Invaded!

I know I am not alone in decrying the invasion of the sink bug, but good gracious where did these things come from?

They are all over the exterior of my house. And they are inside my garage (and occasionally in other parts of the house, but mostly in the garage).

Nothing seems to kill them. James put down pesticides around the exterior of the house and sprayed the windows and door crevices and still they come. We don't use pesticides in the house; apparently it wouldn't help, anyway.

I don't know if birds eat these things but I hope so. Something needs to. If you suck them up in a vacuum, they make the vacuum smell very bad.

And if you apply insecticides inside, carpet beetles come and feast on the stink bug carcases, so don't do that.

From what I have learned, stink bugs came down through Pennsylvania (which is an interesting migration pattern; just like the Scots-Irish immigrants in the 1700s). The stink bugs are a native to Asian countries, such as China and Japan, and did not come to the US until the late 1990s.

The bugs attack fruits and many other plants and cause a lot of problems in orchards and for farmers with other crops.

Apparently they are here to stay.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen books I've read this year (but I've read many more than 13). The links on the books either take you to my full review of the book or to the author's page if it is available and I have not put a review on this blog.

1. The Christmas Train, by David Baldacci. This was my first Baldacci book and so far of the three I've listened to on audio tape it is my favorite. Aging war reporter Tom takes train trip across US and runs into old flame.

2. America's Women, by Gail Collins. My favorite nonfiction book so far this year. A wonderful synopsis of the struggles of women as well as an explanation of where we are today. I was left inspired and amazed.


3. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, by Heidi Durrow. A biracial coming of age story with a hint of a mystery. Excellent characterization and a heartbreaking story.
 
4. Through Wolf's Eyes, by Janet Linkskold. Orphaned wolf-girl with magical powers returns to culture to fix majestic problems. First in a series; I read two others before giving out and taking a break from this line. I thought the first book was the best.
 
5. Wildwood Dancing, by Juliet Marillier. I love Marillier's books and this was no exception. Young girls go through a magic door to a magic kingdom. There are always consequences.
 

6. Hearts on a String, by Kris Radish. Five very different women are stranded in the same room in a five-star hotel. Laughter and a bit of a mystery ensues.
 
7. Sea Glass, by Anita Shreve. A thoughtful book set in the early 1900s and the Great Depression. Exquisitely written with wonderful characters and terrific setting.  Multiple themes of life, death, hope, love. This is a brilliant book, solid and sturdy as a New Hampshire fishing village.
 
8. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.  A book that every southern woman should read. This is a story of race relations and the art of being a neighbor, among other things.
 
9. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien. Frodo saves the world and Aragorn becomes king. In between there is a lot of world-building and things to discover. The father of fantasy.
 
10. All Over the Map, by Laura Fraser. This memoir takes the reader to many different countries as the writer embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
 
11. The Blueberry Years, by Jim Minick. Memoir of a local blueberry farmer. Poetic prose and lots to think about.
 
12. Dune Road, by Jane Green. Okay beach read; a lot of redundancy in the writing.
 
13. Finger Lickin' Fifteen, by Janet Evanovich. I hadn't read a Stephanie Plum book in a few years, having tired of them. It was nice to revisit familiar character.
 
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here.  I've been playing for a number of years and this is my 157th time to do a list 13 on a Thursday.

Sci Fi (or SF or Syfy)

I have long been a fan of science fiction and fantasy works. I love books, movies and TV shows that deal with these topics, though I prefer my science fiction to be mild and not violent. Some science fiction can be very violent, so I am not a fan of something like a Clockwork Orange.

When I was around six or seven I was enamored with a TV show called Land of the Giants. I do not really remember the show but I do remember being upset because we were at a circus and I was missing the show. Apparently it was must-see TV.

I liked some cheesy shows, such as Land of the Lost (not the 2009 movie), the Batman series (the one with Adam West), and others like The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, and the Six Million Dollar Man. I never saw much of Lost in Space; we couldn't get the channel.

Later I enjoyed shows such as Quantum Leap and Sliders, but managed to miss seeing Star Trek: The Next Generation and similar shows of that era (doesn't that make me sound old?).

These days, I like to watch TV while I am walking on the treadmill of mornings. I have gone through the entire Xena: Warrior Princess series several times, mostly because it was all I had here. Then I bought Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and walked through all seven seasons of that show. I've also walked through a season of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and am getting ready to walk through yet another one.

Over the summer I walked through the first season of Babylon 5 and I am just finishing up the first season of Star Trek: Voyager.

Until someone gave me the DVD, Babylon 5 was a show I had never seen. This is because for a very long time we could only obtain two television stations, CBS and NBC. We could sometimes see ABC if the clouds were right.

It was not until 1994 that we purchased a C-Band satellite. That's one of those huge satellites. Suddenly I knew what MTV and VH1 was. I could watch HBO!

And series that were already in progress, like Babylon 5, went right on by me because (a) there was so much stuff to watch and (b) I didn't want to jump in the middle of something and (c) I am not sure we subscribed to the channel it was on.

So I watched the first season, or maybe the first two seasons, of Star Trek: Voyager but then my satellite subscription for the channel it was on (UPN? the WB? something like that) went away and I never finished the series. Hopefully as money permits I will eventually see all of B5 and Voyager.

Fortunately we purchased the satellite in time for me to see Hercules, Xena, Buffy, the Lost World and a few other shows.

Now we have DirecTV. The C-band satellite began to lose programing after the turn of the century and in 2004 we went to the smaller satellite. We are not unhappy with it. I don't watch a lot of TV to begin with and aside from losing the picture in heavy rains or other bad weather we don't have any trouble with it.

But they don't seem to be making very many TV shows like Voyager, Buffy, or B5 these days, although it is quite possible that there are things out there I am missing since I don't check out news shows very often.

I was never able to get into Lost or Heroes. I'm not sure why.

Anyone have recommendations for completed SF or fantasy series that I might look for?

Books: The Laughter of Dead Kings

The Laughter of Dead Kings
By Elizabeth Peters
Performed by Barbara Rosenblat
10 hours unabridged
Copyright 2008

Elizabeth Peters is better known for the Amelia Peabody mystery series, which generally deal with Egyptian mysteries and archeology and that sort of thing.

However, The Laughter of Dead Kings is a Vicky Bliss novel, with the heroine ostensibly brought back for a final investigation. Though she also was in Egypt for much of the book, she is not simply another Amelia Peabody.

For those who may not know, Elizabeth Peters is also Barbara Michaels. I became a fan of Barbara Michaels more goth-type novels a long time ago.

I enjoyed this Vicky Bliss novel, and since this is a Peters series I had not read before, I will go back and look for the earlier books.

Someone has stolen King Tut's body, and the chief suspect is John Tregarth. He is Bliss's significant other, and an art connoisseur (and thief) of some renown. Bliss works in a museum and is a person of note in her own right.

The book follows the duo as they set out to prove that Tregarth did not steal Tut. Along the way they are helped by several friends, murder occurs, Tut needs to be ransomed, etc.

A good listen in the car and recommended especially for readers who like a more ensemble approach to mystery-solving. I also enjoyed the reader; Rosenblat did a good job. A good reader is crucial to the enjoyment of an audiobook.

Books: The Blueberry Years

My review of Jim Minick's The Blueberry Years, printed in The Roanoke Times today, can be viewed here. Copyright issues keep me from printing it in its entirety but please go and read it if you like.

The nonfiction book is about growing blueberries in nearby Floyd County.

Minick, a Radford University professor, also wrote a column for the Roanoke Times' New River Valley edition. His last column, printed in August of this year, is located here.

Minick's website is here.

It's a very interesting book.

My Poor Nikon

As I looked at photos I had taken the other day, I realized that I was getting spots on the pictures taken with my Nikon D40.

I had not noticed this before, but a glance back through some files indicates that these spots have been there a while.

A search on the Internet shows that the sensor in the camera needs cleaning.

The camera is six years* old, so I have been lucky to have used it this long without issue.

But I did not know where to get it fixed. I phoned a few friends, one of whom told me I'd likely have to ship it off, or maybe drive it to northern Virginia.

One business told me that they could repair it but they sent it off. It was rather expensive, too.

This did not sound good.

I also discovered that the Nikon D40 apparently has been discontinued and if I wanted to replace the camera I would need to go to a different model.

I mentioned the problem to my husband last night and he suggested that I send a note to one of the firemen he works with. He loves cameras.

The fireman suggested Lee Hartman & Sons.

I called there this morning and after talking to the technician I felt my camera would be in capable hands and so dropped it off shortly thereafter.

Now all I can do is wait for my little baby to be returned to me, hopefully sans dust bunnies.

I will be much more careful about changing lens in the future. I have always felt that was an issue with these DSLRs, and while I do my best to keep the dirt away, sometimes you fail, I guess.

Meanwhile, I spent some time looking at point and shoots, which have come so far in the world as to be deserving of some grudging respect.


While I am not buying a new camera right now, I like the looks of the Nikon Coolpix P100, which has an incredible 26X zoom. My Canon Powershot, which is actually a year older than my Nikon
D40, has a 12X zoom, which seems comparable to the 200mm lens on my Nikon DSLR. A 26X zoom would give me some great close-ups of those deer and turkey, would it not?

For about the same money, Canon has a Powershot SX20 with a 20X zoom. I have enjoyed my Canon point and shoot, too, although I tend to prefer the picture saturation of Nikons in my photos. But for everyday photography my Canon has been terrific.


*It was pointed out in a comment that the camera wasn't released until 2006. Apparently I have only had the thing for three years but it certainly seems like a lot longer.*

Thursday Thirteen

Today I want to point out to you a single website and then I will list 13 things you can learn about, all for free.

The website is http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/. This is the Federal Citizen Information Center.

Most of these publications are free. Some say there is a cost but if you click on the ".pdf available" link, you will see what is in most of them without paying anything. Some come up in an Adobe reader but others come up in a webpage.

Some are two pages.

Some are 500 pages.

1. Heart Disease in Women. This comes up as a webpage and it lists the signs of heart disease for females. Since women have different symptoms than men, but the symptoms for males are the ones most people are familiar with, this is a good thing to read. For instance, did you know that pain in the belly above the belly button could be a sign of heart disease? I didn't.

2. Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number. This explains how to keep your Social Security number safe and tells you how to report a problem if your number is compromised.

3. Stroke. This publication explains what a stroke is, its causes, who is most at risk, and lists ways to lower those risks.

4. Home Inventory. This document explains why you need a home inventory and gives ideas about ways to create one. It also lists the insurance departments run by every state in the nation.

5. The Healthy Woman. This publication lists for $24.95 but I clicked on the .pdf link and it came up for me for free. It's almost 4 mbs so be prepared for a large file. It has over 15 pages on heart disease, and a similar number on stroke.Additionally, it covers cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, blood disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, pregnancy, mental health, nutrition, pain management, etc. It has 509 pages so it is a lot of information. I was excited to get this and saved it to the "health" file on my computer so I will have it. If you click on no other link, I urge you to save this to your computer for yourself or the woman in your life.

6. Copyright Basics. For the writers among my readers, I suggest getting this primer on copyright. It is 12 pages, and free for the download.

7. Introduction to Federal Taxes for Small Businesses/Self Employed. This takes you away from Federal Information site to the IRS site but it is a good link for writers to have.

8. Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals. This 74-page guide has a two-week menu, tips on cooking and keeping food safe, and of course, recipes.

9. The Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence. Tired of pundits telling you what these important documents say? Read them for yourself and make up your own mind.

10. Know Your Rights: A Guide for Victims and Witnesses of Crime. While I hope no one needs this, it might be a good thing to know in case something does happen. It's a hard, cruel world out there, after all, and knowledge is power.

11. 66 Ways to Save Money. I don't know anyone who can't use a few hints on this now and then.

12. Saving Fitness: A Guide to Your Money and Your Financial Future. This is 16 pages of financial information that seems very useful at first glance. If you're interested in your retirement future, take a look at this.

13. Take the Mystery out of Retirement. This is designed for people who are about 10 years away from retiring.  It is by the Department of Labor. Again, a lot of information if you're interested in this topic.

There are many other topics at the pueblo.gsa.gov website. Spend some time there and find the things you're most interested in. You may be surprised.



Thursday Thirteen is played by many folks, all of whom list 13 things they are interested in. You can find a list of players here. This is my 156th time to play.

The Lamp

The other day my husband brought home this lamp:

His mother gave it to him. But he had given to her when he was a young teenager. He made this lamp in shop class. It is shaped like a well. The handle beneath the shade turns the light off and on.

The shade was pretty old.

So yesterday I went to Target and I purchased this new shade.

I use a lamp on this table in the living room because this is where I read and sometimes play the guitar. The table is next to my rocking chair.

This is where I put my husband's lamp. It gives off a bit more light than what I had there, which makes me very happy. The older I get the blinder I seem to be. Plus, he made it so that makes it a pretty special lamp.

My husband hasn't seen his lamp yet, with its new shade and new location. I hope he likes it.

Today

It's a lovely day (albeit a bit breezy). I had to take a stroll around the yard. Here is what I saw:

Books: The Tao of Writing

The Tao of Writing
by Ralph L. Wahlstrom
Copyright 2006
210  pages

The title of this book grabbed me when I saw it on the shelf. I don't know a lot about Eastern philosophy but I like what I do know. This book is taglined "Imagine. Create. Flow." What could be better?

The book goes into the Tao and offers some of the sayings for which that philosophy is known. The book then applies it to writing. For example, "The Taoist writer must write with compassion, balance, humility, and firm adherence to truth." (130).

There was not a lot of preaching in here, although toward the end the author did admonish writers to write for peace. "All peace is local and begins within ourselves and our lives." (136). That's a great line.

Additionally, the book covers a little Feng Shui for writers. Rid thyself of clutter, says the author (yes, I'm guilty of that!). Clutter is distraction, and distraction is something else one must be aware of. Distractions can be TV, radio, the computer and Internet, your friends, the laundry - all of the things that take a writer away from the words.

As far as room arrangement, he recommends that for good Feng Shui one should not have her back to the door (which I do). The entry should be free of clutter and barriers. This is to allow the energy to flow in. If you must sit with your back to the door, put up a mirror so you can see the entrance.

The room should have a view (mine does, thank goodness). It should be well-lit. The desk should not be in a corner; instead, your back should be the corner or wall.

Throw out the stuff you aren't using.

He recommends a nice dark blue rug in the middle of the room.

As far as other colors, he gives a list of what the colors may mean but does not make recommendations, other than to keep it light.

At the end of the book, the author offers up 70 ideas for "writing the Tao." These range from writing about hope (No. 49) to writing haiku (No. 56). There is also a nice bibliography at the end (but no index and in this day and age every nonfiction book should have an index).

One word of caution: I did find this to be somewhat difficult reading. The author likes long sentences and long lists that go on and on without breaking them up. It took me two weeks to get through this book, and I read two others during the same time period. This is the book I carried around with me to read while I was at the doctor's office or during other waits.

I also recommend this for mostly for really serious writers, or students of the Tao philosophy who are writers.

343 on 9/11

Remembering the 343 firefighters who died in the Twin Towers in New York City on 9/11, so that others may live.

Ah, Cortisone, We Love You

Yesterday, after two unsuccessful visits to my general practitioner for help with an aching right elbow, I went to an orthopedist.

My GP, mind you, had given me all the conservative treatments. The first line of defense was an anti-inflammatory. Guess whose blood pressure zoomed with an anti-inflammatory?

So no more anti-inflammatories for me. This is rather disappointing and does not bode well for pain relief in old age.

The next treatment was ice, rest, and a brace. I tried this for a month, but the symptoms did not abate. It might have helped if I could have stayed off the computer entirely, but this is not going to happen.

My GP would not give me a shot in the elbow, she said. She did not do that (though I don't know why.) She also was concerned about a cyst on my arm which has been there for years. So, she sent me to this orthopedist, who turned out to be a physician's assistant as opposed to a doctor. I know that PAs are an up-and-coming thing in medication, but I would have liked to have known going in that I was not seeing a doctor.

Anyway, Mr. PA seemed to be okay but I did not fall in love with him or anything. For one thing, I was not able to expound on the aches of this entire arm, which while worse at the elbow also extend into the wrist. He moved quickly and briskly, poked my elbow, said I had tennis elbow, needed a cortisone shot, and then left so the nurse could get the medication for the injection.

He returned to stick the needle in my arm. It did not exactly hurt going in but I can't say it wasn't painful. And that was that.

The cyst, by the way, apparently is nothing to worry about at this time.

Apparently cortisone is not a magic drug and must take several days to work. My arm hurts worse today than it did prior to the shot. I have the thing braced up and have been eating lots of acetaminophen (since I can't take an anti-inflammatory).

Hopefully, though, Monday will find it faring infinitely better. Maybe my wrist won't hurt so much, either.

Thursday Thirteen

Will there be a Thursday Thirteen today?

Here are reasons why there may not be:

1. My brain is in a whirl from consideration of a number of lifestyle changes.

2. My right arm and elbow continues to bother me, making typing and siting at the computer somewhat contentious. Darned wallpaper and painting. How dare you give me a bad elbow?

3. Many books are calling my name. Do you hear them? "Read me . . . read me . . ." First it was a whisper. But, they are shouting now.

4. The weather is nice. Staying inside seems like a crime. How much better to be out gallivanting amongst the goldenrod and ragweed, where the eyes water and the nose runs!

The stuff that makes my allergies act up this time of year.

5. Other bloggers are writing and they have such interesting things to read!

6. Time slips away as I stare out the window, watching the fawns romp and the turkeys strut. And did you see that chickadee go after that hawk!?!?

Okay, so the fawn's aren't exactly romping in this picture.

7. My husband needs my attention, being a husband and all. He likes to have me beside him whilst he flips that buttons on the remote, changing the TV channel every three minutes.

He's sleeping here. Or pretending to be sleeping, anyway.

8. Exercise is a high priority these days, and an hour of Tai Chi here and a walk on the treadmill there can eat away at blog-posting time.

9. My navel needs to be contemplated in great detail. Ever since I had laser surgery through that portal, it has looked odd and now it is time to make a new map in my mind of the way it looks. Even though that was 20 years ago.

10. My office needs a good cleaning. I have piles of papers on top of the desk and the low bookshelf, and my inbox has now broken itself into two piles.

Eww! What a mess!

11. That inbox probably needs to be taken care of soon, eh?

12. I'm waiting on a telephone call. Staring at the telephone always makes it ring, so I think I will do that for a while.

13. It's nap time! (See picture of husband above.)


Thursday Thirteen is played by many folks; you can read their contributions here. This is my 155th time to play. As you can see, sometimes I run out of topics.

Fat Groundhog

If the blubber on this fellow, who lives beneath my shed, is any indication, we're in for another whopper of a winter.

He gets bigger every time I see him out the window.

Idyllic Morning Part 2 (Photos)

I looked out the kitchen window to see a dozen wild turkeys roaming across the driveway and then travel the length of my house.

I cautiously raised the camera, surprised to see a turkey pass before the lens and near the does.
 

I had scarcely settled myself on the picnic table when the does came back into the field from the woods.

A small spiked stag following in her wake. He posed for me, the sun slashing half of his face, before disappearing into the pine growth.

 

A squirrel scurried up an oak, his path wild and noisy.

 
For the folks wanted to see the photos of yesterday (Sunday) morning.

An Idyllic Morning

This morning at about 8:30 a.m. I looked out the kitchen window to see a dozen wild turkeys roaming across the driveway and then travel the length of my house.

I grabbed the camera and took shots through the backdoor window. After the turkeys disappeared, I slipped outside to see if I could take a few pictures without the glare from the glass interfering with the shots.

The air was crisp and still; a delightfully cool 63 degrees. I felt a slight breeze blow up my thigh through the slit in my dressing gown as I quietly moved to the far edge of the deck.

I stopped after only a few silent steps, for before me stood several does. I cautiously raised the camera, surprised to see a turkey pass before the lens and near the does. I scarcely breathed for fear of disturbing these beautiful creatures in their natural setting.

A doe spied me and her head popped up. Her ears stood like teepees against the sky while she tried to discern what manner of intruder I might be. She shied nervously away toward the woods, her brethren following, and vanished.

The turkeys, however, were unperturbed and their heads continued bobbing in the long fescue grass as they sought their breakfast of insects.

I had scarcely settled myself on the picnic table when the does came back into the field from the woods. She eyed me warily but her white flag of a tail never rose in alert. Instead she moved down the fence line, a shadow on legs, seeking the cover of the golden rod and ragweed.

I watched her vanish and then turned my attention to a small spiked stag following in her wake. He posed for me, the sun slashing half of his face, before disappearing into the pine growth.

Several other does followed him. The camera lay lazily on my lap as I watched them, entranced by their ability to move through tall weeds and grasses with scarcely sound or movement. Several of the deer moved down from the fence line, and the curve of the land meant I could only see their heads.

Then I spied it. The crown of horns flashed once in the sun, brilliant bone reflecting Helios, and I counted eight tines before the head disappeared as if it had never been there.

The deer moved through the dead leaves with a faint scuffle of leaves, and then silence.

But not silence. I leaned back, listening to the sounds of crows in the distance, their cacophony a reminder of societal sounds. A woodpecker hammered away at a tree. A squirrel scurried up an oak, his path wild and noisy. An acorn dropped with a ping on the metal trailer behind the shed.

The smells and sounds of Autumn assailed me and I felt the rays of the sun god kiss me, heating my hair and hands while breezes curled around my ankles.

A new day, a new season. A new beginning.

Time to start anew.

Books: Simple Genius

Simple Genius
By David Baldacci
Read by Scott Brick
Unabridged
13 hours
Copyright 2007


Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, two secret service agents turned private investigators whom readers first met in Split Second.

Michelle is having emotional problems, apparently as a result of book I missed that is in between this one and the last. She goes off on a drinking spree and picks a fight hoping her opponent will kill her. Sean, in an effort to pay for Michelle's voluntary commitment to a psychiatric facility, takes paying work from his old partner, Joan.

The investigative work sends Sean to eastern Virginia to a place called Babbage Town. This is a think tank for smart people who are doing work with quantum computers and other things that "will end the world as we know it." Across the river lies Camp Perry, a CIA training facility.

Sean figures out that Camp Perry and Babbage Town both have things going on and that events are linked. Michelle, meanwhile, uncovers a drug-smuggling ring at the psychiatric facility and checks herself out. She heads to Baggage Town to help Sean.

She arrives in time to help Sean as people start trying to kill him.

This book is very suspenseful. I was not happy about Michelle's emotional issues but she overcame them and they did not play out as expected, which was a relief, and I thought well done.

Baldacci has a disclaimer at the end noting that he made up Babbage Town and the events at Camp Perry and some historical references. I liked the historical aspect of the novel (an old plantation and a lost treasure) and thought it very well done and quite believable. It is fun to read about things that take place in a locale such as your own state.

3.5 stars

The Blank Screen

Sometimes I look at the blank screen of the computer, whether it's a blog post entry or a new document on MS Word, and it find it an incredible experience. A blank space just waiting for me to put down thoughts, create an article, write a poem.

Other times that cursor blinks and blinks and blinks and . . .

Recently the latter has been the bane of my existence. I sit down to write and the cursor blinks and blinks and . . .

Sometimes I rise and head for the laundry basket or the dishwasher or the vacuum, leaving the thing to sit in here and blink at me while I think. Occasionally I can rush back to my desk, a thought on the tip of my fingers, and turn that blinking cursor into a sentence or two.

But more often of late, I simply turn the computer off - and then head for the laundry basket or the dishwasher or the vacuum.  My house has never been so clean.

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

C Diff

I fear that a bacteria that has invaded hospitals and long-term care facilities is a threat that should be on everyone's lips.

It has the capability of being worse than any flu or other virus.

It's known in the medical world as "C-Diff". It's real name is Clostridium difficile.

It's found in older folks and sometimes in younger folks, and often in the tummies of people who have taken antibiotics. Hospitals that do not heed cleaning and safety precautions are rampant with it.

Symptoms range from mild diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Go here for a complete list.

If you have symptoms for more than three days, go see a doctor.

Now you may be wondering why I am writing about this. Do I have it? No.

But my father-in-law, who died in July, developed this, and ultimately went into cardiac arrest because his body could not fend off the bacteria and continue functioning. He was already ill with heart disease, diabetes, and COPD, among other things, so his system was not strong.

He had received strong antibiotics because he developed a bacteria infection in his mouth following a trip to the dentist in early July. He was hospitalized for that for almost a week. He came home for about 10 days and then returned to the hospital with chest pains and then suddenly he had C-Diff.

I had heard of this before but I was not aware of how invasive it was, or that it was so lethal.

It is spread by not washing hands and from not having clean surfaces. Some forms of C-Diff bacteria can live on surfaces for days, making this a very difficult germ to eradicate. According to the Mayo Clinic,

An aggressive strain of C. difficile has emerged that produces far more deadly toxins than other strains do. The new strain is more resistant to certain medications and has shown up in people who haven't been in the hospital or taken antibiotics. This strain of C. difficile has caused several outbreaks of illness since 2000.

That is scary, don't you think?

Older folks are at risk. People who take antibiotics long-term are at risk. Folks who are weakened for whatever reason are at risk. People in health care settings are at risk.

It makes me not want to go to the hospital or the doctor, I'll be honest. This is the kind of bug that you don't want to get.

Wash your hands. If someone is sick, clean up well. Use a disinfectant such as bleach. Don't take antibiotics unless necessary. And if you do take them, take probiotics (such as those in yogurt) to help keeps the bad things in your colon in check. Be proactive in your health.

It could mean your life.

All That Jazz

So last week my husband headed off on a jet airplane for Chicago, land of tall buildings, gangsters, and barn burnings.

The occasion was a conference put on by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), and he was one of about 14,000 firefighters in attendance.

He took my small Nikon and while he says he is no photographer, I thought he didn't do too badly with his pictures.

Tall sailing ships were in town at the Navy Pier. He visited this one evening with his aunt, uncle and cousin, who live in Chicago.

The NBC building, which was near his hotel.

The view from his hotel window.

Some part of Lake Michigan where the Chicago Fire Department put on a search and rescue demonstration for the conference attendees.

The Chicago Tribune building, also near his hotel. He took this picture because his sweetie (that would be me) used to write for newspapers.

The stuff he went to see, trucks  and firefighting gear.

This is an aerial ladder truck. My husband really likes ladder trucks.

For big city dwellers, skyscrapers and concrete are no big deal, but for us rural farm folk, it is a big deal aplenty. When you see airports big enough to swallow whole towns, it is eye opening.

He had a good trip but was glad to return home. And I was pleased to report that only one thing broke while he was gone and was glad he was back. And all that jazz.