January 29, 2008Yup, that’s what the doc says it sounds like Val has and my slightly scratchy throat and slightly achy joints don’t bode well. Today, I had an already scheduled doctor’s visit with my cool new doc — who is an MD with a specialty in integrative medicine — and so I talked to her about poor Val and his aches and fever and chills and racking cough and how he sat on the couch with his head in his hands and said, “buuuuuuh.” And how I didn’t want to follow in his “buh”-steps. Val will have to ride it out, but she gave me this recipe for a ginger tea to help his symptoms:
Peel and grate a one-inch piece of fresh ginger. Bring to a boil in 2 cups of water and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and continue to simmer one minute. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and two toes of crushed garlic. Let is steep a few minutes. (Then, I strained it.) Serve with a big spoon of honey.
Val’s big review: Yub, (that’s yum) it tastes like a soup we would make. He also says, “aargh, snort.” (But I think that’s not part of the review.)
For me, already showing some signs of going down, she suggested echinacea tincture and elderberry syrup, which I picked up this afternoon. Both are supposed to shorten the duration of my illness — I’ll let you know.
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January 29th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Sorry to read about Val’s influenza, especially a day prior to his birthday — delay the good party. Hope Kate’s case is easier. The Ginger tea concocsion sounds interesting and promising, enjoy the “yum”.
My parent’s old remedy — that old country polish folk medicine would be — a glass of old fashioned brewed ceyloy tea (brew leaves with some suger in a small teapot. Use the small teapot as a cover for a kettle full of water and bring to boil. Pour about a quarter of a (thin) glass of the concentrate to almost three quarter of water, add a shot of brandy, some lemon juice, drink it as hot as you can, get into a tub of hot water, get into a warm flannel PJs, crawl under a blanket, you will sweat all the influenza out and get up in the morning feeling much better. Trust me, those old folks remedies work, if they do not heal, at least the drink tastes better.
Good luck, get well and have a happy birthday Mom
January 30th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Stay well and get well. And don’t forget to drink lots of whatever. You can’t cough it up if it’s too thick. and any any liquid will help.
January 30th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
OOOOOH, two sweet sickies! I hope the redemies do work. Tell Val I’s said, “pooh”, that he has this badness on his birthday. I shall drive to the nearest card place and get a birthday card that wishes ”aargh, buuuuh” illnesses away.
A bit of Abita news…….. I have been trying since last year’s parades to find a place to store a large box of throws which
I hoped someone might use this year. And wow!, Saturday, Pat Patterson came by dressed for the Abita Push Mo parade (this years’s theme, “It Ain’t No Mo”…….because we ain’t got McKenses and we ain’t got a red light (the only one in town) we ain’t got many trees and a lot of other post Katrina ain’ts) and I hurriedly asked if he could use a box of beads….”Sure, he said”, and off went another box from the stuffed studio.. Hurray! Finally! So Michael and I bundled up and went out into the cold, windy drizzle to walk to a friend’s house to watch the parade. Oh, Oh! The parade route was changed and it came right down Pine street! Before we could walk out of the drive, here we were with the Scottish Bagpipers sounding wonderful and then being thrown stuffed (red, fuzzy) crab cuddlies and stuffed frogs and we only had time to duck as some paraders threw whole bags of bead gems! Many of them (beads, not paraders) still hang in the bamboo! We knew almost all of the paraders, so the stuff kept coming. We didn’t get to Diane’s house. As we shivvered, we went to gather all that had been thrown, and found that we had a very large, fresh fruit box over flowing with beads and stuffed critters of all sorts, king cake and a cart load of candies. Well, here we go again. What can I do with all of this? I’ll have to start a new shout, “Please DON’T throw me sumpten, Mistah”! Fat Tuedsay we’ll just snuggle in!” Kate, I didn’t even have time to get out the camera…..wish i had a few picts. Get Well.
January 30th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Hope you both feel better. I vote for the one with the Brandy. Mom’s right - hot tea with Brandy, honey and lemon and then a hot bath and bed. Usually works for me.
Happy birthday Val. And thanks for the computer help last night.
January 30th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I hope you are both feeling better. My version of the hot ginger does not include the pepper or the garlic, I like it as a hot sweet drink. My alternate is to warm up some white wine with cinamon, if I don’t feel better, I don’t care so much. happy birthday Val.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Well, folks, thanks for the good wishes and advice. I sweated out the fever last night — my temp is now normal — but I’m still achy and coughy. But I’m on the downhill side of the curve.
Kate, unfortunately, is on the uphill side — she’s got the cough, the fever, etc. Chicken soup with lots of garlic and hot pepper is on the stove right now.
And, as Libby (and Deet, offline) remind — it’s nearly Mardi Gras! At least some folks are having fun!
January 31st, 2008 at 7:41 am
One carnival when I was 9 or 10 years old I felt an ear infection coming on but didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to miss the fun. On a night we were planning to go to a parade, I jumped on the kitchen counter and snuck an aspirin. I knew I was doing something that I was told never, ever to do, if I make a mistake I could hurt myself, so I took half an aspirin only. It didn’t help much. At the parade my mom, as always, pointed to a tall tree and said, “I’ll be under that tree, check in and come right back after the parade.” Away we went. About half way through the parade my ear felt ready to explode, I came crying back to mom. She couldn’t leave because she couldn’t round up the other kids! Judy came to ckeck in and mom took Judy’s scarf and wound it tight around my head where I sat crying. Judy kept catching stuff and bring it to me to cheer me up. My ear felt a little better! Next day the doctor told me it felt better because my ear drum burst. At least I didn’t miss the parade and it was better by Mardi Gras day.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Get well Cuties, and Happy Birthday, Val. Sorry you weren’t feeling up to celebrating but ‘make-up-time’ is coming up.
Nothing better than all of the family remedies and support. Hang in there! A Hot Toddy is always good - sick or not.