Mid-Summer, Mid-Week

OK, so it's probably not technically mid-summer.  But it has felt like summer for many, many weeks so I'm counting it.

It is, however, the middle of the week.  So I got that right, at least!

We've been cleaning out some stuff, in an effort to find a few things.  We found what we were looking for, but I've also come across two or three paper grocery bags full of stuff.  Like pictures, some of them are even from before Otter was born.  I'm probably going to spend a lot of time on Saturday, looking at the pictures and figuring out what we want to do with them.

I'm fighting off what could be allergy symptoms.  Or it could also be a summer cold.  Summer colds are not fun.  But my main concern is that it could actually be a sinus infection coming on.  I hope not, I've had 2 since last Fall and that's not a good thing.  I'm honestly afraid that I'm more susceptible to them than I have been for a while.  The surgery when I was 16 helped a lot, because my sinus cavity was sort-of rebuilt and could drain (TMI!) better which meant that I no longer got several of them a year.  They also always lasted longer when I would get them, so it was a good thing that I no longer had to deal with them as much.  But my nose has been broken at least twice, probably 3 times, since them.  And since the last time, it seems like maybe the sinus cavity issue is a little worse.

It's not a deliberate thing, it's just that my nose is so fragile compared to a "regular" non-surgically repaired nose that it doesn't take much of a bump to actually cause a break.  Which hurts!  It's still way better than it used to be, it's just worse than it was for several years.  Also, I'm not a candidate for reconstructive surgery on my nose because of the way it had to be rebuilt when I was 16.  It's not particularly misshapen, it's just not perfectly straight anymore and it has a bit of a bump on the top just below where my glasses rest.  It's not an issue for me, except that I don't want to have to deal with sinus infections!

But it might "just" be allergies or a summer cold.  If it's an allergy, it's not going to be any easier to deal with - there is not an allergy medicine that works for me.  They either make me dull & groggy or they make me hyper.  And don't do anything for the symptoms.  I take motrin or tylenol - no aspirin for redheads - and usually drink a lot of orange juice (well, I do drink a lot of it anyway so I increase the amount) and just try to tough it out.  If it is a cold, I'm probably also going to have to deal with an asthma flare at some point.  But I'm not going to worry about that unless I have to.

Either way, I don't feel the best.  Otter and I went to the grocery store this afternoon.  It only took us about an hour, which wasn't too bad.  I just didn't want to put it off until tomorrow, in case I feel worse.

Froggy more or less ordered me to have chicken soup tonight.  I was planning on just opening a couple of cans, but then I made a mistake.  I told Otter about her Aunt's request - Otter was all for it, so I gave in and bought the *fixins.  Otter made the soup, it's easy but she'd never made it before.  We all had two bowls each, we were apparently pretty hungry and it was pretty good.  I've also got enough for leftover soup tomorrow night.

Leftovers are always a good thing!

Also, while the soup was simmering we noticed something.  Frasier's a wimp!  The pan was making a noise as it heated up and my dog would not even come inside the house as long as it was cooking.  I guess he didn't like the sound?  It might have sounded a lot like the electric fence did, and he wouldn't even come in for an offering of chicken!  Maggie was under no such confusion - but then, even if she had been confused I'm certain that food being offered would have won out.  Frasier did eventually get his chicken bite - but Otter had to take his bowl out to the garage and then as soon as he ate it, he was out the dog door again and on the other side of the lean-to.  Goofy boy!

*Fixins.  See my many, MANY posts with the label of TEXAS.  It won't be in all of them, but it's in a lot of them.