Lion and Magic Boy

But first, the Daily Cycling Roadkill Report:

#bugs = 5
2 stuck on face, 2 in mouth and retrieved, 1 in throat and swallowed (NOTE TO SELF: close mouth while breathing), and 1 discovered stuck on lip an hour later.

# roadkill = 2
1 squished possum, identifiable only by its naked pink tail (ew).
1 groundhog, attended by a hawk who stood his ground until I got really close and then flew slowly and insolently away.

# deer sighted = 4
Saw a dog slowly cross the road ahead of me a bit and became concerned that it might chase me a little. I thought about my speed and the condition of my legs, as it was near the end of my ride, and decided I could take on the dog. When I approached I noticed it was actually a deer, and he had a friend.

On another road, Mama deer was standing in a cornfield, looking at me yet unmoving. As I got closer I could see a fawn behind her in the underbrush, peering out inquisitively. He wagged his tail at me as I went past, very interested but also unmoving except for his little tail.

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So Nathaniel was still sick today. His rash has progressed a bit, morphing into a network of yuck. Startling, really. I actually mentioned the word “leprosy” once, betting that Nathaniel hadn’t heard of it, but somehow he knew it was something awful. And reacted appropriately, with horror. Then I told him that he really had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (he doesn’t), which he immediately suspected was caused by something very, very awful. Like lizards. After assuring him that he hadn’t been near any lizards lately, and by the way he didn’t have that disease, he felt a little better.

But the weirdest thing was when his unreasonable fears got the best of him. His fever was way down but he was still in a pretty altered state most of the day, though his face looked human again. This afternoon he felt good enough to crawl up the steps and gather laundry from the dryer to pack for going to his dad’s house, and I could hear him making an incessant nervous laugh that sounded like a dead-on impression of Peter Lorre. Not as Mr. Moto but more the caricature Bugs Bunny/Mr. Hyde version. The only thing is, Nathaniel was perfectly serious. He muttered and laughed like that for about an hour before I thought to give him a dose of Rescue Remedy, at which time it ended as quickly as it had begun.

Meanwhile, we talked about the potential of seeking medical advice, and Serena issued an immediate and emphatic protest. A car ride apparently wasn’t in her plans for the day. And Eric amused himself much of the day by stuffing bits of leftover pancake into the A/C vents and piling bean bags into the cat’s water bowl.

And I remembered that I haven’t left the house in four days.