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Hola Ground Control, this is Major Tom, finally passing 100,000 miles and back in radio contact.
My spaceship has taken me on a meandering odyssey that eventually spit me back out to share the stories.
The little virus in July 2022 was indeed Covid positive. I dodged the more serious side effects and returned to negative status in less than a week. The long-term effects, however, stayed with me for almost a year. My biggest challenge was ‘attention’ and a lethargy when I attempted to read or write. Reading anything technical was a serious task, so I basically scanned the high points of any reading material and paced myself. Twitter was my one-stop source for updates about world news and nature/the environment, etc. For the first time EVER, photos accumulated on the camera chip, pending when I felt strong enough to tackle part of the queue.
Major Tom idled through a lengthy ‘pause’ phase, but the best physical and mental-emotional therapy was time spent in nature. I credit the long walks on the trails of Refugio de la Tomatera as the best medicine. One step at a time I stayed focused on the light at the end of the tunnel – often a living tunnel of trees provided that tonic for healing; – ah, forest therapy!
This past year I was much stronger, back to chasing hummingbirds and butterflies along those same trails. The ‘Step into my World’ exposition of my show stretched from October 2021 until August 2023. There were days when I stepped into the museo, and someone exclaimed, ‘Lisa! There are people upstairs seeing your exhibit!’ I would ask who was with them, smile and then say, ‘They are in good hands. Bye. I’m going home.’
Just walking up the stairs would often exhaust me, and the energy of a group would deplete my energies more. I remain grateful for the support from those who helped at Museo Portoviejo.
Some days I would go home and rest, and other days the best medicine was the cocoon of nature.
Step into my World #2 opened on May 29 (2024) at Urdaneta Canton in Los Rios Province. The just-published post about that show is on my equally-neglected website for art: lisabrunettiart.wordpress.com – Step into my World 2
The next show for Museo Portoviejo will open in October.
An extended rainy season in 2023 triggered a new-to-me endemic flower into bloom. Long ago in Mississippi, nasturtiums germinated and soared into gorgeous foliage and bloom in early spring, yet quickly atrophied when temperatures tipped higher. Here was a petite cousin growing in kudzu-worthy speed, and it seemed to thrive in the heat! Determined to discover which hummingbirds might visit that flower, I often took my paper and paints to the patches of flowers and patiently waited for answers.
The first hummingbird to appear was the Amazilia Hummingbird, the most common one in the area.
A bumble-bee provided a good reference for the size of the flowers. Violet-bellied hummingbirds, Black-throated Mangoes and Woodnymphs took turns at distracting me! 
But the star was the smallest bird in South America, and one of the smallest on the planet. My friend Luis Saltos and I trekked in drizzly conditions on July 15 (2023) in hopes of hearing or seeing the rare Pearly-breasted Cuckoo. The cuckoo had given a private photo session at that location a year earlier; perhaps it was an omen, as two weeks later I was sick with Covid.
July 15/2023 – We embarked on a muddy trek in search of that cuckoo! (Photos of the trek by Luis Saltos.)
Just when ready to leave, we saw a tiny woodstar hummingbird perched on faraway trees. ‘Short-tailed Woodstar,’ we both agreed, but I always take photos to confirm when at home. Because my brain was still sluggish, it was a few days before I reviewed the images. Screenshots from short videos often help with identification.
Hmmmm. I sent the photos to Luis and wrote, “I think we were wrong on that Short-tailed Woodstar identification.”
Surprise surprise, It appeared to be the Esmeraldas Woodstar. The ‘woodstar specialists’ of the birding world perused the photos and agreed – most likely Esmeraldas, but it would take another outing to get better documentation.
Eureka! The Esmeraldas Woodstars spent their secret vacation in the Nasturtium Fairy Garden. On Jul 21, a feisty little male provided excellent photo moments, and for another six weeks, the Esmeraldas Woodstars were the stars of the area.
They are usually mysteriously absent for five or six months as if they take their vacation in another dimension – yet there they were, quarreling with the Amazilias over enough wild nasturtiums for an army of hummingbirds!
My cup runneth over with a six-week study of this unique fairy garden and the nine species of hummingbirds that fought over control of the sweetest flowers!
Alas, zip five months into the future, after attending the South American Bird Fair in Mindo, then helping with three Audubon Christmas Bird Counts, I was reminded bya little virus that I’m not young any more! I chuckled and said that I had a birding chuchaky (hangover) yet when I appeared to be fully recovered, a wave of vertigo slammed me into a three-month timeout. The first week was surreal while trying to limit any movement, and ‘poco a poco’ ever so slowly I regained my sense of balance. Anyone who suffers with balance problems has my complete empathy!
Recalling a year of mystery illness, I had forgotten about a short wave of nausea and vertigo from pesticide poisoning – when the aroma of malathion entered the building when a neighbor sprayed for ?…. I left the building for the day; all seemed fine, but the next morning awakened with nausea and vertigo. I wonder now if the two ‘vertigos’ are connected or coincidental.
Almost symptom free now, my eyes/ears still remind me to pace myself when I suddenly look skyward or move my head/eyes too fast to the left or right. A month ago I stepped across stones in a small stream with no problem, crossed other streams via suspension bridges with helping hands from friends. This past week I balanced my way across suspension and bamboo footbridges, and I am proud to be almost 100% again.
Sometimes it takes a journey into illness so that we rejoice in wellness when it returns. Sending my love out to all of you, Lisa
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Lisa, I’ve missed you very much! And I’ve worried about you…it turns out that was justified! I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through, and so happy to hear you sounding so active and healthy now. I’m just about to head to bed myself, but wanted to quickly let you know that this missive from you in my inbox has made my day, and sent my spirits soaring!
Hi Cindy, and thanks so much for your kind words. Compared to so many, my detour from good health was tiny, yet it certainly altered my normal habits. A friend here said that he too continues to lapse into those mental fogs as well as dizzy spells. I’m not sure when I’ll be back in full throttle reading mode for WordPress, but at least I found a way to start that dialogue of a smoke signal. Thank you again – sweet dreams!
Lisa, Great to get an update! So sorry to hear that you have had struggles with your health. But glad you are doing better. Your photos and paintings are great. Keep me posted on how you are w.
Jim Lowe
Hey Jim! You and your family were on my mind recently – in addition to the story you shared about Daddy’s reply about the fish not biting. “They gotta eat sometime.”
I hope that everyone is happy and well there! Thanks!
Glad to have you back in the fold. I’m sorry your experience of long COVID was such torture. And it must have been incredible torture for you to miss out on meeting and greeting the fans of your work.
You are the invincible one, and it is always great to experience your good energy and positive attitude. As for not going up those stairs, I suppose it was a choice of total surrender and appreciation for others to catch that ball when my own energies were so low. Sometimes we know our limits, and I also appreciate all who were protective in my behalf vs wanting me to attend various events. There are amazing testimonials in the guest book, but I am grateful for every visitor that made that show so successful. It’s humbling.
There are stories and stories to share that illustrate that yin and yang of life… if we can laugh – and I often did – then surely we passed a life test/lesson and took one giant step forward in that maze of life!
And laughter supports good health, physical and mental!
LISA!! Ground control hears you. 🙂 I’ll come back to read the rest of the post tomorrow but want you to know that I’ve worried and worried and am thrilled to see this solid evidence that you’re back in nature, being yourself. Nature is the better for it. Hola and bienvenido de nuevo, my friend.
If anyone understands the healing properties of nature, it’s you! Take your time to read the posts, as it’s taken over a year for them to percolate their way into the written form. Whenever I was feeling strong enough to put those thoughts into some kind of order, the ‘long covid brain’ said, ‘How does one start? Do it later when you’re stronger.’
Yes, nature was the best medicine!
Beautiful photos!!! So glad you’re feeling better! Thanks for bringing joy into our lives!
Thank you, Jill. From time to time I scroll through the WordPress queue, and there you are, a constant – and always finding time to place some bright stories in our lives to offset the heavier ones we face worldwide.
Thanks, Lisa! I’m happy to know that I sometimes help offset the darkness, though 90% of what I write IS the darkness. It’s pretty much unavoidable. Have a happy rest-of-the-week!
The big problem in many instances is becoming desensitized about important matters – or sometimes just not wanting to acknowledge the difficult facts. I’m watching many news stories from afar in small doses, not to dodge the reality but it’s just so hard to witness at times.
You remain strong – thank you!
“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.” MLK
I’m so happy to see you back!
I was in Mississippi last year and thought of you. I tromped around a bit and had wanted to see your homeland but wasn’t sure where it was.
I’m glad you’ve recovered from the Covid and its aftermath. I had dengue nine years ago now and I’m one of the rare people whose virus attacked my brain. End result is walking and balance issues as well as problems with my endocrine system. As I said, rare, fortunately for others. But it has changed my life and left me disabled. Others died, so I suppose I’m lucky.
But I’m so glad to hear from you again and know you’re well!
Emilie! Dengue! We are partners in suffering – the dengue club. I survived two of the four strains and hope to never meet the other two. with it affecting your brain – wow, I can only imagine what you endured.
The 2nd dengue was a co-infection with chikungunya, and my hands still cramp/contort and freeze in place frrom time to time. I was thinking this morning about all of the side effects… but wow, the brain connection is truly a reare one. I did wonder in Dec/January if cumulative virus infections increase the body’s sensitivity until it sends warning signals, ‘no more viruses!’
But yes, dengue is a very serious virus, and your story is a reminder to be diligent to avoid those tiny insects that have the power to change your life forever.
Lisa, I have dearly missed you. I was thinking about you yesterday wondering where you were and what you were doing. I must have latched onto your signal. I heard you loud and clear.
You are like the elusive hummer, but when you fly back into the world your brightness shines and you can’t be missed.
We have been traveling the world. I have a bucket list to complete before I can no longer travel. Age has a way of sneaking up on me, but we both try to ward it off by swimming and eating healthy unprocessed food and living our passions.
Our first grandbaby arrives in July. He will have the most perfect life, living in Yosemite National Park with his parents. Our son, Cory and his wife, Tina both work in Yosemite. Cory is the senior naturalist and Tina is the Zero Landfill coordinator. Now with little Theo arriving, we will be spending a lot of time in Yosemite.
We still have our house on Ometepe Island. We turned it into a successful Airbnb for digital and senior nomads.
I am so happy to hear from you. Sending much love and hugs!
Hey! You are often on my mind too, and you give my heart a big smile to know that you and Ron continue to be invincible – not allowing fear to dictate how you live your lives. You’re both walking ambassadors for good humans all over the planet – not representing one country but the human race. or what is best in the human race.
Congrats on your Ometepe site being a respite for those who find their way to your casa and gardens – complete with special artistic touches.
Congrats, also, on the new one that will soon be basking in unconditional love – a destiny surely written in the stars and one of hope for the future.
Sending you a big cyber hug!
so glad you are back and feeling better! Was worried. Would ask Jonathan if he’d heard from you. You have been sorely missed.
continued healing?
Hi Margo!
It is good to see your smoke signal as well. Most likely you are still holding a point of strong positive vibes there in Vilcabamba – the invisible threads stay strong.
Si, I now pace myself, and on days when I need a dozen hours of sleep, I sleep guilt free. The body takes that sleep time to do some strong healing – si?
Glad to see you back. When it comes to certain formerly common activities like posting, you were like the esmeraldas woodstars, taking your vacation in another dimension.
Steve, your comment made me laugh outloud!
When inspecting the various endemic flowers here, you are often on my mind. It’s been an interesting journey to identify many of them, and the network at iNaturalist has been very helpful. A botanist on the Peruvian end of this Tumbesian Region has been especially helpful.
Right now many images await my attention on the camera chip – and aves – and group meetings/birding outings. The fatigue hits fast so I don’t make a lot of progress. At some point I’ll dedicate a post to special botany observations.. I realize how blessed I am to have so many interests and tasks I enjoy doing – and not enough hours in each day. The next show opens in October, so most of my time will be devoted to finishing works that are taking way too long to finish – and hopefully create a few new ones as well.
So happy you are back, Lisa. I was off myself for about a year. the virus and then an accident in the rest center.
As always love your pictures and your prose.
Dear and always the gentleman Don!
Glad you are also that strong positive beam of light in a world that often seems quite dark! Sorry that you have had some setbacks, but happy to see you have also returned.. Will be catching up and enjoying those stories of your unique life.
Thank you, Lisa.
Ah, always the caballero!
Hi Lisa, I’ve been worried about you! I’m so sorry you’re dealing with long term effects of Covid-19. It kicked my butt too and took so long to recover. I’m glad you’re doing better. I wish the Pachamama group could have made 1 more trip to Ecuador. We lost our beloved Sara last October from cancer. She was a trouper until the end. Susana was attending a conference in Denver and it just so happened that she was able to visit us. Sara had just gotten out of the hospital and we were all able to have lunch together and gathered at Sara’s house afterward. She passed a while after that. I still have hopes to return to Ecuador and see the updates at Susana’s place and the hummingbird garden we installed. It would be wonderful if our paths could cross again. I hope you continue to improve your health and continue your exquisite art work. You made a loving, lasting impression on all the Pachamamas, and I will look forward to more posts! Sending love, healing, and hugs. Sandy
Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail on Android
Oh, what a beautiful comment, told with the grace that only a Pachamama could pen…. You all must miss Sara so much, such a strong and noble leader. Not long ago when pondering the upcoming hurricane season, I recall writing a post in honor of all of you – and others like Linda – who were in that path of destruction.I titled the post, “I Care.” I was watching from afar without much information- but my heart held a flame of light for all of you.
https://playamart.wordpress.com/2017/08/26/i-care/ Thank you for your kind words about our too-short time together; I will forever recall that time with a warm smile in my heart for all of you. If you or any of th group return, please give plenty of notice – I’ve some new recipes to test on all of you!!!
Hi, dear Lisa
we are so happy reading that you are back to wellness again.
And thanks for your pictures of an other world.
Keep well
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
The Fab Four bring sunshine to the world – in a world in need of sparkles of magic! Thank you so much for your kind words, and I look forward to seeing stories of mischief from the Fab Four!
🙏💜💙🙏
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
My dear friend, your journey has not been for the faint of heart. You reminded me that sometimes life intervenes and asks us to pause, to embark on an introspective journey that reconnects us with our core values and humanity. I sense from your words that your spirit has been revitalized (hummingbirds are a wonderful ways of lifting us up). Welcome back – you have been missed.
Hey dear amazing quiet mentor of many! I recently told a friend that I think I’ve sqeezed about a dozen lifetimes into one – perhaps more. I’m grateful for every experience, every lesson.
Yes, the Universe tends to tap us on our shoulders from time to time, and if we don’t pay attention, then stronger messages usually get our attention.
Even when motionless for days and days to keep the dizzies from returning, I was grateful for that quiet time for incubation of the psyche… perhaps that’s a gift that artists have – the ability to quickly quiet the mind and just ‘be’ without going crazy from inactivity.
Thank you, as always!
Oh my goodness! So nice to see/read you again Lisa – I think of you so often – usually when I see a bird I think you might like. We have some really great local wildlife photographers who post regularly and I marvel at the patience they possess to get the “perfect shot”. I hope to make it to Ecuador again in the next year and would absolutely *love* a little Lisa time – hopefully you will be available and in fine form 🙂 So sorry to hear about your illnesses. I have had my own health challenges and it sure does remind you to appreciate the good days. Take good care Amiga xoxoxo Pat
Hola Pat! So good to see your comment – you are always there in your sweet support. I also marvel at those true pros when it comes to getting those stunning shots. Often before working on a study of a bird, I peruse the eBird photos and often pause to admire the beauty of some of those ‘captures.’ I am wistful to write and thank them for contributing to the database, but that is not an option.
it would be great to see you when you’re back for a visit.. i’m guessing that dady would like to be part of that ‘welcome back’ moment as well. her family lives about a minute away on foot, and it’soften months and months before we see each other in person!
thank you again for your comment and update, and i hope that our health challenges are now in the past -and the rest of the year is full of smiles and sunshine. love, lisa
Welcome back, Lisa. I’m sorry for all your illnesses. I’m amazed at how much you have been able to work and accomplish nonetheless. Your second exhibit is wonderful and I hope you will be well enough to prepare the third this summer.
Thank you for sharing all the beauty of your home.
Best wishes,
Tanja
Hey again.. Thank you for taking that cyber trip to ‘Step into my World.’ I’m about to go to the museo now to start firming up the plan for the October show. Thank YOU for your continued support!
Lisa, welcome back to earth base. I was surprised to find your post in my email this evening, and very glad to see you and your world again. I owe you an apology! I tried to keep up with you on X, but, if you can understand my analogy, the platform was too “four dimensional” for me to keep up with. I do better as a flat lander I’m afraid. Email, WordPress, newsletters, snail mail. I miss snail mail… sigh.
I’m so very glad to read that you have been recovering,and that you’ve found a strategy to keep yourself going in spite of it all! And you have my complete understanding and empathy with your vertigo. It’s horrible. Spring allergies and gardening all day can set mine off. I have a walker, from my knee surgery, that I kept from several years ago. When dizziness strikes it’s the only thing that keeps me from staggering and falling down.
Please continue to improve and I hope to see you again as soon as you are able.
NOTE: the email address is not the one you are familiar with, but I’m on my tablet and WordPress won’t let me send this under my familiar email without my password. Guess I’ll have to memorize it. 😶
So great to hear from you Lynda, and just yesterday I was wistful for the old snail mail option for writing thank-you notes to a few people. Ecuador lost their ‘normal’ postal service about the same time that Covid shut down the world. One can send/receive things from a few of the main cities, but basically it’s not an option. I priced sending a small watercolor on paper in a cardboard tube – by Western Union – and the cost was over 100 dollars. yikes… and yes, just for the lost art of writing real letters – I miss it as well.
Your mention of spring allergies – oh my I do not miss that at all. My perennial chronic cough vanished when I relocated to the neotropics, though that old pattery with a strangling mystery cough branded me with emphysema.. I am so grateful to live where that no longer torments me for half a year.
How great that your walker provides that extra ‘crutch’ for keeping your balance! Yes, my first outing was like someone on drugs trying to amble along the sidewalk. A friend assisted me several blocks to attend a meeting – then i returned home and stayed still for another week – slowly ever so slow was the recovery,.
yes, i agree about Twitter – such a challenge these days to even find the threads of the people you have a direct contact with. it tosses out what it thinks you want – bah humbug. i do appreciate, however, the ease of finding current info on news and weather events. looks like florida just got slammed with a remindr from mother nature trying to remind us that she’s not a happy gal!
It was great to heart about you. When you come to Guayaquil let us know.
hey! Thank you so much for your comment! I hope that everyone is doing well.
In the past six weeks I’ve made two trips ‘arriba’ from you in Los Rios/Canton Urdaneta — a small exposition opened in the Catarama museo. In a week I’ll return there for birding with the locals on the 22nd and then a full-moon solstice ritual that night by the museo…
Come up and join us!
🙂
Dearest Lisa… SO…. so, good to see you, and it sounds like you have certainly been through the health mill..
So Happy to know you are making an all be it slow recovery, but you are regaining back your strength..
My Son who was fit and in his 40’s got hospitalised and had long covid, and was off work for 6 months…. So I sympathise..
Congratulations on your latest exhibition and great bird photos Lisa…
Sending you lots of love and healing energies as you step back with Natures help into wellness..
LOVE and Hugs.. Sue xx ❤
Oh my goodness Lisa you have been through it! I’m so happy to hear you’re well again. What a journey. And I’m so happy to hear from you again, and of your heart warming stories of the hummers. Most summers I see them on the forest trails I walk near home and every time feel their magic.
Your art is a gorgeous as ever.
I know exactly what you mean about a journey into illness leading to a deeper rejoicing of wellness. It’s not me who’s been ill, but Don. A year ago he had a stroke. I suppose in retrospect we can say it was a “minor” stroke in that he’s almost fully recovered, but something like that turns your world upside down.
Wishing you full vibrant good health.
Alison xo 🤗❤️