New Year, New Cold

Seems like I used to post a lot more poetry and quotes on this little blog, and I found a good one today on Garrison Keillor's, The Writer's Almanac.  It's a poem about the flu.

Timely.

Myth Dispelled

by Adam Possner

The flu vaccine cannot
give you the flu, I tell him.
It's dead virus, there's
nothing alive about it.
It can't make you sick.
That's a myth.
But if we bury it in
the grassy knoll
of your shoulder,
an inch under the stratum
corneum, as sanctioned by
your signature
in a white-coated ceremony
presided over by
my medical assistant
and then mark the grave
with a temporary
non-stick headstone,
the trivalent spirit
of that vaccine
has a 70 to 90 percent
chance of warding off
the Evil One,
and that's the God's
honest truth.

"Myth Dispelled" by Adam Possner, MD /JAMA. December 5,2012 Vol. 308 (21):2178. "Copyright © 2012 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

(I hope it's not against the law or anything to post that, I did include the Copyright.)

As my friend Janny says, anywhowho.

I tried to beat this cold. I refused to have it, but by Sunday night it really had me.

I've had lots of together time with the all of the kids and had the three "big" girls over for New Year's Eve. I had lots of fun planning it.  We had chili, made fudge, made 2013 collages, had a fire outside and it was cold! We went to the store and bought some fire works (even though there were signs posted all over the place saying that setting of fireworks in Chandler is illegal. These signs were taped on the empty display cases.)  We picked up a few odds and ends and ended up popping them off. It was fun.  Then at midnight and they were beginning to nod at about 11 30, we went outside with pots and pans and my neighbors had about 30 major fireworks going off at once.  As one giant, popping, colorful display would end, the dads of the neighborhood would just light another.  They were using blow torches. This went on for 30 minutes.  D, who is 7, looked at me and said, "noni, isn't this against the law?"  I mentioned this to my neighbor and she pointed out the neighbor who is a policeman (he was off duty), and said she wouldn't worry about it.

This is one of the small explosive devices I lit in the back yard.

My neighbor's were the size of large oatmeal containers and pony kegs.

This was our New Year's day hike at South Mountain.

They really were not into it but they climbed the first three hills at Pima Canyon.

Not bad.

I think this photo is hilarious.

They were freezing and all bundled up

although you can tell they are Arizona kids because two out of the three were barefoot.

      

Things got a little crazy after they stuffed a few pieces of fudge down.

But Noni cut them off just in time.

(and threw the rest away on Jan. 1st cuz I am so self disciplined)

On Jan. 1st I started feeling like I was coming down with something, that was Tuesday.

So I ignored it on Wed., Thur. and Friday

and Saturday I went hiking at the McDowell Mountains.

A ten mile hike with a couple of friends from the airline days.

We hiked to Bell Pass, elevation 3,204.  That is a 1,900 elevation climb.

We had a great time and it was a good hike.

Saturday night I had a good soak in the jacuzzi and went to bed early.

Sunday I didn't feel too great but decided a Thai Massage and some Pho soup would be a great idea.  Then Nell wanted me to come see the pups and kept telling me to rest.

I did try to rest but in a house with five children, nine dogs, and a cat, I can't say I got a lot of rest.  We had dinner and by the end of that I knew I better go home fast.

Anyway, this is my second day down.

I did not leave my house yesterday and was horizontal about 22 of the 24 hours.

Today is the same.

I don't want to gross you out but I keep coughing up

big chunks of gooey green stuff.

disgusting.

Here are a few photos of happier times from a few weeks ago:

This is Dahl and Ava in my backyard they decided it was time to harvest some of the grapefruit.

Dahl had fun organizing the grapefruits into various designs.

Sweet Elliott watched from the rocking chair she loves.

What a cutie.

Finally this is from this morning.

I lit a peace candle and a love candle in honor of psychologist I know who died recently.

The peace sign was a Christmas gift.