it....DI, Winco, Costco....so exciting.

SNIFF...............On Saturday we watched the PAC 12 Gymnastics Championship meet held in (not so neutral West Valley, Utah).  Sadly, Oregon State did not win.  I am too depressed to give any more details.

Sunday evening - we celebrated Malcolm's 35th birthday.  How can that be?

 Week 10- Oregon City, March 6 - March 12, 2023

This was a very good week!!!  On Friday, I officially took off my boot!!!!  Here is right foot in its naked splendor in the doctor's office.  What can't be appreciated is the amazing quantity of dried skin flakes...everywhere.  Check out those nails!

The night before, we took the boot off and kind of cleaned up the ball of my foot which had turned slimy from being on the plastic boot.  Dad was a real trooper ...with the smell and all.

Malcolm had surgery to repair his deviated septum which is, optimistically, supposed to eliminate his daily bloody noses.

Jessica determined (from a very high water bill) that she had a water leak somewhere between Jim Johnson's house and her house.  She contacted a water leak person, who for $375.00 for the first two hours would find where the leak was.  And he did!  The guy and Dad walked the entire length of the water line, and the guy had a probe which he stuck into the ground, at measured intervals, and with a head set hooked up to the probe, he could listen for mysterious slushing/whooshing sounds.  

He finally determined it was near the back door of the cottage.  Then using tools, he injected nitrogen gas and helium gas into a water faucet by the shed, and confirmed by sound and smell that he had, indeed, found the place.

Dad started digging and digging, and.....  I called Warren, Travis, and Paul (actually called Bev for Paul), and they all showed up and dug into the night.  Also Ryan and Tyler and Bev dug too..Logan.

Hole and trench dug....quick trip to Home Depot.....advice from Malcolm....some overly careful measuring by Travis and Paul.....  and.............

All done!  Water was not turned back on for about 20 hours, and water at the Scotts is "back in business".  Now to wait for the Poke O Peek-O Mites to come and fill in the hole.

Wednesday night was Activity Day  The kids made clay pots and objects again...they really liked doing it last year.  It was shaky for a bit because five extra/new children arrived; Alison sent her mom to Hobby Lobby to buy buy clay - and we had to set up another table.  But in the end, all the kids had crafted their treasures.  We meet in two weeks to paint them.

Saturday was the big gymnastics meet in Corvallis with the Utah Red Rocks.  Utah has the highest point ranking in the PAC-12 and, going into the meet, was tied with UCLA and Cal for first place in the PAC -12.  It was a must win for Oregon State!  AND WE DID!!!!!!!!!  We wone by 0.25 points.  The coliseum went wild.

In the PAC-12, now, there is a four way tie for first place.  Next week at the PAC-12 championship meet, the winner will be determined.  There will be eight teams, and the top four will be in the evening session.  It will be in Utah near SLC - which is really lame because it isn't a neutral setting.  Utah fans will choke the coliseum.  

In the end, I did not go to Corvallis.  My right foot was killing me with a very intense and painful 'poke' in my arch.  I finally took off the ankle brace and everything was okay.  Did I put it on incorrectly?  Who knows?  As of Sunday evening, I am walking with just a slight limp.  My calf muscle and ankle muscles are telling me that they haven't moved much for six weeks.

A Sunday cake for St Patrick's Day

 Week 9 - Orgon City - February 27 - Marcy 5, 2023

Next post on this blog will show my foot "freed" from this plastic boot.  I'm excited to post a picture of my foot (in a sock)....next week.  But today here are photos showing the tread on the sole (uhhhh) and a cool side view (but no Nike swoosh).

With my foot in the boot my daily schedule is pretty mundane: exercise, practice guitar, scan photos, and clean some element or spot in the house.....bleh!

Exercise - I am using Bev's app called MOVES which goes through a daily exercise routine that is different for each day....upper body push, chest and back, and so on.  I am pretty much only doing arms and chest and back because of....the boot.  I have a two prong goal.  One is to be more fit so I can hike better this summer.  The second is to be able to do one-plus pull up...or chin up....which ever I find to be easier.  And I need to recover from the tibialis fracture.

My chin up bar came this week, and Travis installed it (he is so good at this sort of stuff).

And, I ordered a pull-up assist which is this....you put your foot in the loop and the three elastic bands help you pull  yourself up...in theory anyway.

I found a (you can't fail) youtube video that takes one through a whole bunch of different exercises that strengthen the proper muscles to allow one to do a pull up.  I'll post a photo when I am successful.  I intend to be successful - which may be very optimistic because, even in high school, I could only do one.

Saturday we watched the OSU and Arizona State gymnastics meet.  We should have won, but we lost by 0.5 points.  OSU had a great meet, and Arizona State just had a 0.5 point better meet than we had.  Over all,  OSU has a better average than ASU.  Jade did score 10.00 on the beam - her first on the beam.  Now she has what is called the gym-slam - a 10.00 on all four exercises....but not during the same meet. Only 13 other collegiate gymnasts have ever done this.  Next week we meet with University of Utah.....grrr....

Shawny Ernst came up for the weekend so she could go to the cello/piano concert/recital that Whitney is doing.  

Here's Shawny watching the meet (not excited) and Whitney watching the meet (not worried about the concert coming up in four hours).

The concert/recital- got rave reviews on Facebook!

Dad babysitting while WWS  were playing and listening.

Exercise, guitar, scan, clean - repeat.