Both this year and last year I got sick just after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Nasty viruses with Big Sharp Pointy Teeth. Last year it was intestinal. This year it is respiratory: sore throat, oozing eyes, sinus pressure, fever and pain. Lots of pain. Swallowing got so very painful that Emily had to take me to the ER on Sunday morning at 5 am. Verdict: no cure (there's never a cure for a cold) but thankfully they had a Nice Drug that reduced the pain in my throat to a more tolerable level. So now at least I can eat pureed soup and ice cream and drink water and herb tea.
And then I thought I was getting better, but of course, the virus isn't done with me yet. It's on it's next round, making it impossible to sleep by flooding my inner ear canals with some sort of horrid fluid gunk that makes me feel like I'm drowning from the inside out.
Oh how I HATE being sick, and one of the things I hate most about it is how awful I feel when I can't teach my classes. Because I'm an academic, I have so much freedom that an occasional sick day (on an off day) or a sick weekend can be handled with grace and no bother and no telephoning or arranging permissions or anything, but if I have to miss class... well, there really ARE no such things as sick days. I can cancel class, of course, but that is a dire, dire last resort. It is sometimes possible to get colleagues to cover for me, but that is a difficulty. I suppose the university must have something set up for professors who run into serious and protracted illnesses but to be honest I don't know what it is, and a "cold" just sounds so trivial, never mind that I'm in enough pain to send me scurrying for the hospital. Well, I cancelled Monday's class. Let's hope I don't have to cancel any more-- and let's hope I get better soon!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Shopping with Birrd
Sarah and I went to Lowe's today, together. With the kids.
We bought a few things for the house, including a cabinet that Sarah and I put together back at the house.
The kids loved playing on the carts at the store.
I rather liked these pictures of them.
New Birrd House
This is Birrd's new house!
Ok, so her living room is a bit chaotic still, but it's a nice place to live.
There's a nice big master bedroom, and a closet to organize!
From I-80 to I-70
Our drive through Wyoming had some terrifying stretches.
Clouded in, snow blowing across the road, poor visibility, ice.
We were very relieved when we got to Laramie and the weather cleared.
Clouded in, snow blowing across the road, poor visibility, ice.
We were very relieved when we got to Laramie and the weather cleared.
From Denver to Colorado, all went very well.
It seemed to take forever to Kansas.
The boys kept asking, "Are we in Kansas yet?"
Long Drive
I did most of the van driving, but Birrd spelled me off for a couple of short bursts.
Jared heroically drove the moving truck ALL BY HIMSELF from Bear Lake to Kansas!
Sam amused himself by eating snacks (he particularly loved the gingerbread men his Grandma Stanford made).
Ellie was very mellow, and slept a fair bit.
Jared heroically drove the moving truck ALL BY HIMSELF from Bear Lake to Kansas!
Sam amused himself by eating snacks (he particularly loved the gingerbread men his Grandma Stanford made).
Ellie was very mellow, and slept a fair bit.
Snow Again
Sam and Joey have really missed snow.
They got to ride at least once on the Flexible Flyer sled that Santa sent Dad and Mom for Christmas, and you should have heard them giggling happily all the way down the hill!
They got to ride at least once on the Flexible Flyer sled that Santa sent Dad and Mom for Christmas, and you should have heard them giggling happily all the way down the hill!
Bear Lake Family Gathering
It was great to see Sarah and her kids and Dave and Emily and kids all up at Bear Lake, together with Sarah's in-laws.
Our group photo for Sarah (and Jared)'s Great Move!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
OAC opening social
This evening OAC had their winter semester opening social.
One of the members who lives in a house near campus has a fire pit in his back yard so we all congregated there and built a fire and made foil dinners.
I made a dutch oven peach cobbler.
It was much appreciated, but it took forever to cook (the snow killed the first layer of bottom coals and it took much longer than usual for the cobbler to be done).
Still, I'm glad I went.
We had a jolly time.
One of the members who lives in a house near campus has a fire pit in his back yard so we all congregated there and built a fire and made foil dinners.
I made a dutch oven peach cobbler.
It was much appreciated, but it took forever to cook (the snow killed the first layer of bottom coals and it took much longer than usual for the cobbler to be done).
Still, I'm glad I went.
We had a jolly time.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Stanford Bell!
At gatherings at Joe's house, we almost always have Stanford Bell.
Everybody loves it!
Concert at Joe's
Today we had a Gathering at Joe's house.
Hyrum was ordained a priest at church, and both sets of his grandparents were there.
And his Aunt Charlotte.
Afterward we went across the street to Joe's and the boys played music for us.
They played a quintet piece (violin, viola, cello, bass and piano), an arrangement of "Silent Night" that Caleb had written as a Christmas present for their mother.
Hyrum and Benjamin played some solo pieces, and Matthew played hymns.
Hyrum was ordained a priest at church, and both sets of his grandparents were there.
And his Aunt Charlotte.
Afterward we went across the street to Joe's and the boys played music for us.
They played a quintet piece (violin, viola, cello, bass and piano), an arrangement of "Silent Night" that Caleb had written as a Christmas present for their mother.
Hyrum and Benjamin played some solo pieces, and Matthew played hymns.
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