Warming Trend

It's Saturday afternoon as I write this week's entry in the quad life. The sun is shining outside making the snow covered ground extra bright. I have been sitting here all day thinking about what to write this week, and still haven't come up with a topic, even as my stick is putting out words on my keyboard.

As usual, it has been another week of staying inside. Last weekend and early in the work week, outdoor temps were well below zero. I woke up Tuesday morning to my thermostat reading -14° just outside my window. With a difference of more than 80° from outside to in, I wasn't surprised to see my room below where it usually sits. Thankfully, the weather has improved and that same thermostat now reads nearly 37°.

In the corner of my room, a five-sided, 45-gallon aquarium sits where I can easily see it. After a shift in fish population, due to the death of some and others becoming snacks for larger fish, I have been down to two fish for quite a while. One of the two was a large algae cleaning fish that frequently hid behind rocks. Therefore, I only saw one laxidasical angel fish most of the time. On January 29, my parents finally got to Des Moines and came home with a surprise of five new fish.

I enjoyed the new buzz of activity and watched the active new arrivals chase each other and explore their new home. However, our reliable fish store may have had a disease problem. As of Thursday, the large plecostomus was the latest burial in the snow. My original two fish died as well as three of the new ones. After having seven healthy pets, I'm back down to two survivors. Dad has been changing the water, filters, and adding medicine to help keep these two around. Hopefully they'll stay alive, but we may be more hesitant to repopulate the tank.

Finally, on Friday, I watched a conference about the current virus news, discussing mask wearing and the treatment. Many have been banned by social media for simply showing facts, and I therefore won't discuss specifics. However, I am more confirmed that I will not be getting the vaccine and continue to breath easily with my face uncovered.

February 20 also marks 36 years since becoming a quadriplegic. I'm thankful for the extreme number of blessings God has given me throughout the years. Even with just a regular week with little to come to mind, He has provided all I need. With the last full week of February ahead, I look forward to the coming of spring again.