I'm Still At It

And I'm tired of it!

 

I was absolutely exhausted last night, I went to bed fairly early and slept well last night.  I felt nearly well this morning, but the longer I was up the more I started coughing.  I went in to work but I was really only aiming for noon.  However, I didn't make it.  At 9:30, I was out the door.  I had been coughing my head off, and knew I wasn't going to make it as long as I hoped - Younger Boss strongly suggested that I head home around 9:15, but I had already decided I would.

 

I stopped at Wallyworld on the way home, I was really thirsty (probably from the coughing) so I stopped for a coke.  I had to go by the booth to pay March rent, they were busy so I looked around a bit while I waited but that was mostly because it was inside, warm and dry - outside was cold and slightly rainy.  While I waited, I checked on our booth and we had had a few things sell in the last week-ish since I checked the booth.  I think it was pretty much all my stuff, along with one of Otter's pony necklaces.  Since February is not officially over, I didn't collect the proceeds yet.  I went to the post office, since it's right down the street and I had mail for work.  I went a little further down the street and drove through Taco Bell for a salad for lunch and then down the street a little more to the video store.  We live in a fairly small town, nearly everything is next door to or down the street from everything else.  None of the stops took all that long and I still got home pretty quickly.

 

Other than eating my salad, I've pretty much been parked on the couch since I got home.  Otter ran the vacuum when she got home and I think the dishwasher still needs to be unloaded.  Frasier did pretty good with the vacuum, he stood in the kitchen and watched Otter but then he came into the living room when I called him and stood beside me before plopping himself down on their blankets - before Otter was finished vacuuming.

 

I have not coughed as much this afternoon, which is a change from coughing myself dizzy this morning!  The asthma has been kicking up due to the bug, which was not unexpected.  This bug takes 2 to 3 weeks to clear, and it's all over this area.  The cough is probably the worst part of it.  Add in asthma, and it's really "fun" - not!  I'm sore across my middle, muscle soreness caused by the coughing.  But at least I didn't pull a muscle like Billyboy did.

 

Today was rainy but not a pouring rain.  It's been cold all day, it was in the mid-30's when I came home and I don't think it got much warmer.  Tonight will be cold, tomorrow will be 40's and tomorrow night will be the beginning of Sunday's return of winter weather!  Otter was going to one of her friend's houses on Sunday, but it looks like that may have to be cancelled - the forecast is for ice and possibly lots of it.

 

Bill moved a lot of the firewood underneath the covered lean-to in the dog's yard this week.  He's going to bring in a little more tonight so that we'll have plenty for the morning.  I have a feeling that the fireplace will be going all day long on Sunday, we have used a lot of firewood this winter and now I'm really glad Bill got so much.  He's going to do the same thing this coming summer/fall - hit the lumber yard again and buy the scrap/end pieces/misc. pieces that they sell as firewood for next to nothing,  I think it was a lumberyard, I don't remember precisely.  Last summer, we both felt like we needed to get a lot of firewood.  I'm glad we did, it's been one of those winters where we have had a lot of fires.

 

We Spring Forward one hour on Sunday, March 9th.  That groundhog better start running now, he's going to need a head start!

Nearly

Nearly there.  I almost feel human again.  Or Borg, I should probably say!

 

Mostly, I've rested today.  I did take Otter to work so I could go to the post office, I had to renew the P.O. Box we have so I had to do that one myself.  I also stopped at Wallyworld, but that was because we were down to the last box of Kleenex and we seem to be going through them at an alarming rate!

 

After Bill left for work, I stretched out on the cough and dozed for a while.  Then I got up and took a shower, and for some reason I started sneezing then and have been sneezing a lot today.  I thought maybe Bill had sprayed the shower with the anti-mold spray after his shower, but he said he hadn't.  I took Otter to work and went to wally, but mostly I've been parked on the couch and relaxing.  Usually with one dog or the other nearby.

 

It was cold this morning, I think it was in the 20's and it got a little warmer today.  Today should be warmer, then it will be pretty cold tomorrow night.  We had a fire last night but it's too warm tonight.  However, Bill brought in firewood and we'll have a fire Saturday morning at least.  Sunday has a good chance of winter weather and low temps, and the forecast could include ice.  We aren't even going to attempt Church on Sunday, for one thing I'm still coughing and Bill has the occasional spell.  Throw in the weather and the fact that the temperatures will be so cold; we're not going anywhere!  At least not in the morning, and maybe not all day.  So, I'm planning on making pancakes for breakfast Sunday morning.

 

I'm going to work tomorrow.  I hope to stay all day, but we'll see.  As I mentioned, I've been sneezing a lot today.  The mountain cedar is high, so that may have a lot to do with it.

 

Mountain Cedar and groundhogs.  Two things I can do without!

Not Yet

Recovered, that is.

 

Bill went to work and managed to stay the day.  He sounded pretty tired when he called me while ago.  He gets off in about 15 minutes (at 4:00) and I'm sure he'll be exhausted when he gets home.  I went in and lasted until shortly before 11:00 before I called it a day.  I got all the paychecks done and paid all the bills I needed to, organized a bunch of stuff and I am now pretty much caught up again.  It's not a busy office and being the Borg Queen means that I'm about as organized as it gets so I got caught up fast.  I realized that I was almost out of motrin, so I came home and got Otter and she made sure we got to Wallyworld.  Also the post office, I had a bunch of stuff to mail for work and nobody had been to check our box since Sunday I think.  Anyway, we were leaving Wallyworld when the car suddenly announced that it was low on fuel so we stopped at the gas station on the way home.  It was probably on fumes at that point!  Otter took care of getting the car gassed up - I still had to pay for it, but she did the actual work.  It was cold today, it never got past the mid-30's and it was breezy so I'm thankful she was willing to stand outside the car for me.

 

I didn't sleep too well last night, I have had several asthma-ish issues related to this bug and last night was the worst I've had in a while.  I am still coughing, but it's better this afternoon.  Last night, I was about to drop and the most I did was to make pizza.  I have had a headache off & on and a sore throat but that seems to be mostly when I've been coughing a lot.  Tonight will be easier, last night wasn't hard but all I have to do tonight is to point Bill and Otter in the direction of the microwave!  Part of the reason I decided on pizza yesterday is because it makes enough to have 2 days worth of meals.  We did try to cut the recipe down one time, but it didn't work as well so we make the full recipe and have multiple meals.

 

As far as tomorrow, I'll decide in the morning but at this point I'm not inclined to go in.  I got everything done today that I needed to, just in case.  Otter works tomorrow morning, I'm thinking that I'll probably take her and pick her up.  Originally, if I was home she was going to take my car but then I remembered that I have to get to the post office myself since the box has to be renewed by Friday.  I didn't think about it today until after we'd left and I really didn't want to go back there.  Bill might decide to drive the El Camino tomorrow, in which case she can take his car but I'm thinking he'll probably prefer to drive his Impala.  I think tomorrow will be warmer than today, but Friday will be in the 60's and then Saturday is back to C.O.L.D.  Sunday could well be "winter mix" weather.  We all know what that means!  Oh year, I saw snow flakes this morning.

 

Gonna skin that groundhog, if I ever catch him!

Getting Really Tired of This!!

Last night, I had hopes that I would wake up feeling good.  I did.  But it didn't last, and by 6:30 or so I decided I wasn't even going to attempt to go in.  Bill wasn't up to going in, either.  Otter had to work today, so at least one of us was productive!

 

I'm better than I was yesterday, but "better" is a relative term.  I'm still coughing my head off, but at least I don't have the sinus pain anymore.  Bill's cough is still bad but it's better than it was.  We are improving, just slowly.

 

I think we're both going to go in tomorrow morning.  Whether or not either of us stay will be determined tomorrow.  I have to at least go in for a while, paychecks and misc. bills have to be taken car of tomorrow.  I'm sure Billyboy is a little behind at work as well.

 

Otter is off tomorrow, she's probably hoping that we'll both be at work and she can get some rest.  She's been taking care of us at random times, as well as working her own job for the last several days.  She's already informed me that she is sleeping in tomorrow morning.

 

We made pizza for dinner tonight.  I figured that since I was home, it was a good meal to make that a) wouldn't take too much time or effort and b) would guarantee leftovers for tomorrow.  The bread machine did most of the work, all I had to do was put the ingredients in then push the button and leave it alone for a couple of hours.  The next step was easy, it was just the "piling it all on" and putting it in the oven for 15 minutes.

 

I figure that I'm going to be very tired tomorrow evening, but since supper's already done it will be easier.  Maybe!

 

I put the (hopefully) final 4 rows of green on the afghan today.  I really think it's done this time, it's now longer than it is wide and it is plenty big.  Maggie Moo likes it when I work on the afghan, she magically appears underneath it whenever one of us is sitting on the couch covered with it.  Froggy, that's the picture I texted you this afternoon.  Frasier has mostly spent his day alternating between sleeping outside in a sunny spot and warting me for affection.

 

I guess that's it for now!  My foot is getting numb.  Wonder if the fact that there is a furry, warm beagle shaped object laying on it might have anything to do with it? :)

Still At It

The view from my couch is getting kind of old!

 

We both managed to go to work this morning.  I made it until 10:30, Bill lasted a little longer.  I think he left about 11:30.  We are both still coughing, his is better but mine is worse.  I am definitely having an asthma flare, I'm sure it's caused by the URI and it is not unexpected. It's not horrible, but it's probably the worst one I've had in a while.  I've coughed myself dizzy a couple of times today.  That happens sometimes.  Bill took a nap when he got home, I thought I might doze off on the couch but I never quite did.

 

I did get some crochet done today, which is the first time in a couple of weeks I think.  I was going to do some a few days ago, but I felt cruddy and was afraid I would wind up frogging it out because I wasn't in a creative mood.  Today, I put 4 more cream rows on the afghan.  It's cool enough that I would not have minded having a blanket on my lap even if I felt good.  I'll put 4 more green rows on it next, then I'll do what I've been doing with it which is use it for a few days and see if it's long enough then.

 

I was piddling around on one of the official Star Trek sites and it had a poll:  who is the best villain?  Obviously, the Borg Queen!  One of the voters described the character as Terrifying.  I kind of liked that...

I thought that was funny.

Here's another one:

Because everything one could ever need is inside the box!

 

Maggie just emerged from her spot on the floor, where she's been keeping my feet warm.  She also likes it when I'm working on the afghan.  Except for when I come to the end of a row and have to turn it over to start on the next row, she doesn't really like to be disturbed when she's napping.  Which is 90% of the time!

Adulthood

Almost a year ago, Otter turned 21.  Shortly before that, she entered the world of employment.  She said that neither of those would make her really an adult.  What would?  Filing taxes.

 

As of 4:40 this afternoon, she is officially an adult.  She filed her taxes for the first time.  So, does she feel like an adult yet?

 

No.  She feels like a 12-year old in an adult suit!

 

Not sure why, she's getting money back at least.  So are we, but since she is "officially" an adult now, we can't claim her on our taxes.  Since we lost the big deduction, we aren't getting back nearly what we used to or hoped for, but we are getting about what we expected so I'm not complaining.

 

Bill and I are still dealing with the various bugs.  We are both feeling better, but not well yet.  He's still coughing but he's not coughing as hard or as often.  I'm coughing more, but that is most likely because the URI is aggravating my asthma.  I'm not coughing horribly, just coughing.  I took my last antibiotic today.  Bill is still on them for a few days, I think Thursday is his last day of them.  He's taken the cough medicine every night and yesterday he took a couple of doses during the day since he was home.  It made him a little groggy, which is why he was mainly just taking it at night.

 

We did get out today.  Bill needed to get something from the hardware store and the tool store (where Otter works).  Froggy commented about Uncle Crazy not being able to "stay on task" at stores like Home Depot or Lowe's.  I know exactly what she means!  I had to go with Billyboy to Ace Hardware just for that reason.  Otter got to escort him around the tool store, since she knows where everything is already.  But she was generous and used her employee discount on the stuff he bought.  Just those two stops exhausted Bill and I was pretty tired as well.  We also stopped at the video store and post office to check the box, but Otter ran in and took care of those two for us.  We brought Bill home, then Otter and I went back to Wallyworld because there were 3 or 4 things I forgot at the grocery store the other day.  AFTER we got there, we both realized that I could have just sent her for me but by that point, it didn't matter as I was already there. 

 

There was a Girl Scout cookie booth at Wallyworld, so we got 5 boxes.  We'll probably get more, we usually buy cookies from every booth or scout we see.  They are good cookies and the cookie sales help the girls directly.  There has been a rumor about the Girl Scouts organization supporting abortion rights, but I've done the research and it's just a rumor.

 

The movie we rented for yesterday was Free Birds.  Free would be overpaying for it!  It was pretty terrible.

 

Frasier got another mole.  Otter was cleaning out the dog yard this afternoon and she found a dead mole.  It was probably Frasier, he's been the one who's spent the most time outside.  Maggie gets them sometimes, but she's been spending most of her time lately inside - snoozing at my feet, under whatever blanket I happen to be using!

Hack Hack Hack

That seems to be the main thing you would hear around our house!

 

And the next thing you would hear would probably be Bill screeching in pain, because he seems to have pulled a muscle in his chest from the hard coughing and each time he coughs...  If he wasn't coughing, or hurting from coughing, he would probably feel a lot better.  He did manage to get some sleep last night, he moved back to the bed for the night and did cough some but not excessively.  He's also trying very hard not to sneeze, he says that coughing is bad but that sneezing is agony.  He didn't even try to go in today, neither did I.

 

Otter's been running errands for us and doing whatever we ask her to do.  She is working today, she didn't have enough time to get to the grocery store for me so I did that myself.  Which just about wore me out!  But we really wanted to be able to eat for the next couple of weeks, so I kind of had to go.  I also took a box to the post office to mail for Bill.  After I got home, Bill and I had lunch.  Then I remembered that I had to go to the bank so I did that and stopped at the video store since it was on the way.  It sounds like a lot, but there were all quick stops.  Except for the grocery store and that was maybe 30 minutes because I hurried.

 

Otter and I are not going to attempt the local school's book sale/fundraiser tomorrow and the zoo has also been put off.  We probably would have skipped the zoo this weekend anyway, the forecast has been changed and now instead of the 60's it was originally, which was then changed to 50's, it's been downgraded to the 40's.  Also, J probably has the flu so he wouldn't have been able to go with us.  We'll reschedule the zoo for a few weeks from now, when it's warmer.

 

The antibiotic is doing a number on my stomach.  But I think it's helping.  Sinus infections can take a while to heal but I do think it's better.  I still have the URI, but not as bad a case as Bill has had.

 

Frasier had an adventure yesterday afternoon.  The trash was kind of smelly, probably from the package the chicken I used in the soup came in.  I pulled the bag out of the can and sealed it, then I put it in the garage to wait for this morning's trash pick up.  We didn't see too much of Fraiser, he was outside and seemed to be barking.  A lot.  Bill went out into the garage looking for something and found out why.  The trash bag had been torn into and most of the contents were strewn around the garage floor.  Including the several days worth of coffee grounds!  Which probably explains why the dog was bouncing all over the yard!  Maggie Moo was never under any suspicion, she spent most of her afternoon snoozing under the blanket I had!  She's the usual culprit, but this time she was innocent.  Frasier eventually calmed down and crashed out in the floor but he was still a little more energetic than normal by the time we wanted to go to bed so I gave him a tranquilizer.  He is fine, back to normal today.  We don't know exactly how much caffeine he ingested, it is not good for dogs but he didn't get too much apparently.  Just enough to get bouncy!  Big furry brat!

Gee Thanks, Bill!!!

For sharing the bug with me.  NOT!

 

I didn't even attempt to go in today, which is what I told Younger Boss yesterday.  I told him that I'd let him know about Friday but at this point I'm pretty sure I'll be staying home tomorrow.  I have had a horrible sinus headache since I woke up this morning, I took Motrin for it and rested for about an hour and a half after Bill left for work.  Of course, the fact that I also had a migraine on top of everything else this morning hasn't helped!

 

Bill went in, Monday was a holiday and without a doctor's excuse he wouldn't be paid for Monday.  He probably could have waited until tomorrow or Monday and turned in the excuse then, but his employer can't always get simple things straight so he decided to attempt going in and turning the excuse in to his boss today.  His boss is not the problem, upper management is where the issues usually are.  But at any rate, after he'd been there about an hour I think his boss got tired of hearing him attempt to cough up a lung and didn't even blink an eye when Bill told him he was heading back home.  The cough medication causes drowsiness, so Bill didn't take it before he left this morning.  He did take it pretty much as soon as he got home, however.  His cough is better, but it's still pretty bad.  I'm so glad that I went to the doctor as soon as I started feeling the URI symptoms and don't have to deal with the bronchitis.  I've had it before and it is NOT fun, and asthma just makes it worse so I don't wait.

 

I've been parked on the couch, I made myself a nest.  Frasier was my shadow earlier, he got up every time I did and took every step I did.  He followed me around and stood right beside me, staring at me until I went back to the couch.  Then, he mostly leaned on me and managed to get his head underneath my hand for ear scratches.  When he wasn't getting petted, he was leaning on my legs and making it impossible for me to get up.  Mama's boy took care of me!  I'm drinking as much water as I can, so I have to get up frequently. :)  Otter went to Wallyworld earlier and filled up a the cart with yogurt for me.  She also got more cranberry juice, she's going to start increasing her vitamin C for the next several days.  She drinks a lot of cranberry juice anyway, but she's going to be chugging it for the near future!

 

I've had so much chicken soup the last few days that I expect to grow feathers at any time.  I have several containers in the freezer and a large container in the deep freeze.  It is good and it does help, but we're kind of tired of it now.

 

Otter works tomorrow afternoon, I will probably take her.  If Bill goes in tomorrow, he'll drive the impala since it's more comfortable than the El Camino - he still hasn't been able to find the one, small part the White Lightning needs to be able to roll the driver's side window down.  Otter can take my car, and does sometimes, but I'm thinking that I'll be ready to get out of the house for a little while by then.  I won't go far, we'll go to the post office before I drop her off and she'll run in to check the box for me.  If I need anything from the grocery store, I'll get it then.  Her store is in the same shopping center as our favorite non-Wally grocery store.

 

(Ok, I'm back now.  Had to run to the bathroom, I think that is trip # 542 for the day!)

 

I've had my feet propped up on the coffee table for a while.  I have the crocheted afghan over me and it's long enough on the sides that it still touches the floor.  Which means that I also have a beagle under the blanket!  When I got up just now, I knocked a pillow off the coffee table that was underneath my feet - and beaned the beagle!

 

My TEXAS Mother in law (also a redhead!) sent me the following.  My comments are after it.  (Attributed to Emma Kelly, although I have not checked her website so I don't know how safe it is.  But she is apparently one of Us, and that means that she has a lot more leeway than non-Reds have.)

 

10 Unbelievable Facts You Didn't Know About Redheads:

 

1. Natural red hair is harder to dye than other shades

Headstrong as it is, ginger hair holds its pigment much firmer than any other hair colour. If redheads desired to dye their hair to any other colour (why would you?), it would only have a noticeable difference after bleaching the hair beforehand. Otherwise, the colour won't take.Bleaching, of course, is just bad news for hair. Especially red hair, which is much more fragile than other shades anyway.

2. Redheads have less hair on their heads

In terms of total number of strands, gingers have far fewer atop their red heads than any other colour.On average, flame-haired beauties have 90,000 strands, compared to blondes with 110,000, and brunettes with 140,000.  They're not exactly going bald though, as each strand of natural ginger hair is much thicker, so the appearance is often that redheads have more hair in general.  These fewer but thicker strands make it easier to style, so be jealous.

3. Redheads don't go grey

Staying true to its stubborn stereotype, ginger hair retains its natural pigment a lot longer than other shades.  So there's no need to panic about going grey - red hair simply fades with age through a glorious spectrum of faded copper to rosy-blonde colours, then to silvery-white.

4. Red hair and blue eyes is the rarest combination in the world

The majority of natural redheads have brown eyes, with others likely to have hazel or green shades.  But like red hair, blue eye colour is a recessive trait, meaning that both parents must carry the gene for a child to be blessed with it. This makes those with red hair and blue eyes the rarest minority in the world, with only 1% having both.  So, each one is about as rare as a four-leaf clover.

5. They're more sensitive to thermal pain

Countless studies have looked into the genetics behind redheads claiming that they are more or less sensitive to pain.  Research shows that redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold pain, with their bodies able to change temperature much quicker. Also, in surgery, gingers might require approximately 20% more anaesthesia than other hair colours. The exact reason for this is unknown, but it is thought that a link to the mutated MC1R gene could be the culprit to its effectiveness.

6. The Romans kept redheaded slaves at a higher price

Those with fiery-coloured hair were held in high esteem in Roman art and culture. Thought to be strong and determined, they were more expensive than other slaves, and prisoners would even have their hair dyed to be displayed as trophies. Either that, or wigs of red hair were reportedly imported from northern Europe, for slaves to wear.

7. Russia means 'Land of Reds'

Translating to mean 'Land of Reds', Russia boasts a high density of gingers located in its Kazan region, at over 10% redheads, a similar density to Scotland and Ireland.

8. 40% of Brits are 'Secret Gingers'

Extensive research conducted by BritainsDNA has found that more than 40% of the population carry the mutated MC1R gene that's responsible for red hair. Both parents must carry the gene to be able to spawn a ginger baby, which lies at 25% if they're not ginger themselves, but still carry the 'secret gene'.

9. Adolf Hitler reportedly banned ginger marriages

...For fear of 'deviant offspring'. Of course.

10. Gingers generate their own Vitamin D

Having pale skin may mean that redheads burn more easily when exposed to UV rays, but their paleness can serve as an advantage.  Redheads can't absorb sufficient Vitamin D due to low concentrations of eumelanin in their body. This may sound like bad news, but this lower melanin-concentration means that gingers can cleverly produce their own Vitamin D within their body when exposed to low light conditions.

 

 

OK, my take:  Most of this is stuff I've heard before so I already know about it - some from experience, especially # 2, 3 & 5.  I'd like to add a few things:  

 

11.  We bleed!  Frequently and lots at a time.

 

Re # 4:  I don't think that most redheads have brown eyes.  That is actually fairly rare, or at least I've seen very few of Us with brown eyes.  Most of us tend to have green or hazel eyes.  Hazel is a pale greyish brown color but it also has another main color - usually green or blue.  My eyes are green hazel, Otter's eyes are blue hazel and Bill's eyes are really more of a pale green than true hazel but I think his eyes are in the hazel spectrum.

 

Re # 3:  We do go grey.  But it's not usually like most of the population does.  We tend to go Calico!  Sometimes we will go to white but not usually grey.  Some of Us go piebald, which is similar to Calico.  But we seldom go completely grey, calico or piebald - there is usually quite a bit of red color still.

 

Re # 5:  DITTO DITTO DITTO!  Especially the part about needing more anesthesia.

 

One other thing:  Yes, the hair is a hint about the temper!  Especially when the Redhead in question is also a TEXAN and very much when the Redhead is female!  Remember RHTW, after all.

If Sharing is Caring...

Then Bill must care about me a lot.  Because he shared his upper respiratory infection with me!

 

Oh, I also have a sinus infection but that's just coincidence.

 

I was wondering last night about getting sick, I was having some symptoms that were too strong to be allergy and I woke up with a sinus headache this morning.  I took motrin and went on to work.  Bill was home today and he had Dr. Otter to take care of him.  She made sure he had plenty of water and kept to his medication schedule.  I was busy at work, there were a bunch of little things that I needed to do.  Once they were all done, I left and went straight to the walk-in clinic.  I told Younger Boss that he was not allowed to bring the Teenager in until after I left because Teenager is in after all a 97-year old man with a 96-year old wife and she's had two recent hospitalizations (one was for pneumonia).  The Teenager called to check on me and he agreed with me, by the way.  So did the doctor I saw, he said that I should probably not go to work tomorrow and when I told him about Teenager, he said that I should probably stay home Friday as well because the Teenager does NOT need this.  I also wiped down the phones I used with alchohol before I left the office.

 

I have the Upper Respiratory Infection that Bill has, but it's in the early stages so I probably will not have to deal with the bronchitis.  (Because I didn't wait 3 or 4 days, unlike Willyboy!)  The sinus infection is not necessarily connected.  I've thought a few times that I might have one coming on then it would improve - sometimes that happens.  This time, it was obviously worsening.  Given my history, the doctor strongly suggested I take an antibiotic for it this time and I agreed.

 

I came home and got Otter, she needed to get out of the house for a while, and she went with me to Walgreen's.  My prescription was about half of what Bill's was and the insurance discount meant that I paid about $12.00 for it.  I started on it after lunch today.  Otter and I also stopped at Wallyworld for milk (and more oj!), but I forgot to get yogurt.  Yogurt is a necessity for me when I'm taking an antibiotic!  There was still one yogurt left from Otter's recent bout with a sinus infection and she told me to eat it so I had it after taking the antibiotic.  She is off tomorrow and said she'll run up to the store for more for me in the morning.

 

Bill's going I to work tomorrow, although I expect his boss to send him back home pretty much as soon as he gets in the door.  He is better but he still has the wicked cough.  It's not as bad as it was, he's not coughing himself into nearly fainting anymore.  But it's still a hard cough and he also has a lot of congestion still.  He slept on the couch last night, he needed to be propped up to be able to breathe so I made him a nest similar to what we did when he had the skin cancer surgery last summer and was unable to lie down.  He had his feet propped up a little bit so that he didn't have as much swelling in them.  He took the cough syrup last night and will probably take it tonight.  It was not prescribed for me, it's got codeine and I think I'm allergic so I didn't get that prescription.  But I'm not coughing nearly as bad as Bill is.  But I do have a headache still.  I'm taking motrin for it.

 

Otter and I had tentative plans to go to the zoo on Sunday.  We're going to put that off a couple of weeks or so, for one thing we want to wait until it's a little warmer.  It's going to be in the 50's this weekend which isn't bad, but we want to wait a little while.  Also, J was invited but he has a huge project for one of his classes that is taking up most of his time and we don't want to cause problems for him but we do want him to go with us so we are going to wait.  There is a local once-a-year sale in Tulsa on Saturday and we had been talking about going to that after Otter gets off work.  It's inside at least, but we're going to see how I feel on Saturday and then decide.

 

I'm parked on the couch and I think I'll be here for a while.  I have a large, furry foot warmer in the shape of a beagle on top of my feet!  She'll probably be in the same spot tomorrow, although I will probably have a crochet hook in one hand and yarn in the other then.

Sickie Boo

I think I mentioned that I was watching Bill a couple of days ago, but not letting him know I was.  He had yesterday off, Otter worked in the morning and was home in the afternoon.  She reported to me that he coughed all afternoon and that she didn't think he felt too good.  He had a rough night last night, he coughed a lot and was very congested.  At some point, he got up and moved to the couch.  He spent the rest of the night sitting up with a blanket and not sleeping much.  When I got up at 5:00 this morning, I thought he had fever - but he would never let me take his temperature so I don't know for sure.  Shortly after that, The Borg Queen informed him that Yes, he was going to the doctor and No, he was not going to work.  And to quit griping about it!

 

We got to the walk-in clinic about 5 minutes after they opened and he was seen immediately.  He has an upper respiratory infection, bronchitis AND a sinus infection.  He's also got an excuse for work and he's off until Thursday.  He got prescriptions for an antibiotic ($60 after the $30 discount with our insurance), pills for the congestion ($10 after the $20 discount) and a codeine based cough liquid to take at bedtime ($2.00 after the $10 discount).  That's $72.00, just for 3 prescriptions!  The congestions pills are working, he said he can tell that for sure and they can also make him groggy.  I told him that power tools are off limits.  The congestions pills may help the cough as well.  The cough liquid will make him drowsy for sure.

 

Guess I'm making chicken soup tonight!

You Know What?

I'm tired!  It's been a long day, for some reason.  Bill has been feeling a little under the weather the last couple of days and for that reason we didn't go to church this morning.  He was supposed to take it easy, but he's been boxing up pachinko and aripachi machines that have been sold.  He has been trying not to overdo it, but he has been busier that I wanted him to be.  Not as busy as he would have liked to be, at least.  He did get out earlier, he needed a couple of specific things at Radio Shack that I would not have been able to get for him - I'm not electronically inclined.  But that was about it for him as far as his outside activities.  He has been nosier the last couple of nights, snoring a little bit but also coughing and he was a touch wheezy yesterday.

 

Otter spent most of the day with J today, they went to the mall and a few places besides.  They saw Thor 2 at the dollar theater, they've both seen it before but they enjoyed it.  They also had dinner out and shopped at a few places near the mall.  They exchanged their Valentine's - she made him black velvet cupcakes and he got her a specific collector doll she's been wanting.

 

My day has been spent watching Bill but not letting him know!  And doing laundry.  And a bit of crafting - Froggy, I'm still not telling!

 

Bill let the dogsters out in the back yard for a little while this morning.  Maggie Moo stayed on the deck for a little while, then she went straight to the shed and underneath it.  I think she came close to really getting stuck under there this time.  It's settled a bit and the ground is soft, sandy with moles that have probably tunneled underneath it so I think we're going to have to jack it up again and adjust the "piers" that Bill and his Dad put underneath it years ago.  And keep the beagle away from it!

 

I put 4 more rows on the afghan yesterday.  I put 4 cream rows on it recently, yesterday I put the green rows on.  It might be done, I'm not sure yet.  I may still want to put another set of each color on it, but my arms are sore from yesterday's crochet marathon and I've been busy today so I didn't have time.  But I want to leave it as it is for a while, then I'll look at it again and decide if I want to add to it or not.  I'm thinking I probably will.  I have 2 full skeins and 1 partial skein of the cream color and about a half to 3/4 of a skein of the green.  These are 1 pound skeins, so they are big.  I measured the green skein before I started on it yesterday, I should have enough green to do two more sets of 4 rows but I'm not sure if I want to do that many or not.  I really like the yarn, I've made two shawls out of the green (Froggy, you have one) and several smaller projects but I don't want to buy anymore because pound skeins are huge.  I'm sure I'll find plenty of things to use the cream yarn for!

Just because I thought it was cute!

Warm Day

Well, warm for this time of year.  It was in the high 50's and maybe made it to 60.  It was sunny and N.I.C.E.!!!!!

 

Froggy, I was talking about skipping winter in general.  I know it's too late for this year.  But, if we skip winter - will be then have TEXAS seasons?  You know:  Summer, Summer, Summer, Christmas.  (It's a TEXAN thing, you don't have to understand - but a TEXAN will.)

 

I've been having issues with me stupidleftknee this week.  It's been bothering me a lot and I've had my brace on most of the time.  Today is the first time I've gone without the brace this week.  It's better.  I'm really glad that the winter weather is (hopefully) over because it's always a riskier procedure for me to deal with ice and slippier surfaces.

 

I've started a "project" that is ongoing.  Well, it's not really a project.  But it is ongoing.  Otter will eventually be moving out on her own, she would like to do it this year but I'm not sure if she'll actually be able to afford it this soon.  I know exactly how she feels, I was her age (21) when I moved into my first apartment.  My project is related to that.  I've started what we call an Otter Box.  No, it's not a box for a phone!  It's actually in a bag at the moment, but will eventually become a box most likely.  In the bag-eventual box?  Well, supplies.  Things Otter will need when she moves out.  Nothing big, but things that she will need.  Being her mother's daughter, she cooks.  So, the only contents so far are cooking related.  Measuring spoons, measuring cups, kitchen scissors and I also put in a crocheted dish scrubber.  I'll add things to it periodically, not all cooking related but basics that she'll need to get herself organized.  She might actually get an apartment with one of her friends, apartments are fairly expensive here and that might be the only way they can afford it.  We know the friend she'll probably have as a roommate and they are well-matched.  I never wanted to have a roommate, but it's almost a necessity anymore.

 

Froggy, I still have two crochet projects for you and one non-crochet project.  They are still secret, however!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday is something I've seen on a few blogs.  There is a picture (or several) and no or very little words.

 

My Nearly Wordless Wednesday is because I couldn't think of anything to talk about on here tonight!

 

But, since Froggy will get on my if I don't blog...

The Borg Queen is never Wordless!

 

But at least she's not freezing anymore, it was finally above freezing and will be close to 70 by Saturday-ish.

 

Froggy!  I know what to do with the groundhog!  I'm going to assimilate it!  (it's a Trek joke, for all 12 of you that are non-Trek fanatics.)

 

Just what the universe needs, borg groundhogs.  Well, if Resistance is Futile...  Maybe we'll just skip winter altogether. :)

Hmmm....

Seems that there are lots and lots of recipes online for Groundhog Stew.

 

I even saw a few links for groundhog jerky.

We didn't get the snow we expected overnight, it might have snowed in Tulsa but it melted before it hit the ground.  Tonight, we could get more.  But it's not supposed to be much - which means that it will probably be up to our eyeballs!

 

That is all.....

Groundhog Jerky

I wonder if the groundhog would make good jerky?  Otter wants to just make stew out of him but I'm thinking jerky.

 

It was probably not over freezing today, it never got above 32 yesterday either.  Tomorrow is another day of the same - although we might get snow late tomorrow night into Tuesday.  Tonight's forecast included pogonip - also known as freezing fog.  Oh, Joy.

 

It was sleeting slightly when we left for church this morning but it quit by the time we got out.  We had a few errands we wanted to run and we also went to Cici's for lunch.  The plan was to drop Otter off at work at 1:00, but we got through earlier than we thought so we came home to drop Bill off.  But then Bill decided he wanted to go with me to take her to work and we could go to the booth at the same time.

 

We haven't had anything else sell at the booth, but we weren't surprised.  I took several pieces of Fenton (yes, Fenton!) that I had been thinking of cleaning out and Bill had several craft & how-to books that we put in the booth as well.  I know I have posted that I sold some of my Fenton a few years back and then regretted it, but I have been thinking about "thinning the herd" a bit and the pieces I put in the booth are a few pieces that aren't really usable to me and aren't really decorative either.  If they don't sell, I'll probably put them back in the china cabinet and maybe eBay or craigslist them later on.

I thought this was appropriate, since Valentine's Day is Friday.  And I am the Borg Queen, after all!

 

Speaking of Star Trek (which I frequently am) Otter has given me her solemn promise that she'll get a "Hi Mom" picture with my drones at TNT this summer.  I'm thinking that it's time she tell them that their Queen is here now, but she'll have to make sure they don't follow her home.  I have quite enough to deal with now, with the other drone I deal with on a daily basis!  (Yes, Bill.  I mean you.)

These are the drones that were at TNT last summer.  They are always very popular.

RIF, Y'all!

Otter Tales

Otter is having a sick day today.  She was fine when she got up, because of the weather Bill isn't driving the El Camino this week so I've been her transportation to work.  About 10 minutes before we were supposed to leave, she started to feel bad.  She had a great deal of sinus pressure, no fever or body aches but lots of pressure.  She wasn't sure if she would be able to go in but she wanted to wait a little bit and see if she felt better.  So I texted my boss that I would be late and Otter had a 30 minute nap.  When she got up, the sinus pressure had increased and by this time she was beginning to feel actual pain in her sinus cavities.  Which generally means a sinus infection.  Otter's only had one before in her life, she doesn't seem to have inherited the "family nose" that I got from Mom.  Actually, it's the sinus cavities that are the problem and not the nose but Otter doesn't have it and we're glad.  I've had more sinus infections that the law allows!

 

 

(I thought that was funny).

 

It started snowing overnight, not a lot but enough to be slightly messy and it was very cold.  I called Bill to let him know, then I bundled Otter up and it was off to the doctor next.  We went to the walk-in clinic we use, we don't even try anymore to get an immediate appointment with our doctor.  There are never openings, even when I had that major nosebleed years ago the only appointment I was offered was several days later - even when I told them that it was a serious nosebleed and I thought it was an emergency.  I went to the same walk-in clinic then as well.  We don't usually have to wait at the walk-in, today we did have to wait but it was because they were very busy.  The doctor said he'd been seeing lots of sinus infections the last couple of days, and there was at least one person that was having stitches according to the nurse.  The verdict was the sinus infection we thought she had.  She had already called in to work, before we went to the doctor.  She got an excuse for today and the doctor told her not to go in tomorrow but she was already off then.  The Walgreen's we use is down the street from where she works, so we stopped at her store and she went in to turn in the excuse.  Her boss told her that it won't be a problem for her to be off today.

 

After we got her prescription for amoxicillin filled, it was close to noon and she wanted something hot for lunch.  Bill was on his way home by this point, so we stopped at Little Ceasar's and I got a couple of their hot & ready $5.00 pepperoni pizzas.  After she ate, Otter took her pill but the pills are so big that I think they could choke a horse!  Bill split it up for her, the rest will probably have to be split as well.  She takes them for 10 day, if she's not better in 3 days then she'll need to go back but we caught it pretty early.

 

Bill's off tomorrow, he'll stay home and play with pachinko machines.  Actually, he's going to be working on the current machine he's refurbishing.  I had planned on going in after the doctor, if it was early enough.  But it was after noon when we got home and it would have been just for a couple of hours if I had managed to get to work.  But it was a slow day, I'm pretty much always caught up.  Since we were expecting weather issues today, I was doubly sure yesterday that I had nothing that couldn't wait a day or so just in case.  I did get to Wallyworld briefly, I needed to get dog food and was going to do that on my lunch hour today.  I also got something like 14 containers of yogurt.  Most is for Otter because of the antibiotic, but I'll eat a little of it too.

 

I put another row on the afghan while Otter was having her short nap this morning.  I might get more done on it this evening.  It's a blanket and it's a wonderful project to work on, on such a cold day.

 

 

(I keep having to tell my bosses that it's not hard!  I crochet a lot on my lunch hour, they usually rubberneck and think it's hard.  It isn't!)

 

We did get snow, but not much.  We had some flurries off & on today.  There is still some on the roads in places, but not everywhere.  We got into the high teens today.  Tonight will be very cold as well, and we have another round of winter weather on the way for tomorrow.  And next week as well.

 

 

(The REAL Dr. Who!)

 

I'm thinking that we could probably get a couple of pairs of shoes out of that groundhog after we eat him!

Mixed Bag

We did get snow this morning.  Not nearly as early as was forecast, not as much and not as long lasting as it could have been.

 

It was supposed to start around 1:00 a.m, but as of 6:00 when Bill was getting ready to leave for work it was just starting.  By the time I left for work a little before 8:00, it was starting to really come down.  By noon, it had just about quit.  The streets were warm enough that it didn't stick although it looked like it might at first.  It's pretty much gone now, but it was pretty.

 

Before I left for work, I refilled three birdfeeders and put them out in the back yard.  Very shortly after that, my back yard was filled with birds.  Literally filled, as in PROBABLY OVER 1,000 BIRDS.  At once.  Several varieties.  2 or 3 different kinds of sparrows, yellow & red winged blackbirds, "regular" blackbirds, some starlings but not that many, a lot of other birds and a few purple martins.  Martins don't eat seed, we think that maybe they thought the other birds were finding bugs and decided to join the party!  It was honestly like something out of a sci/fi movie.  I'm not exaggerating, it was probably well over 1,000 birds.  They would take off every so often and return, the sound of their wings was amazing.  They would fly up to the trees then fly back to the yard.  Needless to say, the feeders got emptied almost immediately.

 

I am going to refill the feeders in the morning if I have time before taking Otter to work and then heading to my office.  I don't think we'll have today's unusual occurrence again, but if we do I will make sure that Otter's got her camera.

 

Tonight will be in the teens, tomorrow will be cold but Thursday could well be another winter storm and considering that tomorrow night will probably get to 6 degrees anything we get Thursday morning could be around for a while.

 

I went to the grocery store for milk tonight, because I would be needing it by tomorrow evening.  Otter and I finally made our trip to Target, the one we started out for on Sunday.  Took us a few days, but we finally got there!

Round Two?

Maybe round two of the latest winter storm series will hit tonight.  Or tomorrow morning.  Or maybe not at all.

 

Maybe we'll get ice.  Maybe a lot.  Maybe a little.

 

Maybe we'll get snow.  Maybe a lot.  Maybe a little.

 

It all depends.

 

On which tv station forecast you chose to listen to!

 

It was very cold this morning.  I filled up three birdhouses and nearly froze!  The birds were happy, and the feeders are all empty tonight.  They will stay that way until tomorrow morning.  Yesterday, I had to bribe Otter with cash to get her to fill them for me!  Not that I blame her, by the way.  It was pretty cold.

 

Today was actually not bad, the main streets were cleared off pretty good but the schools were closed.  So, Bill took a vacation day.  I went to work, but at one point I seriously wondered if I was going to get there - because the doors on both sides of my car were frozen shut!  Once I got out of the neighborhood, it was easy.  It was sunny today, it was above freezing and those conditions meant that most streets melted down.

 

Tomorrow remains to be determined.  It could be really bad.  It depends on when/where the storm lines up at.  We're going to play it by ear in the morning, but it does sound like we have a good chance of getting something out of the next wave.

 

Otter worked noon to five today, Bill took her since he was home.  If he'd gone in to work today, she would have gone with me or I'd have come home at early lunch and picked her up to get her to work.  The El Camino does not like this weather at all, so it doesn't get driven much in he winter normally.  I went to the post office and stopped at Wallyworld after I got off, then I picked Otter up when she got off.

 

Wally was a tad bit crowded!  I think a lot of people are stocking up because we could be dealing with winter weather the rest of the week.  I just wanted to get taco fixins* for dinner and a couple of other things.  The parking lot was very full.  There were a whole lot of people in there today.

 

I decided to add a little bit on to the afghan.  I put two more rows of cream on it Saturday.  I have two more cream rows then I'll put four more green on and then I'll measure it.  At that point I might put another set of cream and maybe green on it.  I haven't crocheted since then because I have a sore left hand from jamming it when I brought in firewood yesterday.  Many times!  And a case of winter skin, but that is probably not surprising right now.

 

I've also decided against turning the quilt top I bought into curtains.  I'm going to put batting on the back of it and then a fabric back.  We always need more blankets!  I think I'm just going to leave the curtains as they are.  The neighbors behind us seem to have some type of blocking curtains or possibly darkening film on their back windows and that means that they are less likely to be looking in our windows - especially since I am pretty sure that the last time I saw the lady back there she was attempting to stand tall so she could see over the back fence and into my kitchen - she saw me and she knew she'd been caught.  I may rethink that later on, but for now I think it's fine.  The curtains are not opened when we are home and in the bedroom, they are open for the plants during the day but the room isn't lit up.

 

*See my many posts on TEXAS.  Specifically, the ones that deal with our language.  Fixin is one of our very favorite words and we use it every chance we get.  Plural, singular - it doesn't matter!

Yeah, Right

We will only get a dusting.

 

Right.

 

We'll be on the edge of the snow and probably won't see much, if any.

 

Right.

 

It will mostly go south of us and we won't get much, maybe not any at all.

 

Somebody tell the weatherman to look out his window!

This isn't our pictures, it's off of one of the Tulsa station websites.  But we've gotten at least that much snow ourselves, maybe more.  This picture was taken today, I'm not sure what part of Tulsa it was in but it's a perfect example of the skill (or lack thereof) of some of the forecasters.

 

But, at least it's a day when we can stay home.

 

Sort of, anyway.  We rented a movie yesterday and it was due back today.  Otter wanted to go to Target, we were going to get both stops done in one trip.  I woke up with a bad sinus headache this morning and we knew that there was at least some weather on the way so we decided to skip church.  About 8:00, I got Otter up and after she had breakfast we were going to see what the tv showed as far as timing for the snow.  It was supposed to be at least an hour later, or maybe more.  At 8:20, the snow was starting to fall and it was quickly beginning to stick to the streets.  That's a bad sign, it means that the ground is cold enough to keep the snow and any ice around for a while.

 

We got busy, got coats-hats-scarves-gloves and shoes on, then we headed to the video store.  Froggy, the first picture we texted you was from the car window (Otter took it and did the texting!) just after we'd left the house.  We dropped the movie off and decided that Target was not going to happen today.  We had to drive by Wallyworld on the way home, both are within a 3-minute drive from the house.  After we left the video store parking lot, the snow was getting heavier and really beginning to cover the street.  We went ahead and stopped at Wally, we got a close parking spot and got inside the store as quickly as we could.  We were probably in there less than 15 minutes and by the time we got out the car was somewhat covered.  We bought 40 pounds of birdseed while we were there, along with two or three other things.  We were in the minority, there were a lot of people there and more arriving - and they were obviously doing the BMT thing and stocking up.  Anyway, we put our stuff in the trunk and headed home.  We got home easily, but the road was beginning to show signs of getting slick and covered.  Froggy, the second picture we texted you was taken from the car on the way home from Wallyworld and was maybe 20 minutes or less after the first picture.  Just in the 3-mile drive from Wallyworld, it didn't look like we'd ever even opened the trunk by the time we pulled into the driveway!  It continued to snow until after noon.  I think it's finally stopped coming down, but it's really thick on the ground.

 

Right now, we're just going to play it by ear as far as tomorrow morning and work.  There could be some street clearing, so who knows.  Otter is scheduled to work from noon to 5 tomorrow, if we are home then Bill will get her there.  Because of the fact that we will be below freezing for the next several days and have another weather front on the way, the El Camino will stay parked in the driveway so Otter will have to depend on us for transportation.  I don't think she minds very much, she really does not want to drive in this stuff.  I don't blame her!

 

I filled up three birdfeeders yesterday and they were emptied by this morning.  Otter brought them in for me and they got a refill.  We've had a constant stream of birds since we got up.  There was a huge dove, several red-wing blackbirds, a male cardinal and two females.  Along with about a billion starlings and the usual crew of sparrows.  Yesterday we saw the woodpecker several times.

 

The leafless trees look like they've grown strange feathered fruit, the limbs are loaded with fluffy birdies.

By the way, we are thinking that Baked Groundhog would make a good meal today.

 

I found the next picture online and just thought it was cute.  Except that the sheep costume the dog is wearing is not knitted.  IT'S CROCHET!

We got paid for our first month's sales at the booth.  It was more than we paid for booth rent, but the booth rent was for a partial month and not as much as a full month's rent.  I took a bunch of stuff up there yesterday.  Hopefully, some of it will sell.  And it would be really nice if a pachinko machine or two (or four!) would sell.

 

The movie we rented yesterday was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2.  When Otter was little, we read the book the first one was based on may times.  The movie was not really anywhere near the book beyond the title.  The first movie was cute, it grew on us after a while and we do like it.  It's just not like the book at all.  The second movie was not too good.  We didn't expect it to be, and we weren't surprised.  Thor 2 comes out in a few weeks, Otter saw it in the theater but Bill and I didn't.  The Riddick movie has been out for a few weeks, that is probably the one that Bill will want to get next weekend when it's his turn to pick.

 

We are not sports fans, not by a long shot.  Sometimes, we'll watch the superbowl or at least part of it.  Not often, just once in a while.  We always watch the commercials, they are released online the next day.  Some of them are out early this year.  We've seen a couple of them.  Our favorite so far is the Cheerios commercial - the sequel to the one that got all the stupid complaints last year.  The Cheerios commercial (the first one) is charming, the little girl is just absolutely adorable and reminds us a lot of Otter - especially in the fact that she puts the cereal on her dad's chest because mom told her it is good for his heart.  Otter would have done something like that when she was little.  We never could see what was so bad about it, it doesn't matter at all if they are an interracial couple.  We've already seen the sequel commercial, it's cute and very funny.  And the complaints have already started!  Which is so stupid.  What's really stupid is that a lot of the gripes are saying that it should have either been an all-white family or an all-black family, that it's "not realistic" to have a mixed family.  However, there is one major problem with that - they are a real family!  The people in the commercial are a real husband-wife-child family!  How "not realistic" is that??  It shouldn't matter!  Even if they were hired actors and not a real family, it still shouldn't matter.  Cheerios basically told the complainers to get a life and that they are going to continue to run their commercials featuring the family.

 

 

 

 

 

They get our vote, we've always eaten Cheerios and will definitely continue to now.  And Bill frequently gets the heart-shaped bowl Otter got from cheerios years ago.

 

Time to go throw another log on the fire!