Week 267 Update

Another week of being ill. Saturday my throat felt as if someone had taken a rasping file and set to work on it. It burned sharply and brightly every time that I swallowed, and I was swallowing the normal 3 or 4 times per minute. It was not a happy day. I gargled salt water, and let honey trickle down my throat, and hoped that it would do some good. Considering how miserable I was feeling, and my inclination towards eating when ill to make myself feel better, I was happy that I only ate 42.5 points that day. But I did sleep through the night, and that was an improvement.

Sunday I found that my sore throat was replaced by a cough that hasn't let up all week long. I have felt light headed and just plain ill, with a low grade fever that fluctuates from 100.5 down to 98.6, but usually hanging around 99.0. Dotti and I have been tracking our symptoms together, and they are very similar. It is clear that we have the same bug, and we were exposed to it at the same time. Sometimes we get a coughing duet going that would almost be funny if it weren't so irritating.

My eating has been high all week and my exercise has been very light indeed. We have been out of the house only to pick up essentials at the store. Dotti was put on antibiotics on Monday, but they did no good. Obviously we have a virus and not a bacterial infection. But now we know for sure.

I was able to get E-Letter out on Tuesday, but it was by far the hardest one for me to finish so far. Trying to focus my mind long enough to write useful prose was difficult those first days. I am improving slowly, but I still have a ways to go.

Since her sore throat was still bothering her, the Doctor put Dotti on antibiotics yesterday, and so we'll see if they help. I am still improving slowly, with my sore throat being mostly gone, and a lingering cough, and light-headedness left as my major complaints.

A little side trip if you will...

I was looking up some things related to the summer solstice that occurred on Wednesday this week, and I stumbled across a reference to a Stonehenge replica located in the US. I thought to myself, "That would be fun to visit." So, I hunted around and found that it was in "Washington." I assumed that it would be Washington DC. But no, it is in Washington State. I looked further into it, and found some pictures, and the setting looked suspiciously like the Columbia River Gorge area. I finally located the spot where it resides, and it is near the junction of SR 14 and US 97. It is part of the Maryhill Museum. We have driven past that point every time that we have gone to Spokane, Pocatello, Salt Lake, and Boston. From the way it was described, it is supposed to be right down near the Columbia River.

Well, I started going through the pictures that Dotti took on our last run up to Spokane, and sure enough, she had taken several pictures of the US Stonehenge without realizing what it was. Very cool!

Here is a sample of one of the pictures:

It is located about 88 miles east of Vancouver, and we are going to have to stop by for a visit. There is a museum on the site as well, and I am sure that the trip will be well worth it.

Meanwhile, back at the journey...

It is frustrating watching the scale pop up out of my target range, and even over my personal goal of 190.0. But I am just taking it one day at a time and doing the best I can. Hopefully things will settle down soon, and we can land on our feet again. Dotti has done better than I have in the scale department. She has been able to hold to a maintain again this week. I don't know how she does it, but she is doing very well!

5 years, 44 days OP; a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

6 '3"/239.5/191.0/180±2/BMI:23.87/WK-267