A momentous week

Terry showing what's left of Chuckanut Creek

My morning walk with the ladies started at the Ferry Terminal and traveled down to the Arroyo Park trailhead and over the bridge that spans Chuckanut Creek. I was really shocked to see how little water is in the creek, and we are just now starting our normal dry season. In the fall, the salmon spawn in this creek, but who knows what will happen this fall? Terry would normally be standing in water to mid-calf. Not this year. And hot? We Pacific Northwesterners are not used to this kind of heat, and it's just beginning. Our summer usually starts (read: dries out) after the 4th of July.

But! Most momentous of all this week are the two Supreme Court rulings that surprised me. The Obamacare challenge worried me the most, because if they had ruled against it, the cost of everybody's insurance would have skyrocketed. I was so relieved when I heard the news that I woke up Smart Guy (it was 7:00am here) and told him about it. And that the ruling was 6-3 surprised me even more.

And then yesterday, they affirmed that gays have the right to marry in every state in the nation. This one was a 5-4 decision, but still, it means that we have now joined twelve other nations in recognizing that we are all equal under the law. I didn't expect this one.

Oh, and we got our advance directives for our end-of-life care notarized and filed, and today I sold my skydiving gear to a wonderful young woman. What a week! It will take me awhile to integrate it all.
:-)

Milestones

My 2001 Honda Civic is into six digits

When I returned from Skydive Snohomish on Sunday, I figured that somewhere along the way my car would turn over from 99,999 miles to 100,000. But when I pulled into the apartment parking lot, it was exactly ten miles short. Yesterday when I went to get my hair cut, I realized that it would turn over somewhere in the short distance I had to travel. I didn't check it when I arrived at the salon, and then didn't even think about it until I was almost home! I looked down and saw that it had turned over to six digits. If I had been paying closer attention, I would have gotten a snapshot of the final five, but I missed it. This is as close to documenting a true milestone as I've ever gotten.

I don't drive much, using the bus to travel to town every day to visit the coffee shop and the Y, but for errands I find it much easier to drive. But still, I don't drive 5,000 miles in a year's time. Saves on gas and wear and tear on the car. I just recently had the timing belt and front brakes replaced and will soon be in the market for new tires. Even not driving it much, you still need to take care of maintenance. And insurance. My little Civic is a great car though (don't tell her I said so or it might go to her head gasket).

Another milestone is that yesterday a few of my strawberries got ripe! I have to say that a sun-warmed fresh strawberry right out of the garden is a real treat. I've got quite a few more that will be getting ripe soon, and then it will be time for a gastronomical explosion of flavor!

Pretty things, aren't they?

We've got another week of beautiful weather ahead, so the garden will be providing me two of my favorite things: some exercise (weeding and watering) and some culinary delights. I'm off to see if there are any more ripe ones, and to harvest some lettuce. I hope you are having a great day!
:-)