Florida RainForest

I'm just loving all this rain. I feel like we live in a rainforest right now. Really, someone could release some parrots, spider monkeys, maybe some florescent frogs, and we'd be all set.

But save for a couple long bouts of sleeping, I've been pretty productive these last couple weeks, and haven't gone out to enjoy the rain much. I'm a little disappointed in that. I need to buy some rain jackets for the camera gear so I can go out and shoot when it's raining off and on. The cloud cover and the rain really bring out nice saturated colors.

I'll be sad when we get back to our hot, dry, extra humid weather. But hopefully this weather will last long enough for Dawn to enjoy a little too. She says it has been excruciatingly hot in South Carolina.

Speaking of Dawn, she told me last night that she has "degenerative disc disease" between her L5 and S1 vertebrae. That is what caused her sudden bout of back pain a month or so ago, and it hit her again yesterday. The whole thing sent me into a horrible depression. But I just got off the phone with her, and I'm feeling much better. (Because she is feeling much better!)

The problem is actually a pretty small thing. And we decided that if it forces us (because I'll also do back exercises) to do healthy things we might not have otherwise done, it will be better for us in the long run. It's nice when a little things whips you into shape so that you don't have bigger problems down the road. --A blessing in disguise, as it were.

I probably shouldn't have been so depressed today. I did a ton of research on it last night and found that degenerative disc disease isn't degenerative and it's not a disease. In fact, it's pretty common and probably the most come cause of normal lower pain. And be all counts, it typically gets better over time. Of course, there are those who are quite negatively affected by it and have to get it treated, but this seems to definitely be the exception.

The idea of her having to sit out yesterday and today really kills me though. Aside from not wanting to be away from her home and family, I know she was/is really excited. And now I'm starting to feel depressed again.

Anyway, that's the news from Lake Willbegone. I might try to sign out of work early tomorrow and snap some pictures in this new Florida rain forest that we have here.