Tales of Blah in Vivid Language

I haven't posted in quite some time! Not because I haven't had anything to say; I HAVE, but just have been unable to get here to jot it down. Now that the kids are in bed (again) I've a few spare minutes to sit in the La-Z-Girl recliner with my laptop and relax a bit.

Yes, the kids. D had fever and chills Sat afternoon; S woke up Sun. am, threw up, then had fever and chills. We're talking 102, 103 degrees! Yesterday afternoon I took D in to the Dr's office with a 103.5 fever; motrin, liquids and bed rest were doing nothing for him--he was still sleepy, feverish, and miserable. Dear Doctor tells me if only I'd brought him in Sat or Sun we could ahve started him on Tamiflu, but as it is, D will have to just be miserable for another 2-3 days. Both kids are pretty miserable, and it's been very quiet around here, except for the sniffing and coughs.

I am keeping an eagle eye out for any symptoms in A or myself; I will GO GET THE MEDICINE rather than be knocked on my rump for 5 straight days, which is what's happened to the kids. They migrate between their beds and the couches, very little else.

Yesterday we got a call from someone in our old youth group - John! He, his wife and daughter are up here in WA visiting his parents (who now live in Sequim) - and they were going to come to Puyallup to catch up! Too bad that my family's under quarantine. A. was able to go to Cattins with them for dinner tonight, though. John hasn't changed much. :) His wife and daughter are beautiful; he's a fortunate man. I did get a chance to chat with them for about 15 minutes, standing in my driveway in the rain. (I didn't want to expose them to any lovely virii that are floating airborne in my home).

Last week or so A. gave me the evening off and I went out to Borders to sit and read a book. I remember now, it was March 7. (Eeeep! It HAS been a while!) There was a ginormous number of teens there in the coffee shop (Seattle's Best!), so the noise level was pretty high, even in the back of the store, where I usually roost.

Overheard: "Dude, did you hear about the guy who shot himself in the leg TWICE??"

"No freakin' way!! Why!?!"

"Like, he said he wanted to find out if it hurt as bad the second time!"

Me: *snort, snort, snicker*

I do not know if the shooting was an actual event, or if that was supposed to be a joke, but I certainly found it funny!

Last week (now I have my dates on straight) A. went to the FBFI conference up in Monroe. Kids and I had a pretty good time holding down the fort. It's amazing how one person less makes a big difference in the dynamics of the family. First, I was able to get all caught up on laundry. Second, I made it to the gym every single day, because I made reservations in the Bally's Kids' Club for my halflings. We also went out to dinner at Pizza Hut (which makes A. sick, so we never go there when he's home). AND best of all, he came home early Weds morning, instead of Weds. night like I was thinking. Probably with all the outside running around I did with the kids, they picked up the flu during that time; it hit on Saturday, so the incubation would be about right, I think. :( The disadvantage of homeschooling: they don't always develop immunities to common illnesses.

Then again, do I really want them to be in an enclosed bldg. all day getting exposed to who-knows-what? I was reading an article today re: public schools needing to make emergency plans for pandemic outbreaks - just HOW will schooling continue if the school needs to literally, physically close down for a month or more until the outbreak is controlled?

Praise God that we currently have the answer to that, and it's called the Steilacoom Virtual Academy. We go online, we communicate by email, telephone and Elluminate, and we complete our coursework at home. I'm tellin ya, it's great. I think more public schools should use this as a viablel, reasonable option for education.

D. has just migrated again back to the living room couch. "I feel weightless," he declares, snuffily. He wants some applesauce to eat. I think this is the first thing he's asked for today; everything else has been a concerned mommy giving him water, banana, toast, yogurt, WHATEVER he'd nibble... and it's all pretty much been nibbled once or twice then put aside. So this means I'm closing for now. I will leave you with some doggerel I wrote back in 2002 which I found this morning while perusing an old journal: (sorry about the formatting, I can't make it do what I want to!)

1. A life: boiled down

vaporized, wafting
extracted painfully
puffing a phrase here
thought there
fragment, fragment, fragment
to find what?
Meaning? Pattern lost amid
myriad insignificance
Tale of blah in vivid language

2. I write,
therefore I have nothing to say.

3. Carpe diem! Before I forget
Just what the heck I've ever done
worth writing about.
Carpal tunnel! Too late.

4. Create, my heart said.
What? my mind replied.
A chasing of the wind, a desire to leave a mark
indelible
on the heart of another
touching mind with
penstroke

5. The phrase that
escapes me at present
will surely
come back tonight
in spectral garb--
A dream forgotten later--
but
leaving the shade
of a soul
unexpressed--
unshriven.

6. Blunt-tipped words
Held in place by
an obliging piece of paper
and corresponding blunt wit.