Nature Notes: Blue bridge and Zipp, the working man

Visit Michelle at the home of Nature Notes.

This week has been cold and sunny until today. It's snowing now. I've taken several walks at the Cox Arboretum by my mother's house. This blue bridge really stood out in the sunshine. This photo isn't touched up at all. I didn't saturate the color on the computer and the sunshine really floods all these photos with too much light.

But this bridge just pops right out, bright and cheery.

Zipp is a working Border Collie at the arboretum. He keeps the Canada goose population out of the area completely. He lets the ducks live here, though. You can't bring your dog here to walk around because they don't want anything messing with The Man while he works.

Did anyone notice that Zipp's name is misspelled at the bottom of the sign?

Here is Zipp coming at me. I was photographing the ducks. I took video because I work hard for you all, but Gmail won't let me send it to myself.

He was following a family that was visiting. It's Spring Break in Dayton, so there were kids at the park. You can see one kid in the photo below looking back to see if Zipp is still following. The kids seemed to enjoy their escort, but at first glance (and second glance, too) I wondered if Zipp was telling them it was time for them to leave.

Lastly,, this is a tree that's working hard to bloom. I hope today's snow doesn't make it reconsider!

Ah-ha! Medications are good, but bad

I have been taking a proton pump inhibitor since early December when I began to have symptoms no one was sure of. I don't like medications.

I know people take meds and they're good for life, good for managing symptoms and so on. So there's no need to defend the meds you take. I think it's all good. You need to take meds, you should take them. I will admit that at first the doctor said maybe I should be on these and I ignored it. Then the doctor said I should take them as needed, so I bought some. But I didn't need them because I didn't have symptoms for the way the drug is marketed. So I wasn't sure when they wanted me to take them.

Also? Everyone was really vague and actually guessing what was wrong with me. They thought I had gastric reflux, but I don't. So you can imagine my skepticism. I didn't like taking drugs for something they were guessing at.

Then I had some targeted tests. Turns out I had a mystery illness - h. pylori, which is a bacteria that finds a safe harbor in your stomach and silently does a whole lotta damage and you can't necessarily know the nasty little things are in you. So I took them along with mega doses of antibiotics. I'm still taking them. It turns out these drugs are part of a triple-therapy regimen for the mystery illness.

Not that anyone knew what was wrong in the beginning. Are you picking up what I'm throwing down?

It was a coincidence that the drugs were the right ones for my condition.

What I'm saying is that I don't trust medications and I don't happen to like taking them. Now that I've gotten all that off my chest, here's my story about these little babies.

First of all, I laugh when I hear people say that a drug must be OK because the government has approved it. The government has approved a lot of crap over the years, so I don't believe in the infallibility of the FDA.

Second, I don't believe all the documentation that comes with the drugs.

Here's what happened:

1. I have been taking these drugs for four months now.
2. Three months into it, I began to have dizzy spells.
3. I experienced vertigo for the first time ever. What fun!
4. I called the pharmacy and they said that fewer than 1-2% of people have dizziness, so that probably wasn't it.
5. I called the doctor and was told that fewer than 1-2% of people have dizziness and that vertigo isn't associated with this drug, so have my doctor check my ears.
6. My doctor checked my ears and said they were fine and I was fine and who knows why I'm dizzy. She is awesome, so I'm not picking on her. But she said it would probably resolve itself. She prescribed meclizine.
7. I keep the meclizine in my purse and have used it several times.
8. I just got a phone call from my pharmacy checking to see how the meclizine is working out. Yes, I have an awesome pharmacy and an awesome doctor.
9. At the end of the phone call, she said oh by the way, they just got a notice that the other drug I am taking can cause dizziness and sometimes vertigo when it is taken for long periods of time. You can't make these things up, you know?
10. She said they define "long" as 12-months.

Guess who thinks it's less than 12 months?

The Kentucky Coffee Tree

Every time I go out for a run I get whiny. I hope it's just because it's cold outside. I thought about running some trails at the arboretum that's really close to my mom's house, so I drove over and ended up walking. I took my camera the first time and used that as my excuse for walking instead of running. I've been there a couple times now, so I thought I'd show you some photos. Here is a tree they have growing there.

The Kentucky Coffee Tree: I hope to remember to go back when I'm in town later this year for follow-up photos. Although the sign says the tree is rare, the Ohio DNR says the tree is widely present in western Ohio where the soils are more akaline. I've added the link below because there's good information on the DNR site.

Here's the tree sans leaves, but you can see the pods hanging on. I think that means this tree is a girl!

Here's a close up of the pods. I caught some nice photos even though I had my little camera and often the glare of the bright sunshine washed out the color. I'm not complaining! If it has to be cold, bring on the sunshine.

According to the Ohio DNR page, this interesting tree "...has the largest leaves of any tree found in eastern North America, with each being up to three feet long and composed of many leaflets."

Nature Notes: Dreary Spring Day

Visit Michelle at the home of Nature Notes.

Yesterday was so bright and sunny after the threat of severe weather passed. It was humid at first, then warm and pleasant. Unfortunately, it is now 28 degrees outside! There's snow in the forecast for a lot of places today including Dayton.

I walked the dog this morning and everything was gray. According to the weatherman, it will stay that way. It would be fine if not for the wind.

Under this tree and lamp there is a nice white bench. It looks inviting in nicer weather.
This tree catches my eye every time. It's twisted and light-colored like those twigs they sell for home decorating.

Oh, Shenandoah! I long to see you...

I drove up to Huber Heights, Ohio to take a look at one of my favorite schools. I went to 13 schools, but I was here longer than any other school, including college. I didn't realize it, but I was here at Shenandoah Elementary School (it's been renamed since then to honor a late Principal) the first year it opened.

What delighted me was how much I remembered, which was everything. I remember the sinks, the classrooms without walls, the refried beans in the second grade, the wide open library where I sat at the table shaking my leg and got my first library job. I remembered every single teacher I had. I remember the book they let me write, the music instruction, using the paper cutter in the art room and getting in trouble for it. Getting socked in the eye by Gary Shoemaker's foot during gym...a highlight.

I found out three of my five teachers have passed and one of them has disappeared. No one knows where she is: Margaret Sorrells. I found her photo on a bulletin board of old staff photos. The only other teacher left was someone everyone remembered and that teacher to this day makes me mad due to her use of humiliation in the classroom. So I graciously kept my mouth shut since everyone remembers her and was glad to tell me of at least one teacher.

Instead of having a field day, we had Pioneer Days. We learned how to tie-dye using goldenrod flowers, cooking bread outdoors, sewing, making tiny dolls out of cloth scraps and clothespins.

Yep, it was the 70s.

I had a dress and a bonnet. I promise if I knew where that photo is, I would post it for you. I was freaking adorable. All along the perimeter of the vast playground were shrubs that we used for houses when we played Little House on the Prairie.

I sang in chorus, which might shock you if you have heard me sing. All our concerts were in the gym/lunchroom combo. I remember lunch boxes, one of which I have blogged about. The tables folded into the walls. Here they are in their original avocado-greenness. I just love them!



Yep, up on that stage fame and fortune awaited me. No, not really. Obviously. This is all the fame and fortune I have right now, this blog, yo?

Who in Sam Hill is Sam Hill anyway?

A few days ago I treated myself to a Shamrock Shake from McDonalds. I hadn't had one in years and I discovered they put whipped cream and a cherry on top now.

It was pretty good. Then today at lunch I ran over to McDonalds and ordered a snack wrap. I drove to the first window and paid. I drove to the second window and she said something about a vanilla shake. She had it in her hand. I smiled and said, "That's not mine" and she replied...wait for it:

"I know. Would you like it anyway?"

Well who in Sam Hill says no to a free vanilla milkshake is what I want to know.

Nature Notes: Plant a Garden

Visit Michelle at the home of Nature Notes.

My mom lives next to a place that is a local landscaper's .. um, place .. it's where they have piles of dirt and all their heavy trucks. They keep the front and sides landscaped. When I arrived here it was apparent they have begun preparations. Things in the areas up front are cleaned out and new dirt has been put down in preparation. It made me think of how, in really early spring, it takes faith to plant those plants.

Spring doesn't look much like spring this early in the year around here.

Plant a Garden

by Edgar Albert Guest

If your purse no longer bulges
and you've lost your golden treasure,
If at times you think you're lonely
and have hungry grown for pleasure,
Don't sit by your hearth and grumble,
don't let mind and spirit harden.
If it's thrills of joy you wish for
get to work and plant a garden!

If it's drama that you sigh for,
plant a garden and you'll get it
You will know the thrill of battle
fighting foes that will beset it
If you long for entertainment and
for pageantry most glowing,
Plant a garden and this summer spend
your time with green things growing.

If it's comradeship you sight for,
learn the fellowship of daisies.
You will come to know your neighbor
by the blossoms that he raises;
If you'd get away from boredom
and find new delights to look for,
Learn the joy of budding pansies
which you've kept a special nook for.

If you ever think of dying
and you fear to wake tomorrow
Plant a garden! It will cure you
of your melancholy sorrow
Once you've learned to know peonies,
petunias, and roses,
You will find every morning
some new happiness discloses.