A Haunting, Dream Phone Call

I was deep in a dream, and in my dream I was sitting on a lounge chair near my front porch. A cell phone rang. It had a tone similar to an old style phone, sort of a bell sound. I pulled the phone out of my pocket. It was not my present cell phone, but a different one. It looked very high tech.

In fact, the phone looked translucent, almost as if it had a see through case – it was very futuristic looking. After fumbling my way to folding it open, I answered it.

“Hello?” I said.

“Do you remember me? I just sent you a message,” said the voice, a female voice, a very real sounding voice. The voice was very haunting -- like something from my distant past. Or even a voice from the dead.

She mentioned something – but her words were very hard to decipher. Her voice, and her words, had this disattached, confusing, ghostly quality – it was like hearing a long distance, sputtering and stuttering radio signal, where you can’t quite make out the words because they are fading in and out.

“Who are you?”

“Don’t you remember me?” said the voice.

“I don’t remember you because your voice is different.”

“You don’t remember me then,” said the voice.

“I’m having trouble hearing you on this cell phone. They always sound crappy, and your voice is fading in and out.”

“You don’t remember? All the… When we... Read the message… I… Don’t you…?”

That’s the way it went. Bits and pieces of sentences, words cutting off... and her voice.... it struck me in the heart.

Read the message, the voice said. What message?

And my heart began to surge, because I sensed it was a woman I knew in my past. Someone who meant a lot to me. The voice was one I’d heard before, but I didn’t know who it was.

“Just read the text I sent you,” she said, “It will tell you everything.” And then, immediately, the connection switched off.

I fumbled my way at getting the text to play. It started out with a bunch of words in small type, which turned into a bunch of words in much larger type (all in a stylised, handwritten font) and then they scrolled too fast to read, along with music, as if it were a music video playing, a lyric music video, only much more creative, as the graphics were translucent looking and had a very artistic, almost scrawled quality to them. 

The words were something like:

“We could read a book, play together, love together, ride a bike, walk in the park…” It seemed to be a quickly scrolling, poetic list of things lovers would do. At the very end, it was signed, and although the signature was hard to read -- because it was not in clear focus -- it looked like it was the name of someone I used to know.

And the emotionally charged pop music kept playing, and images and translucent words and phrases kept scrolling with the music, all impossible to read because they were scrolling so fast, and then I woke up.

Immediately, I wondered what I had just experienced. Obviously, it was just a lucid dream. But it was the most disturbing dream I'd had in years.

Because it was so real.

Most dreams you normally forget soon after waking. This one I didn't forget for almost a week.

I read a book on dreams once. It says that many dreams are symbolic -- your subconscious mind throws out various images and sequences from your memory banks. A face you'll see, or a voice you may hear, could be the face and voice of someone you only saw or heard once in your life, even in passing. And your subconscious has pulled it from your deep, distant memory, and placed it into a dream.

I have no idea if my dream had any meaning. It probably didn't. But the voice seemed familiar. I still have no idea who it is. Thinking about it: it still haunts me to this day.

The subconscious can be a cruel mistress.

May Flowers

"April showers bring May flowers" is an old English proverb, and although we didn't have a ton of rain this April, there are still many flowers out now in May.

Purple Irises, a large 'bulb' plant

Like I've said before here, I usually take a morning ride on my bicycle, and I often take my camera with me.

Although my own yard has no flowers except a few money plants, several other yards in the area have had really impressive azaleas and rhododendrons this May.

A medium small Rhododendron at its peak, about a week and a half ago.

The Rhododendron is Washington's state flower. I suppose it is because they grow so well here, with our moderate, marine climate.

A week ago, they were at their peak. But now, many are losing their blooms.

A large Rhododendron just after its peak just over a week ago. This week, the same plant had lost most of its blooms.

The Rhododendron's cousin, the azalea, also does very well here in Washington.  Some of the local yards have plenty of both flowering shrubs.

A yard with several medium large Rhododendrons, a huge Rhododendron in back, and a pink Azalea plant in the lower front.

 

I think of all the work people put into caring for these plants, and they bloom maybe three weeks out of the year -- four if you're lucky. Meanwhile, down by the Cedar River, there are several volunteer Rhododendrons, growing in the wild.

A few volunteer pink Rhododendrons, probably left from a house that used to exist where a riverside park now is located.

A close up shot of the wild pink Rhododendrons in a Renton riverside park.

A bumble bee visiting one of the wild pink Rhododendrons in a Renton riverside park.

Another nicely cared for Rhododendron plant.

Here in the rainy PNW, Spring is a time when the sun is often hidden behind grey skies, and much of the color you get is from the Rhododendrons and flowering cherry trees in someone's yard.

I once planted a Rhododendron, but I didn't know enough about them and it died during one of our harsher winters.

A climbing vine-like flowering plant that looks like a type of wild rose, on my birch tree. 

However, there is a wild looking type of rose on my birch tree.

My Lunaria Money Plant. The round leave like objects are seed pods, which look a little like "money".

And my money plant is starting to sprout money. :-)

Do you have many Rhododendrons and Azaleas where you live?

A NORTHERN FLICKER Taps on a Mailbox

A red-headed Northern Flicker woodpecker, ready to tap on a mailbox. The bird can just be seen inside the yellow circle (there is a CLOSE UP PHOTO BELOW).

I first noticed it last Spring.

I was riding my bicycle down a street in my neighborhood and heard a strange noise.

It sounded like somebody was tapping a stick on metal: Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!!

It was 6 a.m., and few people were up and about. No one would be doing carpentry work at that hour!

I heard the noise again, and I looked in the direction the noise was coming from. It was a woodpecker -- the Northern Flicker. It was tapping on a metal street sign. I thought that was very odd. When I got home I looked up information on flickers in one of my bird books -- and flickers will tap on metal objects to mark their territory during the early Spring.

A close up shot of the Flicker waiting to tap on the mailbox. Amazingly, my presence did not scare him away.

Last Spring, I noticed three different Northern Flickers, tapping on certain street signs and metal chimney flues -- each flicker was about a block away from the other ones.

This Spring, I've only noticed one Flicker. He likes to tap on a mailbox. In fact, I've seen him tapping on the same exact mailbox on three separate mornings.

Another picture of the Flicker ready to tap away on the side of the mailbox.

I managed to take several photos of him tapping on the mailbox. The ones I've posted here are the best of them.

 In this picture you can just see the Flicker's body below the mailbox on the right. He was tapping away on the back of the mailbox when I took the photo.

If you look closely, you can see the bird and his red head, next to one of the mailboxes, and in another photo you can see the bird's tail.

A shot of me taken later that day. It was 75 degrees out (23C) and summery weather.

Here in Western Washington we only have two woodpeckers that are very common: the Northern Flicker is the one you see and hear the most. Another woodpecker, the Pileated Woodpecker, is pretty rare -- I've only seen one of those once.

When I was younger, I never liked the idea of bird watching. But the last two Springs and Summers I've noticed a lot of birds. I usually hear them before I see them -- and often, I only hear them, because they're hiding in some bushes or tree branches somewhere.

Do woodpeckers tap on mailboxes where you live?

Fatigue (CFS, ME) and Ginseng

One of several brands of Ginseng available here in the U.S.

A few years ago I had some fatigue.

I was working, finishing college, and I also had a part time position heading the news department of a small community radio station, where I trained people to read news on the air, and I was responsible for the news broadcasts. It was the rough equivalent to having three part time jobs.

I was in a relationship which was deteriorating at the time, and my stress level was through the roof.

Of course, it was a recipe for wrecking my health -- which it did.

I found myself tired all the time, but sleeping like crap also.

One night I had just had finished dinner, and my head was literally spinning like a top -- I was tired and dizzy. I went to the doctor, and he found I had walking pneumonia. When the medications got rid of the pneumonia, I was still tired all the time, no matter how much sleep I got.

I felt like there were lead weights all over me.

The doctor did some tests and could find nothing wrong except a marker virus for chronic fatigue.

In the United States the condition is also known as "C.F.S.", where in Europe apparently it's known as "M.E." Both are acronyms for a condition of fatigue and exhaustion.

My doctor suggested vitamins, exercise, and time. I got back into exercising more, and took vitamins. I improved, but still wasn't back to normal.

I started looking into natural, herbal products, hoping that something could get rid of the fatigue for good. I'm a black tea drinker by nature (my Canadian grandmother drank Red Rose brand black tea, and got me hooked on the tea habit), but caffeine -- whether from tea or coffee -- just wasn't doing the job.

Coffee and caffeine would buzz my head up, but I would still feel fatigued.

At the local health food store I found several brands of ginseng, an Asian herb that is said to promote energy. I tried it, but it seemed to do very little.

A month or so later I got a book on it, which had extensive information on Russian, Chinese and Japanese studies on the herb. After reading that book, I decided to give ginseng another try. This time it worked.

An excellent book on both Korean and Chinese Ginseng, and Siberian Eleuthero (eleutheroccocus senticossus), both herbs studied extensively in Asia and the former USSR.

Ginseng was the only thing I'm aware of that got me out of fatigue-land and placed me back in the land of the living.

Since then, I've tried other herbs and supplements for various reasons, and I believe in many of them. I've taken Bilberry and seen my night vision improve. I've taken some supplements and seen them help my workouts. Ginseng was the first supplement I tried that worked.


If I have lower energy than usual for some reason, I'll take a few ginseng capsules. Different types of ginseng have slightly different effects on the body. Asian Panax Ginseng seems to have a warming effect, and Siberian Eleuthero (formerly known as 'siberian ginseng') seems to increase my workout stamina, and sharpens my thinking a little. Different people, of course, may have different results.

There are other supplements some people use to help them combat fatigue, and to give them more energy. However, I have not tried any of those.

Not all supplements I've tried have given the desired effect. Everybody's body is different. There is information on the web about various supplements -- The NIH's (National Institute for Health) PubMed website has some, and so does WebMD, which is apparently run by medical people. I usually check these two websites when considering a supplement.

Different brands of ginseng have different strengths, and each person has their own tolerances to herbs -- so anyone trying herbs should always, always, always listen to your body. And if you are taking prescription medicines, or have a medical condition, always talk to your doctor before trying an herb or other supplement.

Legal disclaimer: Of course -- I am not a doctor, and this blog post is not intended as medical advice.

Tegn av Våren

 Pink cherry blossoms, photo taken a week or so ago.

Tegn av Våren -- jeg tror det er norsk for Signs of Spring. And we've had many signs of Spring lately, including better weather.

Here in the Seattle area Spring is either a rainy season or a wonderful season. If you dress for the weather, I suppose, it can be both. This Spring has turned out to be better than usual.

Bluebells alongside the Cedar River Trail.

Most days have been 60F (12C) or more, and some days have reached 70F (22C). Two mornings ago it was bright sun and a gentle breeze -- a perfect Spring morning.

A mystery plant, with pink blooms. I have no idea what plant this is.

 This Spring I've been out on the local nature and bike trail daily, where I am surrounded by nature. I've been able to see the trees go from bare branches, to being full of leaves.

Even the lowly Himalayan blackberry (often considered a weed here in the NW US) has white blossoms. In the summer they will be loaded with berries.

I've taken my camera with me most mornings, so I've also taken a few photos.

The past two weeks all the flowering shrubs and trees (like cherry trees and dogwood trees) have been colorful.

Pink dogwood trees in someone's back yard.

This morning I noticed the cherry trees and dogwood trees are almost done blooming, though.

A close up of a neighbor's pink dogwood tree.

Some people have beautiful rhododendrons and azaleas in their yards:

This yard always has beautiful azaleas (in front) and rhododendrons (red plant in back).

A nice rhododendron plant in a different yard in my area.

In my own yard, the only flowers are money plants ("Lunaria" plants). They have pretty purple flowers in the spring, and their seed pods are round and flat, looking a bit like ancient Chinese money:

Lunaria plant, usually called a "Money Plant"

It's too bad they don't grow real money. :-)

I have more Spring (and other) pictures on my Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/120507399@N03/


PS: I have noticed that a reader is from overseas, from Norway. I really appreciate you taking your time to read my blog. 

Jeg ville skrive noe på norsk, men -- som du vet -- min norsk er dårlig. Men mange takk for å lese min blogg. Glad for at du var her!

ELEVEN LINE POEM

She sits, in awesome beauty
Her eyes a warming fire

Her smile a healing, soothing way

Which never ceases to inspire

Soft hair falls in tresses

Every word a sweet caress

Her every thought a feeling blessed

To feel her touch, to need no rest

To dream that I could play the role

To love and honor and protect

The one I know is best.

I found the eleven lines above on a sheet of paper which was shoved in a box of song lyrics in the closet.

I’d climb the highest mountain

Just to kiss your face

To heal all your sorrows

To help you find your place

To fill your heart with laughter

To love your every part

To feel your touch and hear your voice

To heal your broken heart.

I found the above lines on a different sheet of paper, shoved in the same box.

I'm not much for poetry -- although I like reading some of it, I don't write it well. Mostly it's just words for music. If the music doesn't come, then what you often get is flowery lines like the ones above.