July
7/15/2025.
In the big city, sometimes you find something new or rare. This time, something caught my eye quickly.
"Personalize a Nutella Jar"(!).
There was a long waiting line in front of the store. This is something different. I love Nutella. Do you? If the jar has your name on the label, that'd be so fun. See? Now, are you feeling you want it? (Do I sound like a little girl?)
The big city is so fun. Wow.
7/13/2025.
I am simply grateful for my husband's parents' support and efforts to visit us from Japan.
And an additional bonus for them was "their grandson spent time with them at the last part."
7/11/2025.
Did you check the events schedule at the Cincinnati Zoo recently??
It is "National Insect Week".
https://cincinnatizoo.org/events/national-insect-week/
Also the website says "🌻 Special Guests This Weekend".
"On Saturday and Sunday, we’re excited to welcome special guests from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Osmia Bee, and Miami University, who’ll be sharing cool science and conservation stories from around the Cincinnati region. Be sure to stop by their booths to learn more about Ohio’s wild bugs and the people working hard to protect them!"
Now you see "Miami University" is involved. Yes, my husband's grad students have the table for this event in the Insect world building.
My husband will be there on one of the scheduled dates. And yes, as you imagine, he will bring his parents to the Zoo to show them "how his grad students do this kind of event". How fun!
I do hope they enjoy the visit to the Zoo.
7/10/2025.
I think I surprised my husband's parents more than ever. I had to pose in front of the Chicago Theatre imitating as a real dancer. Just because I love anything related to "dance". They were surprised like "what are you doing?". There were good laughs.
How do I look??
7/09/2025.
I know what the Chicago style pizza is. (Personally I love the Detroit style pizza the most.) A looooon time ago, I had a chance to eat a Chicago pizza in Chicago at my husband's conference "Fly meeting". I almost forgot the taste from that time. Then I had a real Chicago pizza again in Chicago this time! It was more joyful and pleasant than I expected. Yes, I was way too excited and happy obviously, as you can imagine. I ate three times of pizza(!) of my husband and his parents had. It's true.
I am pretty sure that my husband's parents thought "I am a crazy old lady" because I loved the tshirts which the restaurant crews wore. I took pictures of them.
I want to buy one of them "Go Deep". How do you think?
7/08/2025. Yellow Marigolds update.
It is blooming "safely". I put fences up just in case. It's a good day.
Also my Bee Balm is full blooming 100%. They are ready to have my husband's parents here, I assume. I'm super happy that everything is just in time for them here in my garden. So as pink Coneflowers.
BONUS: From inside my house, it's a nice "red" view of Bee Balm through the window. Then my hummingbird is flying by to stay at Bee Balm garden for her breakfast. What a treat. We can see her so closely.
It is just right height indeed.
Do you think my husband's parents will see my hummingbird on Bee Balm during their visit?
Entry#425. 7/07/2025.
My biology-professor-friends (my husband’s colleagues) have a significantly good effect on me always, in many ways. I’m grateful for that.
One of them gave me several Ohio native plants from her garden. Her garden is super gorgeous and grow well + healthy. I’m jealous.
I learned about Ohio native plants from her as well. Very interesting. It’s really good to know. And it’s great to have Ohio native ones in my garden. But, you know? If they grow well, right?
Just because “Deer live in my backyard with fawns”, they eat up anything even its Ohio native plant.
“Wood Poppy” is always so cute and vivid yellow color. But it surely seems tasty for deer.
“Virginia Bluebells” are good to survive from deer. I’m happy about it.
7/06/2025.
I just coincidentally saw this image. It's been a while since we started Spinal Cord Injury life. Every time we plan to travel, I want to make sure if we have everything. Yes, it is very different from the time I packed minimal stuffs.
Entry#424. 7/05/2025.
My husband had a chance to attend Triathlon event at the Queen City Triathlon on 6/22 in Cincinnati.
https://ohiotriathloni71.com/cincinnati-triathlon/event-details/
Actually the organizer had adaptive relay teams for the first time ever in this year. (I guess they had an amputee athlete before.)
So it was kind of “pilot” settings for everyone.
Also the Ohio river water quality was not good enough to swim and the swim leg was canceled two days before the race day.
Are you wondering how the event happened? I learned that part, too.
Every triathlon athletes started at the swim-in area running to the gate into bike rack area. Then they started bike leg. Then run leg was next as the final leg.
There were 2 relay teams. Each team had 1 handcyclist and 1 racing wheelchair (rim-pusher).
They had to improvise several parts of the race protocol. In my husband’s case, he was ready riding on his handcycle to start. He couldn’t start “running” from the very starting line. So his teammate (amputee athlete) wheeled to his position with his wheelchair.
Triathloners use “timing chip bracelets” that they have to wrap it on their right ankle. That’s the official rule. In my husband’s team’s case, especially an amputee athlete cannot do it. My husband cannot wrap it on his ankle from his hahdcycle seating position. So they did with creative ways.
I think both the organizer and adaptive participants (that’s us) saw some problematic parts and felt things that had to be discussed. That would be a good start, I assume. We learned something new, as well.
One of the exciting things at this event was “meeting Mr. David Whelan” for the first time. Do you know him?
https://www.david-whelan.com/about-me
He says in his website,
“I also aim to give back to the adaptive community that has helped me out so much when I needed it and to also help promote an adaptive community in my new home of Cincinnati and expand from there.”
He competed by himself. We saw his amazing cool bike. We saw how he rode and ran with his prosthetic.
After the race, we chatted about each other’s “machines” (his bike and my husband’s handcycle). That moments were precious indeed.
7/04/2025. Our cycling update.
We try to pedal outside as much as possible in the summer. The heat (feels like 90F and over) makes us go pedaling later in the day. But we try anyway.
Do you bike for fun?
Entry#423. 7/04/2025.
I’ve not thought that my friends in town were champions of Speed puzzle competition. It seems they are really great at it.
You should watch the video in this web page. They look amazing and outstanding really.
I had a chance to chat with one of them at grocery store the other day. She said she practices for the competitions. Wow. Practicing for jigsaw puzzles! That’s what I don’t even think about. It sounds there are several strategies and skills that they need to master. Very interesting.
Then coincidentally the new store just opened in our town. Puzzle and Putt Oxford.
https://www.puzzleandputtoxford.com/
They said they have a jigsaw puzzle competition in this month. See? Our town has always something interesting.
Will you try the Speed Puzzle?
7/04/2025. Happy 4th of July!!
It's sunny and abandoned sunshine. A perfect day because I cannot stop smiling. How's your garden flower doing? Oddly I still have larkspur blooming at this time of year. Bee balm joined in. And orange coneflower as well. One part of my garden has three colors together, blue+red+orange with green-background. Looks neat and festive for July 4th, I guess. You like it?
I need to add this yellow marigold here. It's already tall enough and buds are emerging huge. I was looking forward to seeing big bloom. I was careless about protecting them because deer never ate marigolds before in my yards. However right after flower opened, it was gone(!) sadly. I think deer ate it. These buds in this photo are coming up next. We will see if they can survive.
P.S. I guess the height is tall enough that rabbits cannot munch them. So the suspect is a deer, maybe a fawn.
Hmmm, your deer eat marigolds?
Entry#422. 7/03/2025.
I noticed something the other day during Time Trial cycling race on 6/10. My right eye. Only right eye. I felt strange because I thought there were some things in my eye. Maybe tiny bugs, dusts, leaves or something. However I had no pain and it didn’t bother me at all.
After I was home, I looked at the mirror to see my eye’s surface. Nothing. I didn’t find anything in my eye. However those things didn’t go away. I was thinking I had parasites in my right eye. Those things moved independently (non related to my eye movement). Sounds scary?
As usual, I googled about this symptom. Surprisingly it did hit quickly. It says “Eye Floaters”. Are you familiar with it? In Japanese, 飛蚊症 (ひぶんしょう). I haven’t heard of this word in Japan. I didn’t know about it at all.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eye-floaters/symptoms-causes/syc-20372346
The website says “This is a normal part of aging and usually doesn’t threaten vision.”
Okay, I’m getting old for sure. I am 51 years old.
Also it says “Most people simply learn to ignore them, and over time, your brain may adapt to their presence so they become less noticeable, though they generally don’t completely disappear once they form.”
I was impressed at the fact of “brain” part. It sounds “brain will adapt well”.
After I learned about Eye Floaters, I went to see my eye doctor. She confirmed that I had eye floaters. We had a good conversation.
Aging is interesting. I’m going to live with these eye floaters for the rest of my life.
Then I wonder. If you are over 50 years old, do you have eye floaters?
Do my parents have them? I just didn’t know for a long time? (In that case, I am a bad daughter.)
I still feel that I have parasites in my right eye. Strange.
P.S. To be honest, I had to think about the worst case scenario. What if I had to have an eye surgery? What if I lost sight of one eye? Can I still ride a bicycle? Can I drive with one eye? And so on and on….
I am glad that I have a common aging symptom and that is all. I’m relieved.
P.P.S. My new yard sign. It says "I will be in my office." Do you like it?
7/02/2025.
How's your July's start going? It's been a bit strange here with more thunderstorms than usual. This week looks without any indication of thunderstorms. Fingers crossed. So our July started nicely, it's like an "everyday-cycling". Hope we keep it that way.
Today was a special day because I got invited for "UNO party"(!) My wonderful neighbor ladies gathered and played "UNO". It was fun. I love this gathering very much.
7/01/2025.
Please laugh. When I see fresh paintings at parking lots, it makes me feel so good. I'm talking about that BLUE/WHITE paintings. See? I believe you feel it in different ways.
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