Woman of the Week ~ Postponed

I started seeing the flu headlines about a month ago...

"Take the flu season seriously this year."
"Flu season shaping up to be a bad one."
"Yes, this is one of the worst flu seasons in recent memory."

They weren't kidding!  It started with a little sore throat on Sunday.  It kind of felt like a cold on Monday.  Tuesday and Wednesday were full on with sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, chills, and body aches.  I haven't left the house since Monday afternoon. It's starting to taper now, but I'm out of energy after about 30 minutes of getting up to do anything.

This post isn't for sympathy (but prayers are appreciated!)  I just wanted to explain why I've been absent here on my blog and there won't be a Woman of Week post tomorrow.  I've started reading some commentary, but Sarah deserves more than I can write through my current state of mental fog.

In Sickness...

Happy Valentine's Day!  You are loved - single, married, divorced, widowed - it doesn't matter, you are loved.

Les and I are having a really exciting Valentine's Week.  I came down with a cold over the weekend and shared it with him.  I'm heading to the store for more Kleenex and cold medicine.  How's that for romantic?  True love is real, not what Hollywood wants you to think it is.

Our "I love yous" are a little nasally these days, but they are no less sincere!

A Little of This, a Little of That

We are on day six of our new adventure and it hasn't gone as expected.  Les woke up Saturday morning with the flu!  Fever, cough, runny nose, body aches, the whole nine yards!  It was horrible watching him so sick.  He finally went to the doctor Tuesday afternoon and after just one day of antibiotics, he was feeling much, much better.  I've had a slight touch, but nothing serious.

Blog Updates
I noticed that now that my blogs are private, there isn't an easy way to see when I've posted. When I check my Blogger Dashboard Reading List, the blog name shows up but I get this message:
You have followed this URL, but we couldn't find a feed for it.
Please check that the URL is correct: http://mcmomentsandmemories.blogspot.com/
If you want to update configuration please use Manage page.
When I followed the Manage link, it showed the blog, but no updates.

If you check a Blog List or Blog Roll that lists blogs with the most current post at the top, I don't show up.  My most recent post shows "Be Back on Sunday" from last week.

I think the best way to know when I've posted something new is to sign up for email updates.  I moved the Follow By Email box near the top of my blog on the right.  Please let me know if that does not work!

Otherwise, I guess you'll just need to check my blog each day.  I usually post Monday through Friday and sometimes on the weekends.

Hawaiian Winter
While chatting with a store keeper the other day, she said, "This is our cold season, we call it 'Three Blanket Nights.' "  It certainly isn't cold to me.  We are getting rain today.  I was out exploring the International Marketplace when it started sprinkling.  About halfway back to our hotel, it started pouring!!  I was soaked to the skin but never cold.  I wish my camera could capture the rain as it is coming down right now.  An umbrella wouldn't be much good since it is coming down sideways!

How's the weather in your neck of the woods??

A Spotty Memory

Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings.
~ Mom's Bible

I was thinking the other day how thankful I am for good health.  I've never broken any bones or had any surgeries.  The last time I had to stay in the hospital was when I was born.  I don't take it for granted, I strive to eat healthy and exercise, and I still know that my health could be wiped out in an instant.  But for today, I'm healthy and glad!

I probably picked up the most germs when I was the secretary at Truth Tabernacle Christian School.  As the secretary it was my responsibility to bandage scraped knees and call parents when little ones were sick.  I'd be typing away at my desk (yes, I had a typewriter back then!) when I'd look up to see two little eyes staring at my over the counter.  "Hey, what's wrong?"  "I don't feel good."  In those few moments germs would be shared and I'd do my best to take care of the child until their parent could arrive.

The funniest germ I ever picked up was chicken pox!  I made it through my entire childhood without catching them, but when a couple of school kids got them, so did I!  I was probably 22 at the time.

How did I manage going through childhood without chicken pox?  Well, it's really quite simple.  When Mom was pregnant with me, all three of my siblings had the chicken pox virus.  That same virus (varicella-zoster) also causes shingles in adults.  Guess who got shingles?  Mom!  Poor thing ~ pregnant, with three kids all under the age of 5 with chicken pox, and she got shingles.  The doctor told her I could develop an immunity and possibly never get chicken pox.  Well, the doctor was partially right ~ I made it through childhood without them...

So there I was, school secretary and helping sick kids.  At first I thought I picked up the flu.  I was running a fever, slight sore throat, etc.  I had one little bump on my left arm... that turned into a whole bunch more.  It was on the third morning that I woke up to a face covered with spots!  At that point I was actually starting to feel better and all I could do was laugh!  Thankfully, I was wise enough not to scratch and came away without any scars.

What about you ~ have you ever had childhood disease as an adult?

Mileage Update

I had a real winner of a week! Due to illness, I did not run a single time and only rode my bike twice. I've read lots of articles that say when you're sick it's okay to work out as long as you don't have a fever. I haven't had a fever, but I also haven't had the energy. We'll just call this a mid-season break, how's that?

I thought about running this morning, but it was 34 degrees when I got up so I decided it would be a good idea to stay in one more day. 2011 - The Year that Winter Would Not Go Away!

Totals for Week ending April 9:
Running: 0.00
Cycling: 20.18
Total: 20.18

Year-to-Date:
Running: 443.35
Cycling: 335.59
Total: 778.94

Recovery

The past few days I have been doing a lot of this...




Followed by some of this...


And some of this...


So my brain is a little too fried to type anything of interest! I do believe I'm on the road to recovery, though.

Happy Friday - don't let the Spring bug get you!