Spring Has Sprung!

029/365 - Wildflower in the spring in Santa Cruz Mountains

Spring is here in Santa Cruz Mountains and that leaves only a short window of time to photograph the variety of blooms in vibrant greens, blues, pinks and reds before it all turns golden brown. I walk by numerous varieties of wildflowers everyday on my dog walk and I've never given them a glance, much less considered photographing them. To the human eye from a moderate distance, they don't seem impressive. For the heck of it, one day I aimed and shot. To my delight, I was amazed by the range of color displayed in the tiniest wild flowers. No bigger than my pinky fingernail, these wildflowers are seemingly simple and appear single-colored. Yet the camera reveals the true complexity of their nature, displaying a range of texture and diversity of colors. After a shoot, I'm always eager to discover on the big screen the unique beauty of these underappreciated flowers. Look for more varieties of wild flowers coming soon in my 365 Project.

(Psst!  Mr. Wild Dingo! I need a macro lens.)

030/365 - "Crépuscule" (background painting) by Diane Garces de Marcilla

After a two-week hiatus to deal with the blood clot, I'm back on my regular IV schedule. And none too soon. Being wide awake at "le crépuscule"  (twilight), after only 3 hours of sleep, night after night, got old quickly! I've always said, the worst symptom of Lyme to me is the insomnia-agitation. If you can't sleep, there's no way there will be any recovery. Being back on IV has already given much of my life back, helps keep my infection from causing insomnia and has made me more functional again. Because of the clot, my options for IV for the short-term are very limited so we'll see how long I can handle the one option I have (using a peripheral catheter). Going forward, my options are not known yet as my doctors are running some tests to determine risks involved for future IV catheters.

031/365 - Sunrise on Summit

Going back on IV antibiotics feels very much like photo above: the fog is clearing and sun is shining. I can sleep. I can handle most normal day activities, but not athletics yet. I'm not in agonizing pain. My headaches are at bay and I'm happy.  I don't know what my future holds in terms of how long I can continue IV therapy but all I know is, IV antibiotics have been a godsend.

032/365 - Fiddlehead!

For now my photography is limited to the shady forest and near by walks. But it's been a lot of fun discovering a microscopic world. Above is a fiddlehead, a furled frond of a young fern found in our backyard redwood grove. Fiddleheads are harvested early, before fully unfurling (as in this photo) and used in cuisine. They are full of antioxidants, high in fiber and iron and are a great source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Some varieties of fiddleheads have been shown to be carcinogenic so choose wisely! Edible fiddleheads are best washed thoroughly, boiled or steamed and served with hollandaise sauce, lemon vinaigrette or butter. They’re found fresh only in spring time or you can find them pickled or frozen.