In which being sick fails to stop those intent to keep going
It’s 4:45 in Atlanta. I'm plugged into an unused outlet, which are at a premium in these days of laptop-fixated business travelers. At least I have a seat this afternoon; there have been plenty of times when I haven’t been so lucky.
My flight to Sarasota has been delayed by twenty minutes. This is fine with me; I’m not eager to get back on a plane. When you’re sick, the last thing you want to do is endure the pressure changes of takeoff and landing. I don’t know what I’ve got, but I’m pretty sure where I got it, and they can have it back.
I started feeling unwell on Thursday. By the time guests arrived for stuffing stockings, I was pretty much content to sit next to the fire and drink wine. By the time they left, I had decided to call in sick on Friday. Not a decision I took lightly, since I’ve got many hours of work on my desk. Well, it’s now in my backpack, in the expectation that I’ll actually get to make some headway this week.
In the middle of the night Thursday, I sent Chris downstairs for meds. I was feverish and chilling, and my sore throat had intensified. With a business trip looming, I made the difficult decision to stay home on Saturday. After months of anticipation, some frantic last-minute sewing, and trying to support Savina through her involvement with the event, I decided that I needed to stay home rather than attend Caer Galen Midwinter. Chris of course assented; by Friday he was feeling ill, too.
I did sleep in Friday morning, and I of course did do a little work. I wrapped a few Christmas presents, and helped Mother do some on-line shopping. Although I didn’t actually rest, I did take it somewhat more easy than I usually do. Without the pressure of Midwinter clothing, I did find it easier to relax a little.
Only a little. One of the reasons that I hate to be sick is that I don’t have a lot of patience with sitting still when there are so many pressures and responsibilities that need attention. Having made the decision to re-style our bedroom, I purchased a new bedding ensemble. The die being cast, I’m not content to wait until some time in January to actually use it. Additionally, I’m not willing to use it before I have the bedroom “in shape”. Saturday then was the day.
We started about mid-day. We put away all the junk on the dressers, pulled books of the shelves, and sent a bunch of bedding to the give-away box. The bed got moved to between the windows, the bookshelves are in the north east corner, and the TV has been moved to the top of the dresser, where it can comfortably be seen from the occupants of the bed. A purple and gold brocade throw covers the wing back chair. Everything has been dusted, and swept. At least once.
By bed time, we’d gone as far as we could go, as both energy (I'm sick, and Chris is getting sick) and materiel had given out. I’d removed the peachskin from the windows, and as the sun set I replaced the drapery, and lit several candles we’d moved in from elsewhere in the house. I found tall candle sticks (to sit on the floor) at JoAnn’s at 70% off retail, and bought a set of three. Yankee jars fit perfectly on them, although they’re a little wobbly on the carpet. I’m thinking that a piece of marble or flagstone would make a steady base. My collection of gargoyle cats has been moved to the bedroom, and once we make some decisions on wall decorations, the location of a couple of small Gothic shelves will be determined. After Christmas, I’ll be working on draperies, too.
I think that the thing that struck me the most in this process is that many of the decorative items already in my home will fit perfectly into my Gothique bedroom. My tastes have always run this direction. I’ve just never made a concerted effort to put it all together this way before. Chris and I agree that we really like the changes.
My flight to Sarasota has been delayed by twenty minutes. This is fine with me; I’m not eager to get back on a plane. When you’re sick, the last thing you want to do is endure the pressure changes of takeoff and landing. I don’t know what I’ve got, but I’m pretty sure where I got it, and they can have it back.
I started feeling unwell on Thursday. By the time guests arrived for stuffing stockings, I was pretty much content to sit next to the fire and drink wine. By the time they left, I had decided to call in sick on Friday. Not a decision I took lightly, since I’ve got many hours of work on my desk. Well, it’s now in my backpack, in the expectation that I’ll actually get to make some headway this week.
In the middle of the night Thursday, I sent Chris downstairs for meds. I was feverish and chilling, and my sore throat had intensified. With a business trip looming, I made the difficult decision to stay home on Saturday. After months of anticipation, some frantic last-minute sewing, and trying to support Savina through her involvement with the event, I decided that I needed to stay home rather than attend Caer Galen Midwinter. Chris of course assented; by Friday he was feeling ill, too.
I did sleep in Friday morning, and I of course did do a little work. I wrapped a few Christmas presents, and helped Mother do some on-line shopping. Although I didn’t actually rest, I did take it somewhat more easy than I usually do. Without the pressure of Midwinter clothing, I did find it easier to relax a little.
Only a little. One of the reasons that I hate to be sick is that I don’t have a lot of patience with sitting still when there are so many pressures and responsibilities that need attention. Having made the decision to re-style our bedroom, I purchased a new bedding ensemble. The die being cast, I’m not content to wait until some time in January to actually use it. Additionally, I’m not willing to use it before I have the bedroom “in shape”. Saturday then was the day.
We started about mid-day. We put away all the junk on the dressers, pulled books of the shelves, and sent a bunch of bedding to the give-away box. The bed got moved to between the windows, the bookshelves are in the north east corner, and the TV has been moved to the top of the dresser, where it can comfortably be seen from the occupants of the bed. A purple and gold brocade throw covers the wing back chair. Everything has been dusted, and swept. At least once.
By bed time, we’d gone as far as we could go, as both energy (I'm sick, and Chris is getting sick) and materiel had given out. I’d removed the peachskin from the windows, and as the sun set I replaced the drapery, and lit several candles we’d moved in from elsewhere in the house. I found tall candle sticks (to sit on the floor) at JoAnn’s at 70% off retail, and bought a set of three. Yankee jars fit perfectly on them, although they’re a little wobbly on the carpet. I’m thinking that a piece of marble or flagstone would make a steady base. My collection of gargoyle cats has been moved to the bedroom, and once we make some decisions on wall decorations, the location of a couple of small Gothic shelves will be determined. After Christmas, I’ll be working on draperies, too.
I think that the thing that struck me the most in this process is that many of the decorative items already in my home will fit perfectly into my Gothique bedroom. My tastes have always run this direction. I’ve just never made a concerted effort to put it all together this way before. Chris and I agree that we really like the changes.
posted by Melanie Unruh-Bays at
5:44 PM
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