Update on my health and pictures of lichens and moss in town

Syntrichia ruralis moss a model species for dessication tolerance

My dentist confirmed my worst fear today, that boil on my gum that just won't go away, is an infection in the root of my tooth and I need a root canal. At least he is not trying to sell me a crown. I'm still not feeling great even after 7 days of Amoxicillain treatment followed by 7 days of Augmentin treatment for a sinus infection. I suspect this tooth infection is the cause of my general malaise now. My dentist prescribed another 7 days of Augmentin and increased it from 2 to 3 pills per day. Hopefully this mega dose will clear up the gum boil so he can go in and do a root canal on January 16. 

(this post is broken up by pictures of moss and lichens I found in town one day last week when I was not feeling too dizzy to go for a walk)

Cladonia lichen

 

 I swore to myself that I was going to go hiking the day before yesterday no matter what, but my enthusiasm just was not there, so I did not go. I know I have to be really sick to not want to go hiking. I'm hoping that after another week of Augmentin I'll be ready to hike again. Three weeks of no hiking could interfere with my conditioning. But I've been hiking for enough years that I should be able to bounce back pretty quick.

Water drop on Didymodon vinealis "fencepost" moss

I am going hiking next week no matter what, maybe on Monday as that will give me on day in between to recover from my Seattle trip.

Speckle belly lichen (Pseudocyphellaria anomala)  in town

I am going hiking next week no matter what, maybe on Monday.

Ceratodon (red roof moss) on my car

I am going hiking next week no matter what, maybe on Monday.

Nephroma respinatum lichen in town on my block
I must live in a little pocket of clean air

I'm going to Seattle on Saturday and I'm taking public transportation the entire way and it's going to be a very long day. I sure hope I am feeling better by then! I look forward to showing my youngest daughter the sights and sounds of Seattle. She actually thought that Seattle was inside of Olympia!  I'm going to take her to Rainier square to see the lights and fancy shops and the the Ye Olde Curiosity shop to see the mummies and  to the Pike Place Market to watch the fish fly.   And if she's really lucky I'll show her all the places where I sprained my ankles while skateboarding in Seattle. I'm also hoping that the big nursery across from pike place market is still there so I can buy her a Venus fly trap.

Sticta limbata lichen in town

Stay tuned, maybe I will post a trip report from Seattle with pictures of the places where I destroyed my ankles skateboarding all those years ago, in another lifetime.  I'm so lucky to be able to walk at all after what I did to my ankles.