Photo-a-Day Challenge

A Week of Weary

Summer blues

My week ran on empty.

Monday, I felt like this overrun land. My assistant at a client’s office chose not to get the Covid vaccine and came down with the virus. I covered her hours and mine, working 11 days in a row. I used to work weeks without a day off but I want that to be part of my past, not my present and future. By the time, I knew she would return on Tuesday, I was very tired. Tired of work. Tired of ignorance. Tired of people.

Tuesday, Javi the Mouse passed away. She was active at noon. Dead at 5:00. For four days, her left side was getting stronger. She was grasping with her left front paw and moving her rear leg. While she once flopped like a flounder on my lap, she was climbing over me as though I were a jungle gym. Had she died last week, there would be no surprise. But this week, it was a shock. I buried her in the potted plant above where her essence will feed its roots.

Wednesday revolved around my afternoon endoscopy. I felt as bright as the blue sky when the doctor confirmed she saw nothing of concern. Now, I wait for biopsy results to give me further peace of mind.

On Thursday, I felt lethargic — maybe from the endoscopy, maybe from Javi’s passing, maybe from work. Still, I took a walk with Syau, going down a path we haven’t visited in a long time. I felt like I was being watched and found a pink spy inspecting us from over a fence.

Also on Thursday, as the clouds gathered and the wind whipped the trees, I saw someone by the lake. It was our neighbor who doesn’t live in his townhome; he uses it as an office and a place for guests. He was fishing. We’ve lived here more than 4 years, and this was the first time I’ve seen him in the backyard, much less fishing!

Friday, Syau and I took the walk we call “little loopsy” because the route is a complete circle around the back of our townhome community. On the final half-circle of little loopsy, I found this elephant ear plant discarded on the side of the street for the lawn debris garbage truck to cart away. I picked it up and took it home. Now, it lives in a large pot on our patio.

This umbrella plant started in a small pot. I gave it little attention in the early days and my neglect showed. When we moved across town, my disrespected plant was battered in the back of a pickup truck, forcing me to severely prune its remaining branches. After a long freeze in the winter of 2018, it looked sad and didn’t appear to have the will to live. I took the plant out of its pot and put it atop the soil by our porch. Didn’t even dig a hole. A live-or-die moment. It lived, it thrived, and now, towers above our home. Its leaves have fungus and my umbrella needs pruning. But, I know it will survive, as it always does.

Nature inspires me again.

After a week of weary, I’m energized.

© Dennett 2021

A little more than a year ago, I started the Photo-a-Day Challenge to help combat the virus blues. I take photos every day and choose one (maybe, two) to represent the day. Then, add a one-word descriptor and maybe, some narrative. A simple way to observe and preserve.

Want to join the fun? It’s all about noticing and appreciating your environment and sharing it with us, as these photographers and story-tellers have:

Erika Burkhalter / Eileen Vorbach Collins / Anne Bonfert / Sasha Meyer / Tracy Aston/ Lisa Bolin / Juan O. Aguilera / David Wade Chambers / June Nguyen / Mia Verita / Susan Alison / LensAfield / Barbara Radisavljevic / Diana Lotti / Barbara Dalton / Kim Zuch / K. Barrett

(If you participated in the Photo-A-Day Challenge and your name isn’t listed above, please let me know.)

Please follow the Snapshot rules:

Lead with a photo/title and subtitle follow No more than 10 photos per post No more than 750 words per post Yes, we know that the photos are yours but you still have to state that they’re your work

And, have fun!