the latest from the infirmary

So last week we were lost in a world of snow, ice, sleet, more ice, rain, some more snow and yes, even more ice. It was never-ending, it seemed. The school was closed but, of course, Greg still had to work. We should have just bought him some ice skates, it would have been safer than navigating the Jeep in such weather. But he did well getting back and forth while Clare, myself and the Jacks hid inside. The older I get the more I simply cannot handle cold weather at all.

By last Thursday we had to take a trip to the doctor and Clare was diagnosed with bronchitis. That child just gets every trait, gene, behaviour pattern~ you name it~ from me. She is still muddling through with a nasty hacking cough but no more fevers of 102.1F, so that's good news. Of course by Friday morning my throat felt a bit abnormal and by that night I felt like my lungs were going to collapse. I was just getting over that last bout of bronchitis and here we go again. I got some good medicine and now it has passed on to poor Greg. He is going to the doctor tomorrow morning. The three of us have gone through more boxes of kleenex than I care to think about in the past week.

Even the Jacks are feeling something icky, they've been far too lazy the last day or two, have warm noses and have even been sneezing. I guess doggies can pick up germs from their humans.

So the last week or two around here have been a blur, a haze, a complete time period of stumbling through the darkness. Being sick is definitely no fun.

The only excitement lately has been the fact that I did our taxes online. Not that it might be such an accomplishment for some of you, but I was quite proud of myself. And it beat paying about $120 for someone else to do it for us. I am definitely mathematically challenged. But I did it effortlessly and without error and according to the IRS, our refund should be deposited Friday.

Last night Clare and I were sitting in the big yellow chair before bed and Greg was doing something incredibly silly, or saying something incredibly silly, I don't really remember what he was doing. Anyhow, Clare looked at me, shook her head in dismay, and said, "Boys...I just don't know what to do about them. They have got issues."

For a six and a half year old, she is incredibly intelligent and insightful. Obviously she got those genes from me.