It’s that time of year again. I spent yesterday clearing the winter clothes out of the closet and moving them to another closet. Then, I got out all the summer stuff and dumped it on our bed. I was so excited – I love summer clothes, especially summer dresses and skirts. But things are changing in the warm weather wardrobe of this woman in her fifties. For some reason, many of my old favorites don’t look quite right any more. Actually, some of them have gotten a lot smaller over the winter. I don’t know how that happens. Regardless, I’m in a world of hurt. I have nothing to wear. I either need to go shopping or shrink myself into my shrunken clothes. Is there time to do that? I mean before summer really sets in? I’m not sure and the last thing I want to have happen is for the eighty degree weather to show up and not be prepared. What would I do? If I wait too long, all the good stuff will be gone, and the stores will start bringing in the fall merchandise. Yet, with the way our weather has been, there’s a good…
Month: May 2011
The Nose, Knows
Once the nose gets a hold of a good head cold, it hangs on for all it’s worth. I’ve tried it all; antihistamines, decongestants, nasal irrigation, mustard plasters, and gargles. I’m taking every vitamin known to man. The nose continues to sneeze, sniffle, run, plug, and blow. There is no quieting the nose, no soothing the nose and certainly, no stopping the nose. It won’t quit. Once the nose gets a really masterful cold going, it becomes the biggest thing on my face. It’s huge in it’s swollen plugged up state of germ infested bulberousness. It’s like a small pumpkin where my nose used to be. I’d cut off my nose despite my face if it would do me any good. I hate the thing. Not only that, but now it’s got a tissue rash that is severe. I mean it’s raw and it hurts like crazy every time I need to blow my nose which is about every thirty five seconds. Yes, I’m using the soft tissue with the moisturizer in it. I think I’m allergic to it though; I think it’s attributing to my sneezing. I’m about to call roto-rooter. I think I need the snake to go…
Under the Weather
As I’m feeling a bit “under the weather,” I decided to find out where that old saying came from. Old it is, apparently dating back to 1827. Since it was commonly believed that bad weather could make you sick, a person would be “under the weather” when taken ill. The other explanation I found, and like better, is when sailors were sick they would rest below deck and were therefore literally “under the weather.” Also, the deck on a ship was commonly referred to as the “weather bow,” so the saying may have originally been “under the weather bow.” Either way, it’s a good saying and I believe it to be true for several reasons. First, I’ve rarely ever have taken ill in good weather. I honestly cannot remember a day where the sun was out and the air was warm and I was sick. I totally agree that cold, wet, cloudy weather is the cause of both physical and mental illness. Usually, I become both during the long, dark, Pacific Northwest winters. Second is the fact that we hide from the weather when we aren’t well. Everything is exaggerated when we are sick. The warm is too…
Monkey Business
There was a monkey swinging outside my window in the cedar tree the other morning. It was the color of creamed coffee with a white belly and a white face. He had huge eyes the color of amber and they sparkled when he caught sight of the sun and his tail was so long it looked to be wound around the branch he was hanging from about ten times. Amazing, really, to have monkeys living here. I’ve always been told they prefer a much warmer climate. People don’t talk about them much, yet we are certainly inconvenienced by the little pests nearly everyday. As we all know, they have a propensity for theft. The biggest mistake I ever made in respect to our monkey friends was leaving my cell phone out on the porch when I went grocery shopping the other day. It was gone when I returned home and I knew who had taken it. It turned up on the side of the road yesterday, beat up and ruined, monkey prints all over it. The other thing they’ve been doing lately is pulling the flowers out of the pots, making a huge mess, dirt all over…