AUTUMN WALK ON THE DIKE; Pacific Way Dike Hike

This morning, I pulled on a pair of jeans I have not been able to shimmy into since 2019: I've shed that much weight. I was stoked!.

Then, I drove into town to fill the gas tank – I’m driving to Graysriver tomorrow afternoon to spend the day with  stoked! friends, there. I’m looking forward to seeing the gals 😊

The weather was pleasant with a 65-degree temperature … and matching humidity level, so after putting the gas nozzle back in place, I decided to take a short hike along the lower end of the dike on 42^nd.

Green Day – ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5EXKDlf44M)

There was hardly anyone else on the trail; I saw maybe a total of 5 other people. I was okay with that. I saw a bird I’d never seen before – and looked it up in my Bird Book, when I got home. I saw a cute little Pomeranian: it was friendly and begged for petting, which was surprising because most poms are little barking biters. I talked with its owner for a bit, and she was friendly too 😉

Pacific Way Trail - 2 miles ‘rnd trip a third of the way; 200 calorie loss.

Clouded Autumn sky.

A fat fuzzy-wuzzy caterpillar.

Fuzzy-Wuzzy Weather Prediction:

(https://www.almanac.com/woolly-bear-caterpillars-and-weather-prediction#:~:text=When%20spring%20arrives%2C%20woolly%20bears,bear%20its%20distinctive%20striped%20appearance.)

American Bittern; a medium-sized Heron.

Free floating turtle.

‘All Creatures Of Our God and King’ Hymn:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d3gO6qDLNA)

A Great Blue Heron.

Mallard ducks.

'Lilly'. I call her 'Foxy Lady' because she has a fox face; Lilly is 13 years old.

Jimi Hendrix – ‘Foxy Lady’ song:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9kLEpvHWAw)

When I got home, I collected the mail … and instantly saw red when I read why the car licensing has gone up. WTH – Longview does not have a ferry! Longview is now charging us for driving through the city we live in; don’t they collect enough damned taxes from us already for the “privilege” of living in this shithole … meant literally, as city “council” is 100% demonrat and insists on running Longview like calimexarabia where tent cities reign, and people behave like uncivilized animals??? The ‘State Parks’ fee is laughable since the State Parks are now charging parking fees and insisting, we schedule a ‘visit registration online’ – why should I be required to pay an additional fee through the car licensing department? And why the hell should Washingtonians be forced to comply with a mandated Law to adhere to calimexarabian ‘laws’ that are nonsensical and illogical! I do not live in calimexarabia … I live in Washington. If insleeze wants to brown-nose and kiss newsom’s ass, he can move to calimexarabia.

The annual car licensing goes waaaaay beyond licensing – it has become another political tool to bludgeon The People with ☹

95% of this billing is 100% bullshit.

I needed to bring a relaxing peace vibe into the day because Shabbat Eve would quickly be arriving … so, I quickly refolded the paper and stuck it back in its envelope – and out of sight until the Due Date arrives.

I also pulled out my small stash of Jasmine tea, and used a bag – I bought this tea with Bob, and I’ve been hoarding what little is left for special occasions: today qualifies. Autumn is filled with memories of Bob; Bob was born on the cusp of Autumn’s arrival in 1949, I met him when Autumn started in 1966, our daughter was conceived the first Autumn of our first year of married life in 1974 (and her daughter was born in Autumn), our Anniversary date always heralded the arrival of Autumn … and Bob got the devine summons to 'Come Home. Son' in the Autumn of 2018.

I want to meet tonight’s Shabbat hour with peaceful thoughts 😉

There's only 5 left ...

Benefits of drinking Jasmine Tea

(https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/jasmine-tea-benefits)

DICK HANNAH, TAM O'SHANTER PARK, & OHSU

Today started out pretty much like yesterday: a cold, blustery, 37-degree day … with visible snowflakes. Today’s snowflakes were not a big, or as fluffy as yesterday’s flakes, but the pin-dot flakes were still visible.

And there was a lot more happening today, than there was yesterday.

First off, I had a noon appointment in Kelso, with the Dick Hannah Shop for a car maintenance checkup. I drove the Pacific Way backroad to avoid the continuing road work on Ocean Beach.

Thank you, Babe, for taking me on all the backroads: I use them every chance I get 😊

Dick Hannah Toyota-K from Heron Pointe-LV; 21 min (9.8 mi) via WA-4 E. Pacific Way & past Foster Farms.

Snow on the car in front of me; while waiting to get warming, wake-up coffee.

And snow on the truck in back of me. Snow was noticably absent on my vehicle.

Snow on Pacific Way ... about 5 minutes from home - and the incline isn't that steep.

‘When You Rise Up’ song:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtFY9_WWZHg)

Isaiah 33:2 & 3 – (2) “O Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble. (3) The people flee the thunder of Your voice; the nations scatter when You rise.”

I liked this sight as I turned onto Ocean Beach Highway ... giving honor to Nation & to God 😊

I was early, but they were able to get me in and out again before my actual scheduled appointment 😉

And, they sent me home with another appointment slated for next week – if I had known about the extra care necessary, I would have come prepared; but they didn’t mention it until this afternoon. I came with just enough $$$ to get today’s scheduled work done.

Thank you, Babe, for this car – and for the wherewithal to maintain it; thank you for your loving, “into-the-future-looking provisions” that continue to keep me afloat 😊

Same time next week - same place; more moolah required.

Ownership is spendy; my savings will be significantly smaller this time next week. The Scottish DNA in me is squawking about the expense.

I had left the house prepared to go hiking along the Coweeman River Trail, but stepping out of the Highlander, I was thinking of sliding back into the driver’s seat and heading back home.

It.was.cold.

But, I soldiered on. I want to stick to my daily walking routine.

As I started forward into that biting cold wind, I kept telling myself that 2 miles isn’t that long … and after a while, it wasn’t – I even started to get a little overheated in my heavy, logger’s duck cloth, hooded coat; I was glad I put the ear muffs on instead of the hood (my uncovered head kept the warmth tolerable) 😉

Thank you, Babe, for taking me to this Park, and walking this walk with me – even when you would rather have been doing something else with your time; I appreciate the effort you put into keeping our relationship solid with unwavering love. I’ll start walking here more often, now that I am putting more of an effort into making Cowlitz County my home. And thank you for buying me that first duck cloth coat … it’s been replaced with another when the zipper started losing teeth: and the memory of your caring love was with me during that purchase: **kiss-kiss**

Coweeman River Trail; Tam O'Shanter Park, in Kelso. 2 mile-round-trip.

Dick Hannah Toyota from Tam O'Shanter Park; 9 min (3.5 mi) via 13th Ave S and Talley Way.

Tam O'Shanter Park, in Kelso parallels the I-5 freeway.

That cold 37-degree wind hit my face skin like icy pin pricks.

Bob's son, Alex graduated this school; and our granddaughter, Alyna went here too, briefly.

Highlander School Complex.

Tam O'Shanter Park used to a junkie magnet: we stopped bringing our granddaughter here when she was around 7 yo - junkies were shooting up in broad daylight, around kids of all ages. It looks clean now. Not a needle in sight.

This part of the walk always remains the same ... a duck haven; Mallards.

Brookhollow Mobile Home & RV Park, around the bend.

I think this is a soccer field ... getting a shave. LOL

Snowy hilltop in the distance; Coweeman River flows through the Park.

Coweeman River.

Testy courting drakes.

A Great Blue Heron; and various species of ducks.

Heron takes flight.

The gray, clouded sky looks as cold as the river wind feels. BRRRR

Driving home, I decided to nip over the West Hills area in Longview, because the road drops onto Pacific Way near home – and I could bypass the tire-eating-steel plate on Ocean Beach Highway.

But I was not at all prepared for the sight that greeted my eyes on the downside of the West Hills area.

West Hills, Longview; OHSU is visible from Cedar Place dropping onto Cascade Way.

I was unprepared to see OHSU on the hilltop, across the river. I was able to shake off the stabbing heart pain easier this year: I am healing.

A portion of the sprawling OHSU Complex - I recognized the boxy shape. The shape and color were very clear, even from across the river; there was no doubt of what I was seeing.

Death is not the same as divorce - there is no rational comparison. Only ignorant narcissists would make such a thoughtless, warped comparison.

Bob & gloria's divorce was pretty calm and amicable. Amicable means relations or interactions that are civil, or peaceful; gloria married dale practically before the ink was dry on the divorce papers. Divorce does not equal death.

Bob and I didn't want to end our life together; but, when Elohim calls ... you go.

Thank you, my love, for all the love you gave me; every day – and every night – for 44 years.

Thank you, my love, for the memories that I will always cherish. Even the ones that are hard to relive.

Thank you, my love, for all the ways your presence in my life has shaped my life in all the stages of my life.

Thank you.

My Love.

CRISSCROSS

 Today was a crisscross day.

Crisscross: to mark with intersecting lines; to pass back and forth/through or over; overlap, intersect.

All day long.

It started when my feet touched the floor this morning.

Spam calls were crisscrossing the airwaves like sparring swordsmen … and subsequently being sent to voicemail; where I promptly deleted them without giving them ear time.

While washing my hair, I thought I’d better drive to castle Rock and grab a week’s worth of the salads I like (and that Longview does not sell); I also decided to call the hair salon I like in Castle Rock, and make a hair appointment for next week sometime; before available openings were filled – so, after toweling my hair, and briefly aiming the blow dryer at it – I made the call: the hair salon wasn’t open yet. As I was dressing, the cell jingled; the salon owner was returning my call … and three times the call was ended when airwaves crisscrossed and broke communication connection: both of us were on cellphones, so I guess we were both walking around at the same time hoping for a connect signal that would last more than a few seconds: finally, a solid connect was established, and she said she could book me for 10 AM this morning. I threw a quick glance at the clock (and did a fast mental time calculation), and told her I’d be driving in from Longview: she said she’d hold the opening for me. I hastily pulled the rest of my clothing on, grabbed my wallet, and beat feet.

My hair needed attention.

I do like the Shag haircut, but I don’t like looking shaggy when it’s lost its shape – my shagged hair needed to be reshaped.

The morning was foggy; fog lights were engaged with the speed control app as I drove up and over Delameter Road, and I was only 5 minutes late 😉

Hearing, “That cut really looks good on you” was worth the hustle to crisscross the foggy landscape 😉

After I left the Hair Salon, I drove 2 seconds to the Grocery, and bought the six salads I had originally slated my morning for.

Coming back home was not as easy as getting to Castle Rock had been, even with the foggy overcast.

There were road crews everywhere along the route homeward.

Hazel Dell Road from Castle Rock; 9 mins. via snippets of West Side Highway & Delameter Rd.

Road Crew 1; Hazel Dell Road.

Road Crew 2; Hazel Dell Road.

Virginia Way from Hazel Dell Road; 14 mins. short touchdown on West Side Highway.

Road Crew 3; Glenwood Drive & Virginia Way junction.

Glenwood Drive & Virginia Way Junction; Longview. Red Marker is where road crew was today ...

Traffic delays weren’t too lengthy, thank God 😊

Carefully slipping past the crews and flags-women and driving down Glenwood towards Pacific Way, I debated backtracking to walk the PW Trail after refrigerating the salads … or skipping it, and cleaning house instead.

I hadn’t planned on the haircut this morning – I had planned a morning walk before grabbing the salads. It was already 1 PM.

Glenwood Drive & Pacific Way; Longview-WA

Unbagging the salads at home, and slipping them into the ‘fridge, I made up my mind to backtrack; my daily walks are as important as my daily salads. I need to stick to routine if I expect success.

And I do expect success – that is what I am aiming; and working for.

Plus … I just plain enjoy walking every day and taking in nature’s delights.

My weekly salads I ferry home from Castle Rock; not available in Longview.

Pacific Way from Heron Pointe - 6 mins; via Ocean Beach Highway, Coal Creek Rd, and Pacific Way to 42nd Avenue Trailhead.

Pacific Way Trail; lower end.

I wore lighter shoes today … and walked brisker than I have been walking.

I saw the water fowl {regulars}, and one unidentifiable duck.

Ring-neck Duck pair.

Goldeneye duck.

I watched the huge heron take wing, coast past me as I stood on the dike trail, and fly to a new perch – just to my right 😊

Mallards & flying Great Blue Heron.

I watched with concern as a murky patch of water flowed downstream towards the nest sites ☹

Scummy water fouling up the dike waters; it is draining from somewhere up-bank.

I listened to songbirds, frogs, toads, and overhead jets: all these sounds crisscrossed the airwaves swirling around me, and created a strange – yet soothing – freestyle symphony.

Busy airways, today.

I watched a fat muskrat lunching on water plant foliage.

Muskrat enjoying a lunch break; bank burrow opening in background.

I noticed sunny blossoms blanket the opposite bank (they were not there 5 days ago); and snapped off a blurry zoomed in pic, which I still cannot identify.

Sunny Spring color popping ...

Don't know what this flower is, but it sure is bright yellow.

I felt the walk’s burn working its magic on my body.

It was a pleasant 46-degrees (warmed significantly by my brisk walking), even with the low, hovering, gray clouds.

I noticed crisscrossing jet stream lines in the sky; and couldn’t help thinking that with all the demonrat waspish clamoring about “climate change!”, not a single word has been said about curbing jet stream pollution (or electric jets instead of fuel propelled jets): quite possibly because politicians and celebrities cannot pedal a bike to DC from all corner of the world … and their wives/brats from all corners of the world, can’t pedal a bike from their fancy-schmancy homes to far-flung posh holiday locations, or far-flung fancy private school locations. It is only the little people deplorables that must be kept hamstrung and tethered to the unrealistic and tyrannical demonrat climate change agenda demands (like no more fuel propelled cars after 2030).

Watching the crisscrossing jet activities high in the sky above me, I wondered if that annoying, obnoxious brat greta thunberg realizes the hypocrisy of her shrill preaching “climate change now!” while jetting around the world to push forward her aimless activist activities as she enjoys her first-class jetting experiences …

Criss-crossing, jetting jets, are slicing up the atmosphere. I've noticed that there are no public outcries to end air traffic ... ONLY road traffic.

But, I didn’t want to be angry at ridiculous and worthless politicians/celebrities while enjoying my walk.

Tagging the dike gate at the one-mile end of the two-mile graveled loop trail, I pivoted and caught sight of Longview’s Mill Town mascot: a gigantic testimony of the scant prosperity still left in Longview.

NORPAC (North Pacific Paper Corporation) is the worst polluter – the sky-reaching plume never stops.

The sight of that plume, reaching into the sky, struck me as eerie today.

The pollution plume from the Plant on Industrial Way eerily resembles a small atomic explosion. Kinda freaky - and the reason I have 'environmental asthma' since moving to Longview-WA.

Today’s various crisscrossing were certainly in action throughout the day.

I listened to Joel’s album all day long – it is very uplifting. I've been listening to Joel's music since 1979, and Bob liked it too - our kids and grandkids were raised listening to him, too, as long as they were under our roof and in our vehicles. Bob took me to see him in concert at Rehoboth Messianic Fellowship, nine years ago. Joel and Bob talked for about 45 minutes; nothing in particular, just noshing 😊

Joel is very personable. Like Bob.

Joel Chernoff – “Dance With Me” Album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4_aEuy7Wlk&list=PLvWZ3tkpPVFvjwW1X4dinidvE-LXELN3N