Do-Overs and High-Fives: The SpiderWoman Edition

Well gang, this one is a little later than usual going out- but I have a really good excuse…  without further ado, this week’s

Do Overs:

I got BIT!

Don’t know what got me, but I’m pretty sure it lives on the field where we do bootcamp.  Yesterday morning as I was getting in my car after my workout I noticed a little red spot on my inner thigh.  No biggie- just a little bug bite.  As the morning went on, it turned into a mosquito sized bump with a little red dot in the middle.  I was sitting at my computer most of the day and it wasn’t until later in the evening when we were walking home from a concert in the park near our house that I noticed it was really itchy and irritated.  I took a closer look and there was a hot, red circle around my little red dot.

Of course I jump to the worst case scenario, and a quick internet search revealed that brown recluse spiders do not live in CO, although I had to endure some really nasty pics before I found the relevant info.   Smeared some tea tree oil on it, and took a Benadryl before bed.  When I woke up this morning, it was bigger, redder and hotter.  UGGG… Of course it has to be a friday right?

Now one thing I hate is going to the doctor and hearing, “Well it’s just (a virus, a sprain, a bug bite, etc.), there’s nothing to do but wait it out.”  But the thing I would hate even more would be not going to the doctor on Friday, having this thing get bubbly or oozy or worse on Saturday and ending up in the ER.  No thanks.  So I called and got an appointment this afternoon.

The nice doc looked at my leg and said- “Yeah… something got you.”  Apparently he didn’t like the looks of the red, puffy, hot circle on my leg and prescribed an antibiotic.  He also drew a circle around it and told me to call if the redness spread further.  I try to avoid antibiotics whenever possible, but since this thing is really irritated, I figured like the doc said- better safe than sorry.

When I notified my Facebook gang of the bite, one of my friends commented that maybe I’d turn into SpiderWoman.  I hadn’t thought of this- but if I could add to my superpowers walking on the ceiling then I wouldn’t have to worry about stepping on Legos all the time!

If superpowers should result- I’ll be sure to let you all know!  In the meantime, I’m on antibiotics (with which I have a love/hate relationship.  I love that they exist and can be used when absolutely necessary- and I hate to use them…) and probiotics.

So instead of writing this afternoon, I was in the doc’s office and getting my drugs.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Saturday morning update:  Although no superpowers seem to have manifested, after two doses of antibiotics and a good night’s sleep, the red circle is significantly smaller and not nearly as itchy.  Thank heavens for the miracles of modern medicine!

That seems to be the worst of this week- so we’ll move on to:

High Fives

What’s so weird about Glasses?

Well if you read Tuesday’s post you will recall that my son’s concern about looking ‘weird’ in his glasses was the source of a very funny conversation.  At that point he hadn’t worn them around anyone outside the immediate family, so I was still a little concerned about what would happen when his friends saw him.

That question was answered this week when he went to play Legos with one of his best buddies.  My husband had him take the glasses, since they are for ‘close work’ including (he specifically asked!) Legos.  I waited anxiously to hear the report.  His friend is a sweet boy- but he’s a 10 year old boy!  Not a group necessarily known for their tact or sensitivity!

When AJ got home and I asked him what happened with the glasses, he said, as if it were no big deal at all, “They (the friend and his mom) liked them.  L. said they weren’t as bad as he thought they would be.”

End of conversation.  No drama, no shattered confidence to repair, no angst at all.  Some time after that he said to me, “I don’t think I’ll have to stay away from mirrors with my glasses on anymore.  I don’t look that weird.”

In the end I’m just amazed by how much of a non-issue it was.  Totally neutral.  Almost (dare we say it?)  normal….

Making Rosary Beads

Way back in June I was invited to join a group that was going to make rosary beads from rose petals.  I thought it was happening that week when I was busy and trashed the email.  When I went to drop AJ at camp this week, the woman who was organizing the project asked if I was there to make beads.  I quickly checked to make sure I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere else- and ended up sticking around to participate in some lovely meditation and movement and to help crush the rose petals.  I went back on Wednesday and rolled some beads with the rose clay that had been prepared.  I’m not exactly sure what will become of all the beads, though I definitely have plans for some of them.

Aside from the coolness of doing the beads, I’m mostly just impressed with how once again, the universe seems to evolve in such a way that I’m in the right place at the right time, even when I don’t know it, haven’t planned it and couldn’t possibly arrange it even if I tried!

FACE in Niwot

OK just so you know- I was never what you’d call a groupie in my younger days.  Sure I alwyas loved music and had favorite bands, but I could never tell you which BeeGee was which, or anything like that.

These days I’m a total groupie for an a capella rock band called FACE.  They’re a local Boulder group that has a HUGE following in the area and for good reason.  They are 6 guys and using only their voices and mikes sound like a rock band, complete with bass, drums, screaming guitars…. the works.  Probably my favorite thing about them is the way they all work and play together.  Each one of them has lead-singer chops, and it’s easy to see how egos might easily clash.  But they don’t.  It’s hard to say exactly who the leader is, because they all get airtime as soloists, and chatting up the audience between songs.

The show last night was such a great example of what happens when a band and audience are really sharing the love.  As I said, they have a big loyal following, so folks showed up ready to sing, dance and enjoy themselves.  And the more they did, the better the band got.  One of the singers even commented on how much fun it was to watch the audience having so much fun.  It was really one those times when audience and performer are in a reciprocal flow of energy- and it was hard to tell who was getting more out of it!

If you’re interested in seeing what can be done with only the human voice- check it out here: www.myspace.facevocalband.com.  It won’t be nearly as cool as seeing them live- but a treat nonetheless.

The Garden

I know I’ve mentioned it before, and I hope it doesn’t get boring, but I’m so loving our garden.  My husband grows the veggies and I cook them.  This week I made 2 jars of pesto with basil from the garden and served it over pasta and bits of the freshest, most gorgeous head of broccoli I’ve ever seen.

Also on the menu was just-picked salad and for dessert, cherry pie made with cherries from our tree.

What an opportunity to notice abundance and gratitude!

So that’s my week in a nutshell…. How about you?  What can we give you a ‘high five’ for?  Got anything you wish you could do-over from this week?