CABIN FEVER

We're beginning to go a bit stir crazy here, and here's why... Last Friday I came down with a horrible cold, and in my "older" age, I've gained some wisdom, so spent 95% of the weekend in bed. 25 years ago I would have spent the weekend doing important stuff like housework, laundry, yard work, etc. I now know that sometimes our bodies give us signals that we must rest, and so I did. I got to make lunch on Saturday and dinner on Sunday, but otherwise I stayed within the confines of the room, sleeping, reading, watching a tiny bit of TV, and then sleeping some more. Of course the fact that it wasn't til Sunday midday that I realized the cough/cold medicine I was taking definitely wasn't the "non-drowsy" stuff which explained why on Saturday afternoon I slept 4 hours straight! Anyway, thanks to the very able men of the house, who picked up the slack and held down the fort, the rest was just what I needed. On Monday I still had the cold, but I was feeling SOOOO much better! I figured I would spend the week doing all sorts of fun stuff: boat cleaning and restocking, shed cleaning, basement cleaning, attic cleaning, a trip to landing where JR likes to eat lunch and look for turtles, the Y for swim lessons and family night at CBC. Well by Tuesday, except for two Tackle it Tuesday projects I mentioned earlier, there wasn't much cleaning goin' on here. And today, Friday is day 4 that I've had to keep JR home from school because of a bad cold. He has been SO healthy for the most part, so when he does get sick, it's actually kinda weird. The first day, the day he woke up barking like a seal, I let him, to his delight, watch tv most of the day because it kept him in bed - our bed that is. JR kept asking me, as if he didn't believe his luck, if he could "really" watch another program. Of course he didn't have free reign, and as usual, SpongeBob was banned, but he relished this day on which he was allowed to watch "ALL" his favorite shows:

• It's a big, big world


• WordWorld


• Caillou (my personal favorite - maybe because the Caillou remains, eternally, four-years-old!


• Super WHY!


• Curious George


• Wonder Pets


• Animal Planet


• Go, Diego, Go


• Little Einsteins


• and a few others....

Of course in between we managed to enjoy some of the warm sunshine. We played in the sandbox, read our books while we lounged on the deck chairs, and played with his air rockets for a bit. Of course as soon as we stepped outside he wanted to know if he could ride his bike and/or razor scooter, but I told him I preferred he didn't get all sweaty. I KNEW he was sick at that point, when he didn't argue!

Once back indoors we opted for some board games, which too, kept him in bed. We swapped off picking the games, but by the end of the day, we'd managed to play quite a few:

• Mouse trap - JR's choice


• Sorry! - My choice


• Horton Hears a Who card game - Poppa's choice


• Headache - JR's choice


• Trouble - My choice


• Clue Jr. - JR's choice

On Wednesday, CAP & I attended the funeral of the 25-year-old son of our good friends, Walter & Cindy, who died unexpectedly last Friday. It was such, a sad, sad day. The first thing Walter said to me that day at the funeral home was, "It wasn't supposed to happen like this". Well apparently, God thought it was, but NO parent I know is prepared to bury a young son. We all expect them to outlive us, and can never even fathom the idea that our kids would pass before us. Their son, Corey, played Junior League baseball for me "a few" years ago, when I coached my daughter Devin's team for several years. Corey was tall and handsome, shy & polite. Oh, and nervous. So nervous, that for most of the first season, despite his size & ability, he never felt sure of himself, and each time he took his position at first base, he would rock - literally - back and forth, in anticipation of the ball. He played almost flawlessly, hardly ever made an error, but each time he went out, he rocked. His father and I joked about that for years. This is the memory I will have of him, of the boy, despite his size & ability, was never quite comfortable with his "star" status, and was always on guard. I, along, with the rest of the world, will miss Corey very much, but we take comfort in knowing that he was saved, and is heaven looking down on all of us now. Levi had the day off and volunteered to stay home with him all morning, but since it was such a warm day, he meet us at the reception which followed the cemetery. JR was clearly not himself though, and cried when Cap had to leave from there to go straight to CT for a short business trip, and we soon returned home. But that time, however, I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS SICK, with a nagging migraine that just wouldn't quit, so while I tried to rid myself of it, Levi once again volunteered to spend the afternoon with him. For the most part they played more board games and even went out in the backyard for some fresh air for quite a while, but by dinner time, JR was back on the couch, hacking away. As a treat that night I let him sleep in our bed, since Cap wasn't around anyway, and within minutes he was fast asleep. I joined him not long after, still unable to shake the worsening headache, and at some point, Sabaka joined us in the small queen sized bed, where we all slept until morning.

I got to sleep scrunched in the fetal position in the upper left!

By yesterday, I thought he might be better, and able to return to school, but it was clear he was still hacking, so once again we stayed inside. The day however was rainy as predicted, and therefore, there wasn't even a chance we'd escape to the outdoors. That is until around 2:00 when the rain stopped and the warm temperatures began to dry and Cap announced that he wanted to construct a waterfall/pond for the boys to enjoy from their bedroom window and thus the idea was born. He has spent time, here and there building it, using rocks from other spots he's dug up in the yard/garden, and recently put the liner in, filled up. He tells me it's 2' deep in the middle, but you're not gonna see me verifying that fact any time soon) Anyway, this past Sunday Cap took JR to buy fish for the pond, and returned home with 50 goldfish. Since JR's chores now include feeding the fish, that is what we set out to do. We sat on the bricks along the edge of the pond and slowly fed the tiny fish, waiting for them to notice it was there. It felt good to be outside, and I was glad JR was happy to just sit, and wasn't begging to ride his bike, so we just sat and enjoyed for about a half-hour. During that time the sun poked through, and despite the forecast for two straight days of rain, it seemed as if the clouds were lifting. We decided to walk to the vegetable garden and check on the recently set pepper plants, and then I gave in and let JR jump around on the trampoline for "five minutes". That seemed to do the trick, and he didn't complain when I told him he could play in the sandbox or else go back inside and rest. He opted for the sandbox, and while he played, I did some much needed cleaning of the trash cans & wooden enclosure they sit in. By dinner time, both of us were ready to head back inside, and while JR played with his "Domino Rally", I started dinner. Well, truth be known, since it was Thursday/Survivor TV nite, dinner consisted of calling Papa Gino's for our usual pizza & cheese sticks order. After dinner we played a few more games: One round of Sorry, and one round of Headache, followed by a quick bath for JR. Quick, because while in the tub, the dog ran into the bathroom, and decided to get the dog, and the entire floor soaked, and thus his bathtime was quickly over. Partially as punishment for getting the dog & floor soaked, and partially because I had only 10 minutes to get him out and into his pajamas, the dog dried and calmed down, and the bathroom dried and rid of the wet dog smell before 8:00. JR GENERALLY goes to bed at 8, but on Thursdays, he is ALWAYS in bed on time so Cap and I can enjoy our favorite show, Survivor, together. Cap called to say goodnight to JR just as the show was coming on (knowing he was on his way to bed if it was 8:00 on Thursday) and so I told him to tell Cap I'd call him back after the show. And so, Cap & I watched the show - he from his hotel in western CT and I from the love seat, and then once it was over, we did what we usually do, rehash what happened, and what we anticipated would happen on the next episode. Of course we did it over the phone, but never-the-less, tradition is tradition!

So now it's Friday and JR is STILL home. He is better, but the cough is still a hack, and I can't with a good conscience, send him to school this way - even though he WANTS to go. And, once again, the rain is back, so we're staying close to home. After two days of clouds, I've become "lazy" and have spent a few hours here on the computer while JR has enjoyed his t.v. for the day. More than we'd let him watch normally, but, he's watching good shows, and I'm here interacting with him while he watches, between keystrokes. Enough is enough however, and so it's time to get something done. My hope if get a few loads of laundry done, and the house cleaned so that tomorrow, when the sun returns, we can do some planting in the garden, and last minute boat work done. Of course, if I need a break, I'll snuggle up with JR this afternoon at nap time and read him his books before he nods off - at which time I can read a few chapters in the final book in a 12 book series entitled "Left Behind"... And who knows, if the rain is still coming down at that point, I might even nod off with JR, mindful of how lucky I am to have been entrusted with the job of "mommy" to this sweet little boy!