Friday, April 23, 2010

Where to begin?

-Kate visited for a week and a half. It was wonderful. We look forward to her return in July!
-We finished our renovation of the downstairs office and now have a fully carpeted guestroom/office complete with twin/king bed options and adjoining bathroom. Sweet deal, when are you coming for a visit?
-Iain had his first official case of diarrhea complete with scary lethargic colorlessness which prompted a visit to Urgent Care. He was fine after administration of a popsicle.
-Iain had further allergy testing done. We can now add soy, cats and tree pollen to the allergic-to list as well as needing to avoid ALL egg-containing products including baked goods. Booo. Poor Iain!
-Mark's parents arrived for a week-long, er, two week long visit. Thank you Volcano Euoilipoiqiuzbdiopaus (note: not correct spelling). It was truly wonderful to have them here for that bonus time!
-I had my last CT scan and at 5 years out from cancer treatment, am as close to officially cured as I can be. Cancer Free, Praise the Lord!
-Iain came down with Croup which prompted another visit to Urgent Care to make sure that was what it was. He looked ridiculously cute in his purple hospital gown with his diapered behind poking out the back of the gown. A dose of oral steroids and a popsicle later and we were home again. (Note: Yes, I am aware that popsicles can be purchased "over the counter").
-Shockingly, Lydia now has Croup. Knowing that this is indeed what it is, there has been no Urgent Care visit, just lots of Ibuprofen and some steamy bathroom visits.
-Can adults get Croup? If so, I think I feel it coming on. A quick Google search made it sound less than rosy for adults, but what else could this pain in my upper throat and kinda woozy head be?
-I'm addicted to lawn edging. My new-found passion has given me bursitis in every joint in both hands except the distal joint on my index fingers. Fortunately, said edging is nearing completion. I also have a new-found compassion for arthritis sufferers.
-Mark's Feast Day is this Sunday and I'm in the midst of making the traditional Archibald Fruit Cake. I also have to make my own marzipan for the first time because my supplier, World Market, folded along with everyone else, last year. I hope it turns out ok. I told Mark I'd attempt a lion as a decoration because St Mark is oft depicted as one and "Iain likes them. Why that's relevant is beyond me, but Mark tried to talk me into baseballs as decorations "for Iain" and I nixed that unholy idea. Back to the lion, I warned Mark that my attempt might end up looking more like Daisy, the ugly beast of a pot bellied pig who lives down the street, (and whose aroma wafts towards unsuspecting passers-by on hot windy summer days. blech.)
-My German language education has corrupted my correct English sentence construction (or perhaps that's just my excuse). I can't seem to remember the rule about capitalization of nouns. I know there's something about only capitalizing names and proper nouns, but what counts as proper gets all muddled in my head. Perhaps I'll ask my mom; she's sure to know. For now, nouns seem to make their way into my writing capitalized at inappropriate intervals according to some mash-mash of German/English/Betsy rules. I am aware of this and hopelessly unable to stop it. Feel free to add your corrections in the comments section. Perhaps if I get enough of them, the correct English rules will be restored to their rightful place in my brain.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your mom?? You think she knows??? Take it from me -- she barely remembers to capitalize her own name, let alone what rules apply to anything else. She used to be able to rely on her daughters (um, primarily the eldest, for some reason), but they've all abandoned her -- fleeing to the ends of the Earth, I might add. (Or is it earth?) Fortunately, she usually has access to the Internet (she did learn, as an Internet professional, that THAT one is capitalized, but doesn't hold it against people who don't). Not that it (the Internet) helps her all that much. But in a pinch, you could try, say, http://www.libraryonline.com/default.asp?pID=48
But don't let that keep you from calling your mother!!! Love you!!!! --Mom

Unknown said...

Hey Betsy. As a veteran of the croup wars (one kid hospitalized for 3 days, another given an ambulance ride from the doctor's office to the hospital), I thought I'd pass this tidbit on to you. Another option for ending the night-time coughing, as opposed to steamy bahtrooms, is to bundle up you and your little one and go outside. I much preferred sitting in our pj's and winter coats on the porch to steaming up the bathroom and watching the rivulets pour down the walls, knowing I would have to clean those walls the next day. It worked just as well, and the kids seemed to prefer it as well. Hope you don't have to try this out this year, and that your croup days are over at least for now. pat (couldn't resist).