I still did Bikram while lying down. There are so many differences. Because I had been working on my left glute muscles, I could better support myself in a ‘standing bow’ while lying on my left side and in half lotus. I am using my arms differently. I am finally pressing my elbows into the mat. When class was over, I watched this accomplished yoga student doing one exercise. She was on her back, with her knees bent and pushing against her knees as she tried to raise them. She said it was an exercise to strengthen her psoas muscles. It reminds me of the exercise Damon and Cylin’s trainer gave them in their high-intensity exercise class.
I called Jean when I got home. She gave me more information about her planned surgery. We’re talking about a triple bypass. She is delighted with the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital and with her surgeon. Doctors are so much more considerate of patients these days. Jean said her surgeon knelt and drew a picture upside down to explain the surgery. Her chest will be cut open, but she has been told she won’t see the cut afterward. I want to know how they pull that one-off. We are assured that this is a garden variety operation, and there is nothing to worry about.
I heard from Kathrin, who asked if I found a toe ring in my car. I didn’t. I asked her if she had gotten an appointment with a dentist. She has made two phone calls but has had no response yet. When I heard from her again, she had gotten an appointment. She and Mike were in Hilo for a festival. They were going to the ER in the Kaiser facility. I asked them to make sure they took a blood sample and tested for anemia.
I did a lot of work on the blog, trying to catch up. I forgot to bathe Elsa again. I have to give her her heartworm pill and apply flea protection. I did some work on the blue flowers. Instead of trimming them back, I train them to grow toward the driveway instead of toward the fence by threading the new growth into the bushes and cutting back those I can’t do that with. As usual, the haole koa, this annoying weed tree, is growing faster than anything else.
Judy texted. She was coming back from Lanai today. I’m looking forward to hearing about her adventures with her son, his performance, and her grandkids.
In the late afternoon, we had a downpour. I grabbed an umbrella and went out to check our problem downspout. It wasn’t one of those spectacular downpours, but it was good enough to observe some of the flow. I moved the wedge a little so it caught more water. It seems good enough to channel the water away from the house. I checked the other downspouts around the house. One at the corner of the garage was being drained through a buried pipe leading to a well. This is an option for the one that is causing problems. We need to check prices.
Elijah mowed the lawn and came up to visit. His mom had asked me to help her younger son, who is developmentally delayed in his language skills. Because he lives so far away, I couldn’t work with him regularly. I suggested they play the audio file I made to help develop phonemic awareness. Good phonemic awareness is a predictor of good reading skills. Because few people were playing the file, I can see if Elijah played the CD for him. By this day, he had played the Quiet Queen story, both with the regular reading and the one broken down into the phonemes, seven times. He said yes, he was seeing some differences: his pronunciation was better, and he was easier to understand. His vocabulary and ability to understand what other people were saying were better. Then, I asked Elijah if he saw any differences in himself. He said no. I asked if his brain felt weird when listening to the audio file. Yes. I explained that’s how he could know that his brain was changing. Then, I asked if he saw a difference in reading speed. His eyes opened wide with surprise. He said yes. I also asked if he found understanding what the teachers were saying easier. He responded yes to that question, too.
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