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Life
My health, and hence, my life, was a rollercoaster last week! That respiratory virus continued, so I spent most of my time on the couch, but by Thursday, I was starting to feel better. This was pretty surprising, given my underlying immune disorder--it seemed I'd had a normal respiratory virus that ran a pretty normal course, lasting about 10 days, just like a normal person! But, after two good days, I suddenly got much, much worse Saturday evening, with heavy sinus congestion and complete exhaustion again. That pattern of mostly recovering from a virus only to worsen again is a classic sign of a secondary bacterial infection. For me, that usually means bronchitis, but this was clearly a sinus infection. I sent a note to my nurse practitioner, but since it was a Saturday night, I knew I wouldn't hear back until Monday. Luckily, I had a relatively new antibiotic prescription here of the type that my doctor would normally prescribe for a sinus infection for me (I have allergies to many antibiotics). So, I started it right away. The congestion is clearing up, but I'm still pretty wiped out and have some flu-like aches now. That's likely due to my chronic yeast overgrowth flaring up from the antibiotics! That's why I try to avoid them whenever possible (and still had a bottle I hadn't taken). I'm waiting for a call back from the nurse practitioner now. So much for normal!
One of those good days last week luckily coincided with our temperatures finally going above freezing - woohoo! My stamina was still pretty low, but my husband and I managed a short walk at our local nature center. We are so fortunate to have this beautiful place so close to us! It was filled with birdsong all around us, from such a wide variety of birds that I opened up the Merlin app to figure out which ones we were hearing--it was quite a list (including blue jay, which scrolled off the page).
That's about the extent of what I did last week, besides recording some videos (again, on a good day), working on taxes, and frantically trying to finish planning our big road trip, which is coming up in just two weeks! Despite still feeling crummy today, I am typing this outside on our deck--the temperature is up over 50 F today! Feels balmy--we've had an unusually cold winter.
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I've long been looking for a weekly blog link-up for photos, and one of the visitors to my blog last week, Lydia at Where the Wild Things Were, hosts one! So, I participated:
#AllSeasons Link-Up: Winter Hiking in Delaware - Join the fun with your own seasonal photos each week.
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Mid-Month Book Bash Reading Vlog - Since I was sick, I decided to focus on vlogs, which require less energy and sitting up. I've wanted to try this fun monthly meme for a while anyway. So, this provides a glimpse into my reading life!
Chronic Illness Vlog: Respiratory Virus on Top of ME/CFS - this also seemed like a good opportunity for a chronic illness vlog, with more info on effects, treatments, etc. for other chronic illness sufferers.
Friday Reads 2-21-25: Great Picks for Black History Month and More - my weekly reading update (I was feeling better by then) .
Short: Birdsong + Babbling Stream = Peaceful! - this 30-second video brings you along to enjoy the sights and sounds of our local nature center
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I finished reading Deacon King Kong by James McBride (my first by this acclaimed writer), an excellent Black History Month pick. This is a buddy read with a friend in Singapore; discussing a great book with a friend makes it even greater! The title character, who is known as Sportcoat, is an older Black man living in a housing project in Brooklyn in 1969. He's lost his wife and is drinking heavily, so he's barely aware of what he's doing one day when he grabs an old gun, marches into their courtyard, and shoots a young drug dealer named Deems, whom he used to coach in the project baseball team (that was on page 1). That sets off a chain of events. This is a very entertaining novel, peopled by vibrant, unique characters that often made me laugh out loud or read outrageous lines to my husband ("Has your cheese done slid off your cracker?"). But beneath the vivid frivolity and sometimes farcical scenes, McBride is writing about some serious issues of race and class: the effects of drugs, crime, and criminal organizations on neighborhoods; the disparity between poor people of color and wealthy white people; and the way that a neighborhood can become a close-knit community. It's a picture of a specific time and place in history and the changes that were occurring. It was absolutely fabulous, with a perfect ending. Highly recommended.
I am now reading Sweetland by Michael Crummey for our book group this week. This novel set on a small island in Newfoundland has been on my shelves since 2015, when I got it during a Yankee Book Swap at my first Booktopia! It's a wonderful story of a man named Moses Sweetland and the isolated island that is named after his grandfather. The close-knit community on the island is being pulled apart by a government push to move everyone off the island (presumably so they don't need to provide services anymore; apparently these resettlement programs really occur). There are only a few hold-outs in accepting the government's offer, and then, finally, it's just Sweetland himself, with increasing pressure to agree to leave. Besides this central plotline, we get the history of the island and its community, through memories and flashbacks, and see how close and insular they are. It's a difficult life out there, especially after the government put a fishing ban in place due to overfishing. The story is full of interesting characters and the sorrows and joys of a small community over time. I'm enjoying it very much.
On audio, I finished listening to Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess, a YA novel. I knew I was in for a treat with this author; I loved listening to Solo, another YA novel in verse, and reading Booked,
a middle-grade graphic novel. Walt and Noah are best friends in their
junior year of high school. Walt has goals for them this year: to get on
the baseball team and to become cool. Neither of these seem within
reach, as they didn't make the team again. Noah is in love with
the third member of their best friend group, a girl named Sam who is
dating Cruz, a baseball player. Sam has been close friends with Noah and
Walt since 3rd grade, so Noah is solidly in the friend zone. As their
junior year continues, Noah is looking for a way to let Sam know how he
feels, as Walt introduces him to jazz and continues to go to the batting
cages. The novel and its characters are full of joy, though there is a heartbreaking tragedy in the story as well. This engrossing novel with plenty of depth is wonderful on
audio, with the cadence and rhythm of the verse and bits of jazz between its main parts.
For my next audio (and last pick for Black History Month), I am listening to Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America, a YA book edited by Ibi Zoboi. This is a collection of short stories that show the great diversity of experiences of Black youth in our country today. Zoboi herself is a talented YA author, and she's brought together some of the top YA voices, including Varian Johnson, Jason Reynolds, Renee Watson, and many more. The stories cover a wide range of topics, from blended families to identity issues to learning to stand up for yourself, and more. I am loving this collection so far--every story I've listened to has been a hit for me.
My husband, Ken, is reading Lightless by C.A. Higgins, a sci fi novel that came in a fantasy/sci fi subscription box our son and his girlfriend gave him for Christmas. He's received about 6 books already, with one more box to come, so he has lots of new books to read! He says this one is classic sci fi, with a crew aboard a military spaceship on a mission. One crew member, Althea, forms an emotional bond with the ship's controlling AI, which may be their only hope when terrorists take over their ship.
Our son, 30, finished Practical Adept, book 17 of the Spellmonger series by Terry Mancour, which he loves! He has now started rereading the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks, an old favorite of his, in preparation for the latest book (Beyond the Shadows). So, he's rereading book 1, The Way of Shadows, and book 2, The Shadow's Way.
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