Ugh! The flu has been making its rounds here again. It never fails, every winter, it has to make an appearance at least once. Usually, I try to avoid it like the plague, since throwing up is what triggers the blood vessels in my eyes to burst, causing permanent loss of eyesight for me.
It's hard because as a mother, my job is to take care of the sick ones in my house, but the flu sends me into hiding. I've been lucky the last few years. No flu since 2001.....
Until this year.
Rebecca started with it a week ago. It's not a long lasting bug. Throwing up one day, pretty much fine the next, but man oh man! That one day of sickness is awful! The stomach cramps hurt so bad, all you can do is cry.
After Rebecca came Timothy. He didn't vomit, but he had stomach cramps and the runs, for just a day. After that, it seemed to be gone. I thought I had escaped the dreaded flu again.
A week later, I started not to feel good. I tried brushing it off as something else. I fought it all day, not allowing myself to be sick. By the afternoon, it was no use. I was sick. But, I was scared. I could feel the vomiting coming. I couldn't stop it. I just prayed that my eyesight would hold out. And it did! I made it through the flu with the same amount of eyesight that I started with! I was so happy!
It's terrible that I have to worry about losing my eyesight just because I have the flu. I don't even drink to excess anymore (like my younger years!) for fear of vomiting and going blind. It always looms on the horizon, in the back of my mind. But, I made it through this time!
It's back to avoiding the flu like the plague again for me!
Nasty Stuff Goin' Round
I Started My Work From Home Job!
Just before the holidays, I started my new job. I only worked a week and a half, but I love it so far. I even have a title! I'm an RA, which stands for Research Analyst.
I'm working for a company called CORA, which stands for Creating Opportunities by Realizing Ability. The company focuses on helping disabled people find jobs to do from home. They realize that just because someone is disabled, it doesn't mean they are useless. Every single person that works for CORA is disabled in some way or another.
We have chat rooms, and use Skype to communicate. I work three hours a day for now, but I'm going to put in for more hours next week. There are so many things to do there! I'm researching other companies that might want to partner with CORA to hire at home workers. It's a lot of fun!
The best part of my job? After years of being at home alone all day every day while everyone is at work and school, I finally have adult people to communicate with. I have adult conversation that doesn't include anything about doing laundry or cleaning house! It's great! It's like being in any other work place, except we're all at home. I think the communication thing is the best thing for me!
So, I've been off for two weeks now for the holidays, and I go back this afternoon. I've actually missed it. I wanted to work over the holidays!
As time goes on, I'll be posting more about it. It sounds like there's lots of room for advancement and pay raises with CORA, so I'm hoping to do well.
It's a (Dangerous) Winter Wonderland Outside
This winter has been a doozy, to say the least. We've had tons of snow, and lots of cold, cold weather. It's also been a strange one. We'll get feet of snow for a week straight, then the next week will be above freezing and everything melts, only to start over again the next week with the snow and cold. You just never know what you're going to get here in Wisconsin!
A couple of days ago, we got another somewhat warm snap for a day that brought about melting snow and freezing rain. As soon as the freezing rain stopped, the temperatures dropped and the ice stayed. The roads were literal skating rinks, with not-so-smart drivers venturing out only to end up in the ditch. The plows were out, but there's only so much you can do with ice when it won't melt. Salt does little more than add to the problem, as whatever melts refreezes.
Our driveway is super slick and shiny. While it is pretty, and as a kid I'd probably try my hand at skating on it, it is a major problem right now. Mike has almost hit the garage on two occasions, because brakes on vehicles have nothing on a driveway covered in ice. Salt isn't melting it, it's too cold. You just get in your car, put her in drive, and hope for the best. It's a crap shoot every time.
The backyard where the dogs go outside is just as slick. Our yard slopes away from the house at a slight angle, and the snow is frozen solid, shiny. The dogs go out and slide until they hit something that catches them. It's quite comical actually, but I am afraid they are going to hurt themselves. You can just see them digging their toenails into the ice to climb back up to the door. I'd shovel, but there again, it's frozen solid.
The kids tried sledding on the solid ice/snow. They were able to go from the back door all the way to the neighbor's adjoining yard without even pushing. They, at least, have found a use for the stuff!
So, this morning, the sun is out, but I doubt it's doing any good to melt the evil ice that has taken over our neighborhood. Since the temperature is only in the single digits, the ice has the upper hand. I wonder when we'll see normal ground again? Something a little less shiny, please.
