Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Ms. Moon May Be Ill-ish


Owen has gone home and Kathleen has come by and we had a nice tea-on-the-porch visit. She looks tremendously well. She is so amazing, that girl. She's planning a trip to Spain this summer with her father and I just keep looking at her like, "You can't be serious," because her father is barely mobile and he's not the easiest person to be around and well, okay, she has cancer.
BUT, to Spain they will go because he wants to so badly and I just have to say that this woman is a far, far better woman than I will ever be and there is no doubting that.

I don't feel well. This is unusual for me. You know, I've been taking care of Owen for at least a year now and not once, NOT ONCE, have I had to cancel taking care of him for illness. When Jason called this morning to tell me that he'd been called into work on his day off, I wasn't sure how it was going to go, knowing how I felt. But Owen was sort of low-key too. He's coughing a bit, sneezing a bit, and we played on the bed for awhile and read books and he was so sweet, giving lots of kisses and hugs and even saying, "Ah-lah, Meir-Meir," which means, "I love you, Grandmother," and we cuddled and joked and made tents of the covers and when he fell asleep with his head on my shoulder, I could have wept, the rain falling outside, two dogs snoozing on the foot of the bed, the house quiet and still.

It was that perfect and I was so glad he'd come.

It seems like everyone has been getting some sort of illness lately. Upper respiratory mostly but my postmistress told me she'd had that combined with the stomach thing AND the aches so bad her teeth hurt and when she finally woke up on the fourth day feeling a tiny bit better she felt she'd come through the valley and the shadow of something pretty bad.
I hope I don't have THAT!

Ah, I probably don't have anything but some tiredness. I don't think I've stopped in weeks, not really, and I'm just weary. I took some Ibuprofen last night and I could almost feel it, tiny chemicals in my blood that went around checking each and every cell for inflammation, patting them all on their tiny cell-foreheads with cool, soothing Ibuprofen hands. Aren't we lucky for having Ibuprofen? I've never understood Tylenol. I call it the Placebo Drug. What the hell is it good for? It doesn't do a thing for inflammation and anything worth hurting is inflamed.
That's just my opinion, by the way.
Aspirin is a fine drug though. Good for pain and the prevention of heart attacks. Can't beat that.

Terrible segue:

It's been the most amazing spring for roses. Everyone I've talked to is reporting massive buds on their rose bushes and the same is true here.
If you click on this picture



you will see what I am talking about. The chickens were very obliging about posing in the background. It rained almost all day long but they didn't seem to mind at all, following their usual route around the yard to scratch, feathers bedraggled but spirits high. They laid me five eggs today, in the hen house! Five beautiful eggs.


Owen and I collected one this morning and instead of putting it in my pocket, which we usually do, we put it in his. He was so proud! Rain doesn't bother Owen, either, and oh, please don't think me a horrible grandmother for taking my sneezling boy out into the rain. It was only a drizzle and warm at that. He wanted to stay out longer than I did and we kicked a bit of bamboo. I just went out and kicked more. This plant is the stuff of nightmares, growing so fast that you could wake up in your bed, encaged in it and unable to fight your way out.

Yes. I need to pay some attention to my toenails which have not been painted since Truvy left.
Do you see the dogwood petals which have drifted from the trees?

I heard a crack and a thud a few minutes ago and when I went outside, I found the branch which had fallen. It was covered in resurrection fern which swells and fills from the rain and the extra heaviness brings down the branch and there you go.


During dry times, the fern curls back in on itself, brown and tiny and you'd never know what a glory it is, just waiting for rain. I have a lot of my beds bordered in fallen branches with this fern on it. It's a living, breathing thing which gives life to a piece of wood which has taken leave of the mother tree. A beautiful part of the life-to-death process.

As you can see, I am not feeling so bad that I couldn't go out and see what the yard is holding for me. The sun has come out and this time of year there are so many changes every day, so many surprises if you only know how to see them.

Some of the changes are dramatic, like the bamboo, and some are subtle, like the unfolding of the native azalea.


It's all too much to miss, not unlike a few days of not seeing a baby, an eighteen-month-old.

Well, there are enough red-winged black birds at the feeder again to bake into a pie but I think I think we shall not be having a blackbird pie tonight. That would be a crazy dish to set before the king. I do keep thinking about that squirrel pot pie that Anthony Bourdain was eating the other night. The squirrels here are getting so fat off bird food and chicken scratch that before long we're going to have to help them up the trees. (I didn't make that saying up. A park ranger told me that once at Wakulla Springs about all their tourist-fed-fat squirrels.) And there are certainly no shortage of them. If I can eat a pig or a cow or a deer or a chicken, I don't see why I shouldn't or couldn't eat a squirrel. Antibiotic free! Free range! Free protein!

Well, if times gets hard enough, as they say in the south.

This may be the most wandering, rambling, nonsensical post I've ever written. Perhaps I am a bit ill.

If so, forgive me for writing under the influence of a virus. I'll take some Ibuprofen later and wait for those little cool-handed chemicals to wash through my bloodstream. I doubt it will do much for my mind but you can only ask so much of even miracle drugs.

And as always, thank-you so much for coming on these rambling jaunts with me. Perhaps tomorrow I will speak of how Owen tried to microwave a fake hibiscus flower today. He almost did, too.

But he didn't. See? I AM a good grandmother. I stopped him before he could do it.

We do our best. I know you do and I do too and if some days that means we did not let a child microwave a plastic flower, well then, so be it.

You go save the world. I'll just save my microwave and kick some bamboo.
And sleep with a baby as the rain falls down.

We all have our standards and I am quite happy with mine. Thank-you very much.

Love...Ms. Moon

23 comments:

  1. I always take Tylenol and Ibuprofen together, at the same time. I am completely convinced that neither of them work alone (for me). My liver be damned.

    I had something else but I forgot... damn.

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  2. Oh! When times get hard enough... it's the wild rabbits around here that I think we should eat.

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  3. I've had squirrel. And dumplings :) And it really wasn't bad. My mom's sick but everyone's well and fine here in DC.

    Oh, and my soup turned out pretty good. Here's hoping it'll keep me well and fine.

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  4. Dear Mary, I hope you feel better. There's definitely something going around. I swear by soluble paracetamol in a pint of water and if I get something ibuprofen with codeine. Tylenol doesn't do much to me either.

    One of my favourite restaurants in London called St John sometimes serves squirel. Last time it was on the menu it was Braised squirrel with fennel. I didn't order it. My dad has a garden full of fat, overfed squirrels too.

    Look after yourself, you haven't stopped since the play! Much love, Christina xx

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  5. PS. The native azalea is beautiful. I still haven't done my garden, you put me to shame. It rained all day here too. I'll do it as soon as it's fine. And if it makes you feel better - I only have red polish on my big toes now, I'm having a pedicure on Friday. They've been hidden away in boots for ages and The Actor's been away so I've not bothered xx

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  6. Crazy bamboo.
    I hope you feel better and it doesn't become anything much.
    Great pics, love the ferns.
    The nap with O sounded so comforting and perfect.
    Go to bed early Ms Moon.

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  7. Stephanie- And what does the Tylenol do? I'm curious. Well- whatever works. And rabbit is a perfectly acceptable meat.

    SJ- It should! That soup looked amazing.

    Christina- We don't have paracetamol- I don't think. What IS it? I want it! And oh honey- wouldn't it be fun if we could go get manicures together? Squirrel with fennel, eh? I'm thinking sage and rosemary...

    Bethany- Oh. To bed very early. I promise you. And that nap was heavenly.

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  8. I like this one. Your nap sounds so sweet and snuggly perfection!

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  9. I was actually impressed by your pedicure!

    Tiny glimpses of spring here. Still waiting...

    xoxoxo

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  10. Well dammit all! I should've come played with you guys yesterday anyway. If everyone is already getting sick, that is. I've been taking Umka and grapefruit seed extract and I feel almost all better. Don't ask me what Umka is, I don't know. It tastes pretty good, so it probably does nothing.
    I hope you are feeling better in the morning. Sweet dreams, sweet Mama.

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  11. Tylenol...what a waste of money! I prefer Excerdrin where the Tylenol is just for show but you get a lovely boost of caffeine.
    Squirrel-yes I ate it many times as a child. Rabbit too.

    Oh, there have been illness here too but recently the flu started big time. Hope a good sleep will find you feeling better in the morning.

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  12. I do hope you're not coming down with something, but if you are, I hope it's a quick one. As for the drugs, I've always been a Tylenol gal but after your description (which I thought incredibly brilliant), I might have to start taking ibuprofen.

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  13. Well, I do hope you are not ill. I woke up this morning with a horrible back pain and a temperature. Turns out I may or may not have a kidney stone. I am heavily medicated though.

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  14. I covet your eggs.

    I havea segue for you - aspirin is meant to be good for roses too. Even they like it. Tada!

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  15. This post was a ramble, but a lovely ramble through the house and the yard.

    "...And sleep with a baby as the rain falls down..."

    What a lovely wish for one and all!

    Hope you are feeling better this morning. I brought a cold back from Spain =o[ but I dosed it with homeopathics all day yesterday and am up on my feet already to day.

    x0 N2

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  16. Oh, I love that native azalea.
    I thought I was the only one who took aspirin these days--Tylenol does nothing for me. Only Advil once worked for a tooth ache. Aleve does the trick for cramps.
    Hope you and your offspring feel better soon.

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  17. The eggs are lovely--a damn work of art.

    Sorry that you are ill, but as adults, sometimes that's the only downtime we can get. Try and rest.

    Love you,

    SB

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  18. oooh what lovely pictures...you have quite taken me out of my horrid day at work where nothing is working...thought i'd just sneak a peak and am glad i did....now back to the emails....!!

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  19. I had the most terrible headache yesterday morning. Woke up with it, threw up from it and finally it left after some Sudafed Sinus meds. I think that it was the change in weather. Certainly wasn't due to drinking or drugs. Anyway, I felt like I had come out of the valley as well. I'm glad "it's naaat a tumah".

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  20. Ms. Fleur- It was!

    Michelle- I did cut my toenails. That's a start.

    May- Bring me some Unka! Not really. I have chocolate. Probably just as good.

    Mel's Way- I sure would eat squirrel before I'd touch possum.

    Elizabeth- You'll never buy another Tylenol again. I swear.

    Angie- Oh no! I had a kidney stone once. I will never recover from the trauma! I hope it's not that!

    Jo- Really? Huh.
    Good to know.

    N2- Homeopathy would require me going to town to get some. Thus- no.
    I'm glad you're better though!

    Michele R- Nothing wrong with aspirin if it doesn't bother your stomach. It's a GOOD drug.

    Ms. Bastard-Beloved- Ain't that the truth? I love you.

    Young At Heart- I'm so glad you stopped by!

    Syd- Now THAT'S A SEVERE HEADACHE! Damn. I'm glad you recovered. You know, I've lived in this house for seven years and I've never puked here yet. This astounds me somehow.

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  21. Yay, a bamboo picture! Thanks. I sure do love the tours around your yard. You could charge admission.

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  22. Lora- Your kids would LOVE kicking the bamboo. Oh, how I would love to see that.

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  23. You were sick, too! But still writing. Like a proper writer. I spent all my energy on the kids and then just lay in the sofa watching cookery shows. At least they're educational. But at least I had the good manners to miss you while I was watching them. Big kiss to you.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.