Well, this is usually the time cloaked in anxiety and worry, this scan time. The whole process is when I have the worse time but am feeling strangely peaceful at the moment. I am trying to be as optimistic as possible to hear news of this new treatment that I have been receiving. It has been six weeks now and the doc and research nurses are keeping close tabs on my every move. And this scan is the first look at my insides. Ah, my insides, the place that has been steering my life for eight years now.

I will share the news with you after I learn about it tomorrow at my doctor’s appointment. But really enough of that for now. There. are other things, other important things, going on. Such as I look out the window and the swallows are swooping once again. There are bunches of them right now, so happy to be back at the ranch after there long trip south. See that’s important!

And I don’t hear chainsaws everytime I open the door to the outside. Neighbors have all their winter cleanup wrapped up. Or, the leaves are out on most of the species of trees changing the look of the place. The walnuts are still bare but they are some of the last to leaf out. And the corn patch is looking mighty fine after six times through with the tiller. Just needs a few more degrees of warmth.

And I need to finish up my prayer for the “sick and infirmed” for National Day of Prayer. I have a good theme, a good beginning and I am working on the body of it. If I can come up with a great wrap up ending I will have it in the bag.

OK, have to go shower up and get pretty for my nurses. Enjoy your day where you are. Swoopingloves, Felipé.

We have the morning walk today and I am expecting one car to be here from the mainland. That is unusual and the sign of devoted pilgrims to make the trek so early. I hardly ever know who is coming or not but this time I got a email. So, looking forward to Sui coming and sharing. She is on her way to Spain in a few weeks to walk the Camino. I forget exactly whether this will be her first time or not. She will fill me in with the details shortly.

It was cold here over night with the temperature dropping into the low forties. But plenty sunny now and that will feel good on the trail. May is one of the prettiest months here with the new green leaves and the parade of flowering plants. Everything is new and fresh.

I continue to labor on writing my prayer for National Day of Prayer. Different local folks are doing prayers for different groups and I was lucky to have gotten the “sick and infirmed” in which I am a card carrying member and know something about. It probably isn’t one of the flashier ones so probably has a lot of room for improvement. I view this as a great honor and a great opportunity to express some thoughts. I have four minutes. It would be good to post it here on Friday for you.

So, what else is new here? My Rebecca is buying a new used car for herself. This one belonged to our friend Jessika and will be a good addition to our fleet. It is a Ford Taurus and looks like a good fit for her.

We continue to organize the upcoming convention. Look for news every Wednesday here at the blog. We are adding new things every week.

Off I go. Best wishes to you. Monday morning loves, Felipé.

Today will be eventful too but still high from yesterday’s. My Rebecca and I went into Seattle to a fund raiser for Trudy James and her film. Trudy I met this winter finally after hearing from half a dozen people that I have to meet her. She is retired now and focusing on her mission. She has done social work and chaplaincy during her career and then produced this film entitled Speaking of Dying.

This film is the centerpiece of her mission to get people thinking more about their own passage and finding out about options to make the process a good one and not the usual chaos of random elements. So kudos to her for her vision and her hard work around it. So I feel unusually pumped here now and wanted to pass that on to you.

Thursday is the National Day of Prayer when we pray for our leaders and other important groups. I got tapped to pray for the “sick and infirmed”, oh OK I know about that. I really had no inspiration till lying awake this morning a few minutes before the alarm went off. Got a vision!

So thanks Trudy for your talk-up. OK, time to make a move on my to-do list for this day of rest. No problem loves, Felipé.

The sky couldn’t be bluer here in Seattle. That was a song wasn’t it? Anyway, the trail is in great shape and waiting on you to get here. No special anything needed.

Monday 0900-1000
Tuesday 1600-1700
Thursday 0900-1000
Sunday 1600-1700

Alperfect, Felipé.

Early on in the history of this blog I had this feature of Repair and Towing to fix things here that needed fixing. I started out this morning not feeling very good and am just now hours later thinking about doing something useful. So, I need some fixing.

Wiley, our son is off today and has fixing the plastic roof on his deck on his mind. I will be called in on that I am sure. That roof got trashed in the big wind storm that came before the big snow storm which broke everything that was left.

So, one of things that needs fixing is how you think about commenting on this blog. When you submit a comment it doesn’t appear in the Comments right away. It takes a certain amount of time. So don’t panic, have faith. Just submit it once and it will work, honest.

And two, all the news for the Caminoheads Convention will be on the blog in Wednesday’s post. Every week there will be more as we figure it out. We want you to come if you can so look there for details.

OK, I am going to pack it up for now. I am happy I accomplished this much so far. Happy loves, Felipé.

We are in the last stages of prep for planting here at the ranch. I was out yesterday tilling, once east and west and once north and south. We are still drying out and warming up and the soil is close. My old friend Jim from Buffalo will be here to lend a hand planting. He gets here with his better half Gloria on the 8th of May so the 9th we start, God willing. So fun, I am like a little kid! Well, you don’t actually have to be a kid to have fun playing in the dirt.

Jim and I used to work on his Dad’s farm way back when. We both have a love for the land and for working with it. Being a part of the process is important, not just being an observer. I just realized recently that all of my childhood heroes were people that were land owners or had some association with the land. I am right where I am supposed to be with Raven Ranch, a dream come true.

CAMINOHEADS GET-TOGETHER NEWS : OK, so our get together is August 23-26th here at the ranch on Vashon Island. The closest airport in SEATAC. If you are coming you need to RSVP by June 15th at this special email address: [email protected] .
This address is being taken care of by our CSWBC Rho and she requested two things for me to pass on to you. When you check in with her it is for convention business only so don’t think that you are chatting with Felipé so “Just the facts Mam” like Joe Friday used to say. She also needs to know how many are in your party.

We are still in the planning stages. So, if you have a question that needs answering please send it to me at [email protected] and I can help you.

Alright, time to go. Growing loves, Felipé.

A couple days of pics for you:

Here we are, we celebrated Easter and now onward into the Spring. I am thinking about my quote in Annie’s book here now. What did I say, something like I am over thinking about conquering the Camino and have settled into cruising along happy to just be doing it. And as I think about Spring and all that needs to be done I am thinking of this. Can I stop worrying about conquering this list of “need to be done’s” and just cruise through it. That sounds like a plan.

The sun is out here, begging me to get outside. The woodpecker is not evident this morning, not playing his electric woodpecker guitar anymore. Must have impressed someone.

Well, off we go into Spring. Will have some new stuff about the Caminoheads Convention tomorrow here. Later, love, Felipé.

We just had a terrific weekend. I was not feeling my greatest but other things made up for that. That’s where our family and friends come in. They sort of fill in the blanks and the thin spots in life with their love and consideration. I just want to take a few breaths to say thanks for that. So thank you My Rebecca and my family and all those that keep in touch with us. It is irreplaceable really this commodity, this community. We can’t supply it for ourselves or buy it anywhere.

So, it is Monday and need to get back in the swing of things like work and bills and such. Oh, there is our resident woodpecker back at his work on our power pole. I did contact our power company to have them check out the soundness of the pole since the woodpeckers find it so interesting lately. But I think some of it is pecking for communication with friends, cousins and possible mates. This one guy has figured out how to peck on the steel cable that runs to the ground for support. He has discovered the electric woodpecker guitar and what a sound! I hope the babes are impressed.

Walking in a minute here at the Phil’s Camino trail. Had a nice walk yesterday with our new friend Jane coming to keep me company. That was sunny and this morning there are layers of those marine clouds to give us that Pacific Northwest ambience.

Well, one more Happy Easter to you where you are. I appreciate you stopping by to kee me company. Thank you loves, Felipé.

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” That might be from Psalms but from the Bible anyway, close enough. Yea, here we are having moved through Lent. Hope we learned something in all that. It looks like I saved my whole Lenten effort up until Good Friday and the pilgrimage. Cramming last minute, hey Felipé.

Lately I am so thankful for my Christian faith, for it’s ability to build and maintain resilience in me. I seem to be able to walk my cancer walk without spending time in the dark regions of dispare. I can see it from where I am and sometimes I brush up against it but the ability to remain positive in all s3ituations seems my strong suit. And Easter is the crown jewel of the Church year in terms of the theme of positivity. Here we are!

So wishing you a big Happy Easter! My Rebecca and I are going to catch some lunch and then take a sunday drive. Nothing serious. A walk at 1600. Easter loves, Felipé.