Still on the couch: in the news

See? I am behaving myself; though Percy needs a walk, I have not taken him. Except for getting a beautiful pot of lemony, leeky chicken soup simmering away in my trusty Staub (it smells amazing!), I've stayed put on the couch, reading. It is so quiet here without my little guys. They came over after camp to pick up the overnight bag I'd packed and fixings for tomorrow's lunches, and then they headed off to Camp Grandma. They are just the cutest little bugs. Anyway, I've been reading and came across this shocking-to-me stat:

"In a new study conducted by Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, researchers found that 84 percent of parents of children between the ages of 2 and 11 have taken their children to eat at a fast-food restaurant in the past seven days." -the current Washington Parent

And just in case you've stopped being depressed about the meat industry in the U.S., please review this article recently posted on Grist. Bottom line is that the USDA instated a rule that meat be labeled with its country of origin and slaughter and a number of importers/packers/grocers/etc want that overturned. When people aren't proud of telling you about where the food they sell you comes from or what's in it, that's scary because there's a reason for their opacity.

Oh, bah!

Well, it appears I have walking pneumonia, and really, I couldn't be less excited about that. I am glad I went to the doctor and that I now have a good supply of Levoquin, but I am not happy to feel like such a heap of crud. While at her office, I asked about a sore spot on my foot that's been noticeable for months. Ten minutes later, I found myself in the X-ray room; during that procedure, the technician asked if I had a cold and when I said, "no actually, walking pneumonia," she exclaimed, "oh my gosh, I know people who have died from that." Find and use your filter, honey! I'm sure the foot thing is nothing, but seriously, people. I'm not getting that old, that quickly, am I? Naturally Tom left for NY this morning.

As such, I wish to send a virtual shout-out (since I really have no voice) to my in-laws who are so kindly and enthusiastically picking the boys up at camp and then keeping them overnight. I am a lucky and appreciative girl.

Back to my hot water/lemon/honey concoction.

Power back, feeling worse, quick trip through the yard

It is extremely hot in DC right now; like north of 95° and climbing. Last night, about a half hour before our guests were to arrive for dinner and I'd planned to get the fruit crisp in the oven, our power went out for no apparent reason. You might recall that this just happened a few days ago, necessitating a hurried and expensive trip to Talbert's for some dry ice. Anyway, everyone arrived sweating and did their best not to look too chagrined when I told them there was little respite inside. Fortunately, power resumed in mid-dinner, and I was able to get that dessert a'cooking. Priorities, folks! UNfortunately, I feel truly terrible today- my chest actually burns when my body is seized with the urge to cough; my throat feels like it's covered in rough, swollen, tender, bruised, scratchy growths, and my limbs feel like overcooked spaghetti. Also, my mouth aches. I hate it when that happens, when my gums throb just sitting there doing nothing but holding my teeth in. Shit. As such, I will be dragging my pitiful arse to the doc at noon. Honestly, I hope it's strep or something similarly treatable; I'd rather jump on some meds than ail lamely, especially as Tom left town this morning. I am truly the worst sick person I know. It's just not my strong suit.

After dropping the boys at camp (there are no words to describe how grateful I am that they are happily there), I took a quick spin through my yard for some aesthetic therapy. This Casablanca lily plant is the pride of my garden! And though nothing else is successfully producing, my tomatoes are rock stars.