I didn’t mean to lie

I really was intending that to be my last post for a while, but the in light of the news I got from the doctor today, I felt that I owed it to my blog-friends to pass on some good news. Whether you have been praying or sending good thoughts, thank you.

The tumor has shrunk so significantly that they were unable to do a biopsy on it today. It is less than a quarter of its original size and did not show up on an ultrasound. My doctor and nurses were so happy that some of them cried a little.

I am grateful to God for His mercy, for my physicians, and for the progress of medical science!

For now, treatment will continue as it is. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are still in my immediate future, but this is a great triumph, and I wanted to share it with all of you and thank you, again, for your thoughts and prayers.

Love and blessings!

Ok, my break starts now, for reals.

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Ballooning Part 2

It has certainly taken me long enough to post this. It has been months since my successful flight in a hot air balloon, but I have been dragging my feet in sorting through the pictures. Anyway, I wanted to give you guys some beautiful shots before I take an internet break (for those of you who talk to me through e-mail, I will still check it. I just may be slow in replying).

Every time I say I am going to take a hiatus, people seem to worry, so in advance, let me assure you that everything is fine. The coming month is going to be a busy one, and I need time to read, write, and do odds and ends around the house and with my family. I will probably be gone a month, maybe two.

When I come back, I promise to post pictures of more masks including the ones I am currently working on.

On to ballooning!

Photo by Jubilare

For those who missed out on the first failed ballooning attempt, there are details here. We had one more failed attempt (making, I think, three for my dear friend) but finally, luck was with us! The basket was very large, made to hold at least eight normal-sized people.

Photo by Jubilare

Here is the balloon which was called, if I remember rightly, Spirit of Africa. The first stage of inflation is done with a fan.

Photo by Jubilare

Once the fan has blown up the balloon enough to where the flames won’t burn it, the spurting fire thing is used.

Photo by Jubilare

I found the colors quite beautiful.

Photo by Jubilare

My fear of heights made takeoff a bit nerve-wracking. There was someone on board with a worse fear of heights than I have, though, and that helped calm me down.

Photo by Jubilare

Once I was over how high we were, I found the flight soothing and I enjoyed the patterns I began to see below. Balloon flight is very smooth.

Photo by Jubilare

This is some of the countryside relatively near where I live. There are some farms left, though not many, some large estates owned by people whose wealth is beyond my comprehension, some forest, and encroaching subdivisions.

Photo by Jubilare

On the whole, it is pretty, though it makes me a little sad to see how it is changing.

Photo by Jubilare

One of the real farms! Those red-ant things are cattle. We flew over horses and deer (who really did not like the roar of the balloon’s blowtorch thingy) and a blue heron in flight, but my shots of them did not come out well.

Photo by Jubilare

Looking up into the balloon!

Photo by Jubilare

And my best shot of that lovely flame. It is loud, and close, but really beautiful. I would not recommend a balloon flight in hot weather, though. It was cold when we flew, and that was the only reason I could bear the heat above me.

Photo by Jubilare

We had some beautiful clouds that day.

Photo by Jubilare

Every time we went over water, we saw the balloon’s reflection.

Photo by Jubilare

Even with the blur, I find this shot lovely.

Photo by Jubilare

Sycamores are as dramatic from above as below.

Photo by Jubilare

I think the trees below look almost like moss and lichen. Beautiful.

Photo by Jubilare

Even the horrible subdivisions with their monster houses and boring yards look nice from this height. Great patterns. Notice the interrupted sidewalk.

Photo by Jubilare

The skyline, of course, was gorgeous. All those tree-covered hills fading in the distance to meet the sky, and echoed from above by the clouds.

Photo by Jubilare

Mmmmm

Photo by Jubilare

And so, in failing light, we landed. We landed in enemy territory (people who are hostile to balloons) out of necessity, but fortunately no one was home. The team and our pilot broke down the balloon quickly, and we called it a night.

I am very glad my friend gave me the opportunity to do this. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Farewell for now. I’ll be back soon.

“The Hobbit” Read-Along Schedule

Obviously, I am back from my hiatus. I am still not going to be on here as much as before, as there is just so much around me that needs doing, but I am back to posting, commenting and e-mailing.

I also have many things to relate, this read-along of The Hobbit being first. My following posts will concern, among other things, hot-air ballooning, Canada, and an exterminating company’s bone-headed customer policies.

I was already preparing to read The Hobbit again, and now I get to read it along-side others and read interesting thoughts about the chapters! I also get to write about Mirkwood, which makes me want to jump up and down gleefully. Not that I wouldn’t have written about it anyway, even without this read-along.
I am looking forward to this!

The Warden's Walk

Hail, lo, and behold! We have a preliminary schedule for The Hobbit Read-Along! In addition to myself, we have nine participants to split among nineteen chapters. As the host, I have taken the responsibility of the first chapter for myself—unless someone else greatly desires it for themselves, in which case I will happily exchange it for another—and given everyone else two. Postings will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

If anyone wants to write on a chapter other than what has been assigned, speak up now so that the schedule can be adjusted before postings begin! As you can see, the first post will appear on Tuesday,September 25th. I thought it fitting to start just after September 22, which is the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. The final post will come at the end of November, thus giving us a little bit of time before…

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Hiatus

I am going to take a break from the Internets for a while.  Starting tomorrow, I will be A.W.O.L. and seek me as you will, I shall not be found for a few weeks. When I return, posts will continue and I will reply to comments as usual.

What shall I be doing with my time, you ask?

1. Prayer and meditation. There is always the next step, and for a while there have been some things I need to work through before I know which step is next.

2. Writing. Seriously.

3. Silly things like financial planning, scheduling a termite inspection for my home and finding a dentist that doesn’t scare me… much.

4. Masks. I have six in the works and they plead to be finished.

5. Organizing things around my house. All those photographs and papers. I hate papers!

6. Reading. I have several borrowed books that need finishing… or starting.

7. Canada! I will post about that when I get back.

8. Canoeing or kayaking. Jubilare needs water travel. Manni, my dog, has lost his kayaking privileges. Not that I think he minds.

9. Yard work. My poor, poor yard.

10. Making fire-starters. Because, in my family, they are a necessity.

If any of you are in danger of being bored (which seems unlikely), I suggest checking out my links to the right, there.  Eyemaze is dangerous and addictive. TV Tropes can be useful for those of us who write, and amusing for everyone. Lackadaisy is… Lackadaisy.

Also, Hark a Vagrant! has amusing comics, some of which have to do with history and literature. Serious nerd-fodder. For those who like to know, the comic has some “mature content,” just as history and literature do.
This comic introduced me to people such as Emperor Norton! Seriously, look him up!

Au revior!