Empty Bus

This was the scene on the bus as I rode to work this morning. It was one of those extra long articulating buses and I was the only passenger. That has happened a lot lately. The buses are still not running at the number of riders before the Pandemic.

On the plus side, it was a very pleasant commute to work.

Heat Wave Ride

We are in the midst of a heat wave. At least, it's been hot for Spokane. We always have a stretch of hot weather every summer just like we get a stretch of freezing temperatures in the winter.

We were able to take advantage of our neighbors pool last night. That made the heat a lot more manageable. However, I ended up drinking too much beer. I definitely felt it at 4 this morning.

The reason I'm writing today is to describe the wonderful bike ride downtown I had this morning. It has been chilly on the morning ride every day up to today. It's been so hot that there was a wonderful warm breeze that blew across me all the way downtown.

I paused on the bridge and gazed at the river for a couple of moments. 

The hill climb was still arduous and my breathing was labored. Even so, it was a very nice ride

Dental Report

I have an appointment with my dentist this morning. I was in a couple of weeks ago and they discovered I had cracked a tooth and I had some decay starting in an old filling. Hence; today's visit.

I'm never thrilled about going to the dentist but I know it's one of those things I have to do. 

I shall report back in the very next paragraph about how things went.

4:15 PM: It was very difficult to eat lunch. The anesthetic had pretty much worn off and my jaw was sore. It was hard to open my mouth enough to take a bite of chicken. Perhaps I should have had yogurt or something soft.

They got me right in at 8:00 and immediately shot me full of novacane...or whatever they use now. Once I was numb, they brought me the Consent Form, which I thought was a little out of order.

Anyway, they had to hit me with the anesthetic a couple of times because I definitely felt it when he was grinding on my tooth. Apparently, he had to grind it to a nub so that the crown would fit.

They set me up with a temporary filling and sent me on my way. But not before charging me $431.00. That's my deductible for this procedure.

Still Riding and Still Breathing

I am continuing to ride my bike downtown to catch the bus to work. I am continuing to struggle on the hills. I am on drugs that prevent my heart rate from getting too high. Consequently, when I do exert myself, I tire out quickly because my heart is not speeding up to compensate for the activity.

This morning, my hill climb was brutal. Once I got to the top of the hill, it's pretty much down hill the rest of the way and I need it. It takes three minutes to get my breathing under control.

The street in front of the STA Plaza is torn up as are the side walks. The city is doing some work on the street so STA decided to do some work on their sidewalks, which are about 25 years old. That is ancient in Sidewalk years.

It's a mess but it cuts down on traffic down there.

Another Bike Ride to Work

I have long lost track of how many times I've ridden my bike to work. But I can tell you that today marks one complete week of riding the bike every day. I've usually had some reason to drive at least once a week.

I rode the bus home from downtown last night and determined it takes about five minutes longer than riding home from downtown. That is because of the wait time for the North Monroe bus. 

My ride downtown this morning was pleasant, made more pleasanter by my powering through my morning hill climb. My legs were burning and I was well out of breath at the top, but no chest pain and I recovered in due course.

Fingy Report

It's been three weeks now since I ran the Rotary Knife into my fingers. I'm finally to the point where I don't need to wear a bandage everyday. Today is the first day that I am bandage free. I really should have gone and had the wounds stitched up. They are healing okay but the side of my thumb has a kind of numbness to it. 

I'm assuming the feeling will return but I don't know that at this point.

June BP