Tricinosis

I woke a few minutes late on Tuesday morning but not by more than a few minutes.  It rained overnight and came down hard a couple of times too. We hadn’t had any appreciable rain since early September. I welcomed the rain as long as it didn’t rain so hard as to wash away seed and top soil off the west slope of my front lawn. The seed’s just beginning to germinate. A gully washer would/could wreak havoc on my little restoration project. The only other draw back was the fact that I washed the Trooper on Saturday and now it was getting rained on. But in each life, a little rain will fall. :>) 

While walking Ykraps it was apparent that we didn’t get all that much rainfall overnight. Additionally, there was no impact or harm to my newly seeded area. For that I was pleased. After delivering Mindy’s coffee I headed back downstairs for some of my own. After meditation and Internet I dressed for a run. Once gain, it was cool enough for a winter wicking shirt and long running pants. I was comfortable for the run’s entirety. 

Mindy had my eggs ready upon re-entry. Cool! My lunch was packed too. I noticed no roast beef. I asked if we were out. Mindy said we weren’t but that the package was unopened while the turkey was, so… No biggie. 

After Mindy left, I finished with my breakfast and then headed up for a shower. Jacob dashed off to his room to watch some TV. We reconvened downstairs around 7:55am. I had to stall him for few minutes. He likes to head out the door early. I drove the Trooper to work given the less than desirable weather forecast. 

The work day wasn’t too bad at all. Meanwhile, the weather didn’t turn out too bad either. The unexpected sunshine brightened the day. Come lunch time, I drove to Target where I purchased a new replacement football for Jacoby (not sure where his first one went), a vanilla scented diffuser for my office, and some Minute Maid Lemonade Light. I also checked out mini-area rugs since we’re looking at placing one in our family room in front of the fireplace. I saw two that I liked. 

The remainder of the work day went fairly well. Mindy asked how pork chops sounded for dinner. Hmmm, to my knowledge, they make no sound at all. If they did, we’d likely pass form trichinosis. J J I warmed to the idea of chops after she talked of making stuffing too. She was grilling the chops when I got home. They were at a spot where she could comfortably walk Ykraps along with me. Meanwhile, the sun was out and the temperature moderately warm. It was quite nice. Heavy on my mind was the ailing stock market, which recovered about 67% of the prior day’s huge losses. That lifted my spirits some. During our walk, I went on & on about work and the ailing stock market for as long as Mindy would listen. 

Dinner was very good. Along with the chops and stuffing, we had canned corn and gravy. For some reason, the gravy seemed extra delicious. I topped both my chops and stuffing with it. Mindy agreed to handle the entire dinner clean-up so I could head outdoors to cut the lawn – a chore that I just couldn’t get to during my on-call weekend. I really wanted to get it cut before Friday. Thanks Princess! 

Instead of the usual routine, I started with the tractor. My thinking was as darkness approached, I would assure myself of having the largest chunk knocked out. That went fast. I was able to get all of the push mower stuff done as well. In fact, I had enough time to blow off the driveway. I didn’t have time to edge and whack, however, but it really didn’t need it so much. Without question, it was a quick and dirty cut, but it looked decent enough. 

By the time I headed back indoors it was almost completely dark. That’s because I spent more time watering the newly seeded areas of the lawn. I did some by hand and some by sprinkler. The by hand stuff was done with city water whereas the sprinkler was fed from my pond pump.

 I began to stiffen soon after finishing all of my chores. I felt a little nauseous too. By the time I got into my pajamas I was overcome with the chills. I was shivering so hard that my teeth were chattering out of control. The kids heard and rushed to my side in worry. I rushed back to my closet and grabbed my thick winter robe. Holy smoke! What was the matter? 

I managed to tuck in the kids before heading downstairs where Mindy was playing on her laptop. She commented about my dramatic ways and how it differs significantly from how she responds to illness. Perhaps, but I was feeling bad and all of the sudden, too. I took an 800mg Ibuprofen mostly for the stiffness. It began working fast – probably within fifteen minutes. I still felt slightly feverish and lethargic. I curled up on the sofa. Eventually Mindy joined me and agreed to rub my head. We watched the last half of House, and then a new show, Fringe that comes on immediately after. It was cool. I’d classify it as a weekly Sci-Fi drama, similar to X-Files. 

Mindy headed up to bed halfway into Fringe. The blood spillage was too much for her tender psyche, I guess. I enjoyed it until the end. She came to the balcony a couple of times seeking my attendance in bed. I joined her at 10pm. She rubbed and scratched my head until I fell asleep.