That Snot Normal

OK, you'll be glad there are no images of this, but we found out last night what has been making Joe so sick -- a very large snotball.

After a doctor initially said it was strep, but when antibiotics didn't knock the sore throat out, a second doc said the initial diagnosis was wrong and it was a severe viral infection of some sort.

We now think Joe's body identified a big snot ball as a virus.

He blew it out last night and yes, he made me look at it, and if I'd had the measuring tape handy it would have been around a foot in diameter. Actually, it was shaped a bit like a fig and was a bit larger than one. We suspect it had been growing with layer after layer of mucous for a few weeks now.

Painful coming out but, boy, did it feel good.

About 10 minutes after the expulsion he was running around the house like a kid he felt so much better.

Life is so strange sometimes.

Strepping on the feedbag

"Ahh-men!" she said on her first Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.


It wasn't much of a meal, but it tasted sooo good!


The products of the day, every day, at Chez Germ.

*****

What is it about holidays, illness and Joe.

On Mothers Day, it was kidney stones that kept him in the hospital for several days. And now, on Thanksgiving? Strep throat.

That’s right, when people throughout the United States were celebrating the holiday with roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberries and football, Joe was holed up in the guest bedroom so he didn’t spread the disease to Mary Ann and Lucy.

And Mary Ann was spending her second straight day watching Lucy alone. Don’t get me wrong, we both love watching Lucy, but if you have other things to get done, at Lucy’s age, it’s virtually impossible unless you can tag-team her.

This wasn’t going to be a big deal Thanksgiving, anyway. We’ve had lots of things going on of late and decided we would play it low-key. We were going to go over to Joe’s mom’s house where she’s recovering from abdominal surgery.

We were just going to pick up turkey dinners from Shoney’s or Cracker Barrel or some place like that, spend a few hours over there then head home for a leisurely evening. But those plans were obviously scratched – last thing Joe’s mom needs is someone with strep throat infectng her house.

So, Mary Ann swung by the Krogers, picked up a frozen turkey platter, some Stovetop stuffing and we had our first thanksgiving as a family.

We said grace with Lucy punctuating it with, “Ahh-men.”

Lucy gobbled up her Stovetop stuffing, and seemed to enjoy her Banquet turkey well enough.

Joe, who doesn’t have much of an appetite with the fever and all, choked down about a half plate of turkey and stuffing. Mary Ann didn’t even try the turkey.

And she cried. It was our first Thanksgiving with Lucy.

And it was the best Thanksgiving dinner ever.