A BUGGY TIME OF THE YEAR

This hot, muggy, bug infested world that I live in today still finds me longing to venture out and observe nature, and write a new blog post on this fine Sunday morning.

I'm sitting on the bank of the now brown and muddy, swollen creek, near the forks not far from the cabin.  We received over 1 1/2" of rain last night and the water is rising.  I found a spot to nestle in among the tall grass and ferns, and am swatting mosquitoes right and left.

My pants are wet well up above my knee boots, from traipsing through the wet woods, but I don't mind.  The path I took on my journey here was strewn with overgrown alders, occasional spider webs, and deer flies adorning my head and shoulders.  If you think I am miserable, you are wrong, as my journey was well worth it.  When I reached the creek bank I saw my first Joe-pye weed flower of the summer.  As this season continues, Joe-pye weed blossoms will fill up the marshy areas and spread their sweet cinnamon like aroma my way and that is truly something to look forward to.

As I continue to swat bugs that surround me, the sounds of the forest are truly uplifting and song birds are singing everywhere.  A grasshopper perches on a nearby blade of grass while delicate little orange butterflies chase each other from grass top to grass top.  As I gaze above, I see a blue sky without any clouds while a remnant of the strawberry moon sinks toward the western horizon.

The sun is beating down on my black rubber boots and I can feel the heat penetrating through them to the tops of my feet.   It's time to look for some shade.   As I pack up my journal and pen to head for cooler parts, dragonflies zip quickly above the water's surface and seem to know just where they are going.

I'm not sure where I'm going, but it's time to move on, away from the sun and heat, and the bugs.  I'm not sure what the week ahead will bring me.  Last week, my counts were too low to receive my fifth dose of chemotherapy in this session.  If I can get a dose this week, it will be great, and another one will be done.  If I can't take the chemo it will be o.k. too because it will mean another week of reprieve.  Either way, I won't worry about it until the day comes and my lab work makes the decision.  The week ahead, according to the weatherman, promises cooler temps and lower humidity.  I can't wait!

O.k., I fibbed about not worrying.  But I'm trying hard to keep a positive spin on things and nature is great therapy for me.   Get outdoors yourself this week, and let some bugs perk you up too. Lightning bugs have been putting on some wonderful evening shows lately.  Not all bugs are evil!