Goodness, I ’bout lost a day there…

I woke up yesterday feeling somewhat better, it says here, but that went away by mid-day and while I never got actively sick that bloat and pain in my belly returned. Had nothing to eat all day but a little dry toast and regretted eating it. Did drink rather more water and tea than I wanted but I think I was dehydrated anyway and of course still am. Everybody crying out that I should have added electrolytes to my preps are quite right; of course they’d have been stored in the same place as my canned soup and fruit: At the top of a vertical 10-foot ladder that looked rather high yesterday – those parts of yesterday I even remember, I mostly just fugued out on my bed watching BBC infotainment on my smartphone. (I remember little of yesterday, but I do know the origin of the term “drawing room.” Always kind of wondered about that.)

The weather went entirely wonky while I was away. I apparently slept through an enormous windstorm that flung all sorts of things around the yard night before last (I think that’s when – I have the oddest feeling I’ve lost a day) then yesterday dawned clear but abnormally warm; 38^o by my thermometer. That bit about being warm didn’t last; the temperature dropped steadily all day and the wind picked up, and every time I had to go outside for something I came back chilled. This is the first time I’ve been really sick since before T died, and I begin to realize that the manly, vigorous, outdoorsy damn-the-torpedoes life might not work out so well for an invalid. At least not one whose sole remaining ambition is to achieve great age.

Things never got very cold, it bottomed out at 18^o this morning and the wind seems to have died. No idea what the forecast is, haven’t bothered to look. I remember yesterday taking a lucid moment to bless the generous TUAK reader who not only donated the new bedroom’s space heater but then traveled a great way to help with the harrowing matter of installing it. Even though I had already split kindling I’m not sure I could have built the cabin fire very well yesterday had I needed to – instead I threw frugality to the devil, kept the curtain closed, and mostly luxuriated in a warm bed.

Slept well and normally all last night, and woke this morning feeling hungry and rather well. I’m taking the bit about “hungry” with caution, or at most dry toast and tea. But I believe I might later try and assay one of those cans of chicken soup.

Little Bear has been a doll through the whole thing, not at all demanding – though that might be related to his really not wanting anything to do with me at all except at dinner time. LB has never been sentimental about ailing packmates. This morning he actually greeted me and wanted a belly rub, so maybe he thinks I’m on the mend. Still going to have another day inside, aside from walkies and chicken chores.

I could actually get dressed for a while today – yesterday just pulling a pair of sweats over my pajamas took half an hour’s manning up – and I’ll need to, because it’s still 21^o out and it’s time to walk dog and feed chickens. 🙁