Hot Dahlias!

Good grief, it's so rarely terribly hot in September, but here we are, 5 pm and it's 100F/38C. It will be a wee bit cooler tomorrow, but probably unnoticeable. Saturday a bit cooler yet and then it moderates thank goodness. Give me a month and I'll start to complain about the rain ;-) Often we have an absolutely stunning fall...fingers crossed!

I had a chat with the neurosurgeon about my spine this morning...a two week follow up to the steroid epidural injections. They don't seem to have made a difference. Unfortunately the doc said that if the injections didn't work, then surgery wouldn't either. It's all about relieving the compression on the nerves. So exercise, PT, acupuncture, chiropractice and paying very close attention to body mechanics...for the rest of my life. It will all be fine.

I had a pedicure, then went to pick up a new CPAP mask so if my nose is stuffy I can breath through my mouth. This therapy is working really well...I haven't slept through the night for years and now I can...granted I fight with the mask a bit in the middle of the night as I'm getting used to it, but it sure is great to be able to breathe!

My friend Eli and her baby (she's about 9 1/2 months old) are coming to visit for a couple of days. She's staying at an AirBnb just around the corner from me so that the baby won't wake me. She was my assistant when I was the dean at the now defunct Oregon College of Art and Craft...quite some time ago now. Actually she was my work study student first, and then my assistant. We adore each other and I can't wait to see her and meet baby!

With her impending visit, I wrote my blog early this week if you're interested. It's getting a bit into the weeds, so to speak, and was tough to revisit, and even tougher knowing that such a personal experience is available to the public....

https://www.authenticallykate.blog/post/primal-memories

I bought these gorgeous dahlias at Trader Joe's of all places. But they often have fabulous flowers at very reasonable prices. I love these! So I took them outside, gave them a bit of a cooling mist, and blip is done!

Edit: I just realized that this is my 5 year blip anniversary! Probably a good thing I didn’t realize it otherwise I would have stressed all day about it. I love being a part of this amazing community! xoxo