A Little Help from My Friends

My daughter Ani leaves for her hospital rotations pretty early in the morning.  I always like for her to tell me she's leaving (if I'm not up), and also to let me know she's made it to the hospital by texting me when she gets there.   I know, I know...it's a bit overprotective, but it's what we do.  Anyways,  because I wrote that post last night, I was in the mode of "thinking" about taking a walk at some time today.

When Ani left this morning,  I looked at my blackberry at my bedside.  The usual email notifications, one more pink ribbon bracelet sale (thank you!), and a "comment" on my blog post from my dear friend in Japan telling me basically to get off the couch....or even think about selling the couch...but basically a call to get up and out and get moving.  So I'm lying in bed reading this...and another comment came in.  This time on Facebook, from my friend Sandra.  Another word of encouragement. 

So I didn't roll over and go back to sleep.  I didn't wait for Ani's text saying she got to the hospital. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, put on my clothes and laced up my shoes.  And off I went.  I have to tell you, it was beautiful out.  The air was cool and scented with jasmine that's blooming all over my neighborhood.  And according to mapmyrun.com my first morning walk totaled 1.13 miles!  Yay me.  Tomorrow I will go further!

I was trying to take in, with fresh eyes, some of the sites and goings on around me.  Here's some of what I saw:

A grandma sweeping the curb while her grandson waited with his backpack for his ride to school
The fog hugging the foothills
Some beautifully manicured yards
Some very dead and not so beautiful yards...yellowed from no water?  water shortage? or just lack of care?
Cactus blooming at curbside in a very unsuspecting rock garden
A car with a C-clamp clamped to its hood to hold it down while driving!
A jasmine-scented corridor where about 50 feet of my walk was permeated with this beautiful fragrance
A really old dog on his walk with his not-so-old owner
A neighbor's fence made entirely of nautical spools?  Round and wooden.  Very cool. 
Dewdrops on roses
The white mulberry tree on the corner is starting to blossom/make berries
Crazy, vining morning glories
Pomegranate trees blooming!

And I took a few pictures...just so you believe I was there.  : )
Thank you everyone for your encouragement and prayers!  I am on the road to feeling better everyday!  I get by with a little help from my friends!

Here's the cool cactus flower!

My neighbor, Dave's garden...always nice.  That's my car in the driveway just beyond.  This was as I was coming back home.  You can see the foothills in fog in the background...sort of.

I don't know what ths flower is but it's a huge, drought tolerant scrub.  I had heard that it's called a Mexican Rose.  It's really very showy and beautiful.

I saw lots of roses with dewdrops.

And here's that incredible wall of jasmine.  As I approached it, there was no fragrance...and then about 10 feet into it, you get hit!  and after you pass it, the fragrance hangs in a cloud beyond it.