Under The Influence Of Benadryl

Today is my dad's birthday. He is 84. I had big plans to get up very early today and hop in the car and drive to Georgia and be there this evening to surprise him. You know what they say about the best laid plans ........

I am finally getting over my latest battle with poison ivy. I still have a little itch now and again, but not the insane urge to grab a sander with roughest grit available and quench my thirsty itch. Benadryl has been my closest friend for the past 2 weeks. In every form. I swallow it, I spray it on and I rub it on. Yes, I did read the label that discouraged this behavior, but the entity giving this advice has obviously never had this rash.

So, Friday was a cold, dreary day. Rain drizzled and the sky was gray and it was just plain miserable. I didn't feel great when I got up, but figured it must be the weather. I did the bare minimum of chores and was waiting for the miserable day to end so I could lock up and go to bed. My ear hurt a little and my throat was a little scratchy. I checked in campers and counted the hours I had left behind the counter. I debated taking more Benadryl when I scratched idly at some of the bits of rash left on my person.

A camper bought two bundles of wood at 7:30. He Who is normally available for such errands was on the highway with a major calamity and not expected back anytime soon. This being he case, I sighed deeply and grabbed the store key and the golf cart key and made my way to the wood pile. The golf cart was sitting at the barn (aka Fred Sanford's Emporium) and I had to walk through the wet drizzle to retrieve it. I was immediately soaked when my posterior met with the seat. I loaded the wood and delivered it, then made my way back to the store.

I was having a good chill, shivering all over. I changed into dry clothes, but could not seem to warm up. I decided that 8 o'clock would be a good time to lock the doors. It is normally 9 o'clock on a Friday night, but I couldn't imagine lots of folks deciding to come camp at the last minute ........

My imagination failed me. I was actually pushing the door closed when a couple drove up for a tent site. For one night. It was already dark and still drizzly and I could not imagine setting up in this weather, or crawling in the damp tent to sleep. But, I checked them in. I have mixed feelings about tents. If I were to sleep in a tent, I would have to have some sort of mattress between me and the cold ground. I am not really of the age that would consider this to be a fun adventure ....... crawling into a tiny structure not big enough to stand in and literally having to crawl into "bed". And, I would not want to spend all the time setting up camp for only one night. But, that is just me.

Soon as I finished with this couple, two kids come and want snow cones. Thinking about sucking on ice made me shiver even harder, but I made the snow cones and was finally able to close down and warm myself with a shower. Sneezing and shivering, I decided that some aspirin and Benadryl sounded good with a cup of hot tea. I was in bed and asleep by 9:30 and slept until 8:55 the next morning. But ...... I felt like I had swallowed a frog and my head was all wonky and my ear was still achy. I managed to make coffee and after that, I went back to bed and slept on and off all day.

There is no way I can go see my dad if I am sick. His immune system is shot and I will not take the chance of passing along a common cold to him. It would be fatal for him. So, I was resigned to missing his birthday. I went to bed early again with aspirin and Benadryl (for the anti-histamine to keep me from waking myself coughing).

I woke at the normal time today and actually felt better ..... not good, but better. I went about my morning ritual. Let the dogs out, fill the food dish and the water dish, wash my hands, then make the coffee. I grabbed the carafe and the part that holds the filter full of coffee from the maker in the store. I came back out with the water and the filter full of grounds. Freshly ground from my special stash of Caribou beans that my son sent to me. I put them and the water in and flipped the switch and then made my way to the bathroom, let the dogs in and opened the door to the store.

The wonderful aroma of coffee filled the air and I glanced at the carafe to see if there was enough to steal a cup before it finished. There wasn't, so I stepped outside to enjoy the crisp morning air and ended up pulling some spent stems from my day lilies. I am sure how long I was at it, time slips away from me in the garden. I know that I pulled a whole row in front of the building, then headed in for that first cup of coffee, my taste buds on high alert.

But ...... there is still not a significant amount of coffee in the carafe. I approach the counter and discover that the coffee is all over the counter, under the pop corn popper and in the floor. It is very important that one re-assembles the machine with all the parts when making coffee. I had left out that piece with the springy thing on the bottom that sits in the top to hold the filter with the coffee grounds in it. Making all the hot water leak out so fast that it flowed over the lid on the carafe.

I write this as a public service to all coffee lovers out there. Perhaps it was the Benadryl, but it was definitely user error on my part. Maybe it was good that I didn't try to drive to Georgia today. I did start crying when I talked to my dad, though. This might be the last birthday I can spend with him and I really wanted to be there.