More sun, shade, sidewalk. I do look up when I'm out and about, promise, but these shadows lately have been fascinating.

Some mornings as I head for the bus shelter, I walk out the front door of my building--variety is the spice of life, so said my 8th and 9th grade social studies teacher, Melvin Kellogg Bruss. I'm happy that I did the other morning because I got to see another great sun, shade, sidewalk combo.

Sun. Shade. Blossoms. Bees. Serendipity.

Once I came back down the steps from the thrift shop on Saturday, I turned west to walk back to my building. That's when I noticed the busy bees and their yellow blossoms. The bees flighted so quickly that I'm very surprised I managed to get a couple of photos with them in focus. I've cropped so that you'll have a better view.



The yellow blossoms grow as a ground cover on a slope that at it's highest point, it's a bit above my eye level. If I hadn't been standing in the shade, I'd never have been able to stand there long enough to keep trying to photograph a bee. It was 90 degrees on my iPhone's weather app.



Bee on the move, upper left corner, silhouette. Cropped so that it's easier for you to see.



Same image, uncropped, to give you an idea of just how difficult it was to find those bees in time to take a photo. Blossoms all over the place, dark shadowy spaces in between, quick moving bees. What a trip!



While I stood there taking photos, I noticed several blossoms sort of standing alone, not in the turmoil where the bees flitted. I wonder if the bees knew their pollen had already been gathered? Otherwise, why ignore such pretty blossoms?

Sun. Shade. Sidewalks. Serendipity. Redux.

Saturday I turned the corner to walk on the sidewalk to go to the thrift shop behind the Albertina Kerr building. Immediately I noticed the dappled shade and sunlight beneath the leafy tree at the corner. Another great photo op!



These are the concrete steps up to the thrift shop. More dappled sunlight and shade, plus great shadows created by the handrail. The brown bits you see are debris that has fallen from the nearby trees.



Here's a photo of the steps--I stopped halfway up to take it. Besides the sunlight and shade, you see more of the brown debris that has fallen from the nearby trees.

Sun. Shade. Sidewalks. Serendipity.

As I walked across the street to head to the corner, I made a conscious decision to walk in the shade, if I could manage to not have to rub against the originator of the shade, that giant hedge. I quickly realized that wasn't going to happen, and, at the same time, I noticed that my left arm felt cooler air on it than my right arm. On my iPhone the temp registered 90 degrees, so I was surprised that the shade made a noticeable difference as I stopped and stood there to take this photo. I love paying attention to what's going on around me, but this, this was wonderful. Serendipity today, being in the moment, aware, experiencing. Yea!



Before continuing around the corner, I turned to look north towards NE Sandy and took this photo, just to document the hedge, the shade, the sunshine, the sidewalk. Wonderful to live in a neighborhood with such sidewalks.

Flickr and Blogger continue to drive me crazy. I really wish I knew more about what's happening and understood if there's something I need to do to stop it from happening. Whew. Anyway, the photos are so small right now that I'm sad, but at least they are on the post. I thought for a few minutes that I'd never get it done today!

UPDATE and why I went outside again this morning.

UPDATE:

Yesterday evening the outer dressings came off my two incisions without any trouble. Hooray! Woke up at 1:45 a.m. and finally got back to sleep around 2:30 a.m. Slept until 6:15 a.m. which means I got some rest. I ate breakfast after I woke up the second time. Still no nausea or taste alterations. The peripheral neuropathy continues to get better--thank goodness. When it does happen, it's mostly in my feet. Since I need to build up my stamina before Chemo Round Two, I walked outside in the shade yesterday for a total of 4583 steps, according to the Health app on my iPhone 6 Plus. That's four times my daily average. Hooray! This morning when I went outside, the skies were overcast, so I was able to walk in my neighborhood and made it 1194 steps in about 20 minutes. I'll be back outside in the shade until much later today because the sun has come out. I am blessed to live where I do, to have the opportunities during my recovery. Thank you for your continued prayers, love and concern.



Yesterday when I walked outside on the south side of the building in the shade, I made it to the corner of my building and saw the beautiful sunshine in the banana tree in the southern end of the front yard. The two-story Albertina Kerr building across the street makes great early morning shade.



I continued toward the front steps and took this photo at a different angle from all the others I've taken of our front sidewalk and entrance.



Here's the sunshine that I needed to avoid. Isn't it beautiful?



To me, the proximity of these roses and the difference in the age of their blooms makes for a great photo. What do you think, please?

Chemo Round One, Day 2. Three cheers for the window unit and the anti-nausea meds!

I slept from 11:30 until 4 a.m. When I woke up, I was hungry. I toasted a King Hawaiian bun--there really is very little Land o' Lakes butter on that bun, I have no idea why it looks so shiny--put a few blueberries, grapes and cherries with it on my sunny yellow salad plate, filled up my cup with hot Twinings English Breakfast Tea and my mug with 28 ounces of water. Before I took this photo, I ate two bites of half of the bun. Between 4:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., I ate the rest of this, interspersed with napping in the recliner and talking on the phone with Lamont to be certain that I understood my meds' schedule for Day 2. I believe I finally have it straight and have entered correct reminders in my phone in case I'm napping. I want to take those anti-nausea ones on schedule since I'm getting ready for Day 3 which could be the day that I get hit with nausea, etc.



I was told yesterday to not go out in the sun without sunblock. Since we are supposed to get to 100 degrees, or at least close to it, today, I will not be wasting any sunblock just to get in some walking. I have a great place to walk indoors, through the hallways and up the various carpeted stairs. Here's a photo looking down onto my apartment's windows, to the left. You can see my splendid window unit in place and doing its wonderful thing for my little studio. Three cheers for the window unit! When I took this photo at 8:34 a.m., I checked the weather app--it was 73 degrees.



I walked through that multi-glass-paned door, across this landing and explored the hallways off it. Then I took this photo so that you could get an idea of how great a place I have for indoor walking, with carpet and stairs and handrails almost everywhere. My window unit is peeking through the bottom right corner of the rightmost window. Three cheers for the window unit!



One more photo from the landing before I explored some more. You can see someone who lives upstairs from me has a window unit. I also know that the people who live next to me, as you look to your right, have a window unit. They also have a darling little pug named Charlotte. Their window unit is not visible in the photo, like mine and my upstairs neighbor's. Three cheers for all of these window units! Not everyone in the building has one, though, so I hope all of them have lots of fans and/or shade from trees to help them out during these continuous days of mid-90s.



This is the first floor vestibule--the sun coming through the front door makes a sort of church-window-like impression on the tile floor. I like this vestibule a whole lot, especially that brown bench on the left which is a great place to sit for spell if one is spent, energy-wise. I had plenty of energy and walked through the multi-glass-paned door and up the five stairs you can sort of see through it, at least the white-painted wood not covered by the carpet on each step. I walked up and down my hallway and decided to go out onto the completely shaded sidewalk. I had my keys with me, of course, so I knew that I could get back inside without getting into the sunshine.



Shade to the west.



Shade to the east. Outside that gate I could go either across the street to Albertina Kerr and its rose gardens, or I could sit in my aluminum folding chair. Not doing any of that today unless it is after sundown which is supposed to happen at 8:43 p.m. I'm going to set a reminder on my phone to check it out then, sunwise, especially if I'm going stir crazy in here. Who knows, I might get up early again tomorrow and feel like going out for a bit before sunrise. I imagine it will be close to when it came up today at 5:53 a.m.



I walked east and into the other building in my little apartment complex, straight through it to its front entrance that faces south. I looked out and realized that I could go out there for a short walk in shade. Hooray!



When I reached the top of the stairs, I realized I was going to be holding onto that handrail because these are a bit steep.



Here's the side entrance to my building which I use very often. I like the gate's shadow on the sidewalk. I could tell that it was pretty warm already out there and believe the weather man's report about what we will have here today. As I'm typing two and a half hours after I took these photos, it is already 82 degrees.



I walked in the grass beneath the trees as far as I dared go and was able to at least see Albertina Kerr's building and that massive and well-tended hedge around the front yard. I turned around and walked into my building through the side entrance. I'd have been foolish to have continued up the sidewalk and in through the front entrance which is to the right, off that sidewalk beside the street. I don't want to tempt fate where any possible chemo side effects are involved. So far, so good, y'all! Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and concern.

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.