It's like I'm sitting at a bus stop waiting for a train Exactly how I got here is hard to explain My heart's in the right place, what's left of it I guess My heart ain't the problem, it's my mind that's a total mess With these rickety old legs and watery eyes It's hard to believe that I could pass for anybody's prize Here's what I know about the gifts that God gave You can't take 'em with you when you go to the grave
Every once in a while I’m out on a solo hike listening to a random playlist on Spotify a song pops up that knocks my socks off. That’s how it felt anyway when I heard “It ain’t over yet” by Randy Crowell this morning. I’m a little embarrassed to admit I’d never heard of him or the song before. When I checked him out on Wikipedia I was surprised to learn he’s been around a long time and is highly regarded in country music circles. Hell, he was even married at one time to one of my favorites, Roseanne Cash. I’ve been out of touch with American culture for a long time now and it shows.
Here in my insular little world, life continues in much the same way that it does every day. I’m happy to report that my eyesight seems to be improving day by day. I don’t even miss my glasses, although I still instinctively reach for them from time to time.
It’s also nice waking up to a beautiful morning. The air is clear again. Blue skies, scattered clouds, mountains in the background, and of course, the blue waters of the bay. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the views, and the scenery is a damn fine anti-depressant. I look around and think, “what do I have to feel bad about? I’m a lucky man!”
There are even interesting things to see when the sun goes down. Like last night at Marick’s:
Alright then, I promised some photos from yesterday’s group hike and I’ll get to them in just a sec. But first, in case you missed it, Kevin Kim has started his long trek from near the DMZ to Busan along the east coast of Korea. So, my walks are nothing compared to that, but I really enjoy following along on his walking adventures. He’s also got great photos and commentary on his journey. Kevin created a special blog for this purpose and you can travel with him at Kevin’s Walk 5.
My Friday group of hikers did a 6k march yesterday which carried us about 2/3 of the way up Kalaklan Ridge, then across the hillsides overlooking Rizal Extension, and finishing up on My Bitch back into Alta Vista. I’ve got to say, I’m still not 100% and it was a struggle at times to keep moving forward. My hike mates said I looked a lot better than I did on Wednesday, so that’s encouraging at least. To the photos then:
That brings y’all up to date. We will see what Saturday night has in store for me.
It ain't over yet, I'll say this about that You can get up off the mat or you can lay there till you die It ain't over yet, here's the truth my friend You can't pack it in and we both know why It ain't over yet
Wow! What a sad pic of the dog! Makes me cringe just looking at it. And I second your thoughts on why someone would have/treat an animal like that? 🙁
Glad to hear (see?) that the eyesight is getting better. The brain is an amazing thing. They did a study once where they made a group of people wear glasses that flipped the world upside down. For the first few days, it was obviously pretty much impossible to get around. However, after a relatively short period, the brain compensated and flipped things back to normal, even while they were wearing the glasses.
Brian, I’ll take your word for it on the brain thing. I had a brain scan recently and it came back negative. And I just realized your name is a misspelling of brain!
Yeah, the dog situation here is a mess. They get that mange which must itch like crazy, then eventually lose all their fur. Lots of hungry dogs running around on the street too. And even when a dog is “lucky” enough to have an owner that provides food I see so many tied up on a 3-foot long leash. What a life.
Appreciate the shout-out! And yeah, that dog is a mess.
I’ll leave you to your country music. Never been much of a fan.