Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Of Smoke, Selle and Seoul . . . .




Of Selle . . . .






It was supposed to be a brief sit-down moment with a bite of cheese for lunch, but it ended up lasting for more than an hour. 

My standard policy for most days is to work outside for at least a couple of hours and then come in for a break.

In late morning, that break involves nibbling on a chunk of cheddar and a getting a peek into the news.  

At our house, we tend to watch the "Fake News" channel during the day, which, most of the time has pretty much the same news I read and see on most other media. 

So, I'm assuming that when we saw the first footage of smoke coming from the top of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, others were seeing the same horrifying image on other channels, billions of others, in fact. 

Regardless of which medium told us about the monumental tragedy in Paris, pretty much all of us around the world lament the loss of religious history and magnificent iconic beauty.  

There's good news this morning that two French billionaires are putting up hundreds of millions of dollars to see that the worldwide structure which attracts 13 million visitors annually is repaired. 

Twas also good news to learn that some treasures within, including the organ and stain-glassed windows were saved, as was a good portion of the structure. 

In the moment that turned into an hour's worth of watching hundreds of years of history evaporating in flames, I could hardly wrap my arms around the concept of all the major historical events that have happened in this world while the structure rose and stood for more than 800 years. 

To use "monumental" seems almost insufficient, when we think of the Middle Ages and the French Revolution and the world wars and so much more. 

After more than 800 years of standing strong during worldwide struggles, a major portion of the church disintegrated in about an hour as people around the world watched on their TVs or via the Internet. 

During this time, I texted with a few friends and family who had visited Notre Dame Cathedral. 

"It was my favorite place in Paris," texted my daughter-in-law Debbie.  She visited a few years ago with her friend Alicia and said they spent more time there than any other Parisian icon. 

My friend Chris, who studied for a year in Paris, simply sent back a sad-face icon. 

Much is lost, but from the news, both fake and real, it's wonderful news to learn that the building will some day return to its magnificence, thanks to prayers, to determination and to generosity given with love. 

Meanwhile, even though I did spend too much time sitting on the couch watching the French disaster yesterday, I tried to make up for it later in a day that seemed very transitional as we move on from yuck yuck wet, to yes, yes, sunshine and spring are a-comin!

Horses enjoyed their day out in the round pen, out of the mud, and Liam was a pretty good pup, spending most of his day in his dog run with Foster.  

Kiwi enjoyed free run of the place and occasionally trotted over to the dog run, flaunting her freedom to her two friends.

With dogs and Bill in the house after dinner, I even felt a little tinge of freedom, taking off on foot across the north lawn and down South Center Valley Road.

 Our road is still dotted with bulging winter zits rising from the surface.  With luck, a grader will come by and smooth those out.

For now, they serve as very efficient speed bumps. 

It felt good to get back to my evening walks through the neighborhood.  

As I passed one house, I saw its occupants outside with their rakes, collecting winter riffraff for a bonfire which was putting up some smoke. 

Off in the distance, I saw a rider coming home from an evening of plodding down the road on her horse.  

Later, when I returned, Bill practiced some walking with his crutches in the front yard, where, though soggy, it's drying up.

He's doing more every day, and has just one week of "50 percent weight" on that foot before advancing to 100 percent. 

I'm sure it's probably okay if he cheats once in a while. 

I won't tell. 

Spring is coming. Moods are improving. 

Soon, along with that, will come more and more outdoor work, but, for the most part, it's all good.  

















Of Seoul . . . .with Annie

Hard to believe that the world traveler is on her way home to Seattle from her latest adventure and that in three days she'll be back here at the Lovestead to share her stories. 

I don't know how this trip ranks with her two Camino journeys or her visits Down Under or all those trips to various European countries or to Japan, but I'm guessing it was a favorite. 

Talk about a full dose of embracing new cultures in three different countries in a region she had never visited.

It's been fun seeing the images.  Now, it will be fun hearing the stories.  

Photos below were taken earlier today/yesterday in Seoul, South Korea. 

Actually today is lasting a long, long time for Annie who started today about 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon. 

I have a feeling she won't be Sleepless in Seattle tonight. 

Enjoy. 

Welcome home, Annie, and thanks for sharing.



















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