I am, I said...

Isn't that one of those annoying Neil Diamond songs that you can't get out of your head once it starts? Sorry if I made it start!

I am still here, I think. I have been sick this week. I had what I refer to as the Honduran Flu, because the first time I got it, I was in Honduras, and I get it every time I go there. I get it now here at home, too, unfortunately. I am not a good sick person. Truly, I know I get sicker than ANYone else ever gets, and I come very close to death every time I get this illness. I'm not being overly dramatic here - just sayin' it like it looks from MY bed!

When I get the Honduran flu, I get a fever, and fevers make me see things, hear things, and go places others don't see, hear, or go. It runs in my family. My grandmother was that way. My father and at least one of my brothers and one of my sons have this same tendency. Usually it's unpleasant things, like voices telling me things in Spanish that I don't understand, or dogs from my childhood jumping on the bed and licking my face, or being certain that aliens are coming through the cooling vents to steal my brain. But this time, I had a very pleasant visit. All morning the other day, there were people in my house taking the most solicitous care of me. There was an elderly man who came in every now and again to ask, "How's our patient doing?" And there was a lovely woman of indeterminate age who watched over me, soothing my brow (don't you love having your fevered brow soothed?), and smoothing my blankets. She also once brought in a huge teakettle of boiling water, and set it on the radiator to humidify the room. And then she brought in a warm folded up towel and said it was a 'mentholated towel' to 'draw out the fever' and make my head feel better. I could also hear a woman and a young girl in another room, talking and laughing quietly, so as not to disturb me. I felt very cared for, and it was quite annoying to have the phone ring in the early afternoon, disturbing me, and making my caretakers disappear.

Well, now, if that tale doesn't convince you of my 'uniqueness', I just don't know what will! I am still trying to get my head and my energy back. This illness and yet more winter storms have postponed my Pirate movie trip yet again! Curses and parrot poop!

BUT... there are three daffodils blooming in my Dutch garden today. One might be a jonquil, as I really don't know the difference, but it's different than the other two, as it's a pale yellow with a shorter frill. I did sketch them, though with not much energy.

Back to bed for a bit, I think. Perhaps my caregivers will return... or maybe one of you will come and read to me or play quiet games with me.