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P6030254 STILT EGRET

“You look awful,” were his first words.

“Thanks.” Nate grabbed the coat and put it on.

“You’re skinny as a rail.”

“You wanna lose fifteen pounds, find the right mosquito.”

*-The Testament – John Grisham

The houses in this image share the same power 'grid.' Can you spot Casa Loca?

The houses in this image share the same power ‘grid.’ Can you spot Casa Loca?

(Jama/Manabi/ Ecuador)    We lost power last night, first here in this 7-house circuit and later during the night, the entire area went black.   I’m placing my bets that power will be restored to all areas except this one. We seem to be the power company’s step children!

I am elated to announce that today I feel 100 percent well – yee-HA!

Until today, one would have thought I had anorexia, as all possible food options turned my stomach. At one this morning, when I found myself dicing a ripe plantain and simmering it in a bit of water with lemon and cinnamon, I thought, “You’re on your way back to wellness!”

I sat on the deck and peered out into the cloud-filtered moonscape and enjoyed my warm, comforting snack. The simmered plantains are a bit like having fruit cobbler filling without the pastry!

Can you tell that I’m better? I am still weak but can now stand for more than five minutes without feeing faint. I can go up and down the stairs without having to stop and sit. The worst part of the sickness was the extreme fatigue, as if strong G forces had me strapped in a prone position that seemed impossible to break. Just lifting my hands took extreme effort. A bonus was that the sleep was deep, intense and easy. I rolled out of a dream-filled sleep just long enough to take my temperature , check my pulse, drink my water and roll right back into more vivid dreams.

On Saturday I was aware of dangerous high waves that would be assaulting the Pacific Coast, and at times I heard the waves ripping upriver.   The deep sleep often trumped my will to look out the window, but several times I pulled free of the fog, retrieved my camera and caught a few unique moments.  (Photos won’t upload here.)    Before fainting, I dashed back to bed and into instant slumber.   The sleep was a gift, thank you dear dengue.

If this was dengue, it was the fastest surgical strike I’ve ever known.  As if driving along on cruise control and suddenly you have a blowout.   Wham!  After the fever peaked at 39.5, each day it was down one degree.  As the fever lowered, my symptoms also lessened.   I kept waiting for that other shoe to drop, but it never did, grrrrrrracias a-Dios.    The weakness had the most endurance of all symptoms, but that’s probably Nature making sure that one doesn’t try to spring back too fast.  It’s hard to believe that this time last week I felt 100-percent well with no clue of the approaching train wreck!

I will be going by the clinic sometime today to get my platelets checked and to report my dengue — or whatever it was — and look forward to taking it easy and getting a little stronger each day. “Poco a poco.”

Last night I found myself irritated by the sounds of the pumps and aerators on the shrimp farms.  I couldn’t sleep, which is why I cooked the plantains.   I chuckled and knew that I was getting better!!

“Yow!”

I think that sometimes we need to experience illness so that we can appreciate wellness.

Thank you all for your beautiful outpouring of love!
Love,
Lees/Z

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