Chipmunk Bites...

One of my first blog posts, over 2 years ago, was a story about the time I was bitten by a chipmunk while trying to save it from my cat. It amazes me every spring how many people google "Chipmunk bite" and end up here looking for information.

So- as a public service announcement- I'm not going to re-tell the story, but I am going to tell you what to do if you are bitten by a rodent of any kind- this includes chipmunks, squirrels, mice, rabbits, or any other critter you might encounter in your back yard.

Clean the wound, and GO TO THE HOSPITAL, or your closest Urgent Care facility!

The most serious issue at hand is not rabies, even though there is the potential for that, it's a STAPH INFECTION.

My bite was a little one, and after cleaning the wound on my finger I felt I would be fine...it seemed overly dramatic and silly to go to a Dr. for a tiny, though bloody, matter. However, my sister (God bless her) insisted I go to Urgent care...so I went.

The bite did not require stitches, but it did require a host of things from disinfectant to 10 days of antibiodics. When I expressed to the Dr. that I thought he was going a bit overboard when he bandaged up my arm and insisted that I keep my hand higher than my heart for the next 24 hours, his reaction was serious.
He said, "Cora, these kind of bites are dangerous because of the germs and bacteria on the teeth of a rodent. A staff infection can kill you in a matter of days if it's not treated aggresively."

I still thought he was over-reacting until a teacher at my son's school was doing yard work and was bitten by a squirrel. She cleaned up the wound, put some neosporin on it and a band-aid and went about her business. Within 3 days she was deathly ill with a fever and an infected hand. She was admitted to the hospital as her organs were shutting down, and was on IV antibiodics for over a month. She almost died from the infection from the squirrel bite.

If you are bitten by a critter that breaks the skin- go see a Dr. It might sound silly when you confess you were a Chipmunk victim, but it's not a laughing matter.
Be seen, take the antibiodics, and be well.

:)

My next post will be about my upcoming Myrtle Beach adventure! :)

Ok, ok, ok...

It's been a long week- I'm ready for something funny...or something fun! Tell me- what is the highlight of your week...your month???

My highlight will be coming soon...May 1st or 2nd...
More details when I have them!

:)

the pic is from South Africa- a few years ago- and I felt very lucky to walk out of my room and see a double rainbow~

Red Sox win...8 to 5

Someting to smile about!
At least it was for me :) Hugs Amy! The win is a tad bittersweet when I think of you and your devotion to your team~
but it was a good game :)

My 6 word meme inspired by Foamy-

Sunlight-

Water-

Love-

Words-

Equally Powerful

_____________________________

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Last year, SMITH Magazine re-ignited the recountre by asking our readers for their own six-word memoirs. They sent in short life stories in droves, from the bittersweet (“Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the inspirational (“Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah”) and hilarious (“I like big butts, can’t lie”).

These here is the rules:1) Write your own six word memoir.2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.4) Tag at least five more blogs with links.5) Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.6) Have fun.

I'm not going to tag anyone- however, if you do this- please let me know, I would love to see it.

A long week~

Within 24 hours of my friend's passing, my mom began having a serious GI bleed. She was admitted to the hospital on Friday. There was a delay in getting her released- she was finally discharged yesterday. 11 days of being in a hospital has completely screwed up my sense of time. I honestly thought yesterday was Monday.

Aughhhh! Talk about a blonde moment!

-

Anyway- I am back...sort of. There will be a big family meeting on Monday and I am hoping we, as a family, can make some important decisions about important people who need care. Unfortunately the combination of denial, deep emotions, and limited resources make a meeting like this complicated and kind of touchy. My hope is that we will honor each others feelings and opinions and be able to reach a compromise that works for all involved; but there is the potential for the meeting to blow up in our faces- so we must tread carefully. There is also a need for genuine leadership- for one of us to speak the truth plainly and be able to take the heat. It might be me...it might not. I don't know yet.

I am planning a get-away in the next few weeks, a road trip to see friends, play in the water, visit my Aunt and Uncle, and hopefully get some much needed time to recover. Honestly- I wish I was anywhere other than where I am at the moment...but it's at times like this when I realize how important it is to push through and not run.

Our strength is determined by how well we bear up under our struggles- not by how fast we can run from them~

I'll be reminding myself all weekend of what I just said. Sometimes I hate it when I say stuff like that- you know...the truth.

sigh-

I'm good. I'm well. I will survive. I'm worth the time, the rest, the work, and the love it takes to be the best person I can be.

So are you :)

"Do not stand at my grave and weep. I'm not there, I do not sleep.
I'm a thousand winds that blow. I'm the diamond glint on snow.
I'm sunlight on ripened grain. I'm the gentle rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush, I'm the swift uplifting rush.
Of quiet birds in circled flight. I'm the soft stars that shine in the night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry. I'm not there. I did not die."



Not sure who wrote this, but it's been one of my favorites for over 10 years. I found it again tonight while looking for quotes about a "New Day"-
seems fitting for this post.

I know, when a person dies, they are gone...separate from us in the day to day grind of taking kids to school, cooking dinner, and folding laundry. Yet- I also know that something of those "lost" - they live on in us in many ways- my friend Foamy said it best.

This post is a deep breath. A pause. A moment to reflect. I am alive, I am well, I have thought, strength, and love- and those things endure, even after the body has expired.
What a powerful realization- that some part of us lives on- even when we are gone.

I can smile. I can sleep. I can dream. I can work. I can be me. I can leave a legacy. We all can, and we all DO--- everyday.

I recently told someone who asked me, "What do you want to be remembered for?"

my reply...

"For the words I write, and the love I gave away."

Amen~

When it matters

(it's over, K passed around 8:30 pm and her family was with her)

When it matters-you go...

You pay to leave your car in a confusing hospital parking deck that holds over 2,000 vehicles.

You bring food, you bring love, you bring 2 open arms to hold who ever needs holding.

Sometimes you struggle to find the words to convey what's written on your heart... but the fact you are standing there means everything- you don't have to speak.

When it matters- you go...

To pick up someone's brother in law, and bring pizza.

You hug strangers you've heard about, but never met.

You bite your lip when you would otherwise tell someone to get a grip.

You look at the world through the eyes of a teenager, and a 5 year old who've lost their mom, and suddenly nothing in your own life seems terribly important.

When it matters- you go...

You walk to the bathroom with your best friend- just to be with her.

You stand at the foot of the bed with her as she says good bye to her sister.

You try to make the younger ones feel at ease- as if life will go on, even though for now it has come to a complete stop.

You shed tears, not because of your own pain...but because you are bearing the pain of the ones you love.

When it matters- GO.

It's the most important thing any of us will ever do.

I promise.

**************************************************

Thank you- all of you- for the words you've left with me- for the prayers, and encouragement, and bits of wisdom you've graciously left for me. None of it has been wasted- I used all of it- I needed all of it.

Hugs~