Saturday, September 30, 2017

Still a Flaneuse --- Day 6/222

Walk:  Quite a Bit of Up and Down, Some Back and Forth, Several Exercise & Yoga Interludes
Distance:  1 mile + exercise/yoga sessions




















Henri Rousseau, Woman Walking in An Exotic Forest, 1905, 3' 3" x 2' 8", oil

Flaner is a French verb meaning to promenade, amble along without objective, but merely for the pleasure of watching and observing.  A man doing this is a flaneur.  A woman is a flaneuse, and such is Ciwt.  It's a deep, lifelong identity and occupation which doesn't disappear when she's unable to walk for whatever reason including her current knee injury.

She loved long nature walks when she was younger - at homes in Minnesota and Connecticut and later at boarding school and college. Since these were country walks, she was probably more properly called a walker or the English 'rambler.'  Then came the cities: endless walks in conveniently flat and endlessly challenging New York followed by daily historical walks in DC. Now she was Flaneuse. Walks were her friends, her means of physical and psychological survival and growth.  They were treasure troves of learning, entertainment, astonishment, stimulation.  They were her teachers on many levels.

Out West, walks became hikes - because of the hills.  They were necessarily more physically challenging, more overtly a form of exercise.  When she was first becoming a Westerner, hikes were huge, steep and central. All day things often in remote places, sometimes on skis.  Then as she became more citified (and older), she returned to flaneuse status and just started walking everywhere in San Francisco.  Hence, her blog's title: Can I Walk There.

As her knee heals, her walks are much more limited for a while.  But even at home, the flaner spirit is somehow still there.  Each walk around her home is an adventure filled with little sights, realizations, comforts, curiosities.  Hummingbirds, the conditions of the skies and flowers, passages in paintings, fabrics, views from windows.  Her flaneuse territory is small for now but still very pleasurable.

Friday, September 29, 2017

Worth the Climb --- Day 6/221

Walk: Back and Forth Only
Distance:  2 Blocks, but quite a few exercise and yoga routines, and work with pt



                                        Ciwt is still up in her aerie, healing and enjoying it.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

All By Yourself --- Day 6/220

Walk:  Not so much, Busy taking shower all by self, and getting little/big things accomplished at the copy machine
Distance:  4 blocks, exercise, small yogas





















                   Pooh Takes His Own Bath

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Yes, But Is It Relaxing? --- Day 6/219

Walk: First Ordeal, oops, Shower!,  Back and Forth, Up and Down 
Distance:  6 Blocks, Exercises & A Little Yoga x 5













Ciwt's current doctor-recommended resting position.  She's looking forward to trading places with Christopher Robin one of these days.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Just Riding, Listening, Looking. --- Day 6/218

Walk: Down Stairs to Street, Into Town Car, Through Lobby of Medical Building, Into Doctor's Office, Then all of same in reverse until she was back in her sanctuary,  ALL with help, supervision and Big Time support of beautiful friend 👧  
Distance: A few steps physically and many Huge steps emotionally                   



                                              *


Ciwt's driver to her first check up appointment today turned out to be a jazz dj at a local public radio station.  After receiving her excellent results, it was so relaxing and uplifting to just sit lengthwise in the back seat of his town car, looking out at San Francisco, letting her mind drift to the enveloping mellow tunes of this authentically American music.  First true letting go she"s felt since her accident.
* King Oliverbyname of Joseph Oliver (born May 11, 1885, Abend, La., U.S.—died April 8, 1938Savannah, Ga.), American cornetist who was a vital link between the semimythical prehistory of jazz and the firmly documented history of jazz proper. He is also remembered for choosing as his protégé the man generally considered to have been the greatest of all New Orleans musiciansLouis Armstrong

Monday, September 25, 2017

The Top and Bottom of It. --- Day 6/217

Walk: Way Up and Down as well as Back and Forth
Distance:  8 Blocks, Many Stairs, A Few Stretches





Top of Ciwt's Stairs

You're the top! You're a dance in Bali.
You're the top! You're a hot tamale.
You're an angel, you simply too, too, too divine,
You're a Botticelli, You're Keats, You're Shelley,
You're Ovaltine.
You're a boon, You're the dam at Boulder,
You're the moon over Mae West's shoulder.
I'm a nominee of the G.O.P. or GOP,
But if, Baby, I'm the bottom,
You're the top!

            Cole Porter
            One verse of You're the Top from Anything Goes



63 steps later, Bottom of Ciwt's Stairs and Street - All of which she walked today

Sunday, September 24, 2017

What's This? --- Day 6/216

Walk:  You Know
Distance: @ 8 Blocks, Exercises, Yoga




















Food?!  Usually Ciwt's refrigerator is pretty bare.  But thoughtful friends have made sure that's not the case during her 'house arrest' recovery.

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Rooms With A View --- Day 6/215

Walk:  Round and Round, Back and Forth, Up and Down
Distance:  @8 Blocks, Leg, Upper Body, Yoga Exercises



Library, Study Hall, Office, Dining Room, Lounge



Friday, September 22, 2017

Big Little Likes ... Day 6/214

Walk:  Back and Forth, Sometimes Up and Down
Distance: 6 Blocks?, Upper Body Exercises

   

Ciwt is not by nature a nuts and bolts types.  But, she's learning now that her injured knee makes every task a logistical puzzle to be solved.  For instance, wonderful friends bring delicious soups, but how does she transport them to the place she can sit and eat them?  Without spilling, that is - since her walker gait isn't exactly smooth.

Enter Press'nSeal which was just lying around in one of her kitchen drawers without Ciwt realizing its magical powers.  Apparently, with Press'n Seal on her containers she could flip her soups and teas completely upside down and they wouldn't spill.  No, she won't try that, but she will begin to enjoy her soups.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Bump, Bump......Day 6/213

Walk:  Back and Forth Hallway and Even down some stairs
Distance:  Altogether maybe 6 blocks plus 6 complete exercise routines



















Next stop for Ciwt is handling her formitable stairs.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Ooops ----- Days 6/202-212

Walk:  Around Hospital and Home
Distance:  Not much but gaining on it, often using walker    

Ciwt is getting used to the laptop computer she bought just so she could tell her loyal readers about her life and thoughts since falling.  All is well but a little restricted while she's on the mend.  Stay tuned please....

   



Sunday, September 10, 2017

New/Old --- Day 6/201

Walk: No, Complete Fall closet caper, plus tooo hot
Distance: 0, Home Yoga


      New Old (and Unbreakable!)* Kid on the block.


                                                       *
                                                                 

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Closet is Scarier --- Day 6/200

Walk: Kabuki Theater (It), Trader Joe's
Distance: 3 miles, Home Yoga


















"It" for Ciwt is still her closet caper and It, the movie, for her wasn't a particularly good escape from that.  It was long though so guaranteed quite a bit of time away from that huge, scary pile of clothes.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Caper in Progress --- Day 6/199

Walk: Fillmore Street
Distance: 2 miles, Home Yoga and Try, Try, Try on clothes, clothes, clothes



Ciwt's favorite clothes season.  But So Much work involved in her Fall closet caper.


Thursday, September 7, 2017

Perplexed Today --- Day 6/198

Walk: Marin Driving Day, Fillmore 
Distance: 2 miles, Home Yoga


Catch you tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Laughing Water --- Day 6/197

Walk: PGCC (x2)
Distance: 1 Mile, Home Yoga, Hit Bucket of Balls



You know how you live somewhere and never go to its most famous site?  Like climbing the Statue of Liberty, riding the Staten Island Ferry or walking across the Golden Gate Bridge?  Well, even though Ciwt grew up near it, she never went to Minnehaha Falls.  In fact she actually thought it was some fictional place created by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his sad poem The Song of Hiawatha.  But, ha ha, no: Minnehaha Falls does exist, it's quite wonderful and Ciwt finally visited it on her recent trip to Minneapolis.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Big Woman - Piece by Piece --- Day 6/196

Walk: Union Square
Distance: 1 mile, Home Yoga



Lori Green, Mosaic Woman, 

When she was back in Minneapolis Ciwt Loved this powerful mosaic woman by by glass mosaic sculpture artist, Lori Green.  She read that Green is driven by a deep interests in race, culture, history and spirituality.  

Mosaics are created piece by piece, each piece individually cut and placed by the artist.  So physically difficult, and how in the world does she know where she is in the piece and make all those creative choices as she goes along? 

Here are just a couple of small sections:



Look at all those changes in color and pattern.  So creative and skillful!!



Monday, September 4, 2017

All Aboard --- Day 6/195

Walk: No, but Heavy Gardening getting rid of all the dead leaves after our heat wave
Distance: Small, Home Yoga




















Rescued Texas pets being readied for trip on private plane to San Francisco.  Ciwt Loves stories like this - and so admires all first responders.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Heat Wave Victim --- Day 6/194

Walk: Around Fillmore looking (to no avail) for a new Vases
Distance: 2 miles in continued heat, home yoga


Something (unrepariable)happened to Ciwt's FAVORITE vase during the heat wave.  RIP.


  
  First Day at Ciwt's



 

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Temperature Jeopardy --- Day 6/193

Walk: NO! Too hot to even read, so buy ticket and drive to SF Playhouse (Cage Aux Folles - again) .
          Out of the heat - hopefully they have air conditioning* - and into a touching and delightful                    play.
Distance: 15 scorching blocks and relaxed home yoga




Jeopardy Round:

Answer: In most years, San Francisco averages a daily maximum temperature for August that's between 66 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (19 to 21 degrees Celsius). The minimum temperature usually falls between 54 and 56 °F (12 to 14 °C).

Question: What is the average temperature in San Francisco in August?

Double Jeopard Round:

Answer:   According to weather.com, the warmest month on average is September with an average high of 71°F and low of 56°F. 

Question: What is the average temperature in San Francisco in September?




Answer: 106 Degrees on September 1, 2017 (Yesterday).*

Question: What is the all time heat record in San Francisco and when was it set?

* And today isn't over...Plus, nope on the air conditioning, but the play still such a touching upper

Friday, September 1, 2017

Trust Ciwt on the Sunscreen --- Day 6/192

Walk: Trader Joe's
Distance: Death Defying 2 miles in Never-in-San-Francisco 100 degree weather and LA type smog,                  Yoga too



In August 1997, Chicago Tribune columnist, Mary Schmich began one of  her columns with these words: Ladies and gentlemen of the Class of '98: Wear sunscreen.*

Because Ciwt's father had died quite young of melanoma (the most lethal form of skin cancer), Ciwt was already doing that - religiously, every day.  On her face.  Somehow she had taken the medical warnings to mean 'Always wear sunscreen on your face.  And, if you go to the beach or will be out all day recreating in the sun, put it on your body as well."

This she thought and did until a few days ago when a creepy looking spot appeared on her lower leg right around her pants hemline.  Because she's Ciwt (and anxious about skin stuff), she got herself to the doctor as soon as she could - an hour would have been just fine.  The doctor did a biopsy, which Ciwt sweated throughout her trip. The results were indeed skin cancer, but luckily not melanoma, very superficial because she had had it checked so soon, and she's already had it removed.

The moral of Ciwt's tale here is that we need to be putting sunscreen on every part of ourselves that is exposed to the sun, every day.  In other words: Wear sunscreen.  And, secondly, if you notice any new spot, get it checked as quickly as you can while it is still at a superficial layer of the skin.  

Most likely your spot won't be cancer.  There are myriad kinds of skin spots, most of which are totally benign.  But they all kind of look alike, so likely the doctor will take a biopsy to know exactly what she/he is looking at.  Don't be anxious about that (unless you are like Ciwt).  If it isn't skin cancer - which it probably won't be - so you're out the cost of a doctor visit.  Money well spent Ciwt thinks.

Meanwhile, trust her - and the docs and Mary Schmich - on the sunscreen.  And read Mary's whole column - except for the line about Northern California - by pressing the link above.*

*You may already know it as a 'commencement speech' supposedly given by Kurt Vonnegut. That's how it went viral.  Read it again anyway.