Nature Photo of the Week - Week 43 - Bridge

This week has been a rather dreary one with constant rain. There was even some light snow on Wednesday, October 28th that made a brief appearance and then melted by the next day. 

This morning and early afternoon it was raining again. Sophia and Olivia hoped by this evening that the rain would stop so they wouldn't have to carry umbrellas while trick-or-treating. The rain did, indeed, stop by early afternoon.

This photo, the 43rd one of the year for the Nature Photo of the Week challenge, shows a break in the rain. The photo was taken from the shore of the St. Croix River at Osceola Landing. This is from the Minnesota side of the river looking north towards the bridge that connects Minnesota to Wisconsin.

We traveled across it quite a few times this past week:

- Monday - we helped create treat bags with the seniors at the nursing home so they could pass out candy to preschoolers who came to visit them on Friday all dressed up in Halloween costumes.

- Friday - Sophia and Olivia participated in the Halloween Costume Contest at the nursing home. Afterwards, we all helped serve root beer and puff corn for a mid-afternoon snack.

- Saturday - I went to Urgent Care to have my head checked out after the car door hit it on Tuesday while I was at my parents' home. I had the car parked on their driveway which is on a hill. When I opened the door, I must have been standing too close to the door or at the wrong angle and it hit my forehead.

Long story short: I've had pain where the door hit my forehead since Tuesday and I thought I noticed that it looked kind of swollen. That or my skin is aging in an odd way.

After headaches all week and a rather disconcerting moment of confusion when looking at my car and not realizing it was mine...I went in to Urgent Care today.

Ends up I have a concussion and my forehead is, in fact, swollen. I'm supposed to take it easy for two weeks and be very careful to try not to bump my head again. Apparently if your head is injured while the first concussion/your brain is healing the outcome potentially isn't as favorable the second time around.

So: rest...making sure I'm careful with my head and it doesn't get hit again...ice on my forehead...and alternating Ibuprofen and Tylenol until the pain and swelling go away. And, that, is Halloween and my nature photo all wrapped up in one.