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Outside Temperatures Are In The Low Twenties. My Fever Is Above 100! Random Thoughts When Sick~

I have a cold! It is very cold outside! And I have a taste for some tea!

I woke up this morning with a cold. My head was pounding! My sinuses were stuffed!  I would rather have sat, and not move at all.

But, Uriah needed to go for a walk.

I opened the door and told him to have fun, and sat back on the couch.

Uriah barked at the side door until I gave up and went outside.

Today was very clear and bright and extremely cold.  Whites and blues, of snow and sky, stayed separate from the beiges and dark browns of the tree bark.  Lines of color cut in and out of the blinding white snow. 

This morning, the weatherman had made a joke about today’s temperatures, being as close to a heat wave as we can get in January.   The past few days we had wind chills between -20 to -50 degrees.  Hitting the twenty’s would have been a heat wave. If it had really gotten that high, it didn’t.  And all this white is wonderful for my headache… Grumble, grumble… !

Uriah ran circles around me as soon as I stepped outside. Then he stared at my pockets. I reached in and pulled out a biscuit. At the same time, I accidentally dropped my stick of gum on the ground. I bent down to grab it.

 Did I tell you, Uriah loves spearmint…

He grabbed it first and raced away from me. I tired out quickly. Then stood back and watched him run circles around a Blue Spruce, with my gum still intact, sticking out of his mouth.

I swatted the air at him.  He plopped down in the snow and peeled off the paper. Then he chewed the gum a few times before he swallowed it. He looked longingly at the gum wrapper and promptly ate it…

Yesterday I didn’t walk out back. Within one day the line of footprints that I had made by dragging my feet through the deep snow, were gone. Completely  filled in by the wind.

With a heavy sigh, a cough, and a sneeze I slowly followed two sets of fresh prints. One was a coyote a lot bigger than Uriah; he had stepped in and out of the snow easily.  When Uriah walks, he wades through the snow dragging his chest along. Not the easy gait of a coyote.

The second set of prints, were from an even bigger deer.  I stepped in the snow next to his footprints and only sunk in half the distance.

 I followed the coyote’s trail, which moved in the same direction I was going. Except for when he ran around and underneath the old apple trees.  I cheated there and cut my own path and linked up with his prints. I saw where he had dug irregular holes, here and there in the snow. Until he laid down just before the back path, and left a complete body print in the snow.

 I saw a line of rabbit tracks that stretched out from the Bog Willows. Then move with even hops, towards the path.  A little farther away, the snow was scattered, where the coyote and the rabbit both headed off into the trees. I looked up and saw Uriah’s hind end disappearing into the same section of trees.

 I headed up the path going east. Just as I reached the section that broke off, with one side heading southeast, the other northeast. I stopped! My mind said, enough walking for today, tea time!

 I whistled for Uriah. He surprised me by running out of the trees. He circled around me and headed back into the trees.  He even jumped over branches with the agility of a puppy.

I told myself to enjoy the day like Uriah!

I looked upward into the taller trees.  That was when I saw a slight movement, about twenty-five feet up, way-out on the edge of a heavy branch.

I blinked a few times until I focused on a dark brown Pheasant.  He blended in completely with the branch and tree.  I moved a few steps to the west and I could make out his long tail, it pointed west, his head to the east. As I walked away the entire Pheasant blended in with the lines of the tree.  I saw no difference in the coloring of either bird or tree!  I stared hard at him; I couldn’t find his slick purplish- blue head, only dark browns.

I could see he was starting to fidget.

I didn’t want to make him anymore nervous than I already had. I walked a few feet along the path, then turned back and said out loud, “You really think I could climb up there?”

Just then Uriah Howled!

I assumed he found the deer and would soon tire himself out.  I trudged back to the house. Uriah beat me back.  He got his biscuit and I was able to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot tea and a box of Kleenex…

25 replies on “Outside Temperatures Are In The Low Twenties. My Fever Is Above 100! Random Thoughts When Sick~”

“Uriah loves spearmint,”
“the coyote and the rabbit both headed off into the trees,”
“curl up on the couch with a cup of hot tea and a box of Kleenex…”

nice to see you, Gerardine.
I love those lines in your story,

another beautiful writing,
I smiled when I picture you curling up on the couch with a cup of hot tea…cozy, warm, and inspired…

Enjoy a wonderful evening. 🙂

jingle

awe welcome back dear missed you, hope the story is going well and THANK YOU, for the kind comments on my blog, and congrats on your award, now, good to have your stories back, missed them, this was as always actioned packed, funny and just what we are used to, dont be a stranger too long lol…

Oh, dear! Hope you get better soon (although, it will probably take 7-10 days).

Nothing like being sick and having adverse weather – weather cold or hot – but I am sure the sun helped.

He actually unwraps the gum? Clever dog.

richard,
You were right on the amount of time it took me to feel better.
Uriah unwraps food, and then eats the wrapper. I hate it when he unwraps his aspirin and spits it at me. I put it in cheese. Silly dog:-)
Gerardine

Hello, how are you?

I was doing “Thursday Poets’ Rally” beginning this week,
your poem link is included, to be able to stay on the list,

one needs to

post a poem every Thursday,
comment on 12 new blogs from my list on poems,
let me know after you are done for record…
comment back if your poems are commented…

I know you are busy, I write this for your information, if you are interested in joining in, please drop a note and let me know.
thank you.
Best Wishes.

jnngle

great, I will list you as a week 2 participant now.
I appreciate your support, it is fun to get more friends supporting each other…

cheers,
you are very cool, friend.
😉 😉

Hope you are feeling better soon gerardine. It was nice to be back reading your stories.

I miss the cat and mouse like antics. Starting to wonder what exactly you are going to do to one of those taunting animals when you do catch em. Cause I’m sure it will happen one of these days

How are you, Geredine?

Hope that you have fulfilled your Jan, 14 2010 assignment and are having a good break then.

I miss you and
hope to see your acceptance of awards or
a fresh post.

Thank you for reading my comment.
take good care and

you deserve happiness. 🙂

Jingle,
I am better and I have done my assignment. I am now, checking my emails and answering comments and making a few back. I hope to post later today.
Thank you for being here.
Gerardine

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