Tags
chikungunya, dengue, drawing when sick, jama manabi ecuador, mosaic mirror with paint, Timeout for Art
Pencil drawing with Gold Metallic Color Effects…
“Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she laid an asteroid.”
Mark Twain
(I needed a chuckle and hope that the above quote gave you one as well!)
(Jama Ecuador) Half of the month of May has passed, and I am just emerging from this mosquito-induced fog. My friend Cesar complained of a tightness in his neck today, and later he mentioned an ache in his foot. I remembered well the first arthritic aches, the ones that began a few days after I finished the mosaic mirror for the ladies’ room at Palo Santo.
The mirror photographed best in the gardens!
Luchi’s mother (Nieve) helped with the task, and she later said, “When you asked if you could paint something, I thought you were just going to paint the mirror a different color!” Nieve helped paint many layers of precise color that created the mosaic effect.
Too tired to hold a pencil the entire month, I sat in the waiting room at the clinic today and worked on a pencil drawing of mosquitoes. I photographed it at lunch and applied several creative twists via computer program, Paint. It’s a start, and hopefully my energy will improve a bit more each day.
Pencil drawing with ‘rain drop’ effect…
The 1st ‘dengue test’ two weeks ago showed double negativo for dengue… no history of previous infections and no new infection. Today’s 2nd ‘Dengue test” showed a double positivo… The tests confirmed that I have had dengue in the past and that I am just recovering from a new round of dengue. The doctor said that many people are getting dengue or chikungunya, and then become infected with the other.
The rest of the blood work shows that I am recovering well, and I am to return each week just to confirm that there are no new complications.
I assume that the worst is behind me!
Thanks everyone, and stay well!
Lisa/Z
Good news, indeed.
yes, it’s good to have it confirmed and that the blood work shows i’m getting better.. yay! thanks!
I never thought of mosquitos as a great art subject but your technique is really beautiful. It’s subtle.
as i sat in the clinic, i thought, ‘i cannot believe i’m drawing a mosquito…. why not a strong tree or something else?’
your comment made me smile! thanks!
Good to hear that the worst is behind you, Lisa. Stay well.
talking with my daughter and she said that they are raising mosquitoes that are STERILE and that they will go and kill the female misquitos the ones that are the harmful ones.,,and that eventually these will make Dengue go away…for your sake I hope it is sooner than later. love you. Gwen
thanks, gwen! it’s so hard to know what’s right now.. our ability to move around on this planet is now helping these new diseases jump from country to country. sometimes i think it’s time we all ‘stay put’ and return to salt-of-the earth living… i think we’re just starting to see the tip of an iceberg of new health problems…
HEY SIS, I’ve been under the weather too. I ended up in ER Sunday night from 11 p.m. till 4 a.m., and tested positive for 2 strains of flu. No wonder I was so tired and weak Sunday when I was cutting a truckload of firewood and loading up to bring in to town. I finally had to give it up before I had a full truckload. Only had about a fourth of a cord, or more, but not enough for the half cord I had set my mind to cut that day. Just too weak and sick, was running over 100 of fever (“normal” for me is 97.4 – 97.6) I also was treated for 1st and 2nd degree burns to the arm and also given a tetanus shot and a breathing treatment, and potassium tablets because potassium count had dropped down for some reason or other, maybe cause of the flu? Had follow up with doctor yesterday hoping to get to go back to work today but was still running fever and was told to stay off work till Monday. Hated to hear that , had only been back to work for one week after being off work for the past two months due to surgeries on both of my eyes (pterigium removal with grafts on each eyes) I need to be at work !! Am still very weak and congested and have horrible sore throat, sore ribcage, and body aches.. Hope you make a complete recovery and we both are back up and running full speed ahead very soon. Love ya, Pat
I never thought I would find mosquitos delightful!
I’m really glad you are over the dengue. I looked at your mozzie picture, it made me laugh, then the Mark Twain made me laugh again. Thank you for that. Life is too serious, we live too close to death not to laugh about it!
i’ve been trying to open your most recent post to comment.. one of the side effects of this round of dengue is absolutly zero appetite, as if one has anorexia.. even foods i think i like/would eat, i take one bite and turn away in disgust. the food – even just-baked bread – tastes horrible. i’ve dropped way too much weight, but it will be fun putting it back on in classic yo-yo style!
for now it’s just a little food every few hours, enough to keep me nourished.
thanks, tony, and i’m glad you liked the quote.. if anyone laughs, it means they’ve heard that hen’s cackle!
Awful Lisa but so glad you are recovering. I think of all the mosquito borne illnesses and it is scary. Glad you are recovering!
yes, amiga.. one negative about our culture/cultures is that we have the ability to skip from one country/latitude and longitude to another, and we’re the ones transporting these illnesses to new areas… it is scary to watch new epidemics explode in new areas. all it takes is the right cocktail – environment and climate and hungry mosquitoes…
Hi Lisa. I read the post previous to this one where you described the pain and suffering in the clinic , but also the great compassion of the families and care providers. You rendered the scene very well. I was trying to think of something I could send to help alleviate the suffering. All I can think of is good wishes. I love your mosquito art, and the fact that you don’t hate them simply because they were the unwitting carriers of your misery! Wishing you all the best for a quick recovery. Onward and upward!
thank you for your feedback; that post was challenging – to watch those patients and try to share the warring emotions at work in the clinic. your ‘good wishes’ are warmly received and greatly appreciated. si all those poor little mosquitoes wanted was just a bit of protein in order to keep the species alive and well.. they don’t realize it’s at our physical expense! thanks, i think hope the worst is in the past.
I certainly hope that you are on the mend, and that there are no complications! Maybe you should take a magic carpet ride to the Sierra Foothills? 🙂 Hugs to you my friend! ^..^
it would be great to dream up a perfect magic-carpet escape. for sure there would be something wonderful cooking in your kitchen!
I hope that you are indeed getting better. The Dengue and the other disease sound truly horrible! Get better my friend!
Glad you’re on the mend. Love the mosquito drawing. Well, sort of. I mean I like the work, it’s nicely done, but it’s mosquitos!
ha.. i know what you mean about the mosquito! maybe i needed to draw it for therapy!
Yay for Team Z. You have a lot of folks rooting for you. All the best , BTG
thanks! it’s always great to know there are lots of caring people in the cheering section. thanks!
Happy to know that you are on the other side. Also glad to know that it was Dengue and not the other – from some discussions – the lasting effects of Chickunguia could be worse. I am also happy to know that you have lots of support there. Love you my dear Amiga.
Love your mosquito drawings! A lot!
Glad to hear you’re recovering.
Alison
so glad to hear you’re now on the road to getting better. so far so good here in SC. Only one case so far. Little rain for us the past few months, so less mosquitos. Now the rainy season has started, not heavy but just enough the last three days to increase the population of the little buggers. Going outside, day or night I’ve been putting the repellant on. Three weeks now of fighting the bacterial infections but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Probiotics are now my best friend. Need to boost up my immunity system. Big hugs, get strong my friend, we love you
I have one of the most appealing artistic depictions of a mosquito, ever, for you. Take a look at Tandi’s post about the ice castle that’s a tradition in her neighborhood of Yellow Knife, Northwest Territories, and scross about halfway down to the photo. There’s an ice carving of a mosquito that’s absolutely phenomenal.
The whole thing’s phenomenal, actually. They hold art exhibits and concerts in the castle, it has a bar, outdoor sculptures (check out the whale emerging from a block of ice) and playgrounds. It has windows and doors, and crenels and fabulous snow art. Maybe it will cool you off!
i don’t think any of my comments got through, but i was able to view the post and loved all of those ice carvings.. and yes, that mosquito was delicaate and lovely! thank you so much for your support .. i’m much better.. will be returningn to town on wed night/thursday for another blood check, just to be sure all’s ok…
Good to see you pop up! Here’s hoping all goes well for you on Thursday! xoxox
Love the drawings, hate the subject and thrilled to hear that you continue to recover. Take good care Lisa ~ we are worried about you.
Great mosquito drawings, Lisa. You must feel so much better to be able to hold a pencil now. How horrible this must have been. The drawings are definitely better than the real thing 🙂
Great news Lisa! I pray that you will feel completely well soon.
Dear Lisa after being out of contact with my blogging friends for a while whilst travelling I am now home and slowly catching up. I have just been reading through your posts and was devastated to find out you have been so ill. I had to smile at your drawing of your tormentor. They seem attracted to me and I can never go out during the warmer months without the repellent on. I do hope you are soon totally better and hope your appetite returns. Take care of yourself my friend.
Dear lord. What a mess. I love your skeeters AND the quote. Hang in there.
So glad you are improving.