American Legion in Woodstock

The American Legion is a large organization of military veterans.

The Biden administration has increased medical care for our veterans. It’s too late for some of them but it is vital to many.

Probably the Last Time

Today I drove to the allergist's office in Burke for the last time. They are moving to McLean. That's farther away and the Northern Virginia traffic can be pretty awful.

It takes almost 90 minutes to drive to Burke and I allowed two hours because traffic has made me late before. I was on I-66 when they called me to say they were running late so they moved my appointment from 1:30 to 2 PM. Okay then, I'll stop for lunch.

I remembered seeing a Popeye's restaurant under construction the last time I went through Haymarket, so I stopped there. I had red beans and rice and browsed on my iPhone.

After my appointment, I did some grocery shopping, which was frustrating because both stores I went to were out of things that I wanted. I also had to deal with construction zones and traffic. My navigation app failed to avoid these.

Anyway, I stopped to take a picture of this marker on Burke Road. The history it tells is more recent then I usually see on historical markers.

Signs 2

Copperthite Raceway was constructed in 1907 for harness racing. “Horse, motorcycle and car races were also featured. Special trains from the Washington, D.C. area brought visitors to Burke, where they could stay at the new hotel. Families enjoyed fairs, Fort Myer cavalry drills, balloon ascensions, baseball games, athletic contests and dances at the pavilion. For nearly a decade, thousands were entertained at the Copperthite racetrack and fairground."

Rain and Flowers, Skyline Drive

Shenandoah National Park

Yesterday I shared photos of a market in Luray that I took on Tuesday. Before going there, I drove part of the second section of Skyline Drive from Thornton Gap to Big Meadows. I really like going up there on rainy days. Chances are I’ll drive in and out of the clouds, not knowing whether I’ll find a view around the next curve or a patch of fog.

If you enter the park at Thornton Gap and head south, you soon pass through the Mary's Rock Tunnel. I've shown better pictures of it before, so I combined some into collages to save space.

I had heard that the azaleas were blooming along the drive, so I wanted to get photos of them. It's kind of silly because I have taken these pictures in previous years, but they always look a little different in different weather.

At Big Meadows, I hiked into the meadow, but not too far because my feet get really sore. The appointment that had gotten canceled that morning was for the podiatrist. The bone spur on top of my right foot has come back, six years after surgery. Also, I’m getting one on my left foot! 

Winter Skies and Weather

This first shot is an accident. I had taken a picture from the car window and accidentally touched the button as I put the phone down. I suspect we've all done that with our phones. Usually I delete those pictures but this one I like.

The next picture is one I took from the veterinary as I picked Charlie up from daycare. This was at 5:23 PM and the days are getting longer. 

Charlie usually goes to doggy daycare twice a week so that I can go to physical therapy followed by other appointments or shopping. This week I had to leave him in daycare three times because I had extra appointments, including one to an orthopedic office. (They said my hip pain is due to bursitis, by the way.)  Because of this plus one rainy day, he did not get to go to the dog park until today, and it was bitter cold. I bundled up and dressed him in his jacket. We didn’t stay out there long because a bitter wind was blowing. No one else was there, but he needed exercise and ran hard and chased a ball. He got tired enough that he took a nap in the car.

Here it is February and we still haven’t had measurable snow this winter. On Wednesday morning, there was a light dusting of snow, but it’s melted quickly. I took this picture on our first morning walk.

The View from Eagles Edge Trail

Seven Bends State Park

After a rainy morning, the weather was mild this afternoon so I took Charlie to the state park for a walk. Although I have a cold, I was feeling well enough to walk a little farther than I have in a while. The pain in my left hip has subsided, except for early in the morning. My right ankle feels stronger than it has in over a year.

Charlie has plenty of energy and needs exercise. We followed the trail past the river access point. We did not see any eagles, although I met two people who have seen them in this part of the park.

The suspension bridge provides a pedestrian exit in case the low bridge into the park gets flooded. Sometimes the Shenandoah River rises and both roads into the park are closed.

Eagles Edge Trail is on the Lupton Road side of the park. This part of the park used to be a summer camp for Massanutten Military Academy.

Mosaic / Sunday Best / Backroads 

A Pretty Mural in Manassas

This afternoon I went to the endodontist in Manassas, and afterward I went back to a mural that I had spotted there previously because I wanted to take a picture of it.

Monday Murals

This is on the side of Washington Glass Fabrication. I could not get a picture from the car because there’s no place to pull over, so I had to park and walk to a vantage point. It was worth the effort. Note the Escher-style birds on the right.

The reason I went to Manassas was that my dentist recommended a specialist there for a root canal. Failures of this procedure are fairly common and this office has advanced equipment. I had the first part of the root canal (ouch) on my previous visit and this was a follow up. Unfortunately, there is still one nerve showing signs of infection, so I will have to go back again! (It seems unfair because I’ve always taken care of my teeth but I have had a lot of problems with them.) 

 

Anthurium

Floral Friday / Black and White Weekend / Garden Affair

I spotted this anthurium in a medical office. I was there to get help for hip pain, which has gotten worse lately. The provider set me up with an appointment with an orthopedic doctor and also prescribed a short course of prednisone. 

The medication helped with the pain, which had gotten so bad I could barely crawl out of bed in the morning. Unfortunately it has digestive side effects so I will be happy when I finish the package on Monday. 

I am going to physical therapy twice a week. It does not seem to be helping much but I realize building strength takes a long time.

Photo of the Year 2022

City Daily Photo has a theme for the first of each month, and the theme for January 1st is always Photo of the Year. It isn’t easy choosing one so I made digital copies of images I thought were worthy and then clicked through them several times. I decided on this river scene because it is intriguing, the golden light is pretty, and the location is the Shenandoah River, which is one focus of my blog.

I’ll show you the runners up in collage form to save space.

The young woman is showing her child an exhibit of photos of endangered animals. The icy tree is a recent shot that I took while walking my dog.

A dramatic sky will often prompt me to take a picture.

The Love sign and the small garden are both at Seven Bends State Park. I work with a group that supports the park and I logged 101 volunteer hours in 2022. The park is still being developed but it is open for hiking, fishing, canoeing, and picnicking. There is a great play area for children near the Hollingsworth Road entrance.

The final four images show a hawk, Charlie and me, a unicorn, and a deer. Looking at these reminds me that I saw some wonderful things in the past year. 

As 2022 Draws to an End.

It wasn’t a bad year yet it wasn’t great either. There was plenty of worrisome news, and while I appreciate that  my life is fairly easy, I fear for the future of the world.

Here I am in a beautiful area, yet I feel mired down by pains and my diminishing abilities. Life is full of challenges yet achingly ordinary.

Yesterday I had a root canal in Manassas. Carbocaine kept the pain away until it wore off, and then oh boy! And now I seem to be reacting to NSAIDS. A month ago I had outpatient surgery for female problems, or are they aging problems? Also, my left hip is very sore, especially when I first get up in the morning. 

And my washing machine stopped running. Today I ordered a new one. It should be here on Monday. I know, first world problems! 

Both Marie and Allison have recently recovered from Covid. I still haven’t gotten it, knock on wood.

Well, the weather was nice today and Charlie enjoyed the dog park. Let’s hope we can make 2023 a good year. 

 

A View from the Dental Office

Birds in Juniper Tree

Yesterday I went to the dentist because I've had a swollen place on my gums for a while. Originally I was going last week but I canceled because I was exposed to Covid. Fortunately, I did not come down with it.

Some of the treatment rooms look out on an atrium and there are birdfeeders out there. While I was waiting for the dentist to come in and examine my x-rays, I tried to take pictures of birds with my cell phone. The birds disappeared when I stood close to the window so I had to step back and make the best of it. A colorful bluejay and male cardinal did not come back but I got a few pictures of other birds.

Dr. Zunka said I have an infection under tooth #19. He recommended an endodontist in Manassas fot a root canal. I was not happy to hear this but it will be a relief to get that taken care of.

Large Church on a Mountain

This building is on the top of a mountain in West Virginia. I pulled into the parking lot to see the view.

This church has a flashy electronic sign that posted at least four alternating messages, including a graphic of a simplified American flag, which probably offends those who believe churches are for worshiping God rather than the State. Reinforcing their political involvement is this message:

“Thank you Supreme Court. Babies lives matter too.“

The sign made me cringe. Of course babies matter! So do their mothers. But things like this just reinforce the misunderstandings that divide people. Hardly anyone kills actual babies, although certainly they did in ancient times. 

But we don’t even have an agreement on terms and concepts so that we can discuss abortion rationally. When does a zygote become a baby? One person’s opinion is different than another’s. The “soul” is a religious construct, not a physical thing. When I say soul, I mean self-awareness; you might mean something else. And we may have different opinions about when human life begins depending on our religious background. 

I remember when abortion was illegal in this country. People had them anyway. Many women lost their lives having non-sanitary abortions or doing risky things to bring on a miscarriage. Often these were women who already had children and left these children motherless. Is this what we want? 

I realize that people think birth control works. Sometimes it does. Often it doesn’t! If some of the popular methods were parts to a car, they’d be recalled as unsafe. 

I also realize that we have the Internet now and it is full of information on self-abortions. Some of these methods (even some common herbs) are unsafe in the recommended quantity. How many women will die as a result of the Supreme Court decision? Do people not care because they think sex is a sin? Or do they feel that women are unimportant? 

Yes, I am old enough to remember when abortion was illegal, and an older friend did risky things trying to miscarry her second pregnancy. It’s fortunate that she did not break her neck when she threw herself down the stairs! I also remember another friend who was molested by her stepfather and I wonder what would’ve happened if she had gotten pregnant at 13?

The “good old days” were not really that good.

A Month Begins, A Week Ends

It was a mixed week. Some positive things happened but I wound up with a painful backache.

One good thing was that I met up with Lynn for lunch and took her some items I had picked up for her. She had a new hat (Grateful Dead themed) and agreed to pose for me in it.Another positive thing is that her sister is coming for a short visit.

The back pain came on unexpectedly. It started hurting on Wednesday and instead of improving over night, it was worse on Thursday, This morning I could barely get out of bed. Since there was no obvious cause and it was excruciating at times, I thought it might be a side-effect of the augmentin I’m taking for an ear infection. I was unable to reach the doctor today but left a message that I’m taking a break from the meds. 

Several friends have recently tested positive for Covid-19 after avoiding it for over two years. Many people are socializing or traveling and rates of the disease are rising.

On a positive note, a young couple rented my little condo and started moving in today. 

Trying to Stay Well

One of the “joys” of getting older is you get to meet more doctors and nurses. You need to take care of yourself.

I got my second booster of the Covid-19 vaccine today. And two weeks ago I went to a new medical office to address a couple of concerns, one of which is increased fatigue. This resulted in some tests, one of which is scheduled for June. 

Yesterday I went to another new provider hoping to find an effective treatment for weak ankle ligaments. He does some cutting-edge stuff but did not recommend it in my case. There is an effective surgery but it would mean staying off my feet for weeks, and I have qualms about doing that. Aside from the matter of who would take care of me, I am concerned that not walking would be really bad for my aging bones. 

 

Since I was in the Reston area, I did a bit of shopping at two natural foods stores, so I made the most of the trip. Gas is expensive right now.