Perpetual Ruminations

Unproductive Day

I had plans to get some yard work done today, since I was feeling pretty good, but it's almost eight in the evening and I've accomplished squat. Not that I'm complaining, it was a good day.

I've been waiting to get our Yukon into the shop to get a front wheel bearing replaced because we've been short on funds since this cancer BS started. But we recently got a check from the VA after they determined my cancer is service-related, and I used part of it to get my truck fixed.

The garage called and said it was ready about ten this morning, so after finishing our Bible study, we drove into town to pick it up. It's been sitting in the garage since May, with only a few times being started and backed out of the garage for a spell. So, I thought it would be a good idea to drive it and burn up some of the old gas; it had just under a half a tank left over from this past spring.

So, we loaded up the dogs and drove over to Maplewood State Park and spent the afternoon driving around the park. It was pretty well empty, and they are getting ready to close it down for the year, so we were glad we took the time to tour it one last time. We will likely still drive out there with the dogs, but most of it will be inaccessible except by foot. With the chemo, walking is a challenge most days. I get winded after about twenty feet, my neuropathy makes me unstable, and I'm sensitive to the cold; I have to wear gloves to take anything out of the fridge, so any cold-weather hiking/walking will have to wait until I'm recovered from chemo.

It was a beautiful drive, and there is still a fair amount of fall foliage, but the trees are becoming bare quickly now. We also saw some swans, one pair with a youngster, a very timid doe, a lot of squirrels, furious song birds migrating through, and one very brave young buck who seemed as curious about us as we were about him.

It was a wonderful afternoon, the park was all but deserted, so we didn't have to put the dogs on their leashes when we did stop and walk a bit; with my issues, we just stopped in a remote campground and walked a bit on the road. The dogs, however, ran every which way as they sniffed and explored.

It may have been an unproductive day, but I wouldn't change it for anything.