Sickness, Chicken soup, Leaks

Maggie, Victoria and Mama have been sick for several days now. Maggie started the cycle about ten days ago and Victoria quickly followed. I think Maggie might have gotten the bug from Seth who was diagnosed with the flu about two weeks ago. He has since recovered, but the rest of my household has not. All the ladies in my home missed church in the morning and only Maggie felt up to going in the evening.


It has been some time since either Mama or I were sick so she spends most of the day shivering and feeling guilty. During the times that she feels better, she does some of the regular chores but her endurance is limited, Victoria has inherited my cough (loud and inescapably annoying) and even the dog has forsaken her choosing to sleep with Chase instead. Things are getting better slowly but it may be several more days to full recovery for all who do not feel well.

The weather is not helping. After a weekend in the seventies a cold front is bearing down on us with blistering winds and bone chilling temperatures. During the day the temperature is supposed to drop into the teens and be near zero tonight with freezing rain turning to snow. The general trend is predicted to continue for several days, which may slow the recovery of those suffering from colds and upper respiratory issues in many homes here in Amarillo – mine included.

On Friday I took the day off (since Mama was so sick) to meet a tile man who was scheduled to look at our leaking shower. I used the opportunity to make a large pot of chicken soup. It did wonders for Victoria in every area but her persistent cough. We ate on it for several days. It is still a wonder to me how a simple home remedy like that works so well.

As for the tile man, he discovered several cracks in the grout at the base of our shower enclosure, but he was not convinced that that was the source of the leak. He is leaning toward a plumbing problem. The plumber continues to blame the tile man. Meanwhile we are without a shower. The only thing that made Sunday tolerable is that the girls did not have to get ready for church as they normally would have. Seth, Chase and I were early for both services as a result. We could have made it work but we are definitely spoiled to having more than one bathroom in the house.

Chase starts his new school today. I think he is excited about it.