It's a Fine Crop of Lizards

They are quite large and succulent this year.

Sunspot

Herself speaks.

This past weekend, Cherished Friend, Beloved Husband, and I took a very pleasant hike in the nearby desert. So refreshing to be out in the open air, with the ocotillo and the rocks and the blue sky. We spotted a very nice lizard, and also a beautiful snake warming itself on some rocks. Nice.

I put on sunscreen before we left, and again halfway through. The sun is bright, and I am a pale person; also, I had scheduled my annual visit with the dermatologist for the day after the hike, and did not want to arrive at my appointment with a sunburn. That's just wrong, somehow. 

The physician's assistant is a kind and gentle-spoken woman who never makes me feel self-conscious about skin aberrations. I brought to her attention that one spot -- near the tip of my nose, of all unfortunate places -- that I've been watching with a little bit of trepidation. I'd had an actinic keratosis (AK) in that location a few years ago, addressed by liquid nitrogen. (I'm becoming rather used to the occasional freezing-of-problematic-spots at the dermatologist's office.) The spot was, somehow, once more not quite right. It was subtle, but it was noticeable, both to me and to her under her hand-held magnifying light. Recurrence of the AK? Or something else?

She recommended biopsy. And so that's what we did. It will take a week to ten days to get the results, and then we will know whether another MOHS surgery will be necessary. If I had to guess, I think it's likely. 

I am trying to remain sanguine about the situation: best to tackle things now, before they get worse. I'm not particularly vain -- much too old for that nonsense -- yet having a surgical scar right across  my nose will be... unsightly at first, to say the least. Alas. But what else can I do? 

We shall see what happens.

Oh, to be a snake, who can sun herself without fear.

Officer Down

Herself speaks.

I was going to sit down yesterday and write about the pleasant weekend, but was sidetracked by a call from Offspring the Third.

"I'm OK, but..."

Before I could even imagine which particular terrible thing would follow the but, he continued:

"There's an active shooter on campus, and we're on lockdown."

Ye gods.

I knew, based on his call and his indications of exactly where he was and what security precautions he had in place, that he was safe for the moment. Nevertheless, what we did not know was: who was the shooter? How were they armed? Who were the targets? How much danger was there, really? How many of Offspring the Third's fellow students were in danger? And what of the conflicting reports that were coming out -- was the shooter near the dorm next to Offspring the Third's, or near a farther-away building? Both were reported to the students. Better safe than sorry, to give those near either building more motivation to move quickly and a better chance of finding safety.

News services were slow to pick up on the story -- most likely, because it developed so fast, and then was handled expediently. We got most of our reports when Offspring the Third notified us by text each time they got word from the campus emergency services:

Update one officer killed. Mobile command center deployed. So far the SWAT team and all kinds of other police have rolled up. Right now I am still in my dorm with all the lights off. For now he has not been caught but a suspect has been named.

Then, about an hour after his call:

Update the shooter has been apprehended and the all clear has been sounded. Right now it's still recommended to stay indoors which is what I'll do.

He said later that he was "jarred, but would be OK."

I don't have words for how dismayed I am, that this has become the reality of everyday life.

You can read the story here: http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/09/us/texas-tech-police-officer-fatally-shot/index.html

I think about the slain officer, and wonder what he was like (the officer has, as of this morning, been identified by at least one news source as Floyd East, Jr.). No doubt his family waved goodbye earlier that day, assuming that campus police activities would be relatively safe as usual and that they would see him home later. And kudos to the rest of the officers, who handled such a terrible situation quickly and prevented any further loss of life.

Rest in peace, Officer East. Thank you for your service. I am so sorry that your time was cut short so carelessly and needlessly.

Godspeed.

Autumn Is Lovely 'Round These Parts

Sit With Me On The Verandah

Oh, Vegas

We awoke this morning to news -- fifty-eight dead. Over five hundred injured.  "The deadliest shooting in modern US history."

There is no picture sufficient to tell the tale, no words adequate to express the horror.

It could have been any of us. Our children. Our friends. Ourselves.

God help us.

Treetops