August

8/01/2022.  
My husband found a new coffee shop. This shop's inside design was unique because they have a "lift" for wheelchair users. We've not seen this kind of lift at coffee shops before. He tried to use it because he had to go to the restroom through the down floor. It was a good experience. Plus their coffee was scrumptious. 

8/02/2022.  
Handcycling/biking is now our favorite activity. Seeing other cyclists on trails is also fun. We went to Richmond again. One of my favorite bike trails. And guess what? We bumped into “Oxford-friends” on the trail! They are real cyclists! I’ve known them for a long time, however I’ve not talked about biking with them before. I was so excited to see very familiar faces “with their own bikes” on my favorite trail. What a coincidence really. They made my day brighter and more joyful indeed. I do LOVE coincidence!

8/03/2022.   
When you found something “black with white” in your yard nearby your garage in the very first morning, you would stop and freeze a few minutes because you need to think several cases of scenario, right?  I found a young skunk who was dying but had some movements yet. He moved his head and legs. Surprisingly no smell at all. My brain was processing thinking “what to do” “what to do.” My first choice was “wait for him die, dig a hole and bury him”.  My questions were “how long do I need to wait” “can he still spray under this condition”??  How do you manage this situation?  
I’m so lucky to live in my neighborhood really. My next door, the director of Hefner museum, he came here to rescue. I ended up digging a hole and burying him peacefully. However at the last processing time, the skunk-smell was produced badly. After all was done by myself (dig/bury part), I had to take an extra shower. Still feeling “I smell” though. It was quite an interesting start of the Wednesday morning.  (You can say “you cannot live without that very generous next door neighbor.”  That’s probably true.) 

Entry#69.  8/03/2022.  
Our son joined in the middle school Cross Country team in 2014 fall. He finished up High school team in 2019 fall (he was class of 2020). I had no idea about Cross Country at the first year since I’m originally from Japan, so as my husband. In 2014, our son wasn’t so enthusiastic about running at all. I’ve learned about the team, rules, meets, district/regional/state, how to run, teammates, coaches, team dinners, summer running and “how to enjoy running the most!” especially during our son’s high school years. I love watching them running. I love watching their practice time also. That’s why I was a just “nosy” parent wandering around them many times. I wanted to watch their practice running because that made me understand them better at the finish line at each meets, imagining their countless efforts. That would make me feel synchronizing their feelings, just my imagination. I was lucky enough that I was the middle school staff and got involved with Cross country kids as much as I wanted. Things have been changed because I am not the school employee anymore now.  
I hoped this was still ok even though I did chalk drawing at “the school property”. I should be careful to make an action like this, I know and I will from now on, in future.  But I hope they keep running with joyful minds. Best of luck to them, I keep thinking of them. 

8/04/2022.  
I started this my blog end of March 2022. I use a free blog app which doesn't have any fancy tools at all. However I can see how many visitors per day on my blog, just number only. Here is a fun fact. Seems about 7-8 people visit my blog each day. Makes me so happy. Thank you, my friends out there. It's not many, but I appreciate peoples' visits very much. I'd love to keep it going. Photo: I found a katydid. 

8/06/2022.  
Have you tried "Detroit style" pizza??  Now, my husband and I, we love it so much. We found it in Louisville first, then we know there is in Ohio, as well. You'd love it. Oh, you might laugh though. We didn't go to Detroit. We munched it in Ohio. 

8/07/2022.  
Do you have surprise lily in your garden? I do. My sweet friend also shared some bulbs. However they didn't grow well this year. Sad. Only one bloomed. I saw someone(!) dug it up at one spot. I might need another batch of bulbs. Still I love seeing surprise lily very much. 

8/08/2022.  
When we decide to pick one of the bike trails out of town for biking/handcycling, that means I gotta load everything into our van. My routine. I got to used to it, yes. Here is a photo, almost everything. I need to load my husband's wheelchair as well at the last minute to start driving. Are your eyes wide open now?

8/09/2022.  
My husband is a deep cappuccino lover, I mean he is a coffee lover.  Unfortunately SCI (spinal cord injury) life changed his amount of coffee-intake drastically. He takes one cappuccino in the morning. Sometimes he takes one decaf cappuccino in the afternoon additionally. At least he still enjoys cappuccino, we just take that. One morning, he took a cappuccino from Kofenya in Oxford, our town. He told me it was so scrumptious more than usual. We figure out later that it was because of a different bean. Kofenya get some beans from Sunergos in Louisville, KY. Yes, Louisville! which we got familiar with because of my husband physical therapy. It's so fun to know about these kinds of facts around us. 

*Bonus Entry*   
Our son is doing "multi pitch" climbing with his two friends right now in Frisco, CO area. You might wonder "What is multi pitch climbing?"   https://www.99boulders.com/multi-pitch-climbing   
This particular place is called "Royal Flush" at Mt. Royal. My husband and our son climbed up this Royal Flush together once (I mean it has to be two climbers at least to do this multi pitch climbing). They were so proud of themselves. So our son took his friends there to do Royal Flush again. I'm thrilled to hear from them when they summit this afternoon, really.  Just in case, here is a website about Royal Flush.   http://brandonandkristine.com/rock-climbing/the-royal-flush/   
I attach a YouTube video which you could imagine how it's like.

Entry#70.  8/10/2022.  
We, my husband and I, are still learning about Wheelchair life. We watched several YouTube videos about weather-related wheelchair facts. Do you think you can wheel wheelchair on rainy days or snowy days?? On sidewalks with puddles? On snow roads?  Well, some wheelchair users are active on those conditions, puddles and snows. They are really brave, surprisingly and amazingly. We are still not that level yet, we cannot take that risks yet, to be honest. Eventually, with several years experiences, he would be comfortable and confident to wheel wheelchair in any severe weather, in future. I can say that.  
For now, we always check weather forecast. We prefer to avoid rain/wet roads. My husband is a manual wheelchair user and he prefers not to have someone to push him (his wheelchair). In the rain, he cannot hold an umbrella at all. Two front caster wheels shouldn’t be soaked because of the bearing (ball bearing).  
When he transfers his body from wheelchair to car (and from car to wheelchair), he would get wet easily if it’s raining hard.  I really appreciate “the entrance with roof” at any buildings.  Seems it’s called “Porte-Cochere” or “Entrance Canopy” or “flat roof style Porte Cochere”.  Most of hotels and hospitals have it. Not much schools and colleges buildings.  Parking garages are good.  
Our family doctor’s facility moved into the brand new building recently. I was so glad when I visited there admiring the great entrance canopy!!  Look at the photo! I'm thankful for that roof part. He can keep himself and wheelchair dry during transitions.

8/11/2022.  
Our son and his friends are now in Moab, Utah. Day temperature is 100F!!! Hot. I don't get much photos from my son. But I'm pretty sure they are having a blast. Young and brave! Photo credit: our son

8/12/2022.  
We have a company in this weekend from Boston. Visitors are always fun. I filled all feeders for birds and hummingbirds, hoping our friend can see some beautiful creatures in my yard during his visit. 

8/13/2022.  
I was captured by a prism. Can you tell where I was?

Bonus update!  
Our son and his two friends did summit Huron peak, one of the Colorado 14ers. Elevation 14006'. 
So proud of them! Wooooo hooooo

8/16/2022.  
Sometimes you want to celebrate "almost end of the summer" and "let's do it for the new school year!". And you bring snacks to your wonderful baristas.  

Entry#71.  8/18/2022.  
Our son, age 20, college student in Junior year, made it for his greatest Colorado trip with his 2 wonderful friends. As you know, he didn’t send much photos to me during his trip, but he shared his adventure stories with my husband and me afterwards. It was 10 nights road-trip, driving through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah. I was amazed to hear that they enjoyed staying in campground and they loved it. I believe he accomplished everything he planned, everything he wanted. That’s super! I’m happy and proud, so as my husband.  
My husband and son, they started their summer “tradition” back in 2014. 8 years ago.  They did set up their future goal “climbing up all Colorado 14ers, all of them” one by one.  I joined them 3 times, in 2016, 2020 and 2021. My husband’s accident happened right after our 2021 trip. Back then, I had thought that the tradition might have a break for a while. However our son surprised me informing us his plan of Colorado trip. He shared his thoughts, his plans, his goals with my husband without any hesitation. His trip included a rock climbing as well. Our son didn’t say exactly but I felt a little bit that he missed his best climbing buddy on the wall with him, his father beside him. It’s very mixed feeling, but I’m pleased and grateful for the fact our son did it, continued the tradition with a bit different ways. My husband has still been thinking about “going to Colorado” for some different adventures. We will see.  Meanwhile I’d love to follow our son’s tradition. Sounds fun and sweet, doesn’t it?  

8/19/2022.  
At the end of the day, after dinner, casual bike/handcycle family time happens. Some days, I feel too tired to pedal. But seems my husband wants to do it as everyday-routine when time and body energy allow. So I just follow. It was a really nice ride, again. Recently the city has been "re-asphalting" all over the town. 

It was hard to handcycle/bike on the not-finished road. But once it's done, we are feeling so thankful and grateful.  And I noticed the new painting sign. The biking person wears such a nice helmet on!  See??

This happened yesterday for the very first time. Several bike boys joined us at the tiny part of our route.  Surely my husband's handcycle caught their eyes. It's always fun to watch their responses. 

And I love watching the scene with sunset colors.

8/21/2022.  
Tomorrow is the day!!! Best of luck to my tough husband on going back to teach/research. Good luck to our son as well on his 3rd year in MU. (Actual room# is different.)

8/22/2022.  
When you see a sign "Play me", of course, you do. Do you know "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin??

8/23/2022.  
Every time you find a monarch caterpillar in your garden, you get excited very much expecting to see a chrysalis soon. And yes, I was super happy several times finding some caterpillars in this season. However somehow I haven't seen any chrysalis sadly. Then I found the reason today!  
Well, I have Monarch predators in my garden obviously now. Next question is "do I need to some action for preventing this predator attack?"

8/27/2022.  
Somehow days passed quickly more than I expected. Whew. Also somehow things wear me out quickly more than I expect. Maybe I'm getting old literally, that sounds right. Well, I have still more things to write here in my blog, so I'll figure out about "my pace".  
When you see a very attractive window display, you would miss your old job very much. Yes, I loved making the school library windowcases display. 

8/28/2022.  
Before heading to the new bike trail, we stopped by another new coffee shop. It was scrumptious. And the town event surprised us with such a great live music. The banner said "Augtoberfest" which I've heard for the first time ever. 

Entry#72.  8/31/2022
To my non-science-related friends: (I’m pretty sure that my science-related friends will chuckle.)
I was a lab member in my college senior year in Japan, in a part of research using clawed-flog eggs (xenopus eggs). It’s a long long long time ago. I’m still curious about “model animals” including model insects used scientific research. I often ask research people “What do you use for research? What kind of animals? insects?” imagining about how to take care of them, how to feed them, how to know males or females, and so on. These stuffs are very interesting to me. Fascinating. Real science research stuffs are hard to understand to me most of the time. But the very basic cares of these model animals simply attract my curiosity always.
I found the book “Atlas of Drosophila Morphology” on the table in my husband’s lab. Fruit fly is one of my husband’s research model insects. (His main one is a red-flour beetle.) When I was introduced one of mutants of fruit fly “Curly” long ago, my eyes wide opened. Curly cannot fly because its wings are curled. So we can catch it easily and handle it easily for research. I loved the idea. Otherwise you would imagine “hmmm how do you catch a fly without smashing. You must have a very skillful technique.” Oh wait, they use CO2 (carbon dioxide) to fruit flies as an anesthesia to handle them easily, as long as my memories are right. I attached photos of Curly, as well. Maybe you raise an amused eyebrow now, don’t you???I’m not in the real science world anymore, but I still enjoy being surrounded by sciencey people very much.