I'm grateful.
I wrote a diary in early October when I was sick and very depressed. The outpouring of help and good wishes was overwhelming. And for that I am truly grateful.
First and foremost -- if you are depressed and think you might do something to harm yourself, PLEASE seek help. Please, please talk to someone.
1-800-273-8255 is the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S.
Male Costa's Hummingbird - In the Rain
I want to extend a sincere 'Thank you' to everyone who offered advice, support and financial assistance at a time when I needed all three. Please see this post, inadequate though it might be, as a personal 'thank you' to each of you. I'm grateful to each of you. Thank you.
...I spoke a few kind words,
The words were merely a small thing,
And yet, they roused a weary heart
To hope for the reward life will bring.
-- Joseph Renaldi
Close-up of a Costa's hummingbird's eye
Image is on one of the four greeting cards
available in the Netroots Nation Holiday Bazaar 2011 Auction
Four other hummingbird cards available HERE
In October I was in such a bad state with an infection and in need of a root canal that I was looking for a permanent solution for a temporary medical problem. The doctor from the public health center who returned my call the next day after I had trouble getting my medication expressed genuine concern for me and he encouraged me not to give up. I am grateful that I was in touch with a caring doctor who made time for me.
Roadrunner Leaps in Pursuit of a Lizard
Bid on this photo at the 2011 Holiday Bazaar auction
And, as was case for me on October 4th, sometimes necessary medicine or treatment isn't available immediately due to the cost. My medical condition was exacerbated by a major depressive episode that had been dragging me down for quite a while. Kossacks sent me private messages and emails and shared thoughtful advice and helpful stories in a huge outpouring of love and support. One dKos reader contacted me and said she would be able to meet me at the pharmacy to help me get the antibiotic I needed. The pharmacy would not take payment from a third party via credit card over the phone. The reader who drove a long distance to help me is one of several long-time dKos lurkers who contacted me during my ordeal. I am grateful that a friend who I hadn't even met yet would do something like that for me.
Moonlight Magic - 'Moonbow' at Yosemite Falls
I was prescribed antibiotics and I found a dentist who did my root canal for a discounted rate. Some dentists wanted as much as $2500 for a root canal, so exploring every option was worthwhile and absolutely necessary. I looked into going to a dentist in Mexico, but in the end it would not have been a cheaper solution for me. Because the infection was in the front of my mouth I wanted to avoid an extraction. The suggestions made in the comments of my October 4th diary led me to spend the extra time to find a dentist who charged much less than other dentists. Making dozens of calls saved me many, many hundreds of dollars.
I contacted a dental school, but between the initial visit to determine if they would take me as a patient and the wait of up to two+ weeks if I got accepted for treatment, it didn't seem like it was the best option. (I was never told what it would cost at the dental school for a root canal, but it was not free for the consultation.) I am grateful for all of your encouragement and advice.
Long-nose bat and night blooming cactus
Unfortunately I developed colitis after taking antibiotics. I have received treatment for the colitis and I am feeling like things are finally looking up. I will have to have another root canal and I am scheduling it soon. Without the help and support of Kossacks I would be in a desperate situation now. I have also been taking an anti-depressant, a generic version of Prozac, and being on medication has been helpful. I am grateful I have an anti-depressant drug that works for me.
Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River, AZ
I went to the library and did some reading on Cognitive Behavior Therapy and I have benefited from reading several books, including David Burns' book, "Feeling Good." I am grateful for free public libraries.
Dawn, Winter Solstice - Joshua Tree National Park, 2008
I haven't had a stable place to stay or regular internet access for most of the weeks since the earlier diary, so I haven't kept up with things here on dKos. I want to thank everyone again for their support, advice and for the donations given me. I am grateful for your kindness and generosity.
Anytime I feel down - I remember that there is
a friend, no matter how distant, that I can reach out to.
They will hear my despair and make me reach for the sunlight.
-- SallyCat - in comments, October 4, 2011
Bridalveil Falls - Yosemite National Park
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This week I submitted some photo prints and greeting cards for the Netroots Nation 2011 Holiday Bazaar Auction that starts on December 1st. Go have a look and help support next year's Netroots Nation in Providence. I am pleased that I can give back to DailyKos in this small way.
Monument Valley Twilight - Navajo Nation
Bid on this photo at the 2011 Holiday Bazaar auction
Winter Sunset - Horsetail Fall - Yosemite
Bid on this photo at the 2011 Holiday Bazaar auction
Summer Storm - Sonoran Desert, Arizona
Bid on this photo at the 2011 Holiday Bazaar auction
Tower House Ruin - Mesa Verde
Bid on this photo at the 2011 Holiday Bazaar auction
California Desert Wildflowers
Bid on this photo at the 2011 Holiday Bazaar auction
Some of the eight images used on the greeting cards in the Holiday Bazaar Action:
Broadbill Hummingbird Nest with day-old chick
Anna's Hummingbird - Perched In the Rain
Two Anna's Hummingbirds on Ocotillo
Costa's Hummingbird Nest
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Winter Sunrise - Joshua Tree
Bid on this photo at the 2011 Holiday Bazaar auction
Moonlit Thunderstorm - California
Bid on this photo at the 2011 Holiday Bazaar auction
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More photos of critters and nature and such:
Baby kangaroo rat - California
Kangaroo rats can get the moisture they need from the seeds they eat -- most living in a desert never drink water.
Ghost Flower - Colorado Desert, California
Cholla cactus and Bigelow's monkey flowers - Anza-Borrego
Winter Night - Joshua Tree
California Sea Otters
Desert tortoise eating a desert dandelion
Red-tail hawks and joshua tree - Mojave desert
Gambel's quail - Pop and lots of chicks
Badlands sunset - New Mexico
Sea otter and her pup - California
Wind turbines at sunrise - California
River otter - California
Sunrise in the California desert
Double strike - Lightning strikes during a monsoon season thunderstorm
desertguy Self-portrait - Death Valley National Park
If you made it this far, thank you for reading and for looking at my images. I hope to continue sharing images of the world around me with good humor and a wide-eyed sense of wonder for a long time to come. And my friends hope I'll get my own camera soon so I'll stop borrowing their equipment!
Namaste.
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Update: Thanks to everyone who recommended the post (and to the ranger who rescued it.) I've added a couple of images from some of my many wanderings in the deserts of the Southwest. The moving rocks or 'sailing stones' on the Racetrack playa in Death Valley have held a special fascination for me for decades. Enjoy!
Sailing stone before dawn.
I have visited this area of Death Valley many times. I like to visit there by moonlight when I am likely to have many square miles of the desert to myself. Five years later I was there again a couple of days before Halloween...
Racing rocks at 2 a.m. Lit by the waxing moon
The same rock five years later. It had been heading southeast, but years later it was heading west with a companion.