Guilty Pleasures

With only five weeks until we hike the Canyon, you would think that we are training in high gear, right? Not this week. We biked, probably about 25 miles (each of us) for the week, but certainly not high level training.

This week we took an unconscious break to recharge in other ways. Nana got in more reading and caught up on a few things around home and work. Papa also played catch up on projects. It felt good, in a guilty sort of way.

Resources note that the hike is as much mental, as physical. This week we recharged mentally, or maybe healed mentally. This is a big "bucket list" item for Papa and me. We've talked to people in the past few weeks who do this frequently or decide on a whim to hike R2R or hike rim-to-rim-to-rim in a day. Mentally we were a little bruised. Are we making too much of this? 

At the end of the week, we decided that it comes down to this: It is a big deal for us because it's the first time...because we love the beauty of the nature...because we're doing something that is a test of our physical abilities.  So, doesn't matter how easy it is for anyone else, it's a big deal for us until we learn differently.

This week we relaxed, we pushed aside bruised egos and doubts and enjoyed a break to focus on immediate day-to-day life experiences and fully appreciate those.

It's an absolutely beautiful time of year here when landscaping grows at a rapid pace.  We have six rose bushes and they are each covered with large flowers. This is the best month of the year for roses.  They will continue to bloom throughout the year but the flowers get smaller and fewer as the heat stresses the plants. This month we're thoroughly enjoying them!

The other excitement this week was getting our anniversary clock working. This clock has been in Nana's family since the late 1800's/early 1900's. It's been decades since the clock has worked. This year, we decided to see if it could be repaired. There are limited craftsman who work on these antique anniversary clocks.  Disappointed that it would take two months to repair but determined to get this family heirloom working, we left the clock at the shop.

It was just over two months before we got it back and, darn, it didn't stay working. Back to the shop. Again we brought the clock home a couple weeks later, got it in position on the shelf, started it up, and 30 minutes later, the clock would stop.

In frustration we called the clockman yesterday and you'll never believe it...house call!  Yes, for no additional charge he stopped by our house and got that old clock working, keeping time beautifully. Thank you clockman for restoring a little of my family history!  We keep staring at it, watching the silent pendulum spin, thrilled that the clock is working.

After a relaxing week and a gorgeous, refreshing weekend of reading and getting the house in order, it's time to get back to it physically in order to be ready for the trip, now just five weeks away. The week starts with a long-overdue physical for Nana (Papa's had his) to assure that the body can handle the adventure. Then back to an aggressive biking/training schedule from now until the big...yes BIG...event.