Good News and Bad News

The good news is that my severe back pain from a couple of weeks ago is gone, and I apparently will not need back and/or hip surgery any time soon. The bad news is that the pain, which was followed by a rash, and now itchy little pimples on my left torso, front and rear, is: Shingles! So far it's just irritating, sorta like a bad sunburn with a bit of poison ivy thrown in,  and I'm actually relieved to know it's not a serious back problem. I was able to get in and out of the local walk-in clinic very quickly this morning. The doctor said the drug treatment window is only within the first 48 hours, and there's not much to do but keep it covered as it is definitely contagious. And of course, get a shingles vaccination when I'm insurance-eligible (next January), which he said would make future recurrences (and somewhat ominously he said "when", not "if" they occur) less severe. I have never been sure whether I actually had chicken pox as a child. Now I know.

I have decided that Tom E. Cat has definitely adopted me as his person and will  be coming home with me. He is scheduled to be dis-balled, have necessary shots, and get his travelling papers next Monday. I've bought an airline approved container for him. Still investigating the actual airline arrangements, but I think I will ship him on Delta, which offers nonstop flights from the local airport to Seattle, so that he won't have to endure the 15+ hour trip that I will do on Southwest. I don't imagine it will make much difference to him whose cargo hold he is in. I don't know what I will do about the Sabrina-pee-smelling carpet at my house, but I don't feel right about leaving Tom here so we'll have to work something out.

Biking friend Rebecca was here for a couple of days, and got the standard tour of town: bike trail, Tridge, courthouse, Chippewa nature center, canoe ride, venison dinner fixed by my dad. This morning she headed off for Stratford, Ontario where she has tickets for several plays (it's a big months-long festival every year there). Unfortunately, she had forgotten her passport, so had to have it overnight Fed-exed to Port Huron, just this side of the border, where she hoped to pick it up at 10:30 this morning and still make it to a 2pm performance in Stratford this afternoon. I hope it all went as planned.

Last Thursday the 5 of us in New Buffalo did a beautiful 67 mile ride around the back roads there, pictures below. We stopped for lunch at Fernwood, a very interesting place with flower gardens, unique sculptures, and a fantastic outdoor model railroad display.

Friday I drove back to my dad's house, taking a detour to visit an old friend I hadn't seen in 15 years. Sadly, her husband had a stroke last year and is not doing well, but she, at 82, is still going strong. It was great to see her and I promised not to let another fifteen years go by.

It was a long drive and I was so exhausted I spent about half of Saturday napping in the hammock by the river. Hard to imagine a more pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Yet another center of the world

Mini farm

Interesting sculpture at Fernwood

Happy bikers at Fernwood

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