DAY 62
06.05.07
TREE 68Mind in bit of a fog and body in a sore bind. I was looking for an easy climb and a tree with nice, strong, sturdy branches, but not so old and big that I can’t wrap my fingers around them. Found the perfect one in a field in Cherokee Park that was lit by the evening sun. (Another one of those trees with the camo-colored bark.) It was a good, steady climb all the way to the top. Paused here and there for rest and contemplation. I was surprised to notice how my shoes were stripping the bark off to the moist, green under layer. My only hope is that is does no damage. It is a beautiful night and a climb that fit the mood.
6-5-08: Re-evaluation: I do react to poison ivy. (I think) My dad always said that males in the family don’t react. I just took his word and figured since I go all over the woods and climb all kinda trees and have never gotten any reaction that it was true. But, I have red itchy bumps in my arms and legs. They are spreading. I am not certain it is poison ivy but I am not sure what else it could be. After climbing that cypress covered in ivy, I went to Will’s and washed with soap and water. But only my arms to my elbows, my legs to my knees, and my face. The reaction started on my legs above the knees, and my arms above my elbows. Coincidence? Now it is spreading. I have vowed not to scratch… any other ideas for helping this crap go away? Will it just go away on it’s own?
As for the entry above… “the fog” of my mind I remember very clearly. That was the first day I confronted my feelings about not wanting to return to Portland, OR when my residency was up. And, of course, what other stuff that would mean.
Yesterday I was playing on a playground and a kid was watching. He started to ask me to do things, “jump from there…” “do a flip off this…” “can you walk on this?” and I told him, “I am not your puppet, your toy… I just don’t preform for you. Just sit back and I’ll do what I want, if you don’t approve… tough.” He stopped asking me to do stuff after that. Until about 10 minutes later he asks, “Hey! Could you climb this tree and untie this rope?” This was a big tree with branch too high to reach and a trunk too big to shimmy. But I examined my options, saw one overhanging limb low enough to reach and went for it. I told the kid, “Of all the people you could have asked, you asked the right guy.” I was up quick, untied his little rope and he began to swing from the loop tied into the bottom of the rope. I was up there, and figured I would continue to the top, only I didn’t have my camera. I made it to the top and grabbed a compound leaf. I figured I should get something to show for my climb. The whole time the kid was making all sorts of comments about my climbing. Most often he just sang, “spiderman, spiderman, does what ever a spider can.” His parents wanted to leave but he refused to leave until I was down from the tree. They actually waited in the car for 5 or 10 minutes. I finally came down but before I was on the ground the kid tried to get me to untie the rope from the tree so he could take it home. I told him, if he didn’t tie it here in the first place, he should just leave it there.
Maybe I’ll go back and take a picture of the tree sometime soon. I’d hate to have one day missing a picture.
And, one last thing… one year ago today, Norman wrapped me and pictures were taken. I’d thought I’d share:
A loving embrace
And then, he just leaves me there, stuck in that position.
Climbing a tree everyday
