It seems like everyone is on a long weekend hiatus…yet still I post. What can I say? The daily ritual of writing a post has become as necessary as eating and drinking. I like the discipline of it. It forces me to focus and, in the midst of whatever challenges are going on in my life, appreciate what I have.

Yesterday, we managed to squeeze in a hike between rainstorms. We’ve had a lot of rain in the past 4 days and I’m over it. More weeds have sprung up everywhere. The grass needs mowing. Everything is soggy.

But the hike? We managed 4 miles yesterday and for some reason, it kicked my butt! My foot developed a cramp during the hike, my allergies were not being helpful, and when I got home, I just wanted to sleep. Today I woke up before 5:30 am. So I’m still tired!

Remember the stone steps that Don and I had to climb to get to the trail? Visualize irregular steps going up the side of a mountain, zig-zagging every which way, sometimes seemingly hanging over a sheer drop into nothingness. I had Don take this picture yesterday of the beginning of the path going back down the mountain. Honestly, sometimes you can’t figure out which stones are actual steps and which ones are just stones. When we were chatting with a park ranger about them later that day, he told us, “Those steps are used mostly by rock climbers.”

Oh, that explains it. A rock climber I am not.

From the garden.

I’m going to do some weeding and some mowing today. We’re watching The Normal Heart tonight on HBO. Based on the play by Larry Kramer, it focuses on the HIV/AIDS crisis in NYC during the early years of the eighties. I cannot begin to tell you how many friends I lost to AIDS during the eighties and nineties – brilliant, talented, wonderful people who died much too young.

One of my favorite actors, Mark Ruffalo, is in the cast, as well as my sweet Jim Parsons. It will be powerful, of that I am sure.

Reminder: Tomorrow is the May edition of the Christmas Critter Felt Along, so be sure to drop by and link up with your creations.

Happy Sunday.