This is not the best picture, but as Eddie grows, he is hard to photograph. Outside he will run from me and the pictures are blurry. As you can see, he is growing. Almost twice as big as the tiny puppy he was on Christmas Eve. He is in my chair with his best buddy, Wall-E, with his blanket he likes to drag around.
Now that you have all had your puppy fix ..... take a stroll outside with me. My daffodils are ready to bloom. You might recall that these are the ones the semi squashed last winter when the driver dragged the trailer through my garden. Sturdy Daffodils!
Tiger lilies already up and growing.
The apple trees have taken on foliage. I hope they don't bloom too soon and then get frozen by some crazy weather.
This is the peach tree. This happened last year, too. The buds came on early, then bloomed and we had a hard freeze. I only got 6 peaches.
The weather is very strange here today. The wind blows one way, then another in big gusts that make you feel like you are going to be lifted in the air. That would be quite an accomplishment if the wind lifted me! I worked in a side garden for awhile, but my headache sent me inside. Not an unbearable headache, but it got my attention every time I bent over.
The forecast I heard this morning warned everyone in this area to be prepared for all manner of weather. That is exactly what they said. I would like to prepare for a calm sunny day with moderate temperatures. I don't think that's what they meant, though. Toni Louise is in her hidey hole she favors for stormy weather. I always pay attention to her, she is sensitive to storms.
The only task looming large today is the grouting of the floor in the bathroom. I am pondering ...... should I do it now and let it dry all day, or should I wait until bedtime and let it dry all night? I am leaning to bedtime grouting. We have to have a fan on anyway (HeWho cannot sleep without the fan noise) and it might as well serve two purposes.
I might need a little nap to work on this little dilemma and soothe my headache. But before I go, here is Eddie, who just so happened to look up at me as I was writing.
It is amazing how much better you feel with 8 hours of sleep behind you! I slept until 9:00!!
Oh, I did get up earlier to let the dogs out, but they were very cooperative and we crawled back under the covers for a prolonged snooze. HeWho usually sleeps in, got up and went about his business of procuring sausage and biscuit. Very quietly.
Cujo is, hands down, my best sleeping buddy. He is always up for a nap. Wall-E would be second. If only changes in routine did not stress him. Charming Eddie kept crawling across my stomach and sniffing my face before he finally settled in. Then there is Toni Louise. I made the mistake of stroking her head for a minute. When I stopped she kept trying to pick my hand up with her paws. A couple of grunts of "huh-uh" quieted her.
I awoke to find a McDonalds black coffee awaiting me. It was a little cold, but a minute in the microwave and here I am, Cujo nestled by my side.
After finally finding the keys to my car on Saturday, I was off on my big adventure. To WalMart. The keys are a real issue ...... we only have one set and you can't just go to a hardware store and have another key made. You have to order one from Ford and they want $150 to supply you with an extra key. HeWho is in charge of all things with engines, had warned me not to lose the key. I have been known to misplace things from time to time. But, they usually turn up ......
I checked all the usual places for lost keys. My coat pockets, my pants pockets, the floor below the key holder, the washing machine and even the car itself. Finally, after the annoying phone call about bed bugs, I decided to just sit down and empty my mind to think about what I did and what I was wearing the last time I drove the car. It came to me and I was wearing a quilted vest, since it wasn't that cold out last time I drove the car ...... and, viola, there they were in the vest pocket, right where I put them. HeWho was also in on the hunt, was still annoyed at me. HeWho just bought a new saw because he couldn't find the one he already had ........
But, let's talk about Walmart. They are remodeling. This is one of those good/bad situations. There was a lot of CLEARANCE going on. We all know how I love a good clearance!
I discovered fat Barbie on the clearance aisle. No, I didn't buy one. I was just curious enough to examine her. I wanted to take her out of the box to see if she had that back fat that oozes up over her bra. That would make her authentic. Too many people crowding me out ....
Looks like they are making big wide aisles that would accommodate more that one shopping cart. But, to do this, they shortened the length of the grocery ailses, which means there are eliminating some product lines. I saw one young woman going nuts over some lollipops on the clearance shelves in the middle of the great big walkway. She was filling her cart, because "Look, these are on clearance!!" Beware the shelves of clearance, the lollipops were 50 cents each ...... previously 2/$1. Math skills are a necessity, people.
I found very little on the clearance shelves that interested me. I was utterly disappointed to find that they have eliminated RV supplies. Maybe they are in the process of relocating them to another section, but they had nothing on the sales floor and I covered every square inch of that store. If they had any RV supplies clearance, I intended to take advantage of it. Not one helpful, friendly associate could be found in that area. I always look at the name tag, hoping to find someone in management who might actually be in the know about the products available. I did ask a couple of associates about the RV supplies, but the blank look I got in response was enough to discourage asking anymore.
I did discover something new. Jello has a cotton candy flavor!! I love cotton candy. I refuse to make it. HeWho is always suggesting new things for the store, had proposed getting a commercial size cotton candy maker. All I could think about was how sticky my arms would be. Snocones are enough.
The sun is shining and I have some bulbs to plant and mulch to move. Sleep = Energy!
It is Saturday. Tomorrow will begin a brand new week. It has to be better than this one.
So, are you wondering if I am still annoyed? Why, yes, yes I am. At everything. It is like the entire universe has conspired to just plain pi$$ me off. Thinking back on the week, I realize that part of the problem is not enough sleep. I am tired when I arise and any efforts to crawl back in the bed for more sleep is useless. I might sleep for another hour or two, but I dream crazy, vivid dreams that leave me feeling unsettled all day long.
I have trouble falling to sleep and when I finally do, my canine family is loathe to let me sleep for an appropriate amount of time. Wall-E has been the culprit lately. He will jump down and awaken Eddie and Cujo. I will take them all out, except Toni Louise. She is happy to wait for daylight. When we get to the door, Wall-E refuses to go out with the other two. He runs back to the bedroom and hides. The little guys are more than happy to get back in bed with me. Cujo snuggles under the covers and molds his body next to mine. Eddie prefers to be atop the covers and will curl his little self right under my chin and sometimes drape his head over my neck.
Wall-E has to be hunted and then heaved into the bed ..... none too gently. Toni Louise awakens every morning at 7:30, a proper time to be dragged from my bed and then while they all out taking care of business, I take care of my own business. This is when I find exactly where Wall-E has chosen to relieve himself in the dark hours of the morning. Looks like he had hiked his leg and aimed at the towel hanging on the holder. It was the towel of HeWho sleeps soundly. This makes me ponder the dog's punishment. Leaves me wondering if I should replace that towel or leave it for HeWho uses it twice to discover.
Almost like having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. I left the towel. Decided I should get out of here for awhile. It is time for a big trip to the grocery and the puppy chow is low. I showered and then relented and tossed his towel in the laundry. Dressed and got ready to head out to stock the pantry. I was feeling almost human.
Was. I could not find my keys. I looked everywhere beginning with my purse. I checked my coat pockets and all of my pants pockets. I checked on the floor under the key holder. I checked the washer and the dryer and I checked the vehicle. I was so irritated. I sat down to check my e-mail (um, no, not for the keys) and regroup. The phone rang as I was trying to remember what I was wearing last time I drove my car.
I should probably leave you here, and not make this post so long. Unlike Hillbilly Mom, I can't stop. It is just too good to leave for another day. I answer with my usual business voice, hiding my irritation. I note that it is a local call and figure I am in for a treat. I was not disappointed.
"Kan-Do Kampground, how can I help you?" I say into the phone. The connection is not a good one, static interferes. "Do you got somebody by the name of Joe Blow stayin' out there at your place?" I ask her to repeat the last name, not recognizing the first name and not hearing clearly. She repeats it and I tell her that I have no one by that name staying here. "Well, my granddaughter stayed out there for a week in his camper and she come back eat up with bed bug bites! I just want you to know that you got bed bugs at your place!" I inform her once again that I have no tenant with that name and she says, "Well, I guess we won't do nothin' about it then!"
Yes, my long days of isolation are nearing an end. Camping season is just around the corner. Eddie and all his charm will take a back seat to the stories of campers. I will miss the endless days of winter, my feet under a blanket in my recliner, dogs all over me.
I hope this will end with the week. Yes, I am still annoyed.
Yesterday I had big plans. I had planned and worked around HeWho and asked just this one thing of him. I didn't even ask when the green house would be covered ......
It has been almost two years since he decided to tile my bathroom floor. I was on a trip to see my Dad and in my absence he decided to finally pull the toilet up and tile the floor. I had asked him to pull the toilet up and told him I would lay the tile. He always had an excuse.
So, while I was gone and my oldest grandson was here, they decided it would be a nice surprise for me to come home to a tiled bathroom. I gushed lavishly and thanked them ..... and stood in the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning wondering how they managed to screw the project up as bad as they did. Looks like they started out okay. The tiles are 4" by 24". They had staggered them nicely and it looked really good ....... until about halfway.
At that point they stopped staggering and started laying tiles in a different pattern for three rows, then back to staggering again for one row. After that there seems to be a problem with the sink vanity. Looks like they cut a piece wrong and used it anyway and then just stuck pieces all willy nilly and suddenly stopped just shy of the doorway.
I spent two days carefully prying up the tiles all the way back to the last row of properly staggered tiles. I specifically asked if HeWho thinks power tools will most likely kill women, would cut the tiles for me. He assured me that he would be happy to. He was unable to do it the previous day, because he was tinkering with his tractor. I noticed the tractor was still sitting in the middle of the parking lot where it suddenly died the night before.
It had to be pulled back to the barn. Then he had to go have his hearing aids adjusted. And this was after the trip to McDonalds for his breakfast, then a trip to the bank. Really, why could he not have accomplished all of this in the same trip? Finally he was ready to help me.
I carefully measured the first cuts I would need. Another trip to the hardware store was necessary to get the blades. Upon his return, I waited patiently for those first two cuts before mixing the thin set. For some reason, he thought he was done. I quickly tried to bring him back to task. I gave him the next two cuts and started laying tile. He seemed to be taking forever, but what do I know, I am not allowed to used power tools.
I sensed his annoyance as the project continued. But I was determined to finish. It was only half the floor area and I wanted to grout it today and be done with that task. The cuts started being not quite right and on a couple that were in corners, I actually tapped them in with a hammer.
So, you might be wondering if the floor is completely tiled. It is not. One last piece needs to be cut in the doorway. He says he broke all three blades trying to get that last piece just right.
It is amazing to me that he did not make another trip to get another blade, but he just sort of dismissed me and went on about his business. Am I annoyed? Yes, I am.
Maybe I should start supper and just turn everything off about halfway done. That won't work, he will just go get Chinese take-out.
You will recall, if you read this at all, that HeWho swigs Diet Coke all day long used to favor a huge Bubba Mug. Made of plastic and insulated, it would keep his disgusting favorite drink cold all day long. Unbreakable, it would bounce when it fell off the mower or the tractor or the golf cart. Remember, he does not walk anywhere.
The screw on lid would break from time to time and the handle was always breaking. I think at one time he about 6 of these vessels in various states of disrepair. He would pair them up with mismatched lids and I am sure he would have used gorilla tape to re-affix the handles had I not tossed them. The inside of the cup was always clean and I tried to keep the outside clean. This is not the actual Bubba mug, but they are about this size. I have disposed of all the green, black, and turquoise mugs and lids.
I employed the use of bleach and Mr. Clean's magic eraser. But, the cups always looked nasty. He would even carry them into places that served food unless I caught him first. People would comment about the appearance of his bubba mug, which I took as a personal affront about my cleaning abilities.
He had his eye on the Yeti stainless steel cups, but I think he was afraid to buy one, lest I discover the cost. He was right about that. So, when he discovered the Ozark stainless steel at Walmart, he purchased two. Now, I was perfectly happy with my cheap double walled plastic cup with a lid and matching straw, It was about this time that my wisdom tooth was crying out to leave my mouth. I am almost certain that he bought both cups for himself and decided to give one to me because it had no straw. Nobody wants dry sockets.
I liked the cup. It really did retain the cold temperature and stainless steel does not stain. I accepted my gift of a cup reluctantly. They were exactly alike and I was worried about mix-ups. I don't care for drinking after others. It happened, of course. He would misplace his cup and dump the contents of mine and fill it with Diet Coke and go about his business, When questioned, he would always say, "Oh, I thought it was mine."
This caused me to take action. I grabbed a can of "watermelon" spray paint and painted my cup. Watermelon is hot pink. I figured that would solve the situation. It did, too. He could easily see that the PINK cup was mine and his was silver. Not too long after that he discovered an even bigger Ozark cup and purchased it. So, now, his cup was larger AND a different color.
With all this in mind, imagine my surprise when I picked up my PINK cup that held peach tea I had been sipping all afternoon and took a swallow of peach tea that had been topped off with diet coke!
I was sitting in my recliner, covered in dogs and had no choice but to swallow. It was so disgusting. I sat there wondering what had happened to my tea. I looked across the room at HeWho had annoyed me all day long. "Did you put your nasty Diet Coke in my cup?" He confessed that he did, saying the now famous words 'I thought it was mine'. "Did you not notice the color and the size of the cup, that would have been a clue!"
He just told me that he was sorry. Given the fact that he had his cup next to him, I knew he had discovered his mistake. I knew he had taken a gulp, putting his cigarette lips on my lid. You would have thought he would pour the contents of my cup out and washed\ the lid. That's what I would have done, but, no, he let me think it was safe to assume that my cup still held my tea that I had been enjoying all day. This just wrong!
I continue to be annoyed.
Although the wind is no longer an issue, the green house is still naked. It is supposed to be a calm day today, so maybe ..........
In the meantime, everything is wet and the wood pile grows larger. We always have trees down after a good storm. I was meandering through the wood pile when I noticed the hollow stump. I claimed it. I will move it to ..... somewhere and fill it with petunias and sweet potato vine. I see two!
All this will eventually find it's way into a fire pit. I am happy to be outside preparing all my gardens. I hear a cold front is headed my way, but I have prepared most of my beds in the front of the park. Today I hope to tackle some of the gardens on sites that are not occupied by those inclined to tend the beds.
I really need to clean my humble abode, but I would always rather be playing in the dirt and I can vacuum when it is too cold to venture out!
So, here we are, me and my canine gang, sipping coffee and catching up on e-mail and such. Eddie is a curious little guy. He likes to perch in the crook of my elbow and watch me type. He also likes to watch TV, like Toni Louise. The other two will only respond to sounds from the TV, but Toni and Eddie like to watch. He has been watching me type for awhile and would seem to be fascinated with the process.
Yesterday, I set my laptop on the floor in front of my chair so that I could let the dogs in. I stopped in the laundry room and grabbed some towels to fold. When I returned to my forgotten laptop, Eddie was gleefully pounding on the keyboard with his big paws. It is really hard to get mad at him, he is just so cute. I will have to be more careful in the future.
Eddies paws concern me. They are really big in proportion to his body. I even mentioned them to the vet. They are much bigger than Cujo's paws and he is full grown. If his feet are any indication of his adult size, he will be a Basset Hound! He is already 7 lbs. and he is supposed to be a mini. That should be his adult weight! Only time will tell.
No matter, I will love him anyway. I see stories all the time about people abandoning their pets when they aren't perfect. Sometimes it is the imperfection that I love the most. Maybe Eddie will be a little guy with huge feet. His paw prints are already on my heart.
It is probably safe to say what inspired me to make this sign. No, it was not HeWho annoys me.
Yesterday while the weather was as near perfect as could be, I implored him to put the plastic sheeting on my green house. Not that I was not available to help and would do it myself, but it is a two man job. I would have put down anything I was working on, to assist, but HeWho thinks himself to be wise decided that since he would have some help today, it could wait.
When will he learn? I knew that today, the temperature was supposed to start to drop, but more important than that, high gusty winds were in the forecast. Not only did the forecast tell me, my bones were telling me, as well. HeWho broke his knee last year was also complaining last night that his bones were aching.
The green house remains uncovered, just a frame with a top of clear plastic ....... applied with gorilla tape. Not exactly what I had in mind. The wind that funnels along I-70 is legendary in the Spring and Fall. It will pick up the heavy rockers on the front porch and move them from one end to the other. It has only taken 10 years to convince HeWho builds stuff that the gates and doors of any structure should always face north or south. The first enclosure around the pool pump was lifted and taken away, despite the anchors and the cinder blocks holding it. The door was facing east.
Our backyard fence was always blowing down. Because the double wide gate was facing east. When we repaired and reset the fence, his solution was to eliminate the gate entirely. Only access was through a shed, or out the back door. I finally got a gate facing north just last year.
So, I had cautioned him about the green house, telling him that we should build a heavy foundation to eliminate the possibility of the structure heading to Kansas with all my seedlings in tow. He cut some wooden pallets to use as shelves and attached them to the sides. It is now bottom heavy. And the "door" is facing north. But, today, as I was gathering containers of screws and the battery charger for the drill, and all the hand tools he had left out (rain is coming, you know), the wind gave a great gust and lifted the frame by the "roof" that is attached with gorilla tape.
I grabbed the frame and added a considerable amount of weight, while I inched over a cinder block with my foot. I put some more cinder blocks on the bottom of the frame. I had told him this would happen with his makeshift "roof".
So, I am more than a little annoyed. The wind has sent me indoors to do other things. I was in the kitchen, baking a cake with an almost expired mix, to which I was adding an almost expired package of coconut cream pudding. I had just put some paint on a sign I was making at the table, letting it dry while I was mixing the cake and throwing a load of laundry in the washer. The dogs were perfectly happy in the back yard (except for Toni Louise, she knows a storm is brewing and she is already in her safe place). HeWho still thinks he can unfurl that plastic in the wind and secure it to the frame comes in to refill his giant mug of Diet Coke.
He manages to block my access to the refrigerator to get the eggs for the cake, then he decides the dogs need to be inside and continues to hold me captive in the kitchen corner while he kneels down to watch Eddie eat and talk to him. When he finally decides to exit my area, he turns off the lights over the table. I am really annoyed now. He will come in all the time and turn on lights and the TV, then walk out and not turn anything off! So, why does he need to turn off a light I am using?
I have no idea what task he is now performing outside. I just hope he stays out there until dark! By then I should be in a better frame of mind, well, unless I look out to see the frame of my green house float by.
The weather is amazing today. I got so much done in my gardens .... wearing capri's and sandals! I was doing chores I normally do in April. The trees are budding and the daffodils and daylilies have poked up through the soil. I removed all the dead leaves, chopped down my ornamental grasses and the tops of the mums. Fresh green growth is already coming up. I just hope we don't have a hard freeze again.
This only about 1/4 of what I gathered to burn. You can clearly see the outer workings of HeWho's beloved junk barn area. I plan to fence this area off and rid it of grass. Gravel is low maintenance and anything behind his fence will be obscured by the fence. A play area for him to tinker to his heart's content.
In the meantime, this is where I burn things. And like the sign at the beginning says ...... this is our nightclub.
I neglected to share the story of the hearing aid procurement with the world. They are used. Found in a wrecked car. I was appalled when HeWho cannot hear presented them like a golden treasure for my approval. "Um, you are not sticking those in your ears, are you?" I asked. He looked at me and asked why that would not be okay. He promised to clean them with alcohol .......
Fortunately, our eye care giver, Barb, has moved to a larger location and leased out some space to a hearing aid provider. All she needs now is a dentist and they could call the business "The Head Shop". I do realize that would be confusing on so many levels. The name shall remain "Here's Two Eyes" in Troy, Missouri. You will be able to see and hear after you go there. HeWho needed new glasses needed to pick them up and while there he visited the hearing aid office.
For less than $200, she reprogrammed the device to fit his needs and re-outfitted the tubing and the part that actually goes in your ear. I feel so much better about them now. I am not all that keen on used appliances that fit into any part of my body. Like used dentures? I won't add any more examples, just use your own imagination.
Now that I have totally grossed everyone out ..... I am happy to report that we can now watch TV without having the volume loud enough for the entire park to hear. So, he can see better and he can hear better, but this does not mean that he can LISTEN better.
Our toaster is on it's last leg. The middle element is no longer working and you have to flip your toast. So, just like I did when faced with replacing my hand mixer, I did a little research. I found a toaster oven/toaster combination that is nice and compact and mentioned that I wanted to order it. It comes in red and in black. While I would prefer the black, I will settle for the red, because it was $20 cheaper. I also ordered the stand mixer with the detachable hand mixer. If we are going to live in the motorhome, we should definitely get multi-use appliances that take up as little space as possible.
I said all this to HeWho can hear just the other day. Today, he went to Walmart to get drinking water and some kind of something having to do with the engine of his vehicle. He told me and I just realized that I also have selective hearing, because I did not pay attention to what he said. This is a sad revelation, the fact that I also have faults ........ But, getting back to HeWho has far more faults that I .....
While at Walmart he bought something for me. He thought I would be thrilled that he had paid attention to me and that I would not have to worry about getting a new toaster to replace the old one. He was close, really close. It is red and it toasts bread. But for only $5 more, I think we can wait for the combination toaster oven/toaster.
Eddie is growing ..... more charming every day. He loves to shred paper. Even when he is doing something wrong, he is adorable.
My front porch plants have over-wintered quite nicely. I have been told several times that sweet potato vine will not live through the winter inside. But, they do ...... see?
My peace lily is blooming again, third time this winter!
Lemon thyme and geraniums.
My wandering jew looks as healthy as when I took it off the front porch. The lavender in the pot below it, did not fair as well ....... but, it is alive.
My extra retail space is filled with hanging and potted plants. So far I haven't lost any of them. It has been a good year for over-wintering.
While all this is going on inside, the green house is slowly coming together. We keep getting interrupted. If not by weather, we have to take care of business. Then there is the running of a household with a sweet little puppy. I read somewhere that it is impossible to be sad while holding a puppy. Not entirely true, but it is very hard.
HeWho is hard of hearing got new hearing aids. He can hear everything I say and even what I mutter under my breath to myself! I will now have to censor that! He also got new glasses today. He can see and hear. I will have to pay closer attention to my hair and make-up, I suppose. It's a whole new world.
Feeling so much better! I still have a lingering cough, but the headache is gone. Back to normal life. Well, as normal as my life can get.
Charming Eddie was due for a booster and vet check. His appointment was last Thursday, at the height of the illness. We had to reschedule and Eddie and I went off to see the vet yesterday. As soon as I tried to put his harness an leash on, I knew two things:
1. Eddie was growing fast. The harness barely made it around his chest. Last time he wore it, it was loose.
2. Eddie was not happy about a trip. He started to bark and whine and "talk" to me.
HeWho tows was not going with us. Eddie and I were on our own and he was not at all happy about it. He refused to stay in his seat and kept climbing into my lap and up to my face. I finally had to put him in the floor and make him stay there. He cried and howled at me for 25 miles. It was a most unpleasant ride. I haven't had to use the kennel with him, but next time he will find his little self safely confined in a kennel for the ride.
As soon as I stopped the car, Eddie shut up. I took him for a walk before we went inside the clinic. I was supposed to bring along a "specimen" to be examined for worms, but Eddie had refused to provide one. I was hoping it would be forthcoming on our little walk there in the grass near the clinic. Eddie sat down there in the grass and refused to move. I gave a little tug on the leash and he stubbornly sat, staring at me in defiance. Did he really think he could better me? All I had to do was bend over and scoop him up.
As soon as we entered the clinic, his little tail began wagging and he greeted the receptionist like she was an old friend. He offered up puppy kisses to his adoring audience and sat politely in my lap while we waited our turn. He knew exactly what he was doing! He was as happy in the exam room to get weighed, but when the tech extracted his specimen, he was indignant! He was more than happy to be back in my arms after that little ordeal. Teach him to let me in on his hiding places in the yard!
So, last time we found ourselves in the vet clinic, my little guy weighed 4 lbs. 4 oz. I was amazed to find that he now weighs 6 lbs. 14 oz. He grew a lot in only 4 weeks. Made me a little sad. Especially since his attitude seems to be growing just as fast! I did mention the big feet to the vet. Eddie's feet are bigger than any of my other dogs. If he grows into his feet, he will be BIG. The vet assured me that he just had big feet, he will be a little guy, low to the ground with big feet.
Our ride home was subdued. Eddie drank a little water, then went to sleep for the trip home. I suppose he was worn out after his display of attitude, along with the indignities he suffered at the hand of the vet. He was given a tasty treat and tricked by a shot that happened while he was chowing down.
Life with Eddie. It is amazing how quickly Eddie has asserted his little self into our lives. He is an accepted member of the pack now. Toni Louise is still not happy about it, but as long as she can monopolize HeWho loves her most, she is okay with sharing my affections with the rest of the animals.
I am sitting here, scrunched into my recliner with three dogs. Cujo and Wall-E are stacked next to me on my left and Eddie is laying alongside my legs. All three are sleeping. Dogs sleep a lot, you know. On my right side is a book case that holds my lap top when not in use. The bottom shelf belongs to Toni Louise. I put an old dresser drawer there. Fits perfectly. Inside is an old comforter that she fancies. I can reach down and give her a pat on the head every now and again. She is quite content with that and very happy that little Eddie's legs are not long enough to access her bed. She will occasionally share her lodgings with Martha, the boy cat. Probably because he out weighs her and has sharp claws.
My coffee cup is empty and the sun shines brightly. Rumors of a warm day have me ready for some out door chores. The dogs will be laying in the sun and I will be (fingers crossed) getting my green house covered and set up for seedlings.
What is that old adage about how long a cold will last? A week to 10 days, I think. If that holds true, I am nearer to the end. It all started last Monday, and since I am still feeling poorly, I can only assume that I got the 10 day version. Lucky me.
I do feel better today, but still dealing with the watery, itchy eyes. My nose is still a little drippy, but so much less than yesterday. I find it ironic that I am experiencing the symptoms usually associated with the beginning of a cold now. I started with the deep chest rattling cough that is usually the end of a cold. I am still sleeping in fits and starts, but this morning when I looked in the mirror, I recognized the person I was before the attack of the cold virus.
I even ventured outside today! I took the garbage out to the dumpster, then I rested. HeWho was trying to be nice, brought some food home to eat. Nothing sounds good, or even tastes good. He went to the local grocery and returned with some chicken tenders and other stuff. There was a biscuit included, not very fresh ...... but the chicken wasn't either. The potato "logs" were cold. Now, one can eat cold fried chicken, but not potatoes. Well. I can't.
As you can guess, there isn't much to choose from in the way of take out food around here. But, having recharged my energy levels, I decided to tackle a most distasteful task. My yard was long overdue for a poop pick up. I figured I might as well get it done before it rains, and my sense of smell isn't working at full power. I shouldn't be so proud of my sniffing acumen, but I can distinguish the puppy poop from the adult dog poop just by smell. Not everyone has that particular skill! I am blessed.
After the poop patrol, I noticed that the wagon holding the results of the last patrol still sat waiting along with some other debris in the wagon in the back yard. I had asked someone to take it to the dumpster as I was beginning my adventure into illness. To be fair, he did get sick, too. He got better a lot quicker, though. But, he was splitting firewood, so I bit the bullet and rolled all the crap to the dumpster.
I am exhausted! My eyes keep leaking tears and the skin around my eyes is red and swollen. If HeWho thinks he knows everything, suggests eye drops to me one more time, I am going to gather up the strength to hit him! The drops he keeps offering are for dry eyes. It helps make the eyes produce more tears, and I don't need more tears!
No more tears! My little canine friends will be at a loss when I start doing my normal activities again. I can only hope that one of the older dogs have advised Eddie that I will not be holding him all day long forever. Eddie is growing, as puppies seem to do at an alarming rate. His body is getting longer, as well as his snout. His fur is not going to be very long, though. Emmy's was longer and her feet were tiny and delicate. Eddie's feet are huge! they are bigger than Cujo's and there is nothing delicate about him. I tried to get a picture of his foot next to Cujo's foot, but for some reason known only to them, they would not cooperate.
I have one more swig of cough syrup and not sure if I will even need it tonight. Fingers crossed for a "normal" night!
Yesterday I woke with a nagging headache, sore throat, shooting ear pains and coughing up my toenails. With much determination, I decided to feel better. I shuffled around for my slippers and finally got them on the wrong feet.
No matter, feet covered, I trudged to the back door with the four canines following along. I felt worse with every step. I open the door to discover a blast of cold air, despite the sun shining brightly. I sneezed and sneezed again. Felt like my head was going to explode and my lips, cracked and dry, having been coated generously with Vaseline the night before, felt furry to my tongue. I have some chap stick, but I did not want to even try to remember where it was.
My lips were furry indeed with dog hair and cat hair. I must have been mouth breathing all night, as I managed to pull some hair from my tongue, as well. I filled the dishes with dog food and water and stumbled to the bathroom for a nice hot shower. I was so sure this would be the cure.
The water did feel good and the house was plenty warm, but as soon as I dried off and put some sweats on, I started trembling violently with chills. Everything hurt, even my toenails. I have not been this sick in awhile. Another day passed in misery.
Being sick all day is no fun, but being sick all night is even worse. I did not want to wake the sick man, but I did want to whine about how miserable I was. My ears felt like someone was shoving an ice pick in them. This led me to fantasize about the relief I would feel if my eardrum burst. Maybe both, if one would provide some relief, just think what two would do. I went on to wonder how sharp the pain would be, what I would use to poke the hole with and how much pressure one would have to exert. You know, just normal thoughts when you are sick. Would this be referred to as piercing your inner ear?
I was laying there coughing and wheezing, vacillating between fever and chills when a memory popped into my mind and I realized that I had cough syrup with CODIENE in the medicine cabinet. I could barely contain my excitement as I slipped from the bed and tip-toed stumbled to the kitchen. Yes, my medicine cabinet is in my kitchen.
I remembered seeing the bottle there and checking the date when I was in a cleaning frenzy. I had toyed with the idea of just tossing it, since there was so little of it and it would soon be expiring. I very carefully measured out the dose and swallowed it. I was so happy, as I just knew this would allow me a good night's sleep.
It did just the opposite. I would doze, then jerk awake. Sometimes shivering and sometimes in a pool of sweat. I was up every three hours swallowing Tylenol, then aspirin. At 3:04, Martha, the boy cat woke me to go outside. I had just settled in and dozed off. Every time I got up, my canine children moved into the warm spot I vacated and took up residence. Meaning that every time I got back into bed, I would have to move three dogs over.
Now, the day is coming to an end. My headache is back, although not as bad as it was yesterday and all night. If I can keep the headache under control, I might just make it. I even managed to make the bed and do the dishes! Not many dishes, mainly soup bowls and glasses. I am drinking orange juice and pineapple juice, some times a little 7-Up to liven it all up. Still no appetite. I ate a piece of dry toast today, tasted like cardboard. Gee, I hope I lose a few pounds.
I have one dose of cough syrup left and am saving it for tonight. I have decided that I will be all better tomorrow, as if this week never happened. Think positive!
Today I was hoping to wake up feeling better. I didn't. Neither did HeWho headed to McDonald's anyway. He took a turn for the worse yesterday and coughed all night. I coughed, as well. It was coughing in stereo.
The humidifier helped some, but my lips are cracked and chapped and I am still coughing. So, you may be asking yourself, why don't you take some cold and flu meds? Because my heart arrhythmia will go nuts. Same thing with HeWho has high blood pressure. We try to tough it out with aspirin and Tylenol. Helps some, but not with the insane sinus pressure.
At one point in the wee hours of the morning I wondered if my ear drums bursting would provide any relief. The cough is non productive, but I feel like someone is sitting on my chest. Sometimes I wake to find Eddie asleep on my chest, but he only weighs 4 lbs. Feels heavier. Like maybe Martha, the boy cat. He must weigh 30 lbs. Martha never misses food opportunities.
My muscles ache, my bone marrow hurts! No appetite, but I am forcing fluids. I am dizzy, too.
But, as sick as I am, HeWho smokes, is even sicker! Yes. I have to admit that he is far sicker than I am. He is so sick that he has forgone his nasty cigarette habit today. He is too sick to smoke and he couldn't eat his sausage biscuit. This is how I can tell that he is so sick.
If he starts to go outside to smoke tomorrow, I will suggest that this will be a perfect time to quit, since he has already made it through that critical first day. Smoking is not allowed inside. Makes me wheeze and I hate the nasty smell.
I hope tomorrow will be the beginning of the end of this bug. I have stuff to do!
