We don’t have to be Winnie the Pooh to recognize a Blustery day. One look out the window today and I was happy to stay inside until a doctor’s appointment forced me out into winter. It’s been colder lately with a wind-chill that stands behind its name all the way to my bones. Without proper attire, hat, scarf, mittens, long johns and a coat that would deflect bullets the dash between the house and the garage is like thousands of razor sharp knives piercing the skin. Living on the water has its perks; the beauty of nature and summer recreation showing from every window pane, but in the winter the north wind whips our property like a punishment.
Hubby and I had been sick for over two weeks. We’re definitely on the side of wellness, but it’s been a rough ride. The first week I had a cold, aches in the joints, headache and lethargy but nothing in the sinuses. After about a week of feeling useless, but on the mend, I left the house to shake a severe case of cabin fever and forage for provisions because this old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard was bare.
We went to the grocery store and filled the cart and much to my chagrin, the gal behind the cashier counter let loose a sneeze bomb right in my face. No covering her mouth with a hand or letting it land into the crook of her arm, or turning her head to the empty air behind her. No, she stood there and blew viral shrapnel in my face; I could feel the droplets of moisture hitting my skin, inhaling it up my wind tunnel of a nose. I took a bullet for sure, a direct hit to my immune system and it was a foreign agent, one not recognized and previously dealt with so I lacked a defense. Sure enough, two days later my nose became a leaking facet, fever set in and the headache was back with a vengeance. I groaned, sinking back into the sofa I’d only just extricated from my back.
I blame the sickness on bragging how I rarely get ill. We’d been out with friends for a delightful breakfast at the Gold Bean Café in Gold River and we were discussing flu shots, which I never get, and I said how I rarely get sick and looked for a piece of wood to knock on to seal the statement. All I could find was an Arborite table top, painted gyprock walls and upholstered seats. My hand hovered looking for some pine to tap, anything really, but there wasn’t even a tooth pick and it made me feel a little nervous. I’m not a superstitious person by any mean, but it’s a habit to knock on wood, just one of those things we do without thinking to cover the stupid things we say! I worried my boast would foil me, and sure enough, hubby got it first and because we share a house, passed it along to me as this year’s Valentine’s gift.
Today, I’m about 97% back to normal and I’m optimistic that I’ll make a full recovery in the next day or so, but I’ve learned my lesson and will watch my words and stop bragging, well actually after this two week load of crap I can’t say that I don't pick things up, a few years will have to pass without further incident before I'll dare to declare it again. . But, there’s always the but, if there should come a time that I stupidly suggest I’m a germ deflector, I’ll make darn sure there’s wood handy to back it up.
I’m not a great patient. I like my down time but only when it’s my choice, not forced against my will. Boredom is not my friend and when you feel less than perky, it’s really difficult to pursue a hobby, read or even watch TV. Hooking was out of the question, the constant dripping made me feel like I was being tapped for maple syrup but had no place to hang a tin. So I lay around moaning and feeling the full extent of my misery. The only exertion was pulling Kleenex from the box and of course the sneezing fits that could actually propel my body like being shot from a cannon. I had fits so violent Depends could have been helpful. I’m sure those with Stock in the Kleenex company saw a marked improvement in their portfolio. Box after box was emptied by the two of us. FYI - Hubby has a great way to dispose of the used tissues. Once a box is empty you put the used ones in it until it’s stuffed to bulging and then put it in the wood stove. These boxes ignite with a small explosion and burn like a gasoline soaked rag. Bye bye bacteria!
As the days dragged on and I started feeling a bit better I periodically stripped the top of our mahogany dining room table. I'm only redoing the top and it’s very laborious so I only did about a half hour at a time as not to run out of steam over the past week. I started out using a card scraper but found that sand paper did a much better job. The varnish I applied decades back was flaking off so the table top looked like it had psoriasis. I finished stripping it this evening and will apply a coat of stain and then perhaps oil it for easy upkeep but if I feel ambitious, I might put on high gloss Epiphane varnish for the French polish, Victorian look. We’ll see. I really love working with good quality wood, the grain and natural patina reminds me of teak and my boat....with it being so cold it seems a long ways away but I can dream....
Hubby and I had been sick for over two weeks. We’re definitely on the side of wellness, but it’s been a rough ride. The first week I had a cold, aches in the joints, headache and lethargy but nothing in the sinuses. After about a week of feeling useless, but on the mend, I left the house to shake a severe case of cabin fever and forage for provisions because this old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard was bare.
We went to the grocery store and filled the cart and much to my chagrin, the gal behind the cashier counter let loose a sneeze bomb right in my face. No covering her mouth with a hand or letting it land into the crook of her arm, or turning her head to the empty air behind her. No, she stood there and blew viral shrapnel in my face; I could feel the droplets of moisture hitting my skin, inhaling it up my wind tunnel of a nose. I took a bullet for sure, a direct hit to my immune system and it was a foreign agent, one not recognized and previously dealt with so I lacked a defense. Sure enough, two days later my nose became a leaking facet, fever set in and the headache was back with a vengeance. I groaned, sinking back into the sofa I’d only just extricated from my back.
I blame the sickness on bragging how I rarely get ill. We’d been out with friends for a delightful breakfast at the Gold Bean Café in Gold River and we were discussing flu shots, which I never get, and I said how I rarely get sick and looked for a piece of wood to knock on to seal the statement. All I could find was an Arborite table top, painted gyprock walls and upholstered seats. My hand hovered looking for some pine to tap, anything really, but there wasn’t even a tooth pick and it made me feel a little nervous. I’m not a superstitious person by any mean, but it’s a habit to knock on wood, just one of those things we do without thinking to cover the stupid things we say! I worried my boast would foil me, and sure enough, hubby got it first and because we share a house, passed it along to me as this year’s Valentine’s gift.
Today, I’m about 97% back to normal and I’m optimistic that I’ll make a full recovery in the next day or so, but I’ve learned my lesson and will watch my words and stop bragging, well actually after this two week load of crap I can’t say that I don't pick things up, a few years will have to pass without further incident before I'll dare to declare it again. . But, there’s always the but, if there should come a time that I stupidly suggest I’m a germ deflector, I’ll make darn sure there’s wood handy to back it up.
I’m not a great patient. I like my down time but only when it’s my choice, not forced against my will. Boredom is not my friend and when you feel less than perky, it’s really difficult to pursue a hobby, read or even watch TV. Hooking was out of the question, the constant dripping made me feel like I was being tapped for maple syrup but had no place to hang a tin. So I lay around moaning and feeling the full extent of my misery. The only exertion was pulling Kleenex from the box and of course the sneezing fits that could actually propel my body like being shot from a cannon. I had fits so violent Depends could have been helpful. I’m sure those with Stock in the Kleenex company saw a marked improvement in their portfolio. Box after box was emptied by the two of us. FYI - Hubby has a great way to dispose of the used tissues. Once a box is empty you put the used ones in it until it’s stuffed to bulging and then put it in the wood stove. These boxes ignite with a small explosion and burn like a gasoline soaked rag. Bye bye bacteria!
As the days dragged on and I started feeling a bit better I periodically stripped the top of our mahogany dining room table. I'm only redoing the top and it’s very laborious so I only did about a half hour at a time as not to run out of steam over the past week. I started out using a card scraper but found that sand paper did a much better job. The varnish I applied decades back was flaking off so the table top looked like it had psoriasis. I finished stripping it this evening and will apply a coat of stain and then perhaps oil it for easy upkeep but if I feel ambitious, I might put on high gloss Epiphane varnish for the French polish, Victorian look. We’ll see. I really love working with good quality wood, the grain and natural patina reminds me of teak and my boat....with it being so cold it seems a long ways away but I can dream....
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