Life with the Flu
.....going on week two. Ugh.
.....going on week two. Ugh.
This past week I have been down or rather up (upstairs in bed) with a nasty case of the flu. I have come downstairs for three days now (for short times) because I am feeling a little better and because I was going nuts lying there, alternately napping or watching daytime TV.
Normally my husband and I watch the news in the morning and then, not again until about 7 pm or later. I had no idea what was even on during the day.Oh, my! Now I know what I am NOT missing! I got desperate one day and watched a hoarding program. I could not stand it, got up and rearranged my husband's sock drawer! Then I went through some old t-shirts/tops of mine and cut them up for rags, folded them neatly and put them away with a few holey socks! After that I was exhausted! I won't watch that again----very depressing but I must say it did give me a lift because our house is never anything like those houses! One question did cross my mind----who watches daytime TV???? I am an empty-nester and still have no time for such things. Let's say, I do not recommend it!
I was not able to read being too weak to hold up a book, having a headache and being too sleepy! I also felt so sorry for my husband who, besides working his normal job, was taking care of the food, laundry, grocery shopping (altho' our daughter and son-in-law did pitch in there making a Costco run for a couple things we needed while they were there) and taking care of me. So, at the first opportunity I came downstairs to see what I could do. The house was so clean, orderly and the kitchen spotless----I was so pleased. I got some ground turkey that my husband thawed out of the refrigerator to use for dinner that night. I was able to cook it, top it with mushrooms and onions and serve it atop whole grain English Muffins and put eggs on top of my husband's and spicy sprouts on mine. Eggs did not sound good at all. I cut up some raw veggies for us both to have alongside. I put together my food for the next day for while my husband was gone and which he brought up before bed in a small ice chest. In the morning he brought me breakfast and coffee and left to work. Nothing tasted good, everything had a metallic taste and was bitter---even our wonderful well-water. But, we had worked out a nice system to take care of my needs while he was away.
I became ill a week ago tonight. Last Monday our oldest daughter (the only one of our children who live anywhere near us) made a large crockpot-ful of chicken soup which was the only thing that sounded good to me. So we had our usual soup day. On the meal thread for this week I was going to be starting with chicken soup as previously planned---funny. But that had to be tweaked with me being sick. I had the very last of the soup yesterday for lunch with noodles that my husband cooked for me. My husband didn't want to eat it---- he wanted me to be able to have it all. So, he used up some leftover spaghetti sauce that I planned to use for lasagna last Sunday---which was the start of a mini thread of leftovers ending with lasagna soup and a freebie lasagna in the freezer. He boiled some spaghetti and poured the sauce over it and had that for dinner two nights in a row while I had my daughter's soup. I think he made himself chicken another night. I am not sure---I was pretty out of it.
He would bring me breakfast in the morning---sometimes the chicken soup when nothing else sounded good. Some days are a blur but when I did feel like I could go downstairs the last two days and tonight, I began to at least get dinner ready to make it easier for my him. I cooked a double batch of chicken---breasts and drumsticks with carrots, onions and halved mushrooms sprinkled with red wine and some spices. I put brown rice in the rice cooker---doubled what we needed and heated up some black beans. My husband loves black beans, chicken and rice. I put it in the oven on low so it'd be ready when it was dinner time. I made a salad. Jim asked jokingly if there was chocolate cake for dessert. That is kind of a running joke between us. So, tonight I baked him some blonde brownies with bitter chocolate chips and pecans in them---shhhhh, he doesn't know yet!. Just made the recipe up as I went and it turned out perfectly. Last night after dinner I took the leftover chicken, diced it and marinated it in salsa. Then I added the beans, onions, mushrooms and carrots to the rice for use at Sunday's meal. I put the one drumstick that was left in a small crockpot with some frozen diced celery, onion, carrots and spices, and all the gelled juices from the chicken dish. I had some this afternoon, when I finally felt strong enough to get out of bed, poured over the leftover rice. Today I mixed sour cream that had to be used up this week, one of our many avocados and some leftover salsa from the marinade. I got out last-of-the-bag tortilla chips I'd been saving. All that needs to be done is to shred lettuce and dice the last of our tomatoes and a bit of raw onion from the co/op and toss it all together for taco salads with a little more black beans. Tomorrow we will have the "dirty" rice with eggs, on top and salads. For dinner I think my husband can be persuaded to do waffles or pancakes if we are hungry by dinner time.
My husband has been doing the laundry and bringing it to me upstairs to fold and put away. I have been doing paperwork and making necessary phone calls as I feel up to it. It feels so good to be able to do something. Thankfully, just before I got really sick----this has been coming on for at least a month----I did some final organizing, putting things to do, things to call about, different categories in labeled boxes. So, I try to do a little every day. I have also been making lists. Lists keep me focused and sane! I am looking forward to being totally well again. Friends tell me those who've had this have been sick a long time. I did not want to hear that! I am still hopeful it won't be so with me, but I am resigned to it if it is.
I hope you all had a good week and have a nice, relaxing Lord's Day tomorrow. I hope to be back to blogging more soon.
Oh, and I think I have the problems with making comments fixed. I hope. I did get one comment today. So much to learn!
Oh, what perfect timing. Just heard the front door open and the familiar, " Hi, Tootsie-wa!" from my husband. That is an affectation he started when we lived in Okinawa. :)
Kathi~
Normally my husband and I watch the news in the morning and then, not again until about 7 pm or later. I had no idea what was even on during the day.Oh, my! Now I know what I am NOT missing! I got desperate one day and watched a hoarding program. I could not stand it, got up and rearranged my husband's sock drawer! Then I went through some old t-shirts/tops of mine and cut them up for rags, folded them neatly and put them away with a few holey socks! After that I was exhausted! I won't watch that again----very depressing but I must say it did give me a lift because our house is never anything like those houses! One question did cross my mind----who watches daytime TV???? I am an empty-nester and still have no time for such things. Let's say, I do not recommend it!
I was not able to read being too weak to hold up a book, having a headache and being too sleepy! I also felt so sorry for my husband who, besides working his normal job, was taking care of the food, laundry, grocery shopping (altho' our daughter and son-in-law did pitch in there making a Costco run for a couple things we needed while they were there) and taking care of me. So, at the first opportunity I came downstairs to see what I could do. The house was so clean, orderly and the kitchen spotless----I was so pleased. I got some ground turkey that my husband thawed out of the refrigerator to use for dinner that night. I was able to cook it, top it with mushrooms and onions and serve it atop whole grain English Muffins and put eggs on top of my husband's and spicy sprouts on mine. Eggs did not sound good at all. I cut up some raw veggies for us both to have alongside. I put together my food for the next day for while my husband was gone and which he brought up before bed in a small ice chest. In the morning he brought me breakfast and coffee and left to work. Nothing tasted good, everything had a metallic taste and was bitter---even our wonderful well-water. But, we had worked out a nice system to take care of my needs while he was away.
I became ill a week ago tonight. Last Monday our oldest daughter (the only one of our children who live anywhere near us) made a large crockpot-ful of chicken soup which was the only thing that sounded good to me. So we had our usual soup day. On the meal thread for this week I was going to be starting with chicken soup as previously planned---funny. But that had to be tweaked with me being sick. I had the very last of the soup yesterday for lunch with noodles that my husband cooked for me. My husband didn't want to eat it---- he wanted me to be able to have it all. So, he used up some leftover spaghetti sauce that I planned to use for lasagna last Sunday---which was the start of a mini thread of leftovers ending with lasagna soup and a freebie lasagna in the freezer. He boiled some spaghetti and poured the sauce over it and had that for dinner two nights in a row while I had my daughter's soup. I think he made himself chicken another night. I am not sure---I was pretty out of it.
He would bring me breakfast in the morning---sometimes the chicken soup when nothing else sounded good. Some days are a blur but when I did feel like I could go downstairs the last two days and tonight, I began to at least get dinner ready to make it easier for my him. I cooked a double batch of chicken---breasts and drumsticks with carrots, onions and halved mushrooms sprinkled with red wine and some spices. I put brown rice in the rice cooker---doubled what we needed and heated up some black beans. My husband loves black beans, chicken and rice. I put it in the oven on low so it'd be ready when it was dinner time. I made a salad. Jim asked jokingly if there was chocolate cake for dessert. That is kind of a running joke between us. So, tonight I baked him some blonde brownies with bitter chocolate chips and pecans in them---shhhhh, he doesn't know yet!. Just made the recipe up as I went and it turned out perfectly. Last night after dinner I took the leftover chicken, diced it and marinated it in salsa. Then I added the beans, onions, mushrooms and carrots to the rice for use at Sunday's meal. I put the one drumstick that was left in a small crockpot with some frozen diced celery, onion, carrots and spices, and all the gelled juices from the chicken dish. I had some this afternoon, when I finally felt strong enough to get out of bed, poured over the leftover rice. Today I mixed sour cream that had to be used up this week, one of our many avocados and some leftover salsa from the marinade. I got out last-of-the-bag tortilla chips I'd been saving. All that needs to be done is to shred lettuce and dice the last of our tomatoes and a bit of raw onion from the co/op and toss it all together for taco salads with a little more black beans. Tomorrow we will have the "dirty" rice with eggs, on top and salads. For dinner I think my husband can be persuaded to do waffles or pancakes if we are hungry by dinner time.
My husband has been doing the laundry and bringing it to me upstairs to fold and put away. I have been doing paperwork and making necessary phone calls as I feel up to it. It feels so good to be able to do something. Thankfully, just before I got really sick----this has been coming on for at least a month----I did some final organizing, putting things to do, things to call about, different categories in labeled boxes. So, I try to do a little every day. I have also been making lists. Lists keep me focused and sane! I am looking forward to being totally well again. Friends tell me those who've had this have been sick a long time. I did not want to hear that! I am still hopeful it won't be so with me, but I am resigned to it if it is.
I hope you all had a good week and have a nice, relaxing Lord's Day tomorrow. I hope to be back to blogging more soon.
Oh, and I think I have the problems with making comments fixed. I hope. I did get one comment today. So much to learn!
Oh, what perfect timing. Just heard the front door open and the familiar, " Hi, Tootsie-wa!" from my husband. That is an affectation he started when we lived in Okinawa. :)
Kathi~
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