Apparently I am one of the very few adults who never encountered the HFMD virus in my youth, because I have it now.  My children are just getting over it.  Yesterday afternoon I was suddenly, out of the blue, very sick.  By the evening my fever got up to 103 and I was a real mess.  And today I realized that I have painful spots on my hands and feet…and forget about eating.  HFMD creates unpleasant ulcerations in your mouth.  The only thing I can stand to drink or eat right now is water.  Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is not related to Hoof and Mouth disease in cattle, though my husband is having a fine time cracking jokes about that. 

Photo from askdrsears.com

My fever was really high, and I don’t remember much about that, other than bits and pieces of really strange dreams…and a lot of them.  I can’t even remember them all but here are a few samples of what went through my head last night:

  • John McCain eating a caramel apple at the mall.  He was wearing shorts and one of those colorful hats with a propeller on top.  Yet he still had a white shirt and tie. 
  • I was a bush pilot in Alaska and my co-pilot was Sasquatch
  • Really, really strange beings that looked like giant termites breaking into my house and kidnapping my children
  • I was in a random business meeting.  I worked in an ad agency in some big city…totally different life, totally different wardrobe, totally different career.

I read somewhere that dreams only last a couple of seconds, though they play out as whole stories in your head.  That makes sense.  Memories are like that too.  But it fascinates me…the inner workings of the brain.

Anyway, you can still read this blog without fear of catching the nasty HFMD virus.  However if I see you in person, do not let me touch you, kick you, or lick you.