Return to the Land of the Living

No, not a movie title, I'm moving back into the light.  For the first time since Wednesday (which seems a lot longer ago than 3 days) I'm showered and wearing street clothes, even shoes.  I feel almost human.  Last night I ate a little supper of white meat chicken and plain rice that tasted like the best food on earth I was so hungry.  This morning I had yogurt, a bit of granola, and some fruit.  So far so good.  I think my plan for today is to go get ingredients for a cauldron of chicken veggie soup to eat until I'm back on track.  Durwood has so far *knock wood* avoided joining me in the virus relay and I'm hoping to keep it that way.  Today will be the test, 2-3 days seems to be the germination period of this plague.  Fingers and toes crossed.

In Spring news, the apple tree is in full bloom, the ferns in the shady patch off the patio are unfurling, and the allium are blooming.  Did you know they're related to the onion?

We saw both Mr. & Mrs. Oriole visit the feeder yesterday but they're so skittish it was impossible to snap photos.

After 2 days of 80 degree temps and high humidity, it's back in the mid-50s today.  It's no wonder everybody's sick, the weather can't make up its mind.  I don't mind the cool and breezy, it's probably my favorite kind of weather as long as there are peeks and pokes of sunshine to lighten the mood.

Last night I got out a skein of red cotton yarn and some needles to cast on an Anzac Poppy dishcloth as a gift to a veteran friend for Memorial Day.  While in the US the poppy is the symbol for Veterans Day, November 11, in New Zealand it symbolizes Anzac Day on April 25.  When I read about it on some blog last month and then followed the link to the poppy dishcloth pattern I decided that I needed to make one.  So I am.  Knitting it reminds me of my earliest days of learning to knit when DD and I signed up for a monthly Mystery Dishcloth Knit-a-Long and I remember how excited I was to see a shamrock or a dolphin or an armadillo appear on my needles.  It was a great way to learn to follow a pattern and to make something small and quick, something that you could hand to a friend and say, "I made this for you."  There's nothing like that feeling, is there?

May 9--David Sailors, Reminder.  Naomi had sticky notes in every color of the rainbow and every size and shape they made.  When she went anywhere she kept an eye out for stickies she hadn't seen before.  She was not only an avid sticky notes collector she used them all the time.  The staff at her local library always knew which books she had read.  There was at least one note poking out between the pages of the volumes she returned.

See?  I'm better, I wrote a little last night.  It isn't very good and it doesn't go anywhere but it's cogent and grammatical and... writing.  Time to go get soup ingredients, return a book on CD to the library, and mail a birthday gift which may or may not arrive on time.  I was sick, that's my excuse.  Enjoy your Saturday.
--Barbara