Sunday, March 8, 2015

Sometime last week, after I wrote you about our doctors diagnosis of bronchitis for Mike and me, I Googled it. Bronchitis and flu are both respiratory illnesses but the symptoms we had were closer to flu than bronchitis. Especially or specifically the symptoms of body aches, eye pain and “shaking chills”, symptoms of flu and not bronchitis. Our doctor didn’t really ask about all our symptoms, he just listened to Mike’s lungs and looked in his ears and throat. But heck, as long as the treatment is the same, who cares what he calls it.

Have you ever experienced the shaking chills? I’ve had the flu once before but I never experienced shaking chills before this. Your whole body shakes and your teeth chatter and even if you are under your electric blanket turned as high as it will go-you can’t stop shaking! Being so out of control of my body was the strangest feeling! Thankfully it didn’t last more than a few minutes for me. Then it was gone!

With my body fighting off the flu or bronchitis or whatever it was, and my immunity being so low, I had a fever blister make an appearance on my lower lip. I can’t remember the last time I had a fever blister and Mike says he doesn’t remember me ever having one, but I know I’ve had one or two in my life.

I was visiting with Miss Helen one day last month and she was telling me a story and couldn’t quite reach a word she was looking for. “Oh my,” she said, “I’ve been more forgetful lately.”

I hadn’t thought about helping Miss Helen with her memory before this because she always seemed so sharp, but it occurred to me that a game day might just be the perfect thing for us. We could spend a few hours together every week, chatting and sipping tea and the games would help her mind. Maybe not improve but certainly help to maintain. I pitched my game day idea to Miss Helen and she readily agreed.

The first and only game I’ve taught her to play so far is dominos. A game I learned from Miss Dorothy, another older lady that I used to take care of. Because you score points with multiples of five, it makes you count. And if you play dominos with me, when you play a tile, you have to sing out the count. That makes you count every time you play. Good for the mind, right?

Miss Helen is doing fabulous! She has picked up on the game pretty quick and hasn’t made any mistakes that I haven’t made before. There is a bit of a learning curve, don’t you know.

If we get tired of dominos I have it in mind to switch to cards. Double Solitaire, Gin, Rummy or Go Fish even.

I had to miss our game day this past week because I didn’t want to take a chance on making Miss Helen sick but I’ll see her next week.

We just came through a really cold patch of weather but yesterday was bright and sunny with the temps in the mid 60’s. A day just perfect to make the heart rejoice with the promise of spring. The robins have been back in Missouri for a couple of weeks now, although I haven’t taken any photos of them yet. In fact it seems like I haven’t been out to take any photos in months!

So I go and check.

Just now I go over to my photos library and check. The longest gap I find is five days. Not even a whole week! Funny how it seems so much longer than that.

Yesterday I welcomed a chance to go on a walkabout with my little girls Itsy and Ginger.

As I made my way towards the dam, I stood on the banks of the Lake and watched the sea gulls swoop and dive for quite a while. I even managed to get a shot of one of these so-called Sky Rats as he came up with a fish in his bill.

It’s much too early for new leaves and blossoms to be poking their noses out yet but as I studied the ends of the branches as I walk past I note that whatever lived inside these things have made their escape.

I saw Pooh Bear and Tigger too. Best friends forever. Lost and far from the yard of any little boy or girl.

And my first butterfly of the year!

　

I spot some fungus growing on a piece of old and dried tree, long fallen and half hidden among the leaf litter. I tried to capture the fuzzy texture and delicate shades of cream and gray and brown -- and fear I’ve failed.

I step across the log to get a different angle and the sight that awaited me there took my breath away. For just an instant I thought I was looking at stalactites dripping from the roof of a tiny cave. I quickly glanced away wanting to preserve the illusion a little longer. Then I looked back and knew I was looking at the dried and winter worn gills of the fully mature fungus.

 

 

 

After way too many shots of the fungus and Ginger having waited so patiently for me, we make our way to the pond at the campground. I can see from a distance that there are no turtles out sunning themselves on a dead tree they use for just that purpose, so we turn and head up the hill.

All of a sudden Ginger pulls, wanting to go in a different direction. There was a gate there so we couldn’t go far, and normally I make her do what I want to do but in this instance, I decided to humor her. After a few steps I hear a critter go scampering through the dried leaves. Ginger must have known he was there and after another rustling burst, I spot him. He sat there listening, watching maybe, and was very cooperative as I not only got a few quick shots of him, but changed position to achieve a better angle and a few more shots.

I turned my attention back to Ginger and see she is sniffing around in a patch of dark, rich and freshly turned soil. I sigh a sigh of relief. I am glad it is not any of the wild nuggets that she so covets.

It wasn’t until I look at my photos on the computer that I realize the chipmunk or ground squirrel as some people call them, had a dirty face.

I know! I know! I bet you guys had it put together long before me! Now I don’t know if Ginger heard him scratching around or if she scented him. And it doesn’t even matter. But I am thankful that I listened to her and had a chance to see and photograph this little guy. Signs that the earth and it’s denizens are waking after a long and brutal winter.

A feather, abandoned by it’s owner, was caught up in the grass and weeds of the roadside.

Some of these photos were up as a desktop photo for me this week, and one of them still is.

Let’s call this one done!

Lots and lots of love,

Peg and Mike