Monday, September 9, 2024

A Little Lighter


The fire spike in the front yard is finally starting to bloom which is good because I know the hummingbirds are hungry for it. The front yard gets so very little sun due to the oak trees. When I moved here there was a patch of fire spike that someone had planted in the back yard. It was never much of a grower or bloomer because of the shade from the Bradford Pears and the magnolia tree. It eventually all died out but over the years I had rooted so much of it during the winters and replanted in different places that it's legacy definitely lives on. 
I have not hung hummingbird feeders this year due to the fact that I read somewhere last year (was it from one of you?) who said that unless you change the nectar and clean the container every other day, it's best not even to put it out because of the mold that can grow in it which is dangerous to the tiny birds who love the sweet stuff. It's not really that much work to make fresh sugar water solution or to clean the feeder but really- every other day? 
I am pondering this. Meanwhile, I will just keep rooting fire spike and replanting. 

Today has not been a terrible day. I don't think I've cried more than once or twice. I've had very little energy but I am not in that horrible dark box I was in yesterday. I pulled up the rest of the field pea plants and weeded those areas. I did it very slowly and although it's not very hot today, I sweated through my clothes again. I've just looked up excess sweating as a side-effect of Covid and it definitely is and some people continue to suffer from it for long periods of time after recovery. Glen noticed sweating a lot more too but he says his is not as bad as it was. And who knows? Everything I've been going through could be a lingering aftereffect of the virus. Or at least related. I am of the opinion now that radically decreasing my dosage of HRT has had more than a little bit to do with the emotional aspects. I've upped my dose and am watching carefully to see what happens. And now I've got to make an appointment with the Gyn to get an annual because he won't fucking prescribe the HRT unless I do. Why do I have this horrible fear of doctors? And these days, let us add on the fact that making any sort of appointment or commitment is incredibly difficult for me. Well, not lunch. Making arrangements to go to lunch with my children is not stressful at all. 

Okay, okay, okay. Enough of the I'm-crazy talk. And I really don't have much else to talk about. Glen got the most recent covid vaccine AND a flu shot today so I'm expecting he's not going to be feeling very well tomorrow. I'm going to be in town (to have lunch with Lily!) and may go ahead and get both of those too. I am sort of a hyper-reactor to the shots, or have been so far, so I guess I'm asking for it. Maybe I'm just a big ol' hypochondriac. I remember my darling friend Sue's boss telling her once that she had the strongest mind/body connection he'd ever seen and she did. Anything that affected her mind created some malady in her body. I mean, it really did. I remember once when we were at a mall and she was telling me something very painful about her son and her nose just began profusely bleeding right there. We humans are funny critters, aren't we? Some of us funnier than others. 

Here's another picture of two hurricane lilies growing right next to each other in my side yard.


Surprise! I think it is so fitting that Ellen Abbott reports that in her part of Texas where they also grow, they are called Surprise Lilies. And you know, hurricanes are generally surprises too. 
Surprise! A Category Four storm is headed your way! 
Perhaps we should all call them Surprise Hurricane Lilies. 
And speaking of, there's a tropical storm, Francine, in the gulf and it's looking to be heading to the coast of Texas and to Louisiana. I am thinking of Ellen who is still cleaning up debris after the last storm to hit them. 
I worked with a Francine once. I was the hostess at a Jerry's Restaurant which was very much like a Shoney's, or a Village Inn. It was an interesting job in some ways and Francine made it more so. She was older, a professional server if there ever was one and if you've ever worked with a professional server you know what I'm talking about. MAD respect. I remember once after a huge breakfast rush that we'd had and she could finally sit down for a little break, she told me in her sweet, sweet southern voice, "I could smoke a cigarette this long," indicating a length with her fingers at least five inches longer than a regular cigarette. 

Good times. Good times. 

All right. I need to go make supper. 

Love...Ms. Moon

37 comments:

  1. Ya know, all of the professional, bad ass servers I ever knew smoked. I was just talking today about flu and covid shots. Tis the season!!

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  2. I got my flu and Covid vaccines yesterday afternoon and, I believe, the Covid shot 💉 is giving me a bit of a reaction this time. My left arm was sore last night and still is today and I'm just feeling kind of ugh! today!
    Hope Glen is doing OK and it doesn't knock you for a loop!
    Glad you are feeling a bit more positive!


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    1. Glen is not too affected by his shots, it seems. I hope you've felt better today.

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  3. I’m so glad you’re feeling a little lighter today! As for hummingbird feeders- I think I tried once.. but they really seem so very happy with just all the flowers in our garden! So no more feeders for me .. There’s been so many of them around lately, I think they’re getting ready to head south soon ..hard to believe another summer is over! Sending many hugs to you and yours🥰 xo, Rigmor

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    1. I do really love to see the hummingbirds at the feeder which is set up right where I can observe it while I'm on the back porch. I may get it out tomorrow. Get it ready for all the hummingbirds heading here soon from our more northern areas.

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  4. In Wisconsin those flowers are called Naked Ladies by some folks.

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    1. Naked ladies? Really? I'm not sure I get the connection unless it's the wild bushiness of it.

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  5. You and I are poster children for reaction to vaccines. I don't schedule anything for a day or two after a shot. The new vaccine addresses the new COVID strain, I'm told.

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    1. We are. Every time I feel yucky after a immunization I think, "Well, it's okay. Liz does this too."

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  6. Rose and I are off in a couple of weeks for the annual round of vaccines. Glutton for punishment that I am, I scheduled all three shots in one day; flu, covid and RSV. We may be laid low for a few days.

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    1. That's a lot, Joanne! Make sure you have your pain and fever reliever of choice close to hand.

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  7. My husband and I are getting our Covid/Flu shots tomorrow. We are headed to St George Island for 2 weeks last of Sept through the first week of Oct so are hoping to be prepared. Last time we were there, 2 yrs ago, we both came down with raging cases of Covid and it was NO fun. My poor Son-in-law has just come down with Shingles and he is in agony. I desperately need to get that vaccine as well. Why do I always put things off?!
    We've lived in this house for 19 yrs and always had pretty hurricane lilies but last year and this year no sign of them. Makes me sad, I love them. I assume you can buy bulbs to plant but I can't ever recall seeing them...may have to order some.
    I adore the name Francine. If I had been lucky enough to have had a second daughter that was to be her name. Alas that didn't happen.
    I really don't want any more animals at this point in my life so I may have to buy a cute doll baby like some of yours and give her that name.

    Lord, I didn't know that about the hummingbird feeders...we change ours about once per week. Although lately every 3-4 days bc we have had SO many drinking it up. Gosh I hope we haven't been doing them harm.
    Angie D

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    1. St. George for two weeks sounds like heaven! I'm so sorry you got sick last time. Not fun at all, I'm sure. And I need to get my shingles shots too. I really do not want to get shingles. Not ever.
      Maybe your hurricane lilies just haven't come up yet. I would not give up hope by any means at this point.
      What I read about changing the hummingbird nectar may have been bullshit. Who knows?

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  8. I haven't hung humming bird feeders since we moved into town, but the fact is people get really nutty about birds. I didn't clean my feeders every other day. Maybe once a week. I was reading a post where someone was lecturing that suet was bad for birds. I mean, suet????!!!! She claimed it was high in salt. I've seen flocks of birds on the road picking up road salt, for heaven's sake. Some people claim that bread will make a duck's stomach explode. That's stupid too. It's not healthy for them, but they are not going to explode. There are just so many hysterical, alarmists. I miss common sense.

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    1. I've heard that about ducks, too and have yet to ever see a dead, exploded duck. Now the mold thing may have some truth in it. When it's still getting up into the 80's and 90's here, I can only imagine that sugar water might grow some grossness in it.
      One more thing- can I just say...vegetarian cats? Or dogs? Give me a break.

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  9. I just looked up the side effects of estrogen withdrawal, they include: hot flashes, hypertension, heart arrhythmias (irregular heart beat which is also called palpitations), lightheadedness, upset stomach, sweating, irritability, anxiety, depression and even psychosis.

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    1. Well, that sounds like it covers all my symptoms. Jeez.

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  10. Those hurricane lilies are so pretty. We have something similar in my country and we call them spider lilies.

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    1. Yes. I've read that another name for them here is spider lilies.

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  11. I’m looking forward to flu and Covid shots! There are times when just picking up the phone to make a dinner reservation stresses me and I put it off. Thankfully, not lately. I LOVE the hurricane lilies! It’s funny how in just reading “I could smoke a cigarette THIS long” I can hear a Southern twang. Be well.

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    1. I don't mind getting injections. I just don't want to make appointments. I got mine at a Walgreens today. No appointment necessary.
      I can still hear and see Francine when she said that. Skinny and strong and not taking shit from anyone.

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  12. You sound so much perkier today - "a little lighter" - but not the kind you flick in order to light extra long cigarettes.

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  13. Now that your Bradford pears are gone, maybe you can move some firespike back to that now-sunny spot. It will thrive!

    Glad you're feeling better. Maybe you won't react to the vax so much because you just had Covid fairly recently? One can hope, anyway.

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    1. I've definitely thought about planting some more firespike in the back yard. Let's see how much I get rooted this year.
      I ended up only getting the flu shot. Explanation to follow in my post.

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  14. The difference a day makes. It's the one thing I am counting on forever.
    I understand your doctor phobia or whatever you want to call it. There was a moment after my diagnosis when I went through waves of it. I now look at the various experts I need to see as my servants - in a kind way - but there to work for me and I have been known to walk out if they don't do a good job.
    Enjoy your lunch and your lilies.

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    1. Okay. I am going to try and think of my doctors as my servants too. I do not know where this fear came from but it was from long ago and is deeply, deeply rooted.

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  15. 37paddington: the lowering of your medication dose could definitely be swirling your emotions. I remember when my doc lessened my dose of thyroxine I began to feel so hopeless and dark, until I realized what was going on, adjusted the dose back upward and within days felt “normal” again. I hope this works for you too. Hugs to you my friend.

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    1. I remember that! Hugs back to you, sweet lady.

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  16. Glad you are feeling a little better today, Mary. One day at a time as they say...

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  17. looks like Francine will not affect us much. was going to skirt the coast before making landfall at the border between Texas and Louisiana but this morning the path is even further away from the coastline. I also have some firespike in the front that has put up a bloom stalk just like the one in your picture. there go our parallel lives again. my mental state doesn't produce so dramatic body effects as your friend but I seem to be inordinately aware of what goes on in the interior of mine.

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    1. Yeah, I saw that about Francine. I surely hope it doesn't affect Louisiana too badly.
      Yes. We do seem to live extremely close lives in many ways.
      I'm glad that you can sense what's going on in your body AND that you act on that knowledge. That's the key.

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  18. Glad you're moving out of the Dark Box of Melancholy and general Malaise. I do Hope the Storms aren't too damaging, so many have been and it's seemingly worsening every Season, these Natural Disasters mostly caused by us pesky Humans no respecting the Natural Order of things and thinking we're improving upon Nature, the Arrogance is catching up to our Species. We get a lot of Hummingbirds and I do like to let them dine on Natural foods rather than being dependent on what I put out that might not be as healthy for them. We had one that Nested for several Seasons on our Back Porch and Raised her tiny Offspring, a total of Three of them over the Years, Adorable beyond Words.

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    1. Well, we haven't had a huge increase in bad storms here. I remember a year at least fifteen years ago when we had something like four hurricanes heading our way at the same time. That was bad.
      However. I just knocked wood for luck for this season.
      Baby hummingbirds are the cutest things in the world.

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  19. Here in our exceedingly hot summers, mold starts growing in hummingbird feeders in about 3 days.

    Glad your Monday was brighter; I hope Tuesday has been a little brighter yet. How is Glen feeling after his shots?

    Your firespike (what a great name!) may thrive where you took out the Bradford pears. And the hurricane lilies - amazing flowers!!!

    Chris from Boise

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.