The boy is sick.

It's Batman!

Woke up sick. Temperature, tummy ache. Now he's laying on the sofa watching tv and rotting his brain. I hope he gets better soon. At least he had a "sort of " Halloween - the school had a big Halloween day- parties and parades, then we went up the university and hit all the places where the Mr. works and the boy got a TON of candy! (no, he didn't eat a ton of it last night- 3 pieces I think)

I knew this was going to happen with all the kids out at his school. I just hope he fights it off- he still hasn't had his H1N1 vaccine yet (because we don't have any up here yet)

I know what I'll be doing this weekend- taking temperatures, watching fluid intake and rubbing his head.

Happy Halloween!

Family issues

My cousin is married with two kids. She's been married twice- one kid with each husband. She has been laid off now for months. This is not the first time she has been laid off for an extended period of time. She's not lazy or a bad worker- but I fear she has no common sense what so ever. Her husband is extremely smart- but what we call up here "bone idle"- part time work sometimes. No work now. They now have no money. None. This isn't the first time this has happened either.

I thought maybe I had written something last time this happened, and maybe I did and erased it- I don't know. Last time they had their house, car and motorcycle repossessed. My aunt went out and bought them an older used car, and tried to get them set up for job interviews and some public assistance (my Aunt is VERY connected in that field where they live) I don't even know if my cousin is looking for a job. My Aunt doesn't think so. She isn't even trying to get public assistance to stay afloat.

My Aunt doesn't know what to do now either. I know she wouldn't help my cousin and husband anymore- but there's grandkids involved (ages 5 and 6) . She can't have them stay with her- she lives in one of those age controlled condos- I think you have to be 55 at least to live there- when she bought it she just met the age conditions herself. Plus, now she's the head of the board of that condo- so she really can't break the rules. In addition, she has NO money herself. She works in a non profit education system.

Anyway. I don't know what to do. I feel so bad for those kids. In December, without a job, they will lose their rental house and have the electric turned off. (my Aunt paid this month apparently at the last minute) .We have no extra money. We live too far away in another state to have them stay with us (besides, my county has a 13.4% unemployment rate) . Her Dad is jerk and they don't talk. His Dad is no help either. There is no extended family except me.

I want to go down there and kick her ass. I'm pretty sure that won't help though. I think her first husband-father of the oldest kid- will try to get custody of him. Ripping the brothers apart doesn't seem right, but at least one would have a roof over his head and heat.

Can I do anything?

The illness that just won't go away.

As I have written before, I am sick. Really sick, not just cough, cough sick. I spent all of September off and on sick because the boy child started school and the petri dish that is kindergarten is very contagious. Then, 12 days ago I got the flu. Probably. I got all the symptoms, but they don't test anymore up here. 5 days after I got the flu, I got an ear infection and a sinus infection. The ER visit followed. The antibiotic didn't help. one. damn. bit. 5 days later and I'm sicker than ever- no earaches, but sicker than ever. The cough syrup did work like a champ though, so sleeping was easier.

I called my Dr. on Friday. When I got put into hold hell I knew things were bad in this area health- wise. There is a 3 minute recording that lists all of the symptoms on H1N1, what is dangerous, what isn't. They are trying to get everyone to stay home for 7 days if they are sick, not just the 24 hours after the fever breaks. I was on hold for 22 minutes. Finally I talk to a nurse, explain the issue, she transfers me to the triage nurse. Triage. In small town Michigan. She takes all my info, tells me she'll call back. See, I still have the infection. I shouldn't still be sick. After 4 more hours, she calls back. Tells me to stop taking my antibiotics, they are calling in a more powerful antibiotic and to make sure to read all of the cautions. I don't have to see the Dr. I can't see the Dr. They are too busy.

The cautions are horrific. Tendon breakage is the oddest of the 4 pages. Just as I'm about to take the first one, my Mom calls. She's been in the ER. Infection and breathing problems. They prescibed the same very powerful drug to her- gave her one in the ER. Now, this is two separate hospital systems, so now I have a bit more confidence in this drug, but these side effects are scary. I decided to take it anyway (Moms not having any side effects yet) The drug makes me dizzy. Not horribly, but dizzy all the same. Yesterday was a wash. I wake up today though, and feel better than I have in 12 days. I think this might just work.

The pills (10 of them total) cost me 20 bucks with my insurance. Retail cost was 158.00. My Mom got 7 pills. It cost her 39.00 with her insurance. Same pills. I hate our insurance industry.

hysterical!

Going through the Anthropolgy catalog and I see this collection . Gwen Frostic. Now, I love her work. I have her letterpress books and some art. They want 28.00 bucks for a copy of "To Those Who See." I think I have 3 copies that I bought for buck each. I have other books of hers too. I got a framed print for 75 cents. For a while this summer I couldn't go to a sale and not find something of her work. She's from just north of here.

My style ideas

style ideas- bedroom
Originally uploaded by thefarmersdaughter

Forgive me for the quick post. I am off to buy disenfectant to spray down my house so no one else catches this crap. It's hitting hard in this area now- 16 school districts are closed due to the flu. Fingers crossed I didn't give it to my 5 yr old!

A girl goes into the emergency room

I gave up Saturday morning. The ear pain was horrid. It felt like someone had stuffed a sock into my ear and then grabbed a stick and was forcing it down. The sinus pain was awful. The crap was blocking my lungs. I gave in and went to the ER. ( I had tried to get into my doctor the last two days of the week, but they were swamped and it was impossible)

I live in small town, but we have a pretty nice hospital. Better yet, it has new equipment and a new ER.

I prepared myself for a wait on the drive in. (the boy I dropped off at his grandmas house-I'm not taking a well kid to a sick hospital) I get there and there aren't many cars in the lot. But, there is more than the one lot, so I'm still pessimistic. I was wrong, there's no one there. NO ONE. I walk right in.

I get a mask. I check in. I get seen by a physicians assistant immediately. She takes one look at my ear and says "oh my" but not in a good way. Apparently it's awful in there. My throat is a mess. My sinus and ears are infected. I have the flu.

What kind of flu? I ask. She replies- it doesn't matter to us. We don't test- we treat. Well, how should I know what flu vaccine to take if I don't know what I have now? I say.
She replies- get them both when you are well. Then she says- the only flu we are seeing right now is H1N1. ( I checked that out on the CDC website- she's right. Seasonal flu is very rare right now, but H1N1 is everywhere and growing. They are afraid that a large portion of the population will have it before the vaccine gets out into the masses.)

I go to my pharmacy with my scrips. My Meijer store gives free antibiotics. Free. No charge. Yea. My codeine/Phengran cough syrup is 5.07 cents. The decongestant she recommended is over the counter (musinex d) and costs almost 11.00. My insurance covers the ER visit- plus I don't have to worry about it being denied for not being an "emergency" or any such silliness. I don't need to call the insurance before I go. Getting better will end up costing me 16.18. That I will pay for out of health savings account. 16.18, 24 hours, and I already feel better.

I was thinking how easy it was for me to be seen. Easy and painless. I don't have to worry about how to pay for this. I don't have to worry about losing my job because I have been flat on my back for the last 4 days. The most important scrip I got (antibiotics) was FREE because Meijer understands how important those are to people trying to get well. So many people are going to suffer this fall and winter due to the flu- and not just because of the effects of the illness. The cost and lost work are going to be devastating to many. Some, I'm sure, will lose their jobs due to the H1N1. Others won't be able to go to a Dr. or get the right meds because they can't pay. That's just not right.

We need health insurance reform, and I'm tired of idiots in Washington saying we can't afford it.

The basement- the root of all that is evil

well, at least in my house. That is why we worked so hard on making the main room a media room this summer. Redoing the floors, new rugs, moved in different furniture etc.... with that almost done (still need a wall of shelves and some more attention to the bar area) I decided that for the Apartment Therapy Cure this time around I would do a one room cure (really two rooms) and really finish the basement.

My sewing room is off of the main room of the basement. It's huge- over 10 ft wide and about 20 feet long. There is the small matter of the furnace and deep freeze in there, but other than that it's all mine. And I let it get out of hand. Really, really, out of hand.

the sewing desk...


overview...the furnace etc.. is over on the right off camera
from the back looking out...this is some of my vintage clothing stock for Etsy and Ebay...

Then we mostly cleared the room out-the sewing side looking front to back (the heywood wakefield has to stay in here)

where the sewing desk was..

then we painted the floor...

next, I paint the walls. Yippie!

I looked out the window and what did I see?

SNOW. Falling from the sky. WTF?



Cruddy day, so I spent it listing more stuff on Etsy and cleaning the house (since I'm going to be doing the Apartment Therapy Fall cure again)
a creepy voodoo doll I made...

an old decorating book

a spaceship cup from the 1950's

Oh, and as a big bonus I'm still sick- pretty sure I had the H1N1. If I didn't I can't imagine how much worse that would be than the reg. flu.

I'm so pleased....

I sold my first thing on Etsy yesterday. It was just a tiki fabric sample, but still..anything to get some of this stuff moved on is encouraging.

This weekend I plan to get more on Etsy- maybe even a few of my creepy little dolls (that I plan on making more of now- I have some ideas..) but first- it's two days of volunteering at my sons school. I do it every week now- usually Thursdays and Fridays. Plus, I volunteer for field trips and such, so this month I'm also going to the apple orchard with the little kiddles. Should be .......fun. Yes, that's the word I'm going to use. Fun.

The end of the season

It's getting to be fall outside, which means cold and wet up here. It's dark too. This weekend will be our final push to finish the basement floor before it becomes too cold to paint it. That means, I have to clear out my sewing room. I'm not going to post the before pictures yet. It's still too traumatic for me. I don't understand how this room got so far out of control.

The plan for this room though, is to paint the floor (not all of it as this room is also the furnace room and I don't plan on paining anywhere near that) paint the cement wall, install another shelf and rod, go through all my supplies and do a giant purge. Maybe hang some art and put a few lamps in there. This is one half of my AT cure project this fall- the other half is my upstairs office.

See the etsy link?

You know, up in the upper right hand corner? The big blue button? Hit that and it will go to my etsy shop- Bigreddogvintage. I just loaded some of my fabric collection for sale. More stuff will be coming in the next few weeks. I have to move some of this stuff along.

It's just living in boxes here and it seems unfair. Someone will have the time and energy needed to do something with the fabric- and all the cool stuff I have lurking in boxes will make someones day brighter. But that won't happen if I don't let them out of the boxes and into the world. Stuff has got to go. Come visit- if you have suggestions pass them on to me!


can you tell I've been watching Hoarders?