Consider the Lichen. Lichens are just about the hardiest visible organisms on Earth, but the least ambitious.

-Bill Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything)

So, Claire did get to see trees, smell flowers, and — thrill of thrills — stand at the creek side and throw stones into the water. She loved the ker-plunk sound and the splash. But it certainly wasn’t a pastoral experience. I believe I’ve hiked another part of the trail that was quieter; I need to find out where that entry point is.

Last night at dinner with some friends, a woman mentioned Penitencia Creek Park. I’d driven by it on my way to Alum Rock Park but not stopped. This morning on a whim I took Claire. This park, too, resides in the midst of urban life, but what a difference location can make! While we still heard traffic, sirens, and airplanes, it was all in the distance. The weather was gently warm and sunny. The creek burbled cheerfully as we walked by. Claire got to throw stones into it and to test what happens when you throw leaves into the water. (They rapidly float away!)

There is a pond in this large, green open space as well, and it is populated by Canadian and white geese, American Coots, and white as well as Mallard ducks. The pond is fringed with thick cattail plants which make a great landing spot for red-winged blackbirds to sit and sing. We saw a robin red-breast hunting for worms, and many fat squirrels chasing each other. And, while the trail was well-populated by people, it didn’t feel crowded. Claire found a large white duck feather which she used “to tickle the water” of the creek. And the best experience of all for her was an encounter with a small black caterpillar on the paved path. She enjoyed the feeling of it crawling over her fingers and declared, “Her name is Sam.” She put the caterpillar in the grass so it wouldn’t get squished.

As for me? For a change I felt my body relax with the release from all agendas; I was content to meander and look with Claire at whatever caught our eye. We spent a lovely hour there and came home content.

Women are born with an average of one to two million eggs in their ovaries, which are shed monthly until menopause, with a 20-year old woman typically having 200,000 eggs.

That number halves as she enters her 30s and dwindles to as low as 2,000 after the age of 40.

–Physorg.com, New Blood Test Will Show Women’s Egg Levels

But when sick, it’s hard to know one is hungry, because smell and taste are linked so closely; even a growling stomach feels muffled to some extent. Tonight I was able to taste my dinner. It was lovely.

I can mostly breathe, smell, and taste again. Almost 100% back to healthy.

And here is Claire, pretending to be a fire-breathing dragon. She’s become much more cooperative with the breathing treatments, especially if she has her father’s fancy phone to play plinky-plink on. Tomorrow we switch to the treatments being twice a day instead of every six hours.

I miss my family. I miss my routine. I’m out of sync. Claire misses me, and so does Hub. I haven’t cooked in more than a week. (I can’t taste anything either.)

Normally I’m pretty hearty! Looking forward to being that way again.

Hub took Claire to a park. All she asks to do anymore is watch television. It’s as though she’s forgotten other things exist. But she is much much better, and was thrilled to leave the house. Her appetite is still small, but her breathing has improved and she coughs less.

I’m going to take a shower to rinse the lethargy off; I will summon some energy to be present for a little while this evening!

Husband is on the tail end of his cold. I, however, caught it too and am in the thick of it. My upper jaw hurts because of sinus pressure. Bleh.

This will pass, and the sun while shine again. (It’s been gray here!)

Here’s hoping it’s not asthma she is developing…

Husband is sick too with a cold. Where’s the vitamin C?? I should bathe in it.

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