This Interesting Mundane Life

We've just had a thunderstorm--the first honest-to-goodness one in a very long time.  The hail, wind, and lightening that accompanied it were a bit frightening, but all is quiet now.  We'll wait for daylight to assess the situation.  I really wish for a garage whenever there's hail.  

Miller Seed recorded a 60 MPH wind gust a little after 5:00--long before the storm arrived--or was the outrageous wind worth calling a storm all by itself?  I was out and about in the wind for nearly four hours today.   Much of that time I was in town where structures and trees provided some shelter.  On the road, a strong side wind made it imperative that I keep a firm grip on the steering wheel, exerting constant pressure to keep the vehicle from drifting downwind.  

My mission today was to tour several of the gardens that will be on our Master Gardener tour.  The first place featured a garden wrapped around a lovely little cottage north of 17th and Adams.  Because we visited first at the dining room table, I got to see the cottage on the inside.  I'm still awed at  all the open shelves in the kitchen and the room next to it, with every shelf loaded with what I assume is Fiesta Ware. Light Green, Gold and Turquoise were the colors I noted.  None of it looked cluttered--only artful and nicely arranged. When I pulled up to this place, it seemed familiar.  Sure enough, Hiromi and I had seen the place on the 2007 garden tour.   

The second place was very different.  It was located straight south of Dillon Nature Center on a seven-acre property.  Almost all of it was developed in recent years by a now-retired journalist/photographer.  I love the way some of it is left wild, either in grasslands or forest, but in an area around the house and the driveway, many lovely gardens are set into the perimeter of the irrigated grassy area.  This gardener is a new Master Gardener--something he undertook after retirement. I had visited with him yesterday and failed to make the connection that it was his place I was planning to visit today.

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We had our second meal of fresh asparagus today. That 23-degree temperature didn't seem to have fazed it much.  I'm glad.  

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Hiromi has developed a very sore foot in the last day or two.  Today he visited our faithful chiropractor, Dr. Wilkens, and he was told that some of the joints in his foot were very locked up.  That's pretty much what Hiromi had figured out before he made the appointment.     

Let me tell you what I like about our chiropractor.  1.  He's gentle.  None of this bone-cracking wrenching action. 2.  His rates are reasonable: $30.00 per treatment. Medicare covers it  .3.  He never makes you come back repeatedly unless you feel a need for it. 4.  I can almost always call in the morning and get an appointment for that day.  5.  He's a person of integrity.  6.  He's good at answering questions, and I often learn something from him.   7.  I always get help when I go there. 8.  He doesn't hesitate to send you to a medical doctor if he thinks you need it.  

A friend of ours told us several times that he saved her mother 's life.  She had gone to see him and he recognized the symptoms of a serious heart problem.  She went straight to a doctor from his office and was scheduled for surgery almost immediately.