Some things generally taken for granted.

The moonlight is peeking through the trees.

There is a cool breeze blowing through my window, making the curtains wave in and out.

The breeze is making the leaves swoosh.

The wind chimes are "tinkling" in the breeze.

The night is good.

Smiles in my day:
-  I was able to tackle cleaning my house.  The 3 1/2 day extravaganza of being laid flat out by the virus of the decade did a number on my house cleaning schedule for last week.  Never fear, I'm back on schedule.  The down comforter was even laundered and hung on the line.
-  K- and I were on a parade float this evening.  Hubs' work sponsors a parade float every year to be driven in 4 different parades.  Each co-worker is scheduled one, so K- and I go to help Hubs on his night.  Hubs drives and I act as volunteer coordinator/candy bucket filler.  K- sits on the judge side and tosses candy as we drive.  This time, we had a lovely group of volunteers that walked the parade route and handed out candy, as well as a few on the float with us.  Last year it was 95 degrees and this year we were in the mid 80's.  I'd rather have that!
-  My brakes are being replaced tomorrow.  How great to have a brother that can do all of that.  Hubs can do brakes, but my brother can handle it while Hubs' schedule is quite crazy. 
-  K- has really enjoyed science camp this week.  We're so glad that she's had the opportunity to learn so many different things.  We take a week break, then we have arts camp for two weeks.  What a blessing that these camps are offered at no cost.
-  Getting squall bibs for K- for the winter from Land's End for $14.97, rather than the $54.50 original price.  I had a free shipping coupon to boot, so I was a happy girl!  Hooray!

Have a great weekend!

The Walmart pool

Walmart pool:  (noun)  The over-filled, tarpaulin blue baggie of water decorating the American back or side yard.

A mass marketer has taken the idea of the backyard pool away from the thought of it as an exclusive luxury and made it economically available to the every man.  But, should it be?

We have these unguarded balloons of water that sit in their semi-permanent state out for any child to hop into.  Because of the disposability of such item, I fear that people are far too lax about treating them as a toy, rather than the potential health danger that they can be.  Permanent pool structures generally have fences, but these are left in yards, like you would a playground ball.  There are several properties in our area of town that have these up, like summertime equivalent of the inflatable Christmas decorations.

"While many municipalities require some sort of safety device for in-ground pools—fencing with self-latching gates is typical—such is not the case with portable pools."  (Source)

K- was never left unattended with the shell wading pool up and filled.  I couldn't imagine feeling safe about having a soft bag of water sitting in my backyard.  At least my backyard is fenced in.  How is it that people feel safe to leave it out in a yard with no fence at all?  Sure, your children may know that they can't enter the pool without you, but what about other children who don't care?

Another pet peeve of mine about the disposable, portable pools is the fact that people are so quick to throw them out.  It isn't out of the question for people to buy one, use it for the summer, exercise a lack of care for the product, then toss it and start again the next year.  The landfills!  The landfills!  ARGH!

What are your thoughts about the easy set, portable pool movement?  Speak your mind, but speak it kindly, please.

So excited!

I got an e-mail from the Toyota dealership that I won a wash and wax (hand wax!) for my RAV.  It needs a waxing in a very bad way and I haven't gotten to it.  I'm so excited!  All I have to do is to schedule it and they'll do it for me!  Fantastic!

What a smile for my day!  I've been placing my name in the wash and wax box for three years.  Each time I get the oil changed, I do it again.  This past time, I wondered if anyone even won that thing.  Guess what?  They do!  :)

Tales from the Trenches: I felt a little bit Catholic at the doctor today.

I went to the doctor today for a follow-up to the lovely quick clinic visit I had.  Dr. W- came in and did his, "Hey!  What's going on today?"  I felt like I was at confession.

"Dr. W-, I was so sick.  I've been sick since last Tuesday.  I ran a fever from Tuesday evening through Sunday night.  I was so desperate on Saturday that I went to a quick clinic at the grocery." 

"Oh, that's okay."

"You don't understand.  I feel like I cheated.  Besides, my husband said that he was rather certain that you would laugh at the story that I need to tell you."

I proceeded to tell him about the very nice, but very uncertain doctor that I visited.  I told him about going from mystery illness to mono to sinus infection, then onto upper respiratory infection.  I added the ums and hmmms in there.  He was very kind to tell me the difference with just swollen glands and mono swollen glands.  He talked to me about what I had, was slightly impressed by the high number I rolled and to which he added, "It made you feel like you had a bus run over you, right?  You just couldn't get enough blankets on you, huh?" "Obviously, I did."  "But no matter what you did, you were still freezing." Amen to that my brother.

Apparently, there is a viral upper respiratory bit that is running about and that is what I cashed in on. 

So, I love my doctor.  Love him.  He sent me off with a pat on the back and chuckle and this parting line, "Did you at least get Fuel Perks with that?" 

I think he was still laughing when I walked out.

Smiles in my day:
-  PRAISE JESUS!  I finally feel human.  I'm also now starved from having not really eaten anything from Thurs - Sun. 
-  K- had science camp today and loved it.  They worked on simple machines.

Please pray that my husband and child don't fall victim to the wretchedness that knocked me flat for 3 1/2 days. 

Have a great day!

The once-in-ten-years kind of sickness.

My body started to ache last Tuesday night. 

My body continued to ache on Wednesday with an added headache. 

Wednesday night the fever started.  That fever kept up off and on until this morning.  My top number?  103.8 F.  Good times.  Hubs was outside talking to the neighbor.  I had sent Hubs and K- off to the library to the summer reading program Magician show and they had just gotten back.  I texted him, "I've cooked myself.  Please come in."  I had wrapped myself up in blankets, rather desperate to get warm.  I got warm all right.

Hubs stripped me of my blankets and the sheet, as well as a few articles of clothing and started piling the cold cloths on me to pull the fever down.  He said that I could have the sheet back when the fever dropped a full degree.  It took an hour, but I earned my sheet back. 

K- had to self-entertain Thursday and Friday.  She made herself many peanut butter and cheese wheat wraps.  (Don't ask me.  She loves peanut butter and cheese together.  It works for her and she was being self sufficient.)  She played Polly Pockets on her bed.  She napped on her floor.  She napped on the couch.  She watched some TV and was thrilled to see that the Harry Potter marathon was on the ABC Family Channel this weekend, starting Thursday evening.  (She loves HP.) 

I got to the point that on late Friday night, I woke Hubs up and announced that on Saturday, I was either going to my doctor, the quick clinic up the street or the ER.  I was going somewhere, because I couldn't do it anymore. 

The family practice wasn't open, so that left me to go seek treatment at the local grocery health clinic.  They took my insurance, everything was clean and that seemed reasonable enough.  Though he was a nice guy, he definitely didn't graduate at the top of his class.  "Well, you seem like a medical mystery."  "Have you ever had mono?  Well, I can't decide.  Maybe I should just put it under sinus infection.  Oh, well, maybe I should do upper respiratory infection."  I told him that I had had a URI before and it definitely seemed like it was that.  He gave me a prescription for a Z pack and off I rolled. 

I think that the Z pack has worked.  I feel a lot better, but I'm still coughing to the point of nearly vomiting.  The fever seems permanently gone.  Still, I'll be going to visit with my doctor tomorrow to get a true confirmation. 

So that's where I've been.  Fevering in my bed for 3 1/2 days.  Sheesh.

Smiles while in sick bay:
-  K- being self sufficient.
-  Hubs picking "sick" prizes up for me.  He always does when I'm laid up.  He bought me Along Came Polly.  Now, I'm not normally a comedy kind of girl, but the movie makes me laugh out loud.  It also helps that Philip Seymour Hoffman is a favorite actor of mine.  He also brought me a singing apple that he found in the produce section of the grocery.  Don't ask me why, but he always brings me goofy things like that.
-  My aunt, on her mobility scooter, has made numerous trips to my house over the past 4 days.  She's brought me puzzles and popsicles, orange juice and milk, and a rotisserie chicken.  It's a bit over a mile.  She told me that I bought food for her when she was sick and she just wanted to return the favor.  She called several times a day to check in on me.
-  The neighbors talk, found out I was sick and the boys across the street phoned to see if there was anything that they could do.  Word spreads fast. 
-  Hubs and K- went to a magic show and were able to go to the kids fishing pond twice.  K- was able to catch a total of 7 blue gill (catch and release) and was pretty thrilled with that.
-  My people mowed the grass and watered my flowers.  Only the potentilla is sufferin' succotash, but I think that giving it a good amount of watering will pull it through.  It wasn't crunchy yet. 

Have a great week.