Monthly Archives: December 2013

Flu and How Daisy Cleaned out the Medicine Cabinet

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We were all sick, almost one at a time, but overlapping slightly. It was an upper respiratory virus, but not the full blown flu, thank goodness. My dear sweet husband “Chuck” got hit first. His immune system was down as he recovered from the agony of kidney stones, and he was knocked for a loop with this cough and fever. Amigo came next, and they left me for last.

While the chicken soup was simmering, we reached for our stock of over the counter medicines to treat the symptoms. In doing so, we had an unpleasant surprise. Many bottles were expired.

Let’s take off on a tangent, and then we’ll get back to the outdated medicines. Amigo and I have had our flu shots. I hope La Petite found a way to get vaccinated, too. Chuck prefers not to get one; he seems to do well without it. We are ready, we hope, to avoid the worst that the influenza has in store.

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is December 8-14 this year. Vaccination is the first and most important step in protecting your family against flu. Outreach people from the CDC asked several bloggers to spread the word, and of course I said Compost Happens would be happy to help.

Flu can be very serious, readers. I’ll never forget the year my fourth grade class was decimated by H1N1. Influenza of any kind can hit hard, without warning. One way to distinguish influenza from other similar illnesses is that most illnesses come on gradually – a little fever, then a headache and a cough, and then all get worse. Most people who get influenza know the day and hour that it hit.

Influenza isn’t just a cold or a stomach ache. During last year’s flu season, over 150 flu-related pediatric deaths were reported. Some young children may require two shots to establish immunity. Ask your physician.

Since I’ve been teaching online, I feel less of the germ phobia that hovers over classroom teachers. However, we virtual teachers work in a cubicle-filled office. We all breathe the same air. If someone is coughing, the airborne virus will spread. We’re still very faithful flu shot customers, whether we see our students daily or not.

So back to the beginning, dear readers. If flu does hit the O.K. Chorale, which it could, will we be ready? I cleared out any and all outdated medicines from the cupboard and replaced the basics. When I’m sick, the last thing I want to do is stand in line at the pharmacy to get anti-inflammatory drugs and cough drops. We keep ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and a few others on hand at all times. I keep the making of chicken soup in the pantry, too.

The next question: what to do with old medications? Are any biodegradable? Compostable? What about the rest? That, readers, is another post in itself.

Have you gone to the doctor or pharmacy for a flu shot? How do you prepare your family for flu season? Leave a comment and let me know.

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Non-traditional places to shop for gifts

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Folks, you know me. You know I gave up buying wrapping paper several years ago. You know I plan ahead for gift shopping because of all the birthdays that mingle with Christmas. You know I love Christmas music and listen to it – well, I love to listen to holiday music, new or classic.

But do you recall – of course you do. Creative wrapping, frugal gift planning, and finally, the shopping, take a little thought. And then, with a little thought and planning, the fun begins.

Thrift stores! By carefully perusing the racks, I have often found good buys on brand name and quality clothing. Lands’ End, GAP, Old Navy, and my favorite jeans just take a quick cycle through the wash and then look good as new – or better. Better how? Because they’re already worn in, but not worn out.

Thrift stores again – baskets. I enjoy filling baskets with my own canned goods for special people like extended family. My favorite place to find baskets? Goodwill and other thrift stores.

Stores that specialize in vintage. This angle requires good knowledge of the gift recipient. If you’re considering that rabbit fur coat that’s marked 20% off, you’d better avoid buying it for me or for La Petite. But if you see a lovely scarf or classic cameo pendant, go for it.

Stores full of repurposed and crafty pieces. There’s a shop near my workplace that sells wonderful creative and useful household pieces. I look at their wine cork frames and trivets and think “I could make these.” Then I realize no, I don’t have the time or the talent. I’ll buy it from someone who does have the time and talent.

And finally, last but never least, I thoroughly enjoy shopping at Fleet Farm. Don’t bother with Toyland; just stick to my standard departments. Friends and family know that they can buy anything for canning and preserving and I’ll be thrilled. They might even find gardening tools and toys there, despite the weather outside being frightful. We’ve also discovered that the foodstuffs designed for hunting or camping are also good pantry staples. Bear Creek soup mixes, anyone? Yum.

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Signs that it’s December in the O.K. Chorale

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  1. My closet is cluttered with piles – the result of gift shopping! I have to sift through the piles to figure out what to throw in the laundry.
  2. Blanket throws adorn every surface made for sitting or stretching out – including couches, recliners, and bean bag chairs.
  3. Supper menus feature more comfort food than usual.Chicken soup, anyone?
  4. We finally finished the fall tomatoes. Sniff. Sigh. So sad.
  5. Hot cocoa is considered a normal beverage.
  6. I’m watching Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus and getting a lump in my throat.
  7. The Weather Channel provides entertainment and makes me want to stock the shelves in case we are snowed in or iced in or have a hurricane or — okay, maybe just the first two.
  8. The Weather Channel inspires me to ask: If they’re covering Snowstorm Cleon and Snowstorm Deon, will it be Eons before the next one hits? Please say yes.
  9. My fingerless gloves are in my desk drawer at work – that is, when they’re not on my fingers!
  10. Dear, sweet “Chuck” was overheard saying, “It’ll be up to 20 degrees Sunday. I think I’ll put up the Christmas lights then, while it’s still warm outside.”

P.S. I didn’t mention holiday music because we enjoy it all year round. And a partridge in a pear tree to you, too!

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Act 10 Craziness continues

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Remember Wisconsin Act 10? It started as a budget “repair” bill, and when our governor’s followers couldn’t pull together a quorum, they changed the bill enough to pass it — oh, I’m sorry, I can’t summarize this quickly. It’s the law commonly known as the Union Buster. It’s featured along with a few other political topics on my Voter’s Voice page. That’s Voter, as in singular, as in me. One voter’s voice. Recently, a different sort of vote surfaced, one that requires voters, plural, to raise their voices.

According to Good Ole Act Ten, public sector unions like the one to which I belong must vote to recertify their associations in order to bargain what little they still can. Our local met last night to vote on whether or not to pursue the recertification process. Why not? Well, the whole process is still tied up in court and may be unnecessary if the related part of the law is found to be unconstitutional. Get it? Uh-huh. I hear you.

Meanwhile, all potential eligible possible members must be part of the recertification. To keep on as a bargaining entity, my local needs to get 51% of all the actual members AND the call-me-maybes. We set goals last night at our meeting; each member present at the meeting was to recruit and be personally responsible for three votes in addition to our own. If that happens, we will successfully get at least the 51% that we need.

The phone call vote is not easy, though. The Powers That Be designed the automated call process to make callers jump through a few hoops. If a caller hangs up one hoop shy of completion, the vote gets recorded as NO.

The Powers That Be underestimated us. Seriously, most definitely underestimated us. We are teachers! Giving complete directions is what we do! The leaders of our local made up a handout with two sides: One with written directions for the verbal linguistic word-person types, and one with a flow chart for the more visual learners.

Wait! I forgot a detail about the automated voting system. Anyone who doesn’t call at all is recorded as a NO. That’s right, folks, no vote at all counts as a vote towards the Governor’s union busters. All potential members who fail to call are counted in the negative column just as though they had thumbed their collective noses at collective bargaining.

Well, readers, I recruited two on my own and checked on a third potential voter. I do plan to quietly chat with a couple of my nonmember colleagues and ask them to do the democratic thing and be counted. Yes or no, pro or con, our nonmembers need to make their preferences known.

When it’s over, maybe I’ll jump back into the future and ask Grandma Daisy to reminisce a little. I’ll get back to you, folks.

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