Sunday, November 9, 2008

aCHOO!




















It is well known here that I have a bad cold every 3 weeks. Kate and Jim tell me that I should take cider vinegar and honey everyday and will be miraculously immune to colds. I hope so, because every time I go to the bank or the grocery store some small brat sneezes on me.
I was driving our visitor (SEE SPRINGER BELOW) home tonight and began thinking about the cider and honey thing. It is about 50 or so miles of hills to my parents'. You go through all these little villages, pop. 200, and some cow barns on the outskirts, and nothing but dark woods and farms all over. You look into these barns and think about how hard these families work just to make ends meet. Amazing. I have an easy life alright, and I don't live in the absolute middle of nowhere either.
There was rain and snow falling as I came back. I saw a few houses that made me wish for the camera: the real McCoy--so many lights all over the house and yard for Christmas that airplanes would get confused and land in the driveway.
Anyway, I was thinking cider vinegar and honey, and it would seem Kate and Jim are right, and I need to go shopping and soon I will be terribly healthy even amongst the sneeziest brats.

14 comments:

Wep said...

Aww feel better. And tell Penny Olivia said congrats on getting her house back!

Miss Heather said...

That SUCKS! Take a teaspoon of cayeanne pepper in 1/4 cup of water and drink it quickly. It burns for a second but it cures the sinuses and throat very fast. :) And take echinacea every day. :) FEEL BETTER!

Farmer*swife a/k/a Glass_Half_Full said...

Or? You could snort Horseradish! *snicker* *snort*

That's how I felt a few weeks ago, LOL!

Also? Try keeping germ-x or hand-sanitizer on hand or in pocket. And, use often when you enter or exit any building other than your own.

Avoid foreign door knobs. Avoid foreign light switches. Use your elbow, or if in a tough spot? Your knuckle to press the elevator button.

Oh, and don't shake hands. Just tell them, "I think I'm coming down with something," ;-)

Avoid pens when signing slips and receipts. Bring your own.

Never, EVER touch your face after touching anything before washing your hands.

Oh, and someone told me vodka and lemonade work very well. I don't know if it affected the cold/sinus thingie? But, it definitely left me feeling better for awhile.

Hope you feel better tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

Speaking of vodka...(FW just reminded me) a couple of shots of absolut w/ seltzer and lime makes one feel all warm and fuzzy, too! lol!

Good site you found there, Gary! See - I told ya!

I don't mix mine with water, though. I use lots of honey in my morning tea and I use a good deal of vinegar on salads, etc.

Let me know if you find a good organic brand!

Farmer*swife a/k/a Glass_Half_Full said...

[I just re-read my comment while looking to see if anyone was awake around here -- I'm a true Germ-a-phobe, huh?]

Hope you are resting peacefully!

Anonymous said...

it's worth a try.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Oh, I am much better thanks, and the vodka and lemonade thing is my suggestion to FW coming back to me...although early in the day just go for the lemon part!
Now, of course, the missus is sick.
FW is also right to be a germaphobe--I mean, when you're sick yourself, think about all the times you sneeze then grab the door handle....
ANYWAY, gotta go to the store and get lemonade and such for the missus

Gordo said...

Honey has all sorts of wonderful benefits, but most of them are wiped out by the heat treating given to commercially packaged stuff. The heat isn't needed to kill anything off, either. It's solely to prolong the liquid state and delay the inevitable crystallization.

I saw some research recently that a spoonful of buckwheat honey at bedtime had better cough suppression effects in young children than commercial cough syrup. It tastes a hell of a lot better, too.

So, honey yes. Raw or unpasteurized is what you want. It not only has better health benefits, but far more flavour as well. :-)

Anonymous said...

I'll try and keep my brats far away from you. ;-)

Gary - if you're handling a lot of checks and cash, that could be the culpit (and not so much the "brats"). I used to work in a bank years ago, and money is VERY dirty. I won't even tell you about some of the truly disgusting customers I had to wait on. I would literally sanitize my station after they left. Do as FW said and keep a bottle of sanitizer with you at all times. And don't touch your face. People get sick because they touch their mouths, nose, and eyes with germy hands.

Anonymous said...

My SIL walked around with a can of Lysol when she had her first baby; she sprayed all the doorknobs in my MIL's house when we were visiting. I think she would have sprayed my kids, too, if she could have! But it was kind of funny, her little guy had plenty of colds and my kids were all fairly healthy.
I have found that being more relaxed about germs has built up my immunities. I worked in an infant daycare center for a few years, and have spent much of my life babysitting or otherwise being exposed to many germs (I was a cashier for a while, too).
The possible result of this? I rarely get sick.
Of course, when I worked in daycare, I washed my hands constantly!! I still wash them many times each day, so perhaps that is why I am relatively healthy? Or just lucky genes?

However, when I was spending a lot of time in a Kindergarten (one on one time with beginning readers) or teaching preschool (a regular germ party!) I began taking daily doses of Airborne. I know it's mostly just super doses of Vitamin C, but I swear it worked!

Off to the gym now to touch all those machines that other people have touched!!!

Anonymous said...

I keep a bottle of 'Purell' in the car (or Germ X) and every time I get back in the car from shopping, swish a little on my hands. I also use the 'wipes' that are available (here at our grocery store) to wipe the handle of the shopping cart before we start shopping.

I'm not a fanatic, but I do wash my hands frequently, and I do clean doorknobs. And NEVER touch my face area while I'm out.

Gordo makes a lot of good points.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

blech, I doubt I'll ever go out again...

Anonymous said...

There are some good tips here for avoiding germs. Not sure I have anything original to add, but on the safety tests we are required to take before beginning any journeyman level carpentry class, they always remind us that washing hands frequently with soap and water helps prevent the spread of germs.
When I go into the supermarket now, I notice a lot more cashiers wearing rubber gloves. The combination of touching all that filthy money plus working indoors where the air doesn't circulate much probably gets a lot of people sick.
I try to have a tissue or paper towel to cover frequently touched surfaces with.

Anonymous said...

I wear gloves when I go into the subway, because of germs and my tendency to run my hand along the hand-rail on the stairs. Seems to cut down on winter colds. Because I've been a school teacher so many years, I'm very aware of all the germs floating in public spaces.