March-ing Onwards

[this update will also be posted to the Kickstarter!]

Dear Adventurers;

I am unhappy to report little progress in February. The "lingering cough" I downplayed in my last update turned out to be straight up pneumonia, with some complications.

I've never had pneumonia before, and do not recommend it. I spent the month literally just trying to breathe. Two rounds of antibiotics have now mostly sorted it, but I had a couple other secondary infections and strange symptoms. Thankfully I got to stay home during my recovery, and have now navigated the UK's NHS for the first time, which I count as a success.

Now, I am working back up my energy and going on walks again; it was a full six to seven weeks of miserable flu then pneumonia. As I am finally feeling better, but still coughing, I am back to work now. Thank you for your patience. I try not to let setbacks like this get to me, as it seems to always be something, but it's hard at times to keep my head above the water. :(

Unfortunately, my 'delicate constitution' means the antibiotics has really, really upset my system-- but thankfully, home-cooking and rebuilding my gut flora is something I can do. I don't think I had mentioned it at the time, but I was also on oral antibiotics in September for a bad infection (separate from the eye drop antibiotics I was also on around then for those pesky corneal ulcers) and being on them again so soon (and on multiple types), has not been ideal.

Flus and colds are making their way around right now, and so I know quite a few of you might be in a similar boat. Further stress and anxiety can make infections more likely, so when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I try to focus on the things I can control. I reach out to friends and family (and you), to tell people how important they are to me. I cook a soup and brew a tea (maybe veggie cream soup p. 92, chateau romani p. 283 in the 1st master edition); I find just one more home-cooked meal a week makes a huge difference! I am finding ways to incorporate more fermented foods and drinks right now, to encourage the biotics; and it has given me some ideas-- not that we need any more of those for this book.

Backer survey is still my next objective, and that will collect all of your names and addresses. Until then; love and light to each of you.

The blood moon rises once again, but so do we.

Aimee <3

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ps– I am a count; as in, I count. constantly. Breaths, steps, birds, iambs, movements. It is a comfort to me; I count in the shower, on the train, along the shore. When I am unsure, uncertain, anxious, uneasy– the counting increases. I find I am counting a lot these days. It runs in the background, dipping into the foreground like a baseline; running through conversations. I let it be. I know when I am counting more, that I need to acknowledge my overwhelm, overwhelm is a feeling, alike to any other. I touch my nose, I shake my head, I take a breath, I play a song-- and then I shake it out, a primal dance. Repeat as needed; to ignore it is to cage it. So I count the signs of spring. I count the lucky chances. The pebbles from the beaches arranged in circles on my dresser. The pennies from the pavement in the tin upon my shelf. Kisses and cat whiskers, tea leaves and sunny hours. In times like these, I do not tell myself not to count. I direct myself towards the things worth counting. i count. you count. we count.