The Day After .....

We had our annual fall celebration yesterday. The ending of another camping season. Camping buddy Deb came out Friday night and spent the night in order to handle the store while I carried on with all the necessities involved with a big party. I went to bed early while all the rest of the world watched the Cardinals win the World Series. I knew I had to get up early.

I arose a little later than I planned, but still managed to raise the dough for the cinnamon buns and sticky buns. Sticky buns that were sweet and savory with the addition  of bacon  instead of nuts. After sitting with coffee and my favorite campers I kicked myself into high gear and got my tables set up and covered with covers and all the electric sources for the crock pots to come.

Trick or treaters made the rounds and the food started to arrive .... along with those who would want to stop and camp for the night. I have discovered that no matter how much prep work I do, in the end, it never goes smoothly.
Good thing I can adapt to chaos easily.

I managed to sample all the dishes before I escaped on the golf cart to look at all the site decorations before choosing a winner. It was then that I had a sudden chill. The temperature was dropping as it always does when the sun goes down, so I didn't think too much of it. I grabbed a jacket and the prizes and using my best Mom voice made all my announcements. All the prizes were awarded and chairs around the campfire were occupied with those eager for a hayride.

While he, who is in charge of all things mechanical, entertained the hay riders I managed to clean up the pavilion and get everything inside. I was really feeling crappy, but pushed myself to finish my task. I was looking forward to sitting in mindless oblivion in front of the TV. I was drinking hot cider in an attempt to stay warm.

I don't recall what position the moon was in last night, but, it was definitely a night of dog mischief. Our soup winner was absent when the winners were announced, so I delivered her prize. She was dealing with her little dachshund. He decided to tear the screen out of her window and rip it up while she was at the festivities. Her dog was not the only dog up to shenanigans.

My oldest dachshund, Oscar, was about the business of doing his business ...... in the house. Oscar, who is our alpha dog and must think his middle name is "Dammit" is a true tyrant in every sense of the word. He was upset because I was busy all day yesterday and refused to go outside. I came in, not knowing he had wiggled his way through the gate blocking off my bedroom, and stepped in his business and tracked it throughout the bedroom and bathroom. 

No rest for the weary. I was mopping when the last hayride was over. After showering, we both went to bed. I was asleep immediately. I woke at midnight when I heard a dog whining to go out. It was my tyrant, Oscar, and I took them all out. I was a little dizzy, but, I was tired, so I didn't think too much of it. At 2 am my tiny dachshund woke me. Emmy had her little spine fused when she was only 2 and has developed arthritis now that she is almost 12. She has lost the feeling in one leg and really has difficulty walking now. She is 6 lbs. of pure love and has rarely ever done anything bad. She gets upset when she has an accident and let's just say that last night's event was monumental. She had to be bathed. At 2 o'clock in the morning. By me, of course. Her event was on my side of the bed and he who sleeps through everything would not get up to pull the sheets off, so I cleaned up around him and got in the other bed with my sweet little dog shivering in a towel. I cried myself to sleep, because I know she won't be with me much longer. I held her close to me to keep her warm and let her lick my arm with her stinky old dog breath. 

I had just gotten warm and was dozing when the rest of the dog kingdom came in search of me. Had to get up and lift the tyrant, Oscar into bed. No choice, he would just sit next to the bed and whine all night. Then I felt Wall-E hop in and sniff all of us, then leave to go back to his master. Just as I was about to doze off again, Toni, who has been described as looking like a moose with her freakishly long legs jumped up and onto my hip. She walked all over me while wagging her tail to express her joy at finally finding where I had gone. She is still a puppy and a very enthusiastic one at that.

I could see the clock from my new bed and I woke every two hours. I got up at 8. I didn't want to, but I did. I remembered at 2:30 that I had forgotten to take my blood pressure pill yesterday, but was loathe to walk into the kitchen to take it. I felt pretty crappy, but I had a pretty crappy night. I opened the store, but only because I had to. I made it okay til about 11:30 when I sneezed and realized how raw my throat was. Every muscle in my body hurts. I feel like I have started an exercise program and tried to conquer it all in one day. Then I blink, my eyeballs feel hot to my eyelids.

I am sick .... and tired. I normally close at 5 today, but think I need to stay down, since I am really dizzy. I have been dosed with aspirin and sit here sipping orange juice and watching the food channel. Sweet Genius. I have no appetite, just want to be left alone and quiet. I have to jump up every 20 minutes or so and tell the world that I am not well and to please use the night registration. It is too much to hope that my husband will take care of things. He is blowing out the pipes in the shower house to close it down for the season. No nap, I am resigned to watching as cooks compete to bake with seaweed and jump up and down like a jack in the box. At 5 I am going to bed!