Important health update here.

pb
Little Pond

It's not really official, but

we apparently did not get the flu this year.

What we have had for the past month or so is a virus. It is interesting to note that those who took the virus all the way to bronchitis or even pneumonia are all pretty well recovered. The antibiotics did the trick for them. The rest of us are limping along, coughing and picking up every other little bug that comes by.

I am trying to blog, but have no energy, and since my creativity runs on energy, I'm afraid we will have to hand out rain checks on maybe some decent posts later.

Right now I am nursing a pulled muscle in my diaphragm, or thereabouts, seemingly from coughing while in a bad position. Whatever that was. Hope I enjoyed it.

pb
Little Pond

A bit better

Enough to take the HuggaMutt for a walk. A short one, with camera in hand.

When I got back, my daughters arrived and made and Easter Brunch.

They stayed until around 1:30PM and cleaned up after themselves. It was lovely, and I topped it with a two-hour nap.

And now I want to catch up a little on posting.

I hope to visit all your blogs, soon, too.

pb
Little Pond

It got me.

That nasty virus, that is. It might be the flu, but I don't think so.

Just as sick as sick can be. No more posts until I feel up to it.

pb
Little Pond

Site reactions and Beta Bruises

My weight went way up this last fall, and my clothes don't fit. So, I am counting calories yet again. The reward has been constant soreness at the waistline.

This is not a non-sequitur. Let's muddy the waters even further.

For my 50th birthday, a few years ago, I was gifted with the first pot-belly, beer-gut, tummy or what ever you want to call it, in my life. The flip side of that development was a loss of fat below the navel. Yeah, whatever.

After the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, my neuro talked me into BetaSeron. It worked, but soon I was covered with little bruises on my arms, legs, bottom and lower tummy. In the summer, I learned to shoot only on the lower belly, and stocked up on tank suits, gave up on shortie shirts, hip hugger jeans, the like. But, hey, the darned stuff put me into remission. And between the navel and groin there was plenty of soft, female fat to go around. Think Venus de Milo.

Unfortunately, BetaSeron zeroed out those important little numbers that indicate how well my immune system was protecting me. Neuro wanted me to go on Copaxone, but I resisted. After a while I lost so much ground that I relented.

Now I have little swollen spots all over my belly, and down into my groin. Frankly, I refuse to inject anywhere else. Flat out refuse.

So here's the thing. This time around, now that I am menopausal (God, that sounds gross...), I seem to only be keeping fat at the waist (in a strange raised circle around the navel), upper arms (kimono sleeves), and butt (a signature of the Paquette side of the family tree). I am losing the fat in my groin. Not "nicely thin," but skin sort of hanging from the area. Pooch, anyone?

The swollen spots really hurt, and they last, hurting all the while, for about a week. I can't shoot the upper arms, because off all the nerve damage, years before the diagnosis, done by shots to cure all my allergies. Those shots most decidedly did not work, were also very painful and lasted weeks and weeks, leaving me with underarms that tingle constantly.

And how the heck would I shoot the fat under my arm, anyway? I will not involve my husband, because I couldn't stand the sight of him during those upper arm shots, some 20 years ago. Not his fault, poor guy...

All right, all you successful, experienced shooters out there! Some help?

pb
Little Pond

Angry Planet: the second honeymoon continues.

We are in the throes of the flu season.

Upstate New York finally succumbed to the epidemic. Everyone is saying that that flu shot was for the wrong strains. No one can escape their sick coworkers and relatives.

We're on our second or third run through cold viruses this winter, here in Little Pond. Between RJ and I, there is enough snot running to power a small turbine.

It's not flu, because we had shots.

Got sick of staring at my beloved and listening to him humming to the Lite Hits channel. I took the camera downtown, where I usually would not go, because the dog can't always behave herself with the strangers.

Crazy motorists come up behind me and honk. They want me to take their picture, but I don't usually photograph humans in their machines. Crazier ones pull up behind me while I am focusing and scream something nonsensical, like little kids trying to scare their parents. Sort of cute, but really just stupid. I suspect teenagers.

There is so much sunshine coming off the river that I am exhausted after only an hour. My knees are sore, maybe from the pavement. Lovely drive home, and an immediate two-hour nap.

Not many good photos this time. Too sunny. And it's downtown. Been there, done that.

Oh, well. Got lots of sun. That's got to count for something.

pb
Little Pond