Paradise ponders...

Paradise ponders...  The construction effort is progressing, albeit more slowly than we would like.  The current work involves removing about 10 cubic yards of soil that was dug out for the foundations of our mud room and our sun room.  They're planning to be done with that today, but I suspect they will not.  Jim J. (our contractor) came over today to talk doors: he had some details from the factory on just what doors we could possibly have made, and this required a bit of compromise (nothing we really object to) for two of our doors.  Naturally those were the two we asked for really odd things on :)  Jim also told me to expect some lumber to show up soon, as they're just about ready to build the floors.

Yesterday evening the low sun angle made a pretty scene in the trees next to our shed.  My brother Scott tells me they're some kind of cherry, with this bright red foliage.  Some photos:

This morning, bright and early, we drove up to the Logan Regional hospital for Debbie to take her first hydrotherapy session.  The pool there is very much like the one shown at right.  The floor of the pool is a treadmill, and the floor can be arbitrarily raised (right up to even with the pool's edges) or lowered (to 7' deep).  The walls of the pool are festooned with cameras which can be selected for viewing on a big monitor.  This lets both the patient and the therapist see exactly what's happening.  Getting Debbie into the pool could hardly be any easier: the therapist raised the floor all the way up, we wheeled her onto the (now dry) pool floor, she stood up (holding onto those rails) and the therapist lowered her down into the water.  By adjusting her depth, he could precisely control how much weight she was actually putting on her surgical leg – and she got to practice walking while only putting a small fraction of her total weight onto that leg.  The session went well, especially in that she increased her range of motion by 5°!  A few more sessions like that and she'll have full range of motion back!

It's really hard to beat...

It's really hard to beat ... meeting up with old friends, which is what we did for part of yesterday.  Despite our sketchy appearance, the folks at Jack's Wood Fired Pizza let us in for lunch (trade was slow, admittedly).  For those of who don't know us, that's Debbie and I in the lower row.  Left-to-right in the upper row is Doug W. (whom I've known for over 25 years – he and I worked together at Stac Electronics), his sister Marilyn (who lives fairly close to us, in Ogden), and Doug's wife Dee.  As always, their visit was too short for us – but it was really nice to see them again.  Doug gets up here to northern Utah a couple times a year, mainly for church-related activities, and Dee often comes with him for activities of her own.  We have some hope of seeing them once in a while :)

Yesterday was also a big day for Debbie: this was her first time out to a restaurant since her injury in late May.  Jack's was a great selection for that outing, with their delicious soups and pizzas, and this time complete with great company!

If you're wondering who took the photo, it was our waiter.  He told me that he took two photos, in case one didn't turn out.  In fact he took four, all just a fraction of a second apart.  I suspect he's not an iPhone expert :)

Quote of the day...

Quote of the day...  From Ace:

People are so horrifically stupid that I cannot wait until the aliens come and kill us all. I'll actually be on their side. When they show up, I'm going to sneak towards their space armada and offer my services as a behind-the-lines saboteur and quisling.

I know exactly how he feels...