Barely There

This post-holiday Monday I'm trying to re-engage with myself, get things taken care of and all that. I spent most of yesterday afternoon writing notes on Christmas cards, putting on mailing labels (or writing addresses by hand on a few) and stamping our return address. I know it's better to have fancy cards with printed return addresses and to hand write the recipient address, etc. But I do write something on the back of the (inexpensive) photo cards. I made up about 175 of these yesterday. These were selected from the around 500 address items in my database. Criteria for sending a card is complicated and involves many factors from whether we generally receive a holiday card from the recipient, whether I feel the need to keep in touch or see if the address is correct (will the card come back?), etc. We have received three cards from others already. Two were identical...one addressed to me and one to FFP.

I'm feeling a bit disjointed today. I am going to see an endodontist about my reoccurring weird mouth pain. My dad has been complaining of back problems and although each day he tells me "I'm getting better" he has nevertheless decided to go to the doctor today. He asked me yesterday to go today and shop for his groceries and vacillated today about whether he'd do it himself but finally decided I should do it. Which I'm happy to do. So I have a few errands. I have to mail stuff to Colorado today (some stuff needs to arrive before Christmas) and buy holiday stamps for all those cards. I have to buy and deliver a few groceries for my dad. I have to call the dentist and tell him that I'm going to see the endodontist so he can consult with him if he wishes. And I have to maybe have a root canal. Although probably not since I'm not in a lot of pain so they'll probably schedule it for later. I hate it when you have 'see about root canal' on your 'to do' list. I'd rather shop and I hate to shop. Actually I've never had a root canal, but anything dental is not my favorite. So it goes. I'm worried about my dad, too, of course. He's had a number of months without many complaints and of course I knew it wouldn't last forever.

The photo was taken on South Lamar last month. It evokes my feeling of being barely there in my own life today.

eXtreme dog walking and urban adventuring

I used to do a lot of eXtreme dog walking and urban adventuring. These are sports my friend SuRu and I invented. eXtreme dw involves two people, two dogs, those long (fifteen feet or so) reel leashes and the occasional cat or squirrel. Urban adventuring is the same setup with another person added to garner 'take ones' from houses for sale and hold things while pictures are taken.

Weather (too much heat and some serious rain) and circumstances have reduced the sport to the point that you'd be more likely to catch curling on TV. But yesterday was cool and sunny and the entire team set off when SuRu and Zoey, the black standard poodle, arrived from her new rental across the creek. This makes the third abode in our neighborhood that she's occupied. When she was on Woodview, we'd walk over to her place before the trek; when she lived on Ramsey we'd meet in the middle (somewhere near the now somewhat bland scary house); now it makes sense for her to walk here because in her direction the coffee shop choice is Russell's. And Russell's requires climbing the 'big hill' across Mopac and Russell's has no outside seating for dog owners.

Oh, did I mention coffee and snacks? Definitely a part of the eX dw and ua culture. We chose Upper Crust today. Outside tables? Check. Good snacks? Yes, a Petit Pan au Chocolat bigger than your head (well, maybe a little dog's head). Don't ever eat a cinnamon roll there, however. Gut bombs. Same cinnamon rolls show up at coffee shops around town that aren't also bakeries. Danger. Danger. Eat cinnamon rolls at Sweetish Hill. (Yes, sometimes the eX dw team drives to other neighborhoods and thus has other coffee shop choices.) However, almost everything else at UC is great. SuRu had a not too sweet cookie and FFP a scone. I filled my coffee mug before we left home and again at Upper Crust. Coffee is eX dw fuel.

So it isn't much of a walk from the house to Upper Crust. We went to Ramsey Park after and even south of there. We came back up Ramsey to see if the rental where SuRu lived was rented. No. Good enough for them. It's overpriced.

Along the way, on 40th St. I think, we saw a bush we couldn't identify with bees and butterflies all over it. It was fragrant. Because we had the extra hands for holding a squirmy dog, I took a picture. That is an advantage of urban adventuring, adding that extra person. True the two dogs and two people connected by the long reels of leash make most of the possible 'moves' of eX dw a reality. But there are extra points for capturing pictures like this.

I'm glad the weather has cooperated with my sports. Tennis is nice on a cool, sunny day, too. And I've been getting out there for a bit of that. Tennis is a bit more well-known, too. But I expect eX dw and ua to come into their own. Right now we are the premier team, however.