Pages

Monday, January 16, 2012

Monday Musings.

Why is it, when we are hit with a (minor) illness, we revert to our child-like selves?  Personally speaking, of course.  I am usually as healthy as a horse and I can't remember the last time I got a big, soggy, miserable head cold.  Oh, wait!  It was yesterday!  You know those mornings when your head leaves the pillow a half hour after you've risen?  Where you just want to hang a bucket off your head to deal with all the "leaks"?  I am a horrible patient.  Antsy, frustrated, whiney.  And really, all I need is my mother.  Or a husband, partner, roommate, indentured servant to do my chores.  I wander about in my cold clothes, trailing damp hankies.  And I am darn glad I have a collection of hankies, as I do NOT use tissues.  I am too forgetful (and cheap).  There have been too many instances of the errant tissue left in a pocket - I do not have to describe the resulting laundry issues.

Of course, if I'm feeling lousy and sorry for myself, almost the last person I'd want to see is my mother.  She did not tolerate sickness well.  We got one day - one - to lie in bed and ring our little bell.  Then, if it was not some terrible malady, it was time to "get up" and do.  If I tried to squeeze out a little more sympathy (by now you all know how melodramatic I am was), she would rustle me up a dish of milk toast.  I tell you, that would put the roses in my cheeks - as I bolted out of bed just to get away from it!  How anyone in their right mind could think a combination of soggy toast sprinkled with sugar in warm milk would cure what ailed you is beyond me.  Hey!  Stop the presses!  It DID cure me!  However, my mother made the most wonderful custard.  That, my dears, is a warm, loving hug in a cup.

Having a head cold, while living in the Northeast in the winter, and dealing with animals, is not for sissies.  By the time I get all the sub-zero outdoor gear on, I am down to shuffling.  And everyone is hungry except me.  The only upside of all this is that I get to live in my fleece skirt, long underwear and hand-me-down cashmere sweater (only handed down because it has a paint stain - which doesn't bother me at all!)  I don't have to answer the phone.  My dogs are warm.  And I've discovered the Hot Brick Toddy!

6 comments:

Sue said...

We were allowed one day to "wallow" in our sickness too. And then BACK TO SCHOOL! To this day, on the rare day when I'm sick--I do the same thing. The second day I stand in a boiling hot shower and steam all the crud away.
Hope your feeling better soon. It's a royal pain taking care of animals when your head feels like a weather balloon!

Ngo Family Farm said...

Same here when I was young--one day to rest (and plenty of liquid Jell-O), and then up and at 'em. January really isn't your month this year :( Hope you feel better very soon, and take good care of yourself.
-Jaime

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Both my kids are home today - which is pretty convenient timing considering they were FINE all weekend. I am giving them one day and then perhaps I will try the milk toast trick on them in the morning :)

Erin said...

I hate it when I'm sick too! Probably because it doesn't seem to happen often, so when I am I figure I'm owed a little downtime LOL! Hope you feel better soon!

Candy C. said...

{{HUGS}} Hope you get to feeling better real soon!
I hate getting sick because, even though I AM married, I don't get the sympathy and pampering that I feel I deserve! LOL!!

gld said...

I feel for you! We both had the intestinal virus from h**.
Thankfully it was staggered so we didn't have to do chores when it was at its worst.

Hope you are better soon!