Monday, December 2, 2013

Emerging From My Corner

As last week wore on so did my weariness in fighting my chesty cold.
We were glad of two comfortable bedrooms as our moments of respite from nocturnal coughing didn't coordinate for the peaceful sharing of a bed.
The weather was cold outside and windy, so we huddled, one on either side of the fireplace.
J. went out each morning to tend Pebbles and the barn cats, I bundled up to take out cat litter and the kitchen scraps which go to the refuse heap.
I added a large fleece throw to the quilt and pillow in my rocking chair.
In reach are baskets holding magazines, books currently being read, and some hand sewing.
I cluttered the stand with a stack of J.'s soft cotton handkerchiefs, a box of tissues, mugs of tea.

One survives the intermittent chills and mild fever, the snuffling, the sense of being badly abused.
Bouts of rib-juddering coughing, we agreed, were the worst of this, seconded by the sense of lethargy.
I thought of coming in to my desk, attempting to write blog posts, or letters, or work on some project, but the momentum wasn't there.
I laid aside my stitchery and simply doddered over a favorite series of books.
M. and G. appeared with a huge pot of freshly made chicken/vegetable soup and several large oranges.



Although I slept poorly last night, I awoke today with a sense of renewal and recovery.
I was scurrying about collecting laundry when J. called me to the kitchen window to observe the power-play between Nellie and Sally.
There are nearly constant 'playground' clashes amongst the cats--both indoors and out.
Sally and Sadie, the barn cat torties, have been bullied throughout their three year tenure by Willis.
Nellie and his brothers harass Willow the dithery pale tabby.
Charlie stalks about the yard seeking 'someone' to chase.
It was therefore a bit amusing to see Nellie 'treed' on the garden fence post, watching warily as Sally stomped about beneath his perch.


I always marvel at the way a cat can tidily adapt to strange small spaces. 


Nellie, appearing to have only three feet, peers down  from the post, keeping Sally within his sights.

I had a chiropractor's appointment in town so couldn't linger to watch the entire cat drama play out.
The day has been cloudy, but mild and without wind.
My 'adjustment' over [including the usual scolding from Kelli the Chiropractor who always suggests I 'might could' learn moderation in my activities] I stopped at two charity shops, delighted to find that I was breathing easily and not coughing.
[I did notice that other people were letting loose with a cacophany of coughs everywhere I went!]
I completed my errands with a stop at Wal Mart, where I indulged in the purchase of a new quilt magazine and shampoo touted as wonderful for 'silver hair!'
The  reason to be at WM was to buy a case of tinned cat food, the last can having been served for 
feline breakfasts, but somehow one never gets out of the place without a few more items landing in the cart!
There is a Subway sandwich shop within the premises of WM and on a whim I had 'grinders' made for our lunch.
D. was here helping J. when I arrived home--so I shared my 'foot long' roast beef sandwich with him, he having predictably made gagging sounds when asked if he would like part of J.'s favorite tuna salad.

Laundry folded and put away, the floor swept and a bit of tidying done.
I phoned the farrier, whose wife promised she would send him over this evening to give Pebbles feet a much needed trim.
I thought of baking--something [?] but decided that could wait til tomorrow. 
Daylight faded with a sense of deja vu--J. and D. towing that blasted tractor around the yard again!

I'm ready to thump myself down in the rocking chair with a snack and the new quilting mag--to turn again to my book for the evening.
There's a difference somehow--this evening my snug corner is a choice, a restful place at the end of a busy day--not a place to huddle and shiver and cough!


19 comments:

  1. I understand how you've been feeling. This same cold hit me almost two weeks ago and I am still recovering. It was a brutal one. I'm always amused by the goings-on of cats so I, too, would have been at the window. Glad you are on the mend. Deb

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  2. Deb; Its a bit scary how a 'germ' can be so widespread. Husband's cough is still firmly entrenched--he got into black mold doing a renovation years ago and I think that has a continuing effect.
    Cats are endlessly entertaining--even when they are naughty!

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  3. So glad you're feeling better. We have avoided the dreaded bug so far. We are pretty particular about washing our hands after church and gong to the store. We also use hand wipes if we eat out at a restaurant AFTER getting ourselves seated and looking at a menu. I have even been known to wipe off the salt shaker before using.

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    1. Chris; Don't know how we came by this tiresome germ--grandson D. had it just ahead of J.--I think. I tried to be scrupulous about sanitation but realized that, my goodness, one would need to wipe down doorknobs, sink faucets and such. Too late anyway--it was my turn! I do think we are on the mend. I avoided hugging or shaking hands at church when I felt I was coming down with the cold and hoped that I didn't pass it along. [It wasn't a week I could stay home!]

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  4. Glad you're making a recovery, even if not as swift as you might like. How do cats do that?

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    1. John; Cats have an amazing way of contorting themselves to suit the situation. They can be both very agile and very clumsy in turn.

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    2. John; Cats can be amazingly agile--then turn around and be dreadfully clumsy.
      Recovery isn't keeping up with the list of things I want to do, but I'm gaining.

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  5. So pleased that you are on the mend, there's nothing so irritating as a cough and that's the reason I dread getting a cold as I also end up with a cough that goes on forever. As we age things seem to take longer to get rid of, such a nuisance but you seem to be over the worst.
    Funny you should post about the cats scrapping. Just this morning Princess and Rowan have been at it in the next door garden. I would so like them all to be the best of friends, maybe it will come with age.
    The worst offender is Mummy Polly who cannot bear her offspring to get near her, Willow is the only one that she will sometimes tolerate.
    By the way, your rocking chair looks so comfy.
    Briony
    x

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    1. Briony; I can't work out the 'why' of the various cat personality clashes. Willow can't stand up to any of the others, therefore, they torment her. Charlie seems to 'start something' when he is bored. For others it seems to be 'I'm the grandest tiger in the jungle." I do wish they would confine their disagreements to daylight hours!
      Ah, the coughing, I think traces of it may linger yet awhile.

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  6. Glad you're feeling better, we do tend to over do things even when we're feeling bad.
    Love your cat pictures.

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    1. Janet; I believe I have all the signs of a chronic 'over-doer."
      Aren't cats endlessly entertaining?

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  7. your chair looks very comfy and inviting, I love the quilt that lays over the back.

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    1. Kath; My chair, so close to the fire, has been a magnet for the cats. I've had to prod one out whenever I left for a few minutes.
      That quilt is from my summer quilt-a-thon. The colors really delight me.

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  8. I am glad you are feeling better. You do have alot of energy it seems to me, even when you are under the weather. Let us know how that special shampoo works out!

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    1. Softie; At best my energy always flags before I do everything I'd like to accomplish--or should do.
      If only the claims of shampoo and such were valid--I seem to be a sucker for shampoo--I always open it at the store to see how it smells.

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  9. I hope you are properly on the mend soon. Keith has had a similar (transatlantic?!) bug for over 3 weeks now and is sick of feeling rough. Danny had it too, but I - for once - have managed to avoid it. Well, I still have the chest infection, but not a cold to go with it.

    I loved hearing about what you've been up to, and seeing the shennanigans with the cats. I heartily agree with sitting down with a new quilting mag, tea, books and tissues to hand, by a warm fire.

    Get well soon, both.

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    1. Jennie; Jim, though feeling better, is still coughing--and its the third week. I think we can confidently label this the three week flu--or some such. I'm sure with your menfolk down for the count your house has rung with sneezing and coughing. We can all hope we've now paid our 'dues' for the winter!

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  10. We too have been struck by a long-lasting cold and cough. We hope we might be on the mend now and hope that you are too.

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    1. Isabelle; Although I wasn't commenting on blogs last week I do recall that you were spending more time on the couch than you enjoyed. We can all hope to be well by Christmas!

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