I included photos of the peonies BF brought home from his office last week to add something bright to this blog. I wish we had smell-a-vision so you could enjoy the aroma that filled my house all last week.

That’s it, all the bright stuff I have. It’s mostly downhill from here. For the past week I have suffered a doozy of a painful diverticulitis attack. I was reduced, once again, to life in my pajamas. I’ve endured travel shots, discussion of malaria, typhoid, polio and tetanus, family crisis from every direction, doctor’s appointments, antibiotics that make me nauseous, an e-mail informing me that I need to pack my school room for relocation by June 3rd, more phone-line issues, missed yoga classes, haven’t felt like writing and I’ve been almost completely excluded from one of my favorite past times, eating! I limply attended three graduation open houses over the weekend, skipping the loaded down food tables. All the while, I’m feeling the pressure of knowing I need to get my butt in gear organizing stuff for our impending trip while the doctor’s question upon hearing of my stomach ills haunts me . . . “Do you have cancellation insurance on this trip?”

Legally, only a yellow fever vaccine is required to enter Tanzania, for which I was given a waiver because it’s a live vaccine that I can’t take on the heels of chemo and radiation. So, when we visited the travel specialists doctor I was confident that BF would get a shot and I, the shot-a-phobe, would receive only my yellow Vaccination Record card stamped with my waiver. He was given one shot and I have to get four! Two last Thursday, two more this Thursday. So not fair!

While I desperately need to be out and about this week purchasing a few items for our trip, I’ll be sitting in the waiting room of three different doctors offices and packing teaching materials for a move about which I’m really not all that excited. The wee bit of good news is that I did turn the corner toward health yesterday, Michael said he’d help me pack my school room on Wednesday, and the sun is shining and I have the doors and windows open. My house is silent and full of fresh, morning air. I’m writing and the birds are singing to me. Things may be looking up. I’m going for a walk.