This week felt more like spring, except for the days where it was still cold enough to wear a sweater during the day. Loren and I spent one day at our house in San Jose, doing some gardening and other maintenance work. It was nice to snap photos of what’s been blooming in our front yard,

 

and our back yard.

 

Afterwards we stopped to see a friend. Her dogwood tree receives more sun and therefore boasts more blossoms. It was fun to catch up with her and her father too. He happened to be visiting from Wisconsin. Loren and I had met him at the suggestion of this friend a couple of years ago when we drove through Wisconsin.

She sent us home with a rose from her front yard. As the week progressed, the bud further opened and has provided us a delightful fragrance, just as she had said it would.

  

One evening Loren and I watched our Golden State Warriors in their last game of the regular season at the arena in Oakland. We enjoyed watching with other guests from our AirBnb, just as we have watched a few Warriors games together recently. We appreciated the station broadcasting the sentiments of the fans, players and coach about their history in Oakland. Except for this year’s playoffs, they will play in San Francisco from now on.

I was inspired to write a poem about what I heard, taking me back to my elementary school days…

Basketball Haiku
Claire Adalyn Wright

Nothing compares to
the sounds of sneakers squishing
across a gym floor.

The next evening we enjoyed a BBQ with Loren’s sister, and watched the final College Men’s basketball game. She invited us to join her for a hike on May 4, to help raise money for the Hope Hospice organization that helped care for their Mom in the last 3 weeks of her life. If you would want to join us or to donate, here is the link to the team:

http://events.hopehospice.com/site/TR/Hike/General?team_id=1774&pg=team&fr_id=1140

One day I went to the dentist and was amazed that she was able to remove my old crown and replace it with the permanent one both in the same visit. I am continually impressed with how technology can enhance our day to day lives. 

Loren and I spent another day with a dear friend, her beau, and his sweet dog. We went on a wonderful hike which included a picnic, then visited and dined out together. A memorable and meaningful day.

 

We are especially proud of this friend, who has generously opened her home to two asylum seekers from El Salvador. Prior to arriving at her home they each had been held in detention upon entering the United States to apply for asylum. One of them has received asylum and has most recently procured a job in a commercial kitchen. She will continue to live with our friend for the foreseeable future. The other is legally prevented from an opportunity to work yet, so her priority must be to learn English. She has a hearing with a Judge coming up next month. We wish both of these young women all the best in their goals. If you would like to hear the story of one of them, you can read about her at this site (click and click again on the headline below the photo):

Loren and I finished our week signing off on our taxes, just before Monday’s due date. We appreciate our fortune to have been born in this country – the land of the free, the brave, and the payers of their annual taxes.