Ufff… second day at the job and I am already late… I hope the boss doesn’t fire me… The thing is that the day has been busy with a morning long training about the disease my team and I are working on. It never ceases to amaze me how complex our biology is and how clever we can be, in order to understand processes completed by things we will never see…

Today, the professor who was delivering the training, said at a moment that the enzymatic failure that causes the disease we are studying was discovered in 1960… that is 60 years ago… Now, think about how the world was like 60 years ago (you might need to tell me, because I was not born back then!)… but for sure, I can tell there were no cellphones with cameras, no computers, no emails, no Hubble telescopes, so all that there was, was the scientists in their labs, maybe with their assistants and notebooks with untidy notes… but clearly, with a very sharp, focused mind, and way less time lost scrolling screens…

Would that be the reason why people back then were able to make such discoveries? In my humble opinion, I think so… I think people got less bored, were able to sustain their concentration longer, because the fast pace of the screens and the ability to have all the information you need in a couple clicks, has brought up a lot of impatience, certainly that happens to me…

Several of us found in the Camino a “slow way of life” (not sure if that is proper English, but I hope you get what I mean!) Life outside the Camino includes rushing, google maps telling how to get from A to B in the quickest way, highways, and usually never walking. And in this slower pace, we were able to see things we never saw before too, lots of us had the opportunity to have real conversations with other human beings for the first time in a long time too… (because we were walking…!!! Have you tried to have a long conversation with someone while running and oxygen is short and the breathing is agitated?) and I was wondering too how many of us saw ourselves for the first time in our adult lives and had a conversation with ourselves long enough to get to discover a tiny bit of who we are…

In any case, today, as I was in my training, I was reflecting with awe and admiration how much we are able to do when we aren’t distracted… and I must say after that, I felt some sadness for all that we are missing when we aren’t paying attention… The good thing is that we have the opportunity to make a better choice in the next minute and the next and the next…

Let’s make the choice to think of the boss and his brain scan… looking forward to hearing how that went… We know scans are always a stressful deal.

Walking loves,

Cris

Oh boy, the boss is a hard bone, isn’t he? He was prescribed a day off but he couldn’t help and sat back in the red sofa to blog for us… I am definitely not telling his chiropractor, and I am crossing my fingers he didn’t come to check the blog and found that his patient has misbehaved!!! So anyway, you will have to put up with me again today, as I will blog on the boss behalf.

I loved Phil’s description about working with Wiley, and I thought about a funny story that I had with my youngest nephew, when he was around 5 years old (now he is 10). For him, I had always been “Tia Cris” (Auntie Cris). You see, my brother only has one sister (me), and we no longer have parents; and my sister in law’s family lives in another province, so the only one around most of the time for them in those years was me.

That year, on Tuesdays my oldest nephew used to go to his first Communion classes, and it was a family thing, so his parents were going along. So, it was my turn to pick up the youngest from kindergarten, bring him to my house, and bake cookies or muffins, as we waited for his brother and parents.

This particular afternoon, I picked him from kinder, and as we were walking to my house, he was saying good-bye to each of his friends and was telling me the name and last name of each, as he greeted them. I then asked him if he knew his name, and he loudly said his name and last name, and I asked about his brother’s, and he also said it correctly, and continued to tell me his mother’s maiden name and his father’s name and last name. Then is when I decided to ask him if he knew my name, to which he replied: “YES! AUNTIE CRIS!”, to what I said that it was not, and when I said my name, he opened his eyes widely, looked at me in awe, and exclaimed: “Why do you have the same last name I have?”, so I explained to him that his father and I were siblings, and went on to explain to him that that was the reason why I was his “auntie”… he was puzzled, he was as if a new world had opened in front of him…

We arrived home, baked cookies more silently than ever, and then his brother arrived. He rushed to the door with excitment and the first thing he said his brother -who was 8- was: “You know what? Auntie Cris is daddy’s sister!!!”, as if he had this big news he wanted to share. But instead, his brother shrugged and said: “Yes, that is why she is Auntie Cris”. You could not imagine his face… he was shocked… and as he was looking at each of us, the adults in the room, exclaimed: “And why didn’t any of you tell me?!” 

That was a big lesson to me… how many times do we take for granted that the other knows some very basic things, and we live years in that way, until we realize it is not the case? For quite a while, after this funny event happened, I paid attention to this question and realized how many things I just “assume” everyone else knows… and in consequence, I realized how many misunderstandings come from those “assumptions”… As I write about this today, I think I will start contemplating this topic again… I am foreseeing there will be a number of conversations I will have to have…

New worlds opening loves,

Cris

These blogging injuries are taking their toll on me. But we will get things sorted out eventually. Wasn’t that lovely how we were hijacked by the lovely Cris. If you have to be Shanghaied it is not a bad way to go.

Catherine will be here in a few minutes for our cherished Rosary session. I think that I will just have a short post today and not try to continue this later in the day. Blogging is an early morning activity for me.

And thank you Cris. Thank you Carol. Thank you Ronaldo. And thank you everyone, you make this happen.

yellow flowers, green leaves, blue sky loves, Felipé.

Life is just a Cheese Danish. Just a Danish away. Some Enchanted Danish. I Left My Cheesey Heart in San Francisco. Life is like that some days.

Dave from Austin was here this morning with his son Jon and grandson Parker. Parker came for an archery lesson which he does when Dave is in town and brings him over. Dave was at the original film festival party in Austin at S by SW Festival way back in the Spring of 16. So he is turning into an old friend. He will be here for the Oasis!

Then Wiley and I had some work in the shop making sawdust. It is nice and challenging to work with one of your kid’s or one of your parents, don’t you think. I’ve heard horror stories but we seem pretty compatible and we want to keep it that way.

There was too much going on today to get the blogpost done early so now I am all tired so this is what you get, Cheese Danish poetry.

tomorrow’s coming loves, Felipé.

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Saturday April 10th, 2021 ~ 9:21 AM
The sky is cloudy and it is drizzling.

Buenos días Peregrinos!
I decided this morning to hijack the boss’s blog and write a post on his behalf… With these blogging injuries he has been talking about, my medical training indicates that he should be prescribed a day off of blogging, would you agree?
It isn’t that life in the South Cone is running smoothly at the moment, in fact is all rocky, but at least, there are no blogging injuries so far!!!

In Buenos Aires city and Great Buenos Aires (what it is called the “AMBA” -Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires-), we are in a new lockdown due to COVID since yesterday. At the moment, it is sort of “soft” but the situation is getting serious and I am afraid more severe measures will be soon needed.

Personally, in the last month, life has been pretty much like the first half of Stallone Rocky III movie, although I am not in a boxing ring. There have been some unexpected fast-pace news family related, including that my only brother and his family (i.e. my only two young nephews with whom I am very close) are moving abroad this coming weekend. So, it has been busy, in all the ways this word can be used…

Although, I guess that who is truly going through a very sorrowful painful time right now is Queen Elizabeth, with the dead of her husband of 74 years, at age 99… I don’t know a lot about the Royal Family in England, but one of the things that I have always been touched by were the pictures where the 2 of them were… there was always a look of love and companionship, unbelievable after so many years…

But, as we all may know -if you are friends with Phil, Phil’s Rebecca and/or Catalina in the facebook-, there have been fantastic big news about the work, that Catalina started and completed by the three of them, related to the book about the Caminoheads blog. I will let the boss comment more about this when he feels it is the time, but all I can say is that that book will be life changing to anyone reading it… It is an extremely well curated distillate of Phil’s thoughts (and you know the boss can be wild!) This is why I would like to give you all an early kind free-of-charge advice and suggest start saving money to buy several copies and distribute to everyone you love and want to live their lives fully.

Hopefully, I will hit the right button and have this posted!

Be patient Loves,
Cris

We had a great walk yesterday morning. The weather was gorgeous and two couples showed up to do it. Richard and Susan were here after a year’s sabbatical, great to see them. And also Jim and Jen who are more or less regulars. And Jen is so excited because she has had a dream over night and both Richard and I were in it. And of course she couldn’t wait to tell us. That was amazing that we were both there randomly. Coincidence?

But on the way out of the house earlier I was hurrying because I was late and had pulled on my boots without tying them. And I got about half way out to the rock pile and felt something unusual about my right boot. It was like there was a crease in my sock where it wasn’t flat or something. Oh bother. Should I just lace up and tie up and go on or should I take the time to check it out? So, I decide to look and what is in there but my favorite, my red glass bead rosary. Oh.

This flashed me back to the Camino where I walked for a while on my glasses til I figured that out. Geez! But the rosary showed up unexpectedly as a reminder to us I guess that Mother Mary remains close by.

The whole walk was pleasant break from from my wrestling with my maladies. The present good news is that I am receiving some welcome relief from the visit to the chiropractor. He has begun to loosen things up in my back and neck and my muscles are much relaxed and I have more movement. Progress is welcome! I have an appoint next week to continue.

Hopefully the brain scan on Monday will, prove to be clear of problems. We might be racking up this headache episode to being a blogging injury. Funny huh, well sort of? Just like the rosary had a precursor with the glasses in the Crocs on the Camino these headaches have an earlier relative. Let me explain. Several years ago I found myself in the Emergency Room at Swedish Hospital thinking that I was having a stroke. And of course that turned into a big deal as those things do. But really after all the root problem was found to be my habitually crossing of my legs while blogging for hours everyday, pinching a nerve behind my knee. And now it looks like my current problem may have it’s roots in the way I have habitually propped my head up while blogging on the red leather couch. Yike, blogging injuries, who would have thought?

So, life goes on, through thick and thin and it appears that Mother Mary wants us to know that she is close by always.

Friday loves, Felipé.

I was off to the Institute yesterday for my three week visit. Two major things happened. But before that I got to see some of my old buddies there which is always a great check in. We have grown so close over all these years. We trade thoughts and inspiration.

So My Rebecca has been concerned about my headaches as of late and wanted me to ask Dr Gold about it. He ordered up a brain scan and I go in on Monday to get that done. We have to check out what’s happening in the brain bucket. Hopefully maybe nothing.

Related I do have a chiropractor appointment this afternoon to work on my neck and back. I have a sneaking suspicion that I have something out of place and that is giving me these headaches. So we are working the problem although I would rather be fishing.

Speaking of fishing the Hemingway documentary finished up last evening and we dutifully watched although it was hard to watch. I’m glad we made it through and I have new energy to read some more of his work.
I still want Ryck’s take on that doc as I am sure that he watched it.

And then while I was at Dr Gold’s he showed me the images from my last scan of my lungs and it is looking pretty wild in there. Things have progressed a lot further than I would have thought in other words the tumors have grown. And they are taking up a lot of space. It was a little depressing I have to admit. But we continue to hang on.

where is the sunshine loves, Felipé.

At the ranch we have a set of wine glasses, six to be exact. Five of them are beautiful and totally functional and you can’t tell one from another. And then there is the sixth one that is cracked but not dangerously damaged. Pilgrims get that one and get to the last swallow and exclaim, “It’s cracked!” And grant it it looks terminal.

But it is my favorite of the bunch and I love it when I get it. It’s got character and it teaches me things. I can’t feel the crack inside or out and it doesn’t leak so what’s the problem? It reminds me of me and folks in similar situations. We seem to go on and get the job done despite obstacles.

And I guess that is the lesson, to figure out how to get the job done with what we got. I’m happy with that.

The third and final part of the Hemingway documentary is on in a few minutes so I’m going to bail out.

miss you loves, Felipé.

Yesterday on the blog I was writing about the swallows returning soon. It is a sign of further Spring progression. And wouldn’t you know I saw four sitting on the wire here yesterday afternoon. Just like I planned it. Too bad more things don’t go like that.

Then indoors, last evening, we had a TV scheduling conflict. The NCAA Basketball Championship was bumping up against the Ken Burns documentary on Hemingway. Well, fortunately or unfortunately, the Zags had a horrible game and we had to stop watching and there we were for the beginning of the film. What a powerful production. The first part went up to the late 1920’s and there must be one or more parts. Need to check those out. I know Ryck our CECBC is a big fan of his so we will need to talk with him on the topic.

Time to go for now. Walk this afternoon at 4.

beautiful day loves, Felipé.

Here we are with Easter over and the majority of the month of April out before us. Easter should linger though providing a spark to the time we have. But April calls, an emptiness of possibilities. What can we do there?

One thing, I got 60 bandanas in for the Oasis party. Five beautiful bright colors, light enough so the lettering will show up. So, there is that project to work up. I am going to try and get some help with that this time.

Then the days and night will continue to warm up and the bees will do their thing with the blossoms all over. The bugs will be flying and the swallows will show up to feed on them. It will be a busy time for all those guys. Our part in all that will be to sharpen blades and be mowing, mowing and mowing.

It’s all pretty exciting and a relief from months of being hunkered down in the cabin. And then there is the freedom of being vaccinated. My Rebecca is planning a little day trip for us. I’m planning a trip to get a haircut. Pretty silly little things but big events now.

Yup, wide open spaces here in April. Time to learn to spread our wings again if we can do it safely. Maybe if you are close enough you could come and walk again here. A pretty morning here with a walk in minutes.

April loves, Felipé.