Patricia Sprinting to the finish line of Big Sur International Marathon 11-miler Count them: five Big Sur International Marathon running events during the past almost twenty years: I walked the twenty-one miler in the early 2000s, ran the 10.6-miler and the nine-miler courses (no longer events), and participated in the 11-miler twice, most recently on …
Dear Friends: after almost five years as a Facebook user, I have decided to no longer participate in this social media forum. I began using FB as a tool to market my two books (“First Friends: Love, Loss and Life in Humboldt County”, and “Smart Jocks, Long Talks and Pink Socks, the Story of Coach …
First doctor’s appointment three days post-surgery. He confirmed that the metal plate that was inserted during surgery for 2017 arm break had caused ruptured tendon. While unusual for new plates to cause tears, because my break was so bad, the original surgeon had to insert plate close to my wrist, subsequent bending of wrist over …
A brief thumb update: thankfully a friend suggested I seek a second opinion on my ruptured tendon, given how critical that opposable thumb is. I was referred to the UC Health (Denver) Orthopedic Hand department, with a reputation for excellence. Although this extra step extended the overall process to move forward with the tendon repair, …
The right hand thumb, straight and unbending. One of the things that distinguishes us as humans is our thumb: its flexibility in movement and opposable to our other fingers allows us to do such incredible things. Two weeks ago my right thumb, seemingly without any memorable injury or action, stopped working. I could not bend …
My father and my younger son, c. 1988 The telephone call came early one evening this spring. I was home alone, savoring the quiet as dusk fell. I almost didn’t pick up the phone. Too often intrusive telemarketers interrupt this hour. Then I noticed my parents’ ten-digit number, the first one I ever memorized. “Just …
Starting young: Solomon reading with Grandpa Doug Eclectic best describes the spectrum of books I read this year. Some choices were intentional, others were spur-of-the-moment, ten or so were book club picks, still others were recommendations from friends, “best of” lists (a variety of sources, including The Guardian, Bill Gates, and The New York Times), …
Snow Canyon State Park: Start of 10k Race On Monday October 8, I ran the Huntsman World Senior Games 10k from Snow Canyon Park to the city park in Ivins, Utah (near St. George). Over 11,000 seniors (ages 50-almost 100) participate in the Games during the next two weeks in almost every sport imaginable, from …
Pat and kids at Patacanchan Village Festival My older son wrote his college thesis on the concept of “awe:” what did it mean, how was it used, what emotions did it evoke, what was its historical/religious/social context. After many months of research, reading, writing, editing and engaging in discourse with others, he was unable to …
Hamlet may have wanted permanent sleep—I’d be satisfied with six or seven solid hours! When I was young, during my teenage years, I often wandered around our house in the middle of the night. Sometimes, I’d meet my father reading in his red-brocade chair, an heirloom from his mother. We shared these awakenings, nodding or …