White Lightning Axiom: Redux

Slow nights, long weeks. Slow like the lumbering of an ancient bureaucratic branch of government, working off the banks of glowing tubes ensconced within the depths of giant tabulation machines. Long like the tedious slog through the bleak days of a dying winter ... the perma frost melting leaving behind a bone chilling overcoat of mud and decay caked to your footwear. If only that were true. Let's go way back in history before I've happened upon this rough spot. Let's see ... Dentist visit last month for the kids went well ... they now are starting to grow plaque. Jake gets better and eats like a trooper ... we all sleep in. The previous weekend, BIL Preacher-In-Training came down for a visit which gave me the band-width to clean up the garden and one of the flower-beds in the back-50. At the same time, I ran out of wood and could not get the 'log guy' out in the boondocks to return my calls. The Mrs disappeared at the end of the month to tend to her mother in NYC. Consequentially, Jake came down with a fever requiring me to pick him up at noon. He had to get a few treatments with a nebulizer to help him with his bronchitis. Shortly thereafter, Alexis got it, then myself. Well, I was infected only after proclaiming that I would NOT get it this time. This, after spending two nights in the sleet and miserable Pennsyltucky weather picking up rounds of wood. I got lucky and found someone trying to get rid of 6-8 cords of unsplit locust wood. At 150$ it was a great deal till I found out that delivery was not included. Some of the rounds were about 500lb ... much to the consternation of my back. I'm sure the knotted muscles and tendons looked like a bag of seething snakes.

Later on, I finally got a call-back on the 400$ of logs, and lost the connection. This is harder than it should be. No matter, I broke down and bought 1.33 cords of chopped/seasoned wood for $170. This should get us through the last few weeks of winter without much difficulty. Now I understand how gas can be so expensive but we all tolerate it. Not so cheap, but easy and clean, yes.

Weekend .... ahh yes. Dropped off the car at the mechanic's so he could make sure that the transmission was ok and then we headed off to the FOB 230 miles away. In the North ... the damn cold north. Stress to the system. Since the kids are ill, and I'm stressed, I'm getting ill and don't realize it. We drop off the kids (and dogs) with the Grandparents and drive another 100 or so miles to Rochester where we attended a reunion party for our old Dorm Association, CSH. I drink too much, see a few people who I miss dearly (and not see many more who I would have like to have seen) and get absurdly ill. Drive back to the FOB the next day, eat dinner, and then two hours later continue the trip back to the Haupertonian Manor. I'm really sick now. The drive, drinking and bad eating habits caught up with me. Urg. I've been on so many OTC cold remedies now that I cannot think straight. It's going to take a lot to get me out of this hole, so stand by while I gather the forces.

# posted by mdmhvonpa @ 8:37 PM