Puddle Drinker�

2004-08-29

This little skipper drank at a puddle on the patio long enough for me to get this shot. Pretty little thing.

Got sick a few weeks ago and have spent much of the time since then not feeling well and trying to ignore it. Was 'flu-like' sick for a couple of days and then had a semi-constant headache for almost three weeks thereafter. I did my best to tough it out, all the while thinking that it was the same way my major lupus flare announced itself.

The last time I felt even remotely like that, the headache progressed to blindness, seizures and all kinds of frightful things.

This time things didn't get worse, so I gritted my teeth and waited. Things got better. The headache went away. The fact that the headache went away was least of my feelings of relief.

The twofold birthday party went well. I went swimming with my youngest sister's kids. "Watch me!" was the phrase of the day.

The family love of swimming has definitely not skipped a generation. None of the other adults in my family, with the occassional exception of youngest sister, deign to wet their hair. So I'm glad to have my nieces and nephew to swim with.

I'd actually rather swim that take pictures. That says something.

As a birthday/going-to-China present the spouse got us a new camera. I asked him if he'd rather I payed for it, because I was never going to let it out of my hot little hand once it got here. He said 'No.' Now it's here and I'm spending as much time as I can experimenting with it.

Youngest sister said I should read the manual on the way to China. While I might do that, using the camera is the best way to learn how to use it. And I'd rather the learning curve be much farther along when we're actually there. I want to be able to capture what I see the first time.

A friend of mine, whose parents were born in China, told me not to see the country from behind the lense.

There's a great deal of sense in that. I don't want to feel like all I saw of China was in a two inch square view screen. But I have to see something with my own eyes before I want to take a picture of it.

Oh, joy. I heard Ash mewing just now. She's not a very vocal cat. She brought her latest catch in for me to see. Katydid. She's actually captured a couple of grasshoppers in the last week. I encourage it.

I'm probably just confusing her. I encourage the catching of grasshoppers, but discourage birds and lizards. I guess I should just give up on trying to change her and make the birds more cautious. I seldom see the lizards; just the icky wiggling tails in cat mouths. No chance of changing behavior there.

The China trip looms closer every day. I've found a neighbor to do the cat-sitting. I had to pay extra; a half hour tour of her house. Would have been cheap at twice the price. Nice lady. I just hope she doesn't give tours of our house while we're gone.

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