I'VE BEEN VERY, VERY SICK

I've been missing from blogland for a week now and you know that isn't like me.  I've been sick.  Very sick.  It started last Sunday with an ulcer on my tongue.  Don't know where that came from.  Then I got a scratchy throat.  Don't you hate those?  And there's just nothing you can do to make it feel better.  By Monday it was a full blown sore throat.  I haven't had one in years.  I progressed to closed sinuses and coughing, choking, can't breathe, throwing up, the whole nine yards.

Tuesday I called the doctor.  He couldn't see me, but was able to prescribe medicine which didn't seem to help me at all.

I was feeling better on Wednesday and went to work and worked all day although I was feeling awful.  But I got all the important things I had to do done.

On Thursday I actually got to see the doctor and he pulled me out of work for a week.  So that's where I've been.  I haven't been this sick in many, many years.  I think I may have had the beginnings of pneumonia because I feel the same as I did when I was in the hospital with it a couple of years ago.

I'm feeling a lot better today.  My fever finally broke, but I am still choking and coughing.  It's hard to eat anything -- everything chokes me except things like pudding, ice cream, sherbert.  And sometimes even those things choke me.  My scale needs batteries, but I bet I've lost some weight.  Not a good way to do it though.

Because I'm such a generous person I have shared my germs with the man who has taken care of me all week.  He is going to see the doctor this afternoon.  I'm praying I can get him there safely because it is in the middle of our ice storm.

Right now we are having our third snowstorm in two weeks.  It is supposed to turn to freezing rain this afternoon and have a lot of black ice.  Treacherous driving.  And then tomorrow it's supposed to be 60*.  No wonder everyone is sick.

Here's a couple of pictures from our second snowstorm.

I've watched more TV than I can ever remember watching.  My eyes hurt too much to read (although yesterday I did finish the book I was almost done) and I would doze off and on between coughing fits so I got caught up on everything I had recorded.  I'm almost done watching the Mummer's New Year's Parade.  These are the fancy brigades.
 

Right now I am watching the string bands, which are my favorite and are the end of the parade.  Each one is like a four-minute Broadway show.  Everyone is so creative.  I have two hours to go, but there are so many commercials that I will get done in about one hour.

I hope to get dressed today (I've been in pj's for five days now) and maybe get some things done around the house.  You know I'm feeling better.  I want to go to work tomorrow, so I will not be overdoing anything.

I want to end by showing you the sunset from yesterday.  It looks strange.  I think the marks in the sky are from airplane exhaust.  Until later....

 

 

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE... VALENTINE'S DAY

I woke up this morning feeling terrible.  I've been running a fever, have a sore throat and a wicked cough.  I called the doctor and tried to get an appointment, but he was filled up.  I asked for him to call in some medication for me and he gave me an anti-biotic which seems to be helping a great deal.  The fever is down, the cough is pretty much gone, but the throat is still bad.  I guess it just takes some time for that to go away.  Also now I have no voice!  It's hard to communicate in a whisper, but that's all I've got.

I called in sick to work.  My boss was not happy with me, but I can't help that.  What did he want me to do, spread the germs?  I guess so.  I am going to try to go to work tomorrow.  Let's see how I feel.

While I was home I finished decorating for Valentine's Day.  I put two wreaths on the front door:  one outside:

 
And one inside:

I also put out my Cherished Teddy cupid bear.

And this other cute little figure I have.

It has been bitterly cold here.  I don't think it's gotten above 20* all day.  Even the house is chilly.  That's the thing with old houses, there's not a lot of insulation.  My house was built in 1925 so it's not the greatest when it gets real cold.  I'm so glad I have some quilts my mom made for me and the little stove my sister gave me.  It really makes a difference.  Especially when I'm not feeling well.

Besides keeping me warm, the fire is so nice to look at.  I was watching the fire and fell asleep this afternoon.  It's so soothing.

I hope I feel better by tomorrow.  I've had two doses of medicine now (I take it twice a day with food and lots of water), so let's see how it goes.  Until later....

MY DAY OFF

Today was the last day of my three day weekend and I woke up with a scratchy throat and an ulcer on my tongue.  Yuck!  But at least I had a chance to sleep in.

I've had a whole weekend to clean up this place, and it still hasn't gotten done.  I don't know where the time goes.  Well, I guess I sort of do because whenever I'm home Joe has me drive him all over the place.  Because of his epilepsy he doesn't drive any more so he is stuck in the house when I am at work.  So he takes advantage of me being home.

Today we went to Applebee's for a late lunch/early dinner.  Then went shopping at ShopRite to finish up our grocery list.  After that we got gas and then took a ride to the CVS for a few things.  It took us about four hours to do all of that.  I'm beat.

But I did get the front window decorated for Valentine's Day.

  
And I got a load of dishes and two loads of laundry done.  So I guess I got something done.

About an hour after we got home I looked out of the window and look at the surprise I got.

The view from the front door:

 

 And the view from the back door:

 Fortunately that's about all the snow we got.  Snow is nice to look at.  It's a bear to shovel.  And then it turns to ice which I hate.  A little bit like this, however, is OK.

 I'm going to get going and try to do a few more things before I go to bed.  Until later...