Rode my bike to daughter's house after dinner. The challenge was to get up the big long hill...and I did it no problem! The gradual hill going a mile was much better than the steeper, shorter, curving hill I did a few weeks ago going in the same direction. 5.5 miles roundtrip. I did get myself into a little predicament trying to cross the 4-lane busy road, underestimating how much room I had in the middle, but other than that, it went fine. (I had to cross because cars were parked in the bike lane that I needed to ride for a block and the only sidewalk was on the other side of the road.) Unfortunately, there are two busy major roads I have to cross to get to her house.

I had a nice visit with the grandkids. Grandson was so surprised to see me. "Granny! What are you doing here?"grandson exclaimed when I knocked on the door. They told me stories about their Disney cruise. Apparently grandson spent 7 hours at the beach! And then grandson started sneezing and sneezing and sneezing. Allergies. He is in an after-school running club that only made his reaction worse. Poor kid was miserable by the time I left. I mentioned when he felt better we would go for a bike ride and then he told me when he waits for the bus in the morning, he looks at the birds. Oh, this little boy has a firm hold on my heart! I told him we'd go on a birding bike ride then, and he liked that. ​Granddaughter was her usual charming self. She was born with a smile on her face and it has never left. The only criticism I have, which I keep to myself, is how the parents tease grandson, especially since they know he is deeply sensitive. I do know he struggles with expressing those feelings, so I am giving him words to use like, "Dad, you're hurting my feelings." Or, "I don't like it when you laugh at me." My daughter is kind of tough and cold, she has always been that way from the very start, so I don't know if she knows how deep his feelings are, but as a fellow empath, I do. And I raised middle child who also feels very deeply. Trying to toughen them up doesn't work, you can only allow them to feel and teach them ways to work with those feelings.

When I got home, I moved the arch around to different places in the yard where they might 'lead' to somewhere, but I still like it best leading nowhere. When I explained my dilemma about the arch should lead somewhere, honey suggested I hang something from it, like windchimes or a driftwood spiral or something like that. I like that idea. We both agree the big white garage needs to be softened. I view the garage as a blank canvas.

Honey and I discussed going to the heron/egret/cormorant rookery on the Mississippi River this weekend, before the trees leaf out. It was quite impressive last year when we first saw it with the trees leafed out, but I read it is even better before the leaves appear.

Today should be in the 80s but very windy, so we'll see if I ride after work. Despite doubling my activity and cutting out 200 calories a day for the last month, I have not lost a pound. I'm stumped as to what to do next.

Had a really bad intestinal disruption yesterday that went on for hours. Not sure what that was about, but it was so bad I had to open the window 🤣 At least it was just me and dog. And he loves stinky stuff.

Work is super slow, and very unusually slow which is concerning. ​