History mystery

This item was in my city's newsletter, about the corner at the other end of my block:

The pavement at the intersection of 11th and ****** streets has had a long-running problem in that it would not hold level. Several times over the years, the sink hole that would develop there was filled with asphalt. That would solve the problem -- for awhile. Just recently more asphalt was induced to the low area and it also sank.
So on June 7, 2006, the Public Works crew went to evaluate the problem. While excavating the area they found that a large tree, complete with branches, had been buried north to south across the middle of 11th Street. Its decomposition over time had continued to create air pockets that in turn caused the street to sink as those air pockets collapsed under the weight of the ground and traffic above.
As you can imagine, it was a shock to find a tree buried in the middle of the street. This is just another example of the strange things that are encountered from time to time in the process of updating the city's infrastructure.

Now, it doesn't say how big the tree was, but this street was once lined with cottonwoods, according to a book on the town that had been written by a local newspaper reporter years ago. There were big floods here in the 1950s that could have probably taken down a large tree, and the sludge could have buried it. My house was built in the 1930s, though, so you would think there would already be a road here (maybe not paved).
Strange little mystery.

Sad tonight

I got some sad news earlier tonight. The online friend I wrote about earlier this month died Saturday. Some months ago, she had seemed to be getting better, but then found her breast cancer had spread to her brain. They got some of the tumors through surgery and tried radiation and drugs for the others. But it just didn't work. Whenever she posted on the bulletin board through which we met, she always sounded upbeat; even just a week ago her final post on the board sounded better than she probably felt. She kind of went downhill from there, though, having some pain toward the end of the week, but didn't like taking the drugs she had because of the way they made her feel. She died in the ambulance that was taking her to the hospital's hospice care, where they could better manage her pain.

I didn't really know that much about her, other than what we'd discussed about cancer. She lived in the Philadelphia area, she had two cats (as of last Monday, she still had them; I hope they were a comfort). She wasn't on the best of terms with her family. I didn't know her that well, but she provided some good advice and calming words when I first got diagnosed and in my treatment.

Her friend who posted the sad news said that she hoped people would plant a tree in her memory, and others noted she liked red flowers. So maybe when the weather cools, or next spring, I'll plant something for Laura. May she rest in peace.

Catching up

Well, it wasn't the root beer at the steakhouse that brought on that headache a couple weeks back (has it been that long since I last wrote? Geez). We took dad there for Father's Day, and I did not have root beer, but I did have grilled chicken and got that headache again. I had a grilled chicken sandwich the time before. Ergo, it's the chicken. Guess I'll just have to stick to the steak when I go there. Oh, darn.

I have four visits left with the exercise program through the cancer center after today. I haven't lost any weight, but I feel a lot better. I even bought some exercise bands to use at home along with the dumbbells I already have, and have already gotten in a few workouts with them. I even cleaned out the garage last weekend, and that created some decent space to work out in (at least when it's not 100-some degrees in there). I've even gotten on the exercise bike a few times in the last couple weeks. I hope to pick up the home workouts, at least three times a week, plus getting back into my yoga tapes. I can really tell the difference in my flexibility pre-cancer and post-cancer.

Getting into the exercise routine would be easier, if I weren't addicted to all the stupid little Flash-game puzzles I keep coming across. There's some good ones here, particularly the Hapland games. Chasm is kind of cute (beware: the walkthrough is missing a step). The Crimson Room is good, but the "escape the room" games all get a bit old.

The creek is almost completely dried up where it runs (ran) by my house. There's a pool under the bridge, and a big puddle about 100 or so yards down the creek bed, where a neighbor told me there's a spring. I take Nipper walking down the dry bed some evenings. There's still some fish in that spring/puddle, and a couple ducks and what looked like a young great blue heron were there the other night. And there's turtle tracks everywhere as they look for some water to hang out in. It's kind of sad to walk through the park a few block away, where the creek has been dried up for weeks, and see a solitary goose or duck waddling through the weeds in the bed, like they're thinking "there must be water just up here." There's still water in the city lake, but for how much longer without a good rain?

Nipper chased a baby skunk through the backyard this morning. No stink, though. I think that pretty much covers the last week and a half.

Missing out

Tonight, hundreds of people are walking, luminaries being lit, names being read. I'm not there and I wish I was.

Tonight is the local Relay for Life. There's a "survivor's victory lap" at the beginning, and I had wanted to be there. But, thanks to those small-label root beers I had at the new favorite restaurant last night, I had a massive headache that lasted from about 7 p.m. last night to 10 a.m. this morning. It was so awful, it had me feeling a bit nauseas this morning. Even though it did go away, the day at work was awful and busy and I never got a chance for a break, so I felt like that headache was just lingering, waiting in the tenseness in the back of my neck for an opportunity to hit me again -- like walking a lap around the track in the sun in 100-degree temperatures.

So I didn't go, didn't meet with the support group I've quickly grown to like, marching behind our banner and getting our picture taken. I kind of wish I had gone. Given the choice, I'd rather not qualify for this group or the survivor lap, but I do, and that support means a lot. So I feel like I'm missing out on something special, especially as this comes so close to the time a year ago when I found out what I would be facing.

On top of that, I found out tonight that an online acquaintance has made the decision to end her cancer treatment and is at home under hospice care. I don't know her real well, or even know that much about her life outside of her dealings with cancer, but she offered me advice and comfort when I first started down this path, and it's hard to keep the tears out of my eyes trying to think about what she and her loved ones must be feeling now.

I'd say tomorrow will be better, but I have to work.