It's Your Turn!

My kids are growing up so fast. If you have any, you know what I mean. Here's your assignment:

List 5 things you want your kids to know before they grow up. (Or if your kids are grown, 5 things you wanted them to know, whether you were successful or not)

I'll weigh in after you've had a chance to share.

Identity Crisis

I was shopping at Costco this morning and noticed something I hadn't seen before. In the fresh produce section, the round red fruit we used to call plums were packed in boxed marked

FRESH PRUNES.

Fresh prunes? Are prunes so popular that people are wishing they knew how to buy them fresh? It rang a bell, so I wandered over to the dried fruit aisle. Sure enough, you can buy a product there called

DRIED PLUMS.

I thought the idea of calling them dried plums was to give the fruit a younger, sexier image. Did that backfire? Do we now need to reach out to the older crowd to offer them the fresh version of the magic fruit that solves all their digestive problems?

Here's what I think. I think someone went to sleep during the ad campaign meeting, couldn't remember what the consensus was, so he decided to cover his bases.

What you missed...

I had the sweetest phone call yesterday from someone who noticed I hadn't been blogging saying she missed my observations. I haven't had the umph to blog, but if I did, here's what I would have talked about.

1. Amazon's announcement that it sold more ebooks than hardcover books last quarter.

2. The lawsuit between the author and original publishers of The Shack.

3. My nephews.

4. The Vancouver Farmer's Market.

5. Perfect Timing.

So, that's what you missed.

Missing Out

For those of you who know me, you know I hate to think I'm missing anything fun. If you're going somewhere, I want to go along. If you're headed out on a trip, I'm happy for you, but jealous. If you read a good book, pass it on. I want to read it. If you're going skydiving... well, have fun. You can do that on your own.

A quick update for anyone who hasn't completely given up on this blog. At day 17 of whatever my ailment is, only one side of the throat hurts this morning, so that's better. Right?

I'm afraid it could be mono, but I'm reluctant to go back to the doctor, shell out another hundred bucks or more to find out I should be resting and drinking fluids, so I'm staying home, resting and drinking plenty of fluids.

I spent all day yesterday at home - I can't even remember the last time I did that. It about killed me. So, here's my question.

What'd I miss?

What did you do yesterday?

Day 12

If the common cold lasts 7-10 days, I'm officially declaring this one an uncommon cold. In this age of internet diagnoses, so far in the last week, I've decided I have strep, tonsillitis, mononucleosis, scarlet fever, and allergies.

Really what I have is a sore throat, probably a virus, that has taken up residence in the back of my mouth and refuses to move on.

I've tried gargling... salt water, hydrogen peroxide, listerine.

I've tried cough drops... halls and ricola, mostly, with a side of Jolly Ranchers for fun.

I've tried ice chips, ice cubes, icees, ice cream, Italian ice and Popsicles.

I've tried Ibuprofen, tylenol, nyquil and dayquil, mucinex, chloroseptic, and tylenol with codeine.

I've taken vitamin C, multivitamins, orange juice, lemon tea, and hot water.

I've even (and this is a shocker if you know me)... I've even gone to the doctor.

And still, all I feel like doing is lying in bed. I checked out some books from the library, but I'm too tired to enjoy them. I miss my family and my friends, my routine, and most of all my energy.

Got any remedies I haven't tried yet? I'm game for anything.

Say "Ah!"

I've had a sore throat for 9 days now, and each day it seems to get worse.

"Rest," the doctor said. Lots of fluid, lots of rest. But who can rest? My nephews are in town (along with their mom and dad). There are bubbles to blow, cherries to pick, scooters to ride.

A cold is supposed to last 7-10 days. Tomorrow will be 10. I'll feel better then...

Right?

Trekkie Sandwiches

Dinner tonight, open-faced sandwiches with meat, cheese and tomatoes, dubbed Trekkie Sandwiches by one of the kiddos, is accompanying our evening's entertainment, Season 2, Episode 3 of Star Trek: the Next Generation.

The kids are just as wrapped up in the escapades of Jean-Luc Picard, Data, Worf, Reiker, and all the others as we were back in the day. Some of the technologies that seemed so amazing appear outdated to us now, like the hand-held computers that do less than an iphone but weigh 20 times more.

We originally watched Star Trek: TNG back in college. A whole group of friends would gather around the console TV, the kind with tin foil on the rabbit ear. One person was assigned to adjust the antennae every time the picture fuzzed out. It's not so different from now. When the digital revolution hit our house, the constant jostling with the digital converter box receiver began.

It seems it's not only on Star Trek that the technology isn't keeping up with the times.

Dog Days of Summer

Well, we finally joined the nationwide heatwave, just in time for Alaskan relatives to come melt in the 100 degree heat predicted for tomorrow.

Not that you'll hear me complaining.

One of my best strategies to beat the heat (since we have no AC) is to move as little as possible. Our family dog has this down to an art form.

Another strategy is to keep the freezer filled with juice pops, the water bottles filled with cold water, and all the curtains closed.

How are you keeping cool this week?

Deadly Sins Update

I was kidding about having the deadly sins printed on bracelets. So imagine my surprise when I ran across this display the other day.

They had the one for lust, too, but it was in its packaging. The sample must have been stolen.