UPDATE and I went outside while a load of clothes was in the washing machine

UPDATE: I slept well again, woke up at 5:45 a.m. At 10 a.m., I decided to wash a load of clothes and go outside for the 30 minutes they'd be in the washer. I'm doing OK, thank goodness.



While outside, I thought I'd take a photo of where I sit in my chair. This is from across the street on the sidewalk in front of Albertina Kerr. To get to my sitting and observing spot, I come through that barely visible wooden gate in the shade, open the chair, then put it beside the low, gray-painted wall and the sidewalk that comes from the gate--it is blocked from view by the green car parked at the curb.



This is the evergreen that I photographed and posted yesterday, well, one bit of it anyway. I'm not certain if it's a tree or a shrub, and I have no idea if it will grow any taller. The part that I photographed points towards the low, gray-painted wall where I rest my feet when sitting in my folding aluminum law chair, there in the shade.



Since I didn't bring my chair outside today, I rested for a few minutes leaning on the low, gray-painted wall. I twisted around and decided to take this photo, just to get an idea of how the camera would do. If you're at my blog often, you'll recognize the banana plants at the entrance sidewalk.

My mid-morning snack. Thank you, Lord. Let me count my blessings.

--> Blessing No. 1 - After spending about 40 minutes outside in my folding aluminum lawn chair when the temp was 70 and the breeze comforting, I came inside for a pit stop and went right back outside for another 50 minutes. That time I had to move my chair so that my legs were in the sunshine because it was actually chilly out there in the low humidity breeze. Later on today when it gets to 97 I predict that I will be in my studio apartment, comfortable even with five one-week-old-one-inch-long slices in my abdomen--praise the Lord that they are healing nicely.



Blessing No. 2 - The electricity to run my frig and my window unit and my TV and my computer--you get the picture. It's 82 now, and I'm comfortable.



Blessing No. 3 - These strawberries, blueberries, and cherries that one of my sons picked up for me earlier on at Freddie's.

Blessing No. 4 - Those two loving, helpful sons of mine, Lamont and Leland!

Blessing No. 5 - My job and the wonderful folks with whom I work and the Family Medical Leave Act which protects my job for me.

Blessing No. 6 - My little Mama's old blue plush recliner where I'm headed in a little while. I woke up at 1 a.m. and stayed awake for at least three hours before falling a sleep for may two, so I will listen to my body and take a nap soon.

Blessing No. 7 - The massive number of folks praying for me as I experience these changes in my life. I thank the Good Lord for each of you, and I can feel the power of your prayers and love.



All that's left after I've enjoyed my blessings, y'all.

Leland took these photos on Saturday while I picked blueberries.

There I sit in my folding lawn chair, picking blueberries at Bella Organic on Saturday. I'm so glad that I thought to take that chair outside my building so that Leland could put it in the trunk of his car for the ride to Sauvie Island. Then he and/or Rachel carried it for me. I am so blessed. Thanks, you two!



I really like this photo that Leland took! Such a unique perspective!

Sunshine, shade, a breeze, blueberries and two special people equal a great outing on Sauvie Island

I brought up the rear as we walked from the store at Bella Organic on Sauvie Island, north of Portland, towards the blueberry U-Pick site. Rachel carried the two buckets we picked up at the store. Leland carried my folding lawn chair and the tote bag with our empty, lidded containers inside it. All of us wore straw hats and thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine. We walked all the way to the dark green trees as instructed and then turned right to cross the public road. It was not a short walk to where we were told we could pick blueberries, but it was not such a long one that I asked myself just what am I getting into here. Plus, I knew that chair would give me a rest, much like the benches where I walk in my neighborhood and at work. I am blessed.



We crossed the public road as instructed and headed for the bushes to the right of the private road--the young man had said we should pick from rows between orange cones and then pointed out that the farther you walked, the less picked over the bushes would likely be. Leland felt as if his hat would blow right off his head when we were out of the cover cover those tall trees had provided. So, Rachel's helping out with her one empty hand as Leland attempts to tighten the strap beneath his chin with his one empty hand. Team work! When I had put my hat on after we got out of the car, I tightened the strap up to my chin, and I also pulled the hat down onto my head so that it fit tightly across my forehead. Still, as we crossed that public road, I felt the front brim fly straight up, but the hat didn't budge. Whew!



Once Leland's hat felt secure, we walked down the road, then into the grass to take a look at the blueberry bushes and available shade for me and my chair. We made it not all the way down to the end of the orange cones but to a fine place for me and my chair. I rested, took a few photos, then decided to pick some blueberries. Soon, I realized as loaded as the bushes were, I could take my chair with me and pick while seated in the sunshine. It was quite comfortable, y'all. I had a blast!



Leland took a few photos, then started picking into one of the buckets. I enjoyed hearing the plop of each berry as it hit the bottom of that plastic bucket.



Leland gave me a thumbs up when he looked up from picking. Love it! And that T-shirt he's wearing. It's from where he works, Ascentec Engineering. They had a get-together on May 4, May the 4th Be With You, in honor of something they're working on about liquid hydrogen and space travel. Don't ask me for details 'cause it's beyond my frame of reference, much less remembering. Oh, and you can see that he's already loosened the strap of his hat--light breeze among the rows of bushes, nothing that would blow your hat off your head.



Some of the berries I photographed while sitting in my chair, down the row, then I picked them and put them in that same red bucket Leland had been using. He got a Nancy's Yogurt container out of the tote bag that I had bought last October in Pitlochry, Scotland, and used it so that I would have the bucket with a handle.



Here comes Rachel. It's time for us to pool our berries and head for the store to purchase them. One more errand to accomplish on the way back to my apartment, then the two of them would head to some friends to grill. It was a splendid outing! I'm very happy they asked me to go along, especially since there is the very real possibility that by next Saturday I could be back at square one with my being able to walk very far at the time, if I have that surgery on Thursday. Plus, the weather is predicted to be very hot this week and beyond. One more reason to hope that I don't have cancer and that I therefore don't need that surgery--I'll be in the A/C at work this week when it's 80 to 90 degrees, and the week after when it starts out at 98 degrees on Monday and Tuesday. No matter what, I shall endure, even the predicted 97 next Saturday and the 103 a week from today. I have plenty of fans, lots of windows, and easily hung ways to keep the sunshine out.