Despite a flu shot and obsessive hand washing to avoid this
season’s germ, it found me. If folks
tell you it’s bad, believe them. If they
add it lasts forever, it’s true. After a
week and a half indoors, struggling to overcome primary and secondary symptoms,
cabin fever set in. Climbing the walls
had new meaning. I needed a dose of outdoor therapy to help me battle sniffles,
coughs, and headaches left in the wake of this super virus.
Feeling sorry for me, my husband let me tag along on one of
his expeditions. I think he was tired of listening to me whine and hoped
sunshine and walking across open prairie or along a stream would distract me
even if it didn’t cure me.
On a mission to improve my attitude, he drove along the
North Solomon so I could photograph that morning’s beautiful hoarfrost before
it disappeared. A heavy fog and freezing
temperatures had combined to turn the landscape into a winter wonderland that
looked like a designer Christmas.
Following this adventure, he intended to take me home, but
I’d had enough of that place and insisted on continuing with his journey, however long it lasted. Sunshine channeled through the truck windows and warmed me, making me feel better than I
had for days. Even better, he was going
somewhere I had yet to visit.
Once we got to the area where he anticipated working, the
dogs and I hopped out to hike. This
particular site has a number of huge trees, standing and lying on the
ground. I enjoyed the challenge of
seeing what kinds of photos I could get with Old Sol directly overhead.
An aged farmstead distracted us so we wandered down another
trail to see what treasures we could capture with the Nikon. Rusty hinges and windmill gears occupied me
for some time. Then I wanted to see what
my lens would do with shadows inside a fallen barn and an old shed.
About that time I noted a meandering stream full of fallen
leaves that begged to be saved as images on an SD card. Snow still lay on the ground, which reminded
me it was frigid despite the sun beaming on top of my head. The cold and the running water prompted me to
recall the extra coffee I’d sipped that morning and how long we’d been away
from home.
I grew up as an outdoors kid so finding relief in nature is
not an issue. However, there was a road
not far away, and I didn’t know how well-traveled it was. I dismissed my
discomfort, but every bush from then on screamed my name.
It took all my willpower to ignore my insistent bladder while
I marched back to the truck where my spouse was storing supplies. “Hey, is there a good place to answer
nature’s call?” I asked.
He scanned the area and grinned an ornery grin. “Sure, just look for trail cams.”
Holy cow! I hadn’t thought about game cameras. Suddenly my fortitude strengthened so I could
make it home. Four walls and cabin fever
didn’t seem nearly so bad when nature was hollering.
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