Rained out

April 22, 2020

Another no-bike day. Rain is in the forecast, and threatens off and on throughout the day. The timing is fortuitous for us, because Rachael needs to give her feet a rest. She’s complaining of some unusual toe pain this morning - maybe from overaggressive walks, or from having her bike shoes laced too tightly - and decides to take a complete rest day.

I’m feeling fine though, and think I’ll go on a short local ride during a break in the weather. At one point we walk out to the car so Rachael can help me unload our bikes, and discover it’s suddenly started raining. A few hours later, the weather forecast looks promising for the next three hours so I start getting ready to ride again until Rachael points out that I’m looking at the wrong forecast. Instead I should look at the big glass one behind the couch, where I see that it’s raining out T the moment. So, no biking today.

It’s not a day completely without newsworthy activity though. Most importantly, today is my date with my wound nurse, Angie. I’m anxious about what she’ll think when she opens up the wraps, and it’s a big relief to hear her exclaim “Ooh, what a nice, healthy pink color!”. And she’s right. It does look visibly better than two days ago (I’m keeping a gallery of photos to track my progress). In addition to the improved color of the wound itself, she points to the thin light band surrounding it. That’s all new skin, she says. Also, she notes that the wound is shrinking - it was originally 5 cm, and is now 4, and shallower.

I mention the curiosity that everyone I’ve seen now has prescribed different care. She’s not surprised, and says that actually most doctors don’t specialize in wound treatment and don’t know that much about it. Angie got her training in Seattle at the UW Med School, where she completed a 300 hour program in wound treatment.

I’ll go back again in two days for my next checkup, but I’m definitely feeling encouraged.

Angie, my wound nurse. Smile, I instruct her facetiously, and she complies.

Don’t be alarmed. The wound isn’t spreading. I mention to Angie that I’ve been careful to tape my wrap well when we go biking so it won’t slip down, and she reaches into her goodie bag and pulls out a sleeve. It works and feels great.

So that’s our big news for the day. Also big though is that it’s Growler Day again. I walk in the door of 1188 Brewing Company with my two empty growlers and ask for another Axe Grinder / Red IPA refill, and hear the unhappy news that they’re out of Axe Grinder. In its place they’ve rolled in their amber, the Snow Melter. Just as well - it’s good to get some variety into my protein-rich diet.

Unless I relapse and Angie thinks I should stay close by for awhile longer, this will be our last visit to 1188 Brewing Company for this year because we’ll leave for Pullman in a bit over a week. Before leaving though, I want to give a shout out to Rocky. We make a great growler team, specializing in different roles. I take them in for a refill, I empty them, and she washes out the empties. What a fair division of labor. She’s getting off easy, really.

The Snow Melter, 1188’s take on an amber ale. Good, but I still prefer the Axe Grinder.

And of course, it’s Earth Day! It seems like someone on the team should walk around on the earth a bit to make it feel loved, so I volunteer. We get a dry spell after dinner that lasts just about an hour, and I fill it up by taking a short walk across the river. It’s a serene outing. There’s a nice network of short trails right on the outskirts of town - just right for an evening stroll. Thanks, Earth!

There’s a nice network of paths crisscrossing the slope above the river. Some are paved, some crushed gravel, and some like this are just damp clayish dirt that gum up the soles of my shoes.

Looking across 7th Street Park to the western edge of the Strawberry Range.

And, from the same spot, a look west to the Aldrich Mountains.

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