A full moon shines bright and strong in the night sky, illuminating the infrequent shooting stars that will probably go unnoticed by all but those who tend to look to the heavens on every clear night.  Roger is getting his lunch ready for tomorrow and then heading to bed, and I.... I am awake, my mind full of thoughts that have neither shape nor form.  Samhain is over, and now, life returns to its usual routine.

Teri and I were talking about this flu issue, the other night, and she said something that really caught my attention.  She said that each time there's been an outbreak of some flu or other, not only has it been traced back to an animal, but according to the Chinese calendar, that animal is also the year. For example, when the original swine flu broke out, it was the Year of the Pig. The flu was traced back to a pig farmer who had eaten a pig infected with the flu virus.  When the Ebola virus broke out, it was the Year of the Monkey.  Ebola was traced back to monkeys. Isn't that interesting?

Like every other flu and virus that's broken out, this current version of swine flu will run itself out. I'm really not that worried about it. I mean, if people just use common sense, that would really help. Also, wash the hands a lot, rinse out the mouth (and gargle, too) with warm salt water and use a cotton swab to do the same thing to the nostrils (where viruses like to breed); that will really help, too. Eating lots of raw garlic may also help, as garlic is known for both is preventative and its curative properties.  The human body is designed to heal itself, so why not let it, instead of injecting it with a substance that hasn't even been properly tested, and which has side effects that can do more harm than good?

Annnnnyway....

Roger's birthday is next Saturday, and I can't do anything for him except make him a nice dinner and a birthday cake. And I probably won't even be able to do that, because his mom and dad will probably be taking him out for dinner, as they've done every year for most of his adult life. After last year's abysmal failure (no one showed up for the party he didn't know I'd planned), I promised myself I wouldn't put him through that again (I had to tell Roger why there was so much food, and he was totally devastated), but at the same time, I really want to honor him. He just does so much and he works so hard to keep our heads above water...

There's also the very big problem of money, and our lack of it. Once again, we are in the hole, and the only solution I can find right now involves this blog. I will write about this in the next post, however. I need to think about it and sleep on it and hope the answer will be given to me...

Have a good night, everyone, and thanks for dropping by.