365

Life is nothing if not full of surprises. On Sunday(last), Aubrey, Orion and myself did some shopping. On the way home, Orion said he didn't feel so well and proceeded to throw up all over the back seat. Ah, the Element, rubber car and hoseable. Kids do this occasionally, and it's not without humor, but this time it turned out to be a bad, bad bug that made the poor kid miserable and got me too a few hours later. So Sunday night was not fun at all at our house and Monday we both lay in our beds all day watching television and recovering. We slept so much it was like time travel. Spencer was on hand with crystalized ginger, Dramamine, ice chips and later, soup and juice. Thank you.

But Tuesday we both felt fine. All that rest and we were back, good as new. Better actually, for all the rest we got. Another human triumph over virus. Nasty little alien things.

Then on Wednesday, Aubrey was ill. Here we went again. This bug seems to be plundering the entire desert, striking hard but not lingering.

Today is Saturday. The last of the holiday orders have been sent on their ways with hopes and expectations to arrive on time and in good order. The 'official' last day for Priority Mail is Monday, so it's good to be done today.

****

Last evening Soosi managed another adventure out of the house. We're not sure at all how she managed it, but her shots aren't finished and we haven't yet found a collar she can't take off. I'm not convinced we'll let her out even after all that's done, but certainly now is a no - go.
So I stayed on the couch in the den with the door open all night, listening at every noise. It was cold. I 'slept' with a heating pad to stay warm. Mostly it was a wakeful night with worrisome, unhappy dreams.
But this morning we woke to a real fuss in the tree out front. There must be fifty hummingbirds in it, and all were in a tizzy. Soosi perched on a bough about fifteen feet up. I climbed a ladder---a real feat before coffee and after such a night--and she came down with me quite happily.

I'm tired after all this week's rushing about, and a little sad from groundling troubles. There are mean people in the world and I don't want that to be. But it's not my world and I won't have my way. I can work around it, mostly.
It's dusk now and the light is so surreal. The desert is at its most beautiful in winter. The mountains evoke Tad Williams adventures. They're covered in shadowy clouds, dwarfing the palms into what they really are, which is grass.
Tomorrow is my birthday. I don't care about the year. I've felt the same age for ages. But I care about the 365 days because it's a great opportunity to start something that lasts just that long. What might that be? I have several ideas in mind.
But... it's not about that either.
I think what I'm attracted to is taking a year out of context of all the other years. The 365 -day period is significant to human beings. Of course it is, we live on this planet and this planet is all about 365 days and we are highly sensitive to the circle around the sun.
At the very least, it's 365 days of art and life. Just like always right? Except that there's something very powerful and attractive about this:

Day 1

Tomorrow is my birthday. Whatever it is I do next, will begin then.

g'night