Welcome to the Journey

The Sundial Bridge and the Sacramento River

My husband and his daughter went for a walk while I remained at home to care for my knee.

We're expecting a high of 97 today. The temperatures are gradually decreasing, but just like in other regions, we experience those false autumns - followed by another week of summer. The battle for Fall begins, but in the end, Autumn always prevails.

I’ve noticed that the sun is positioned lower in the sky, which indicates more shade, and sunset is arriving earlier. Another subtle indication that fall is on its way.

I’ve been giving my knee (the back of my knee) some rest, and it’s showing positive results.  The swelling on the front of my knee has gone down. Yesterday turned out to be a very good knee day, but this morning I’m back to some soreness again. I have missed swimming and last night’s fellowship dinner. The couple lives on a steep hillside, which would have been hard for my knee to navigate. I really need to give it time to recover. I've already notified the BSF Admin that I will require assistance with arranging the chairs in my room.

Okay I admit it...

I’m feeling somewhat discouraged. I know I will overcome this challenge and emerge stronger from it. It just feels like the older we get, the more challenges life throws our way.  It's almost as if each year brings a new twist or hurdle to tackle! 

Welcome to the Journey

The cardiologist contacted me and has arranged for the implanted loop recorder procedure on September 23. I chose not to delay it any further and proceeded with it. I dislike having matters linger over my head. It feels like everything piles up all at once, and it can become quite overwhelming. I was scheduled for a mammogram, but that will be postponed for about six months because of the implant. I am not ready to think about how a mammogram will feel to have that metal piece in my chest!

NOPE,  nope nope...

NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT YET.

Wednesday marks the beginning of everything. I’m eager to start, but I have so many thoughts racing through my mind. I’ve reached out to all my ladies, and naturally, there’s all that last-minute chaos that drives me a bit crazy. I'm receiving text messages from Admin, reminding us about this and that. All I want to do is focus on studying the Bible. I understand, I understand that it all comes with the territory. Things usually get sorted out within the first couple of weeks. 

The Patriarch Jacob walked with a noticeable limp, a symbol of his struggles. Though he didn’t have it all together, all the time, God used him in unexpected ways.

Today, I need to remember that feeling fragmented doesn’t stop me from walking with God, even if I'm limping. He still embraces my flaws, having borne them on the cross.

,

I have found that it’s often through our deepest fractures that hope and grace shine the brightest. I used to tell my sons, during times when we struggled that this is when God performs His most incredible miracles, and He never failed us. In the face of feelings of inadequacy (BSF) and discouragement (Knee and Loop recorder) we can still find purpose, proving that we’re never beyond the reach of His divine love. 

Until Next Time

Debby

You can't win for losing

 

Source: COR

The Sundial Bridge is a stunning pedestrian bridge spanning the Sacramento River in my town. It connects the north and south ends of Turtle Bay and functions as one of the largest sundials in the world.

It measures time during a four-hour window daily, from 11 AM to 3 PM, with its shadow moving about one foot per minute. However, it becomes less effective in winter when the shadow is cast too far into the adjacent arboretum.

Designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, this bridge is both a functional infrastructure and a celebrated piece of art.

My pomegranate is overflowing with potential...

So here we are - Saturday afternoon! I took a nap today to try and recoup that lost hour. Most likely, it may just keep me from being tired at bedtime, where I will toss and turn for an hour -  which will make me tired all day tomorrow. 

You can't win for losing.  🎲

Tomorrow is the monthly church potluck. 

This month's theme is Asian cuisine and the first letter of my last name means this month I bring a main dish.  I’ve never felt the urge to make my own Chinese food—take-out works just fine! While I have a couple of salad recipes from a Japanese friend and a fried rice recipe from my friend Betty in Hong Kong, it's been 30+ years since I've made them, so I don’t think it's a good idea to bring those.

Last week, I tried a Teriyaki chicken casserole, but it didn’t taste authentic, so I’ve decided to keep it simple and bring a ramen noodle salad, possibly throw in some chicken. Asian foods are best fresh; making them the night before can compromise the crunch and flavors. Cooking for a pot luck shouldn’t be stressful. A friend and I discussed how hard it is to find Asian recipes that are simple and maintain their fresh taste after reheating. We might see a lot of fried rice and pork or chicken salads!

🥡🥢🧧⏰

I'll blame it on Daylight Savings! 

The City has released a new 2025 city-wide fire map. While I don’t recall seeing one in my 17 years here, I knew the problem areas in our community.  Just up the road, it is rural - Although this information is not surprising, seeing it visually represented on the map underscores the reality of the situation.

Orange is SEVERE fire danger

Goldenrod is High

Yellow is Moderate. 

Upon examining the aerial view of our neighborhood, it's not promising. I noticed that to the left of our house, there was a significant presence of goldenrod, which extended to cover half of our property, while the other half was yellow. The Orange is about 7.2 miles (give or take) at Oasis. 

Okay, so we reside in a designated high-moderate fire risk area. As a consequence of this classification, our homeowner's insurance may be canceled, or alternatively, the premiums may increase to a level that becomes unaffordable for us. This situation highlights the challenges faced by residents in fire-prone regions regarding insurance policies.

Fortunately, we are not in the orange zone, and our adult children are not located in any fire-risk areas. Our plan is that if we need to evacuate, we will go to the home of my son and his wife.

We've received an abundance of rain here, but even with a healthy, robust rainy season, our hot/dry summers work against us.

It's all in God's hands 🙏🏻

Enjoy the rest of your afternoon/evening.

It's pizza night for us!  

Until Next time, 

Debby