Sunday, October 11, 2009

Monday Morning Staff Meeting

For an entire week a gripping sore throat has been doing it's best to take hold of me. I've done my best to fend it off with one the of the Farmer's famous cures - hot tea with lemon, honey and Jack Daniels whiskey. There were a couple of holes in my plan. We have no lemons. The local food store was charging $1.00 EACH. That makes lemons near as precious as gold. The other problem is that I hate whiskey.

I therefore devised my own witches brew of hot tea and brandy. Whoa, hot brandy makes quite a strong vapor. You could possibly get loaded simply from breathing in the fumes. It does warm you on the way down but I've been thinking that it actually does little else than get you loopy enough not to care about the sore throat. What do you think?

Last night I decided to simply surrender myself to feeling awful and that in itself is perversely pleasurable. Think about it. Just giving up and lying in bed concentrating on how awful you feel and how wonderful it is that you don't have to prepare dinner. Drifting in an out of sleep you find that emitting a low moan occasionally has it's psychological benefits.

Heck, I feel better already.

This morning it was oatmeal for breakfast. This is a house divided between those who love old fashioned oats and those who prefer the instant, chopped up, finely ground gruel variety. Can you guess which side of the fence I land on?

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Now that I've got some sustenance in me, I've decided to serve something for our meeting that's will make everyone feel better.

Soft serve twist ice cream cones.



My throat feels much better after a little bit of this.

Get busy before they melt.



What?? Why, they're from Alice's, of course. They're open until Halloween so we're going to have our fill before then.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

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Liberty Post alerted me to a very interesting movie that will be released next May entitled, "Drying for Freedom". The subject? Drying your clothes on a clothesline!

DRYING FOR FREEDOM

We do have covenants in our community but no one pays any attention to them.

I don't dry my clothes on a line, only because I hate the way everything feel stiff as a board.


Source - Shorpy History Images Online

How about you? Do you use a clothesline? How do you combat cardboard-itis?

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I have more to say but it must wait until tomorrow. I'm off to lie down in bed and moan for awhile. I've sworn off the brandy and switched to Alka-Seltzer cold meds.

I'll grab my son's laptop and prop myself up and read what you have to say this morning. Tell me tales of clotheslines and home remedies.

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37 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you haven't tried the Carmel Apple Sundae at Alices, you need to! They are awesome! Audrey only has them the last month of the season!

One Gray Hair At A Time said...

I'm here with you about feeling awful. Going to lay - lie (never know which one to use) around the house today just being sick. Someone else can have my share of the cone, I have never liked ice-cream, go figure. Hope you feel better soon. Now about hanging your laundry out....I have always wanted to, but I don't like that stiff as a board feel either, plus with allergies we can't. But love the thought of clothes hanging on a line.

Molly said...

My grandmother always prescribed a period of cold cloth around the neck before administering medication or a trip to the doctor. When I was older I was laughing about it with my doctor, and he said actually it had some soundness because cold was anti-inflammatory, also that your body would increase the flow of blood to the cold area, which brought more white blood cells than normal, and those, as we know, are the body's defenders.

So there you have it. One home remedy.

If only that worked on migraines, which I am home with.

Feel better!

Leslie T. said...

When I'm sick, my husband always says, "Is there anything I can do?" and I say, "You know, just the usual -- feel sorry for me." And then he says, "Oh, poor, poor you" and I say "Thank you" and he goes on his merry way and I lay on the bed in a very dramatic, sad pose, and life is grand. If I'm VERY sick, it also involves periodic moans and groans on my part and a few more "Poor, poor you" comments on his part. It's a good system. Also, being brought bowls of lemon sorbet helps. :)

Anonymous said...

Couple of teaspoons of frozen lemon juice concentrate mixed in a cup of hot water; then add a teaspoon or more of honey. Stir and sip. Very soothing to the throat. Doctors recommend gargling with warm salt water through out the day will also give some relief. New subject: The only thing I hang on my clothesline are my sheets and bedding. Nothing beats the smell of crawling into bed with crisp, fresh smelling bedding. Love your stories. Thank you! Angie

Anonymous said...

Couple of teaspoons of frozen lemon juice concentrate mixed in a cup of hot water; then add a teaspoon or more of honey. Stir and sip. Very soothing to the throat. Doctors recommend gargling with warm salt water through out the day will also give some relief. New subject: The only thing I hang on my clothesline are my sheets and bedding. Nothing beats the smell of crawling into a bed with crisp, fresh smelling bedding. Love your stories. Thank you! Angie

Lisa D. said...

I don't have a clothes line right now and I miss it. It's fantastic for cloth diapers - the sun bleaches them nice and white again, and they take forever to dry in the dryer. I don't like the stiffness either, so when I dry things on the line I still throw them in the dryer for a bit with a damp cloth, after bringing them in from the line.
Sorry about the sore throat - I've been struggling with that too. I always seem to get something just in time for a holiday or birthday (we celebrated Thanksgiving this weekend in Canada). I alternate between hot drinks and cold ice cream.

Anonymous said...

I used a clothes line up until a few years ago. I always brought the clothes in and popped them right into the dryer for a little bit. That softens them up so they aren't stiff. It also kills any bugs that might have hitched a ride in on the clothes.

Ruta M. said...

I use a clothes line when it isn't raining here in sunny Devon. I don't even own a drier, usually my washing is hung over the rayburn (kitchen range) and is dry in a day. I don't understand why your washing gets stiff. Do you use conditioner? I never do because I can feel it on the clothing and I don't like the perfumes either. Hope your throat gets better soon.

dina said...

We had an old family friend - Maddie - gosh I loved her. On the precious occasions I got to spend time with her, I came away feeling like a princess. Maddie owned an old Antebellum almost mansion in East Texas. She and her husband had lovingly restored it - it sat on about 1.5 acres - pretty much right in town. Many of the plantings in the yard were original. They owned an antique store, and the house was furnished in all sorts of amazing pieces. On one visit I noticed that the clothes line looked very peculiar - nothing wrong with it or anything - just different from any I'd ever seen. And below the lines of the contraption, a full bed (4 feet wide, 12 feet long) of lavendar growing and in bloom.

Maddie explained that she'd found an account journal for the house when they were remodeling and noted that the clothes line was original, and that the mistress of the house wanted that lovely faint smell of lavendar on all of her clothes as they dried.

Laying in bed in the guest room the sheets, the draperies, the towels - all with the faintest hint of lavendar. It was lovely.

Some day I think I'll do the very same thing! We'd have to own a place first though, I'm thinking!

chocolatechic said...

So sorry your in the midst of a morbid sore throat.

I don't particularly care for Whiskey either, but it does help one feel better.

I don't own a dryer...haven't for about 13 years now.

To combat cardboarditis, I use liquid fabric softener, and give the clothing a stiff shake before I fold it.

About the only thing that remains stiff is the towels, and I prefer a stiffer towel. I feel like I'm getting dryer that way.

I'll pass on the ice cream. It is cold here today.

chocolatechic said...

So sorry your in the midst of a morbid sore throat.

I don't particularly care for Whiskey either, but it does help one feel better.

I don't own a dryer...haven't for about 13 years now.

To combat cardboarditis, I use liquid fabric softener, and give the clothing a stiff shake before I fold it.

About the only thing that remains stiff is the towels, and I prefer a stiffer towel. I feel like I'm getting dryer that way.

I'll pass on the ice cream. It is cold here today.

horse loving lineman's wife said...

I DO use a clothes line, and I use vingear in the rinse cycle, and my clothes are not TO stiff. As for your sore throat, I will pray!

martina said...

I'll go for the old fashioned oats. Can we have bread pudding for a staff meeting some time?
Scotch... you need Scotch. An old pharmacist once told me his cold cure. Have a stiff shot of Scotch..go to bed immediately and ask spouse to bring another glass of Scotch. Drink that and you'll sleep soundly and be rid of the cold.

J'Ollie Primitives said...

I had a clothesline when we lived in Oklahoma. The constant breeze kept everything flapping, and stiffness-free. No clothesline here in Ohio, darn.

When folks would ask how my mom was doing she'd brightly reply "I'm enjoying ill health." ~ still love that phrase. Hope you're enjoying good health soon!

Liz in PA said...

I do hope you feel back to your good jolly self very soon!
Yes, I do put some things on the clothesline.
I like to put all the bath mats outside on the line to dry.
(I usually wait to wash them when I have 2)
Also I like to hang sheets outside, oh the sweet smell of sunshine when you are all showered and jump into bed that night....
awesome!

Cindy said...

I love to hang laundry on the line. I agree with Liz in PA - nothing beats the scent of sheets that have been dried in the sun. To combat the stiffness, I use Downy and hope for a nice breeze. If necessary, I just pop laundry in the dryer for a short bit to fluff things up.

Michelle said...

I also give my clothing/bedding a strong shake before pinning them up on the line. Only the towels are a little stiff and I don't mind.

BittersweetPunkin said...

Sorry I missed the meeting...that ice cream looks yummy.....

I have to admit...even though I hate being sick and it really throws a wrench in the household....I do enjoy having the "excuse" to slow down and pamper myself. Isn't it sad that I feel I need an excuse?

We can't line dry our clothes either due to the covenants...but someday I'm going to have my own house in the country and I'm going to line dry my sheets. :)

I hope all is well with you. Real life has been keeping me away from Blogger and my visiting has suffered quite a bit. I am enjoying being with the kids and I'm enduring 9th grade Algebra (again).

Hugs,
Robin

I hope you feel better real soon. I've been keeping a pot of hot cider on the cook top. :)

Jody Blue said...

We line dry, but with a bit of a twist, no pun intended. After a back injury I learned the best way to heft the heavy wet stuff was to put it on hangers then make have one of the kids put them on the line between baseball practice, games, water ski team stuff, & life in general. This way I could do it and temperately hang it along the top shoe shelf and when a child graced me with their presence. We/I then toss it tin the dryer for a few spins to "de-crunch" it. When its to cold to hang out they go on a bar above the washer. Socks and other unmentionables go into the dryer...no time or patience for being to piddly.

Thirkellgirl said...

Sorry you're feeling bad. I popped in really early Monday morning for the staff meeting but had to leave before the gang got here. Dear daughter is home from college ("home" in the sense that her laundry is here, since she's been gone most of the time, hiking, bonfiring, dodge-balling...) and I wrastled her into having lunch with me at the fancy grocery emporium.
I have a folding clothes rack in my laundry room (it occurs to me that my laundry room, while needing serious decorating, is huge compared to most)but I never hang things outside. I don't like having pollen on our stuff, and I *like my dryer sheets. If things get so tight that I can't run the dryer I 'll give up coffee, and you know that's not going to happen.
Spring for a bottle of RealLemon and drink up!

GrannyBoo said...

I am a dedicated laundry line user. Several years ago my husband was scheduled for cancer surgery (18"+ incision) and I had him move my heavy duty concrete bottom poles to a better location the day before... frugal to a fault perhaps? Anyway, I dry outside in "nice" weather and inside (amish made heavy duty rack next to woodstove) when it is messy outside. I put clothes in the dryer 2-3 minutes to knock off the pollens (I am very allergic) and knock off the "corners". No fabric softener because it reduces absorbency for toweling and diapers. I use my own home made soap too, though I have miserably hard water. I feel like crying when the outdoor drying part of the year is over :)

Where in the world is Jefferson City, Missouri said...

Hope your feeling better soon....Just keep it up in Northern Illinois....was in southern this past week end....fine there.

SNAP OUT OF IT!!!!!!!!

Where in the world is Jefferson City, Missouri said...

I remember last year I made a colthes line to hang the sheets and blankets. Nothing better than fresh air on the sheets. Well What is really funny is that my grandaughter laughed and laughed cause I was hanging sheets on a line. She said people don't do that Grammy.....the young are missing out on running through the wet clothes and sheets on a sun shiny day with a breeze. I'd give any thing to hang linen out.....

Kitty said...

Hope you get feeling better soon!

When I was first married (and had moved from nice, warm Texas to Michigan) my mother-in-law told me to be careful in winter when hanging out laundry because you could break off the frozen corners under the clothes pins. I had never heard of such a thing! I had an indoor line and an old dryer that I made do with.

I'm in Tennessee now and used to hang out linens, but the birds kept leaving little gifts, so now I just use the dryer.

Anonymous said...

My son is almost 9 months old and I feel like I haven't gotten to watch him grow up. I had him and went back to work after four weeks and he has been with a nanny ever since. I work 6 days a week and my husband does as well. We work at Narconon drug rehab and with the problem int he US today, we can't afford to take off any. How can I manage my time more so that I don't feel like I am missing out on my sons childhood?

LDF said...

I don't have a clothes LINE, but I do use one of those indoor dryer RACKS instead of the dryer. If things tend toward cardboard, I put a little vinegar in the rinse. A couple of my friends phone and say "we're coming over so you've got twenty minutes to take your knickers off the rack"!

Sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. lemons are expensive here too. I make ginger tea for sore throats -- slice/chop fresh raw ginger, much cheaper than lemons, and steep in boiling water -- then I chew up the soggy ginger. It's a natural antibiotic, and very tasty, not hot like some people think. Keep sipping it throughout the day / night - good way to get extra fluids down AND get some relief at the same time! For extremely bad throats, I throw in a smashed garlic clove or two, also a natural antibiotic, or maybe some chicken boullion cubes/powder. Who cares what my breath smells like - when I feel bad enough for the garlic, nobody should be that close to me anyhow!

LIBERTY POST EDITOR said...

Home Remedy #1: 1 shot glass 1/2 filled with coarsley ground black peppercorns, then fill to top with amaretto liquer. #2 Shot of freezer stored black sambuca (it won't freeze) washed down with as hot as you can stand it, Stash Licorice Tea (clear). For both #1 and #2 compliment with VitD 2000, VitC 2000, Odorless Garlic capsule. Dr. is over and out.

Thirkellgirl said...

Uh oh. It's Thursday and you've got Monday's post up. You must REALLY be sick. Hope you feel better soon!

Unknown said...

I've been wanting to set up a clothes line since the Spring, however, I haven't done it yet so I just keep wanting! We used to use a clothes line when I was a kid and aside from just using softner, we'd put them in the dryer for a quick 10 minute toss before folding.

FraninOZ said...

Hope you're feeling better, Suzanne. Here's a sure fire cure for an incipient cold/attack of the lurgies. Into a glass put juice of a lemon and a tablespoon of honey, add double that amount of liquid in scotch, then double that with hot water. You can stir in a couple of soluble asprin.Then lie down (before you fall down!) and sweat it out.
It's a funny thing about cardboard clothes, Americans often mention it, but I've never suffered from it or even heard it complained of in OZ.

Unknown said...

You okay, Suzs?
~di

bv said...

oh dear....where are you? sleeping?...i hope.
bv

Anonymous said...

I read somewhere, decrease your detergent a little to get soft laundry. That the stiffness is from residue. It worked for me, but sounded to simple... I don't know anyone else who hangs out laundry, so I would love to know how it works for someone else... my friends think I'm "quaint"....
love the blog, by the way
kate

Barbara said...

Love the clothesline -- laundry therapy I call it. I throw the clothes in the drier for about 15 minutes before I hang them and then they dry on the line much softer. An extra rinse cycle helps, too -- it's leftover soap that makes them stiff. If it's cold or rainy I have a good system in the basement for hanging to dry. I dry my towels and whites (undies and socks) in the drier though.

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Anonymous said...

Great article, thank you very much!