Solitary Confinement

I hereby condem my poor, sick DH to solitary confinement until he is over this cold/flu/whatever crud he has. He still feels horrid. I banned him from working yesterday, giving up my day off to work for him. I also am banning him from work today *sigh*. We miss cuddling. There is something comforting and relaxing to have his arm around me while my head is on his shoulder. Right now we're staying several feet apart at all times to try and ensure that I don't catch this crud. I'm skating on the edge of catching this and I really can't afford the time to indulge in sickness. Neither of us are sleeping well. THIS HAS TO STOP! Gods/goddesses of health, how about dropping by my house - LOL.

Love this image of Hygeia, Goddess of Health by P Reubens

I got a fair amount done on my illustration last night and it's starting to come together. I'll work on in again tonight, and if I get some quality work done, I should be able to scan and send it off on Friday. It's cutting things tight, but I hope the timeframe will work.

I thought I would share one of the cards that my poor, sick DH gave me for Valentine's Day, because he can be a sentimental dwarf sometimes and these are the cards that I save.
***I could wish on all the stars in the sky that I could make every dream in your heart come true...But I don't have to wish for my own dreams...because all my dreams came true when your love came into my life. When you became my wife.*** Awwwww......so sweet!

Temper, Temper

I want another day off. I'm very close to being completely over this cold/flu that all of us have been suffering with, but I have to be back to a regular schedule this week and that's not going to be helpful. I only hope that VerLaine isn't suffering too badly - she came down with the crud late last week and really was suffering on Saturday. Jim actually was able to be up for most of the day yesterday, but his nerves are totally raw and he completely lost his temper because I wanted to eat at half-time instead of just before the SuperBowl. Apparently that is cause to rant, rave, throw things around, and act like a really stupid bully. It's his temper that makes me regret our 30+ year commitment. If I throw the temper out of the equation, he's a great guy and all is good. I have no idea what can be done about bad temper though. Maybe he'll argue and fight his way into a stroke or something.... how stupid would that be! It's so much nicer to just enjoy life instead of grumbling because there are still seeds attached to the slices of bell pepper.

Here's an example of great, positive viewpoint. The New York Times has an E-columnist - Maira Kalman, who attended the inaguration. Her viewpoint is delightful and a joy to look through - the inaguration through the eyes of one woman and her art. I highly recommend that all of you follow the link and take a good look - you'll be happy that you did.

Continuing the Battle

Short and quick today - still fighting the flu. The flu is starting to win. This is NOT good. I'll go to work today, but I know I'll regret it. I slept for 10 hours and could easily sleep for most of the next 24. I'm just grateful that I have tomorrow off to watch the Superbowl and veg out.

Fighting the Flu

The flu has come to my house. My DH has been miserably sick with it for the past two days, and I am fighting to remain semi-healthy. I would say healthy...but I can feel the incipient beginnings of the sickness trying to take hold. The little bits of a scratchy throat. The dry cough that comes from nowhere. I am fighting...I will continue to fight. But this is something that I really don't need. VerLaine is also fighting this. If we all come down with this, it may be one of the rare times in Stormcloud Trading Co history that we will have to close our doors because of illness. Then again - we would all get some rest. Something that we all really need.

My local grocer has reusable canvas bags available for its customers for a very inexpensive price. Using these bags helps reduce the number of plastic bags hitting our environment and landfills. I purchased one for my own several months ago and have been working at decorating the bag with a floral and vines motif. It is not my greatest work, but it's been fun, and I will have something unique instead of fading in with the rest of the grey world. I find myself getting braver with my artwork - more willing to allow it to see the light of day. I don't think it is any better - just that I have realized as I look at what is allowed to see the light of day, that mine is no worse, and sometimes is better, than what is out there. Maybe bravery should have been my word for the year instead of patience....

Tucson Dreams

A lot of my friends are off to Tucson this week. The annual Tucson Gem Show is going on. For those unfamiliar with this show, it takes over the entire town in more than 40 different venues for a month. The bead-oriented part of the show occurs next weekend. I attend the show every few years, and in fact had originally planned on attending this year. But finances being what they are, and the fact that my DH is very ill with the flu...well, I'm not going this year after all. It's just as well. I know I could pick up some of the the merchandise that we really wanted to get for the store, but we'll just have to order on-line later in the year when the economy has picked up. And if we don't get as much....that's OK too. We are over-stocked right now and streamlining things is not a bad idea.

I do feel for my poor DH though. He hasn't been this sick for many years. He's under two quilts and two blankets and is still shivering with the cold. He is coughing, his nose is running, and his muscles and sinuses hurt. I don't think he has taken his temperature yet. I'm not sure he will at all. But I think he's probably running a fever and has the flu. Unfortunately, I have to go to work today, so he'll be on his own. Hopefully he's going to spend the day in bed and try to sleep this off. He doesn't need to be at work today, so he's fortunate in that respect.