Yes, there's gas in the car.*
Today was a drive to and walk from walk. The drive is only to a spot 1/2 mile from home, but it allows me to take off from a spot closer to where I'd rather walk and take pictures. I only managed a 1.56-mile walk this morning, but as late as bedtime last night, I wouldn't have thought that possible. On Friday afternoon, I had jammed my bare left foot into a bedroom door frame and experienced an accelerating level of pain where one might think they're going to pass out. Fortunately, the bed was right there. It was an anniversary event of sorts. In March of 2025, I did something similar in the kitchen. That time, I went full stride with my naked left foot into a firmly planted kitchen chair leg, pushing that chair leg solidly between my fourth and fifth toes. That event surely involved a fracture; recovery took a good eight weeks. I've concluded that Friday's incident would most likely be diagnosed as a grade 2 sprain, a partially torn ligament, noticeable swelling, and significant bruising. I have my toes “buddy-taped." Yesterday, I walked 1.06 miles, and that was a mistake. Today was modestly manageable.
Here are a few pictures taken on today's walk.
Sunday, March 22nd.
Parkinsonia florida, the blue palo verde. This is the first thing you will notice walking into the local botanical garden. Absolutely stunning.
Not knowing how well I would do with the walk and considering the issues I had on Saturday, I had skipped going through most of the arboretum, which is near the entrance of the campus. It was just a slight detour for me to get off the beaten path and head directly to the garden. Since spring has officially sprung, even though it has felt a lot more like summer for the past week, I wanted to see if there was an up-tick in hummingbird activity. Hummingbird central is the one and only Eremophila 'Fairy Floss' (racemosa x maculata) bush inside the garden. I counted five hummingbirds vying for that territory. I was most interested in spotting my friend, Laukki, a male Allen's hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin). Laukki spends most of his time chasing away other hummingbirds.
Here's Laukki perched on twigs from the eucalyptus tree that overlooks the Eremophila.
This female Anna's hummingbird is the only other bird I saw getting away with some nectar from the Fairy Floss. The "floss" clings to all the beaks.
Berberis bealei, also known as leatherleaf mahonia, Beale's barberry, is a species of evergreen shrub native to mainland China.
That was on my way out of the garden. There was a brief moment where I needed to decide on a right or left-hand turn. Turn left and the walk would have been just over two miles. I turned right. I didn't think pushing my luck with the bum baby toe would be a wise decision. I'm glad I got out; the music on my head was wonderful. By engaging in physical movement and experiencing nature, I moved from a place of mental, linear chaos back to a calm, centered state of being. Kitties welcoming me home kept the mood upbeat. My thanks to Lucy and Junimoon.
To Vit too... A quick update on feral friend Vit the cat. Vit was seriously injured sometime between February 9th and the 10th. A head injury, right side causing significant swelling. He ultimately got 17, 100-130mg, 1x daily doses of amoxicillin, and he was doing much, much better. There has been a large scab on top of deep tissue damage, and it was taking forever to fall. On Thursday, the 19th, he had apparently tried to kick off the remaining portion near the base of his right ear. The situation was non-negotiable; he needed to go back on amoxicillin ASAP. I got some mixed and was able to get it into the last of his Friskies before he finished, but he decided to leave. Since Thursday, he's had three daily doses of amoxicillin. Just as a reminder or if you have no idea what I'm talking about. Here's Vit with Juni as a kitten before she was fully adopted and on board indoors. I'm about 98% sure Vit is Juni's dad.
That's all I have.
*Kid Charlemagne
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