I'm grateful for: getting better enough to cope with crises; fresh strawberries; a cuddly bear. It's 5:23am and I can't sleep because of all the crap that has accumulated in my lungs. I should note that the stuff accumulated while I *was* sleeping, lying down even, so it might look like progress.

Right now it seems to me that I only get enough better to cope with the next crisis, then back to this bottom place, which really, really sucks rocks loudly.

That's a phrase btw (sucks rocks loudly) which goes back over twenty-five years, among my friends in college. Yes, I, the ultimate loser, did actually attend college. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the people who think so little of me that they would be amazed that I actually attend college tend not to read my diary here, so that bit of sarcasm was completely wasted. Ah, well. Anyway...

Grammatically (was pointed out by an English teacher in my high school), you can't just say something sucks period. You need a direct object, it has to suck *something.* Hence, it sucks rocks - I'm not sure why rocks as opposed to any other object, but there it is. If saying something sucks rocks isn't quite strong enough for the situation, then it sucks rocks loudly. There is an even more dreadful possibility, which is to suck rocks loudly and with Feeling. That last a la Arlo Guthrie Alice's Restaurant while we're waiting for it to come around again on the GIT-tar.

Old jokes don't explain so well. Or I don't explain them well.

My rambling at 5:23+am is of a slightly different quality than my mere rambling, what?

While I'm coughing crap up from my lungs, hoping to clear enough stuff that I can try to get a few more hours' sleep, I'll try and remember what's been happening. Hmmm, ...

Yesterday S2 and D3 and I went to the shuk. S1 has now come down with it and is terribly, terribly sick. TH stayed home to work (you know, for money) and to take care of S1 and S3, who scraped the heck out of his knee, and the three of us who were going were sick enough not to feel able to cope with taking care of S3 as well.

It was pretty exciting. S2 drove, and for the most part did okay, with the pain from the ribs/nerves only coming back at the very end of the trip. The most exciting part was getting the wheelchair in and out of the trunk as neither of the kids were really healthy enough to do it, and I, being the one who needed it, couldn't help. It was really good to get there, and to be able to buy the first strawberries to show up for the season. Yum.

After buying all sorts of yummy ירקות ופרות, fruits and vegetables, we looked around generally and I ended up buying this most wonderful stuffed bear. It has a face not like a stuffed bear but like a real bear. And it fits perfectly in my arms, with it's arms around my neck, like holding a tiny baby. It called to me, what can I say? No name for it yet, but I am tending more towards 'he' than 'she.' I'm not into stuffed animals really - I have a bunch because I have kids who give them to me - but I find this one really comforting. I'll take a photo and post it - no really - maybe even later today. ;-)

We drove to a local market for juice, which they didn't have, and made it home in one piece. Yea, us.

After suitable 'resting' (not really resting with four sick offspring in the house), I then had to go out to take S1's puppy to the vet. The poor puppy who's had diarrhea for about two weeks, although with no other signs of illness. S1 was too sick to even think about going, so it was again S2, D3 and me. I drove this time, because S2 had had to take his mega-anti-inflammatory drug and we thought it best for him not to drive unless it was absolutely necessary. He came along, though, as insurance, in case I crashed and couldn't finish driving us home or something.

400 shekel later our puppy has anti-worming meds, an anti-biotic, a special food, and instructions to be kept on just water for 24 hours. Fun, fun, fun. The only way to make absolutely sure Samantha (puppy's name, don't know why I didn't use it sooner), doesn't eat *anything* is to keep her restrained in a single room which has been quite careful cleared of anything she could possibly put in her mouth. -- But first, we had to fight with S1 and TH about it.

S2 had phoned TH to let him know what was needed (a room safely cleared of anything edible or chewable), and to request he have it ready when we got home. When we got home, instead of anything even vaguely workable, TH had affixed a chain to his bed, saying Samantha would be tied up in his room. WTF?!? Okay, you don't know the entire situation, but this is completely nutters. For one things, Samantha simply will not rest if she is not with her person (S1). Taking her to the vet without him was already fraught. And TH is going to work today. She can't be left in a strange room, all alone, with no food. AND, we cannot trust TH to make really sure there is nothing she can eat or chew on in his room - he's the one most likely to leave chocolate in the doggies' reach as it is.

So, we argued and argued, and finally got them to agree (S1's feeling was that he was too sick to take care of here, therefore she shouldn't be with him). S1 would take up residence in the family room with Samantha for the duration. TH and those of us marginally less sick than S1 are responsible for seeing to it that messes get cleaned up, fresh water is available for Samantha, medicine is - why can't I think of the correct English word? the only thing I can think of is 'applied' and I know that's not it - forced down Samantha's throat, and so forth.

Then we had to get a path cleared from the car to the room, guaranteed free of anything edible. We've all been sick enough that we can't take it for granted that there isn't food on any given surface including the floors. Neatniks and clean-freaks should NOT come visit us at this time. Then, finally, we could carry the puppy back to the family room, where she is chained to TH's desk, and S1 is sleeping in reasonable comfort on the sofa-bed.

After all of that, any gains I had made in my physical health were pretty much gone, and I am back to feeling like I want the truck to run over me again and do it right this time. But, while I've been typing all of this I have gotten an awful lot of junk out of my chest and sinuses, and I'm going to take another stab at getting a little sleep.

Good night, or good morning, for now.

I'm listening to roosters crowing outside.

:: Yesterdays : Tomorrows ::

~~~Last Five Entries~~~
Hi and goodbye - 2010-10-15
I'll be moving on - 2010-10-10
Gold membership and stuff - 2010-10-10
Decisions, decisions - 2010-10-07
Days to go - 2010-10-06