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I dunno if any dads read my blog or not, but if you do, Happy Father's Day to y'all. Thank you for doing your job out there and remembering that your kids may grow up to be mothers and fathers, too.

Yes, I was a daddy's girl :D My dad's only real fault was that he never grew up, but that's probably why he was always so much fun to be around when I was a kid. He remained calm in the presence of large rattlesnakes, he didn't mind when I cleaned his truck with the white cat's help, he always had a supply of firecrackers and he told fantastic bedtime stories. When I dug that huge hole in the front yard over the course of a hot summer weekend, instead of kicking my ass he filled it with water & played in the resulting mud pond with me. He remained in good humor when all my paper dolls & Barbie clothes fell out of his truck's sleeper in front of his trucking buddies.

My dad is long gone but not forgotten. Thanks for being there for me for as long as you could be.

We Got Out of the House

With much prodding and goading, I actually got Rob to take me up Mt. Charleston today. We hiked up Fletcher Trail, which is about 1.8 miles, climbing about 1500'. We didn't make it to the end - there's a creek up there somewhere, but me & Rob are terrifically out of shape. If I'd tried it before my knee surgery, I probably would have given in within 15 minutes. I'm kind of proud about just how far we did go, especially considering it was almost 2pm when we got to Kyle Canyon and it was about 90 degrees out there. It's a fairly steady climb, mostly following a dry stream bed. My thighs were crying on the way up & my ankles were screaming on the way down. Some guy passed us on our way down... He was jogging & I told him, "Hey, thanks for making us all look bad!" It was busy up on the mountain today - a lot of picnickers & hikers, lots of people w/dogs, lots of dog shit and flies. The flies were continuous and constant and annoying beyond all belief. Every time we'd stop to breathe I felt like I was Pigpen from the Peanuts gang - an instant cloud would form around me. There wasn't much litter - people are relatively respectful.

( But, since I know no one will believe me, I took pictures! )

I am sore and tired and my lungs hurt from the panting I was doing, but otherwise it was a fulfilling day.