Finally, finally, I'm back on my own computer! Don came after dinner to re-install last night. Aside from a few quirks I have to ask about, it's going all right.
I've been wanting to explore the hiking trails at Freedom Fields, the county park near us, but would never go in the woods alone. Yesterday, I was delighted when D.D. Alison came down and off to F.F. we went.
The weather was great, about 65 and sunny, and it's a lovely little area, but hardly the likes of Brendan Byrne Park, where the Outdoor Club often hikes. That covers a mind-boggling 50,000 acres, with scores of different trails, some 35 miles long. Freedom Fields has only two trails, the blue and the yellow. We chose the blue, the longest one, but it's still only two and a half miles.
It was so enjoyable to walk in the woods with my daughter! During the first stretch, though, I got careless about watching where I was going. We were on a relatively smooth sand path, but I hit my foot on a root and fell down hard on both knees. For a second, it hurt like hell and I was sure I had broken something, but Alison--a health professional, after all--was so calm and comforting. She told me not to try to get up for a minute (I had rolled over and was sitting) and asked about what hurt, how much, etc., then suggested I roll up my slacks to look at my knees. I did, and the skin was only slightly abraded. It stopped stinging, she helped me up, and we continued on our way.
After our hike, we headed toward the bay to see Pat and his cronies. However, we met up with him driving from the area--with a young man in the front seat with him. It turns out the guy's pickup truck had broken down and Pat was taking him to the parts store to get a new crankshaft (or something). Alison followed him to the place, as she was a little apprehensive about her Dad picking up a stranger. She decided he was a robber and would hold him up. I told her "no problem," as Pat probably didn't have more than five bucks on him, anyway. (We both have over-active imaginations.) However, no problems ensued and later, when Pat got home, he said the guy's mother, for heaven's sake, was in the truck; she hadn't wanted to go with them.
Talked to other D.D. and heard more about her townhouse. She continues to de-clutter, pack up, and prepare for her yard sale on Saturday. Hope it's successful and she makes a bundle.
Tonight, Dennis, Leslie, and I will participate in a peace vigil in Absecon. Five years on and we still perpetuate the horror. Will our descendants have to mark "twenty years," thirty years," fifty years...?"