Break in the Clouds (And the Foot)

Today we get a brief break in the series of storms that have been dropping record amounts of rainfall on the Pacific Northwest. Yes, it rains a lot here. It doesn't normally rain this much. Last night I went for a walk to the bridge over the North Santiam River. Water wasn't at record-breaking levels, but it was pretty high, and the normally-clear water was turbid and roiling with heavy logs being sent downstream at a rapid rate. Earlier that day, Lisa and I were upstream at Mill City and she had us stop so she could limp over and have a look at the torrent of water cascading under the bridges there from the vantage point of the old railroad bridge (now a footpath).

Yes, I said limp. Lisa badly stubbed her toe yesterday, to the extent that she might have broken it, or at least badly sprained it. It's a good thing the trailer is small; it makes it less difficult to hobble around and get to things. She's keeping the foot wrapped up, which helps ease the pain. We hope things get better by tomorrow, when we're supposed to be heading to Seaside for the weekend. If her foot is not better today, we'll have to put off taking her Vanagon to the dealership for repairs, since we need to both be able to drive. (The plan was for me to follow her in and then bring her home.)

As it happens, we do have a wheelchair here -- her mother needed it in her last days -- and we can take it to Seaside with us if necessary. Indeed, yesterday when we went shopping for groceries in Stayton, Lisa decided, after unsuccessfully using a shopping cart as a walker, to use one of the electric buggies that the store has, although she said she felt funny doing so. But of course a wheelchair and sandy beaches, not to mention playing pinball, are not compatible activities.