12/1/23

 Friday, December 1, 2023

In bed at 10, awakened by alarm (antibiotic reminder) at 6, let Lilly out as neighboring physician drove by to do hospital rounds (?), 38° and windy, high of 40°, wind NE at 15 mph, 10-18/28, 0.25" of wintry mix in next 24 hours.  Sunrise at 7:03, sunset at 4:17, 9+14.

Treadmill;pain.  Woke up with some high back pain; CPP started shortly after in sat on recliner.

I'm grateful for leaves.  How many leaves are there in the world?  A centillion?  a googol or a googolplex?  How many in our neighborhood, on our lot?  A million, a billion?  Every Spring the trees produce new ones to replace the ones they had shed in the Fall. each one a wonder, its own miracle, well-formed, strong, beautiful, alive and taking in carbon dioxide and converting it into oxygen to help sustain us and other breathing creatures.  When its tour of duty as a photosynthesizer is up, the leaf  signals it by turning from green to some hue of red or purple or orange or yellow or brown before leaving (no pun intended) its host trees and and dropping to the earth intending to become a fertilizing part of the earth, nourishing the tree that gave it birth, but where it often lies unappreciated, unwanted, considered a nuisance by homeowners and municipalities.  ". . . and I think of each life as a flower, as common / as a field daisy, and as singular,"  Mary Oliver, When Death Comes.

I drove Geri to her visit with Dr. B.  No help available for the covid fatigue, but a prescription to lessen the cough symptom.  Two weeks of coughing, very sore rib cage, pain with every cough.  X-ray taken of he lungs.  Left at 8, home at 11:30.

Mindful breakfast.  A very interesting experience, very different.