Good morning, my friends. :)
I am sorry I have not been around much this week - things have been somewhat hectic here on my end. On top of all the "usual" hubbub, and all the house "work" we've been up to (cleaning/painting/flooring/etc.) Bill has been feeling rather unwell. For months now, he's been fighting an allergic reaction (to what, we're not sure) that affects his eyes, and now it seems, his sinuses as well. His eyes have been itchy, swollen, red and very painful for some time now - between high pollen levels and now our renovation work, he's just been miserable. When Bill's having an episode (because the reactions come and go) his undereye area gets all dark (like he's been socked in the nose!) and the skin all around his eyes gets puckery and wrinkled. Originally, he saw an opthamologist (who told him it had nothing to do with his eyes) and later a dermatologist, who prescribed creams and drops - which helped - but did not resolve the situation entirely. He's seeing his dermatologist again this week to address this current flare-up, but he is also seeing a nurse this morning because the sinus headache that came on yesterday was just awful. Honestly, I have never seen Bill so sick as when he walked in from work last night, and truly, I was considering a trip to the emergency room. Intense headaches and nausea are not something to fool with! Fortunately, the "Sinex" he took (a decongestant with pain reliever) as soon as he got home eased his pain within an hour. He also steamed his head (over peppermint-scented water) and applied ice where it hurt the most. Thankfully, by mid-evening he was feeling much better - the congestion had eased and the pain was completely gone.
All of this to say - if you would, please keep my Bill in your prayers, and if you have any home and/or natural remedies for sinus issues, I would appreciate suggestions. My mum gave Bill a neti pot, which, depending on what the nurse says this morning, he plans to try tonight. Although he had no fever I'm wondering if he might not have developed a sinus infection and possibly needs an antibiotic to clear things up. We're not big fans of antibiotics, but at times they are warranted. We'll see what he finds out today ... and later this week at his dermatology appointment.
Anyhoo! So I'm very glad it's the weekend, and though our plans were to install the wood flooring (we chose white oak - it's very nice) we may give ourselves a rest from "hard" labor and allergen-stirring activities. (Sawdust, sanding and paint fumes, etc.) I say all this like I'm working alongside Bill, lol, and I'm not - not really. I help move things and clear things out and take measurements and give my opinion. Otherwise I'm mostly on child duty (aka keeping kids out of the way!) and actually Bookworm - in all his teenage vitality - has been a huge help to his dad.
Speaking of kids, this post was meant to share photos taken by the boys last week. So without further ado, let me show you a few of their "summery" sights:
This is a thunderhead heading our way. The storms that moved through on this evening (an evening I was heading out for coffee with friends, no less) were brief, but brutal! We had intense lightning, flash flooding, and when it was all said and done, a big and bright double rainbow. Amazing!
Bookworm caught this lovely little lace-winged bug in our house and before setting him free, he grabbed a few pictures. He thought it looked like a katydid, but after checking our field guide, we think it is the (aptly named) lacewing.
Now this odd looking insect (fly? bee? wasp?) spent all day on our deck. (And sadly, it perished there.) The boys gave it wide berth in case there was a stinger attached in any way, shape, or form. Any thoughts?
Yes, this hungry little (big!) fella came back. He seems to approve of our menu selection, lol - black oil, suet and peanuts. I should note, he is not actually baring his teeth at us in this photo - we just caught him in mid-chew!
Now, this picture takes a little explaining (as well as a good zoom - click on it to get a closer view). The birds you see here are a mother sparrow and two of her brood, however, if you look closely, the bird she is feeding in this shot is not actually a sparrow, but a baby cowbird ...
Have you ever heard of brood parasites? The cowbird is a species that uses the strong nesting instincts of other birds to its advantage. Basically, it drops its egg in another bird's nest (in this case, a sparrow's) and leaves its young to be hatched and fed by the "adoptive" parent. (Meanwhile it can move on and follow the food supply as it wishes.) We've actually seen this sparrow feeding two baby cowbirds at once! And they're very demanding, lol ... the poor mother sparrow can barely keep up!
Well, that's all we have for you this week. I hope you enjoyed a peek at our most recent nature photos. I've been lax on the upkeep of my nature notes column, but I can say, in our yard we've been watching that shy bunny, the cheerful chimpmunks and the feisty red squirrels. Along the wayside, the queen ann's lace, toadflax and goldenrod have started blooming ... and you should see the goldfinches visiting the spent lavender bed - they are so bright and lovely! Just like a Marjolein Bastin card come to life.
Ok, I'm off now, but first a quick update on Bill - I just spoke with him and the nurse confirmed a sinus infection (though she doesn't think it's connected with his eye allergy in any way). She started him on amoxocillin (blech, that stuff kills me!) and advised him to keep taking the decongestant. Thanks again in advance for any advice, your prayers, and as always thank you so much for stopping by!
Have a great weekend, everyone ...
:)
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