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"Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."
- Unknown

"That which does not kill you, makes you stronger."
- Handed down through the ages.

"Life's tough. It's even tougher when you're stupid."
- John Wayne



Thursday Morning News

Good morning!  I don't know that I have much "news" to report, but I was at a loss for a post title.  ;)

It's CHILLY in the house this morning:  47 degrees, and I can see my breath!  Well, after I take a sip of my coffee, that is.  So, a little bit of an exaggeration there.  ;)  I'm debating turning the Central Boiler on again, but that would mean hitting the woodpile today and, since I'm sick, that probably isn't the brightest idea.  So, instead, two of the three house wood stoves are cracklin' away.  I have to go out and bring in more kindling before I can start the third.  And so, between those, hot coffee and polar fleece and mukluks, I'm fairly comfortable!

So, sick.  I'm staying at the little cabin just outside of town all the "in between work days" nights now to save time and gas.  I felt like I was getting sick Monday afternoon at work and then had a bad, bad headache all of Monday night and couldn't sleep for ANYTHING.  I woke up Tuesday morning feeling fairly awful and so called in sick to work.  Due to the headache and the bright yellow snot I was blowing (sorry), I figured I had another of my now-prone-to sinus infections.  But (happily?), it progressed to a full-out nasty cold during the day.  

I went to Mama & Papa Pea's right away in the AM to tell them about my sick day, and Mom went into instant mothering mode and was soon pushing healthy food and drink down my gullet.  Whenever I'm sick with a bad cold, I have the misfortune (?!) of still looking fairly healthy; but, this time, they commented that NO ONE would doubt my condition based on my appearance!  ;)

I tried to sleep some during the day but only succeeded in closing my eyes for about 30 minutes in rest.  I did get a little computer work done, though, and putter-putzed in the cabin . . . and just generally took it easy.  Managed to get myself upright enough for a much-needed hot shower again at Mom & Dad's that night and then headed back to my cabin with the makings for a hot toddy.

Now, let me tell you about the Pea family hot toddies.  I know there are hot toddies that are an enjoyable hot cocktail.  (Hot cocktail?!  That doesn't sound right at all!)  But, this is NOT the same animal!  There is nothing enjoyable about these.  Nor the effect they promote.  The end result is the only good thing.  They taste HORRIBLE and are purely medicinal.  I've been subjected to them since I was a little girl and would get sick (which was always just a horrible, horrible cold).  I'm fortunate in that I've never been very susceptible to anything like the flu or other ailment save my huge rash of female troubles - which are finally in the dim, dusky past - and now the sinus infections these past few years.

But, I digress.  As usual.

Pea Family Hot Toddies are made this way:  fill a large stainless steel tea ball (no bad-leaching aluminum for this family) with crushed organic sage.  Into a large mug it goes.  Add a large squeeze of lemon and then a BIG dash of whiskey.  As a child, it was that big dash.  As an adult (or, as was the case Tuesday night), I put in about 1/2 an inch!!!  Top off mug with BOILING water.  Stir in a generous spoonful of home-grown honey.  Get into bed.  Now, get it into your system as QUICKLY as you can tolerate the heat and taste!

Profuse sweating ensues.  And face-pulling from the awful taste.

Hopefully, it will also knock you out.  

I didn't think I was fighting a fever, but at one point during the night when I turned over, I could still feel the sweat ROLLING off me (gross!).

End result?  I woke up, after a SOLID night's sleep, feeling a MILLION times better.

I arrived to work cheery yesterday morning and fairly ready to hit it.  It had been truck day on Tuesday, and my aisle was FILLED with pallet boxes waiting to be unpacked, tagged, and stocked.  I joked with my fellow employees between nose blows and was in good spirits (although they thought I sounded awful).  By 11:00 and my 15-minute morning break, I said that I was going to go sit out in my car and moan.  ;)  Still, I wasn't feeling horrible.  By 12:30, I was wondering why it wasn't 2:00 yet and my lunch hour.  I wasn't joking anymore, and those last 90 minutes d-r-a-g-g-e-d by . . . even though work was keeping me all too busy.  When 5:30 and the end of the day came, I was wiped.  My feet were killing me, I was getting the start on a good hack, and I was exhausted.

After a quick visit with Mama & Papa Pea and kicking off my binding shoes, I picked up the dogs and headed to the cabin to pack up in order to head home to Swamp River Ridge for my day off.  Papa Pea came and helped me transport a 100# cylinder of LP gas up the hilly trail to the cabin so I'd be able to use the two-burner propane stove and wall furnace the next time I arrived (you can't drive all the way to the cabin, and I'd previously only been using the wood stove for heat & hot water since I was out of gas).

Finally, all of that done around 7:30, I headed back into town to pick up a deep-dish pesto pizza (my splurge for feeling so crummy).  I ate three slices of it on the way home.

Geez, what a tangent my hot toddy story turned into!  I hadn't meant to give you a blow-by-blow of my day yesterday!

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As exemplified by the temperature in the house, we are back to and still in more acceptable heat levels (i.e. chilly!) for this time of year although ALL the snow is gone.  Yesterday morning, the rain drops near town were snow flurries up over the hill . . . which means they would have been the same here although I wasn't around to see it.

And, with that, I'm kinda pooped again.  I'll leave you with this, though:  the picture, finally, of what dear, sweet Carolyn Renee gifted me with:    


I started my day this morning with the treat of opening another of the packages:  the heavy, weird shaped one at the top right.  (Remember, I told you I was meting them out as I needed?)  The weight made it seem like brass or cast iron, but I couldn't figure out what the center, sticky-uppy part would be.  Oh, my:  she is a woman after my own heart!!!  It IS cast-iron - an ADORABLE CANDLE HOLDER!!!  Which would explain the lovely dark burgundy candle that the brown-wrapped cylinder was!  Here I just thought it was a candle just to "be" a candle . . . since I love burning candles!  But, nooo, there's rhyme & reason here!  ;)  I've also opened the flat packaged pictured here underneath the letter 'cause I was fairly sure it would be chocolate and I NEEDED some last Sunday morning!  And, sure enough, it was!  No evidence of that remaining now save the wrapper.  I'll try to photograph everything I've opened later today.

And, too, I hope I have the time and energy to write again later today 'cause I have more to share with you, but you know my track record with those promises!

Thanks for being you and keeping my difficult days wonderful!  Remember:

"Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."
- Anonymous

6 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear you're feeling so crappy. Getting sick sucks.

    Oh, and I wanted to tell you that although I like your new header on your blog, every time I look at it I think to myself "How many ticks and chigger bites do you think that lady is going to get???"

    Only country folk would think that I guess.

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  2. Oh yes ,the header ,my daughter would call that ,those pointy bras,not for her,but in my day why do you think they invented the gym class exercise" we must, we must ,we must ,we must improve our bust" laughter will raise your endorphin's and if I ever get a ride to the P.O/ YOU MIGHT HAVE ANOTHER GOOD LAUGH

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  3. I hope you are feeling much better very soon. Your hot toddy sounds similar to what was prescribed for us kinder by our dear,family doc from Germany. Those were the days when he would make housecalls with a flask in his bag. Doc insisted on LOTS of hot whiskey with some lemon, honey and crushed garlic in a herb tea. My Texan mom later added the cayenne or tabasco to his European remedy. Whew Wee--you didn't care if you were sick after a few gulps of that intoxicating brew!-"M"

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  4. That hot toddy your family makes actually sounds pretty good to me! And it made you feel better for awhile. Hope you keep improving! Our treat as kids, sick or not, was a tablespoon of refrigerated cod liver oil before bed! Oh, yum. Not!

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  5. Sorry you are feeling so bad. Hope by now you are better! Sounds like your life is busy enough without the addition of a bad cold. I've been reading your blog recently but haven't commented. Nice job! I'm your newest follower.
    ~~Lori

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  6. Oh my, I about doubled over when you said the tea ball was full of SAGE, ugh indeed LOL, I see why the generous splash of whiskey was needed hahaha! I hope you are feeling better and the little cabin heats up nicely with the addition of that propane. That's one plus to not being in the big house, right? :)

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