Up before dawn

It's 4 a.m. Because Barb is sick, she is in the bed in the bedroom, I have the sofa next to the dog. We have had four dogs in our 40 years together. Bubba, our last dog, was with us from '93. He traveled well and he was 10 when we got the RV. He required little work/exercise and he knew the routines of RV life. He died the spring before our big US trip.

We now have a pup, Loki. Loki is the Norse mythology character whose defining characteristic is mischief. At our home, Loki sleeps in the garage. In the RV, with me on the sofa, Loki is just a few feet away. It is 4 a.m. and he wants to play. I had forgotten how much work a pup is.

Listed below are the swine flu symptoms. Barb has them all.

Swine Flu Symptoms

According to the CDC, like seasonal flu, symptoms of swine flu infections can include:

• fever, which is usually high, but unlike seasonal flu, is sometimes absent
• cough
• runny nose or stuffy nose
• sore throat
• body aches
• headache
• chills
• fatigue or tiredness, which can be extreme

Thankfully. Barb is experiencing no vomiting or other gastrointestinal complications.

Barb remains to be the trooper that she is. She doesn't complain. Her resolve is to heal. She dealt with an infection while traveling in India and bruises and scars from the accident in Indonesia. Hopefully this will only be a minor setback on this venture.

Back to sleep for me. Loki is now curled up on his sleeping mat.