Inserting Uncertainty

 We've gone away every other week before chemo three times now. It's a lot of work to get away from town but it always has released us from care. This time we headed up Friday afternoon on a chilly over-cast afternoon and spent the night at Wilson Lake, a place that has always been a respite for us. We've been there when it is frozen over, alight with moon showers, dulled out by forest fire smoke, dry as a meadow and sprouting mist like floating dervishes. It was just wet, gray and nourishing it's noisy population of ducks and geese this time.

 The next day we parked at the McGowan Lake trail and headed a straight perpendicular until we were up in the open country high above the established trails, crossing and recrossing the big pawprints of a wandering bear. We stopped for lunch with the sun on our backs but clouds loomed up and filled the sky by the time we were done.

 We got up to Lassen National Park Lodge parking lot for a brief flurry of sleet and settled in for what could have been a pleasant night but Michael got quite ill with flu-like symptoms and it was very distressing. In the morning he was better but still queasy and not wanting to eat.

 So we did a little exploring above Payne's Creek as we moved down toward the valley. All the time running on straight veggie oil--just want you to remember the commitment Michael has made and that this is how we roll.-- By the time we got home it was over 80 degrees and it seemed we'd traveled a thousand miles through delight, discomforts, seasons and uncertainty to this fixed position here at the kitchen table. In this beautiful spring sunset delivered home to the week ahead.