Tag Archives: hike

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The path forward

Today I attended this zoom, the Schmidt Initiative for Long Covid Global Echo Webinar Series:

https://hsc.unm.edu/echo/partner-portal/echos-initiatives/long-covid-global-echo.html

Today’s topic is Cardiac Complications of Long Covid.

Whew, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees! It’s complicated! The first distinction is lungs or heart or both. The next is worsened or new measurable heart disease, which is distinguished from heart symptoms without testable heart disease.

Heart disease can include inflammatory heart disease, ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias or clotting disorders. These are called PASC-CVD. PASC-CVD stands for Post Acute Sequelae of Covid-19 – CardioVascular Disease.

If those are ruled out, there are three major categories of PASC-CVS – CVS is CardioVascular Symptoms. One is postexertional malaise, a second is POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and the third is exercise intolerance. They are all different and treated differently. The formal test for POTS is a tilt table, but for places that don’t have access, they recommended the BatemanHorne NASA 10-Minute Lean test, here. That is hugely useful! This is the international conference, in English with simultaneous translation into French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Very impressive!

I will write more about today’s lecture, but I am still trying to sort out the trees in this complex forest.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: forest.

I took the photograph this month hiking Mount Zion with my daughter.

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A-typical

My daughter and I went to Rialto Beach two days ago. We hiked the beach, returned and found our campsite. I bought my lifetime National Park Pass, but the park sites were full. We found a nearby private campsite that was just fine. My daughter gave it an A- for restrooms, a B for the sinks with hoses bringing cold water and a D for the regular not-bear-proof garbage cans.

After setting up the tent and dinner, we returned to Rialto for the sunset. Quite gorgeous, with the sun sinking in to the Pacific.

Earlier a ranger checked in when we were past Hole in the Wall. My daughter said, “Low tide at 3:45 and we will head back soon after that.” He grinned. Hole in the Wall is full of water when the tide is in. We could cross via a path over and behind the rock.

We wanted to see a whale, but mostly we saw rocks that were not whales. The tidepools are gorgeous.

There also were lots of brown pelicans. Wow, can they fly beautifully. My daughter points out that they look way more like airplanes than either eagles or great blue herons. It’s the wide body and the landing gear retracted and the really long glides.

They can stall and then dive.

We had a lovely trip. Meanwhile, I did not take my laptop. TYPING WITHDRAWAL! I had my journal, of course.

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For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: type.

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Rescue

A friend stops speaking to me. Nearly a year ago. I particularly mind because this person said, “We will always be friends, no matter what.” I am skeptical of always/never statements, but I want it to be true.

I run across him and he is in trouble. He has boxes, cases, six by four by six feet. Stuff he finds valuable, though it’s not anything I value. He is outside with the cases and is being threatened, told to hand them over.

It’s not a dramatic rescue. I just walk up and say “Hi,” to him. I am there, I am a witness, I look over my shoulder. There isn’t anyone else with me, but the implication is there. The threatening person leaves.

The former friend looks at me. “We’d better get the boxes inside,” I say, “Until you can move them.” We are by my house. “You can have upstairs and I’ll take the basement.” He looks uncomfortable, but he can’t leave his valuables on the street. “Or I will take upstairs and you the basement.” He still looks awkward. “Ok, or we can both be on the same floor, I don’t care.” He looks away. He says, “If we are on the same floor, I will want to kiss you.”

“Oh,” I say, and wake up. It’s a dream. It’s not him. It’s what my brain thinks he could/should be? Good luck with that.

Still, I decide that we should be on different floors. He has not spoken to me for a year and I don’t trust the friendship and certainly no kissing. I want him out of my house as soon as he can arrange transport for the four boxes. If he wants to renew the friendship then, he can contact me.

However, there is a shift in me. How odd that a dream can do that. I feel less upset about the whole thing. I like the version of him that my dream brought me, even though it isn’t real. It’s real in my dreams. Maybe that is enough. I feel more comfortable and happy.

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I took the photograph two days ago at Rialto Beach. The Hole in the Wall rock looks like a giant elephant. My daughter and I hiked the beach and camped for a night near by.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: karma.

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Happy

Happy

May Sarton writes of happiness, in the quiet at home.

I am so happy when I dance that I smile with joy.
I wonder about the Sufis spinning
and if it is the same.
The poetry has that joy
and anyone who calls God/Dess the Beloved
has my attention.
One who was almost a friend
would laugh with me at restaurants.
Twice strangers thank us for having so much fun.
say our laughter gives them joy.
Thinking about happiness,
I think of my son’s capacity for joy
and wonder where he got it.
Surprise: from me, I think.
From me.

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Reveal

The photograph in the Ragtag Daily Prompt guess yesterday is of a beach object. I was sure that it was a fossil, but a fossil WHAT? I picked it up about a year ago.

Last week a friend comes by and says, “Oh, I know. It’s a mammoth tooth.”

REALLY?! I am thrilled. And go search the internet.

https://www.burkemuseum.org/news/mammoth-find-sequim

Mammoths turn out to be Washington State’s state fossil. Mammoths are also the state fossil of a bunch of other states. Texas doesn’t have a state fossil, it has a state dinosaur.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_fossils

Other people have found mammoth fossils on the beaches here.

A big find: Mammoth molar discovered on Sequim beach

And they have found mammoth remains, including teeth. Mine is just part of a tooth. The chewing edge is shown in today’s photograph.

Did you guess?