Pestilence and predators

Don’t you hate it when people say in ominous tones that there’s stomach flu or virus or something else going around? I do and always tell myself it can go around all it wants but I’m not getting it. Usually I don’t but, as you may know, I did get the current pestilence, a stomach virus, last weekend. I’m recovered—about 95% back to normal—but the long tail survives.

Jacob had running club after school today but instead one of the dads brought him home directly from school. He said he felt like he was going to throw up and his stomach hurt bad (his grammar, not mine). He really did look pitiful. Now, tonight, I get word that he’s thrown up and will be spending the day with me tomorrow. I’m glad I got out of the house tonight for the first time in almost a week. Will ask a friend to do my grocery shopping tomorrow.

I went to dinner with Betty, our usual Wednesday night gig, and she said she had been sooo sick. Turns out she got sick last Thursday night and still isn’t 100% back to normal—no interest in food and can’t eat all of whatever’s on her plate. Last Wed. night we ate at a new restaurant and both had salmon burgers. I decided that salmon was the culprit, although I felt all weekend like I had a virus. Jordan said tonight I can’t leap to that conclusion because a lot of people have whatever it is. But I’m not going back to that restaurant.

In addition to the woozies, I have two new worries about which I’m almost obsessive. The first is not really new. I’ve heard a lot about dog fighting which apparently thrives on the east side of my city, but I never worried about 30-lb. Sophie. That is until I read that dog fight villains use cats and small dogs as bait. So now I’m very cautious about leaving her out. She, of course, doesn’t understand and looks at me as if to say, “You want me to come in why?”

My other worry began this week when I read on Facebook of two incidents of apparent attempted kidnapping of children by sex traffickers. Now, okay, it was Facebook and I understand that but it still sent a chill up my spine to read that a woman tried to grab a three-year-old from her mother’s arms and said, “Say goodbye to mommy.” So now I have to worry about my grandchildren as well as my dog. It keeps a soul busy. I’ve threatened to get handcuffs that Jacob and I can wear to the grocery store.

What a world we live in—pestilence and predators!