Happy MAY!

How were we? May2022.  May2023.

5/18/2024.  
He did it!!! I am proud. Details come later.

5/17/2024.  
Final exam week is over. All classes ended. Tomorrow is the graduation. To all professor, grading is still on. I'm grateful for their hard work as well. Thank you, all educators. 
Our son. Biology major with Art minor. He will get a bachelor's degree tomorrow. Exciting. Then your eyes would be wide open when your son brought tons of ceramic bowls/cups/plates/vases into your house as college class assignments. Yes, our son did that here. See?

These are not all. It might be 1/3 of them from this semester. Yes, only from this semester. He took ceramic classes for 4 years (8 semesters). That says our house has "tons" of his creations literally. How do we store them? Hmmm. 
Surely he was loving doing arts in Miami University. I admire his work and effort (plus his enthusiasm!) I'd tell him "Well done" tomorrow repeatedly.

5/16/2024.  
Things I learned today. An accessibility of Millett Hall in Miami University. Because the CAS (College of arts and science) has Divisional Ceremony at Millett Hall. It is a Graduate Recognition Program.

https://miamioh.edu/pfd/event-spaces/millett-hall/index.html

I know Millett Hall. However I’ve not noticed accessibility at all. So my husband went there today to figure out how he can wheel around in that building which is 3 stories structure.  
In these days, I feel “accessible = limited” more often. I am grateful for accessible settings in my any building/place. However it’s not so convenient for wheelchair users especially in a huge event-hall.  
As always, “checking out in advance” is a must for my husband. And it was a nice visit there.

My husband won't be in Arena seating this time. But it was good to know this setting.

Entry#252. 5/15/2024.  
Today was the day! My husband’s Lab gathering party at our house. It’s our “Tradition!”  I’ve been loving the whole process of it, from the preparation to group pictures at the end.  
In the morning of the Lab party, your house decided to do Sewage Backup AGAIN!!? What would you feel?  Yes, that sewage backup happened again here in the morning today. In the very middle of cooking for 12 people.  
My brain had to think hard about the situation. It was kind of “camping cooking time” to me, I needed to finish cooking somehow using less water. Minimum amount of water. It was interesting though, comparing situations campsites and my house this morning.  
Well, luckily (yes, we were lucky enough.) plumber guys came to rescue. I was relieved deeply. (Our house definitely has serious issues everywhere. Sigh.   
Anyway a quick report here. Our Tradition was a success!  Wheeew I was simply happy for everything happened today at our house. I will write details later. But here are some photos.  
Note:  I stopped posting photos of foods which I baked or cooked long time ago, just because it got boring without human beings.  But today, I feel like I must post foods for Lab party. I managed to cook 5 things plus 1 dessert with sewage backup. Ha! 

This is us. 2024 spring version.

I certainly need a deep good sleep tonight. Each of them made me so smile tonight. Good kids (I sound like an old lady, even I sounded like a "mom" when I talked to them, each of them.)

5/14/2024.  
Did I tell you before that my husband and I are a big fan of Charley Harper? There is an art studio of Charley Harper. Have you been there? After my husband's injury, we haven't visited a while. We were not sure about accessibility of the entrance and inside building. I was glad that he was able to enter the shop and wheel around. 

5/13/2024.  
Mural updates:  

I love street murals. I haven’t visited many cities in the States. I haven’t known much. At least I have several friends out there, in KS, NC, IN.  The one article caught my eye the other day. 

https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-city-for-street-art-2024/

Title : 10 US cities with the best street art collections

Did you guess which city was the #1?  

10. New York City, NY

9. Washington D.C.

8. Nashville, TN

7. Miami FL

6. Portland, OR

5. Detroit, MI

4. Oklahoma City, OK

3. Philadelphia, PA

2. Richmond, VA

Then

1.  Cincinnati, OH!!!

Funny though. I was excited to know that Cincinnati was #1. On the other hand, my brain was mumbling “Wait, how about Indiana? Kansas? North Carolina?” This article says “10 cities” so it might have to be a city.  
At least they have several nice murals. I used to live in Manhattan, KS. I lived for one semester in Chapelhill, NC. Recently I read about Indianapolis murals.  
Well, there are countless street murals out there, for sure. I’d love to discover more someday in future.  
My latest tiny excitement is knowing the “mural project” on Oxford bike trail. Have you read the news? 

5/12/2024.  
You have to laugh at me. People in the States must know about college graduation tassel, correct?  In fact, I am not familiar with it at all, I'm a bit embarrassed. So I learned about tassel colors. Also I'm learning about cord colors and meaning. Well, there are still lots of things to learn. See? You are laughing?  
Note: Our son had to get a black tassel. 

5/12/2024.  
If a coffee shop (you visited for the first time) had this kind of thing, would you try it?

5/11/2024.  
The Celebration-weeks on several topics (to my husband's works, his students and our son) kicked off!!! I cannot stop smiling. More stories to come. One of joyful parts is a photo-share from our son. Then I can ask him "how he is feeling about his 4-entire college years". He doesn't smile much in front of camera lenses but he surely shared tons of laughter with his best friends and cherishes tons of great memories forever. Hurray for the beauty/power of young people. 

5/09/2024.  
Once again, and believe me, it's gonna be the very last one. My Christmas cactus update:
I am giggling. I think it's all "settled" and they are going to a building-up-energy phase. I believe so.

A different type of Iris and peony are up. (However my peony in this year isn't so healthy, unfortunately.) 

5/08/2024. 
Yippee! My hummingbird came by this morning! How are your hummingbirds doing?  My German Irises are still up. I'm waiting for my larkspur next. They are growing with some help of rain.

5/06/2024.  
If you want to read "chronologically", please scroll down to find Part1 and do read 1->2->3. 

Part3.
I’m not sure how much nervous he was at the starting line. After he went off with other 13 handcycle/para athletes, I was in rush to the 2nd bridge “Taylor Southgate Bridge”. I tried to jog there. Because he said to me “aiming to finish in 25 minutes”. So I caricatured his pace and tried to catch him on time on the bridge. I wanted to watch him at that place, I loved watching him there last year. It’s really nice view, you should try to be there watch them. I don’t have a super-zoom lens. Couldn’t take a good shot from my standing position but here are two photos, one from last year and one from this year. 

Then I was in rush to the finish line to catch him.  
I was all smiling to watch him cross the finish line!  
He won! His time was 24:10! He enjoyed everything very much. No flat tire!  
Winning was not so important, I would say. This time, it was more joyful and enjoyable because of all other 13 para athletes. Each of them encouraged each others, pushed each others and had a blast all together. More than last year, I can say that. I think they (including my husband) represented their desire and strength to the public pretty well. I wanted to say “thank you” to them for the excitement!  How do you think?  Note: It is always tough/tricky to take a group photo of all athletes all together at the same time because of their finishing timings and flexibilities of being around and etc. Hopefully we can get a shot of everyone someday. 

This is a wonderful shot. Top 1,2,3 finishers together.

Part2.
My husband rode his 2nd machine this time, his road-racer type. Do you remember his 1st machine at the race last year? This one. 

All setting was different from last Flying Pig, about his handcycle. (But it was a same setting as Air Force Marathon in Dayton.) I felt calmer than last year, I can say that.  
Plus we were at the parking lot on time with extra spare prep times. That made me feel easier.  
Most of all, the weather was holding at that time. I was super relieved. After he set himself on his machine without any trouble, my mind got lighter. It was all set.  
All 14 handcycle/para athletes were at the starting line. All escort cyclists in their cool professional jerseys were ready with them. It was such a nice view indeed, all of them all together. My heart was racing with joy. 

And off he went!!!

5/06/2024.  PART 1.
Wheeeew, I’m still in a phase of recovering from my ‘good’ exhaustion after that much excitement @Flying Pig 10K handcycle race.  My husband had more energy than I had yesterday because he pedaled post-race handcycle ride 7.8 mile. He said “it’s an easy slow ride.” But 7.8 mile was a good distance, you know? This ride wore me out really. However I felt nice breeze and birds’ calls. It was a nice recovery ride indeed. 

Okay, here goes “Everything about Handcycle 10K race @Flying Pig 2024”. 

First of all, whole process in this year was much better than last year, especially to myself. Because it was his SECOND time at Flying Pig 10K. Knowing the places to go, the course, the timing and all helpers made me feel comfortable very much. I was still nervous, you know?  
We stayed in a hotel the day before the race day. It’s always just because of his morning bowel movement program which most of people won’t think and imagine process of. Before he puts clothes on and is ready for going out, it always takes one and a half hours. (at least. And we cannot shorten this process at all.). This cannot be done at our house for this 10K race, because we need to drive up there for one hour.  
Well, we get used to this routine, kind of. We went to the expo and got his bib and t-shirt. Enjoyed the exciting atmosphere just like we did last year.  
Met several different “Pigs” of course.  
I worried about raining very much because my husband never rode his handcycle in the rain, never. I had to prepare two versions, a dry course and a rainy wet condition. I couldn’t imagine clearly though “how to manage rainy course”.  To able bodied people, (to myself as well) they could run/walk through puddles and any obstacles on the course in the rain, you see? To handcycle athletes, I still need to figure out about this kind of issues. I don’t think the officials of Flying Pig marathon know and care about this much because the handcycle division is still NEW to all.  
So I slept mumbling “please no rain, please no rain.” on Friday night. 

5/04/2024.  
I am still smiling and feeling the excitement repeatedly. I can attach photos of my husband's 10K handcycle race endlessly. (You might say "whoa, that's enough."). 
I am so proud of him. I am sorting out my thoughts tonight, so all details will come out tomorrow (maybe). 

5/03/2024.  
In honor of Flying Pig Marathon events in this weekend, here is my POV stories last year. 
Part1. 
Part2. 
Well, I am nervous as usual. But I am smiling right now. That's a good sign, I guess. My husband's "machine" is ready. 

5/02/2024. 
I love watching lris. Mine is German Iris (most of them). Now yellow color is added. Then dark purple is coming up. Do you have Iris in your garden?

Entry#250. 5/01/2024.  
The exciting news (to myself)!! I am planning to go to watch “Oklahoma!” the musical in June! Just because there are (at least) two young Musical actors/actress/singers whom I know(!) in this show. Plus, this production has the fabulous wonderful amazing “costumer” who lives in our town!!! It will happen at Sorg Opera House in Middletown. (I love that theater! So double exciting.)
So here I am starting my motivation high up, doing “my homework”. Now is the cue for laughs.
I got books! Ta-da!  I am such a geek.

Before I checked out these books from our library, at first, I looked for Oklahoma! Music sound track and found 2019 Broadway cast recording in a music app.
Then I listened to them again and again. Usually I found my favorite one in tracks quickly. This time it is “I Cain’t Say No.” This one is sung by Ali Stroker, so it says. However I don’t know her at all. (I’m embarrassed a bit).  Anyway I was falling in love with ‘her voice’ and ‘her singing style’ right away from a music app.
I listen to this song, in one song repeat, everyday. Yes, I love it that much already.

Then coincidentally I found the video, this. It’s sung by Kristin Chenoweth. I do know a little about her from Wicked the musical. Song “For Good”. I love her voice, too. (In fact, I never watched the real show though.)
So I started listening this video song again and again.

Then finally, I got two books with me, all about Oklahoma!  I learned a bit by bit about this musical show, including the history of it.    
Well, it’s almost the climax of my story(!).  
I discovered the video of 2019 Tony awards. The name caught my eyes, it says “Ali Stroker”. I knew this name!!  Then next moments I froze. She is a broadway musical actress in a wheelchair in that video. And she won Tony awards for her role in the musical “Oklahoma!” See? How much I was shocked and amazed at the same time knowing about her. Do you know all about her? Everyone in the US knows it? Was this her award news very popular at that time in 2019?   
I’m still in a good shock learning all about her and The Musical “Oklahoma!”.  Her message on the stage is so strong and meaningful indeed. I cried. 

This is the detail news article. In case you wonder about her injury level, she is C7-T2 spinal cord injury, paraplegic (I think I could say that). 

https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/ali-stroker-wins-tony-award-first-wheelchair/

Now I’m beyond excited, feeling so fantastic and lucky. I cannot wait to watch “Oklahoma!” in June. Especially listening and watching Ado-Annie, her song “I Cain’t Say No.”  I wonder though. Young theater kids in these days know about a history of Oklahoma! and this 2019 production as well? 

Entry#249. 5/01/2024.  
Do you know the city, Xenia in Ohio? Since my husband and I started handcycling/cycling, Xenia has been the one goal place we want to reach for pedaling. 

Once our son biked up to Columbus by himself, passing through Xenia. At that time he talked to us all about it including the area of Xenia and bike trails around.  
The other day, we finally made it to Xenia station!!!! 
Oh, to be corrected, we didn't bike from home. We picked the starting point (bike trail head). Yes, we drove there and started pedaling to Xenia. It was 28.5 mile! The 2nd LONGEST ride ever. 
Here is an info about Xenia station.  
http://www.xeniastation.com/about-xenia-station.html

It was so much fun ride. The triple combination of "Downhill x Headwind x dropbar" made me smile a lot.