The flu has been going around at work and I came down with it last week. I thought at first that it was just a sore throat due to sinus drainage, but I soon realized that I had a fever. Of course when I saw that I had a fever I knew that I had caught the flu. Working so closely with people who had it, it's no wonder that I caught it. I began taking a homeopathic treatment for it as soon as I realized I had it, and this allowed me to continue working and functioning. I began giving Randy a maintenance dose of the remedy at the same time, because in his weakened condition he certainly didn't need to contract it. I'm happy to say that although I had a temperature for 4 days I never really felt very bad and I'm sure that is due to the homeopathic remedy, as others who've come down with the flu this year have not faired so well. Thankfully the rest of the family was spared the flu this go round.
The only thing that worries me a little is that I still have a cough. There doesn't seem to be much congestion in my chest, but if the cough doesn't clear up in the next day or so I will start with the Vick's vapor rub to try to pull our anything that might be lingering.
We've had a couple of very cold nights. Last night's overnight low was 19. It isn't supposed to be that cold tonight, for which I'm glad. I will just be glad when the temperatures moderate a little. Of course a moderation in temperatures brings thoughts of planting to mind. It will soon be that time.
I don't yet know what this year will mean for us with regard to a garden. I didn't have a garden last year. I really missed it. I like raising a garden and all of the benefits that come from good home grown vegetables. There is nothing that can beat the taste of garden fresh vegetables and there is also a great deal of satisfaction in the sense of accomplishment that comes from growing and preserving your own food.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Curveballs and monkey wrenches
The mundane and predictable events of day to day living are often complicated by the unforeseen. When this happens it's like someone pitched you a curveball that you are unable to hit no matter how hard you swing. It doesn't matter how much we try to plan our lives, these things happen and when they do they are usually a source of great stress.
This past week has been very stressful for me. For the third time this winter our water lines froze and broke. When our overnight low temperature is forecast to fall at or below a certain level we take actions to prevent this kind of occurrence. On the night that the lines froze the local weathermen miss-calculated how cold it was going to get. Since the temperature that they were expecting was within our "safe" range we didn't take any actions to prevent freezing. To make a bad situation worse, there was extensive damage that required additional time to repair. Uncooperative weather conditions also added additional time to the repair process. Thankfully we were able to draw water from our outdoor source, because we were without water to the trailer for 4 days. This required filling buckets and hauling them into the trailer for bathing and toilet flushing, and filling other types of containers for cooking and drinking purposes. The whole situation was stressful and extremely inconvenient. It was good to get back to normal yesterday. I was even able to wash a load of clothes. I needed my work clothes washed and feared that I would have to go to town to the laundromat in order to accomplish that.
I will be so glad when we get the water lines run for the house. We are making plans for the water lines that will hopefully prevent a repeat of the scenario that we have experienced with the trailer. We have purchased several electric water line heaters that are wrapped around the water pipes and plugged into an electrical outlet. These give off just enough heat to keep the lines from freezing. The situation will also be improved because we plan to install windbreaks between the pillars of the house which will serve the same type of purpose as underpinning does for a mobile home.
One good thing that happened this past week is that Jeremy now has a running vehicle. The CRX is still not repaired, and Randy is doubtful that the repair is something that he and Jeremy can handle. Instead, Randy found a GEO Tracker for a reasonable price. I am not familiar with this type of GEO. It is a four door model, with seating for 4 plus a small storage area behind the second seat. It will not get the gas mileage that the CRX did I'm sure, but it will still be cheaper to operate than what we have been having to do for the last several months. A fellow student of Jeremy's at the college has expressed an interest in purchasing the CRX, even in it's current condition. If we are unable to repair it, might as well sell it to someone who thinks they can make the needed repairs.
This past week has been very stressful for me. For the third time this winter our water lines froze and broke. When our overnight low temperature is forecast to fall at or below a certain level we take actions to prevent this kind of occurrence. On the night that the lines froze the local weathermen miss-calculated how cold it was going to get. Since the temperature that they were expecting was within our "safe" range we didn't take any actions to prevent freezing. To make a bad situation worse, there was extensive damage that required additional time to repair. Uncooperative weather conditions also added additional time to the repair process. Thankfully we were able to draw water from our outdoor source, because we were without water to the trailer for 4 days. This required filling buckets and hauling them into the trailer for bathing and toilet flushing, and filling other types of containers for cooking and drinking purposes. The whole situation was stressful and extremely inconvenient. It was good to get back to normal yesterday. I was even able to wash a load of clothes. I needed my work clothes washed and feared that I would have to go to town to the laundromat in order to accomplish that.
I will be so glad when we get the water lines run for the house. We are making plans for the water lines that will hopefully prevent a repeat of the scenario that we have experienced with the trailer. We have purchased several electric water line heaters that are wrapped around the water pipes and plugged into an electrical outlet. These give off just enough heat to keep the lines from freezing. The situation will also be improved because we plan to install windbreaks between the pillars of the house which will serve the same type of purpose as underpinning does for a mobile home.
One good thing that happened this past week is that Jeremy now has a running vehicle. The CRX is still not repaired, and Randy is doubtful that the repair is something that he and Jeremy can handle. Instead, Randy found a GEO Tracker for a reasonable price. I am not familiar with this type of GEO. It is a four door model, with seating for 4 plus a small storage area behind the second seat. It will not get the gas mileage that the CRX did I'm sure, but it will still be cheaper to operate than what we have been having to do for the last several months. A fellow student of Jeremy's at the college has expressed an interest in purchasing the CRX, even in it's current condition. If we are unable to repair it, might as well sell it to someone who thinks they can make the needed repairs.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Tornadoes, Shakespeare and saying goodbye
The last couple of days have been quite eventful. We had unusually warm weather to start the week off. Monday and Tuesday we reached a high in the low 70's. While this may sound wonderful to my friends and relatives in the frigid Northeast, such warm temperatures bode ill for the Deep South, especially when there is a low pressure headed our way. Wednesday morning about 1:50 I was awakened by thunder. The sky was constantly being lit by the multiple flashes of lightning. The thunder was more akin to a drum roll than a clap, seeming to last for minutes at a time. Rain fell at a substantial rate, often whipped by the wind. Added to the crescendo of thunder and wind was the constant wail of the town's tornado siren. Since we have no storm shelter to take refuge in I lay in my bed and prayed for the safety of my family.
Eventually I fell into a fitful sleep. My alarm was set for 4:30 since Jacqueline and I needed to be at the school before 5:30. I finally gave up hope of any more real sleep and arose at about 4:15 to prepare for the day. On our way to the school we passed a storm chaser parked in the center of our small town. The sight didn't phase me much, since storm chasers are a common sight when severe weather has been forecast for our area. We arrived at the school, boarded our bus and began the days travel in the dark. We traveled about 3 1/2 hours before arriving at the Shakespeare Festival. We saw Romeo and Juliet, however the theater company performed the play with a twist. They were dressed in modern clothing rather than period costume. Despite this deviation, the play was pretty good. Had the company been dressed in period costume I feel that the play would have been excellent. The change in wardrobe made the experience surreal to me.
On our return trip to the school we passed the center of our little town. Being able to see the area in the light of day allowed me to see many many downed trees. Wednesday evening's news cast was full of stories about tornadoes striking the area. In our area alone there were 3 reported tornadoes. We were all fortunate however, as there was only some property damage and no loss of life. Other areas where not so lucky. The area of damage in our town is about 2 miles from our house, but it is a fairly small area and damage was not near as bad as it could have been.
After arriving home Wednesday evening I received a phone call reporting the passing of a cousin. Her death was not related to the weather. She had suffered from COPD for a number of years and had been battling lung cancer for the last year or so. I had visited with her last week after being informed that her death was imminent. I was grateful to be able to see her and speak to her one last time before she passed. We seldom know when someones death is close at hand and therefore may be left with a feeling of unease because we were unable to say goodbye. I am not able to attend her funeral, but was able to attend her wake last night. She has a very large family and between family and members of the community the funeral home was absolutely packed. It probably took us 15 minutes to go thru the line to the casket. Her family is of course saddened by her passing but also glad that she is no longer in so much pain. The act of breathing had been a great challenge for her for quite a few years. She will be greatly missed.
Eventually I fell into a fitful sleep. My alarm was set for 4:30 since Jacqueline and I needed to be at the school before 5:30. I finally gave up hope of any more real sleep and arose at about 4:15 to prepare for the day. On our way to the school we passed a storm chaser parked in the center of our small town. The sight didn't phase me much, since storm chasers are a common sight when severe weather has been forecast for our area. We arrived at the school, boarded our bus and began the days travel in the dark. We traveled about 3 1/2 hours before arriving at the Shakespeare Festival. We saw Romeo and Juliet, however the theater company performed the play with a twist. They were dressed in modern clothing rather than period costume. Despite this deviation, the play was pretty good. Had the company been dressed in period costume I feel that the play would have been excellent. The change in wardrobe made the experience surreal to me.
On our return trip to the school we passed the center of our little town. Being able to see the area in the light of day allowed me to see many many downed trees. Wednesday evening's news cast was full of stories about tornadoes striking the area. In our area alone there were 3 reported tornadoes. We were all fortunate however, as there was only some property damage and no loss of life. Other areas where not so lucky. The area of damage in our town is about 2 miles from our house, but it is a fairly small area and damage was not near as bad as it could have been.
After arriving home Wednesday evening I received a phone call reporting the passing of a cousin. Her death was not related to the weather. She had suffered from COPD for a number of years and had been battling lung cancer for the last year or so. I had visited with her last week after being informed that her death was imminent. I was grateful to be able to see her and speak to her one last time before she passed. We seldom know when someones death is close at hand and therefore may be left with a feeling of unease because we were unable to say goodbye. I am not able to attend her funeral, but was able to attend her wake last night. She has a very large family and between family and members of the community the funeral home was absolutely packed. It probably took us 15 minutes to go thru the line to the casket. Her family is of course saddened by her passing but also glad that she is no longer in so much pain. The act of breathing had been a great challenge for her for quite a few years. She will be greatly missed.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
An answered prayer
We got some good news yesterday. Randy made a phone call to check on the status of his disability claim and was told that he has been approved! We are now awaiting written confirmation. This will be such a relief financially. It has been impossible to keep all of the bills current. I have been paying partial balances on our utilities in an attempt to keep everything up and running. In addition we had fallen about a month behind with our mortgage payment, but now we will be able to get that caught up as well.
The next step is for us to continue to improve Randy's health. He had a very good day yesterday. He will still have days when he doesn't feel as good, but we aim for those to be fewer. Our goal now is for him to continue to slowly re-build his strength and stamina. That will come easier if he is feeling better. It is hard to exert yourself when you are unable to breath. He has complained that just standing for a few minutes can be a trail. Even walking a short distance can be exhausting and require frequent stops to rest. A major problem with all of these symptoms is that improvement takes time, and Randy is impatient. I constantly remind him of how far he has come, and try to temper his impatience with re-assurance that if he continues to follow his health plan he will continue to improve. Since attitude and determination play a huge roll in recovery from a serious health issue we also continue to discuss plans for the near future. There is still much work that we need to do to finish the house and having a plan for that work helps him to have a goal to shoot for. Having a reasonable goal and working towards it helps to give Randy purpose. We all need purpose in our lives.
The next step is for us to continue to improve Randy's health. He had a very good day yesterday. He will still have days when he doesn't feel as good, but we aim for those to be fewer. Our goal now is for him to continue to slowly re-build his strength and stamina. That will come easier if he is feeling better. It is hard to exert yourself when you are unable to breath. He has complained that just standing for a few minutes can be a trail. Even walking a short distance can be exhausting and require frequent stops to rest. A major problem with all of these symptoms is that improvement takes time, and Randy is impatient. I constantly remind him of how far he has come, and try to temper his impatience with re-assurance that if he continues to follow his health plan he will continue to improve. Since attitude and determination play a huge roll in recovery from a serious health issue we also continue to discuss plans for the near future. There is still much work that we need to do to finish the house and having a plan for that work helps him to have a goal to shoot for. Having a reasonable goal and working towards it helps to give Randy purpose. We all need purpose in our lives.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Candles, Lamps and TORCH
We had some rain and wind on Tuesday, and as nice as it was to get that rain, we sure didn't need the wind that accompanied it. Living in such a rural area means that a strong wind will often result in a power outage. This was the situation Tuesday night. The power flickered a half dozen times before finally going off. To compensate for the lack of electricity we lit candles and kerosene lamps. I always try to keep a good stock of candles in the house for this type of event. I have about half a dozen kerosene lamps, each about half full of kerosene. Of course if there was a possibility that the power would be out for more than just a few hours I would have made sure that I had a full 5 gallons of kerosene available to fill those lamps. That is what we did during the 3 days we were without power courtesy of Hurricane Katrina. I pulled out my wind up travel alarm clock and set it wake us up the following morning. Electric alarm clocks are great but obviously completely useless in this type of situation. Even though the power was restored in about 45 minutes I still left a candle burning in the living room to give us some light should the power go back off during the night.
It rained again yesterday, but without the wind. This batch of precipitation was slower moving and therefore was more beneficial than the storm that came through on Tuesday. Despite this we are still in a rain deficit. The current forecast calls for a chance of rain 4 of the 7 days in the next 7 day forecast. Slow and steady rain over the course of several days would really help conditions.
Randy has been feeling better this week. I am hopeful that it is a sign that his health is improving. Progress is slow, and this frustrates him. His frustration is understandable. It can be hard to see improvement when it takes so long between each stage. I have suggested that he keep a journal as a way to review and map his progress, but he hasn't done so. He has been more consistent in taking his medicines and vitamins. He has also tried to incorporate a small amount of physical exertion to his daily activities.
Jacqueline is going to a type of talent show today at the local community college. This event is called TORCH although I'm not sure why. Perhaps the letters stand for something, but what that might be no one has ever explained to me. She is going to play a piece on the piano. This is something she has basically taught herself, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Her Band Director suggested this and I'm sure the suggestion wouldn't have been made without full confidence in her abilities.
It rained again yesterday, but without the wind. This batch of precipitation was slower moving and therefore was more beneficial than the storm that came through on Tuesday. Despite this we are still in a rain deficit. The current forecast calls for a chance of rain 4 of the 7 days in the next 7 day forecast. Slow and steady rain over the course of several days would really help conditions.
Randy has been feeling better this week. I am hopeful that it is a sign that his health is improving. Progress is slow, and this frustrates him. His frustration is understandable. It can be hard to see improvement when it takes so long between each stage. I have suggested that he keep a journal as a way to review and map his progress, but he hasn't done so. He has been more consistent in taking his medicines and vitamins. He has also tried to incorporate a small amount of physical exertion to his daily activities.
Jacqueline is going to a type of talent show today at the local community college. This event is called TORCH although I'm not sure why. Perhaps the letters stand for something, but what that might be no one has ever explained to me. She is going to play a piece on the piano. This is something she has basically taught herself, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Her Band Director suggested this and I'm sure the suggestion wouldn't have been made without full confidence in her abilities.
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